#this is my first sherlock holmes fic since i was like 13

[ten-cent-sleuth]

I know I’m not a big part of the xReader community, as I rarely read it and even more rarely interact, but I wanted to try making some friends there so I’m going to be posting a Sherlock Holmes x f!Reader multichap soon! Usually, I like to write 4k+ chapters and to have everything completed before posting the first chapter, but since this multichap will serve as my entries for July Break Bingo, I’m going to try something different this time.

Each chapter will be whatever length it ends up being at first (I’ll bolster them all in the revision stages later), and I will post them here as soon as they’re done. Once every chapter is posted, I’ll go back and edit, and then I’ll post the new version on AO3. I look forward to sharing the journey to a good copy more closely with my readers!

However, that does mean there will be some inconsistencies to be suffered through. Especially since this multichap will be a case fic, I’m expecting plot holes as well as OOC moments to abound. I apologise in advance, welp.

Now, for the more fun info!

Below is my empty JBB card if you are curious to see what will be giving the fic some direction. I intend to get a blackout with this multichap. 👀👀👀

Synopsis: Your father hires Sherlock to investigate your husband’s death…a decade after it occurred. Why is your father suddenly concerned foul play was involved? And what is motivating Sherlock to take on a case that has every expectation of being dry and uninspired? (Takes place in the world and time after the Enola Holmes film but before the sequel.)

Warnings: please see this post for those and feel free to send me an ask if you need more details (I’m keeping them separate to avoid spoilers)

Masterlist: A Galling Yoke Part 1 … Part 2 … Part 3 … Part 4 … Part 5 … Part 6 … Part 7 … Part 8 … Part 9 … Part 10 … Part 11 … Part 12 … Part 13 … Part 14 … Part 15 …

Status: on hiatus [as of 2024-12-17] (but Part 15 should be a satisfying ending until the next update) – please let me know if you would like to be tagged with updates! :)

Thank You, God, for my writing and thank you, dear reader, for reading. <3

[hechiima]

Hey, for the fanfic asks! How about 11, 13 and 15? :3

11: fandom you enjoyed writing the most for this year

hehe okay this might be a cop out but the only two fandoms i wrote for were dgs and sherlock holmes the awakened. i really loved the awakened fic i wrote but my fav def has to be dgs overall. something about hmmk just clearly makes me insane. <3

13: favorite writing song/artist/album of this year

sdaklfjdsklfj prob brahms or lizst! i really like listening to them when i write usually but every now and then i'll just have to put rasputin on loop and i do not know why.

15: something you learned this year

i think i've started to get more comfortable writing in first person pov if that counts! it's been a pov i've really avoided since i started writing b/c i think you have to get p into the head of the character to do it well. but i've started trying it out this year and i think im getting better at it!

Thank you so much for the ask!!!! <3 <3

[teaspoonnebula]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤️

AHHHHH I will do my best!

The Butterfly Dream - Fullmetal Alchemist This is effectively the first fanfic I wrote (....as an adult, do we count things I wrote as a 13 year old Doctor Who fan?) and I still reread it fairly often because of how much I enjoy it. An attempt to combine various concepts I really like in both '03 and Brotherhood. And it's set in Xing, because I want more Xing.

After The World West Awry - Sherlock Holmes

I know lots and LOTS of people have done stories where Sherlock Holmes ends up in the 21st century through various ways and means, but I had thoughts about how I'd do it (namely that he's not going to be ok with being there without Watson), so I did.

If anyone ever sits me down and asks if I have a Sherlock Holmes related screenplay, I'd shove this at them.

Golden Visions, Are Ye Flown?

When writing my game The Beekeeper's Picnic I kept dropping hints in the text that Holmes' vision is fairly limited, mostly as a way to get around him not spotting things the player hasn't closely examined.

I ended up writing this to explore that, and get out some of my "Holmes and Watson end up in Sussex together" feels since the game won't be finished for a long time. So if you're getting fed up waiting for that game this is like the next best thing?

His Brother - Sherlock Holmes

It's about all about Mycroft, who is my blorbo.

Last but definitely lot least...

Watson is a Time Lord in collaboration with @jeremys-come-to-bed-eyes and @fruitviking (who made this cover!)

I feel like this epitomises what I love about fanfiction? Is the concept absolutely bananas? Yes. Is it ridiculously self-indulgant? Again, yes. Are we treating it deathly seriously? Mostly. Are we enjoying ourselves writing it? ABSOLUTELY!

I just think that we've squeezed this concept dry and then someone will come up with another idea and we ping off all over again.

(Although not going to lie, the fact that in the year 2023 I am writing something which at least meets the "Who" and the "lock" part of... y'know, makes me want to stare at a wall and have an existential crisis)

[daddywright]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

tagged by @samioli ! (late getting to it, happy holidays!)

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

44... so far :)) (not-so-secret: i actually have a second pseud for one-shots in very small, random fandoms, but i don't use it often.)

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

ah hah. 682,262. i didn't really publish much before the pandemic, but then suddenly all i ever wanted to do was write, and i found such a community online in different fandoms that i haven't really stopped since!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've published (written is a different story, haha) fic for a few fandoms: namely ace attorney, different sherlock holmes properties, witcher, dragon age, good omens (before the show), and most recently, metal gear!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

a badge of honor [ace attorney]

plumeria (new beginnings) [enola holmes]

pressure (pushing down on me) [ace attorney]

your heart is cold (but we will warm you) [the hobbit - the first Real Fic i ever published, when i was a kid]

if i woke up (next to you) [ace attorney]

flattering but not surprising that ace attorney is near the top, as far as kudoses go; i joined this fandom in 2020 and it's just EXPLODED since then. it's so cool getting into an older game series and being able to connect with a thriving online community <3

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

I absolutely do! I miss one here and there, on occasion, but i try to say thanks as often as i can. i often return to the comment sections of my more popular fics on rough days when i'm convinced i'm the worst writer in existence kasd;jfalskfjf

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

hm... while i tend to avoid endings that leave readers in pieces, i do enjoy some angst now and then. i wrote a one-shot about john watson reacting to holmes's death in OG sherlock holmes titled 'when good men go to war' that definitely deserved the 'major character death' tag, even if it's one of the most famous fake-out deaths in literature LMAO. i've also written canon compliant lanamia, which just hurts. and a miles edgeworth christmas fic, which is self-explanatory. i also wrote a fic for the animated film Klaus a while back that made me cry writing it, which i don't often do HAHA

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hmm. 'if i woke up (next to you)' is the epitome of cheesy fix-it for narumitsu, but i think the end of 'pressure (pushing down on me)' was written at a time, for me, when i most desperately wanted to read about a happy ending-- the whole series is a fix-it, but pressure in particular dismantled phoenix's disbarment and brought back characters i missed/wanted more of in a way that was utterly self-indulgent, so for me, that's probably the happiest ending i've ever written. :)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, thankfully. but i've gotten enough of unsolicited crit type comments to piss me off eternally-- though i've gotten better at deleting the ones that hurt rather than engaging. (I stopped writing a witcher fic i really liked because i got a comment that a chapter was boring, and it totally shattered me :///)

9. Do you write smut?

Sure! I have been known to enjoy and write explicit fics. I have an academic interest in sex and education about it, and I think some of the best character study fics in the entire universe are explicit. i also think the saddest fics i've ever read have also included explicit scenes, too.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have! I love a good, clever crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. (knocks on wood)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, several!

