#that was a long one but SO EFFING FUN TO WRITE

[ilys00ga]

life after his enlistment.

pairing: yoongi x reader

synopsis: how life/the relationship was like after he enlisted.

genre: fluff, established relationship, yoongi enlisted, they are trying their best, idk if I should call it angst or hurt/comfort, but there's some kind of ✨️melancholy✨️ in this (predictable much), I effing miss him sm more now :(.

warnings: t.w: if u are just like me, prepare to be missing yoongi sickeningly after this. gosh, it feels like a hole in a chest rn. idk what to do w myself. oh btw some ideas mentioned here are purely my own opinions, so it doesn't have to be "facts" or "all true." if u have different opinions or if u disagree with any it u can reach out to me about them, I would like that, but that's that, enjoy!!!!!!!!!

A/N: this was a request made by @kimvante2013 I hope it meets ur expectations! this was so fun to write, I liked this a lot. feel free to send more reqs or anything u want :)

PS. English is not my first language, so you know the drill.

ᵎᵎ 𖦹彡⋆｡˚・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

the problem wasn't that you couldn't see him, no.

since his duty was different from that of an ordinary individual, you both were able to spend the nights in each other's arms.

when he comes back home after duty, sometimes he's met with an empty house where he'd wash up and start preparing something for you to enjoy munching on once you get back home at a later hour of the day. other times, he comes to a busy, warm house. you blasting your favorite drama on the TV while doing the laundry in the middle of the living room, or just chilling and waiting to welcome him with mellow hugs and kisses.

and when he's on duty, he can't always contact you, but he whispered kisses laced with promises into your lips before leaving on his first day, and he would never dare to break them. not that he wants to anyway.

sometimes you'd wake up to post-it notes sticked on random surfaces and items around the house, or good morning messages of love and kisses. sometimes he calls during lunch breaks to check up on you, reminding you to drink water and eat well because that's yoongi's most precious habit of showing that he always just cares.

"don't forget to layer your outfit today, I just saw that it's gonna be awfully cold."

"did you like the bouquet I sent? want more? cook me ___ tonight xx"

"hi, don't forget to drink a cup of water right this instance or you'll shrivel up and die."

"it snowed on my way here this morning, let's go out this weekend and have some fun :]"

when days are too hard to handle, weighing one of you—maybe even both of you at the same time, cause life is a bitch like that—down and burying you under the ground, you'd send long voice messages to the other. never expecting an immediate reply. just simply pressing record and spilling all the bottled negative energy that clogged your brains and chests.

so, the problem wasn't really that you couldn't see or talk to him..

the problem was that neither of you were used to any of that.

you weren't used to being away from each other for long hours throughout the day (even though he often went on tours and job events aboard), or not being able to talk and/or see him whenever you wanted to—atleast whenever your shift agreed to let you. you're stuck on this routine for months. you were so not used to that.

over the years, you and yoongi grew to become a pen and a paper: two different items that are meant to only function and be paired together. one can't be capable without the other.

yet you try to avail yourselves of the situation and take it all easy. slowly, like waking up and leaving a warm, comfy bed at 5 in the morning to gain some purpose somewhere out there.

so, while staying away from one another for several hours a day comes with heavy challenges and even melancholy at times, that doesn't mean it can't be fruitful for your relationship.

since for it to grow healthier, a couple, intentionally or not, sometimes needs to take some "time off" to preserve the connection and intimacy between them.

you always remind yoongi of how much you had missed him during the day, which is something that never failed to put a smile on his face and trigger a stream of butterflies in his stomach.

love and yearning are two inseparable powerful emotions that one can't defeat, and absence makes the heart grow fonder. that's the beauty of the challenge your relationship was subject to at this new stage.

"I am still me, you are still you. everything's gonna be alright." yoongi would say as he hugs your face into his chest.

he always reminds you that this new chapter the two of you have entered together, hand in hand and with shaking hearts, is one that he'd been dreading but looking forward to for a very long time.

a chapter that made him understand how much he needs your existence in his life. to be himself and to be the somebody you need and deserve.

and he makes sure to translate that into your skin as he traces it with his lips and fingertips when you finally fall into each other's embrace.

[0cta9on]

Aye yoo bud✌️

0cta9on Fluffy mode activated, I'm curious how you would write cute/fluff thought on Bae Nmixx.

The way that I see her, I thought she's the most normal member in Nmixx but I'm totally wrong. Her short hair like OmG🤧, I have always like girls keeping their long hair but she's making me think otherwise. Turns out she's the jokester in the group. She maybe doesn't get the most line in their songs but her part always makes me listen thoroughly especially during her part.

I know this may look like I'm jumping biases, but I'm just starting to notice everyone's charm.

- Haewon's latest live stream especially her wolf cut hair style, is just perfect🐺. She can be cute apart from her funny side in which taking most of the spotlight.

-Lily is always such a a ball of sunshine with her aussie accent korean. With her cute struggle to keep up with the Korean language🇰🇷.

-Now I'm starting to look at Kyujin more of a Maknae than ever🐱, she's a bit peculiar compared with other group's maknae, maybe the shocking fact that she's considered the "mother" among the members despite being the youngest.

-Jiwoo? I already went ham on her on the previous ask, totally didn't consume my daily dose of that Bae and Jiwoo tik tok video🤧.

-Where is Sullyoon? I'm currently abstaining myself from her, just a mere second of her appearance is going to make me go overdrive.😵‍💫 I can't get my work done if I kept staring at her for hours.

Hello mikeylo! I decided to use this opportunity to write a short about her instead of just doing fluffy thoughts, hope you don't mind :]

This was a fun one to write, somehow managed to finish it in the span of two hours :> Enjoy!

You’ve come to terms with the fact that you’re a “nerd” ages ago. Studying isn’t something you necessarily enjoy, but it’s a necessary task you must complete in order to secure your spot in the real world, where meaningless titles like “nerd” or “jock” hold no substance on one’s success and only those who truly work hard will stand the test of time. With finals inching ever closer, it’s vital to you that you don’t waste a single second—

“What’s up, nerd?”

A light smack to the back of your head tears you out of the flow state you were in while brushing up on previous study guides from the past year. There’s only one person you know that’s dimwitted enough to still throw out outdated insults like that, almost as if she’s a caricature of a high school bully from those 2010’s movies she claims to hate.

“Bae,” you grumble, “Why are you even here? I thought you said you were ‘allergic to the library’?”

She shrugs, plopping down into the empty seat next to you. “I got bored.”

“Okay.” You turn your attention back to the worksheets in front of you, trying to remember where you left off. “Not my problem.”

“C’mon, man,” she groans. “Let’s do something fun.”

There aren’t many things that threaten the future of your success; most issues can be waved away with a quick favor or a helpful push in the right direction. In fact, you already have the rest of your life meticulously planned out in a journal, complete with potential contingencies and multiple backups in case any problems may arise.

Enter: Bae Jinsol. The physical embodiment of everything that could and will stand in your way. You tutored her once two semesters ago, and you’ve regretted it ever since. Not quite a leech—you’re not that cruel—but her unyielding persistence alone is enough to make it so that giving her what she wants is the only viable solution you have. More often than not, this means hours of time wasted that could be spent towards perfecting your mind to the best it can be.

“I’m really busy right now,” you say.

“What could you possibly need to study for, you’re, like, the smartest person I know.”

You raise an eyebrow at her. “Knowing you, that doesn’t mean much— Ow.”

Bae slaps your arm, pouting at you. “That’s mean.”

You can’t help but grin at her expression. “You’re right, that was mean. I apologize,” you say, making an effort to sound sincere. “Now, I have a lot of work to do, so unless you’re okay with sitting there and watching me study, I suggest that you go and hang out with your other friends.”

She rests her head against the table, turning to watch you with her endearingly round eyes. “I chose to come here. I’ll stick to my decision like a real man.”

“Whatever,” you chuckle before turning back to the study guide.

