#sometimes I can't believe that people like my older fics and writing

[saberamane]

Modern Day Dezio fic idea

Desmond is a bartender, 25, no contact with is parents, and very small friend group.

Ezio (34) is the son of a banker, his mom owns art galleries in both Italy and America, his older brother is a surgeon, and he himself is a lawyer who takes on wealthy clients. (Like celebrities and such.)

They meet completely by accident. Desmond fills in for a coworker on a night where Ezio is meeting with a client at the bar. (Its a high end bar.)

Desmond is polite but professionally distant. Ezio is immidiately interested.

Ezio stays after his client leaves, solely to talk to Desmond.

Desmond is resistant to the flirting. It happens every night, with dozens of numbers being left that Desmond never even looks at.

Ezio visits weekly, moving his client meetings to Desmond's shifts. He flirts, but doesn't push overly much.

After a few months, Desmond caves and accepts a dinner invitation, believing 100% that Ezio is just trying to get him into bed.

The dinner is great, in an expensive restaurant that has a nearly year long wait list.

Markedly, Ezio does not try to convince Desmond into sex. Like a gentleman, Ezio drives Desmond home, wishes him goodnight, and leaves.

The next date invitation, Desmond accepts without pause.

Before Desmond knows it, it's been 11 months. It's not just dinner any more. It's meeting for coffee and lunch and attending art shows (which Desmond doesn't know are in Ezio’s mother's galleries) and little street fairs and the carnival. They're full on dating, and Desmond doesn't know how.

Meeting Ezio’s family is a bit of a shock. His parents house is huge. And gorgeous. All his siblings are successful in their careers.

Federico was just in the news for performing a new, breakthrough surgery. Claudia owns the restaurant their first date was at, a table always available for family. Petruccio was just exploring the Amazon studying birds, and discovered a new species. Maria owns art galleries everywhere, and has her name on a plaque at the Louvre. Giovanni is the head of a bank that spans continents. One swanky enough their lobby's typically have fountains in them.

And of course, there's Ezio, a big time lawyer making lots of money.

And Desmond is just a bartender...

Needless to say Desmond freaks out. A lot.

How can a guy like Ezio, with his accomplishments and his family, be interested in Desmond?!

Ezio reassures Desmond, he loves Desmond for who he is as a person, not for his job or money or status. Those things don't matter.

Everything slowly goes back to normal. Desmond joins family holidays and vacations. Everyone seems to like him. Thinks he makes Ezio happy.

And then Ezio proposes. And Desmond freaks out again. Dating is one thing. Ezio can easily drop him if he gets bored or tired of Desmond. Marriage? A lot different. Lawyers have to be involved. Money. Lots of money sometimes.

After Desmond's freak out and a long conversation, he agrees to marry Ezio. He does love him after all.

But he has a condition...

"I want to sign a pre-nup."

"Absolutely not."

"I won't marry you without one. I don't want people thinking I'm marrying you for your money."

"No one will think that! My family loves you!"

That's my condition."

So Ezio draws up a prenuptial agreement for Desmond. One that is far too generous. Desmond makes him remake it.

"Desmond. Even if we get divorced, I will always make sure you are taken care of. This paper means nothing to me."

Desmond, blushing "Just write the damn thing."

Of course Ezio’s family is thrilled about the engagement. Not really thrilled about the pre-nup. They love Desmond, and know he's not marrying Ezio for money.

They, collectively, decide to make sure Deamond gets a lot of 'gifts'. Desmond feels too awkward rejecting gifts, and gifts are not part of the pre-nup. It's the perfect workaround.

Desmond knows what they're doing, but can't really figure out how to stop them.

[amethxxt]

so... what do we think of the new D5 characters?

Look at me ranting again :)

I wanna start off by saying that this is no hate towards the actors. My problem is with the writers.

Am I excited for Red to have a younger sister? YES. My personal headcanon is that Red has 3 younger siblings (y'know, in a universe where the Queen of Hearts isn't an absolute tyrant), and now I can't wait to see what dynamic the two of them are going to have.

My problem with Pink, is that her name is Pink. WHY? WHAT WAS THE REASON?? It took me forever to get used to "Red" and now that's what they go for when Rosa/Rose was RIGHT THERE????

I seriously don't understand why Disney's so lazy when naming Descendants characters. Sometimes, we get absolute bangers like Calista Jane and others we get shit like Pink/Li'l Shang/Herkie/Hadie and I'm like… couldn't you have at least tried? Couldn't you go to a baby name website like every author in the world has done at least once and look for something better?

How do you expect us to care about the story of those characters when you couldn't be bothered to give them a decent name?

And speaking of Hook, we have a Hazel now :)

This one surprised me because I don't think I had ever expected them to come up with another child of Captain Hook. To me, Harriet, Harry and CJ are perfect and enough.

My problem isn't even that I think it's out of character for Hook to have four children. Actually, he seems like the type that adores the sex part but doesn't give a shit about his kids and is an abusive parent. My problem is that WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH HAZEL NOW????

I have such a perfect idea of how Harriet, Harry and CJ's dynamic is and now I have to worry about introducing a brand new sister. My second problem is that I love the idea of CJ being the baby of the family for more than one reasons.

Of course, I could just ignore her, but I'm actually curious about Hazel's character and love writing about the Hook family, so I've been trying to come up with my own headcanons for my version of Descendants in case Hazel lives and in case she doesn't and we're left with the original 3.

Max is... whatever. I hate that they're gonna have him be Red's love interest because she seemed so close to Maddox that it's weird to think she'd ever see him as anything other than a friend/brother figure. Also, I'm sure he only exists because they can't have Ace in the movies because it would contradict the book or something.

I just want glassheart to be canon, is that too much to ask????

Now (just let out the biggest sigh of my life), Luis Madrigal. He might actually be my new nemesis.

Again, no hate to the actor, but seriously?! They had to throw Encanto into the mix?? I would have no problems if their new character was like, Moana's son, for example, because I can see Moana existing in the Descendants universe.

Encanto, though? I love the movie, but no. Absolutely not.

It almost feels like those skits people post to make fun of Descendants with children of characters like Lightning McQueen and Buzz Lightyear.

Luis is not ever going to be a part of my fics but at the very least I hope Disney isn't so lazy as to make him have super strenght when that's not how gifts work in Encanto. It's not hereditary.

Honestly, I can't believe someone came up with his character and it got approved.

Everything points out to the new "core four" being Red, Chloe, Pink and Hazel, but since Rise of Red didn't do such a good job at developing Red and Chloe's friendship, I'm worried about how they're going to do that and introduce two new main characters and develop Red and Pink's dynamic because I'm sure Red isn't going to start off as the perfect older sister.

I think it'd be interesting if she felt resentment and jealousy towards Pink, because she didn't have a sister before the timeline change, but now not only does she have one, but Pink got to grow up with the good version of the Queen of Hearts and all the love Red never got.

Really nice room for angst, especially since Red and Chloe are the only ones who remember how things used to be and can't just go around talking about it.

Well, I don't know what else to say right now because I just needed to vent a little. At the end of the day, we can only hope that D5 turns out to be a good movie.

[khaoala]

tell me ur fav fics of each fk couplee

i got this ask a few days ago, but i was waiting to see if my problem with bookmarks would be resolved, but it wasn't. ao3 reseted my bookmarks and i usually use those to mark my favorites so you can see how that can be troublesome. idk about you, but i'm the type of reader who reads stuff and the one recollection i have after is of liking it a lot or disliking it. (also, i must admit i haven't been reading many fk-universe fics lately because my brain has been consumed by bg3 and i've been reading many fics about the many ways a certain vampire and a disgraced wizard can get together) so i struggled a little. but, regardless, here we have them:

AKKAYAN

business or pleasure by lovelyfanficwriter (you'll notice that i will have many of sarah's works listed here. i really like her writing and the stories she tells, and i know business or pleasure is probably THE akkayan fic people talk about all the time, but it's really good and you have so much fun with it)

stardust by lovelyfanficwriter (to no one's surprise. you give me a fic with fk's characters with kids and i will read it with the biggest smile)

choices by beanie

heart in a cage by lovelyfanficwriter

ALANGAIPA

today, you're my home by captainbonnet (i'm a sucker for alangaipa stories, they are so soft and sometime angsty but maybe bc they are older, the stories feel like a warm hug. this one feels like a little angsty inspired warm hug)

the moon represents my heart by ari_lookoflove (i love soulmate stories, it really is one of my favorite plots)

service & devotion by beanie

all your wonder by khaotunq (stilinski) (this is a must read btw, this one i remember clearly. i re-read it every time i miss alangaipa)

finally, finally, finally, finally, finally safe by itsmesyn (pretty sure this was my very first fkt fic)

SANDRAY

love unscripted by lovelyfanficwriter (i think this one was the first sandray fic i read in a long time, and i was so happy. i would wait every week for an update, i had a lot of fun reading it)

for the days when i don't believe by khaotunq (stilinski)

call me whenever by blackwatervial

for the days when i don't believe by khaotunq (stilinski)

KANTBISON

the tempest by semantics_error (i read this one around the time people were 100% convinced bison was into bdsm for trauma reasons and so many fics had that opinion, but not this one, this one made me happy when i read it)

i don’t do well with sharing by katychan666

can't keep my hands to myself by mslunita (this one was so fun to read)

between the ruins by wynterdepoo

hand in unlovable hand by hidden_joy

[wangxianficrecs]

Rewind 2024 - A few more recs...

