#this is an old fic i've had mostly written for years but i finished and polished it up for today

[marley-manson]

Ray talks to Fraser one last time before going undercover.

Posting for @ds30below's Ray Vecchio day.

[sagittariuswritings]

Darling

Pairing: Tech x F!Reader

Word count: 3.5k

Prompt: Mostly fluff, a teensy sprinkle of angst. No use of Y/n

Warnings: typical canon violence, smooching, slightly awkward situation

a/n: i just started the bad batch a few weeks ago and while i haven't finished season 3 yet, i have unfortunately recently became a victim to plan 99. needless to say, i took that personally, considering i haven't written something in years. tech took a minute to grow on me, but when i fell for him i fell harder than he did (i'm so sorry i'm trying to cope ok i'm still recovering) - i'll stop rambling now, but basically this probably sucks as i'm super rusty so i do apologize! look at this as a way of me getting back on my feet and potentially dipping my toes into writing more wooo! (btw this fic was supposed to be a flashback in a different fic i was writing. i ended up liking this as a standalone and trashing the other one) *not proof read!*

"I've always wanted to visit Alderaan. I would've preferred to see it with its endless blue sky and warm sun, though, not during the rainiest time of the year." You frowned a little, stepping out of the Maurauder with Omega, Tech, and Echo while Hunter & Wrecker stayed on the ship.

"Y'know, as much as it rained on Kamino, I still love it!" Omega chirped, smiling up at the sky and allowing the water to fall onto her face.

That was enough to make you smile. You made your way over to her and pulled up the hood of her cloak so far up that it covered her face. "Hey!" She griped, reaching up to move the hood to rest atop her head. You smirked, a small chuckle passing your lips as she lightly bumped a closed fist into your side.

"You'll catch a cold if you're not careful with your admiraiton for the rain." You commented, your left hand coming to land softly on her shoulder.

"You'll catch my wrath!" She giggled, raising her fists in a fighting manner.

"Ooooh I'm so scared" You teased, hands over your heart in false fear.

Tech had his nose in his datapad as per usual, but he kept at least one eye the two of you as the banter continued.

"You should be!" She went to tackle you (All 60 some-odd pounds of her), when Echo held her back by her wrist.

"Alright, that's enough, children." He shook his head, a small smile on his lips. Not that he minded the sibling-like banter, he was just more focused on the mission.

"Right... We're stealing fancy clothing from a corrupt businessman?" You recalled, pulling the hood of your well-worn cloak up onto your head.

"That is one way to put it, yes. Cid has instructed us to steal a singular container filled to the brim with items of clothing that someone on her endless list of clientele is paying good credits to get their hands on. Or paws, whichever species this client is, I am unsure." Tech had put his datapad away now, attention on the three in front of him.

"Didn't exactly see myself visiting Alderaan for the first time for illegal purposes... Hopefully its as easy as she made it sound." You sighed, pulling your scarf up to serve as a mask to cover below your eyes. You'd rather not be caught stealing with your face on display. Ideally, you'd like to return here in the future simply on a mission to enjoy the planet.

"When is it ever as easy as she makes it sound?" Tech returned your sigh with a sigh of his own, his eyes meeting yours.

"Fair point. Let's get this over with."

.

The trek to the village was a rather long one.

A quiet cuss slipped past your lips as the rain soaked through your old cloak, making its way to your clothes - which were quickly becoming damp, and likely soon to be drenched considering the rain wasn't letting up any time soon.

You hadn't noticed Tech glance back at you until his pace slowed to meet yours, Echo and Omega now leading the group. "It appears that your old reliable cloak isn't quite as reliable as you've claimed it to be." Behind his goggles, his eyes searched for yours, which were trained on the path until he spoke up.

"Well, did I mention I picked it up on Tatooine?"

"A planet that never rains?"

"That's the one."

"That was hardly a wise choice, considering the terrible business-folk scattered all over that planet. Not to mention the fact that they were selling you a cloak that I presume was labeled as rain resistant?"

"It wasn't for sale." You bumped shoulders with him. With your scarf pulled over your mouth, he was unable to see the small mischievous smile forming on your lips, but your eyes told the same story of mischief.

His steps stuttered for half a second as he processed your words. "Allow me to get this straight - you stole a cloak off of a desert planet and assumed it could protect you against all weather?"

"I never claimed it was the wisest decision I've ever made." You shrugged, fingers pulling the cloak as close to you as possible.

"It wasn't an entirely horrible decision if you were planning to use it for certain desert purposes, such as easing the rays of the sun or breaking the harshness of the wind. The horrible decision was keeping the cloak and using it for rain." He stated, poking the sopping material covering your body.

"I'm well aware of this, thank you, Tech." You mumbled, sounding a bit defeated as you returned your gaze to the path ahead.

Tech decided against speaking on his thoughts. Instead, he chose to let his actions speak for him later.

.

The mission was going well thus far. The four of you were in a storage room connected to the clothing store. Unfortunately for all of you, Cid's client had a list of everything that was supposed to be in the container. Omega and Echo were sorting through the clothing while Tech was checking off each item on his datapad. You were standing guard by the door that connected to the store, just in case the storeowner entered the room. Your cloak was discarded in a corner of the room, not planning on putting that thing back on.

"Everything alright? Do I need to fly overhead for a quick escape?" Hunter's voice sounded over the comms, probably wondering why no one's checked in for a while.

"Quite alright, Hunter, it's taking a hair longer than previously anticipated to make sure all the contents are in this container." Tech responded.

A moment or so goes by when you hear Omega gasp. You turned in their direction, and Echo was blocking your view. "We're ready to go." He said, something off in his voice. You squinted your eyes up at him before nudging him out of your original line of sight.

"You good?" You asked Omega, who was making her way over to you.

"Yep! I uh- almost got my finger stuck in the container, is all."

Hardly believable, so you shift your gaze to Tech, who had his nose buried in his datapad for a moment before he looked up at you. "All set."

Beyond confused but ready to return to your warm blankets on the Maurauder, you pushed your suspicions to the back of your mind and shrugged, heading towards the exit when the door you had just walked away from slid open, revealing the unsuspecting storeowner, a rather high-class looking woman behind him.

"Shit." All of you, including Omega, cursed.

"What the blazes is going on here?!" The storeowner roared, blaster raised, to which you raised your blaster in his direction.

The woman behind the man turned around and ran out of the store, more than likely to find local authorities, or even more likely, her personal bodyguards.

The storeowner wasted no time shooting a blaster bolt in you direction, which you narrowly dodged, but not narrowly enough. The smell of something burning quickly reached your nostrils and the slight burn in your right shoulder following made you groan. Tech noticed this immediately and wasted no time sending a stun bolt into the man's chest, sending him backwards and onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Hunter, we may need that pick-me-up." Echo tapped into his comm as the four of you slipped out the back door, the container of clothes in his arms. Omega followed Echo, and you followed Omega, Tech bringing up the rear. Your brain barely had time to register the faint presence of his hand on your lower back before blaster fire erupted on your right. Both you and Tech put yourselves in front of Omega & Echo, Tech close at your side you as you each sent stun bolts in the direction of the blaster fire.

"Sooner better than later, Hunter!" Echo griped, trying not to drop the container as you all continued forward, finding cover in the trees. You'd expected a snippy response from the sergeant over the comms; instead the response was the sound of the Maurauder flying overhead, cables quickly dropping down to where the four of you were.

"What happened to quick and easy stealth mission?" Hunter grumbled over the comms, holding the ship steady as Echo hooked the cable to the container.

Rolling your eyes, you focused your blaster fire, trying to cover Omega as she made her way to the cables. She ended up slipping in the mud, letting out a squeak as she did so. Concern and adrenaline rushed through you. You threw a glance at Tech, silently asking him to cover you as you ran to Omega's side, picking her up and handing her to Echo on top of the container. "Go!" You shouted at them, returning some more blaster fire.

The cable pulled the container with Echo & Omega atop up to the ship, to safety, as you turned on your heel to aid Tech in your escape, but you hadn't noticed that Tech made it to the second cable until you felt his arm wrap around your waist and pull your body close to his. He immediately recognized he had startled you. "Apologies, but we must hurry. Hang on." His hold on your waist tightened as the cable pulled the both of you to safety, your back pressed into his broad chest and both your hands holding onto his arm around your middle for dear life. Similar to Wrecker, you weren't too entirely keen on heights.

When you finally reached the ramp of the Maurauder, you and Tech separated, but only slightly. As you both rushed inside, his hand had remained on your lower back yet again, making sure you made it inside safely.

"Hang onto something." Hunter shouted, and the ship jerked seconds after. You would have fallen over if Tech hadn't grabbed your hand and practically dragged you to the seats. Once secure, you relaxed just a hair. You almost wondered how you were able to keep calm as Hunter was moving the ship around so frantically, when you realized your hand was tightly gripping Tech's. You almost let go, but his eyes were already gazing into yours. "I've got you."

.

Once the ship finally entered hyperspace, you felt like you could breathe a little better, your hand going limp in Tech's hand and head lowering a little in exhaustion. "Let us have a look at your shoulder." He waisted no time making sure you were okay, already on his feet in front of you, slowly allowing your hand to drop so that you could release the safety bar.

Grumbling something under your breath, you reluctantly stood. "It's quite literally just a scratch, Tech... We don't need to waste supplies on something so small."

"Would you like for it to become infected and turn into something far worse than its current state?" Tech quickly replied. He hadn't removed his helmet yet, but you didn't need to see his face to know that his face was in a pinch

Holding his gaze for a moment, you debated on what to say, but you were too tired to argue. Wordlessly, you turned, making your way ahead of him to the bunks. You took a seat on the edge of one of the bottom bunks, looking up at him expectantly. "What do you need from me, Doc?" You teased, folding your arms over your chest.

Tech removed his helmet, gently setting it beside you before focusing his eyes on your shoulder. He removed his battle-worn gloves, trying to be as sterile as possible. Gently, he moved some fabric of your top around, trying to get a better look at the wound. A sigh passed his lips. Sure, the blaster bolt hadn't made a significant impact, but for just a graze, it wasn't pretty. "This is not simply a scratch, Cyar'ika."

His choice of words caused your heart to stutter, and you felt like a handful of butterflies stirred in your stomach, even if you didn't understand what it meant. You were suddenly aware of every slight touch of his, feeling like your skin was on fire from such a small touch on your shoulder.

As he stood straight, Tech hesitantly spoke up. "I need you to remove your top."