It’s a bit difficult trying to study with an audience, but not a scenario you’re unfamiliar with. On the rare occasion that Bae doesn’t consistently bug you with her antics, you find her presence quite comfortable. Sometimes she’ll even ask about what you’re working on and entertain your little rants about discoveries you’ve made or thoughts you’ve been having, asking questions if she doesn’t get something. Her motivation to study is nonexistent, but her desire to understand is glaringly present.

Although, with nothing to talk about today, she gives you a good five minutes before breaking the silence.

“I’m bored again,” she sighs. “Let’s get boba.”

“What happened to sticking to your decision ‘like a real man’?” you tease.

“I’m a woman, jackass.” She leans into you, obscuring your view of the study guide with her face. “And this woman wants boba.”

The world around you freezes as the scent of her perfume lingers past your nose, igniting memories of warmth and coziness. The first crack in a wall that you worked too hard to maintain. 

“Why don’t you ask Haewon to go with you instead?” you suggest, trying and failing to avert your gaze from those perfect irises, like swimming pools of deep obsidian.

“Because…” A light blush grows on her cheeks. “...I wanna get boba with you.”

The crack in the wall splinters and grows, exposing the weaknesses that you didn’t know were there. Or perhaps, you did know and chose to ignore them anyways, spackling over them with cheap excuses.

You scoff at her, a meager attempt to save face. “You just want me to pay for you. Again.”

“I told you I’ll pay you back!” she exclaims, earning a couple harsh shushes from nearby students. “I’m just a little strapped for cash at the moment.”

“Why don’t you try, I don’t know, actually looking for a job?” Your gaze moves back to your papers, desperately trying to escape this stalemate. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”

Bae clings to the sleeves of her sweater, pouting at you. “Please~?”

Despite her persistence, you dare not move an inch, worried that one small movement could be the final crack that topples the wall. Your eyes reread the same line over and over again, hoping each pass will eventually take, but your mind is too cluttered to properly focus. With the gentle tug of her fingers and the notes of vanilla bean gliding past your nostrils, it’s a wonder how you haven’t succumbed to her demands already.

With a huff of her breath, Bae takes your hand in hers, using her final trump card.

“Baby~”

You want to think that, at that moment, the wall came crashing down in a ceremonious fashion, leaving behind a pile of rubble in its wake, a monument to all the effort you put into your future. But the truth is, she tore down that wall months ago—in fact, you can pinpoint the exact moment of its destruction. 

The second you came face to face with her confused expression in that pre-calc class is the moment that sealed your fate, completely changing your perception of what the future could be like for you. That journal you keep, detailing every single miniscule detail of your potential career? You barely got two pages in before turning it into a scrapbook, filling every inch of paper with words, pictures, and keepsakes that remind you of the girl that refuses to give you a moment of peace.

And maybe that’s a good thing. The world could end tomorrow, rendering all of your plans useless. Why spend your last moments with your nose in a study guide when you could be drinking boba with your girlfriend?

“...You’re the worst, you know that?” you utter, interlacing your fingers with hers. Bae flashes you that wide, toothy smile that you can’t get enough of.

“Wow, you’re actually so obsessed with me, that’s insane,” she teases. “Just a single word and you immediately folded like an omelet.”

You haphazardly throw your belongings into your bag, eager to get out of the library and spend time with her. “I’m not obsessed, stupid,” you say,” I’m in love with you.”

“God, you’re so corny.” Despite her deflection, the blush growing on her face betrays her true feelings. She nervously scans the rest of the room before planting a sneaky kiss on your cheek, warm yet fleeting. “I love you too, stupid.”

It’s a fool’s errand to try and predict the future. No matter how smart you are, how many books you read, how many plans you make, the only thing you can do is hope for the future that you desire. And right now, the only future you want is one just like the present, with you clinging onto Bae’s hand with no intention of letting go.

[elysianfieldsarchive]

Elysian Fields Anniversary Event Details!!!

It's our birthday!

Elysian Fields Spuffy Fanwork Archive is turning eighteen, and so, the inspiration for the theme comes from Buffy’s own harrowing eighteenth birthday, when she is betrayed by Giles and the Council alike. 

That said, your fic/art DOES NOT have to be based around that same episode. So long as it’s a Spuffy work with betrayal as a theme, you’re good. This does not mean it specifically has to be Buffy or Spike who is the subject or perpetrator of the betrayal! You could go for a spin on canon with Amy betraying Willow, Willow betraying Tara, or something completely AU like Xander being betrayed by the cheese guy from Restless. Your use of the theme can be as small or as large as you want. So long as it's obvious enough for the readers to go "Oh, I see what you did there!" then your fic qualifies for this challenge. Whichever path you choose to take, we'd love to see what you come up with.

How and when do I post my story?

Starting as soon as the clock ticks over into October 1st (site time, which is Eastern US time—it's listed under the ShoutBox), you'll see a checkbox on the page where you add a new story. It’ll look like so:

Reminder: Your work DOES NOT need to be complete prior to posting. In fact, it doesn't even need to be completed during the event month. So, any creators stressing about the timeline, you can relax because you have the whole month to BEGIN posting your work.

Also: the betrayal does not have to happen in the first chapter, or any chapters that are posted during October. The only requirement is that betrayal is featured in your work at some point.

How do I find Challenge Stories?

Want to keep up with the fun? All betrayal works will have a little knife icon in the byline, as seen in the example below:

And you can find all of the betrayal works as they are added by visiting the Event Page.

What should my work include?

So long as your work features Spuffy, a betrayal, and doesn’t break any of EF’s rules or Terms of Service, you’re golden. You could make art, write a comic, edit a fan-vid, or write an epic novel. The world is your oyster poodle! 

Written works must be at least 100 words long, but there is no word count limit for artwork-only pieces or narrative artwork (i.e. works that consist of both words and pictures, such as a comic).

Please remember that EF has a strict no-AI policy.

What happens if I don’t post my work within the time window?

If you don’t post the first installment of your work during October (per site time), it can’t and won’t be considered part of the October event, sorry.

Do I need to post the entire work before the end of October?

Again, no. You just need to have posted at least one chapter before site time ticks over to November (per site time).

What about beta readers and sensitivity readers?

We love beta and sensitivity readers and have a shiny Beta award they can win! Use EF’s credit system to mark their contribution or else they won’t get the award—and they deserve all the accolades for their hard work!

Can I work with someone else on my event response?

Sure! The more the merrier! Whether it’s writers working as coauthors, artists creating a collaborative work together, or an artist and a writer teaming up as a duo (or a moresome!) as deadly as Spuffy, we welcome collaborations for this event.

How do I get the art award?

You can get the art award by creating a banner (for yourself or someone else) or by posting a work that fits within our Artwork or Narrative Artwork categories. We’ve seen images, manips, gifs, videos, fan vids, comics, playlists, and more get posted, and can’t wait to see what y’all will come up with next!

If someone has created art for your work, make sure you credit them using EF’s credit system—otherwise we won’t know to give them an award! And DON’T FORGET to credit yourself as artist if you created your own banner or other artwork.

Are there rules for banner creation?

Banners should be no more than 920x300 pixels and include a variation of the text ‘Designed/Created/Written for the Elysian Fields Betrayal Event’ somewhere on them. Example:

Now that I have a gorgeous banner/other artwork, how do I add it to my work?

To add the banner to your story, you can upload the banner to your account in “Your Images” under “Account Info.” Banner images must be a gif, jpg, jpeg, or png file type, and under 1 MB in file size. Banners should be no more than 920x300 pixels. Images posted within chapters can be up to 1500x1500 px. (Note: make sure you add images to the chapter itself; any images in the Chapter Notes or End Notes won’t be added to ePubs when people download them!) You can also host your banner on an image-sharing site or your own site, especially if the file size is too big for us to host on our site.

You then enter the URL from Elysian Fields or the image sharing site in the Banner URL field on the Add Story page, or click the Insert/Edit Image icon in the toolbar for the Story Text box.

NOTE: The URL you add MUST be end in the image file extension (.gif, .jpg, .jpeg, or .png) or else the URL will not be saved. Make sure there are no spaces after the final character in the file extension. If you are having issues with a specific image sharing site, please reach out to us via email or try asking for help in our Discord server.