WangxianFicRecs - Rewind 2024

Before the year ends, here are a few more recs of stories of 2024 that found their way into our inbox! I wish you all a Happy New Year and hope, that we can discover lots of fun fanfics next year as well! - Kay

Follower Recs

~*~

Think I've missed the 2024 Rewind follower recs but I've been absolutely loving this story!

WIP Modern Cultivators AU where WWX and LWJ have just agreed to a betrothal contract - for supposedly purely political reasons but in actuality because they fell hard and fast for each other during the prior fic in the series. POV switches between the two of them as they face up to (and increasingly embrace) the concept of being cared for and loved for being exactly who they are. Beautiful writing and brilliant characterisation, every update feels like a treat ☺️ @slothwithwifi

🔒 I'm Much Older Than I Thought I'd Be

by MajorEnglishEsquire (@chuckwinchester)

E, WIP, 81k, Wangxian

Summary: “Now. Before we break for the evening, as the topic has arisen between Lan Xichen and myself, directly, in accordance with an inquiry from the Lans,” Uncle passes him the copy of a draft agreement. “I wonder if you recall your lessons on the cross-clan arrangement of cultivation partnerships.” Picks up after The Further I Go, The Less I Know.

~*~

Hello! I want to submit this fic for Rewind because I love cherry magic AU and lwj pov is so rare. It’s very funny to listen to wwx pining in his head and lwj panicking over it. - Anon

My Heart is Yours to Fill or Burst

by anancites (@ananc1tes)

E, 67k, Wangxian

Summary: On his 30th birthday, Lan Zhan gets struck by a mysterious curse: suddenly he's a mind reader! As much as he dislikes most people talking too much, hearing their unfiltered thoughts is even worse. To top it all off, he learns that his old friend Wei Ying might not be flirting with him just to be a nuisance. He might be flirting with Lan Zhan because he's actually really into him? (a WangXian AU very loosely inspired by Cherry Magic)

~*~

Delightfully hilarious. I read it over a month ago and still laugh sometimes when I think about wwx in this. @alyseofwonderland

Living Art

by relenafanel (@relenafanel)

E, 8k, Wangxian

Summary: Broke artist Wei Wuxian takes a hard look at his finances and shrugs his way into becoming a content creator on OnlyFans. Jiang Cheng sighed. “These columns are negotiable. If you want to keep this subscription, you have to replace something to break even.” Wei Wuxian stared at the spreadsheet. He hummed in thought. “I need to break even.” “Yes.” “In order to keep my OnlyFans subscription I need $65 a month. On OnlyFans.” “No,” Jiang Cheng said quickly. “If I become a content creator and earn $65 a month--” “I am begging you--” “Then I can keep the subscription. Thanks A-Cheng!” The account in question? Hanguang Jun's Reading Livestreams.

~*~

🔒 Only with Time

by adrian_kres (@Bichen-Suibian)

E, WIP, 66k, Wangxian

Summary: Thirteen years ago, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were arranged to be married as is tradition. Throughout their thirteen-year-long "courtship," things were not always as they seemed. Now, newly married, old secrets have ripped open wounds they thought were closed, and they must work together to rebuild a trust they never had and a love they always did but couldn't see. Told from alternating points of view between LWJ and WWX with frequent flashbacks to memories of their "courtship". Updates weekly.

~*~

Proud Author Spotlight

~*~

I can't believe I almost forgot to shout-out my own fic that I started this year! It's a modern AU with cultivation where Wei Wuxian loses his hand, gets taken in my Wen Qing and her family, starts a prosthetic start-up and schemes to take down Wen Ruohan from the shadows feat. Wen Yuan having a big sister, Wen Zhuliu redemption and all the Found Family vibes!

Black Sun

by thelastdboy (@thelastdboyy)

E, WIP, 51k, Wangxian

Summary: Within one afternoon, the Yunmeng Jiang Clan became a mere branch of the Wen Clan. They lost their estate, all of their assets, and Wei Wuxian – He lost an arm. All to appease Wen Ruohan. To the Jiangs, the name Wen became a curse to be hissed out between gritted teeth. To Wei Wuxian, the name Wen became something dear after Wen Ning and Wen Qing saved his life and took him in. Years later, Wen Ruohan and his sons have long since died under mysterious circumstances and Wei Wuxian has been branded a traitor to the high society of the cultivation world. Together with the remaining Wens, he turned to the civilian world and revolutionized the medical field by developing prosthetics controlled by spiritual energy. Enter: Lan Wangji. After their fight against the Tulu Xuanwu, his leg never really recovered. Years of countless surgeries and feeling as if he was living inside a gilded cage while being patronized by his family passed, until Lan Wangji finally took his chance and absconded. To Yiling.

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for these hard-working authors if you like �� or think others might like – these stories.)

[letteredlettered]

Hello!! Firstly, I'd just like to say I've recently discovered your drarry work, and I have been reading your entire catalogue of it for the last week. Pulled all nighters can't stop reading it, reading it. I devoured The Boy Who Lived Twice in one sitting and I couldn't believe how well crafted it was. Blew my mind.

Now, all of this is to say, your prose has this elegant straightforwardness that is so succinct, so clear and so evocative. Your dialogue is absolute *perfection*. What are your influences? Books or authors you feel made an impression on you? I'd love to know what you read, because god I love what you write.

Thank you! I'm so glad you like my fics.

Jane Austen is a huge influence. Whenever my prose feels indistinct and overburdened, I return to her. She says things extremely sharply and cleanly.

Sarah Rees Brennan was a huge influence on me in terms of POV. I tend to write a very tight third person, so tight that the reader can generally see things the viewpoint character cannot. Check out the first book of The Demon's Lexicon series for one of the best examples of this I've read.

I spent a lot of time with Robin McKinley as a kid. I don't think that our styles match very well; she can do an ethereal, fairytale tone that I've kind of given up on. But what I loved best about her was that she could do that tone but then write something incredibly down to earth. I would check out Beauty or Deerskin for my favorite examples of this.

I actually also came into the style I write now writing for Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) fandom. While most of the stories I wrote in that fandom didn't have very sharp dialogue, I remember writing a story (a WIP still languishing on livejournal, sadly) where I realized I had "found" my voice and style. It was extremely dialogue-heavy. BtVS was famous at the time for its extremely fast-paced, idiosyncratic, snappy dialogue. The dialogue is now considered dated, and the creator is a douche, but imo it's still great writing, especially the early shows. I still go back to it sometimes to figure out a conversation with multiple people, or to work on my humor.

As for authors that have made an impression on me, I'd check out George Eliot. My favorite book is Daniel Deronda. It has wonderful dialogue, especially for an older book. Dickens, Dostoevsky, and Hugo all made pretty big impressions on me as well; I think these big, hefty books with really big ideas really influenced my language, even though I would by no means call my style 19th c.

I'd also check out Rainbow Rowell. I wouldn't say she influenced the style I write with now, because I had it before I read anything by her, but she's one of the few contemporary authors I read and think, "Yeah, I'd write it like that." I think anything by her is a great read that can give you a lot to think about in terms of style.

In my mind, Sally Rooney is a little like Rowell in terms of a cleans style that packs a sharp analysis. I'd call Rowell more comfortable, funny, and genuine, while Rooney is a bit aloof and literary. I actually don't like the stories in her books very much, but I found Conversations with Friends particularly refreshing in terms of writing style.

C.S. Pacat's Captive Prince series also left an impression on me. It has a clean, simple style, with a narrator who doesn't see everything the reader does. And I also did learn a lot from the use of the word "said," in those books--it was something I already knew! and yet.