You blankly stared at him, still adjusting to his nickname for you only a moment ago. Taking a moment to gather your senses, you muttered "At least take me to dinner first." Your hands dropped to the hem of your shirt, beginning to remove your shirt when you felt Tech's hands cover your own, a hint of... was that concern in his eyes? You couldn't tell.

"While I hardly see how me taking you out to dinner has any impact on mending to your injury, I-"

"Oh my stars, Tech-" You let out a laugh, gently taking his hands into your own for a moment. "I was joking... We... Can discuss dinner another time." Giving him a warm smile, you released his hands, returning to the task of removing your shirt. You discarded your shirt onto the floor, doing your best to relax as you sat in front of Tech, now only wearing a bra from the waist up.

Unsurprisingly, Tech was a complete and utter gentleman. He only took half a second to regain composure before he returned to the task at hand: Your shoulder.

As his fingers began working at dressing your wound, he could almost sense the tension beneath your skin since you removed your top. "Do try and relax," His voice was just as soft as the occasional dance of his fingers along your skin. "I've got you."

You could've melted in that very moment, but if you had, Tech would've more than likely scolded you for not holding still. Admittedly, you wanted nothing more than for his touch to never leave your skin.

"What does that word mean? Cyar'ika?"

Silence and stillness met your question, causing you to look up at Tech. Not often was he silent when asked a question, normally he'd flow into a long, more often than not, complicated, answer. It only took a few seconds before he cleared his throat and spoke up, but it was noticable to you.

"Cyar'ika originates from the Mandalorian language, Mando'a. It translates to terms of endearment," The lighting on the Maurauder was horrible, but you could make out the faintest touch of pink on his cheeks as he continued. "such as darling or sweetheart." He finished laying the bacta over your wound, almost hesitant to meet your gaze.

All you could hear was the distant hum of the Maurauder in hyperspace and the relatively fast beat of your heart against your chest.

"I... got you something."

"What?" You blinked. When the kriff did he have time to get you something recently?

As Tech stepped away, you leaned down to grab your previously discarded shirt, pulling it over your head. He removed his pack from his back and set it on the floor to rummage through it. At the top of the pack was a green cloak, which he tugged out. He took a seat beside you on your right, the material resting in his hands. "I would not recommend wearing it around Ord Mantell any time soon, you may run into a very unhappy client of Cid's."

Before your fingers reached the cloak, you froze, trying to read his face. "What do you mean? Wha-" Realization dawned on you. That's why Omega was acting so odd and why Echo had not so subtly tried to block your view of Tech earlier. "You did not!"

"Steal from a client of Cid's and completely erase it off of the list of items that the client requested?" He looked proud of himself. "I did."

"You-" Your hands covered your mouth as you stifled a laugh. "I cannot believe you did that!"

"Well it seemed reasonable, considering how horrible the promised payment was, and I simply could not allow you to keep wearing that awful cloak from Tatooine." All he did was shrug before he lifted it a bit, giving you a better look at it. It had more material to cover the chest than your previous one had, which would give much better guarantee of not getting drenched in the rain. "I scanned the material of each item in that container, and this one seemed the best fit for what you need. May I?" He ebbed it towards you, hinting to helping you adorn it.

You nodded, a smile seeming to take permanent residence on your lips for the time being. He lifted it above your head before lowering it onto your shoulders, the hood resting weightlessly atop your head. Tech quietly reached into your space, adjusting your hair as needed, seemingly knowing that the cloak had trapped your hair uncomfortably beneath its material. Finally, he adjusted a few stray hairs along your face by tucking them behind your ears, and leaned back a little, admiring his work and allowing his hands to settle on his thighs.

"The material is Gabal wool. Gabals are a furry creature native to and often discovered on Rhinnal, particularly the Zirfan Glacier. According to my research, Rhinnal is quite an extraordinary planet. Located in the Darpa sector of the core worlds, there seemed to be incredible medicinal breakthroughs- Are you alright?"

Busted. You couldn't help but adore him more than ever in this very moment. The break of his tangent brought you back to reality, blinking a few times before responding. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you stop. I just-" Words were difficult right now as you practically choked down the feelings that were bubbling to the surface. "I appreciate you." Horrible choice of words. Obviously you loved the entire crew, including Tech, and you were pretty certain he was aware of this, but saying it directly to his face while you were juggling the feelings in your heart just didn't seem possible. "I love it when you explain things in great detail." That wasn't a lie, you definitely enjoyed listening to him talk.

"You do?" His voice was quieter now.

Nodding and your heart quickening, you spoke up once more. "What was that Mando'a word? Cyar'ika?" It was his turn to nod. "Can I call you that?"

Tech actually looked confused for a brief moment before speaking. "Of course... It's a term of endearment." He reminded you, that faint pink hitting his cheeks once again.

"I know. Thank you... Cyar'ika."

A number of heartbeats passed before his right hand found your left that was resting quietly on your thigh, lacing his fingers through your own. With his left hand, cupped your cheek. His honeyed eyes searched yours for consent, and you gave the faintest of nods before he leaned in to press his forehead against your own, dropping his gaze to take a moment to reminisce in your touch.

Like the waves on Kamino, Tech's lips crashed into your own. While you had been expecting it, it still caught you a little off guard. His left hand trailed from your cheek to the side of your neck, his thumb resting on your cheek, as your right hand traveled from his wrist to land on his chestpiece.

Too soon, he broke the kiss, his breathing heavy, matching your own. Your foreheads remained against each other, and when he went to sit up, you grabbed the upper edge of his chest piece and pulled him forward, accidentally bumping noses together as it was your turn to kiss him first. This urged a small gasp to escape him, not expecting the sudden contact. A small smile crossed your lips as you noticed his surprise, your right hand moving upward to the side of his neck as your lips parted, his own lips following in suit shortly.

You leaned into him, and his right hand released your left, and found your thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze, which earned a small noise of pleasure to escape you. Your left hand dragged up his arm from his hand, and landed on his shoulder, which you used to help pull yourself into his lap. He helped, of course, the hand on your thigh making its way to your hip for a moment.

Tech's left hand made its way to the base of your skull, finding your hair, which only encouraged another noise of pleasure from you. You felt his lips shift into a smirk before breaking the kiss, his eyes meeting yours immediately. "Do not allow me to forget to note your sensitive areas."

That earned him a smack on the chest, and a laugh from you. "You're a smug little shit. I know you, you wouldn't forget the galaxy's most difficult mathematical equation."

He returned your laugh with a soft chuckle, and reached up to cup your cheek again with his left hand. "You cannot imagine how long I have wanted to do that."

You leaned in for another kiss when knock at the door interrupted the two of you, both of your bodies tensing for a moment.

"A ridiculously long time. It's about time. Come on, you two, we need you out here." Hunter. Of course it was Hunter. Hunter and his stupid heightened senses.

[cha-melodius]

20 Fanfic Author Questions

Hello! I emerge from the desert and return to civilization (and am no longer responsible for 10 undergrads lol). Thanks for the tag on this one @loki-is-my-kink-awakening!

ETA: I thought I remembered doing this one and I did, here, about a year ago. Interesting what has and hasn't changed. Why are some of my answers almost verbatim even though I didn't look at this before. ��� Oh well.

1. How many works on AO3?

136.

2. Total AO3 Word Count?

1,576,928

3. Top 5 fics by Kudos

(these are all RWRB, surprise surprise) Please Don't Let Me Be So Understood Nova, Baby Class(room) Warfare All the Old Showstoppers  Always Where I Need To Be

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Red, White and Royal Blue

Loki

The Man from UNCLE

5. Do you respond to comments?

I mostly respond to comments when I'm publishing a long multichap, so I can chat with people about the fic. I'd love to respond to all the rest and in my head I say I'm absolutely gonna do it someday, but... I have a backlog of about 4k unanswered comments lmao.

6. Angstiest Ending?

Black Moon (TMFU, Napollya) @heytheredeann recently reminded me that this is actually kind of an unhappy ending. More like... it's an open ending and the unhappy ending is implied by circumstances lol. But I think it's also my angstiest because of those circumstances.

7. Fic with the Happiest Ending?

This is nearly impossible to answer because so many of my fics go for maximum fluff at the end. But really any of my long multichaps because I feel like the endings are more fleshed out/we see an epilogue of them happily together in the future.

8. Do you get hate?

I've gotten my share of unkind comments, but I don't think any of them would classify as hate.

9. Do you write smut?

Yes, though I don't really consider myself a smut writer. I don't do PWPs (no judgement to those who do! just not my jam).

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have in the past, though not for quite a long time. I think they're fun, but the audience on them is very narrow.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

There was that weird 'audible for fanfic' website not that long ago that was ripping off fics and putting them up, and I had at least one on there. Side note they made these horrible AI covers for them and I kinda wish I'd screenshotted mine before it got taken down because it was so absurd.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, a handful of TMFU fics, and @donghaian has translated 12 of my RWRB fics into Mandarin!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Nope. @cricketnationrise and I have fic that's been all planned out but we've not gotten around to trying to write it.

14. All time favourite ship?

UGH IMPOSSIBLE. I refuse to answer lmao.

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

If I want to finish it, I will. The things I won't finish are fics that I started and then either drifted away from the fandom or decided I didn't like it that much.

16. Writing strengths?

Action, dialogue (especially banter), plot. I've been told that my fics play out like movies in people's heads, which is an incredible compliment.

17. Writing Weaknesses?

Lyricism? Idk how to put it. I think my writing is more utilitarian than beautiful.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Sure! If it's more than a few words I like to see a translation somewhere, though. Unless the POV character isn't supposed to understand!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Xena: Warrior Princess. Er... 28 years ago lol.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

UGH AGAIN. You're asking me to choose my favorite child! How am I supposed to pick?

Ok, it's Body and Soul(mate). 😂

No pressure tags @pippinoftheshire, @justabigoldnerd, @cricketnationrise, @welcometololaland, @alasse9, @caterpills, @heytheredeann, @rmd-writes, @too-young-to-fall-in-love, @faketrex, @anincompletelist, @read-and-write-, @porcelainmortal, @sparklepocalypse, @blueeyedgrlwrites, @eusuntgratie, @ninzied, @firenati0n, @indestructibleheart, @inexplicablymine, @sherryvalli, @liminalmemories21, @kiwiana-writes, @iboatedhere, @thesleepyskipper, @noahreids, @tintagel-or-cockleshells, @leaves-of-laurelin, @14carrotghoul, @orchidscript, @clottedcreamfudge, @three-drink-amy

[chthonic-cassandra]

Tagged by my dear @awildwickedslip! I think I did this one a couple years ago and it's not like I've published much fic since then, but it's maybe an interesting exercise to do it again without looking at my earlier answers first.