You said we could add videos? How do I do that?

You will need to get the embed link from YouTube, Vimeo, or another site (which can be a little tricky on mobile, but not impossible—google for directions if you can’t do this on desktop) and insert the html into the Source Code. You can access this by clicking the Source Code button in the toolbar. Reach out via email or Discord if you’re having any issues with embedding videos.

Is there an event skin?

Yes. The October event skin is now live if you want to make it your default. Scroll down to the skins on the main page or in the footer and select the one labeled “betrayal” to switch. If you want to keep it, make sure you change the selection on your preferences page. (Otherwise it will change back to your saved skin the next time you access the site.)

And if you haven't seen it yet, the skin looks like this:

The banner was made by our very own @isevery0nehereverystoned.

Will you be featuring regular works while the event is going on?

Instead of our normal mod-selected featured works, we will be highlighting fanworks posted in past years in honor of our October anniversary. Starting on the first of the month, each day will highlight a random assortment of works posted during the matching year of the archive (for example, on October 1st, we will feature works from 2006, our first year; on October 2nd, we will feature works from 2007, our second year; and so on). On day eighteen, we will change to feature fics that are part of this event.

The October Event challenges authors and artists. What about the readers? Won’t you think of the readers?

Obviously, readers deserve all the love. If you write at least 18 comments in October that contain at least 18 words (for any works here on EF, not just the challenge ones), you'll meet the requirements of the commenter challenge and earn a Commenter award! There will be a link to the comment challenge leaderboard on the homepage under the Members of the Month along with the All Star Commenter list.

Show me the awards!

This event’s shinies have also been lovingly made by HappyWhenItRains. Lookit!

I’m So Excited!

We are too!

Do we really have to include poodles in our works?

No. Probably.

Anything else?

If there are any additional questions, please comment on this post or email us at elysianfieldsarchive@gmail.com. And get ready for some amazing new stories!

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

kdnfb's Ten Years of Fanfiction Mania

Featuring: Unmasked

Summary: Written under an Anonymous pseudonym ~M~ to fill the following prompt ~ Historical Katniss and Peeta hate each other. They attend a masquerade ball and for some reason end up kissing each other. Sparks fly everywhere. Katniss tries to find the man behind the mask but Peeta knows it was Katniss though he doesnt say anything. They end up bethrothed even if they 'despise' each other. How they fall in love is up to u and how katniss figured out it was peeta is up to u

Rating: E for explicit sexual content, explicit language, implied/referenced rape/nonconsensual (not everlark), implied/referenced child abuse, implied/referenced suicide, implied/referenced miscarriage, discussions of illness, war, and injury in a historical setting, ptsd, minor character death. They worst of these tags happens offscreen and is merely discussed and dealt with rather than shown here.

A/N: ~Unmasked~ is my longest fic in terms of word count (around 234k), although Outside Chance and Spellbound are not too far behind and are both incomplete. Unmasked started as something meant to be fun and cathartic, then turned into a ridiculously long and self indulgent fic that I still, to this day, have no idea if the anonymous person who submitted the prompt to @everlarkficexchange even read, let alone whether or not they liked it. But I love what I produced for this fic.

Why write it anonymously and only reveal myself later? A couple reasons. 1) Historical is not my wheel house. At least not writing it. I am a shameless consumer of historical romances. I did some research for this fic but not nearly the level I would've liked to have done. Eventually, I said screw it, it's about the vibes not the accuracy. 2) I had a pile of unfinished wips when I started this, to include Outside Chance and Spellbound (both of which are still unfinished hmmmmm) and I really didn't want a lot of questions about when I was going to get back to those while I was working on this because 3) I'd just gone through a small slice of writerly hell to the point that I seriously considered deleting my entire tumblr and all of my fanfic. Details are not important right now, the result is. That's probably the closest I've ever come to calling myself done with fandom.

Then this prompt posted to EFE and wouldn't leave me alone. Eventually, I decided that if I was going to write it, I wanted to write it with as little pressure as possible. So I chose to write and post it as ~M~ until it was finished. Plus, I thought it might make it fun for people other than me if there was a bit of mystery behind it. And I don't regret doing that.

Writing behind a mask allowed me to be as long winded and self-indulgent as I wanted to without worrying about how tight the storyline was or how accurate the historical details were, or wondering if I'd be walking into my tumblr and a barrage of the kind of messages I'd come to dread receiving. The only thing I worried about, really was if the amount and kind of smut I included gave me away prematurely lmao.

While this was my first real foray into the realm of historical fics, I am hoping it's not the last. I've got too many ideas and half started pieces to back out of it now. But those, like this one, will probably remain untethered to a specific real place, and a specific time, mainly because I just don't have that kind of time for research if I'm not getting paid to do it lol. They will be works of love if not works of accuracy.

Unmasked on AO3

[beefcake-penguin]

#people just do NOT know how to be FANS of media anymore. they don't know how to interact with each other or with the text without anger#fandom is supposed to be FUN#it's supposed to be fun to speculate and headcanon and write fanfic and draw and go a little bit feral for your faves

This!! It's okay to just enjoy things! It's ok to walk away from media you're not enjoying!!

10/10 tags, my friend 💪🐧❤️

Thank you, broski! It drives me kind of beefsane (beefcake insane) when I bop along online to see how a community is enjoying a show or movie or game that I'm also enjoying and the fandom is just:

"OUTRAGE!"

"ANGER!"

"UGH!!! THOSE BASTARDS ARE 'QUEERBAITING' US!"

"IF YOU LIKE THIS FICTIONAL CHARACTER WHO KILLED SOMEONE IN A WORK OF FICTION, YOU MUST BE A MURDER-APOLOGIST!"

"WAIT, WHY DID THOSE BASTARDS STOP 'QUEERBAITING' US?!"

"THOSE CHARACTERS SHARED A SCENE AND A STEAMY LOOK! LET'S HARASS THEIR REAL-LIFE ACTORS/ACTRESSES!"

And I just sort of immediately go: "💪🏽😐... hmmm... I just came here to have fun... 💪🏽😔" *leaves in beeffeat (beefcake defeat)*

Which is why I'm so grateful to people like you and so many of the other moots (my beloveds 🐧❤🐧) that I've made here. I deleted my old ancient tumblr from the Before Times(tm) due to how stressed it made me and just the fact that my life at the time was already full of things causing me stress and making me have panic attacks and anxiety attacks on an almost weekly basis. Being unable to even come to my own blog without being stressed about what imaginary slight someone might accuse me of in my askbox really just took the wind out of my beefy sails... but I'm so glad I came back to this site with the goal to much more carefully curate my experience, because it really is so nice to be able to be a little insane about mutual blorbos and occasionally subject your poor unbeefspecting (beefcake unsuspecting) mutuals to one of your out-of-left-field hyper-fixations, too.

Which is just my long-beefded (beefcake long-winded) way of saying: people like you and my other be(ef)loved mutuals are what makes fandom communities great, my friend. 💪🏽🐧❤

Penguin-hug for you:

[m-ayo-o]

ok... so (content planning below)

Manwha : Under The Oak Tree. Genre : smut

So I have an idea ft. Maxi, Riftan, Ruth, plus reader insert, involving oral, threesome/group sex, and guidance. It's been in the back of my mind for probably YEARS at this point and I still haven't got round to writing even an outline, but the image and idea is so clear in my head it probably won't take long to write. It's driving me crazy so I might write this one soon.

Valentine's Event : happening now!

Zodiac Event : one more tiny fic coming

Requests : still closed (thank u sm for respecting this it has been perfect, so well behaved of u all)

Thirsts/asks/chat : open

Foxtrot : ongoing! part two coming soon ft. 21+ megumi stealing toji's gf...

The Money Store : ongoing! sub toji part two coming soon because i enjoy writing it sssososo much

two longer (ish) megumi fics in progress ft. roomate au and an unusual threesome... :3

I have a paranormal fic idea that includes possession but may get quite dark. Others include mythical creatures (humanoid only, eg. succubus / incubus / hybrids etc. may go into omegaverse and hybrid characters soon)

Obviously not gonna stop writing jjk just wanna mix things up a bit.

