#ao3 year wrap (writer edition) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

allylikethecat · 5 months

Note

5, 12, 30 for the rapped askss

AHH thank you kind anon 🙏🏻 if anyone else wants to indulge me and make me the happiest of humans the list of AO3 Wrapped Questions can be found here. (Please... please send more... I will write you anything you want if you send more 🙏🏻 might even do a double fic update if I get my act together and am also sent more lol)

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

I was expecting maybe two people total (myself included!) to read You Know Where the City Is (my Matty / Taylor 2014 Fake Dating AU) and have been so pleasantly surprised that there are more than two of us reading it. Even after the whole May situation, people have continued to be so lovely and I am very grateful. (Sometimes) is another one I was absolutely blown away by the response to. It deals with a difficult, delicate subject matter and people have just been so absolutely lovely, commenting on AO3, and reaching out on Tumblr about it even months later and I am just so thankful to everyone who has given it a chance and also who has reached out. I wasn't expected much of anything with it (especially with it being one of my first fics in the fandom) and am still just absolutely blown away by how receptive and kind everyone is. (Not going to lie it is also still probably my favorite completed fic and one that I am the most proud of.)

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

Too many 💀 Official Running List Below: 1. Hopefully finish Make Way for Ducklings 2. Hopefully finish On a Friday 3. Hopefully finish You Know Where the City Is 4. *NEW* Equestrian AU - first chapter is 100% finished, the next few are in the works - potentially will go rogue and start posting before the new year 5. *NEW* another visit to the Infection Fic 'Verse - Fictional!Matty and Fictional!George getting together the very first time as teenagers (has been started - probably a one shot like the Eye/Ear infection fics) 6. *NEW* yet ANOTHER visit to the Infection Fic 'Verse (my precious baby) - I received a few asks about Fictional!Matty adjusting to life after rehab / post his second inpatient hospitalization and am interested in exploring that as well (rough outline stage - probably a one shot like the Eye/Ear Infection Fics) 7. *New* The Nashville Fic™️ - outlined, chaptered, I am very thankful to the kind anons who were so encouraging with this one because once again I fully thought I was going to be the only audience for it. Because I have no chill there is also more but these projects are my priorities at the moment moving into the new year - don't worry this can and probably will change 💀

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

There have been a few! One is how much fun I have been having writing in this fandom instead of just lurking, and how many special wonderful people I have started chatting with here on the internet because of writing fic. Historically, I just kept to myself and posted my fics without really getting to know anyone else because I'm shy and awkward, and it's been so special throughout the process in this fandom to have made some internet friends 🥰 I am also so shocked by how much the Infection Fic 'Verse has become a thing for me - someone sent me an ask asking if I would write about the whole droopy eye situation this summer and somehow Fictional!Matty decided he had AILMENTS and he needed to SHARE THEM which has been a lot of fun! That version of Fictional!Matty has become very special to me - he is my precious little baby and even if I torment him, I also love him very much.

Thank you, so, so vey much for indulging me and sending in asks for the AO3 Wrapped [writers edition] situation! I find this kind of stuff so much fun and it makes me so ridiculously happy! So thank you so very much kind anon who sent this in! I hope you are having the absolute best day (and if you have any fic / prompt requests send them my way!!) and if anyone else wants to send any the list can be found here.

❤️Ally

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ao3commentoftheday · 5 months

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28 and 30 for the AO3 Wrapped ask game?

Reader edition

28. Did any line/passage stick with you after you read it?

I could quote most of this fic at you, but the one bit that just makes me laugh every time I get to it is,

"It wasn’t really much of a sin, after all. It was all the rage these days. Sex out of wedlock used to be one of the big ones. Back in the fourteenth century, that could get you stoned to death. But now, everyone and their mother was having a go at it…well, obviously."

30. Biggest surprise for you as a reader this year?

I've spent more of this year reading nonfiction than I have fiction, and when I've read fanfic it's been in fandoms I'm only on the edge of rather that ones where I'm fully immersed.