1. How many works on AO3?

115.

2. Total word count on AO3?

320, 935.

3. Top five fics by kudos?

Shattered Mirrors - Jonathan in Dracula's castle, Yuletide story (2009) - 376

Make It Through the Wintertime - Hadestown!Persephone backstory, Yuletide story (2016) - 345

To Burn the Castle Down - Jonathan kills Mina angst, really melodramatic (2008) - 312

Compromise - Mina/Dracula/Jonathan darkest timeline train story, the start of my only completed novel length fic ever (2009) - 273

Minor Initiations - basically the same premise as Compromise with Mina and Jonathan's roles reversed. and the story is much more of a mess. (2009) - 231

I included the actual kudos numbers because I rather appreciated that @awildwickedslip did; there's something interesting about that demystifying transparency.

You'll see that these are almost all 15+ years old, with the one exception being the fluke of writing a Yuletide story for what was at the time about to become a pretty popular musical. 20 years of writing in extremely tiny fandoms!

4. What fandoms do you primarily write for?

Historically it's been overwhelmingly Dracula alongside scattered multifandom endeavors of which Shakespeare plays and various Greek mythology versions have been the closest to consistent. I now have substantial WIPs in other fandoms which for a change were created less than 100 years ago, and we'll see what happens there.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Somewhat erratically. I do try! I feel so fortunate with the comments I receive.

6. Angstiest ending?

I think most of my fics end with someone either dying or resigning themselves to some kind of life of profoundly restricted choices. Right now the one that's coming to mind is Enthralled By Destiny, one of my Sade stories which is also really a Bluebeard story.

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

I mostly write happy endings only when I get Yuletide assignments requesting them, and then I struggle all the way because it is just not my strength at all. This past year my assignment was quite literally to give Macbeth and Lady Macbeth a happy ending in which they didn't do evil things and I went sort of out of my mind about it but I did manage something. Caucus-Race, my 2019 Yuletide assignment for Alice in Wonderland, came more easily.

8. Do you get hate?

Not really. I'm lucky and write in tiny fandoms and also am pretty conflict avoidant on the internet. I've intermittently gotten some frustrating responses about the ways I write about abuse dynamics in my Dracula stories but not much for a while. I have a sense that in this post-Dracula Daily era there are some people who very much don't like the kind of fic I write, but that's fine as long as people keep it to themselves.

9. Do you write smut?

I do not!

10. Do you write crossovers?

Rarely, when I think there's something interesting to be said with them. I tend to get more crossover ideas than I actually write.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge! I've read a few fics that seemed very clearly inspired by mine, but that's a sweet thing even if uncredited.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Well...

14. All time favorite ship?

To write or read or just to have exist in the world? To write, by my numbers, it's certainly Mina/Dracula/Jonathan. There are a number of other ships which really compel me conceptually and for which hopefully I will write/finishing writing more in the future.

15. WiPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

So many. Philomela's Tapestry and Furious Docility were both things I posted with the knowledge that they would probably never be finished, just making the judgment call that if even a couple people got something out of reading the parts I had written it was worth putting them up. Of the dozens of unpublished WIPs whose fate is not yet determined it is perhaps better not to speak.

16. Writing strengths?

Interior experiences of violence (perpetrating or experiencing); selecting telling details; complicated relational dynamics; bittersweet moods

17. Writing weaknesses?

Smut; happy endings; characters speaking in more casual/modern tone/voice; finishing things

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

I don't feel great about doing it in a language I don't know well, and Ancient Greek dialogue is just show-offy and rarely useful. I've talked about this in fic commentaries, but several parts of Compromise have highly plot and character relevant moments of characters switching between languages, and I ultimately made use of the choice to keep it all in English to what I hope was interesting effect.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Lord of the Rings. It was Sauron/Galadriel.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

For a long time to come I think it's going to be the Compromise series, taken as a whole.

Tagging, if they'd like to do it, @kareenvorbarra @child-of-hurin @mysikrolik @poorshadowspaintedqueens @tomatowrites

[insertmeaningfulusername]

Fanfic writer interview

Thank you for the tag @sinvulkt 💙

What fandoms do you write in?

Literally just various Star Wars media atm. The main focus for 2024 was the prequel era, mostly The Clone Wars and some Bad Batch.

How many words have you published in 2024?

172,387 according to my stats. I wrote more than that though, and I still plan on posting and backdating approximately 5 one-shots I wrote in 2024 but never got around to post.

What are your top three fics you’ve written this year?

I despise/love them all equally I guess if I had to choose, I'm still really happy with these three: Wanted, a gift for @omaano in which Dogma gets morning snuggles from Tup and Fives. Idk why this pairing is so rare, they're underrated!! The Meaning Is Ours, the first fic I ever wrote that's entirely original characters, for the 2024 Trans Clone Week. Both Hunter and Prey, my fic for the DinLuke mini bang in which Luke is a vampire and on the hunt for a certain Mandalorian. I just think it's hot sklfjadlksfj.

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

Oh boy... maybe writing the gift fic for the Star Wars Rare Pairs exchange. It just kept getting longer and longer!! Which, really, I should have probably expected, because among other ships my giftee requested Polybatch with a focus on Echo getting railed and I just couldn't resist, and of course all the Batch members wanted a turn. And the fic kept being a thorn in my eye even after it was posted because people would request another fic based on a flashback scene that's maybe one paragraph long, all without complimenting the 13k I'd already written 😭 like, you really expect me to write more fic for you when you can't even comment on the fic that's already there??? Idk what to tell you but fanfiction writers aren't content machines where you can just press a button that says "Next story, please!"

What have you learned?

That people will love the fics you think are hot garbage and entirely pass by the stories you put a lot of thought and energy into. It's an old lesson but one I have to keep re-learning.

Did you beta any fics? Any faves you want to shout out?

I betaed or cheerread two or three things but I don't know if they've even been posted...

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

I have to admit that I don't read a lot of fanfiction, but these three I've found in my bookmarks: Ready Room by countessofbiscuit, in which Fi and Corr make out - ultra rare pair content from the Republic Commando novels and so sweet and silly (like Fi) and just a tiny bit bittersweet! Nine-Seven by Trudemaethien, with some platonic Sev & Niner. It's just so refreshing to see aroace headcanons finally arriving in fandom. Save an AT-RT (Ride an ARF Trooper) by BilbosMom, WaxerBoil, containing both smut and humor - my favourite combination!!

What ideas are percolating for next year?

Nothing concrete so far. Maybe finish some of the WIPs in my pile, try to write more than one fic for the Codywan First Kiss Bingo so I'll at least get a bingo, and try to write something for the @cloneshiprarepair monthly ships (go check out this event btw, there are some crunchy ships getting served up!). Probably try to sign up for fewer exchanges because I can feel my interest in Star Wars slipping.

No pressure tagging @lesbiankiliel @wolveria @loverboy-havocboy @violentcheese @bilbosmom-belladonna @forloveofcodywan @anxiousotters @five-oh-thirst @the-starry-seas @hastalavistabyebye @theproblemwithstardust @violetjedisylveon @elimaryholmes @rooksunday @ladylucksrogue

[minusboy]

20 questions for fic writers!

thank you for the tag cherri @chuuyanakaahara <3

how many works do you have on ao3?

8 as of today! i've been writing for a long long time but i've only been publishing fanfiction for little over a year

what's your total ao3 word count?

137,322.. whoa

what fandoms do you write for?

mainly bsd for now but i'll write about anything that makes me feel feelings

what are your top five fics by kudos?

since i only have 8 works top five is already most of them but i'll list them anyway. for fun: 1. french exit 2. bitterwood 3. cotton candy (i hate this!!) 4. a head of a skeleton with a burning cigarette 5. apocynum

do you respond to comments? why or why not?

i try my best to! but i don't always have the time or energy to respond so my replies can be... a little delayed sometimes.

what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

definitely bleeding heart dove or oolong that i just posted today haha. something about late winter/early spring makes me want to... kill my characters i guess? i don't know.

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

the skeleton fic. i just felt like it deserved a happy ending after all... gestures vaguely. that.

do you get hate on fics?

people yell at me in my inbox sometimes but it's mostly positive, so no. knocks on wood.

do you write smut?

sometimes but i don't usually write smut exclusively, except that. coughs. one time.

do you write crossovers?

not really no. nothing against crossovers it's just not something that really interests me.

have you ever had a fic stolen?

not by a real person as far as i know. but by ai, yes.

have you ever had a fic translated?

not yet but if someone wanted to i wouldn't mind as long as they ask permission

have you ever cowritten a fic before?

i've only cowritten one fic in my short fic writing career and it is our terrible child that i wrote together with sai vi and ela. you should not read it.

what's your all time favourite ship?

ohh.. tough one. if you asked me for my current favorite my answer would be very different, mind you. but all time... it's hilson.

what's the wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

hmm. i have one almost 30k wip that i wrote nearly two years ago but i wouldn't say i've completely given up on it, it just needs some major editing and i'm just currently not inspired to do it.

what are your writing strengths?

this is one of those things where i think one thing and everyone else seems to think otherwise but i really enjoy writing dialogue and i like to think i'm pretty good at it.

what are your writing weaknesses?

i'm not always very good at planning ahead. i like to see where the story takes me but sometimes this makes me run into walls.

thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

english is not my first language, so technically i already do so sure. why not.

first fandom you wrote for?

bungo stray dogs. unless you look at my old ao3 from when i was 13 then it's [redacted]

favourite fic you've ever written?

french exit... it was just so fun to write.

i'm tagging aforementioned @evilkaeya @starrynightarchive and @ryuvnosuke as well as @wildflowerteas and everyone else who wants to join! have fun!

[broodwoof]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

oooh, this looks fun! tagged by @hyperions-light, ty! c:

tagging with no pressure:

@himluv| @ofcrowsanddragons | @guacamolleee @volkoss | @choccy-zefirka | @jazzmckay @streganicha | @lasatfat | @flowersforthemachines @rosieofcorona | @fadedsweater | @thedastrash

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

156 lmao

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

576,427

3) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

We're the Last to Know - the pkmn fic that continues to rule my ao3 stats. cute puppy love kiawe/ash fic

The Wolf, Knelt - elgar'nan/solas smut

Sleep Just a Little Longer - solavellan somno smut

Wolf & Lion - solas/cullen getting together (and smut)

Domitable - solavellan, solas topping smut

4) What fandoms do you write for?

dragon age predominantly, but i've written for others in the past! comics/cinematic universes: batfam; daredevil; the punisher; daken akihiro; laura kinney... rvb, les mis, skyfall, pkmn, umm... pretty sure others i'm forgetting! years ago i had a totally different ao3 account that i deleted (still don't regret doing that either)

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

yes! always! mostly i'm just excited to talk to ppl and want to thank them

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

Maybe a Day to Die is up there. dai magic future bad end. this was actually one i wrote on my old account and reposted onto this account

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

i usually do happy or happy-ish endings, but i'd say Antiquation is up there

8) Do you get hate on fics?

haven't yet!