Been enjoying lil Toru drabbles (feels like I'm practicing)

Always got Kento ideas (but I feel like it has to be particularly special to focus on it because the Kento writers on here go hard. Makes me feel like I don't need to write it as bad)

Wanna write so much for Suguru...

Got some Naoya and Choso thoughts

Also very tempted to write for the pretty boy that is Hajime Kashimo

Have a strong desire to write househusband Toji

Got a couple of tiny Yuji wips

Sukuna can suck it. (jk I can't write him for shit also the Sukuna writers out there are actually astounding)

Possible event ideas ->

1: "The Gods" event : incorporating stories of ancient myths

2: "Songspiration" : short weekly drabbles inspired by lyrics (could involve a voting system)

so feel free to come chat about anything you'd like to read in particular! ^^

[princess-lvcifer]

fourteen years

ihsahn/faust • 1K • hurt no comfort

Summary: Ihsahn breaks up with Faust before the drummer goes to prison

A/N: This is similar to my previous Emperor x F!Reader and Emperor x Emperor works because I love exploring the angst of a loved one going far away for months and years. I wrote the first paragraphs and I thought "Wait this could be also yaoi... What should I write...? Fuck it I'll write every version I have in mind."

𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐

"Fourteen years," Bård announced looking at Vegard as he met the rest of the band for the first time after being sentenced, in the house where they all lived together.

The vocalist was expressionless, cold and serious. That sentence didn't surprise him, it was to be expected after the confession and he had long been aware that he would be rotting in prison for a good couple of years.

He was always aware of the things his band members and other friends did, he didn't agree and didn't want to participate, but he kept quiet and just like them he thought they would never get caught, being infected by that mentality of being unstoppable and having luck always on their side — but Varg ruined everyone's party. Øystein's murder at the hands of Varg the year before capped the fun in the Norwegian black metal scene.

The months between then and now had been very hard, with all the members of his band and other friends being interrogated and judged, including himself. The police had rightly started a witch-hunt and unfortunately his boyfriend had blood on his hands. Both Bård and he knew that the only fair thing to do was to confess to the major crime he had committed, even though the police had no evidence to point to him as the murderer. And instead of living like there was no tomorrow, making the most of the time they would soon be without, the relationship grew tense and cold. They both had doubts about whether they were still together, and Bård was terrified at the mere thought of asking and having an awkward conversation, probably a break-up.

Vegard had a year to psyche himself up, and yet he was still hurt and furious that absolutely all the members of his band were going to prison, some longer and some less. He was furious with all of them for what they had done, especially Bård.

A knock on his bedroom door caught his attention, snapping him out of his thoughts. It could be any one of them, but he had a feeling it was his boyfriend, or rather, the one who was. They still had an important conversation to have, just as there were still a few days before the future prisoners were due to enter prison, and before that they would go to his parents' house to spend their last days of freedom with their families. The next day they would pack their bags and leave, and he wouldn't see them again until God knows when.

"Come in," he said and the door opened. No light came in when he opened it, the light in the hallway was out as was the light in his room. He could barely see who it was, but his silhouette was enough to tell him apart.

"Hello," the assassin whispered as he closed the door behind him.

"Hello," he replied in the same tone as he reached over to his bedside table and turned on the small lamp there.

"We need to talk..." he said as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Do we?" He asked incredulously with a raised eyebrow, and at that moment Bård knew that the conversation would be much harder and more difficult than he had already imagined. "I don't have to say anything."

"Look, I know I've fucked up pretty good, but I love you—"

"And?" He asked as before as he raised his arms to rest his hands behind his head. "No matter how much you say that, it's not going to fix anything."

"Fuck, do you have to be so cold?" he asked annoyed and on the verge of despair.

"If you're cold, go burn another church. Or if it bothers you so much kill me."

"Fuck Vegard," he said hurt at having his crimes rubbed in his face, clearly with the intention of hurting him and at the little effort he was making to make the conversation easier.

"There's nothing to talk about, I'm clearly not going to wait for you for fourteen years, in many ways," he said matter-of-factly.

Hearing that was like a bucket of cold water falling on him, leaving him completely paralysed and hurt, in shock with his eyes like vinyls as they began to get wetter and wetter. It was not only what he had said, but how he had said it — as if he meant nothing to him, as if he didn't care about his feelings. Bård even had to look away from him for a few seconds, he couldn't even bear to look at his expressionless face at that moment. He opened his mouth trying to say something, but even he didn't know what to say, having to spend a few seconds staring at the floor pondering what he would say next.

"Did you have to say it, just like that?" he said as he raised his head to look at him again.

"Not to have done what you did," he shrugged.

"Yeah, but then what did you want me to do? Not confess?"

"I wish you hadn't become a criminal, and above all a murderer," he said now more annoyed, angry and hateful. "But what's done is done, it's too late now."

"I love you Vegard, please," he confessed and begged as he burst into tears, tears falling from his now red eyes and his voice breaking.

""Please"!? Please what?" asked the aforementioned man angrily again.

"I don't know, I just want some affection from you," he replied.

"This conversation is becoming a pointless loop," he said lowering his arms and rubbing his fingers across his forehead. "It'll pass, especially when you get away from me. In fourteen years neither of us will have feelings for each other, I promise."

"I will."

"No, you won't."

"That's it? After all we've been through?"

"Again," he said annoyed and above all tired in many ways: "If it bothers you so much that we've been separated for so long, you should have thought about it before killing that man. Now go to sleep, go on," he said pointing his thumb at the door next to him.

Maybe breaking a murderer's heart isn't the best idea, but Vegard needed to express himself and make things clear to Bård so that he wouldn't get his hopes up about a possible future together and would be more aware of what he had done.

𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐 𖤐

A/N: English isn't my first language, sorry if something was weird expressed. 🇪🇸

Crossposted on my AO3.

[not-poignant]

salut pia!

ive been wondering? how do you handle/change modes when you’re writing across AUs/fics? i mean not only the personality/attribute changes (like role reversal with ef and gwyn) but also change in…oh how do i say this..when a character is a MC in one but side/minor in another? bc they are different devices to different stories, how do you keep an overview of how much you reveal, go into so as to not side track from the main story or change the “flow”. example: whenever theres mentions of gender identity and betas somethin somethin feeling like omegas somethin somethin comes up “casually” sirens go off in my head and then i realise wait faber is NOT the MC in this story this is not about him him but its a little bit about him him. and then i feel like im standing behind a glass wall looking from Utb/Utg to Utr screaming at faber but he is a NPC here so we dont know whats going on in his head. that scene with ef and him eating carrots?…. i would give my right foot and skin tone copic markers to be a fly on the wall in fabers POV (the timelines probably wont align for it to happen but would you ever consider sth like this?? a scene overlapp across stories i mean?)

i’ve mostly read within that universe but ive also read spoils where your characters have completely different..positions? roles? weight? than in rainbow. so yeah how do you keep it all “appropriate” or “fitting” for their roles in different stories. like a puppet master

cheers xx

Hi anon,

So this is going to be not very helpful, but I don't write this stuff down for the most part.

This is the stuff I find so easy that this is why this is my job, in a way. I don't have a list of 'different Efnisiens' to keep track of, or 'different Gwyns.' They become themselves within the story. If I read a chapter of the story I get back into it (actually often I just need to listen to a song or put on the right playlist). Every version of a character is kind of there right now. I know how each would respond to something, and how those things would be the same or vary based on life experiences and the question etc.

I don't do really much at all to change modes. I just...do. There is no overview. It's all in my head. I'd say some of this goes down to how long / how many years I've spent studying character and dialogue overall. But even when I was younger I found this pretty easy, and transplanting characters into different situations to see how they'd react similarly / differently was one of my favourite kinds of exercises even when I was a teenager.

Some of it is knowing focus. Faber's side story is interesting, for those who like Faber and/or Underline the Red, hints about his gender struggles are fascinating, but they can only ever be hints, because I'm mindful that many readers aren't interested in Faber except as a minor character, and haven't read Underline the Red.