Writer edition

28. Favorite work you wrote this year?

I haven't posted much to AO3 this year and of the handful I have, they're mostly incomplete. I do really like the concept of this one, though. (a medical history podcast explaining the science behind bodyswaps - while the hosts are experiencing that exact situation themselves)

My actual favourite one, though is a Jane Foster/Loki fic I wrote with my best friend and never posted anywhere at all.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

I've always assumed that I'm bad at writing action scenes, but I actually tried a few times this year, and I'm not as bad as I thought! With practice, I think I could actually be pretty darn good at it.

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envysparkler · 4 months

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AO3 Wrapped (Writer's Edition)

How many words have you written this year? 246,800

How many works did you publish this year? 13

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? m.i.a. I loved writing Jason's silly (and smart) goons.

What work of yours has the most hits? with crimson hands.*

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? This is recent, so it's fresh in my mind: fine print. It was like pulling teeth to write it, and I wasn't expecting to get a big response.

Favorite title you used? beware the patient woman.

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? I believe only the above is a song lyric title this year and it's from A Little Wicked by Valerie Broussard.

Pairing you wrote the most for this year? Tim Drake & Jason Todd, as usual.

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? I enjoyed writing Dick & Jason, especially in what's in a name.

What work was the quickest to write? All of them languish for long periods of time in between writing an outline/first scene, but I think I wrote the rest of fine print in an afternoon.

What work took you the longest to write? with crimson hands took forever because I had no idea where I was going with it.

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year? Uhhh, I plead the fifth.

What’s your longest work of the year? leash.*

What’s your shortest work of the year? beware the patient woman.

What WIP are you taking into next year with you? Published? None, though I'm thinking about adding an extra chapter to unrefusable offer.

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag? Whump.

Your favorite character to write this year? Surprisingly, Dick Grayson. I don't know what this says about my sibling issues.

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year? Timmy. My characterization of him is in flux at the moment.

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? Probably write more Dick & Jason.

Which work of yours have you reread the most? with crimson hands, because it took so long to write.

How many kudos in total did you get this year? 59,425

Which work has the most comments? m.i.a.*

Did you do any collaborative works this year? Sadly, no.

Did you write any gifts this year? Yup! A birthday gift, and two exchange fics.

Did you receive any gifts this year? Yup, 4!

What’s your most common category? Gen.

What do you listen to while writing? Nothing, unless I'm writing a longfic, those usually get a playlist.

Favorite work you wrote this year? I had a lot of fun with as you wish.

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? There is a famous saying—misattributed and mistranslated—that claims if you wait long enough by the river, you will see the corpses of your enemies float by. They don’t mention that you have to destroy the dam first. I love this bit, and am still sad that no one appears to have caught the implication.

Biggest surprise while writing this year? That people apparently like my fight scenes, even though to me, it's a fight to get them on the page.

*Ignoring Batcellanea, which is a behemoth that has destroyed my stats permanently.

#ao3 wrapped #writer's edition #this list's been floating around #and I thought I'd try it!

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frownyalfred · 4 months

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ao3 wrapped [writers edition]

Created by @floydsin. I stole it from @lurkinglurkerwholurks

How many words have you written this year? 327,224 words! Dang!

How many works did you publish this year? At least 20, probably more.

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? borderline. That plot was complicated for me and it took a LOT out of me to write it.

What work of yours has the most hits? borderline.

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? a sky of honey. I was surprised at how many people liked the previous fic and wanted to see more! I didn't expect that.

Favorite title you used? savestate. it's a bad pun that made me laugh.

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? I owe Kate Bush for most of my fic titles, lbr.

Pairing you wrote the most for this year? Superbat <3 my beloved

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? Lex & Bruce in a sky of honey was actually a surprise fave. Lex's dialogue and bickering with Bruce is so much fun.

What work was the quickest to write? Ironically, the first few chapters of borderline.

What work took you the longest to write? bloodletting takes a while to update because of the mando'a translations. Probably 3-4x longer than a normal chapter update.

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year? Just one or two so far.

What’s your longest work of the year? a sky of honey, clocking in at 95,618 words.

What’s your shortest work of the year? do it again.

What WIP are you taking into next year with you? too many...

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag? not beta read...so real, bestie.

Your favorite character to write this year? Probably Thomas Wayne, surprisingly. He's so funny to me.

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year? Bruce.

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? Clark/Slade

Which work of yours have you reread the most? borderline since I needed to remember where I was going while writing it, and then probably bloodletting.