9) Do you write smut?

so much. so very, very much

10) Do you write crossovers?

can't recall any i've written, but i'm not opposed to the idea

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

don't know don't care if i'm being honest

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!! on my old account

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

no, i've never cowritten. rped a lot but that's not quite the same thing

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

oh god... okay for years it was frank castle/matt murdock. then it was anders/fenris. then solas/lavellan. now...? probably solas/mythal tbph

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

noooooo. okay i have one i have no idea if i'm going to finish... for cagaster of an insect cage... but i WANT to finish it i PLAN to finish it i have it outlined! partly written!

16) What are your writing strengths?

i think i have a good sense of structure and pacing, and also am able to convey highly charged emotional scenes effectively

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

it's a weakness in the sense that it's something i struggle with, but i find it difficult to write action scenes. smut is fine lmao, but fights or things like that? they're tricky and they take me longer

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

haven't really been in a position to do so. if it's simple and reasonably well known i might include it, but i wouldn't want to write whole sentences in it. and with fictional languages - mostly elvhen, lbr here - i'm fine including individual words or familiar phrases (vhenan, ir abelas, etc.) but if it's anything more than it's in italics and the language being spoken is stated somehow. used to play with more fan languages but idk, it feels clunky to do more than a few words or short phrase

19) First fandom you wrote for?

oh wow. probably da2 actually

20) Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

aaaaa this is so hard!!! gonna mention a few of my current favs:

Coalesce - ghildruil body merging

Surviving the Depths - solas & sera getting lost and having to survive together

The Huntress Pursues the Wolf - solas & andruil whump

anddd Abandon Hope - solythal and very heavy

[sflow-er]

Writing tag game

Thank you so much for the tag @starvalisedham!

I'm going to follow your example and put a cut here...

How many works do you have on AO3? Nine. -

What’s your total AO3 word count? 356,524... Sounds like a lot, but the number is skewed by one 238k longfic. -

What fandoms do you write for? Only Young Royals since I started again. I'm not going to name the fandoms for which I wrote before my 14-year hiatus, but most of them were anime. -

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Other people's secrets (1,245) Matters of adjustment (198) The real deal (186) Like you better (161) Last chance (138) I write (mostly ace) fic about background characters in a fandom that leans heavily towards the juggernaut ship, so with that in mind, I'm very proud of these numbers! -

Do you respond to comments? I always respond to comments on my WIPs! Those mainly come from a handful of regulars, and the comment section is a lovely little community for discussing each chapter. I also used to respond to every comment on my finished works, but I've had too much on my plate in the last year or so to keep it up. Lately, I have actually been so low on "spoons" that even a couple of comments from readers who had related to the story in meaningful ways have been left hanging... I don't think I'll ever clear the backlog but I will get to those particular comments eventually! ETA: This game gave me the kick I needed to reply to one of them! Yay! -

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? My August character study/background fic Årnäs, February 2016. It depicts him as an isolated and impressionable twelve-year-old who idolises his manipulative and emotionally abusive father and has difficult feelings about/for his absent mother, and it does not end on a cheerful note. -

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All my finished Walty fics end happily! It was a conscious choice I made when I started writing them as an ace/allo pairing. As to which is the happiest, I guess it's a matter of opinion. Maybe Other people's secrets, as the long time spent with the characters and their struggles adds to the payoff, but you could also argue for the shorter fics which are fluffier throughout. -

Do you get hate on fics? I have received some anon hate here on tumblr for posting the same kinds of takes that I write in my fics, but the response to my actual fics has always been lovely. Some of my regular readers may occasionally question something, but they are always nice about it. We have great discussions! Oh, and I do have one rude public bookmark on OPS. It upset me a bit but I wouldn't necessarily count it as hate. -

Do you write smut? Not at present, no. I did write some before my long hiatus, but back then, I was just emulating what I had read. Somehow, it was easier to take the scenes and the characters' supposed experiences at face value when I had no personal frame of reference. I mean, smut is always exaggerated fantasy, and there are plenty of ace writers who excel at it! But to me personally, as a grey ace who struggled for years with my very bland experience of sexual attraction, anything I write just feels disingenuous and takes me to a really weird head space. I don't want to write a story or scene where I can't buy into the characters' thoughts and emotions at all, and I just can't seem to manage that with smut. Still, a day may come when I feel differently. You never know! -

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Nah, I'm not really creative enough to combine storyverses. -

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of! Although everyone who's got unlocked works on ao3 has probably had their works scraped into the CommonCrawl dataset (and potentially others) used to train AI, and I only started locking mine halfway through 2023 so... -

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope. -

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Not co-written, I don't think that would work for me as even the thought of a beta reader stresses me out. But I did ask my spouse (who has extremely relevant professional experience) to help me get August and Carl Johan right in ÅFeb16! It was a really great experience. -

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I've got two languishing WIPs on ao3 at the moment, but I fully intend to finish both of those. I also have some unpublished ones: a one-shot of August and Rousseau at Årnäs, and a multi-POV Walty + Stedrika + Madisander fic. I still have some hope of finishing the one-shot someday, but the multi-POV one is probably doomed. -

What are your writing strengths? I've been told my dialogue is good and the more straightforward style I use for it contrasts nicely with my frillier style of prose. Also, people have said they like my characterisations and the way I write (romantic and other) relationships. I'm good at research and worldbuilding, and I like to think the overall quality of my writing is okay when I'm not too stressed. -

What are your writing weaknesses? I'm too wordy and write my teenage characters too mature, but those weaknesses pale in comparison to my problems with compulsive editing, perfectionism, and excessive self-criticism. I get stuck in rewriting loops and easily spiral into writer's block. Oh, and I'm terrible at maintaining a healthy life/writing balance. I neglect my wellbeing and burn myself out when I feel creative, and when real life gets stressful, the quality of my writing declines or I can't write at all. -

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I do not mean to criticise anyone who likes to use it, everyone can do whatever they like in their own stories! But as a professional translator, my work is all about conveying a message written in one language in another language, as fluently as possible. I can't just turn that mindset off for writing. If I write a story about Swedish-speaking characters in English, I'm going to approach it the same way I'd approach the translation of a Swedish story into English. The English dialogue is already understood to be in Swedish, so to me personally, it makes no sense to render random bits of it in Swedish. (Of course, a character suddenly speaking a language other than Swedish is a totally different matter, but I assume the question isn't about that.) Not to mention that languages work differently, from word choice and connotations to grammar and from communicative conventions to thought patterns. My focus is on making the dialogue flow in English, and I'm too much of a perfectionist to mix in phrases or sentences that a native Swedish speaker might not even say in that context. (That goes both ways as I also try my best not to use fully English-based word plays etc., but sometimes they slip by me.) Again, that's just my opinion and the logic I apply to my own fics. Everyone who disagrees with me is just as valid! -

First fandom you wrote for? I wrote a fix-it fic for Final Fantasy X in my English notebook back in seventh grade. Never posted it anywhere, but it still counts! -

Favourite fic you’ve written? Other people's secrets. It was the first fic I wrote after all those years of thinking I'd never write again, and considering how massive a project it was, I'm enormously proud of myself for having finished it. It's one of the best stories I've ever written, and one of the most meaningful (to me personally, and I guess also to some of the people I've heard from). That being said, I am also extremely proud of ÅFeb16, which is my most mature writing so far - and of my outlined version of The Windsor! I've only managed to post one chapter of the latter, but if and when I eventually finish it, I think it will be my third favourite. It's an aged-up retrospective and explores some themes I've actually wanted to write since outlining OPS back in 2021.

Phew, that was the last question! Thanks for reading all this way! <3 No-pressure tags: I feel like most of my writing mutuals have been tagged already, but maybe @silvagrey @sunnyelfs @crownedwille would like to join...?

[hermiola]

Writer's Meme, 2024 Edition

I've been tagged by @turquoisedata 💜

-------------------------

How many works do you have on ao3?

14. 6 Good Omens + 8 MCU, but we have to go back to 2014 and 2016 for those. I also used to publish on an Italian fanfiction archive where I have 70 more fics (I went back to check and count them after approximately two thousand years and HOLY SHIT, I didn't remember them being so many! My first fic is more than 20 years old WTF).

What’s your total word count?

150.000 words on AO3. But I'm guessing it's waaay higher than that (the Italian archive doesn't show the word count 🥲).

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

My GO fics have the most kudos (given the popularity of the fandom + the fact that they're written in English and not in Italian). I have 6, so the top 5 is basically all of them:

Take a Little Love From Me (Pretty Woman AU)

Final Breakthrough (Now!) (Post-Season 2 Fix-It)

Crazy Little Thing (Called Love) (Non-S2-complying silliness)

When Hell Freezes Over (Human AU with magician!Crowley and critic!Aziraphale)

Let There Be Rock (First meeting after 1967)

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

I do! I don't get that many, so it's not overwhelming, and I just like to respond. As I said somewhere else, my experience in the GO fandom has been mostly a solitary one (recently not so much though!) so I just like to interact whenever I can.

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

I'm going to consider only the GO ones because I feel like the others have been written by another me entirely (also I'm not sure I even remember them).

So it's definitely Let There Be Rock.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I'd say all of them, but Take a Little Love From has a proper epilogue and everything. I guess their happiness has more space there than elsewhere.

Do you write crossovers?

I have in the past, but not anymore.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not that I know of.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not really. I LOOOOVE reading smut (especially in those chonky slow burn fics), but I can't bring myself to write explicit smut for some reason. I love describing the tension and the heat of the moment (I love UST so much I'm going to marry it tbh - like nothing makes me happier/hornier than two people who want to fuck each other but can't for some reason - am I edging myself? IDK) but when it comes to my own writing I feel like spelling out the details just ruins the moment. I do think it's my ace showing in some way. But, anyway, I read the filthiest filth so this definitely doesn't apply to reading. And who knows, maybe one day I'll try! I'm not ruling anything out.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so?