I think some fanfic that made a big impression on me is The Paradox Series, by wordstrings (Sherlock/John, Sherlock BBC), Spice, by eimeo (Kirk/Spock, Star Trek TOS), Children, Wake Up by hollycomb (Kylo Ren/Hux, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Tarnished Gold, by prim_the_amazing (Shen Yuan/Luo Binghe, Scum Villain's Self-Saving System). The styles in these fics vary, but each bowled me over at different points with how beautifully something was articulated or how spectacularly a scene was crafted. I think about Spice all the time in particular.

I'd also say that if you're thinking about dialogue in particular, I also love both Oscar Wilde's and Tom Stoppard's plays.

If you are a writer, I did write a series on writing dialogue. Check out the tag "lettered writes dialogue". The first post is here.

[metaphoricgibberish]

Nights Like This One: XXIV.

"For the first time since she made it to Jackson, Joel looked like Joel, older now, more wrinkles around his eyes, that deep set between his brows, gray threaded through his curls. But he looked like Joel, her Joel. And she would have cried, if she had any tears left, if she wasn't still terrified that this— that he— could disappear before her in the blink of an eye."

paring: joel miller x ofc rating: 18+ mdni word count: 4.3k a.n. what a wild ride. i can't believe this fic is almost over. i first drafted the outline on christmas eve in 2023. i had covid and i was miserable, sitting with a mask on in my parent's living room. a couple weeks prior, the laundry room at my own house had flooded, and i remembered wishing, in my sick stupor, that joel miller could come fix my fucking drain for me. so, sitting on my mother's couch (not so unlike lily sitting on her mother's ratty armchair) i dreamt up a fic where joel miller was hired to renovate a woman's home. i'd been reading pablo neruda earlier in the day (not unusual, he truly is a poetic genius) and these two lines from Tonight I Can Write kept rattling around in my head: "Through nights like this one I held her in my arms. I kissed her again and again under the endless sky. // Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms, my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her." and I thought about how beautiful it would be to incorporate those lines, to have them be the cornerstones to the two parts of this story. I've been living with these characters screaming in my head for almost an entire year. I love them and this story so dearly. I know fanfiction gets a terrible reputation, i know that people who don't read it (even some that do) don't truly understand what an art it can be. and sometimes i get sad, or angry with myself for focusing so much of my time (and my $120k creative writing degree) on writing things i can never publish. but i really do love doing this. it brings me so much joy and it makes me happier than i can express when it makes you all feel something too. my dream, since i was ten years old, was to write something that other people loved, that made them happy, made them sad, made them feel something. and i always thought that would be a book, hoped it would be, and maybe that's still in the cards someday, but for now, i'll take this. thank you so very much for reading. there are two chapters left after this (maybe three if i decided to break the next one in two). my sole focus after this will be the human condition, then i have two more fics in very early stages that i'm excited to get out (eventually). happy (actually happy this time) reading <3

Read on AO3

Fic playlist on Spotify

[sapphosscribe]

This is literally my favorite fic ever!

[Brace for rant]

The characterization is amazing. All of the characters are so realistic that the line between the actual show and A Human Condition for me is very, very blurred. The characters are also built very well, because they seem so much like people. They aren't just watered-down to one trait; they're all accurate and 3-Dimensional. You can scold them, you can hate them, but at the end of the day you still feel like they're actual people. They're human. The characters, well, seem like the actual creator of Gravity Falls wrote them (are you Alex Hirsch...? Answer me!).

I know that it is hard writing Bill (because his behavior can be either very out-of-character of very in-character. No in between.) and you do a fantastic job of him. Each action and sentence from him genuinely feels like him, which I can't say for every fic in Bill's perspective. I especially love how you write his past in Euclydia, because all we know in canon is that he was shunned and medicated for having the ability to see into the 3rd dimension and that he burned his dimension out of existence. I adore the flashback scenes, and his feelings and internal dialogue after. Don't get me started on his perspective. His perspective is so skewed, yet that seems so like him that no one bats an eye. You also manage to capture his character after the Theraprism so well! Even though everyone knows Bill didn't heal enough to get reincarnated (that part makes me cry. Reincarnation is heartbreaking.), we know his view on some things likely shifted.

His interactions with Mabel are so perfect because we know that Mabel will never give up on him. Even though that might just lead to her demise. Bill is one of the few people that has never felt like Mabel should ever tone her personality down, because she doesn't fit into the norm. Mabel isn't shy, or quiet. She's weird, and that's what Bill likes most about her. Mabel hasn't judged him, except during the beginning, but who wouldn't? Mabel puts a lot of her effort and time to try to teach Bill human things, even believing that he's improving when he's most likely not. She defends him, even when Bill isn't in earshot. She believes everyone can heal and better themselves, even when dealing with an interdimensional dream demon older than Earth's solar system. Even though she knows deep down there's no saving Bill, she still supports him through and through. She even goes as far to hang out with him most of her time, and sometimes she even risks her relationship with Dipper. Don't get me wrong; it's clear Mabel still loves and adores Dipper.

I just love your take on Ford's years in the portal, and I like how his story is consistent. Each piece of information we get about his portal years isn't just thrown into our faces for shock value or for sympathy points, it's developed to the brim. Ford's reactions to his scars are just so accurate and amazing, and even though you feel bad for him you want to find out more. The takes on his time in the portal are very creative, and I like how his trauma is developed. His over-protective nature isn't spilling over anything, but it isn't fully gone. We can still see and sense some of his paranoid behavior from the previous year. We can also still see the effects from Weirdmageddon. His mostly-resolved tension with Stan is visible, but it's not suffocating. With his interactions with Stan, we can see that their relationship has improved from the previous year along with the older twins themselves.

Now, for the plot. These chapters can literally be real episodes by Alex Hirsch. I wouldn't be surprised. They're just that good. Even though the plot twists are surprising, you can try to guess them with the foreshadowing. Another thing: the tone and mood! You do such a good job with that, especially in the last chapter. You can just sense that something is going to go wrong. Something is off. Something isn't quite right, and it's eerie.

The imagery and figurative and descriptive language is something I also cherish. You can easily picture the scene in your head, which I struggle to do a lot. The descriptions aren't mundane or just a useless drone to boost the word count, they actually add so much to the story. The transitions to different POVs, the cut-offs of scenes, they all depend on that sweet, sweet, description. Even if you're describing something I would generally call ordinary, unsurprising, or boring, you make it seem immersive and new.

Lastly, you are my inspiration as an author. You are my role model; I look up to you a lot. Your story is what originally got me into posting my fics on AO3, I couldn't have done it without you! Every time I'm not motivated, I reread AHC (yes, all 300,000 words of it!) and that boosts my confidence and hypes me up (whenever I comment and you respond, I giggle and kick my feet).

Thank you for reading, and thank you for not abandoning AHC. Keep being awesome; take care of yourself and take your time for writing the new chapters!

-nowthenightisgone

AAHHHH!! I love rants! ❤️

I’m so excited people are loving the characterization!! I’ve got a big soft spot for Gravity Falls. The characterization is very much a labor of love from a few hours of work on character sheets and listening to the episode commentaries. One of my favorite things about Gravity Falls is how gently it treats its characters: how they’re imperfect human beings who make multiple mistakes, but are still lovable for the simple fact that they love others and try to be better (Stan Pines comes to mind 👀) It looks like I’m never beating the Alex Hirsch allegations. I shall neither confirm not deny 😉

Bill Cipher. Ugh. Writing him has been a real challenge because he’s so incredibly chaotic and hard to pin down personality wise. It got a lot easier when I realized two fundamental things about him: 1) Bill Cipher is his own biggest fan and biggest op. No matter what he will always act in his own self-interest. (Something that’s going to come into play and be explored next chapter actually!) This also has a tendency to backfire simply because Gravity Falls loves karma, with Stan and Bill usually being the recipients given they are the biggest jerks to others. 2) If Bill Cipher is ever vulnerable, it’s because he got dragged to that point kicking and screaming. Anything genuine in that triangle is buried under 10,000 layers of misplaced anger, rationalization, unhealthy coping mechanisms, bad jokes, and bravado. Then, after I remember all that, I just ask myself what’s the worst possible thing that could happen in this scene and, most of the time, it’s something Bill wouldn’t think twice about. 😂 The Euclydia flashbacks will also be continuing again soon so if you’re hungry for more of Bill’s past, it’s coming. Just be careful what you wish for….