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

Yes! Most recently (published, that is), for pacific rim.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

OOF. well. i have several, of course. i'll always be attached to classic sherlock holmes x john watson. for fandoms i fell into recently, the bangers are narumitsu, taibani (tiger&bunny, aka narumitsu lite), and newly, otasune (metal gear solid) is THE Moment. the MOMENT, damn it, PLAY METAL GEAR SOLID. and then DM me @solid-snaked because i want to TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT.

some more well-known ships i haven't published fic for over the years but still love: leopika (hxh), kakairu (naruto... YEAH. NARUTO.), kaishin (dmck), and superbat (dc). also, i tend to really gravitate towards platonic/gen fic for different fandoms as well, almost if not more strongly than shipfic.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

ooooh. toss up between 'call me through thunder' (dragon age), because honestly while i loved writing it, i liked the original writing ideas that came from it more than the actual fic elements and 'when the way is dark' (witcher), because of reasons listed above.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i would like to say my dialogue?? i suppose? i really like writing dialogue and specifically, the framing around dialogue-- i like writing body language and trying to describe facial expressions and tone shifts so that people can hear and see the scene i'm trying to write.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

ahh, i'm definitely guilty of writing intimate/emotional scenes at the cost of pacing, and of favoring tone accomplished by dialogue rather than immersion via setting (i'm bad at like. window dressing and connective tissue between scenes, i think)

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

beyond my skillset, I'm afraid

19. First fandom you wrote for?

supernatural. mmhmm. i was a high school sam girlie. the first fic i ever read, also, was supernatural. destiel at age 13. life-ruiner. but i recovered.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

aaaa. overall, i'd say 'pressure' is a fic i'm quite proud of but it's the series overall that makes it my favorite as a writing and a community experience, one that got me through a really tough time in life. however, as far as my writing skill goes, i'm pretty proud of a fic i wrote on a time crunch for Holmestice, a sherlock holmes exchange, called 'the emerald circle', because i got to reference queer history in a way i really enjoyed while writing it.

feel free to pass along this prompt to yourself, fellow writers <3

[beloved-child-of-the-house]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag @skeptiquewrites i love these games! this got very long so answers below the cut!

How many works do you have on ao3?

123 total but 22 HP fics

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

886,281

3. What fandoms do you write for?

i'm writing HP/drarry pretty exclusively at the moment and i've written the second largest number of fics for this fandom. but i've written like 69 sherlock holmes and/or bbcs fics and i think 16 good omens fics

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

they're all good omens fics in the 2k-3k range. none of my other fics even come close. my most popular drarry fic is Propinquity which makes sense it has a fun premise

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

yes! i respond to comments when i have the time and energy and usually i do it in batches shortly after i've published something new

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i don't rlly write angsty endings. in the bbcs fandom i wrote an infidelity fic series where they're in a very unsustainable situation and i intended to write a final installment with a happy ending but i was so disenchanted by the last season of the show that i just never did. i've never written an angsty ending to a drarry fic. i find angst kinda boring tbh :p

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

almost every single fic i've ever written has a happy ending but the drarry fic i've written where the pov character has the most to cope with before he's happy is probably either propinquity or moonrise. they're also my youngest dracos, which probably has something to do with it. they've had less time to recover and grow. i think i have to give the edge to moonrise, actually because he's soooo sad and lonely at the beginning, and he develops this bond not only with harry but with ginny (they give each other stupid nicknames) and hermione (they have a very special scene toward the end of the series)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i didn't used to, but i've gotten a bit since i started writing drarry! there are a lot of polarizing characters and relationships, and people will sometimes tell me they didn't approve of how i handled something or other. i was too soft on dumbledore i was too hard on draco. oh well. no refund.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes! for me, smut is an important part of demonstrating the trust and intimacy between my leads as well as like. joy and playfulness. consequently my smut tends to be silly and jokey but also very romantic and sort of idealized.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i wrote a fleabag/bbcs crossover once where fleabag picks up john watson at her therapists' office but it's the only one i've ever written and it was sort of to tease of friend of mine

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i'm aware of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, a handful! mostly my good omens fics

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

no but i'd love to write one with @clytemenestras

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

i am not rlly a favorites kind of person but obviously drarry is doing something special for me rn. they are both Me and pushing their faces together and making them kiss is an act of self love <3

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

i NEVER publish WIPs but i do have this 8th year WIP that i'm rlly struggling with and put it on the back burner. i think i'm just trying to do too many things with it and i get stuck and unsure of where to go first when i open the document. originally it was supposed to be a theater kids fic because i loved the idea of draco as a theater kid. but the version of draco that unrolls when i write is so exhausted and burned out and also he's kind of being shunned. he just isn't embodying the flamboyant joy i was imagining when i came up with the idea.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i'm very good at depicting relationships. my dialogue is good and my characters develop all these inside jokes and references that make them feel like real people.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

my fic tends not to be very plotty but idk if i consider that a weakness. i'm not trying and failing to write plot. i write what i intend to write. i guess i write pretty slowly, but i'm okay with that too.

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

draco often speaks french in my fic, and now that i think about it, it's usually to show his closeness with people who are not harry. i guess i have this idea that it's easy to reduce him to his interactions with harry, but he has social relationships outside of that. he's like. capable of pleasantries. he's chatting with his cousins he's chatting with madame maxime. it's a fun little way to make him a bit mysterious. that's one of the things harry likes about him, isn't it? what's that draco malfoy up to? what's he saying? it's fun!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

bbc sherlock

20. Favorite fic you've written?

it's hard to compare fics across fandoms and even within drarry it's hard to compare fics that are attempting such different things! i think maybe the relationship in A Gift of True Esteem is my favorite because they develop this really strong partnership and their respect for each other is so clear! i also get to drop in a lot of wizarding culture, like draco gives harry some books that i got to make up titles for, they go shopping together and out to dinner (i think i was inspired by the antiquing scene early in @tackytigerfic's Modern Love; it rlly stuck with me). they go to a museum run by goblins, they talk about how much hogwarts has changed and changes they still want to make. and i got to make up some homework assignments, which was fun too! Strangely enough this is also the fic i've gotten the most hate on! i rlly didn't think i had made any controversial choices when i was writing it but oh well lol. i love getting to look at how they might move through the world as adults. how they have changed and how the world has changed, and i just had a lot of fun with this one.

genuinely do not know who has already played so i tag @oflights, @thehoneybeet, and @vukovich if you want to <3

[themirokai]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged in this by the incredible @pellaaearien . Thank you so much, dear! I really did start working on it when you tagged me and have picked away at it ever since. It’s quite long!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

49

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

122,560. I write short things.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

In chronological order I have written:

BBC Sherlock- Mystrade only

James Bond

Doctor Who

Star Wars

Person of Interest

Arcane

Cats the Musical

Sandman

In theory I’m open to writing in any of those again and any others as the inspiration strikes.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5 - Worship (Sandman, Dreamling), also received the comment that inspired my first tumblr post to breach containment.

4 - Who He Is (Mystrade), my first fic on ao3 besides the ones I moved to the Other Account. I’m a bit surprised by this honestly. It’s got age on its side but my writing has improved a lot since then. It reads as a bit clunky to me now.

3 - Loverboy (Sandman, Dreamling + Matthew the Emotional Support Raven), first time I brought my 2 Sandman series together and my first multi chap Sandman fic.

2 - The Century Gentleman (Sandman, Dreamling), I got this written and posted pretty soon after the show aired when there was a massive demand for Dreamling content and before there was a tidal wave of content to meet the demand. I have mixed feelings about it now.

1 - Sort It (James Bond & Sherlock crossover, 00Q + Mystrade), fills the niche of “Q is a Holmes brother” + fluffy Mystrade. I do still really love this story.