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I used to translate HP fics back in the day (from English to Italian). We're talking 20 years ago. And it's funny when you think about it, because I translate novels for work now 🤣

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, always back in the day with HP. I'm still friends IRL with the girl I wrote them with (we actually met because of HP) (this is as good a time as any to say FUCK YOU JKR).

What's your all-time favourite ship?

This depends on the hyper-fixation of the moment. I cannot multitask with my OTPs. If I get obsessed with a new one, I retire the previous one. Like I could split my life into different time periods just based on my OTPs. Ron/Hermione has been my personality for YEARSSSS, but now I can barely think about HP without cringing. Another BIG ONE was Clint/Natasha from the MCU (which explains my look here on Tumblr), but the MCU as a whole has gone a bit stale for me (with few exceptions). And now it's all about Crowley/Aziraphale - it's so bad I had to unretire from fanfiction writing after almost 10 years LOL.

(I like many other ships but not to the point of *obsession*).

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

The only one I can think of is a Clintasha Actors AU, but I don't think I have it anymore, and I wouldn't finish it even if I had.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogues and banter are my favourite things to write, and I think it shows.

What are your writing weaknesses?

English is not my first language, so my writing lacks variety I think. I feel like I have always the same phrases stuck in my head, so it's probably kind of repetitive, especially when compared to some of the fics I read. (But when I started writing my first GO fic in English I wasn't even sure I could *actually* do it, so I'm proud of myself either way!).

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

I think it's okay! I personally would ask a native speaker to help me (if possible) instead of going the Google Translate route. Being Italian and watching/reading almost exclusively in English I know how silly it sounds when the characters start speaking your language and they're saying nonsense (but no harm done even in this case, imo, especially in fanfics. In movies, though, it's just lazy!).

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

HP, back in 2004 (welp).

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

None, thankfully. If I'm writing fanfic it means I'm in the late stage of hyperfixation and I don't wish that on myself if I can help it. Like I used to read 50+ books a year before GO S2. It's bad!!!

What's your favourite fic you've written?

Take a Little Love From Me mainly because it's the one I've spent more time with.

Tagging some people if they feel like doing it (but no pressure at all!): @beerok23 - @sabotage-on-mercury - @gaiaseyes451 - @leviosally

[zombiethingy]

Fanfic Writer Interview

Tagged by @ao3usermelancholyhues – thank you so much!

What fandoms do you write in?

Mainly Stranger Things and Avatar: the last airbender. For st it's either steddie (Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson) or steddie with Chrissy, but there's still an idea floating around in my head to bring in Robin as a big part into the one Steve/Eddie/Chrissy AU. And for atla it's zukki (Zuko/Sokka/Suki), where I've participated in the last two zukki weeks.

There's also a Dracula fic on my ao3, written for a non-english writing challenge.

And I have an old Sense8 WIP that I hope to maybe work on again after my current rewatch.

How many words did you publish in 2024?

Ao3 says it's 30'729.

Which isn't too bad considering my life kinda started crumbling last summer and I can't really write since then. Apparently my ability to write hinges on me feeling somewhat at ease in general.

What are your top three fics you wrote last year?

The question doesn't say by what measurement so I'm just going by the ones I like the most:

all i want is the here and now

atla. zukki. T. (4,928 words)

My contribution to zukki week 2024. The only thing I managed to write after the thing... It's one fic with each chapter fulfilling one of the days prompts and somehow having those prompts and writing a short chapter for each of them helped me get through this week.

The fic itself is about Suki, Sokka and Zuko going from friends to being a triad. Complete with working through feelings realisation and figuring out how to be together.

can't fight fire with gasoline

Stranger Things. steddie. E. (677 words)

An alternate version of one of my microfics which I just love for how it turned out slightly more unhinged than the original one xD the boys ate being horny, bored dumbasses playing truth or dare and it spirals slightly out of control. (Check the tags before going into it, thanks!)

lone monster

Stranger Things. steddie. T. (508 words)

I just love the vibes of this one and how it turned out so different from what I originally had in mind but somehow better. It's a microfic and kind of a poetic character study of the upside down or something.

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

Not being able to finish the last chapter of "not strong enough (to stay away)" despite being so close – it still is tbh. I've tried getting back into it multiple times since, rereading the whole fic and what I've written so far, and I have a basic outline and the ending in mind; but I just don't manage to write it down. So fucking frustrating!

What have you learned?

That forcing myself to write and getting frustrated about not being able to doesn't help either... Not sure what does though so that's not a great learning.

Did you beta any fics last year? Any faves you want to shout out?

I didn't... I'm not a native English speaker so I don't really feel qualified to...

What three fics from last year did you love?

Well, basically anything from @griefabyss69. <3

The limitation of three is so hard, but here are 3 of my faves:

let the fire breathe me back to life by @sourw0lfs

(Stranger Things, steddie, M, 25k)

I love the concept of Eddie as a phoenix and it's so well written and the whole story is so good and just definitely one of my faves of 2024 even though it wasn't started in 2024, but still counts, right?

I had been hungry, all the Years by @jamiethegardener55

(Stranger Things, steddissy, E, 17k)

It's tagged as pwp but it's a goddamned piece of art! The way the soulmates aspect is used in there, in a fic that's mostly about a threesome between Chrissy, Eddie and Steve, and the character study of Chrissy that's hidden in there... Just fantastic!

Home is where your heart is by ilse_writes

(Stranger Things, steddie, T, 80k)

I cried so much reading this; because it's sad and real and beautiful. And also Steve's ace and it's so so well done!

What ideas are percolating for this year?

Hopefully getting to write again... I really really really want to participate in this year's zukki week too. And hopefully finish the one fic before it turns two ..

tagging @thetragicallynerdy @hammity-hammer @yesdangerpls without any pressure and anyone who'd like to challenge themselves by choosing only 3 fics to rec ;)

[marley-manson]

what are some of your favorite xena fics?

Thanks for asking! Fair warning, most of these are on old archives and can be hard to read, like, visually. I generally copypaste the fics, convert them to epubs, and read them on my kobo, but firefox reader view is also an excellent option for either laptop or mobile reading. Not sure if chrome has an equivalent.

I will warn for rape and specify the gender configurations (f/f, f/m, or m/f) when I can, because I know that matters to me when I'm choosing what I want to read, but for the fics I haven't read recently it's more of a crapshoot because I just don't remember well enough.

And if you just want my current top faves, I've starred those.

Xena/Gabrielle, fics I've read or re-read recently and remember fairly well:

Aftermath: The Tree of Life and The Hanging Gardens Conqueror AU - imo Gabrielle falls for Xena a little quickly considering how it starts lol, but it's well written, fun, solidly plotty, and the second is a pretty good mystery (though with a caveat for some racialized stereotypes.)

The Paradox of Dying Short glimpse into Gabrielle's state of mind in the later seasons.

*Storms of War A long, plotty, and quite dark exploration of Xena and her relationship with violence. Surprisingly well paced and engaging imo, considering how 600ish pages covers about a week of time. (mentions of m/f rape, past f/m rape)

As Long as Earth Endures Plotty, fun, entertaining OCs, violence and sex as themes (though not really intertwined lol) (mentions of past f/m and f/f rape iirc)

Been There, Done That Revisited Fun one shot set during the eponymous episode.

Confession An angstier take on Xena and Gabrielle's relationship.

Xena/Gabrielle, fics I've read years ago and enjoyed then, but I can't be 100% certain they hold up:

Infamia Conqueror AU, Gab is a gladiator, Xena is Empress of Rome. I actually have re-read about half of it lol but haven't finished it. It's a lot of fun, and the author has a way with words.

Pretium Silenti I plan to re-read this soon, it's another gladiator Gab/Empress of Rome fic, though more dark and serious, and very well written from what I recall. (m/f rape iirc)

Conqueror Series This is a hesitant rec lol because even in 2014 I thought it was very cheesy and tropey in that classic bodice ripper-y way, but like, I honestly had a lot of fun reading it. ymmv of course. (past m/f rape and csa, present f/f sex with a slave that isn't fully acknowledged as rape iirc, past f/f rape. Also warning for some racist tropes, about on par with what we see in the show as far as I recall.)

The Charioteer: In the City of Har and The Amazons of Dahomey I remember thinking these were extremely well written, but I haven't re-read them and I remember very little so I can't warn for any content.

Queen fun pwp

Appetite I remember loving the writing style. Post-finale.

Tarot Conqueror (well, warlord) fic. Fun premise, present day Gabrielle meets a younger, warlording Xena thanks to magic.

Other ships, recent reads:

*The Destiny Series Mostly gen, some het. Conqueror AU but in a very unique way. Focused on Caesar and Gabrielle after Xena has been killed, and it's an excellent depiction of like... everything I want from a good angsty darkfic. Eg the way it could've been hurt/comfort but the hurt character sucks and constantly self-sabotages and the comforter is way out of her depth and stops trying soon enough and they make each other even worse instead. Just about every choice made goes wrong. The world is a miserable, violent mess because three wonderfully, viscerally epic warlording women have been destroying it with their battling. Speaking of, I loooove how this author writes Xena, Callisto, and Najara.

Like the vibes are just immaculate to me <3 (f/m rape)

Payback is Hell Xena/Lao Ma, missing scene

*Equal To the Gods Xena/Gabrielle, Xena/Ares. I've read this twice now and it was an emotional rollercoaster each time, which is rare for me - like, I sobbed for basically the entire last third or so lol. And I'm not usually into poly fic, especially mixed gender, buuuut boy do I love a good trainwreck and this is a novel's worth of well-written, devastating trainwreck. And I do feel that ultimately it's very fair to both ships, despite the author being primarily a Xena/Ares shipper. If you buy into the premise that Xena does love Ares, all the characterization choices work great for me as well.

The Apology A missing scene set between Adventures in the Sin Trade and A Family Affair.

Other ships, old reads:

Among the Tigers and Approach of the Greeks Xena/Lao Ma

The Legacy of Lao Ma Xena/Lao Ma, The Debt from Lao Ma's pov

Aphrodite's Prayer Gabrielle/Aphrodite

The Joining Xena/Ares, I have actually re-read the first two relatively recently, and they're well-written and a good exploration of Xena's heroism versus Ares' job. Gabrielle and her arc gets a lot of focus in the second too. Don't remember the third well though, but I enjoyed it enough to bookmark it.

[butterflydm]

this is random but i just remembered that ages ago i saw an ask game for asking fic writers their 5 favorites/ones they're most proud of of their own fics, and i would love to know yours if you're up for it! it would be so interesting to hear a Butterfly Career Retrospective haha

feel free to be flexible on the number and discuss as many or as few fics as you feel like, and to count a whole series as a single entry (like voice, although if you have any particular favorite installments or interludes within that that you'd like to note i'd be curious to hear that too!)