How many kudos in total did you get this year? 39,650

Which work has the most comments? borderline. though I had to delete a LOT of threads there so it's probably even higher.

Did you do any collaborative works this year? I bother @januariat every few days to discuss a sky of honey, so yes.

Did you write any gifts this year? Several for @audreycritter and @lurkinglurkerwholurks

Did you receive any gifts this year? Yes -- several from @audreycritter and @lurkinglurkerwholurks as well as a few from folks writing about borderline and a few of my shitposts. Thank you friends <3

What’s your most common category? Gen, somehow?

What do you listen to while writing? My increasingly complex spotify playlists. Depends on the type of writing.

Favorite work you wrote this year? I actually really liked nocturn and synchronicity.

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? It's so hard to decide. Probably one of the mando'a jokes I made in Jason's dialogue.

Biggest surprise while writing this year? People do still tell you to kill yourself over fanfiction online! Bizarre.

#ao3 #ao3 wrapped #ao3 year in review #writing #writers #fic #fanfic #myfic #theresurrectionist #I'm not gonna tag anyone but feel free to do this if you want!

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otomiyaa · 4 months

Note

20 - 22 for ao3 asks?

ao3 wrapped [writers edition]

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most?

None I can think of, I rarely reread my own fics :3

21. How many kudos in total did you get this year?

5,663 kudos!

22. Which work has the most comments?

Well....😂

#ao3 wrapped #ask game #bowuigi

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rissynicole · 1 year

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The End of an Era

Hello Invader Zim folks!

For those unacquainted with me, I am a fanfic writer and sometimes-artist who mainly creates for the IZ fandom. I wrote a fanfiction novel titled A Parade of Indignities, which was actively being written and published between the years of 2017 and 2021.

After I completed the writing for it in 2021, I spent the next year doing some revising and editing for it. It was kind of on-and-off whenever I’d find the time and energy to do it. It occurred to me recently, though, that I was revising the fic indefinitely. I was just never happy with it no matter what. I needed to give my project a deadline and then lay it to rest. The enemy of “done” is “perfect.”

So, over the last few weeks, I have wrapped up my little nitpicks, and have discreetly replaced the old chapters with the new over on AO3 and FFN. What is currently posted on both those sites is the FINAL draft of the fic. All edits, revisions, and rewrites have been finished. I leave the fic as is now: a symbol of where my writing ability was at between the ages 19 and 23. I’m still immensely proud of it, and I hope others enjoy it, too!

For those who have read the fic already: none of the fic’s actual storyline or major themes changed. Even rewrites were fairly minor. Probably the most notable thing I changed was Chapter 28, in which I rewrote, added, and removed some scenes while keeping the same ending.

That said, I guess I’m making this post because I realize the fic is old at this point. (Or I guess it’s old in fandom years? It’s so weird going on Tumblr and seeing people tag IZ art and fic as “fandom classics” when they were made in, like, 2019 or something.) Anyhow, I digress.

If you’re an old reader, a new reader, or someone who just stumbled on this post with no other context, I invite you to check out my fic if you feel so inclined! It’s ZADF, it’s hurt/comfort, it includes some minor characters with major roles (if you like Skoodge, Larb, or 777, this one’s for you), and it’s completed.

As I say a fond farewell to this longtime project, I want to welcome 2023 with all the potential it offers me to start on new writing projects. I can’t wait to start a new adventure. 💛

Archive of Our Own Link

Fanfiction.net Link

Masterpost, in case you would like to know more about the fic.

#invader zim #my writing #a parade of indignities #invader zim fanfiction

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hbyrde36 · 11 months

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My Steddie Fics💜

Updated 04/25/2024

*Works In Progress*

I Don't Think We're In Hawkins Anymore, Big Boy

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch3

Ao3

After being run off the road in a freak accident during a terrible storm, Steve and Eddie find that not only have they committed vehicular manslaughter, but they’ve also somehow been whisked away to a strange land. The journey is rough and they are being hunted for revenge, but through it all Steve and Eddie grow closer than ever as they try and find their way home with the help of some new friends with familiar faces. -Or- A Steddie Wizard of Oz AU

Times Like These (The Anniversary Edition)

CH 1 CH 2 CH 3 CH 4 CH 5 Ch 6 Ch 7

Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11 Ch 12

AO3 Link

When Eddie finds himself back in his living room, staring down a very alive Chrissy Cunningham, after just having bled to death himself in the middle of a nightmare world, he was rightfully very, very fucking confused. -Or- What happens when the new guy, who only just got inducted into the fucked up world of monsters and mayhem, gets stuck in a time loop and finds himself responsible for saving everyone?