I can’t tell you how happy I was with the way not only Mabel but all the women in Gravity Falls were characterized in the show as both weird and girly. Like Alex Hirsch gets it. All the women I know in my life (including myself 😜) were/are weird and so often girls are portrayed in the media as cutesy and shy without any of the loud, artsy, messy parts of women. Give me little girls having murder trials with their Barbie while also playing mermaids. Give me girls making flower crowns but also having a mean right hook 😫🥰 And you’re absolutely right that Bill recognizes those traits in Mabel and thrives on them. He genuinely likes that she’s strange and curious and chaotic. He doesn’t want her to tone herself down or fit into a specific box. The same way Mabel is offering Bill acceptance and space to be who he is, he offers her the same thing. In short, I love writing their friendship 💖💖

What if I told you I have an entire timeline of all of Ford’s portal adventures? 😳 There’s a reason it’s been consistent 😂 Most of it isn’t relevant to this story, so I haven’t included it. But it exists. I might just do a Stan twins prequel given the massive amount of material that is lingering in their character files I can’t do anything with 😂 I’m glad you noticed that Ford has actually learned and grown over the past year with Stan! Ford has dealt with his trauma a lot less than Stan so it’s more prevalent, but he’s also worked in his own way to better adjust to society (though he slips up every now and then). The both of them are well on their way to resolving their issues by the end of Act 3. 😉

The chapters themselves I actually structure in a semi-episodic way with at least a bit of payoff for each chapter so that might be why it feels like Alex Hirsch wrote it. (Or maybe I’m him. I’ll never tell! 😏🤐)

I personally think one of the best things about writing is it gives the readers an opportunity to see the world through another person’s eyes in a way no other medium can quite capture. To that end, I try to use the internal monologues and descriptions in my chapters to always give the readers a better sense of the characters, their thoughts, feelings, and motivations. It’s also fun for me, personally, when flipping between perspectives for us as readers to know something crucial the other characters don’t. It builds the tension without forced miscommunication.

Guys, how many aura points would I lose if I cried over that last paragraph? 🥹 It’s honestly crazy to me that I could be someone’s inspiration as an author, but I’m certainly glad I am! I think any writer’s goal is to delight and inspire people with their words and stories: to shed some light and joy into other’s lives and maybe even into the future. I’m so proud of you for posting your work and allowing other people to enjoy it just as much as you’re enjoying my fic! 🥰🥰 Leave no song unsung when the long day is done! I’ll have to come read it soon! Hopefully in my next scheduled hiatus between Act 2 and 3 though that’s still a ways off for now. Getting comments like these makes me giggle and kick MY feet. 😂🥰

Thank you for reading and fear not, I’ve no plans to abandon AHC. I’ve got it plotted out from start to finish. Now all that’s left to do is write. 😉

Reader Beware: from now until the end of Act 2 is going to be a difficult journey for the Pines. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel (though it might just be an oncoming train 😅)

Take care of yourself and good luck in your writing!

@nowthenightisgone

(Great username btw 💖)

[weltato]

A Complaint - AO3

I have a question for the AO3 readers: why is interaction so hard for you? I never normally see this much of a drought, my goodness.

I will admit, the bookmarks are very nice, thank you to those people, but this is kinda sad. Normally I'm not bothered, but it's just- can't even say hi? You just read a fic and leave? You don't wanna take a second of your time to hit kudos? I understand some of the hits might be "shit I didn't want to click on that one" and some will be "eh, I tried it, but didn't like it" but I just can't believe that over one hundred people have done that. And true, maybe there's the rare few that have been coming back to read the fics and that's bumped the count up, but I have ONE (1) comment saying anything. Just one. I know it says two there but that's my own reply and I'm not counting it. These are my two most recent fics btw, this is a recent issue for me, my older fics haven't been this dreadful.

Genuinely, that second image bothers me more than the first one. At least that one got a comment and people have bookmarked it, ok then. That one is fine actually, that's not a problem for me. But the second one is just..."wow" is really all I can say.

That, and a resigned sigh that this is the fate of the internet right now. Tumblr posts are getting less interaction than they used to thanks to the widespread like-culture bleeding through from other apps and AO3 readers are putting the authors on such a pedestal that they're afraid to even leave a comment or a kudos anymore.

I'll admit, I only recently started leaving comments more often and that I used to be part of this problem, and I'll also admit that these two fic stats are for a fandom that is pretty much dead thanks to the show killing itself at the end (TUA S4 look what you've done), but even my niche fics - Red Dwarf, Wind in the Willows, VHS Christmas Carols - have got relatively balanced stats in comparison.

Either it's the fanbase being dead (probably the cause), users not interacting anymore (still a problem), or my writing is just going down the toilet at the moment (I don't actually think it is but everyone has different tastes in writing style) but this is something that's irking me right now and I had to complain somewhere.

I'm not usually bothered by numbers and statistics, I know it not gonna benefit me in the slightest, but sometimes I look at things and wonder why the interaction on it is so shit. This is one of those times. You read the top, right? You know this is a complaint, it doesn't necessarily need to make sense.

I'm gonna shut up now.

[personasintro]

Hi, its me the yapper!! Once again!! 👋👋

I just wanted to clarify something that both you and other commenters seem to have gotten wrong; Whatever I said was incase of the scenario that you’re not feeling the story like you used to, so writing it has taken longer bcs you do not enjoy it as much but you still want to appease the reader. Hence the unwanted suggestions I made.

In my point of view, it seemed that way so I thought it was inevitable that you one day drop the fic because yes we’re getting older and busier and we drift away from things we loved. Thats why I said “is it really that serious?” because you obviously seem willing to keep writing but the wait has gotten so long that it looks like you’re doing it out of obligation(?!).

Looks like I misjudged and I apologise if thats not the case. But it came out of genuine curiosity because I just cant comprehend such long wait. Thats a me problem ig🤷‍♀️

So what I got out of your response is that yes we might/will see the end of mh in like 1-2 years? (more or less)I get that I sound bitter but I promise I am NOT lmao its pure curiosity I promise!!!

Ps to people who said that that was uncalled for or that its serious to me otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered; As I said I am an avid reader of mh so after a reread I thought I could share my thoughts? Like its genuinely not that serious even to me, I didn’t think twice before sending the ask I did it just because the thought crossed my mind. And l believe the whole waiting thing is a fact, so people’s opinions on it are very much called for?

Is it any of our business how long mimi takes to write? No🙂‍↔️. Are we as readers entitled to an opinion as long as we’re respectful? I’d like to think yes🙂‍↕️

Anywayss have a good one yall

i understood what you meant in your previous ask. and i still stand by what i said many times before – i do not hold here anyone against their will and if anyone feels like they're getting older and lose an interest in any of my stories, that's okay and it's their decision to make. i can't be responsible for everyone's feelings of how they feel about this exact situation. that's beyond my control and you're all free to feel however you want. i do wish people would be more understanding and respectful and that's why i said that no one knows what someone goes through. just because i'm no longer totally open about what's going on in my life, doesn't mean i don't care about my stories.

i'm not writing out of obligation. sure, i do feel a certain responsibility to make mh my priority even more than ever, but it's not an obligation. and i wouldn't just drop the story. i said this too, i'll finish this story whether it's for myself or for everyone else as well.

i said this many times before too – i'm in a position where i write whenever i can and want. i do not have any schedule, actually i never had one – but readers were used to more frequent updates and now, of course it's harder to get used to less frequent updates. but that's just life. i apologized when i never had to. my plans was always to finish mh asap (still is) but sometimes things don't go as planned and there are things i don't even have control of.

i respect your opinion and i'm merely explaining myself on this, hope it can be taken with respect and understanding as well!

have a good day everyone ☀️

[sagegarnish]

Because the wank never ends and we are all in a samsara of discourse: fixed shipping is FINE AND COOL!

Only liking certain t/b dynamic = FINE! Enjoying when they have seme/uke personality changes = FINE! Harassing people who write/enjoy outside of that binary = BAD

Literally it's 100% normal and cool to only prefer one character being dominant or another taking it up the ass! It's just that people start demanding "top/bottom tags" on works that don't necessarily fit the tropes they're asking for, or getting mad when SFW art has "both tags".