This took a while but I finally got it done, @markantonys!

I have written a lot of fics, so this was a difficult challenge. I am somewhat helped out by the fact that old fics tend to fade out of my memory… but then if I reread a bit of them, I tend to remember why I wrote them and what I loved about them. I did not limit myself to five fics (I tried!) but these are roughly in reverse chronological order of when I posted them.

not in the stars, but in ourselves - trying to bob and weave and make something that feels narratively satisfying out of the mess that is Mat Cauthon's late series arc has become something of a hobby of mine! This is fic is one of several where I narratively examine parts of the canon that didn't work so well for me and try to rearrange them into something that feels like it rings true for the previous characterization and choices.

This fic in particular really made me see how the roadblocks that existed in each of the character's main plotlines was so much easier to solve if they had access to the other main characters (and I suspect that's part of why Jordan kept them so unnaturally separated during these arcs).

I also really enjoy the romance in this fic, and how the characters interact with prophecy in more unexpected ways, and how Rand and Mat help each other through their traumas, and how each of the members of the polycule bring their own perspective to the relationship.

the caffrey exception in White Collar fandom - this fic languished mostly unfinished on my harddrive for a long time before polyweek gave me an excuse to finish it up and post it! I wasn’t really in White Collar fandom, was the problem, and I always write and post more consistently when I have fellow fandom people to encourage me. I also was originally watching WC with my (now ex-)girlfriend and I stopped watching after we broke up, iirc, so I didn’t actually finish the show until years later. And by the time I was writing it, I didn’t feel like there was all that much visible fandom around. But it had a nice little response during polyshipweek, so I was really happy with how it all turned out. Makes me think that one day maybe I’ll finish up and post that RENT fanfic that’s been on my harddrive for eighteen million years.

negotiating with the truth in The Wheel of Time fandom - you can tell I got fancy with this fic because I gave the chapters titles, lol. This fic leans hard into Mat being an unreliable narrator and playing around with that, and it was a lot of fun to focus on and explore that part of him. I do love a lot of the fics I've written in WoT so trying to narrow it down more was tough (and I still only managed to narrow down to three!) but I really loved writing this one and exploring the differing ways that Mat and Rand were approaching this relationship of theirs and how they come to a compromise in the end. I think I really liked that they genuinely do have different wants and desires that need to be navigated.

voice interlude: feels like falling for the first time in The Wheel of Time fandom - this is, a little bit, subbing in for the Voice series as a whole, but I wanted to pick out a complete story and not something still in progress. I am pretty hopeful that Voice will get finished (there are three more main fics in the series, I think — one that mostly spoils through bk9: winter’s heart; one that mostly spoils through bk12: the gathering storm; and then one with whole-series spoilers) but I have some fairly long unfinished works in past fandoms, so eggs and hatching & etc.

What makes this fic in particular stand out to me is how I was able to really take this one moment in time in the series and expand on it so that I could deep-dive into Mat’s characterization and what he was thinking and feeling, and it’s such a revelatory moment for Mat. I enjoy showing characterization via writing about sex, and the interludes in the Voice series really allow me to do that.

my mouth (your lips) my hands (your hips) in The Magicians fandom - This fic where Margo and Eliot approach Quentin on this more equal ground (of them competing to see which of them can land him first) and it developing into a true polyam relationship… I really loved exploring how messy but ultimately loving it was. I also loved delving into Margo as an aromantic character in this fic, and how the great love of her life is her best friend.

A lot of my own fears and pains and worries made it into the three main characters in this one, though all in ways that make sense with their own base characterization, I think. There’s this one line that Eliot thinks - “he had always been better at self-preservation than bravery” and that is 100% canon Eliot but… yeah, it’s also me. One of the things I am working on in therapy is loosening the stranglehold of my self-preservation so that I can be a little braver when it comes to reaching out to other people.

If you like my poly fics in WoT fandom, you might also enjoy my marqueliot fics (but I wouldn’t recommend the show tbh. Or, well, I might rec it up until the episode “All That Hard Glossy Armor”. That’s a good one to end on. And it’s a Margo episode!).

searching for a sound (we hadn’t heard before) in The Magicians fandom - I wrote some serious fix-it fics in this fandom. But this fic was me taking the kind of ridiculous angle on a plotline that I think that the show might have actually pulled off, if it had been so inclined. This fic was also me balling up all my frustration at the poor writing choices and lobbing it at the show’s forehead. It was very cathartic to write. And I think it’s pretty funny too, so that’s a bonus.

(I’m Not Calling You A) Liar for Steven Universe fandom — I am cheating here and including a vid. This vid is… if I sliced up my heart (Hannibal style) and laid it out on a plate, it would look something like this vid. I actually started watching Steven Universe because I saw the “Stronger Together” clip with Garnet but soon after I started watching… holy shit, Pearl and her deep heartbreak over Rose just grabbed me by the throat and did not let me go. Watching her slowly process and begin to resolve her grief was a very healing experience when I was watching the show. There was something very much intensely yearning about Pearl at the start of SU, and how she was trying so hard to hide it (from Steven but from the other gems as well). But she can’t move on until she confronts and heals!

My favorite of the vids that I’ve made, I think, and the one I’m proudest of. There is maybe one single clip that I would change now if I went back to edit it again, but that’s it. I’m fully satisfied with the rest of it; and this is not the case with most of my vids. My Yuri! On Ice vid is probably the other one that comes closest to feeling like I wouldn’t change anything now.

Enyo’s Daughter in MCU fandom — so I am a bit of an odd one out in MCU fandom, because the ship that I liked the best, over any other… Tony and Natasha. Iron Man and Black Widow. It’s a complex and thorny ship, but I liked exploring it. Tony and Natasha both get to be messy and fucked up and exploring situations like that can be interesting. It was written pretty soon after the first Avengers movie came out, if I recall correctly. I never did finish the sequel to this fic, which I am kinda sad about.

Any fandom where canon is currently developing can be kinda tough for me to stay ahead of, in terms of writing any big fic series(es) — this is also why my big Star Wars WIP is destined never to be finished, tbh. I started writing it before a lot of the current canon even exists, and trying to go back and finish it would be difficult because the new shows & movies have changed so much and it can be hard to mentally reconcile what I knew back then vs what I know now when it comes to canon. Once the new MCU movies after Avengers came out, this fic was kinda doomed to never get the sequel finished, alas. And this is why WoT having a closed book canon has made writing fic for it easier, I think.

Melt into Time from American Idol RPF — time-travel fic! I’ve attempted it from time to time, but this one I actually finished. I don’t remember the actual process of writing this anymore, because my memory is for crap, as I mentioned at the start, but it is probably my favorite fic that I wrote in this fandom overall. It deals with second chances and a lot of yearning and people being emotionally messy (a theme for me, for sure).

Justice, Be Not Blind from Dexter — my one and only Dexter fic. What I remember most about writing this fic is that despite how short it is (less than 1k), I did so much research. Miguel Prado was hands-down my favorite character who ever appeared on Dexter and so I wanted to write a fic for him, but I wanted it to sound as true to his character voice as possible. I don’t even really remember the extent of the research that I did and it’s been so long that I couldn’t tell you anymore whether or not the character voice is accurate, but I remember how much I wanted to get this right and how much work I put into trying to get Miguel to feel genuine.

Travelers Without Map or Compass for Doctor Who fandom - cute romantic fluff, but I’m very fond of it. It captures a sort of vibe in the Doctor & Rose relationship that was very appealing to me, and I enjoyed exploring and expanding my thoughts on some of the rooms in the TARDIS.

Another Nameless Planet in the Star Wars (Prequel) fandom — I wrote longer fics in Star Wars fandom but honestly I think I captured Anakin best in this small fic that’s not really about anything in particular except Anakin wanting to be treated as an equal (by Obi-Wan specifically).

I have fics that I wrote before this point, but most of them I genuinely don’t remember writing to the point of going, “huh, oh, wow, I guess that was me, huh?” lol. But going back over my fics… man, it really is like having the deepest yearnings of your heart spread out in front of the world sometimes, isn’t it?

Thanks for sending me on this journey to the past! I hope you enjoyed it. <3

[snowbellewells]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I'll freely admit I wasn't tagged - and this may not be of interest to any of my followers - but I thought it looked like fun, so I'm giving it a try. I haven't done one of these fic writer asks in a bit, so it felt like it was time. :)

How many works do you have on AO3? I have 94 separate works on AO3, though a couple of those are collections of one shots, so it might seem like more. On ff.net I have an even 100, but way back in the day I wrote some fics for Criminal Minds and Castle before I found OuaT. (I was a big time propoent of Morgan and Garcia becoming a couple... ;P)

2. What's your total AO3 word count? Okay, short of trying to look at the count of each separate story and add up all 94 of them, I'm not sure how I locate this. Let's just say, it's a lot of words.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Now, pretty much solely for Once Upon a Time. In the past I have written fic about the Backstreet Boys (yes, I know, but what can I tell you?) Criminal MInds, CSI:NY, NCIS: Los Angeles, Moonlight, Castle, and a couple Lord of the Rings missing moment one shots.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Hmmm.... let's see, shall we? My fic with the most kudos appears to be a one-shot I wrote for CS Neverland New Year: "Fight for me When it Matters' with 130 kudos, followed by a gift fic written for @teamhook, also a one-shot, called "Thick as Thieves (or Princesses)" with 123, then a three-shot birthday fic for @searchingwardrobes titled "One More" and a two-shot I wrote way back when season three was airing called "Under the Weather" - both of those have 86 kudos. Last is a two-shot birthday fic I wrote for @kmomof4, "The Weight of the Crown (is a Feather on the Waves)", with 85 kudos.

5. Do you respond to comments? I should do better at that than I do. I love and treasure every single comment. They make the hard work feel completely worthwhile. I do try to answer as many as I can, but since most people have migrated to AO3, I don't do as well as I did on ff.net. For some reason I have a harder time following the comment and response page interface on that site than I did on the other one. (I know, I in the very small minority there, but to each her own, I guess?)