5. Do you respond to comments?

My rule is that I do. And I’ve generally been very diligent about it. But I burnt out a little while writing Grave and I currently have an embarrassing number of unread comments in my ao3 inbox that I keep telling myself that I need to respond to…

So if folks have commented on my stuff in the last month or so, I’m very sorry I haven’t responded.

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

Sequenced Proposals. No contest. Look, the character is terminally ill in canon and it’s a lawyer AU so it wasn’t going to end with him becoming a cyborg. I cried a lot while writing it. Apparently a lot of people cried while reading it. Technically he’s still alive when the story ends.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

With the one notable exception discussed above I pretty much exclusively write warm, fluffy, occasionally funny stuff. They pretty much all end happily. I am a quokka of fan fiction.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I haven’t! Someone called me a bitch in a Sequenced Proposals comment but even though we had never interacted before, they meant it positively.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not on this account. 😏

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I’ve written 2: Sort It, as mentioned above, and Dreaming of Leverage, which is a Sandman & Leverage crossover. I’d say the latter is crazier.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

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

Nooooo. And I can’t see ever doing it. Writing is very much a solo activity for me.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I can’t pick a favorite. I adore every ship I’ve written.

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

I will probably not finish Law School Days. I know how the story ends and that’s good enough for me and no one was clamoring for it. I still like to think I’ll finish Lonely Two-Legged Creatures some day.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I’m good at dialogue, especially dialogue in which characters talk about their feeeeeelings. I guess I’m also good at emotional intelligence in stories. And creating the warm & fuzzies.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot and description. I almost exclusively write very short things because I am incapable of plot that would carry a longer story. Also, if I’m being honest, one of the things I like about writing fan fiction is that I don’t have to describe what anyone looks like or sounds like! Y’all know that already. But I do get the flop sweats if I have to describe someone wearing clothing that is not a t-shirt and jeans.

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

I wish I could! More than 15 years ago I was basically conversational in Spanish, but now I’m functionally monolingual. I do appreciate when people who do this provide translations.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

As a kid, before I knew what fan fiction was, I wrote at least 100 pages of what was essentially OCs in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar. The first fandom I intentionally wrote and posted fic for was Mystrade.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Can’t do this, sorry. There are some of my stories that no longer resonate with me the way they did when I wrote them, but they’re in the minority and of the rest it’s impossible to pick a favorite.

Phew! That was a lot. Whenever I tag people in these I always say no pressure but really and seriously this time there’s no pressure and you don’t need to tell me why you’re not doing it. Just ignore. ALSO, if you’ve already done it and I missed it, apologies! With that said @once-in-a-blue-moon-rising @lavenderandvanilla @ml-nolan @mashumaru @ibrithir-was-here @karalynlovescake @stormofsharpthings @argylepiratewd

[magnetarmadda]

20 questions for fic writers

thanks @organchordsandlightning for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

85, 1 HFTH and 84 TMA

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 

314,915

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

I've got a lot of wips for a variety of fandoms that haven't yet seen the light of day. TMA most prominently of course, HFTH (and a few wips in the back burner), Murderbot Diaries, Star Trek, Sherlock Holmes, Tell No Tales podcast, and Mistholme Museum

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Lucky Stars

Mysterious Love

Here to Forever

Terror in the Archives

My Arms Around You

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do, although not nearly as regularly as I used to. It can take me months to respond, but I always will!

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

This Is Our Last Goodbye - Jon leaves Martin in the tunnels without saying goodbye

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

Okay, actually, the one I think has the happiest ending hasn't been posted yet (upcoming for jmart week 2024), but this one is in the same vein of healing and recovery and finding happiness after an unimaginable tragedy - I Have So Much of You In My Heart

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Every once in a while, though it's so rare

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

I do, yes, but not often. It's definitely very vanilla, and it almost always portrays some of my own experiences with asexuality and desire

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

I don't, but not because I don't like them. I just personally find it hard to write them--one of those kinds of fics that don't store well in my brain. I've read quite a few I really love, though!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

I have, but it's been a long time now since that happened, and I don't know of any of my recent fics being stolen

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

I haven't, I don't think

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

Yes! I co-wrote all the time with my best friend when we were growing up, and it was a great experience

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? 

Genuinely, I don't know. The ship that's seemed to move into my brain forever is JonMartin, and I do desperately love them, but there are plenty of other ships I truly love but don't engage with in a fandom sense

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

I have a couple that I just lost the ideas for (my memory is like a sieve anymore, thanks brain fog), and I may not finish them because I'll be unable either recall where I wanted them to go or find endings that feel meaningful/in line with what I've already written

16. What are your writing strengths? 

I'm great with dialogue and with passing on emotions to readers, and I think I'm pretty funny and good with metaphors and descriptions

17. What are your writing weaknesses? 

I really struggle with writing action and with pacing out stories in a way that lets all of the characters grow along with the narrative

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

I have no issue with it, but I'm not sure it's something I've done? Partly because I'm only fluent in English and my smattering of German and French wouldn't be very helpful with that lol

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

Encyclopedia Brown, actually, and I'm sure my mom still has the stories somewhere

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

So, caveat--this is the fic I'm most proud of having finished and shared, making it my favorite for very personal reasons. I started i am loving myself out of the dark as both a response to @probsnothawkeye's coffee shop AU series and as a way to process some of my own trauma, and in the year since I finished it, I've actually used pieces of it as touchstones on my healing journey

On that very light note lol, here's a handful of tags, if you'd like to do it: @therealandian, @cirrus-grey, @ollieofthebeholder, and anyone else who'd like to share about their fics!

[tastyfishistasty]

13 years on Tumblr retrospective

Having looked through all the posts I personally made since 2010 I can see so many changes and so many things that have stayed the same. It's been sad and interesting and also some good bits!

The world spins ever on.

Followers and Following

My lovely lovely mutuals and followers have always been so kind and so helpful 💜💜💜, so many posts and conversations that I forgot, but were like little treasures to find!

It makes me so sad to know some of the people I interacted with so often are no longer here and I have no way of finding them. I miss them and I hope they are happy and doing well.

I've still never broken into having 100 followers, but those that do follow me are the best 🎉

Fandoms etc

I miss some of the fandoms I used to care so much about! Merlin, Bluestone 42, HTTYD, supernatural, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Brooklyn 99, Narnia...

Some I will watch occasionally, some not with a barge pole.

Then of course the big two that I can't touch anymore that make me sad because people are awful.

There's a post I saw about the first RTX UK which I couldn't go to in the end and I'm gushing about you know who and it makes me sick to remember how much I loved them. I watch Jeremy on twitch and I love him, but I can't watch the back catalogue anymore and I used to watch them on repeat.

I used to have the tag "Achievement Hunter is saving my life". And it did. It gave me things to look forward to and it was good and happy and positive and safe. But it wasn't. It's ruined and it's never coming back.

For the other one... I wrote fan fic, it was how I got into fandom at all! I made my own fandom merch (embarrassing as fuck now), but all that care and effort was not deserved by the creator and I hope she rots away and stops hurting people I care about.

Dragon age has been around for me such a very long time and I wish it worked on my old laptop now EA has updated their app thing.

My MCs have really changed and grown and I see so many mistakes and misunderstandings in my own view of the world, seeing how they've changed and I've changed is really rewarding!

Me!

Looking back at some of my OG posts, I was so good at hiding that I was ace. I assumed I was normal, I'd had a serious boyfriend!