No Vacancy

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9

Ao3 Link

When Eddie Munson arrives at the Buckingham Beach Motel to spend the summer with his BFF Chrissy and her business partner Robin, the last person he expects to see waiting in the lobby is former king of Hawkins High and asshole extraordinaire, Steve fucking Harrington.

Steddie/Buckingham, 90's, post-college, no upside-down au, everyone is in their mid 20's, slow burn, pining, light angst with a happy ending, misunderstandings, coming out, eddie is a little shit, and kind of a slut tbh, alternating pov, lifeguard steve, bartender eddie, meddling lesbians, idiots in love

*Completed Works*

Hellfire Ink

Written for the Stranger Things Reverse Big Bang 2023/2024

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

🎲Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8

Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11 Ch 12 Ch 13 Ch 14 Ch 15 ao3 link

Ao3 link

For years Eddie has been playing D&D with his cousin Dustin and his friends. It’s a crazy home brew campaign of his own design that plays fast and loose with the lore, weaving in heavily embellished events from their real lives. They play themselves, filling out a full cast of NPC’s with the likenesses of friends, family, and strangers. It’s been a wild ride. The game is set in Hawkins, but not quite their Hawkins. This manifestation of their hometown is full of dark secrets, including a shady government agency, evil scientists, and another dimension full of dangerous creatures hiding on the other side of reality. They’ve just wrapped their most recent session before spring break 1986. It was a bittersweet end to an epic part of the story. A blast to play through, but they didn’t beat the bad guy, and the party has been left in ruins. Eddie’s character is dead, one of their favorite NPC’s is in a coma, and the world has literally split apart at the seams. Honestly, Eddie’s not sure how they come back from this. - In 1983 Steve Harrington joined the search for a missing boy and found something he never bargained for. In 1984 Steve Harrington disappeared.

Canon was a game of D&D - AU, mystery, secrets, found family, slow burn, friends to lovers, pining, angst with a happy ending, alternating pov, Eddie Munson and Dustin Henderson are cousins, Steve Harrington and Eleven have a sibling relationship

Honey, You're Familiar (Tumblr link)

AO3 link

Written for the Stranger Things Writer's Guild Hozier Project, a collection of one-shots inspired by songs from Hozier's self titled album. The word count limit was 3,000 and I chose the song From Eden

Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Mutual Pining, giving up everything for a chance at happiness, Pre-Relationship, Feelings Realization, Memory Loss, Angst with a Happy Ending

🖤The Crawl

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 (Final)

Ao3 link

Inspired by the VERY little information we have about the Stranger Things writer's plans for season 5 Time travel stories love to play with the idea that one small act can have an incredible impact on the future. What if, in a crazy twist of fate, Will Byers was rescued from the Upside Down a day early and with just a little knowledge of what was to come. Would it be enough to change everything?

POV Will Byers, POV Eddie Munson, POV Steve Harrington, time shenanigans, fix-it of sorts, angst with a happy ending, friends to lovers, falling in love, confessions, first kiss, character death, HAPPY ENDING

🩸Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter

Ao3 link Art Link (art by Penny00Dreadful)

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9

Ch 10 Ch 11 Ch 12 Ch 13 Ch 14 Ch 15 Ch 16 Ch 17(final)

Steve Harrington is an animator. It’s a job that involves raising the dead; sometimes as a service for mourning relatives looking for closure, often as a tool for the courts to settle disputes. Steve Harrington is also a licensed vampire hunter. Two years ago, vampirism became legal in the United States, granting its undead population citizenship. With this new legal status comes a complication for Steve, as he finds himself tasked with helping the very creatures he is accustomed to killing. Speaking of complications, Steve struggles in more ways than one when he finds himself working closely with none other than Eddie Munson, an undeniably sexy several-hundred-years old master vampire. Or, The Anita Blake/Steddie mashup that nobody asked for but I’m having far too much fun with.