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Honestly, you've probably not going to find my angstiest fics on AO3. They're old enough that I'm not sure I have ever moved them over from ff.net. I wrote a Lord of the Rings fic once "What Went Unspoken" (mostly missing moments that fleshed out Boromir's character and motivations, etc. before going to join the Fellowship) that is certainly bittersweet rather than fully happy at the end. I also wrote a post-episode fic for the short-lived, but AWESOME, show Moonlight "Forever Waiting" that was melancholy for sure.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? That's honestly hard to answer! I enjoy the angst - and especially love the hurt/comfort - but I usually have my stories end happily by the time they have finished. Particularly when writing for our pirate and princess, I figure they've already been through so much that they deserve their happy ending (beginning).

8. Do you get hate on fics? I have been pretty lucky in that regard. Way back when I first starting writing and posting OuaT/CS stories, I did occasionally get comments that thought I was including Snow and Charming enough, or that I was having Killian do things for Emma that the commenter thought her parents would or should instead, but other than those gripes, I've largely had kind and thoughtful commenters by and large.

9. Do you write smut? To my mind, I don't technically write much smut. I do occasionally attempt a love scene, but I don't feel like it's something I am especially gifted at writing. If something of mine is labeled "M" it probably means somewhere it gets about as close to smut as I'm able to do. (How's that for an uncertain sort of answer?)

10. Do you write crossovers? I haven't played with crossover in fic writing a lot - though I've read some AMAZING ones along the way. I do have one fic from way back in the first CSSNS event @cssns18 that mixed up Moonlight and OuaT, which I was pretty proud of: "Tasting Forever". And I have a long-delayed idea to do a Timeless x OuaT crossover, but it feels awfully ambitious to plot out, and I have a lot of current WIPS that I feel deserve to be finished up first.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don't think so?

12.Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I know

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have co-written a couple of fics with my writer friends @whimsicallyenchantedrose, @jrob64, and @kmomof4, which was lots of fun! And I also wrote a Revolutionary War era au fic with @jrob64 and @sotangledupinit, which was also an exciting new challenge.

"Cave Cruises, Cabin Capers, and Cracked Craniums", "Destination Dream Weddings, Driving Disasters, and Dented Derrieres", and "Freed to Love"

14. What's your all-time favorite ship? That's difficult to answer as well, because I tend to love each of my chosen ships in a special way and for their own specific reason. It's probably CaptainSwan (I mean, I spend a lot of time thinking about them, even though the show has been over for nearly a decade!) Still, if Graham had lived, I think Gremma could have given them a run for their money! I also loved and adored Dr. Quinn and Sully and Pacey and Joey on Dawson's Creek (probably my first two ships before I really even knew what shipping was), Morgan and Garcia on Criminal Minds, and Wyatt and Lucy on Timeless.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I am not putting anything here. I fully intend to finish all of the fics that I have started. Sometimes it takes me entirely too long to do so, but I won't leave it unfinished forever.

16. What are your writing strengths? I like to think I'm pretty good at setting a scene or creating atmosphere/mood. And I feel like I'm decent at writing dialogue that feels real and true to the characters.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I am terrible at coming up with titles! I mean, it's a genuine struggle over what to call the thing ever. single. time. Also, as previously mentioned, I'm awkward at the smut. And I can do action/fighting scenes (sort of) but it takes me a bit of struggle, and then I'm still doubting if it works even when I finally call it "done".

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? It would be cool to have a character who is from another place be able to speak dialogue in that language. I don't speak a second language, however, so while it would be neat, I'm not able to do it. I have referred to my friend who speaks and teaches French for a few phrases and endearments from time to time. though!

19. First fandom you wrote for? The first fandom I wrote for was probably little stories I wrote for my college friends and I starring the Backstreet Boys, and also Dawson's Creek fanfic.

20. Favorite fic you've written? Oh goodness, I don't know! Truly, I"m not being difficult, thanks hard to say. Some I'm really proud of because I tried something new for me and felt like I accomplished it. Some I just really liked the way they turned out, and so on. But often the ones that get the most comments and love, are not the ones I expect to do so.

I have probably tried to answer this question before, and I might have even said something completely different the last time around, but for the sake of trying to answer, I'll go with "Villian's Happy Ending" a sort of 3b spec fic I wrote between the two halves of OuaT's third season. It's never gotten a ton of feedback, but I was always really pleased with it. Or a tie between "The Case of the Heart in Armour" and "For All Life and For All Time". Both of them are set in the Victorian era (which I ADORE!) and have OuaT characters mashed up with some supernatural elements and themes and characters from traditional British lit. Both were challenging and a bit darker than I had written previously, and I felt like the stretch was worth the effort.

Okay, so, it said to tag five people, but please don't feel pressured if you'd rather not do this. I'd love to see your answers if you do it though! Tagging: @kmomof4 @jrob64 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @spartanguard @searchingwardrobes

[lisziztaken]

Tagged by @luvo27 once again thank you I love these tagging games wheeeee

Fic Writer Ask Game:

how many works on ao3?

11

total ao3 wordcount? 115,152 what a fun number

Top 5 fics by kudos?

So Sweet Saluteth Me

Then Begins a Journey in My Head

To Have a Giant's Strength

In Our Peevish Opposition

Eat Your Heart Out

What fandoms do you write for?

Batman and Batman adjacent mostly nowadays

Do you respond to comments?

I call my mom and cry to her while I read the particularly nice ones

Angstiest Ending?

Honestly the only truly angst thing I've ever done would be I Want to be a Passenger in Your Car Again  and I would say that's more of a hopeful ending maybe?

Fic with the happiest ending?

Literally all of them. Love fluffs. Probably Then Begins a Journey in My Head has the most sappy ending that I really indulged myself with. Eat Your Heart Out and So Sweet Saluteth Me both have the most, healthy endings?

Do you get hate?

Knock on wood. No.

Do you write smut?

Not yet! Sincerely interested in trying just because it seems like good writing practice. For whatever reason I feel confident at writing smut even though I've never done it before lmao. It might be Punisher and Daredevil related tbh.

Do you write crossovers?

Not yet! A while back I thought SW and Marvel & DC crossover would be super fun but that world is just, way too big

Ever had a fic stolen?

Omg no. Again knocking on wood

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet I think someone once mentioned something though and I'd love to see some of the fics translated

Have you ever cowritten a fic?

Not yet!!

All-time favorite ship?

Not really have ships. Even when I read things that are categorized as ships, I'm more interested in the platonic aspects of the relationships. I want to see how people interact beyond the attractions.

WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Don't think I doubt it because I still have the outlines for All in Good Yuletude. It's just a matter of time and stuff lol

Writing Strengths?

Memories haha. Rendering and all the watercolor texture things.

Writing Weaknesses?

Getting to the point. Tackle the actual things and not talk in circles. Be obvious. Also sometimes just be plain and straightforward. I'm too worried about things be boring sometimes.

Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Very much depends on the languages being used. Some I feel completely comfortable transcribe (is that what it's called) into English but some..not so much. I feel pretty strongly against using butchered English to indicate that someone is speaking another language though. It indicates a level of hierarchy in different languages and more importantly a perception of different levels of intelligence between the characters. I'd love to be able to introduce more languages especially for characters like Batman. It would add so much to his personality (imo). But the concern is whether it would make the reading experience quite annoying.

First fandom you wrote for?

When I was in grade school, Harry Potter. (And I did get some hate back then haha people could be ruthless towards 11-year-olds)

Favorite fic you've ever written?

Eat Your Heart Out. It was longer and I got to have a lot of lovely interactions with people during it. I think it helped me to learn and write new types of scenes etc and I loved adding all the mundane tidbits/injecting my own hobbies in there hehe.

no pressure tagging: @batbirdies , @cetaceans-pls, @imbecamiel, and @lurkinglurkerwholurks (especially because I think a lot of people have done a round of writing tag games not too long ago)

and anyone else who wants to play!!!!!

[willesredlights]

Writing tag game!

Thank you @moonlightfrogsandkisses @enjoythesilentworld @filmspring for tagging me💜💜

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

27

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

231.586 words (I can't believe I wrote all this in not even a year, I don't think I've ever written this much in my life as in the past year)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only Young Royals atm

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Cake at three in the morning (That one fic that was inspired by that one cake promo video for DUO, will forever stay one of my fave fics I wrote)

2. The truth always comes too late (Still a bit overwhelmed by how many people love this fic)

3. I see you in my fantasy (and now it's real)

4. Hold your gaze on me and I feel like I'm dreaming (This fic really is my baby, I've worked so hard on it and I'm still so so glad with how it turned out)

5. Look at us / Quietly you say my name (a shared fifth place)

6. Do you respond to comments?

I do but I'm not the fastest at it. Just know that when you leave a comment, even though it can take a while for me to reply, every comment makes me smile and giggle and kick my feet and I'll look at it and read it again and again and again, especially if I'm feeling down.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

That's probably This is the last time. I guess the title says everything because well...they don't end up together. But I have to say that there is some catharsis in it that makes the last goodbye a little bit more bearable and lighter.

8. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

That is A Christmas Challenge. This fic is overall very happy and cute and cozy (with a little bit of side angst). Actually very proud of this fic.

9. Do you get hate on fics?

No

10. Do you write smut?

Well yes, I think I have to say obviously when the majority of my fics are smut (mostly because of kinktober)

11. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't written any crossovers

12. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

13. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

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

If we count that one fic I wrote with an old friend when we were 14. We never published it though, we just did it through messages. Other than that no but I have to say I would like to do it because it's actually very fun.

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

For this one I will have to say The Prophecy. It's the first Young Royals fic I started writing but...I totally lost connection to the plot and the story and I haven't written something for it in months and basically if I decide to continue it I will probably have to rethink the plot. (I actually wanted to delete it because well...I really do not like it anymore)

16. What are your writing strengths?

From what I gathered from comments, I might say writing action scenes, so scenes where a lot is happening. And I think that's because I'm good at building tension. I might say I'm good at worldbuilding too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

What I struggle with the most when I write is dialogue. I think sometimes I overdo dialogue. Another thing I struggle with is vocabulary and sometimes how I build my sentences. Sometimes I'm searching for a word and I do know there is a word for it in English but I just can't find it. Sometimes I also have the feeling that my sentences don't really flow.

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

I like it! But it has to be done in a good way. I used to do it when I was still writing in Dutch (years and years ago), I used to write my dialogue in English (when 2 characters spoke English as their main language) (that wasn't very well done lmao)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If I'm really taking the first fandom I wrote for it was a Belgian band but back then I was still writing on paper and I was around 12-13. The first fics I published on wattpad and Tumblr were for the New Hope Club and The Vamps fandom. (Unfortunately they can still be found but let's forget about the rpf fics) (obviously that was another Tumblr account)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Like I said earlier either Cake at three in the morning or Hold your gaze on me and I feel like I'm dreaming.

