#there's no electricity again and I'm happy I managed to finish at least this draft

[estcaligo]

Books can be burnt, but stories live forever.

[skeleton-in-a-hoodie]

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. Spread the self-love 💚

Playing with Shadows - part one of Dead Doesn't Mean Gone au

This was supposed to be a oneshot, but I quickly got really attached to this version of Mikey and Splinter and the fic ended up being six chapters long. By the time the first draft of this fic was done, it was the first part of a series and I started really thinking about what happened to both these characters and where to take them in the future.

2. Memento Mori (Remember That You Must Die) - part three of DDMG

DDMG Tang Shen is a lot of fun to write. Figuring out who she was when not someone's dead wife/mother was as entertaining as it was interesting, and the answer was apparently someone who's simultaneously filled with so much love and a desire to protect her daughter, as well as constantly cataclysmically enraged at all the people who have wronged her. If dropped into season 1 of the 12 universe, Shredder would be dead within a week.

Her relationship with DDMG Splinter now lives in my brain rent free - they were so close to moving to NYC, and being happy together, but everything went to hell instead. I am so excited for when we (eventually) get to her and Splinter meeting up again.

I will say there are parts in this fic that assign more blame to Shen than is fair regarding what happened + the arguments she and Yoshi had about moving. That isn't me blaming her for them having relationship issues because Splinter is my blorbo - her husband died horribly and was simultaneously blamed or a lot of stuff he didn't do + his name was dragged through the mud, so a combination of that and survivor's guilt has left Shen blaming herself a lot more than she should, because the idea of blaming him for anything, even the times he was a stubborn mule, makes her feel complicit.

3. The Whole Being Dead Thing - part one of Ghost Splinter 2 Electric Boogaloo

Splinter dies and keeps making awful (un)life choices, which all blow up in his face.

Also fun fact: the name for this au was supposed to be a jokey placeholder name until I thought of a better one, because saying "that au where splinter dies" also describes DDMG. But then I got attached to it

4. The Pied Piper of New York - part two of DDMG.

I know DDMG has taken up most of this list, but in my defence I've not written many fanfics. Also it's my comfort au and I enjoy shaking it like a dog. Actual picture of how I write this au below:

This is probably the first fic I wrote that really started to include horror elements, which are a lot of fun to write. Getting to write Mikey's brothers and how they bounce off one another and Splinter is also entertaining, cause I get to explore how they're different or similar from their 12 counterparts e.g. Leo gradually coming to see Splinter as one of them, but not liking the idea of Splinter being Mikey's dad because it a) interfers with Leo's own pre-existing plans and b) he doesn't want to think about their dad being replaced.

5. Lone Turtles and Cubs - part one of tmnt ageswap au/ dubiously canon for The Road to Hell.

I'm still proud of this fic - it was one of the first things I wrote after not being able to write for 5+ years, and is one of the first fics I managed to finish.

Basically the Turtles throwing a party to commemorate their rat nephew and sort of human nieces being given their first weapons, with flashbacks to shortly after they all got mutated.