Say I want to write BlorboSkrunkly. Blorbo is older & in a position of power. Skrunkly is younger. If I write a fic where Blorbo is topping, a lot of fixed shippers will assume Blorbo is being DOMINANT and even grooming/pressuring Skrunkly into it. EVEN IF THATS THE OPPOSITE THING I'M WRITING! They will be UPSET even if I "tag properly" because that is "not what they expect from a top Blorbo fic". However, I can't tag top Skrunkly, because he is NOT TOPPING!!!! The penis is going into his ass! But you can be harassed for tagging properly while not following the seme/uke OOCness that people expect from the tags. (This is not a strawman, this has literally happened to me and friends)

As well, often fixed shippers become hostile over TOTALLY SFW ART where the characters are together and not even drawn differently from canon. "Don't tag as AxB if you actually ship BxA!!!!" when the art has nothing to show one way or the other!!! How is this decided?? How do you even begin to choose the tag? Especially in a Western fandom where there isn't a AxBxA style tag that anyone uses, so it is not typically searched for OR muted?

I honestly do support fixed dynamic shippers, and most of them are normal about it. Like sometimes you just have a blorbo whose prostate needs to be jammed 24/7!!! I GET IT!!!! But when ppl get OBSESSED with it and try to enforce it on everyone, IT'S WEIRD!

Generally I tend to be very vers/switch when it comes to my ships, but I always do try to tag in my fics. Not in "ship name" (since AO3 doesn't support that) but in the other tags. But tags are a COURTESY!

I believe that if you feel so strongly about Skrunkly needing to be a weepy submissive bottom, it's on you to read only tagged fics or find a friend to taste test it for you. Even then, you NEED to accept that sometimes the top!Blorbo tag isn't going to mean the personality change and dynamic you expect/want. And you cannot get upset at the author for that.

Generally when this comes up I DO KNOW people are talking about the classic seme/uke idea of top/bottom, so the top is domineering (and even rapey), and the bottom is smaller and sweet/submissive

Hot Yaoi Base by K3nel1OS

But there's not a lot of grace given for works that DON'T FIT INTO THAT TROPE

[mayormimii]

For the character ask game! I thought for a long time who exactly to ask (I was rushing between all the young Mistresses), but I decided to choose Clara!!

7, 8, 14, 18, 21

Hi, Saya!! Of course I’m happy to chat about second-generation Mistresses, including our little clawa

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to [Clara] that you like?

I will always “teehee” at Clara memes, this one by rat-prophetess has been my most quoted since last May

When Clara’s included in Termite content on the sheer principle that she’s a teenager. So sweet.

When fans remember she can sometimes get along with the other Healers, even when she’s depicted as their occasionally annoying sister.

When artists keep the gap between her upper-front teeth or give her shaggy hair

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to [Clara] that you despise?

“Despise” is a strong word I'd only use for the time a guy called Clara Burakhovsky’s adopted daughter (with Artemy as the “jock” and Dankovsky as the “gay nerd”); I know Clara would strangle him for the mere association.

Oh, but I do despise when fans neglect the fact that she’s as much Artemy and Dankovsky’s doppelgänger/soulmate as they are each other’s, though I can imagine why some are wont to neglect that.

The following’s less offensive since her personality’s subjective, but I don’t enjoy when writers/artists refuse to ground her in teenaged-girlhood or neglect to distinguish her from her eldritch sister as a person. A prime example of the former is that line in which Bad Grief asks if she’s looking for patterned stockings or a doll house just to irritate her. I love that she’s modeled after a developer’s younger sister, and I want her to remind me of girls I know, between her desires or her affection for specific people rather just ‘humanity’ as a hazy whole. We already have two protagonists who are men, and have certain relationships to women/womanhood specific to them, so it would be nice to appreciate the aspects of Clara that men can't necessarily relate to (but are still resonant to many people). I believe she loves the Saburovs, or at least wants their love—but some fans treat her like an angel of death only out for their blood. I also think she’s friends with some of her Bound, but she’s often depicted in isolation unless it’s to call the other two Healers idiots.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to [Clara].

As she already is? Clara is *so* '90s grunge and the reason I refuse to believe the game is set anytime before c.mid-1960s. If you asked me to dress her in another subculture, she’d pull off cyber grunge, fairy grunge, or 2000s olderbrothercore. My Pinterest board makes her look like a ‘Messy French It Girl’ sometimes, which is so appropriate for our Jeanne d'Arc

An artist once drew her with a long skirt, but in a ‘hobo in the colder months’ way, and it’s easily my favorite art of her.

18. How about a relationship [Clara] has in canon with another character that you admire?

Whoa, “admire” specifically? Well, I admire—even envy—Clara’s dynamic with older men such as Vlad Sr, Victor, Rubin, Bad Grief; how easily they come to treat her like a younger sister or daughter.

Her animosity toward Andrey and the debate they have is the reason I began to like him.

But one of my favorite relationships is the one she shares with Tot that brings out her tender, nurturing side.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for [Clara], what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

I enjoy detailing Clara’s private, cozy moments in the Rod with her parents, talking about the meals they share and what she wears (you might remember an instance in which she borrows her father’s pajamas since she hates itchy nightgowns), how her room is arranged, and what it means to be Katerina’s heiress (such as becoming well-versed in the town’s intrigues).

I don't enjoy writing about her sister, who (I believe) represent the aspects of Clara that soured my opinion of her during the Haruspex route, or inevitably addressing how mercurial her personality is, which should make Clara feel real but only makes her feel surreal: more like an idea or symbol than a grounded, relatable person. In the end, I tend to ignore that and focus on how she was in my playthrough.

The rest is difficult to articulate, so I pulled pins from my board & a song which hopefully offer an idea of how I want to portray her/what I want to see from others’ future portrayals:

As always, thanks for asking! <3

[vee-crytraps]

Haiiiii ;D

I’m so so so curious how you picture Damian at school and how other students see him. Honestly, just his general persona outside of vigilanteism and romance encounters. Like is he more reserved and awkward or more outgoing and popular? Me personally I think he’d maybe keep to himself more out of habit/circumstance of his life and past. I think you mentioned in the past that he’s probably had some hookups/flings so obvi not totally outcasted. But I really want to hear your take on it! You characterize the batboys soooooooo freaking good omg and always make points about their personas that I never would have even thought of!!! Sorry this is so long I just really love your writing and am sooooo curious about this entire world you’ve built!!! You don’t have to answer obvi!!! I hope you are well!

Hello! There's an ongoing run of Batman and Robin where Damian is attending a public high school (he's like 14 in it I believe). I use this as a basis for my Damian who is 18. I largely consider stuff in that comic 'canon' to his 14 year old self in my fic if that makes sense?? There are a few differences in my fic from the comic, though! I have them attending Gotham Academy instead of a rich-kid-but-still-public high school in Gotham Heights. In the comic, Bruce is also demoted from a billionaire to a millionaire, so the rich heights kids considered Bruce poor lmao Im so sorry, this turned into an ESSAY! But I loved your question sm I couldn't help it!! More under the cut! A lot more lmao

As I have it, Damian started living with Bruce (on and off) around 8 years old, but only began attending school at 14. Similar-ish to the comics. Other people his age see him as a bastard, the product of Bruce's 'Brucie Wayne' socialite persona likely dropped off by whatever foreign supermodel Bruce happened to knock up while on one of those extreme sports vacations he always seems to be taking.

Personality wise, 14 year old Damian is considered a cringey art kid. He's always drawing in class (school is v boring bc he already knows this stuff) and the art ranges from him shipping himself with Nika/Flatline to some more violent stuff when he's in a dark place (got this from two separate runs like a decade apart but I think it fits!)

One thing I love about how Damian is being written in the past 10 years is they're leaning into the whole 'you can't take the Kid out of Kid Assassin/Kid Superhero'. Yeah, he's overly proper and knows a thousand ways to kill a man with just his thumbs or whatever, but he's still a kid. He has crushes on older girls like Supergirl and Zatanna, he enjoys going to the arcade, he doesn't know a thing about dating. But don't get me wrong, he's still a cocky little shit that needs to prove he's better than everyone else which largely stems from insecurities about how unsocialized he is.

He's so used to being around adults, and whenever other kids were involved both with his mom and dad (his cousin Mara, the other Robins, the Teen Titans), they were competition and never 'peers'. So at this age he keeps to himself and expresses himself privately with art. And he makes excellent playlists. So fast forward to 18 year old Damian! You're totally right, he is still more reserved and leaning into the playboy thing that Bruce and Dick have going on is not his thing. There is always a grain of truth in the Wayne public personas, which is why they're so easily believable.