I don't know who has done this already but I guess a lot of people already did so I'm just tagging some people (and I'm sorry if you already did it, then you can just ignore this)💜: @jordensgolde @rose-and-clover @bigalockwood @the-impala-is-my-home

[honeygem]

I'm on my knees and begging you to write on how the reader first met captain Kaizo.

I have scoured the depths of the internet to find Kaizo x reader fics, and none of them are as well written as yours.

So please, sir, ma'am, the holy human who can only feed my inner simp, please write this prompt scenario

Notes: I have a lot of ideas for this prompt and I can't really choose which one i should go for but there is a recurring plot I've had for a while so I guess I'll just go with that. For now, I'll just be choosing what looks best for the plot.

This was sitting in my docs for a long time i forgot I finished it😭

Contains: not super accurate details(feel free to correct if needed), strictly not following canon timeline but the scene happened when Boboiboy first met Kaizo, suggestive themes

It's been a while since you've had a chance to visit your granddad. Working abroad and only having to talk to them occasionally through video calls had been the only way you could spend time with them.

Granddad had been managing his shop for as long as you can remember and at his old age— even when he insist he doesn't mind working, you can't help but feel bad. You've been sending out money for your Granddad to help him out with his expenses but he's always refused to make use of them.

He told you that you should enjoy and spend your money yourself rather than giving it to him. He was already thankful to have you as his granddaughter and doing this much could put him into tears(an exaggeration from him while you were on a call with him one time).

It made you ecstatic to find out you get to go on a break from work after all these years. Your well deserved vacation first started from a visit to your parents house then a trip to korea then finally visiting your Granddad.

You've brought gifts and souvenirs when you reached your Granddad's hometown, ready to surprise him. Your parents had made sure to keep your arrival a surprise and even kept it from your brother, Boboiboy.

After laying all your souvenirs inside your Granddad'a house, you went to his shop in a disguise and ordered your favourites from the menu.

"I'll take one of these please." You scanned the new menu and looked for your usual. "And I'll also try one of these... it seems there's been new addition to the menu...?"

"Ah yes, our dear customer!" A flying yellow robot spoke, surprising you. "You must be new here! I'll have your order done in a few, ma'am."

You stared in awe as you watch the robot work on your order.

When did Granddad ever had the money to spend on a robot like this...? He must've already spent the money I gave him... good for him.

"Excuse me, um- Mr. Robot...?"

"You can call me OchoBot, ma'am."

"Oh, right... OchoBot... do you have any idea where Tok Aba is...?"

After having a conversation with OchoBot, you realized you've missed out on quite a lot of events. Even news about your brother had you in shock, yet it didn't seem like the robot knew you were related. Of course, it was bound to happen since you barely had much time to spend more than an hour talking to your family... and the signal has mostly been very bad on where you were.

"Lots of things have happened, huh? I had no idea..." you reflected.

"Yes..."

"Say... have you seen Boboiboy anywhere? Doesn't he come here often?"

"Oh he left just a while ago... there was an emergency." OchoBot informed. "But worry not, I'm sure Boboiboy can handle it. Are you related to Boboiboy, Miss?"

"Yeah!" You smiled at the robot. "He's my brother."

"He's your brother?!"

"I didn't know Boboiboy had a sister, Tok Aba..." Ochobot commented as you enjoyed your cup of your Granddad's specials.

Your Granddad had arrived not too long ago with some of the gifts you left him at his house, planning to share it with the kids as soon as they come back. He was surprised to see you at his store chatting away with OchoBot while having a cup of his famous special when he returned to his shop.

…. Words words

"Well, technically not his sister but we did grew up pretty close. I was practically adopted by his parents that I just became part of the family."

"That's right." Your Granddad jumped in. "I remember how you and Boboiboy used to mess around the house trying to make some chocolate milk for your dear Granddad."

"Oh, I remember that! That time when we used ground coffee instead of cocoa powder." You chuckled at the memory. “They look so similar!! I knew we should've tasted it first

"Ahh... how i missed those days... now you grew up as an independent young woman while Boboiboy has been troublesome as ever."

You noticed your Granddad cleaning the cups with a look on his face— sincere, with the look of fondness in his eyes, perhaps reminiscing the past.

"I'm still the same y/n, Granddad. And I'm sorry haven't been visiting lately... work had me busy and..."

"It's alright, y/n. I understand." Granddad gave you a pat on the head before pinching your ears to scold you. "But must I always remind you not to send me money!"

"Ow- ow ow ow! Granddad— that hurts!"

Then suddenly your watch beeped, a notification popped up, and your Granddad had released your ear to see what was up.

"Looks like something came up. I'll catch up more with you later Granddad. I'll come back in a few so don't tell Boboiboy I'm here yet! I wanna surprise him."

As soon as you reach an empty field, you disabled your ship's invisibility mode and teleported inside. You checked into the control room and immediately head out Earth's atmosphere looking for a familiar ship.

It's only been a few hours since you've landed on Earth and now you're back out again in space seeking out for a familar face.

A distress signal from your watch has informed you someone had entered Earth and caused multiple terrain damages near your location which caused you to assume Boboiboy might also be in trouble from it.

As soon as you got out of the Earth's atmosphere, you saw Kaizo's ship with a dent right above it. You figured someone must've gotten themselves slammed against the ship's exterior and hurt badly. You just hoped it wasn't your brother.

"This is Captain Y/n, requesting permission to link with your ship." You desperately called. "Kaizo, I swear if you don't-"

As soon as the link was established you rushed to the other end and bolted inside Kaizo's ship.

You wasted no time and ran, looking for your possibly injured brother and Kaizo... or whoever was around first to ask for an explanation.

The sound of familiar light footsteps and thumps of Lahap's feet caught your attention and turned to your side.

Seeing Kaizo badly beaten up yet still with that annoying smirk of his you ran towards him, "where's my brother? What did you do to him?!"

Kaizo raised his arms up in defense, "relax, I already sent your brother back to Earth. He wasn't hurt too badly, I mean- compared to me... don't I look more beaten up?"

"What are you even doing here? On Earth?"

"Straight to the point as ever," he grinned as you still held him by his collar despite the obvious height gap you had, "but I can't tell you. Classified information."

"Then what did you do to my brother? Why was he here?"

"Oh I didn't take him by force, he willingly came here-"

"Because you did something to him." You spat back as you pushed him off.

"Captain-" Lahap tried to interfere but Kaizo told him to stand down.

"Classified information." Kaizo persistently answered. "Even if I wanted to tell you, I can't. You know our relationship was never an exception for this kind of thing."

You stared at him hard with clenched fists. You only knew little information from what was given to you by an unknown sender so it was hard to make a conclusion out of what you're only seeing as of now.

So you turned to Fang, "tell me what happened to Boboiboy."

This caught Fang to a surprise that he didn't know how to answer.

"You're no longer associated with your brother, right? So I'm asking you, as a witness of what happened, to give me a detail of what this man did."

"I... uh, well, Captain y/n..."

"Enough." Kaizo stepped in and sighed. "I took their power watches yet Fang had taken them from me then gave them back to Boboiboy and his other friends."

"Boboiboy has... a power watch...?"

"Indeed, I decided to let them have the watch as I've witnessed their capabilities and strengths. I've concluded that... letting them have the watches might be the best decision."

"Boboiboy has a power watch...?" You repeated, unable to believe what you've just heard. Hearing you say it again made something click inside you and realized what OchoBot had been telling you wasn't made up... and that OchoBot wasn't just a floating robot barista your Granddad had purchased. "Ochobot is a powersphere?!"

"You've... just noticed?" Kaizo replied, "My... y/n, as far as the years have stretched, there hasn't been much advancement to Earth's technology as advanced as ours. I take it you haven't been visiting in a long time."

"How could I when you keep on dragging me for a new mission!"

"I thought you enjoyed our little... escapades."

"I‐" you wanted to deny but it was rather evident you didn't mind your adventures and missions with the space rebel.

Kaizo smirked, "stay here a little longer while we prepare a shuttle for you and Fang to go back to Earth."

In the ship's clinic room, you patched up Kaizo's wounds and bruises from his fight with your brother and Fang.

"I can't believe you just beat up a bunch of kids." You scolded while applying ointment on his wounds.

"Must you need to apply so harshly, I was already badly beaten."

"Yet I'm sure you're still able to go for more, you brute."

"Your brother's a tough kid, I knew he wouldn't back down too easily."

"So you beat him some more before sending him back to Earth?"

"I was certain letting him keep the watch was for the best. We needed someone to hold on to these watches so they wouldn't end up in the wrong hands so I was a bit skeptical on letting a bunch of kids use them... until Boboiboy proved me wrong."

"There." You finished patching up Kaizo as soon as he finished talking and sat beside him. "My brother's awesome, isn't he?

"Wouldn't exactly say that... he's a brat, but yes. He's okay."

"'Okay'? He's more than okay! Look what he did to you, he beat up a space rebel! Ahahahaha‐"

Your laughter had only came to a stop when Kaizo had pressed his lips against yours. With the spike of your heartbeat and the feeling of his soft lips, you stopped laughing and had your eyes wide open in shock.

Kaizo pulled away, "then let's see what I'll do to his sister once I have her under me."

Kaizo pushed you down the bed and stared into your eyes. "You come in here on my ship and attacked me, thinking you won't get away with it? I'm not a pushover, y/n. I'll be needing compensation for your actions. I still have enough strength to take you down under my mercy."

It didn't take long until Fang opened the clinic's door and witnessed what was about to unfold before him. His brother half naked and patched up while having you under him was certainly something he wasn't expecting to see.

In a second, Fang had slammed the door shut and yelled the shuttle was now ready to depart.

Kaizo immediately pulled away once again and regained his composure while you were a blushing mess, trying to cover your face from embarrassment.

Everyone was quiet as you and Fang got inside the shuttle back to Earth while Kaizo and Lahap watched over your shuttle leave.

"So..." Fang tried to break the awkward silence. "You and Captain Kaizo, huh-"

"Fang- don't act like you didn't know about our relationship!"

"I mean I am aware but— but I had no idea it was like that! If anything, I thought the two of you would start fighting each other a while ago."

"Wha-! Don't tell anyone about this or else I'll turn you into a red carrot donut!"

"Yes, captain!"

Meanwhile as the shuttle came back to Kaizo's ship...

"Have you forgotten there's a camera on every room in the ship, captain...?"

Kaizo's nerve got ticked off and kicked Lahap on his side which caused him to bump on a couple of plasma tanks.