Yeah no. You can track my nonsense as I figure it out, the "thirst" posts disappearing and my Sherlock phase was getting worse (yes, that's how I figured out what Asexual was, when someone said Sherlock Holmes was... the shaaaaaaame 🤦).

And by "thirst" posts, I mean "isn't X pretty? I like his face". That's it.

My dude, that is aesthetic attraction not romantic or sexual. You are asexual as fuck, stop trying to not be.

Then there's the "I'm double A not triple A, what a shame!" posts. Shockingly, wanting to be Agender too but feeling it can't be you, because it's only for people who know exactly what they are... is a sign you might actually be Agender.

It's both more complicated and not complicated at all with my gender, but Agender works and I like being a tiny battery, so I got here eventually.

Most recently there's the mental health side. I use a side blog for that, but it's still on Tastyfishistasty. It's so sad to look and see me trying so hard to fight my "atypical cyclic depression" and feeling so lazy and broken.

It was ADHD and emotional dysregulation, doc, not a fancy depression.

If my ear doctor hadn't said anything, I don't know if I'd ever have realised. It's scary to know how much of myself was revealed because I didn't actually have hearing problems, I have attention problems and auditory processing issues...

Thank you to anyone that has been on this journey with me, either my lovely followers and mutuals or just for reading this long post!

I'm not going anywhere unless they kick me out as they close the building, this post was born from finally receiving the "made 100 posts" badge and wanting to see how many I'd actually made. (It's 210 original and 15,090 reblogs... so Tumblr needs to learn to count.)

I wish I had time to back this blog up, or at least go through and find the important stuff I don't want to loose, but that's a lot of work and Tumblr does not like me going too far on my own blog, so unless there's a way to put it somewhere else to look... who knows.

Anyway

Thanks everyone 💜

And Tumblr:

[newtabfics]

13 for the q&a? I really like your writing and I'm curious.

How long have you been writing or when did you start?

I'm going to be real. I've been writing since 5th grade. At the time, we were having a creative project and i learned what writing is. I always thought of it as storytelling back then. Well, I ended up writing a fanfic for Neopets, not knowing that it was fanfic. But I also ended up failing the assignment because it was not all original, just the storyline was original. This same fic I ended up posting on the website to share with Neopians and it was featured for like 2 months because it was a mystery about the Dark Faerie and the Detective Scorpio, who really was just Sherlock Holmes.

Since then, I've been writing almost daily actually. I wanted to keep writing. I never really entered any contests though, as my self-esteem wasn't the best and I had trouble FINISHING stories.

But, as of now, in my real life, I've published 2 books and became a script writer for my ASMR friends. It's kind of insane actually when you think about it.

I'm also writing the storyline for my friend's fakemon game they're working on as well as drafting my first VN.

Sharing stories is my favorite thing in the world. I can't imagine what I'd be like without this gift.

[whoseafraidofliloleme]

Answering these cause I'm bored and felt like it 😂. It's all going in one post so after question 5 I'll put in read more.

1. Depends, if I'm writing on the the way to work or uni then I'm definitely listening to either Taylor Swift or K-pop literally got a playlist titled that 😂. If I'm at home and the idea has come I'm most likely not listening to anything 😂.

2. Nope. Very much Not Beta Read We Die Like Men. Probably why when I read back on various screenshots I see typos 😂.

3. Second person cause I write reader inserts 😂. In general as a reader I prefer third person or second person. Sorry I don't know what it is abt first person pov fics that I just can't stand them.

4. Man I barely know what tenses I write in and I'm getting a degree in English to go on and be an English teacher 😭🤷🏽‍♀️.

5. Eh, the one written fic Ive got Invisible is 32k and I thought it was gonna be short and sweet but that never happened. I guess novel length cause practically all of my smaus are over 10 chapters 😂. I haven't gotten to 40 chapters yet but knowing me it's a goal to have a smau be 40 chapters 😂😂.

6. Multi chapters. There's a reason I've only got like 3 one shots 😂. Most of my ideas end up becoming smaus that I couldn't contain in a one shot 😂.

7. I do enjoy a rarepair. Some of the rarepair fics that I've read are insanely amazing and I guess my thing is the lack of fics for a rarepair but that's the whole point isn't it 😂.

8. I'd like to think that in my True Beauty fanfic everyone was in character but since I mainly wrote K-pop smaus I guess I write the various idols as wildly out of character in terms of how they truly are compared to the stupidity in my fics.

9. I've got too many tropes/cliches that I love. So I'll name a few. Fake Dating has always been a fave. Arranged marriage is a fun one 😂. Sunshine/grumpy pair I love writing. Bad boy/good girl is a classic. Love a good screaming at each other then they kiss moment 😂.

10. Not really a fan tbh.

11. Do y'all have the time? I'll go the first ones that come to mind are Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper. Marinette Dupain Cheng and Damian Wayne. Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton. (Fyi this are just my otps that I read fics abt. If we're talking general otps there's hundreds. )

12. Anything involving Snape. I just hate that man as a character and he doesn't deserve a happy ending. I said what I said.

13. Fluff. I don't mind smut but I'm skim reading it.

14. Both, in my writing I love a good bit of angst but in a fic I'm reading, sometimes I just want to cry abt there being too much angst.

15. There's no rhyme or reason tbh. Anything can lead to inspiration then it's just me constantly thinking abt it and talking abt this idea to myself out loud and figuring it out.

16. Write by the seat of my pants. I've generally got a rough idea of where I want the story to go and then it's chapter by chapter 😂. I can't plan fics or essays to save my life.

17. Invisible I didn't but I'm planning on going back and giving the chapters titles cause I think chapters titles are just fun and they help give me an idea of what I wanna do in that chapter 😂.

18. None. I think I've seen them all at this point that I'm not surprised by them or care.

19. Knowing that people like what I put out. The whole concept of people liking the stuff I write doesn't make sense to me. I'd like to think I'm better at accepting praise for my writing but I think there will always be that insecurity and doubt about whether my stories are worth the praise and love they get. Another thing is, I have people who reblog and I'm grateful but I wish they'd reblog with a comment or reply to the chapter or something that lets me know what they thought. Just a reblog while great and I'm thankful for doesn't tell me what you thought and thats what I'd like to know.

20. Don't let fear stop you from writing or a lack of engagement stop you.

[chaos-and-sparkles]

🍄🧩

Oooh man this has been sitting in my inbox for a while i swear i meant to answer it lmaoo

Thanks for asking yippeee :D

🍄 - let's see, it's hard to pick a particular ship so I'm just gonna do my current top 3. For Johnlock (ACD canon/Granada Holmes specifically); headcanon that Watson operates under the firm belief that Sherlock enjoys the crosswords and lil puzzles in the newspaper because of a singular time Sherlock got excited and infodumped about the effects of the British railway on local bee populations or something when Watson asked him for a help with 13 across, and so he never does the puzzles himself anymore and just always leaves them for Sherlock to do, often folding the newspaper to that page once he's done with reading it (it's also a not-so-subtle way of trying to stimulate his brain enough that he lays off the cocaine for a bit). Sherlock actually gives zero shits about the crossword, he thinks the whole thing is inane and ridiculously easy as long as you know some basic general knowledge (and he swears this has nothing to do with the fact that he trips up over the surprisingly simplest things sometimes), but he thinks it's sweet and cute and so he never dissuades Watson of this notion. Conversely, on the rare occasion that he's done with the paper first, he leaves it open to the funny haha cartoons for Watson. He likes seeing him laugh, even though personally he doesn't think the jokes are that funny.