The other students regard him as some exotic ice prince, with his brown skin and foreign accent. He's so mysterious and quiet, and he can be found sometimes alone in the art room making hyper realistic drawings and paintings of people and animals. Everyone has moved past the cringiness of his old drawings and art because his new stuff is so incredible. It gives him a 'more than just a rich kid' vibe. A lot of girls at his school are crushing hard for sure. Ladies love a man with hobbies! He's probably soooo deep, he'd probably take you to a nice restaurant and wine and dine you, or he'd cook for you and play the piano or something you know? Especially when as an academy girl, your other options are a lot of guys who don't need talents or rich inner worlds because they're wealthy. I'd take him over the dudes who are posting money spreads of their allowance any day!

(Damian as Batman | 17? yo Damian in the DCAMU) After 4 years, he's also learned more slang and commits less social faux pas, so his whole 'raised by his mom and grandpa' vibe has gone from weird to gentleman with age. He can be convinced to go to a lowkey party or two by some of his more tolerable classmates, but he won't stay long and will be pretty quiet most of the time. As for his love life! He may not be able to turn on the playboy charm like his dad, but Damian certainly recognizes beauty the same way. His types are superheroines/anti-heros (badass women, somewhat a product of his mommy issues iM SORRY BUT HE WOULD HAVE THEM OKAY) annnnnd alt girls.

(Damian <3 alt baddies) Damians civilian flings in my fic would be almost exclusively other artists with dark or dyed hair and piercings. Platform boot warriors, so to speak. By the time he is 18 I think he's dated Raven and Nika, and then a few short lasting things with civilian girls! He's also drawn to girls who are blunt and honest, likely because he's not exactly a master of socializing.

(Damian with Max, Raven's maternal cousin in the Picolo/Garcia 'Robins') Much like with a lot of the other love interests in my fic, the reader is outside of his normal type. The foundation for his attraction to the MC is largely based off of shared understanding, experience and trauma working under Bruce. She can understand all of them on a much deeper level, having access to all facets of their lives. She can hold them down, hold them accountable, and she's one of the only people they don't need to explain themselves to. Between who they are at home, hero identities and civilian personas, they get all caught up in the lives they've crafted for others to see and she knows (and loves) who they really are at their core. TY for coming to my TED talk haha

[hailqiqi]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Thank you for the ask!! Also thank you for the ask @womaninwinter and @menina89 -- yes I have three of these (sometimes I think with us lot it's now a game of 'who gets to tag everyone first' ak;ljd;akd)

I'm scanning my list on AO3 now...

the world is out there, my dear, but we're in here (VLD) This fic is really short & I'm a little bit surprised it gets my #1 spot, to be honest, but every time I look at even just the title I hear the rain. It's an inspired bit of writing, and I have no idea how the hell I did it. (Trivia: Somebody wrote it a comment that was longer than the actual fic and I adore that person.)

these secrets beneath your fingertips (Lockwood) I really enjoyed writing this, but i have no idea how it ended up like this. I think it's known by people as the murder fic? But I really enjoy how much tension there is in the first part, and how meltingly, exhaustedly warm the second part is by contrast. Funnily enough I thought it was just a very tense detective/action sequence but didn't think the content was too bad; then the ladies beta-ing for me said 'Qiqi, what the fuck is this' and a lot of the comments also said 'Qiqi, what the fuck' so apparently I watched too much SVU as a teenager.

Worse (Lockwood) This was close with secrets for #2, but I reread secrets more often so I think that gets the higher spot for enjoyability. I'm extremely proud of this one; I'd always been a bit scared to attempt a George POV but I think I did really well, and I also think I nailed the action here (which VLD friends may remember that I was always a bit too nervous to attempt action!). Trivia here: Worse contains the line ‘Lucy! Please, come on! The place is tearing itself apart!’ and literally everybody who beta-read this fic said 'Hey, that line's a bit redundant. It's such a weird thing for him to say. You should cut it.' Alas, I couldn't cut it as that line is lifted directly from The Hollow Boy (and, funnily enough, Lucy immediately points out in her narration that it's a bit redundant). This little factoid always makes me giggle.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like a Christmas Carol (VLD) Ahhhhhhh I think we knew this had to be on here, right? This fic was so much fun to write, it was like a fever dream. I still can't believe that @sp4c3-0ddity, @rueitae and I co-ordinated and banged out almost 20,000 words of fic in the space of what, five days?? And yes, that five days is from 'Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we...' to posting. And we all have vastly different writing styles and slightly different characterisation habits, yet somehow we managed to share a single POV and keep it pretty cohesive. At the time I was proud of us, now I'm older and (supposedly) wiser I'm even more proud of us. We did great. @fromageinterrupted likes to say she reads it every year in the holiday season and I do the same (and then just every so often...) because it's a fun fic.

A Handy Excuse (Lockwood) | Sunshine and Phone Lines (VLD) | so it turns out I kind of missed you (VLD) | Here (VLD) OK I'm kind of cheating here, because I couldn't pick a favourite for fifth. - A Handy Excuse was a blast to write -- it was fun having 6 people in the same google doc, all writing out separate parts -- yep, we all wrote in the same doc to put our shame on full display. Which was really cool (I think most of us have the instinct to write in a separate doc and only contribute to the shared doc when we have a finished draft to polish, but we were all very brave and wrote from scratch in the one). I love how the pieces come together; my part was an absolute blast to write (can I admit publicly now that I did Kipps? I got to find out the name of the circus tune!) and the story itself is a really cute read that always makes me smile. - Sunshine and Phone Lines is my one foray into a modern AU and I had a lot of fun writing it. It's probably the one thing that I can throw at somebody with no knowledge of any fandom and say 'hey, I wrote this'. I like how it feels sunny, just the vibes are very positive in the whole piece, and I am an absolute sucker for a bit of dramatic irony. I always end up smiling when I reread this, too. - so it turns out I kind of missed you is another really fun piece. It's short, it's funny, it's sweet -- honestly it's another one I could probably file the serial numbers off of if I wanted. Lance's brother makes me laugh every time I read it, it's another one of those stories that you reread and end up smiling -- though this time it's the big, the-sun-just-came-out type smile. - Here is going to ruin the vibes of all these sunny fluff fics I have in at #5 becuase it is angst. But it's angst with a lot of love and comfort. Evidently I had a thing with water falling when I wrote plangst, because the world... has rain and this one is in a shower. I love how quietly intimate it is, and how it demonstrates how strong the bonds of friendship and care can be. (I feel like it was originally supposed to be a shippy fic but part-way through writing I threw that out the window? It's Gen, really, but I tagged it with the ship so my friends would see it.)

This is supposed to be an ask game but I've now got two hours to knock out about 8 hours' worth of work so.. tags it is!

@rueitae @sp4c3-0ddity @uptoolateart @fromageinterrupted @almostlikequake @worldofkaeos

[redhead-batgal]

I hope you do oh miss believer part 3 sometime soon! It’s ok if you’re not feeling that story anymore tho <3

Type: Fic

Part One: Here, Part Two: Here

Pairing: Fem! Vigilante! And Meta! Reader x Damian Wayne/ Robin

Content: Violence, language, flash backs, depressive thoughts, angst, and aged up Damian/reader to 16/17 yrs old

Word Count: 2,573

(P.S: Soooo I can try to write a reaction of the bat fam to the end of part one, or I can write the next part of this one next time. Let me know what y'all want in the comments please! also get ready for some fun angsty angsty times)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are many things in this world that seem unnatural. Paradoxes or impossibilities. People tend to fear the unnatural, to ostracize it and even harm it. Regardless of whether or not said impossible and unnatural thing is living- regardless of if it's human.

To humanity, unnatural things were to be feared and destroyed. They were threats, in a way, to the "peaceful" society that had been created through blood shed and inequality. A society that has classes and impoverished people, that kept growing and growing; saw things they deemed unnatural, not worthy of life. Why is that? Why does such a society fear so greatly the unnatural, the unknown and impossible?

It seemed to you that they feared the unnatural because of the power mystery gave it. Because what they do not know, they cannot control. And if they can't control something, it cannot be a part of society. Which unfortunately meant you were left on your own; fighting to survive against an environment that deemed you a danger. Even more unfortunately, for society at least, you had bad habit of becoming everything everyone feared you'd be.

An unnatural danger, set on destroy the society that cast it out.

How very, very natural, right?

You could still remember the very first time someone deemed you unnatural- unworthy of comfort in this shitty shitty world.