The focus is always Efnisien and Gary. Other characters can have their own lives and motivations, but it won't be more than that in the main story. Though I can go into a bit more detail because of the length of the story which is really nice for building out side characters / ensemble cast.

As to crossover perspectives, I don't know! I know we'll see some of Faber's perspective of Efnisien arriving at Hillview in Underline the Red, but obviously things impact characters differently at different times, I don't know what will be most important by the time we get to Faber's side of things. I used to write alternative perspectives as side chapters for Fae Tales though, and that could be a lot of fun.

so yeah how do you keep it all “appropriate” or “fitting” for their roles in different stories.

I saw a video by Hank Green I think once where he said the reason sportspeople are so good at their sports is in part because they're physically often the best at that sport anyway. Like, ballerinas have a certain build, swimmers have a certain build, and any training they do works to support that and make them better, but they were 'built' out for those sports in the first place. Some people have yoga bodies. I have a swimming body and swimming shoulders.

And I feel like this is true sometimes with writing. I don't try to keep it appropriate or fitting, I just know that the ensemble characters can't matter as much as the main characters in the course of the story. That's what a story is. That's what a main character and an ensemble character is. I would say years of experience has made this part of writing mostly easy and fun for me, so I don't have to think or overthink about this stuff anymore. At worst I might think 'was that too much Faber? Eh, it's helping Efnisien, it's still important to the plot and his character arc.'

I'm 'built' for writing big worlds with big ensemble casts where all the characters are important but where the focus is only on a couple of main characters per story. I'm built for character-focused stories and seem to be very built for transplanting characters I love into different worlds (and different roles) to see how that changes things. I started wanting to write these kinds of worlds and characters when I was 10 years old, and had my first sprawling ensemble fantasy series started by the age of 11. By the age of 15 I had a 3 novel fantasy trilogy built out with about 20 significant characters, and it was ridiculous and silly but that was what I wanted to write.

And I guess you could say I haven't really changed, I've just gotten better at it. I hope to keep getting better at it! The challenge now is to figure out how to break down some of these skills so I can share them with others. But...I do think there's an element of 'this is just what I love, it's a special interest, I don't know how to convey that I have 30 years of special interest in reading, writing, and studying this thing across television, manga, manhwa, fanfiction, AUs, and fictional series.' There will be teachable skills in that, but I don't know how much osmosis / absorption / and being obsessed with entangled tapestries of stories makes up what I do.

In some ways it would be 'better' if I was built for more conventional storytelling. My bank account might like that more! BUT, I'm doing okay where I'm at, because I love it, and I try to share that with other people and see if I can tell stories that resonate with them too.

(There are aspects of what I do that are very hard for me - timelines, aspects of worldbuilding, pacing in the first arc, and so on, but the actual characterisation part, and creating multiple versions of the same character is as easy as breathing. I could give you four more different versions of Faber in an hour. Maybe even twenty minutes. It's not hyperbole, it's just...how I daydream, what I think about. And it's fun!)

I'm very very very lucky that other folks are willing to read the same characters across different narratives, because it's a very strange thing to do in writing outside of fanfiction, case in point being that we almost never see any other professional authors doing it with their original works. x.x

[starter-library]

THE GUY WHO DIDN'T LIKE MUSICALS LYRIC STARTERS feel free to change phrasing/pronouns as you see fit

“Musicals tell the impossible (impossible) They evoke the philosophical”

“Should we kill him?”

“What an ass! What a bitch! What a cuck!”

“The apotheosis is upon us”

“Where the fuck is he?”

“You gotta believe in something, [name], you piece of shit”

“[Name] you piece of shit”

“Sometimes I just wanna shout on top of roof and mountain tops”

“Yesterday is retroactive Got myself a new perspective”

“What the fuck was that?”

“I may not have a home but that's way okay”

“The world is my house, The dogs are my food”

“Uh, what's going on here?! I'm very confused and concerned by all this”

“Do you wanna save the planet?”

“What do you want, [name]? Tell me what you desire to see”

“So, what do you want, Paul? What's that one concrete goal that motivates all your actions?”

“I don't know, I want what anyone wants? Money, a partner? Kids, someday, maybe?”

“A man so vague just can't be trusted”

“D'you know what I want for myself? I've waited for so long to tell somebody else.”

“You're my muse, my source of light”

“[name] my love. I want you to choke me out at night”

“I want you to choke me while I jerk off”

“I'm gonna go get some coffee, do you want anything?”

“Get your cup of roasted coffee”

“Get your cup of poisoned coffee”

“You better empty out all of them pockets but don't empty out all of them pockets”

“Check your mirror, you'll find hell has arrived”

“Do the things I say, I'm a cop”

“Put in your mouth and suck it!”

“Oh, [name], please stop! I'm your wife, just talk to me, baby!”

“God, we were young once. Innocent and fun once and free”

“You tied up my heart, You tied me down”

“Now break me open with your love and mercy”

“[name], baby! Apple of my eye! Don't you trust me?”

“I've effed up, [name], effed up with you”

“Will you ever forgive me? I'll crawl on my hands and knees”

“Oh fuck, I'm fading fast, I think you better come quick”

“I really don't wanna die alone in here. Time to say our goodbyes at the end of the road”

“This body's not gonna last, the air is cold and thick”

“You brought me back from the dead, [name]!”

“The time for chaos is long past overdue”

“Death isn't optional in fact it’s optimal”

“Join us and die”

“We're gonna kick your ass and then we're gonna Fucking kick your ass”

“I'm not your girl anymore”

“You left me out of your sight for one second and look what happens, nightmare time”

“No matter what you believe The apple's fallen far from the tree”

“It's not my fault anymore”

“Did you know that I wanted to live with you?

“Why does it hurt to love you? Why am I in pain?”

“If I turned my insides out, would you even know that I was there?”

“A show stoppin' number is something you die for”

“This song's pretty good, huh? I bet you didn't know I was also a composer”

“I've also been writing my own musical…Do you mind if I give you the pitch?”

“But those glory days, they're gone for good…Or are they?”

“Business calls, I'm up to my ass in shit. What is this business?”

“Last weekend feels like ages ago”

“I can't wait to get home to my boys”

“Come on, [name] We've got some catching up to do”

“There's only room for right and wrong”

“You can't run”

“You're staring down the gun 'Cause you're easily disposed”

“Did you hear the word?”

“Is your heart so damp and bleak that you won’t give us a peek of your soul?”

“There's a voice inside of you on the edge of coming through”

“Am I dead? I’m coming apart at the seams!”

“I’ve never been happy wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Is my integrity worth anything at all?”

“Am I crazy? Maybe I’ve always been”

“What if I told you I made it and this is the life that I chose?”

“Do you believe in ghosts?”

“Don't you want to see me happy? Is it so tragically wrong?”

“We must go on with the show it's inevitable”

“I found my calling you can do the same now”

[onmyo-jin]

iron triangle in egyptology class

[Fun fact that I want to explain to Lyx, who has not seen any dmbj except the heihua movie: none of these guys are archaeologists or historians of any kind; the only one with a degree (as far as we know) is Wu Xie, who studied architecture. I imagine these are evening classes they're taking as a hobby, finding out more things about different tombs around the world... that's what AUs are for, aren't they?]

"-- AND they're teaching us to translate using Budge! Of all people! The man's been dead for near a century and wrong for even longer, why can't they write something more decent!!" Wu Xie exclaimed, waving an old book around in a way that couldn't possibly be good for the spine.

"Sshhh Tianzhen, they'll kick us out of the library if you keep going like that," Pangzi hissed, though a quick look around told them their section of the library was deserted. Some pulling and prodding later, and Wu Xie finally sat back down in his seat--

-- only to jump right back up and start ranting again: "That's where the adverbial sedjem-en-ef with a cleft subject should go! Aargh, can't they get anything right??"

"Tianzhen! You're the one who chose the optional language course, you did this to yourself."