For chaipunk (this works more for a no powers regular life au but works either way); I firmly believe Hobie can and will steal Pavitr's socks when the opportunity arises. Just one sock of each pair. He returns them by leaving them in the unlikeliest places without saying anything, like on top of the fridge. It happened by accident the first couple times but now he just thinks Pav is cute with mismatched socks and funny when he's miffed about not finding them. (He had not counted on Pav just buying plain identical socks so they're all the same, in retaliation) (Pav absolutely knows what's going on, he just thinks it's funny to let Hobie think he doesn't know).

For Jonmartin; Martin likes dipping fries in milkshake and Jon wholeheartedly disapproves of his life choices ("THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO BE EATEN LIKE THA - STOP - I'M CALLING THE AUTHORITIES, BASIRA GET HERE -") but the one time Martin made him try it, he really liked it, like REALLY really liked it, but he has to keep pretending he hates it for the sake of his reputation. (Melanie catches Jon eating fries and milkshake like that once in secret, and torments him forever, threatening to tell Martin since he gave him so much shit for it. Martin has fully clocked onto this fact but it's funnier to watch Jon suffer in a situation of his own making than let him off the hook.)

🧩 - It's been a while since I encountered a fic I need to click off, but "orbs" "member", using sensitive subjects as plot devices for romance to happen, and calling energetic characters "adhd" as a joke definitely are up there. Also when people clearly have a special little boy and so the universe must warp around this character to prove they're the best. Also - most commonly - when I'm just not invested and it's more than a fourth of the way through.

[galahads-hart]

Saw this on @lemotmo blog and wanted to give it a go. Thank you for making this an open challenge! 

1-How many works do you have on ao3?

82 across multiple fandoms. 

2-What’s your total Ao3 word count?

Incredibly I’ve written 2,162,389 words (god knows how many I’ve written if I counted my old fanfiction dot net stories)

3-What fandoms do you write for?

The ones I have the most works for are…

Supernatural (Destiel, Sabriel, Moosley, Becky/Sam, Balthazar/Jo, Cas/Mick)

Teen Wolf (Sterek, Pydia and Chris/Peter)

Hawaii Five-0 (McDanno)

BBC Sherlock (Johnlock)

Kingsman (Hartwin)

Whitechapel (Jo/Emmerson)

Sons of Anarchy (Tig/Kozik)

Lewis (Lewis/Hathaway)

Torchwood/Doctor Who (Ten/Rose, Janto)

But I have written shorter fics for other fandoms: Cabin Pressure, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, You Me Her, Suits, Game of Thrones, Merlin, Neighbours

4-Top 5 fics by kudos?

Something More Than Human - Teen Wolf: Sterek [1,417]

Samhain: The Scent of Moonlight - Teen Wolf: Sterek [1,349]

What’s Best For Everyone, Isn’t What’s Easy - Teen Wolf: Sterek [807]

Oh, But That One Night - Hawaii Five-0: McDanno [800]

The Internship: Sterek Style - Teen Wolf: Sterek [760]

5-Do you respond to comments?

I try to. Even if it's just a thank you.

6-What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Honestly, I think it might be The Painter, which is kind of a dark gothic fic based on the Chris de Burgh song of the same name.

7-What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I can’t even begin to answer that as almost all my fics have happy endings, but I like the endings of 

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery Ex [BBC Sherlock - Johnlock]

The Way Old Friends Do [Kingsman x Mamma Mia - Hartwin]

8-Do you get hate on your fics?

Uh... I get people complaining about my grammar and spelling, (not as much anymore thankfully) and I did have some write me angry about how I'd written Scott in a Teen Wolf fic,

9-Do you write smut?

Now I do. It took a while for me to get comfortable with it, but now…definitely. Though it is usually in the confines of a fluffy/angst fic

10-Craziest crossover?

I struggled to think of one at first, because my crossover aren’t that crazy, but then I remembered I wrote a fic while on holiday with my family that is…yeah, definitely the craziest one I’ve written. (and probably the worst too)

August: When You’re On The Beach You Steal The Show [BBC Sherlock x Butlins Skyline Gang. Johnlock]

11-Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. 

12-Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes 

At His Side [Supernatural - Becky/Sam]  in Italian

13-Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No.

14-All time favorite ship?

I don't really have a single favourite ship, because each ship means something different to me. I mean, there's Garashir, who I was shipping before I even knew what shipping was. There's Destiel who introduced me to fandom and fanfiction. Johnlock had me exploring my sexuality and questioning what I thought I knew about myself. while simultaneously leaving me with show-runner trust issue. And Sterek is my comfort ship.

15-What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

God, I have so many WIPs that will likely never get finished. But one that frustrates me is a Marvey fic I have been writing and rewriting since season 3 that I know deep down will never see the light of day.

16-What are your writing strengths?

Honestly, I have no idea. You'd have to ask my readers. Uh....people have complimented my characterisation, so I guess that's a strength, and I think my dialogue is alright.

17-What are your writing weaknesses?

That one is easy, grammar and spelling. I shave always struggled since school where I had to have special help, but I guess either I wasn't paying attention or it just didn't take, because a lot of the grammar rules just aren't in my head. So I tend to get comments complaining about my grammar. Which can be annoying because all they say is its bad but don't tell me how. If I got it wrong the first time, what makes you think I can fix it.

18-Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Uh, I mean personally I'm fine with it - Unless its a whole paragraph of text. I just copy/paste it into google translate if need be. If its a fantasy language, then I'm screwed.

19-First fandom you wrote in?

Angel but it was on a floppy disk so is unlikely to ever see the light of day.

20-Favorite fic you’ve written?

I have two

You Belong to Me [Supernatural - Sabriel] Because I love to go back and read it.

The Way Old Friends Do [Kingsman x Mamma Mia- Hartwin] because I had so much fun writing it and really missed it when I was done.

Tagging: I'm not tagging anyone in particular. Anyone who sees this, feel free to do it for yourself. Tag me so that I can read it

[hechiima]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thought this would be fun with the end of the year!

1. How many works do you have on A03?

31.

2. What's your total A03 word count?

398,723. I'm really proud of this number tbh; never thought I'd write this much. Was hoping to hit 400k by the end of 2023 but I don't think that's gonna happen. Here's to hoping I hit half a million by this time next year!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

AA/DGS

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

You Ever Been In Love?

Things Are As They Are

On the Morality of Birds

Awkward Business

The View from the Gallery

No DGS fics. I know its a smaller fandom so it makes sense but still. 🥲 Also I swear I'll finish Awkward Business someday I'm just. So deep into Sherlock Holmes/DGS hell atm. ;A;

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

I never do unless it's a specific question. I used to but then I got overwhelmed/I never knew what to say so I just stopped. That said, I read all of them and they really mean a ton to me!!!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Prob Running Late or Shoulder Pain. I'm not really good with angsty endings so I usually only keep it angsty in the shorter fics lmao.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Lololol I think most of my fics have happy endings so that's a hard one.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! Thankfully, I think the hate on fics trend has died down a lot since the ff.net days.

9. Do you write smut?

Hell yeah. Please read my smut I'm so proud of it. I'm also on a quest to boost the hmmk smut tag on ao3 so if y'all have any smut you wanna see for them lmk.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope. My dream fic of a holmesverse crossover will happen someday though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Thankfully no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I've had a few translated to Russian and Chinese. Honestly it's insanely flattering when ppl ask to translate a fic like ough you liked my story so much you wanted to share it with others who don't speak English? It's so sweet. ;A;

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

Okay so Mango and Krissey and I started an amazing pirate AU and l adore it. And someday. We will finish it. I believe in us. I'd love to co-write a fic tho so if anyone's interested please hmu I think it'd be so so fun.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Ugh. Johnlock/Hmmk or Nrmt have to be like. The only ships that made me insane enough to write multiple fics over so it's def them. I love insanely codependant relationships.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There's so many. But off the top of my head, I have a fantasy AU that Beau and I came up with that I still love a ton (Finding You) and want to finish and a Edgeworth ends up in a Gregory lives AU (In Another Life) that I'm not sure if I'll ever finish. The former is just so much work and the latter I've kinda lost the plot thread so. Ough. Sorry.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

aksfjjalsjflsjf everything else LMAO. That's why we practice!