You must have been no older then six, out scrounging on the streets for pity coin you could use to help your parents out. A rattied hat made from old newspaper by your side as you made your misty and small illusions appear. Desperate for anyone to take an interest. Unsurprisingly, the person who did was anything but kind and far from merciful.

The small boy had shouted at you, laughed, sneered and beaten you to a bloodied pulp. Stealing all of the meager change you had managed to earn as he called you a witch over his shoulder bolting away.

While this was your first actual encounter with such people, you were not surprised. Your mother had warned you of such people.

"Vicious monsters," She had said beginning to explain why you had to be careful in the world, "they like to prey upon those they deem weaker, those who they think are unnatural and strange."

She shook her head as she continued to knit, though somewhat sloppily, "They don't like people who they can't control, they don't like that you're different."

You looked up at her with wide eyes as you tilted your head and she paused. She let out a soft sigh before setting down her knitting and pulling you into her arms.

"My sweet little miss believer, this world is going to be cruel to you simply because you exist. There's nothing your father or I can do to stop it other then pulling you in close like this and letting you know they are wrong."

She rested your head against her chest as she began to rock slightly squeezing you in her arms as she softly began to hum.

"They are wrong because you are a darling gem. A wise and wonderful girl who should not let the world push you down."

Cupping your face in her hands she smiled, tears lining her eyes, "You are my little miss believer, you know many things and have such faith. Do not allow these people to cause you to lose that faith. Faith in your father and I, faith in humanity, faith in your own skills or just merely faith in yourself."

Her words rang far too deep into the truth. Scars, both physical and emotions covered your body the older you got. But you still had your mother and father there, to nurse your spirit back to its brightness... until you didn't anymore.

The night was dark and growing colder and colder by the minute. Your father had disappeared merely a week before and you did not plan on letting him stay gone without answers.

Lurking around the usual street corners you heard the crackling of thunder and through the dense musty smell of Gotham's streets, you could smell rain. Sweet and clear, dancing in the clouds yearning to be released. Pulling your jacket in closer, you slipped down an alleyway, hoping to find answers and remain unseen. After all you had a reputation for causing trouble amongst the rouges and criminals, and tonight was the last night you needed trouble to catch you once again.

Though you had not heard of any rogues causing any chaos, you knew better then to trust the night would remain silent. It's current silence sent shivers down your spine. Silence was a deadly tool, used to confused and trick the naive into false senses of security. It was a tool you yourself had used and yet- something about tonight's silence made you on edge.

Looking around you almost sensed danger as the hairs on your arms stood on edge. Your heart racing as the silence screamed into your mind. Just as you had settled with yourself to finally venture home, a hand clamped down on your shoulder.

A shriek of sorts almost escaped you and you turned to find your fuming mother.

"Y/n! I thought I told you to be home before eleven?"

Though startled you merely blinked, allowing your mother to drag you back down the alleyway, towards the way home. Your heart hammered in your chest. Regardless of all your broken promises to come home on time, your mother had never- ever come out looking for you.

"Mom," You said, finally finding your voice, "what are you doing out here?!"

Your mother froze tilting her head a scowl of sorts on her face with dropped almost instantly. She let go of your hand and slowed to a stop, looking you over she sighed, taking a moment to tuck your hair behind your ear.

"I was worried, I heard that one of the nastier rouges was out tonight and I didn't want you to be out."

At first a wave of warmth washed over you. It, however, turned icy cold as you processed the rest of your mother's sentence.

'One of the nastier rouges'

Your heart skipped a beat and you grasped onto your mother's hand. Swallowing you met her gaze and forced a slow breath out.

"Mom, which one did you hear was out?"

It took her a moment to reply, as her brow furrowed, and she squeezed your hand.

"The Joker."

Your heart actually stopped, you struggled to breath as news reports and alley whispers raced over your mind.

"I heard that the bats pissed joker off so he's shooting for a big one this time."

"I heard that he lost Batman's attention and wants it back."

"Well, I heard that he's finally sick of his cat and mouse game and plans on taking as many civilians as possible with him when he goes."

Finally breathing again, you pulled your mother forward. Heart racing as your mind screamed to run. Your legs began to pump, your mother stumbling to keep up behind you her soft protests barely catching your ears.

"Shit- oh shit, mom we've gotta go."

You had just come up on a corner, knowing once you went down the alley just by here, you'd be two blocks from your complex. It didn't help though, your heart hammered to quickly you could hear your own heartbeat without even thinking about it.

"What? Honey," Your mom began shaking her head and causing you to stop, "it's fine we're almost home and-"

Your mouth began moving before you could stop yourself and you began pulling her again, finally rounding the corner, "No mom you don't understand this guy has been amping up his attacks recently and-"

Just as you did you came face to face with a goon in white makeup and a sinister red smile. He raised something strange, and time seemed to slow as you heard him pressing on a trigger.

"Y/N!" Your mother's shout echoed in your ears as she shoved you to the side.

You tumbled towards the ground screams ripping from you as you watched a fine mist encompass her entire face, "MOM NO!"

The mist faded as a blurry figure slammed the goon into the ground. Your mother slumped slightly as you darted to her side, her body shook, and you looked her over trying to find any damage only to hear a bone chilling sound.

"Ha-ha-ha."

You trembled as your mother raised her head, a large sinisterly familiar smile on her face.

"Mommy? Mommy, no. Please, no. NO!"

A jolt of sorts raced through you as you opened your eyes. A bright light slamming straight into them and sending spots racing across your vision.

"Aw, look," A mocking voice began, "our little Houdini's finally awake."

A piercing ache began at the base of your skull as you forced yourself to sit up. Faintly recalling your last moments, as rain poured down and you made the choice to finally let go.

Blinking you pressed a hand to your face, a sloshing of sorts following you as you found yourself immersed in a small pool of greenish water. Wincing you tried to look around the room- to understand where you were and what was going on.

Your eyes slowly adjusted, revealing that you were in a small cavern of sorts. A woman in a strange outfit stood nearby as a man in a dark clothing loomed over you. You watched as the woman motioned at someone just beyond your view muttering things you could not here.

"Hello there little one," the man began capturing your attention, "I am glad to see you're awake."

You swallowed feeling the headache fade slightly as you shifted. These people and this place did not seem familiar. You too a slow breath looking down to see your own hands and body before looking back up.

"Who are you?" You whispered, your voice cracking, throat dry and aching.

The man smiled, but something about it made you uneasy. He merely stared at you, replying, "A doctor of sorts."

You paused furrowing your brow, "So I'm not dead?"

The man- doctor- whatever he was laughed as he took a step back. Making temporary eye contact with the woman behind him. She had an odd look about her and you could have sworn you spotted a cat like mask before the man captured your attention again.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," You replied wincing again as you stepped out of the pool rising to your feet, "is that normal?"

He tilted his head, "In a sense yes."

His short responses had your mind racing, he was being so vague and something- something about all of this just seemed off.

"Uh okay. Then is fine to assume I'll get better right?"

The man nodded as the woman smiled at you. You narrowed your eyes still not entirely understanding what was going on or what had happened. You were sure that the fall would have killed you and- and you could still remember the impact.

"Wha-" You began as a wave of defenseness washed over you, "what is going on?"

"Whatever do you mean little Houdini?" The woman asked her eyes glinting.

"Who are you? Where am I? How am I still alive? And what the fuck happened?"

Your demand echoed in the cave like chamber causing the woman to smile even more. She even began to laugh and the man stepped in-between the two of you.

"Just please calm yourself, Y/N L/N. All will be explained soon."

You locked your jaw, a buzzing of sorts climbing up your chest as you began to grind your teeth. Tingles raced across your hand, a tell tale sign your body yearned to release some engery. To produce the false images and twist the illusions into exsistance.

"When?"

The man paused before the sound of footsteps approached. He went still and so did the woman behind him. A wave of fury rose up in your chest, were you such a fuck up you even fucked up dying? Was it possible that something else was going on? Regardless of your current internal turmoil you needed answers.

"Would someone please answer my fucking questions?!"

Just as your frustrated shout escaped a new woman walked into the room. She breezed past the first and stopped right in front of you. Allowing you to get a good look of her and a better grasp of the situation. She was dressed in a green and gold trimmed dress, her dark brown hair spilling around her face, dark skin and sharp bone structure that screamed Arabic descent. And her eyes, her bright- familiar green eyes stared at you with a curious gaze.

"I would be happy to, Y/N."

Something about her- whether be her eyes, her voice or face- something seemed familiar- so familiar you let your guard down.

"Where am I?"

The woman smiled, "Safe in my home."