"I knoww..." Wu Xie flopped down in his chair, and slumped forward face first onto his notes. "That's why its so terrible."

A sigh that seemed to come from his very toes fluttered across his notes, and Pangzi turned to his own book-- just history for him, thanks, no ridiculous language juggling for Pang-ye. History, and some shiny treasures to look at. A man should know his own strengths.

"Xiaoge~," Wu Xie seemed determined not to focus on his work. Pangzi rolled his eyes at his book. "Xiaoge, what are you reading?"

Silently Xiaoge slid his book over to Wu Xie, who looked at it, and then remained quiet for a very long time.

"I studied architecture in Germany before, but this German... I can barely read it! How old is this book?"

Xiaoge answered without looking at the publication date on the first page: "1971."

"'71?? Hasn't someone taken the time to print a new version of this??" Wu Xie exclaimed again, and was hushed again by Pangzi. At least this time he sat down without urging.

"Whose brilliant idea was this again?"

Xiaoge shook his head in response.

"But why?" Wu Xie sounded plaintive. Clearly he was starting to regret his own idea of 'fun evening classes'

"They were very thorough, so no one wants to rewrite it," Xiaoge said, and Wu Xie's head connected with the desk with a loud thud.

~

Send me an ask with a pairing and an AU and I'll write you a ficlet!

[rustbeltjessie]

Poetry’s Dead (Undead Undead Undead)

Poetry & Halloween go together like candy corn & carved pumpkins because poetry is, at its heart, a haunted thing. All poems are about ghosts, even if they’re not about ghosts. They’re all haunted by the traces of memory (the poet’s own memory, but also the ghosts of history that each word carries with it). Writing a poem is a way to summon ghosts, but it can also be a way to exorcise your ghosts & demons, or at least expel them from your mind and bind them with paper & ink. (As Sandra Cisneros wrote: I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much.) Poems are also a bit like spells. Spells to conjure the past or shape the future. Spells to heal the writer/reader, or get revenge on what has harmed them. Or creation spells which bring forth something beautiful that wasn’t there before. I suppose any form of writing could be considered a spell, but poetry feels even more tied to spell-work because of its rhythm and sound. There is something inherently incantatory about it.

So, yes, all poetry fits into the Halloween season, at least in some small way. But one can make the connection even more obvious, depending on what is being written about. And that is exactly what I’m doing with both my current works-in-progress. All writers write about their obsessions. I am a giant nerd who is kinda goth, so some of my obsessions are very Halloween-y. If all poems are implicitly about ghosts, many of my poems are explicitly about ghosts. Ghosts are the overarching theme in my in-progress full length collection. Some of its other themes and inspirations include: murder ballads, urban legends, fairy and folk tales, witchcraft, monsters, and horror films. I recently completed a poem for that manuscript titled “Planet of the Monster Girls.” It’s about a group of girls obsessed with classic horror films and their stars: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, and Lon Chaney, Jr. Writing that poem rekindled my own obsession with those actors. I splurged on Etsy items relating to them, and built a sort of altar/shrine in my workspace. I rewatched their films, and did internet and library searches for more information about those monstrous leading men. And then the poems came. I found myself scribbling epistolary prosepoems to Peter Lorre. (It started with him because I have a long-running obsession with Mr. Lorre that would require an entire separate essay to explain). Soon after, I began writing missives to the rest of them, too.

I have so many other things I’m working on right now that I tried to resist it at first. No way am I starting another effing book, I told myself. But the epistolary poems kept coming, and then I started doing some erasures as well, from the books and articles I’ve been reading about those men. (Because how often does one find a source text full of choice words like quirky, deviant, venom, mesmeric, dread, and menace?) After a couple weeks, I had to admit to myself that I am, indeed, working on a new book. I don’t yet know what the final form or structure will be, or whether it will be a chapbook or a full-length. But right now I don’t care, because I am enjoying the process. This project is giving me a way to discuss serious topics while paying tribute to some of my favorite actors and films. It is giving me a fun way to juxtapose the ‘high art’ of poetry with the ‘low art’ of vintage horror, noir, and b-movies. (And it gave me an excuse to decorate a special notebook in which to write the poems.)

Yes, poetry & Halloween go together like ghosts and crumbling old mansions. Yes, all poems are spells and summonings. And this year, I’m spending my Halloween season writing spells which summon the ghosts of my muses: Boris, Bela, Peter, Vincent, & Lon.

—Jessie Lynn McMains (originally published in The Poetry Question, October 2019)

[muttthecowcatridesagain]

My GOAT fanfic rec list

I was going through my bookmarks the other day and decided to make a greatest of all time fanfic rec list (at least in my opinion). These are IN ORDER - or at least I tried. They're all great so it's hard to choose. I want to bookbind all of these one day

Starburst by dracoangelic and GingerD - Stardew Valley, Shane/Farmer - Literally the best fanfic I've ever read!!! The author's OC is one of the main characters and is so well done! The world is expanded in the best way. The ending is perfect. I can't say enough!!!

Dresden by hedera_helix - attack on Titan, Eruri - Historical/WW2 AU - The 2nd best fanfic I've ever read and the best historical au. The setting fits so well with the characters. The grief of the war and of being queer during that time period. There's so much here

Victor Effing Nikiforov by shysweetthing - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri - My favorite YOI fic and the best oneshot! It's cute, funny and has a great plot twist!! Love

This is Not a Courtship by midnightsnapdragon - MDZS, Xicheng, unfinished - WOW this is a recent fic but there's so much sexual/emotional tension that builds up so gradually and is SO well done

Les Mignardises by idiopathology - Detroit Become Human, Reed900 - best chef au, I LOVE this fic, I love food and I love reading about characters who love food. The best chef/restaurant AU that I've ever read

Eighteen Wheels on an Uphill Climb by blackeyedblonde - Detroit Become Human, Hankcon, Trucker AU - once again an au that fits perfectly with the characters! as someone from the us south, this fic is nostalgic and fun. A calming read with a sweet ending

Beneath Your Bones by cloudsmachinations - Thor Series, Thorki - I'm surprised it's taken a thorki fic this long to show up on my list but like I said many tough decisions were made. This fic is SO GOOD. I won't call it a soulmate au, because it's not, it's a host? au I guess but so well done. LOVE and my favorite thorki fic

Beside the Dancing Sea by lily_winterwood - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, selkie au - wow my favorite mermaid/selkie fic of all time and a yoi classic, unfortunately it seems it got deleted from ao3 and is in the process of being uploaded again

On My Love by RikoJasmine - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, unfinished - there's not many unfinished fics that made the list but - this one deserves to be here. A "back in time" AU that's famous in the YOI fandom. It's SO SWEET and definitely worth the read.

Unwritten by kaizuka - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, Soulmate AU - my favorite soulmate AU of all time and a YOI classic. I'm pretty sure it was the first yoi fic I ever read. It's so good, sweet and fits perfectly with the series

Stormbreaker by ladylapislazuli - Thor Series, Thorki, unfinished - another "back in time" AU, Wow where do I begin, this fic is so well written and famous in the thorki fandom, the last and most recent chapter is my favorite, it hits so many emotions, shows so much character growth, Thor faces a lot of feelings about his family, unfinished but the feelings it expresses are worth the read

Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches by Reiya - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, Enemies to Lovers AU - I think this is the single most well known yoi fic and for good reason, a slow burn enemies to lovers Victuuri AU, it's just so good

Not in Peace and Not in War by justrae2010 - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, Historical/War AU - my 2nd favorite historical AU ever. The first chapter was originally written as a stand alone for a big bang and the writing in that alone is amazing!!

Animals by stereobone - Attack on Titan, Eruri, Prison AU - my favorite prison AU of all time, it fits so well with eruri and the burn is slow

The act of just being here by Euphorion - SVSSS, Bingqiu - a post canon fic, WOW I LOVE this fic, Shen Yuan having more character growth and letting himself love more, it's perfect, the writing is amazing!