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

I don't love doing it? I've done it like once for a fic where language was important but other than that I try to avoid doing it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

....hetalia..........it was the only other fandom i wrote for before AA. This was like in 2009/2010 tho I know better now but those fics ARE still up on fanfiction.net (: It sucks b/c sometimes I wanna compare my old writing to my current writing but I'm like ough. I cannot read these old fics.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I'd have to say A Study In Gold. I genuinely love that one so much. Thinking about hmmk early days makes me insane. I also really liked On the Morality of Birds b/c it was just such a supremely stupid fic.

@anyone who sees this and writes fic please feel free to do it! I'd love to see others talk about their fics <3

[kirk-understander]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Tagged on my main but I'm going to answer this here, if thats okay :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

As of yesterday: 30!!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

89,815 words (from June 2023 to now)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Pretty much exclusively Star Trek TOS

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Human Resources: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52524067

The other side of the dresser: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48085150

Up we go: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49781029

Eurydice, stay with me: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48124630

My mother never cried a lot: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48685723

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

WIPs nonwithstanding, I don't actually write angsty endings (anymore)! So got nothing on this account because canon was angsty enough, they deserve a happy ending.

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

I think my entire series is a collection of happy endings :D

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nothing so far, thankfully!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I'm so tempted to translate my own work into yiddish

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

My beta reader @hrmmmm13 and I have been planning one since the beginning of time but so far, its just notes. Stay tuned though ;)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oof, tough question. Spirk has me in a chokehold but I like many ships from many different fandoms, starting with OG Sherlock Holmes / Watson to McKirk and McSpirk

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

It's another Spirk kid fic AU where Jim is an instructor at the academy and Spock is transferring from the VSA for one semester - you'll never guess what happens next ;)

16. What are your writing strengths?

I got a lovely comment once that said that my writing has a sort of wavey flow, a cadence that is very enjoyable to read, I'm still thinking about that every time I write. But I think, dialogue is my greatest strength.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Definitely action (and paragraph breaks T-T) - I put way too many of those. I definitely struggle with balancing dialogue and action, but thankfully, I've got help.

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

Like I said, Yiddish Spirk is on my mind all the time, but I sTruggle with the hebrew keyboard on the computer so probably not for a while XD

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I think Harry Potter when I was around 12 and before that, just original works.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Also tough question..... I’m really invested in Up we go (see above) and the sequel that I’m working on.

Thanks for tagging me!

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Tagged by @rngaredead :)

For simplicity's sake I'm going to go with just my biDEMONium/trentcrimminallybeautiful ao3 and not try to combine it with my thesorrowoflizards one (why do i have more than one? because i was, among other things, an idiot who didn't know how pseuds worked next question) even though that would probably double some of these numbers lkfjgh

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Again, just on this account? 171 (some of those are oneshot compilations though)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

661,851 for now

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Ted Lasso, The Mysterious Benedict Society, The House on the Cerulean Sea, House MD, Death by Dying, Instinct, King Falls AM. Also, sort of Gravity Falls. Mostly those first two though, tbh. This one I think I will include other fandoms I've written and posted for on other accounts because it's fun and less about math. So also Shadowhunters, The Librarians, The Mentalist, The Dresden Files (TV), Roswell New Mexico, The Sandman, Star Trek, Professor Layton, Sanders Sides, Miraculous Ladybug, and sort of The Legend of Zelda. Also see, for unposted or posted a very long time ago and no longer something I would willingly share, Supernatural, Dirk Gently (both 2016 and 2010), Doctor Who, Warehouse 13, SurrealEstate, Person of Interest, Haven, Leverage, Bones. Psych, and probably more

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Ted Lasso Kisses Trent Crimm On The Mouth (Trent/Ted - 1,157 kudos)

semaphore (Trent/Ted; Trent & Colin - 997 kudos)

off the handle (Trent/Ted - 736 kudos)

linger (Trent/Ted - 709 kudos)

a preacher, a bikini, and a kiss or two (Trent/Ted; Diamond Dogs - 673 kudos)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to but I always get really busy/tired and then it's been so long it feels like it would be weird if I did. Plus, sometimes my answers by nature of the comments can get repetitive and then even though I'm being sincere I feel insincere which sucks. However, if a comment has a direct question or something I actually have like, something unique to say about, I'm much more likely to respond sooner rather than later/never. I appreciate every single comment soooo much though literally my motivation to get through the day like 80 percent of the time

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

I'm going to stick with Ted Lasso fics here since I have so many fics posted and this is my Ted Lasso sideblog and say... well, most of the time I have a bittersweet ending and then some sort of hopeful epilogue (such as with ink sunset and make a mess of you) but I guess betrayal's sting / absolution's balm or something to get off my chest may qualify?

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

Uhhh, honestly, most of them are happy endings. I think trick & treat and matters of the heart end on particularly high notes?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not in this fandom! Yet

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Oh, yeah, baby. So much. Not sure what "kind" means in this context. It sure is explicit smut. I have tended almost exclusively towards hot transgender sex the last few years because. yknow. hi. but somehow I don't think that's the intention in the question.

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

I do, but I haven't posted a lot. Only one on this account (a Gravity Falls x The Mysterious Benedict Society crossover that started as a joke because of a shared actress) although I had an interesting Shadowhunters x The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess fusion on my other account. I've written some pretty weird WIPs, though. And I've got some posts about Ted Lasso crossover/AUs, like a Sarah Jane Adventures AU, a Pushing Daisies AU, a Stardust AU... You can find that kind of thing in this tag on my blog.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes. Not in this fandom, though, as far as I'm aware.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Again, not in this fandom, though.

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

Not really.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oh, man, I don't know if I can decide. Magnus/Alec (TV version only I'll die on this hill) will always hold a special place in my heart, but I've got other "obsessed with this when I was a kid" ships and also recency bias/current hyperfixation means Trent/Ted screams as an immediate answer, and so on and so forth. I'm bad at picking favorites. Overall, I'd probably say one of those two, or both.

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

Sticking to Ted Lasso again (I have. so many MBS WIPs. god.) I'd say lost sight of (who you are) (lost motivation, want to finish, fuck!!) or sweeter than heaven (hotter than hell) (got mad at it), or!! oh!!! ink sunset (stuck) and possibly the next installment of matters of the heart. Yeah, I have a problem

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty good at being funny and also at eloquent but perhaps a little too verbose metaphors. I love me an elaborate metaphor

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

It's hard for me to focus and get what I have in my head out sometimes, even when I really want to. Whether it's being unable to organize or just my brain flat-out refusing to cooperate and do anything. Also, I'm way too like. easily discouraged with lack of feedback, and even a little negative feedback can kind of ruin my week and make me never wanna go back to that story ever again.