It wasn't entirely a bad answer, but once again a vague one. And despite your concerns on where you were at you had to know one thing.

"How did I survive that fall? I just can't wrap my head around it."

The woman went still before she softly laughed moving a bit closer to you, "You didn't."

You froze as you answer caused your breath to stop, "What?"

"You didn't survive. In fact, that fall killed you, you died."

"But- wha- how? Am, am I dead?"

"Not anymore, but you were."

"I was- what do you mean I was dead? How can that be possible?"

The woman's smile deepened, and she took a step even closer, "You're not asking the right questions."

Grinding your teeth, you met her gaze and raised your chin frustration and desperation climbing up your throat, "Fine, who are you then?"

"Much better, I am Talia."

Something about that name set off warning bells in your head and your stiffened, allowing your guard to rise as you eyed the woman.

"Where am I? I want specifics."

"The league."

Your blood went cold as a realization began to dawn on you, "The league?"

"Yes, the league; assassins, shadows, what have you. You, are at one of the bases for the League."

"And- and-"

"I am Talia Al Ghul, and I brought you back to life."

You went still as everything began to click into place. The green water, the man and woman nearby, the vagueness- how you are alive, and you looked at Talia swallowing. The familiarity. This was Damian's mother, the person who you died trying to run from.

"You brought me back with the pit?" You whispered your voice trembling and cracking.

"Unbeknown to my beloved, son and the rest of his rabble, yes... so any more questions?"

You swallowed as your world began to scream and burn as it crashed down. They- they thought- no they knew you had died and- and no one would come save you this time. You were on your own you were alone.

You shook your head, refusing to let your voice tremble, "No."

"Good, because I have a lot of work for you..." Talia paused looking over her shoulder to the other woman, "what did cheshire call you? Ah, yes. Little Houdini."

Digging your nails into your palm you tried to calm your breathing as Talia tucked your hair behind your ear smiling.

"Let's get to work my Little Houdini."

Tag List:

@andromedaj2003 @thomasbeloved @instabull @zvtanna @daemonnix96 @krswrites @thefallingstarlights @masset-fotia @rrowwii @ssak-i @legendarylearner18

[korrasamibottles]

Year-End Writer's Roundup: 2024 edition

Thank for tagging me @sweetorangepoptart !! I'm not sure who's been tagged so @ any and all writers who see this and want to participate, consider yourself tagged!!

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

18,083?? I can't believe I did that. I can't believe that came out of me. Sounds fake. Also one fic is responsible for like two thirds of that, which also sounds fake.

2. Smut scenes:

Just one, in my Korrasami Week fic Love Bites (So Do I)

3. New things I tried:

Mmm I wrote an AU? Sometimes I have trouble getting into AUs as a reader because I end up missing the established universe, so I never envisioned myself writing one, but that's the fic that wanted to be written! It was a challenge to make the characters feel like themselves (if their personality is molded by their environment and life experiences, and then that environment and set of experiences is tweaked, what happens??) and also make the world feel Legend of Korra-inspired rather than exactly like the real world as it exists except with people named Korra and Asami (not that that's a bad way for an AU to be—it's just not how I wanted this one to be).

I don't want to spoil anything, but there are a number of little details sprinkled in that I hope make the fic feel somewhat rooted in-universe even though it isn't. Anyway overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out? If I had endless patience I might've continued adjusting things, but uhh I don't lmao.

4. Fic I spent the most time on:

Love Bites for sure. It ended up being over twice as long as every other fic I've written, and I'm still shocked by that. I did not think I had 12,438 words in me. (And I almost didn't because I wanted to quit like a dozen times shhh🤫)

5. Fic I spent the least time on:

The Space Between Heartbeats, but not because I didn't care!! Turns out it's just way easier to keep the word count lower and tie everything up relatively quickly (for me. lol. takes me a while to write anything) when it's set in-universe and there isn't any extra world-building to figure out.

6. Favorite thing I wrote: 

You would have me choose❓️🥺 I can't. The two fics I finished are so different from one another, but they're both precious to me and I'm happy with the way they turned out.

7. Favorite thing I read:

Can I tag everyone who participated in Korrasami Week? I've started going through the Korrasami Week Collection on ao3 and there's so much talent in this fandom it's crazy. Shout out to @appalesbian @ozais-lobotomist @kingwuko @madlad-link for writing things that drove me absolutely bonkers.

I also fell hard and fast into Velcinta Madness after watching Andor earlier this year and subsequently spent weeks groaning in agony and rending my clothing (many such cases!) so I want to mention what a knife measures. It packs a powerful punch into a quick read and is beautifully written, as sharp as the title suggests, and has the kind of character dynamics that make me want to pull my hair out (complimentary). I love it.

8. Writing goals for next year: 

Specific goals: Wuko Week approaches......I have a doughy lump of an idea currently rising in a warm, humid location, and soon it will be time to put it in the oven. I also think I can loosely tie it in with an older Korrasami wip (which I really want to finish. and it rhymes with shmibrator shmic.) but I don't want to make any promises because fics always take on a mind of their own at some point and things change. I'm also tempted to try writing something Velcinta-related but idk. Participating in a new fandom is always intimidating. We'll see.

Non-specific goals: I really want to reach a point where my recurring perfectionism/shame-induced writer's block no longer gets the better of me👍

[arvadthecursed]

haven't said anything about it here but. I am very deeply saddened by Liam's death.

I remember hearing "What Makes You Beautiful" for the first time and being astonished. I grew up an ugly duckling with very few friends. And here was a band telling me I didn't know I was beautiful, and that was the reason I was wonderful. It gave me a sense of hope, that maybe yeah, I couldn't see my own beauty but maybe others could.

And, as y'all know, I have auDHD. I didn't have the words to explain how I felt as a kid. I just knew that I felt wrong, like I was an alien compared to other girls. I got picked on a lot and sometimes didn't realize it til after; or sometimes, no one would talk to me because my interests were "too weird." But 1D gave me something to talk to other girls about. We talked about our favorite boys, the music, and yes, the fanfic. I know RPF is often looked down upon now but when I was 11-13, we commonly passed it around. The "kidnapped by 1D" fics were popular for a reason: escapism, which, for hormonal, emotional tweenage girls, is super important. I remember reading Dark (yes, THAT Dark) in 7th grade because the girls were passing it around in FB chats. Now, we shouldn't have been reading that particular fic at that age, of course, but we were 13, of course we were gonna read it lol. We giggled over how shocking it was and showed it to our friends bc that's what 13 yr old girls do.

I made my first real best friend because of 1D. We bonded over watching videos of the guys together, buying J14 and Tiger Beat for the posters we would meticulously put on our walls, listening to the music. We made fanpages on Facebook together where we would write imagines and post pictures of the guys. We called each other our favorite guys' nicknames and hell, my first url on Tumblr was "hayitstommo" after Louis. My first posts on this site almost 12 years ago were 1D related. That friend and I supported each other through tough times; I helped her when her mother was sick, and she comforted me when my grandma died. I won't ever forget that bond.

And I know about the allegations against Liam, absolutely. I believe Maya. I feel deeply for her in this situation as I know she's received horrible vitriol for something that was not her fault. I can't imagine what she's feeling right now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there's this weird grief in me. I am sad for Liam, for his family, for Maya, for my fellow fans. But I'm also grieving that sense of community I didn't really realize I had lost til now. 1D let me connect to others and feel like a girl for the first time in my life, when, as I said before, I had felt like an alien, like I could never belong. The music made me happy. The ability to talk to girls who otherwise would've stuck their nose up at me bolstered my confidence, especially when I felt so wrong inside from undiagnosed neurodivergence.

The emotions I feel about Liam himself are complicated. I know he struggled with drug addition; I know he was an abuser. I know he was one of the guys who gave me my greatest comfort in one of the worst years of my life, when I had to move houses, my grandma died, and then I had to move states. I know he was flawed and I had put him on a pedestal as a kid because kids don't have full pictures of their idols.

I keep thinking about all this. The outpouring of love from Directioners -- even people like me, who wouldn't call themselves that now but certainly identified with the fandom was kids -- has been astounding. I think we're all feeling a very weird sense of grief right now, knowing what we know about Liam, his untimely death, and our relationship with the band and how it's changed over the years. There are fond memories I will always have that were because of 1D. But now that I'm older, I have a more nuanced perspective, and that gives me this weird grief in my chest that hasn't gone away since I heard the news.

Anyway, sorry for rambling. I hope this kind of conveys how I feel.