What Gangsters Do by tristinai - Detroit Become Human, Reed900, gangster AU - this is a oneshot that's part of a larger series, however this particular fic is SO WELL Done, Nines goes from hating Gavin to loving him within a few paragraphs and just wow, that's writing goals right there

Just in it for the game by grim_lupine - Thor Series, Thorki, fake relationship AU - I LOVE this fic, it's hilarious, a post Ragnarok fic that's funny and sweet

A Matter of Cats by cato_universe - Detroit Become Human, Reed900 - this is a Nines centric fic and I LOVE it, such a comfort read, libraries, cats, and love

How long we were fooled by Ark - Thor Series, Thorki - famous thorki fic that looks at their relationship throughout the series and at thor's lightening powers, LOVE

Retrograde by bughnrahk - Detroit Become Human, Hankcon, failed revolution end - wow I LOVE this fic, it's so fast paced and thrilling

The Rules for Lovers by ADreamingSongbird - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, royalty AU - another classic yoi fic and one of my favorite royalty fics

Resplendent - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, Hades and Persephone AU - this fic has been taken down but I still had to rec it, it's beautiful

No Ordinary Love by TheFlashFic - Marvel Captain America, Sambucky, Hanahaki AU - this is the best Hanahaki AU I've ever read, so well done

and this fire in my veins by citruspromenade - TGCF, fengqing - a fuck or die AU except not really and it's hilarious!! I LOVE this fic so much

a glide in your step by Yuu_chi - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri - another yoi classic, one of the sweetest fics ever

The Word Freedom by HopeaLumi - Attack on Titan, Eruri, teacher AU - the best teacher AU ever, based on the janitor!Levi teacher!erwin shorts

The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch by aubreyli - MDZS, Wangxian - wow it's taken me this long to rec a wangxian fic! This story is adorable, featuring the juniors and wangxian from the webseries picking up their romance

Soft Shocks by stereobone - Thor Series, Thorki, fake relationship AU - my favorite fake marriage au ever, thor and loki are so in character and the ending is so sweet

Take the Long Way Home by cavaleira - Thor Series, Thorki - a traveling? au, a comfort read and another thorki classic

And that's all of them!  Do you have any GOAT fanfic recs?

[elysianfieldsarchive]

The triumphant return of Mystery Month!

Are you guys excited? We sure are! We haven’t run Mystery Month since 2022, following a community-voted decision to alternate between Mystery Month and Drabblemania for our July events. And the results were amazing. We don’t like to brag (oh, who are we kidding, we LOVE to brag!) Drabblemania 2023 was a huge success. That said, we think the community chose very wisely, because our original Mystery Month is an event like no other, and we’re excited to get back to it!

If you weren’t around in 2022, or need a refresher, here’s the crux:

For the entire month of July (with a little spill over into August), participants will create works (either text-based stories or narrative artwork) that are five chapters long. Each chapter must respond in some way to a given prompt, and the works must be complete at five chapters – no longer, no shorter – with said chapters posted within the relevant time windows (detailed below).

The prompts will be issued every week, which means you have exactly one week to write/create art and post. Is it intense? Hell yes, it’s intense. But is it fun? Considering you guys wanted to keep the event, we’ll say hell yes, it’s a lot of fun.

Your contribution can be a sequel to any existing work, but it doesn’t have to be. The only requirement, beyond what we mentioned above, is that it be brand-new, not an existing WIP, and written specifically for this event.

PROMPTS? WHAT PROMPTS?

So glad you asked!

The prompts will be provided by…*drumroll please*… You all!

In 2022, we shifted format from the EF admin-provided prompts to community-sourced. It’s more fun that way (and ensures the participating Mods don’t have the unfair advantage of knowing what the prompts are ahead of time). So you, dear EF community, will be providing the prompts that will guide the works we create.

But as we are benevolent overlords, we will provide one (and only one) prompt ahead of time. And that is the fifth and final chapter must be HEA/HFN.

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

As in 2022, you are invited (nay, encouraged!) to enter as many prompts as you like in our prompt form. These prompts can be anything – a line of dialogue, an object, a character, a color, a number, a creature feature, a situation, etc.

The only consideration we ask you to make in providing prompts is to adhere to the Spuffy wisdom of Five Words or Less for each prompt to avoid stressing out our creators. Beyond that, get as wild and creative as you like! Each week of the event, the Mods will use randomization software to pick a prompt from the list you provide us, and that prompt becomes your challenge for that week’s chapter.

Even better? We’ll save the unused prompts to source again for the Drabblemania 2025 Bingo Boards.

And yes, we do have plenty of prompts left over from 2022, but Elysian Fields has grown a lot over the last two years, and we want to provide our new members with the chance to contribute to the prompt list. It’s a great way to give EVERYONE the chance to be involved – our creators, our readers, and even our lurkers.

I ONLY HAVE A WEEK TO CREATE A WHOLE CHAPTER? BETA AND EVERYTHING?

Yes, beta and everything. 

THAT’S SCARY

We know. :devil emoji:

SO WHAT IF MY CHAPTER ISN’T DONE IN TIME?

This is our most stringent time-sensitive event. The “This Story is Part of the 2024 Mystery Month Event” tick box will DISAPPEAR after the first week is behind us and any works that do not update within the specified timeframe will be removed from the event.

Should you not update in time, though, don’t worry. You are welcome (read: encouraged) to continue your work at your own pace. You simply won’t be eligible for the author award and are no longer beholden to the prompts.

WHAT IF I GET TO CHAPTER 5 AND I HAVE MORE STORY LEFT?

The intent behind this event is COMPLETED WORKS. So if you get to Chapter 5 and you don’t think your work is complete, your choices are:

Make it a series and continue it later, with your Mystery Month fic as the first complete work in that series.

Remove the work from the event and continue as you would a regular, non-event work. At this point, you are no longer beholden to the prompts or eligible for the author award.

WHAT ABOUT ARTWORK-ONLY STORIES?

We thought about it, but we feel that submitting individual artwork pieces wasn’t in the spirit of the event, which is to work a narrative together through the randomness of the prompts. So, for this event, to keep the playing ground even for all creators, all pieces submitted must be narratives.

BUT I CAN SUBMIT NARRATIVE ARTWORK, LIKE A COMIC OR SOMETHING SIMILAR, RIGHT?

Of course! We hope you do! Submitting narrative artwork will make you eligible for the artist award, as will creating a story banner or illustration for any event piece.

YOU KEEP TALKING ABOUT AWARDS! TELL ME MORE!

Happy to! Wouldn’t be an EF event without awards. And this year, the awards (as well as the event banner) were designed by our good friend @trevorcarlee (for those of you who don’t know Trevor, he’s one half of EF’s favorite podcast, Another Buffy Podcast, an amazing artist, animator, and all-around swell human being).

Look how pretty!

AS A REMINDER: We now have the new beta/artist fields to submit with your story info. You must use these fields to make sure your betas and/or artist receives their award. Commenters will need to leave a minimum of 15 comments between the posting window (July 1 – August 4) that contain at least 5 words (for any stories here on EF, not just on challenge fics).

If you have to withdraw your submission from the event after posting the first chapter, any betas or artists who helped will still receive their awards.

SO ABOUT THOSE DATES…?

Here they are! Please note, all dates start at 12:00 am site time and end at 11:59 pm site time of the day given. Site time is currently in Eastern Daylight Time, and site time is posted underneath the Shoutbox if you ever need to check.

Friday, June 28: Prompt One Announced

Monday, July 1st to Sunday, July 7th: Posting Window for Prompt One

Friday, July 5th: Prompt Two Announced

Monday, July 8th to Sunday, July 14th: Posting Window for Prompt Two

Friday, July 12th: Prompt Three Announced

Monday, July 15th to Sunday, July 21st: Posting Window for Prompt Three

Friday, July 19th: Prompt Four Announced

Monday, July 22nd to Sunday, July 28th: Posting Window for Prompt Four

Monday, July 29th to Sunday, August 4th: Fifth and final chapters to be posted

If you have any questions, please comment below!

ARE YOU READY?

START SUBMITTING PROMPTS!