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

I just realized. The questions seemed familiar but I wasn't sure why and now I know, now that I've gotten to this question. I have done this game before and I remember bc of this question. I was confused bc it was under a different name, I think the questions were in a different order, and it was sometimes slightly differently worded but nope! This is the same one! Weird Anyway, just for this particular question, I'm going to copy-paste my old answer because I'm lazy. I’m extremely bad at linguistics in general, so if I must include someone talking in another language in my fic, I think I’d tend to cheat and do italics or some other indication that this is ‘in another language’ (ie “Where are you going?” she asked in Russian), but that’s admittedly a lazy approach. But I also think it’s probably better than butchering it with an auto-translator? Also, when people just include the translation in the end notes, even with a link (although that makes it marginally better) it breaks the flow of the story and makes it hard to read. Making an effort to at least match grammar is good (which I would do if it was for longer than a single scene, probably) but I think the best solution is when people know what they’re doing and like, have an actual translation with a little html code so you can click on it and it reveals what it means? Or if you’re clever, revealing what it means using context around it, but that has its own limitations. So that both like, uses the actual language and doesn’t break up the flow. It balances accessibility, flow, and respect for the other language in question well. But you’ve got to both know what you’re doing with the language (either asking someone/hiring someone/knowing the language yourself) and the html (although there are guides for that you’d have to spend time figuring it out + know it exists in the first place to look). And this is fanfiction, something we ultimately do for free in our spare time, so the lazy approach, I think, can be understandable. Maybe not in every context, but it’s not worth stressing a lot over in a few random lines or anything, you know? It is really cool when people do know a language well enough to include it properly in a fic, though, it can say a lot about a character or dynamic; and their background(s) and like. it’s neat :)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Ever? Doctor Who. And I don't remember the order, but after that I know I wrote some stuff about Star Trek (mostly TNG but I believe also TOS), Supernatural, A:LTA, Marvel, WTNV, and the Stanley Parable? I think I first posted either Supernatural or WTNV

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I have no idea. Some of my top ones (for Ted Lasso again) would be matters of the heart and trick & treat I suppose?

Tagging: whoever wants to do this man, I probably tagged everyone I'd normally tag last time so if you see this and you wanna do it, go ahead and tag me and do it!

[mostweakhamlets]

Fears: Millennial AU WIP

A very rough WIP for my millennial/vlogger AU. It’s very rough and will be on AO3 after polishing! NOT A BBC SHERLOCK FIC. 

Summary of AU: John Watson starts making video blogs about Sherlock Holmes after he gets no credit in the Jefferson Hope case (from the novel A Study in Scarlet). Holmes, however, has failure after failure without proper support from the police and without enough experience. They’re just millennials killing the police industry. But really, they’re poor and young. Someone help them. 

It’s meant to be a late-coming-of-age AU set between the seven year gap in canon--before the The Sign of the Four and after A Study in Scarlet. 

They had started putting aside money every week to make sure they had enough to keep little luxuries in the apartment. They found the cheapest wine that they both liked and always kept at least one bottle in the fridge, opening it when they had particularly rough days.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

The best way to open to one another was to be a little tipsy. Holmes especially found it easier to talk after a couple glasses of wine.

"Scotland Yard is always a step ahead of me, and they keep taking credit for my work."

They sat across from each other, curled up in their chairs. It was nearing midnight. The sky was dark, and the television was on a late night news channel that was repeating the same depressing news from that evening. Watson could have been asleep already, but they had an unspoken agreement that they had to stay up for each other during these nights. It was cathartic to be up so late in their quiet apartment when the rest of the city was still running like it had all day. It gave Watson a sense of security and growing camaraderie. Maybe a little youth, too, which too often felt like it was slipping from his fingers at the end of his 20s.

"They'll have to stop someday," he said.

"What if they don't? That's what I'm worried about. What if I'm constantly losing credit for work."

They would hardly talk about these times, though. It was too sensitive, and the conversations could only exist in these conditions. But at these times, they let go of whatever they needed to.

"I want to hear that you're scared."

Holmes looked up. His eyes were glassy and didn't understand. Didn't want to understand. He built up so many walls Watson knew from the first day they met. It would take work to break them down to see the vulnerability that he knew Holmes had. It would take time. Holmes was so afraid of looking powerless. Revealing his worries deepest fears would unravel everything he had crafted for himself. To protect himself. From the manipulative eyes of criminals and police offers. From anyone who could break him down for their benefit.

He looked at Watson almost like a kid.

"Tell me that you're scared," Watson repeated.

"Why?"

"Because you need to hear it from yourself."

Holmes rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious. When was the last time you admitted you were scared of something?"

"Fears are for children."

"Sherlock, you're never going to outgrow having fears."

He pressed his knuckles to his mouth.

"I'm afraid still," Watson said.

"I don't mean that no adults have fears," Holmes said. "I mean that I don't have fears because I'm not going to waste my time excessively worrying about things that may or may not happen and that may not even be in my control. I deal with things as they happen. I worry as they happen. I won't waste my time with hypotheticals."

"That's bullshit. You have to be afraid of something. Everyone is. You can't control it."

Watson leaned over to pour more wine in his own glass. He sat back and watched Holmes. The more he drank, the harder it was for him to hide from Watson.

"I'll tell you what I'm afraid of."

Bargains worked sometimes.

"I think I know what you're afraid of."

"What am I afraid of?"

"That you've wasted time. You tried a military career, and that didn't unfold like you wanted it to. Now you're struggling to find a practice to work in, and you're uncertain where to go because you're worried you're going to get stuck in a career you settled for."

"That's generic. That could be anyone about to turn 30."

"Is it wrong?"

Watson sighed. "No."

"See? Fears are pointless. You're not going to get stuck because you spent years studying to be a doctor, and now that you are one, you're either going to be consumed by regret regardless of your career path or your going to be satisfied because you learned how to take care of people and see them in a different way. It's a gift, John. But the fear of living in constant disappointment isn't going to help you. Almost everyone else has that fear, so the herd mentality drives to think that there's a much higher chance of it happening that what there really is."

Holmes was clever, and his words brought an odd comfort to Watson. But the self-righteousness of it made Watson dismiss any truth he said.

"I'm afraid of becoming an alcoholic."

Holmes bit his lip.

"One of the first things you knew about me was that my brother was an alcoholic," Watson said. "In my first year of university, I had to take a psychology class. My professor told us that addiction is genetic, and ever since then I've been afraid that I'm going to be an alcoholic like my brother."

"And other family?"

"My dad. When he was younger."

Holmes was quiet. Sometimes it took him a little time to process heavier emotional conversation. Watson was patient. He knew that silence wasn't an indicator of anything bad.

"I'm afraid that dropping out of university was an irreparable mistake."

They so rarely talked about Holmes dropping out of school. It never seemed like a big deal to Watson. When it came up for the first time, he had just shrugged and said, "It doesn't work for everyone."

"I could have had a degree in forensics and maybe have the Yard take me more seriously. And maybe have more resources or connections... and maybe be more successful by now."

"Do you think you would have worked for the police?"

"No!"

The somber moment was lost, and Watson broke into a smile at Holmes's disgust.

"So if you were still going to be an unconventional detective, why go about getting there in a conventional way? I'm sure you've taught yourself more than you could learn in a classroom. Besides, degrees don't really mean anything. They're just paper that says you satisfied requirements. What matters with a degree is that you learned something. And I think that you've learned plenty--and about things that the Yard knows nothing about. So why should the paper matter? The Yard'll realize that you're valuable to them and that papers don't mean anything."

Holmes's face was red from either the wine or Watson's compliment.

"What happened tonight?"

"Lestrade doesn't want me involved in his new case. I think promotions are being decided soon, and he doesn't want anything interfering with his minuscule chance of becoming a DCI."

"He'll get over it when he doesn't get promoted."

"But it'll still be my fault somehow." Holmes drained the last of his wine. "If something goes great, the inspectors get the credit. If something goes wrong, it's all on me. The only time they were almost willing to give me credit was when you made a video about the Jefferson Hope case."

"Really? That worked?"

"You didn't realize that when it became popular, the Yard would be in hot water for not giving me credit? It was hilarious. You scared them."

Watson straightened up. "I scared them?"

"It was almost a PR scandal."

"What if I uploaded more about your cases?"

"Do what you want."

"They might get a little more attention drawn to you rather than the Yard."

Holmes was drowsy from the wine. Watson could tell by the way he sank back into his chair and grinned.

"You can always come with me when I go out for cases. If clients don't mind, you can sit in on meetings. And maybe an appearance at Scotland Yard would bully them into letting me in on more interesting cases."

"Alright. I'd love to. I'm not doing anything else with my time."

"We can split the pay 50/50."

Watson would have done it for free. "We'll talk about it later. You don't make enough to split it."

"But either way we'll be partners."

The word made Watson's heart swell.

"Partners," he echoed.

He left his unfinished wine on the coffee table and walked to Holmes. He offered a hand and helped Holmes to his feet.

If their drinking sessions didn't end with a resolution, they would normally drink until they could come up with a superficial one under the deceptive haze of alcohol. It wasn't a bad way of coping. They never thought of it that way because eventually the need for drinking lessened. Eventually they were able to sit together and talk over dinner or in front of a camera if it was entertaining.

Eventually they were closer and warmer.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello, fantastic fanfiction-finding fairy godmother! *hugs*

Could you perhaps recommend a fic like radioactive trees in a red forest but maribor_petrichor, a long (not necessarily) john-centric post-s4 slowburn? With extra pain, please. Like, I'll take a whole bottle of that pain. Just- just dollop that stuff on, it'll be fine, trust me.

Yours, anon :)

Hey Lovely!

First the fic:

Radioactive Trees In A Red Forest by Maribor_Petrichor (E, 280,251 w., 73 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-S4, Suicidal Ideations, Alcohol / Rx Drug Abuse, Coming Out / Bisexual John, Seizures, Past/Referenced/Implied Child Abuse, Hallucinations, Rehab, Celibacy, Sobriety / Relapse, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Psychological Trauma, Nice /Not Anti-Mary, John’s POV, Parentlock, First Time, Angst, Switchlock, Angst with Happy Ending) – John Watson is what happens when a man can no longer see a reason to go on. John Watson is what happens when a man starts to let go. "It is what it is." John Watson is what happens when what "it is" becomes too much to bear. This is a story of the life, death, and resurrection of John Hamish Watson.

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Secondly, I haven't read this one, so I can't personally suggest any similar fics, but here are some of my fave angsty post S4 John fics:

Act IV by SilentAuror (E, 39,707 w., 1 Ch. || First Person POV Sherlock, HLV Fix-It, Infidelity, Angst, Drama) – After Sherlock is shot, John moves back into Baker Street. They spend the autumn together as John tries to make sense of his life and make some important decisions about both Mary and Sherlock. Canon-compliant, excerpts from His Last Vow.

The Pieces That Fall to Earth by Itsallfine (M, 49,513 w., 84 Ch. || S4 Fix-It, Epistolary, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Parentlock, Past Abuse, Coming Out, Internalized Homophobia, Questioning Sexuality, Mental Health Issues / Therapy, Angst, Happy Ending) – John and Sherlock have hit rock bottom, but with all their armor stripped away, they can finally speak honestly, seek healing, and find the truths that matter most. An epistolary post-s4 fix-it fic. Now complete. (This fic is rated T except for one very clearly marked and easily skippable chapter, which is rated M.) Part 1 of The Pieces that Fall to Earth

In the Dark Hours by hubblegleeflower (E, 51,639 w., 12 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Unreliable Narrator, Closeted Bi John, Angst, Miscommunications, Slow Burn, First Time, John’s Blog / Epistolary, Selective Mutism) – John, wounded and silent, drifts back to Baker Street for healing...and then goes home again. He visits, gets more upbeat, chattier, smiles, jokes... and still goes home again. Sherlock wants him to move back in - it just makes sense - but John shows no signs of doing so. This is the story of how John and Sherlock learn to say what needs to be said when they're both so very, very rubbish at talking.

The Book of Silence by SilentAuror (E, 60,056 w., 2 Ch. || S4 Fix It / Post S4, Virgin Sherlock, Rosie / Parentlock, Domesticity, Fluff, Praise Kink, Sex Toys, First Person POV) – As spring blooms in London, John and Sherlock begin to take new cases and cautiously negotiate this new phase of life with John living at Baker Street again. Despite how well it's all going, John struggles to forgive himself for the way he treated Sherlock following Mary’s death as well as trying to figure out how to finally put his long-time feelings for Sherlock into words. Part 1 of The Book of Silence/Rosa Felicia

The Bells of King's College by SilentAuror (E, 64,019 w., 5 Ch. || Post-S4, Missed Opportunities, Angst with Happy Ending, Fake Relationship, Case Fic, John POV, Jealous John, John in Denial, Travelling / Holidays, Virgin Sherlock, Wedding Proposals) – It's only been two weeks since Eurus Holmes disrupted their lives when Mycroft sends John and Sherlock to Cambridge to pose as an engaged couple at a wedding show in the hopes of solving six unsolved deaths...

White Knight by DiscordantWords (M, 69,840 w., 13 Ch. || S4 Compliant/Post S4, Marriage For a Case, Jealous John, Pining John, Janine / Sherlock Fake Relationship, Serial Killers, Case Fic, Undercover as a Couple, Weddings, John is a Mess, Misunderstandings, Wedding Planning, Jealousy, Drunkenness, Love Confessions, Angst with Happy Ending) – Green. The word green was used to convey a great many things. Illness. Envy. Inexperience. Standing there amidst Janine's chattering bridesmaids, watching Sherlock furrow his brow and study fabric swatches, watching him smile and simper and flirt, John thought it a remarkably apt colour choice. Because he felt quite sick to his stomach, he feared the source of said sickness might very well be jealousy, and he had absolutely no idea at all what to do about it. Or: Sherlock needs to fake a relationship for a case. He doesn't ask John.

The Monument of Memory by J_Baillier (M, 79,663 w., 14 Ch. || Post S4 Fix It Fic / S4 is Canon, Angst, Family Drama, Guilt, Case Fic, John Loves Sherlock, Complicated Feelings, Mentalism / Hypnosis, Murder, Grieving John, Sherlock is a Bit Not Good, Team Work, Trust Issues, BAMF John, Psychological Trauma, Protective John, Autistic-Spectrum Sherlock, Parentlock, John POV) –  A genius traumatised by a past he's only beginning to recall. The psychopath sister that time forgot. A missing woman and a mentalist who may or may not be a murderer. And, in the middle of it all, stands John Watson.

The Burning Heart by May_Shepard (M, 119,150 w., 21 Ch. || Canon Divergence / Post-TRF / S3 Rewrite, John’s Sexuality, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV John Watson, Gay John) – When Sherlock dies, John Watson feels like his life is over too. He’s completely shut down, until Mark Morstan, a new nurse at John’s medical clinic, catches his attention, and helps him uncover the long buried truth of his attraction to men. Although he’s certain he’ll never get over Sherlock, John plans to move on, and build a new life with Mark, unaware that Sherlock is not quite as dead as he appears, and that Mark is hiding secrets of his own.

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If anyone has one they'd like to suggest, please do!