[meowzfordayz]

I'm going to be honest: this is the first time I've seen your blog ever, i have no idea what or who you write for so I'm really unbiased when I say that it's so fucking cruel that you get sent hate messages over fictional characters

No one should go through that, it's nothing but cruel and honestly it makes me mad to know that that anon did this to multiple people (it's wrong for them to do it to even one person but to do it to multiple and then acting like they didn't do it because they got scared is another level)

I was a kny writer maybe a year or so ago and while I didn't write nsfw I also got backlash a lot for "making the characters too ooc" about a post where I was stating my personal hcs which in turn caused me to delete my works and take a hiatus from writing up until a month ago (i still don't write kny however - maybe I will in the future but not after what's been going on, not now) so I can with confidence say that I'm very happy that you guys could fight back when I couldnt

To be honest the messages I received were nothing in comparison to what may (who has been one of my favorite writers ever in this app for a good while) posted and it makes me really mad that people do it for fun

This got unnecessarily long but I just wanted to share that while I know words don't mean much rn you're not in any way alone, and even though I can't do anything about hate messages you guys have my respect and full support for actually doing something about the anons <3

Anon, you had me in the first half, ngl- 😆😂 I lowkey thought your Ask was going in the direction of, "It's so fucking cruel that you're calling out this anon," or, "It's so fucking cruel that you're making a big deal out of this," lololol, so I'm very grateful this went in the other direction. 😭💘

More below❣️

Ah, the dreaded "in character vs ooc" issue. 😖 While ~severely ooc writing can take me out of a story a bit (especially when it's supposedly in canon universe), I've personally never commented on the matter (unless a writer explicitly requested feedback), bc at the end of the day: who effing cares?! 😵 (obvi ppl do care lmao, but that's besides my point)

I'm sorry to hear that the backlash was enough to push you away from writing. 😓 As a writer myself, I def don't take it for granted that I've always felt secure enough to continue writing, regardless of surrounding, ongoing ~politics — writing is a love, a privilege, a gift, and I hope you feel safe returning to KNY content ~someday. 💖

How "objectively mean" a msg is doesn't determine its effect on the intended target — your feelings, pain, and fear are valid. 🖤

I appreciate the time and thought you put into your Ask, and hope your week's going well! ☀️

[indigoidiot]

Re-reading Lifeboat for the 20th time. God you are the only one who is right about these two this story is too incredible to be real. And the way you write is just so captivating I keep coming back to it. This has consumed my life I hope you’re happy. Ryugoro is real.

I AM happy actually that YOU GET IT. I have so many qualms with how they get written in the actual game (base) and I explode when any of the other ryugoro fics properly portray their relationship the way it should be (at least amicable because ryuji is the kind of guy to meet someone halfway if they have similar ground)

They would also be insanely slowburn (as i hope i have portrayed) as Akechi would be extremely slow/hesitant to open to anybody as he is. yknow. Goro Akechi. But also Ryuji is Ryuji and if there's anything he can do it's worm his way into being someone's best buddy and Akechi really needs that in a narrative where he lives alone, feels alone, and has no perceivable people actually close to him. (I would like to imagine Sae looks out for him somewhat but apparently not according to the game)

It's like. Mindboggling to me that some people don't get that Ryuji is the kind of guy who'd look out for Akechi if he actually knew what was going on with him earlier in the plot. He spends most of the story hating Akechi because he thinks he's an annoying preppie teacher's pet trying to tell on the PT to the cops. But he changes gears after the engine room fight because nobody effing told him what Akechi's deal is and he's not gonna stand by when he's on the other side of a hatch with a gun pointed at him. So why not have that meeting point show up earlier and have them actually develop some sort of relationship while they can have one.

A lot of the fun of writing Lifeboat comes from imagining the what-ifs of certain game events if the two were buddy buddy and my own personal interpretations of how the characters would act if the narrative was more interested in the characters and their motivations and character development over the physical events and what happens. (though there will be a lot more physical events going down soon in the fic) Like. The game prioritizing the shock value of Akechi dying so suddenly over his character arc potentially changing to go somewhere interesting will never not be an incredibly strange decision for them to make to me.

ANYWAY i rambled a lot I am. So glad you guys like it, as much as it's going really slow rn but rest assured I am working on it as much as I can. The next two chapters are gonna be packed so it may be a little long but I hope it's worth the wait and I so appreciate anybody that sticks with it and leaves any comments on it. I do read them and they're incredibly motivating and analytical of details I work very hard on adding in. Thank you for the ask and thank you for your support <3

[sardonic-sprite]

I'm Back!

Wow, so Lent is over now, so my tumblr fast is also over and I'm still a little in shock, lol. I had hoped the past six weeks? I don't know, Time is weird, would be more productive but at least I got SOME stuff written/posted. Anyway, I have one more month of school and then fucking FINALS so expect sporadic updates at idiot-o-clock hours of the night, and maybe yell at me to sleep, eat, study, or drink water whenever i do post 😅

I am up to SO EFFING MANY wips rn on so many different fronts you guys have no freaking idea 😭 so here's a status report for EVERYTHING on or going on sardonic_sprite. (Its gonna be a monster post, y'all, bear with me)

in absolutely no particular order:

Wayne4Ham: We have a LONG way to go with this one, so just be patient and I'll slowly but steadily plug on through. Aaron Burr, Sir, should theoretically take me no longer than end of april

Wayne-Crazy: there's like 4 specific requests on it, plus a few 'series' i started, but after those, say 6-7, i'll probably mark as complete and only re-open if someone offers me an idea

Batman Beginners: i'll tell y'all up front, this one will take me forever. i don't even know what all I intend to cover, but know that i'm halfway done with the DITF arc, and it'll probably come out in the next two months

Just A Kid: this was my shits-and-giggles fic that got like 3000 notes in a weekend lmao. it's something i do intend to continue bc its so fun and i enjoy the concepts in it, but i don't have plans to actively write more of it in the immediate future.

Rev Wayne: just gave y'all Jason's fic, so the next probably won't come until late in summer, extrapolating from my few data points. if anyone has ideas for timmy's intro, let me know, i'd love some inspiration

Celeb Batwaynes: reported separate from wayne-crazy for reasons. i think theres like 12 specific requests plus 2 ideas of my own. i may put out a poll for the next one to write, but not until after school's out, because these fics are HUGE time-eaters for me. speaking of, are non-tumblr-users able to vote on polls?

Welcome to Gotham U: this was again, me doing shit bc why not. will probably add more in the style that i first posted, but i doubt i will write any prose for it. if you would like to give it a try, please reach out, i'd love to see what you write!

One Diamond: every time i touch this i make the cliffhanger worse lmao. i finally do have a direction, but execution is gonna have to wait a while.

The Young, Innocent, and Righteous: this is mostly just for me anyway, but i'm just gonna say that i'm waiting until i finish watching miraculous season 5 before i go any further

AS you wish: i have 5 more requests to do and i am so sorry to everyone waiting you do not deserve this lmao. i promise im trying, i love your ideas, it just takes me a really long time to fill in the rest and then actually write it. the next one on my list is particularly hard to pin down and so it's halting the ones behind it to. if not before, then after finals i will sit and bang my head on the keyboard until something good comes out

Light Isn't Fadin': soooooo many people have asked me about this one oof. SOMEDAY, i swear. right now its a huge, nebulous, hulking monster and im sorry it's just not happening yet.

A christmas carol: wait until december. please

Father's Day: june.

A Little Problem: over the summer, i will watch marvel movies until they once again hijack my brain and fuel this to completion. maybe.

easter eggs: how the fuck did i forget this lmao. i'm doing as much as i can in april, but when the month is done, i'm sorry, we'll all be waiting until next lenten season. hopefully it won't come to that.

aaaaand i THINK that's finally it. there's also a bunch of random paragraphs in word and google docs that may appear, not to mention ideas that kidnap me in dark alleys. but i also have like a good half dozen other wips for other places that im trying to attend to, so please be forgiving if it seems like its taking a while to post something as sprite.

as always, i love questions, comments, concerns, even some complaints, so feel free to interact.

See ya when I see ya!

sprite