Modern AU, Vampire AU (Anita Blake AU/mashup), aged up characters, enemies to lovers, slow burn, eventual smut, dream sex, vampires, wereanimals, zombies, other supernatural things eventually

🌊Caught in the Undertow

Pt 1 P 2 Pt3 Pt 4 Pt 5 Pt 6 Pt 7 Pt 8 Pt 9 Pt 10(final)

AO3

Steve saved Eddie from certain death. Eddie doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to forgive him for it.

Post season 4, angst with happy ending, slow burn, “enemies” to friends to lovers, suicidal thoughts, POV alternating, the best uncle Wayne Munson

⛈️Shelter in Place

Part 1 Part 2(final) AO3

Written for Lex’s Spicy Six Summer Challenge! My prompt was : Hurricane When a major Hurricane is projected to hit Hawkins (technically it’s more like the remnants of a hurricane, but the residents of Hawkins don’t really know the difference or care), Dustin is worried about his new friend and DM, Eddie Munson, who lives in a trailer, a structure not known for its resilience against severe weather. He invites the older boy to ride the storm out with him and his mom at home, unaware that she has made arrangements for them to stay with family that live far away from the storm's trajectory. Dustin doesn’t want to leave his friend high and dry, enter everyone’s favorite babysitter: Steve Harrington.

#steddie #steddie fanfic #steve x eddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #steve harrington/eddie munson #stranger things #ao3 link #ao3 #fanfic #my fics <3 #my writing

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angeart · 5 months

Note

And 29!

--from ao3 wrapped [writers edition]

29: Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

this is a very interesting question! and also very difficult, given the amount of things i've written in combination with my bad memory. so of course i went and dug through things, overthinking this, even though, really, i know exactly what to answer. still, let me take the long route. (because i'm an idiot and there's no other way.)

so first i'll ramble about things i like.

starting with the phrase that always makes me weak, and i don't think i use it enough, but characters just dissipating into giggles—that exact wording. like. c'mon. that. whenever i get to use it, i'm so happy. it's such a lack of control and overflow of joy. the best thing ever.

but if we move into specific passages... (i go on a bit of a tangent, so the rest is under the line-) (dancing scene at the end there and a bit of a hmtb spoiler/sneakpeek/preview for you guys)

i looked over the cursed forest au fic (even with death haunting your footsteps, your flowers will bloom again), looking for pretty sentences, and the problem is, that fic is full of pretty sentences. (i honestly don't know how i did that, but it does make me happy.) something about words like the warzone of his good intentions, you know? (i had more. i'm trying to be concise.) (i promise.)

but really, there's one phrase in that fic that i do think about sometimes still. so it needs to be mentioned. here:

It still hurts, to be treated so gently, but unlike everything else, it hurts in a way he thinks he might be able to survive.

------

i also want to bring up a sentence from Elegy that lives in my head rent-free (this is from chapter 3, which i'm aware is unreleased as of now, but shh):

The grief is a guillotine, and he’s bending forward, hair falling away from his neck, baring skin and bracing for impact.

there's just something about that that refuses to let me go.

------

but! i also enjoyed writing happy things. (shocking)

especially this passage from these flowers will wither (like you and me), but they're not dead yet was very fun to write:

Grian grins at him, something bright and cheeky. “Do you want to try that again?”

There’s a pause when Scar attempts to recalibrate. (He fails.) (He absolutely fails.)

He tries to grab something rational in him, tries to tell himself that Grian means dancing. But his traitorous heart supplies a wholly different answer to him.

Scar pushes himself up and, with fingers sliding along Grian’s jaw, he presses his lips to Grian’s.

(They’re warm. They’re chapped. They’re Grian Grian Grian Grian.)

He feels the vibration of Grian’s laughter against him before he really registers the sound.

“That’s not what I meant,” Grian scolds, but there’s no bite in it; he sounds entirely too pleased and amused, even as he piles a handful of sand on top of Scar’s head in playful revenge.

------

and this honestly now brings me to hmtb. which is where we anchor.

believe it or not, there is a happy scene that i can't stop thinking about (just the sheer power of it, across all the pain and messes and saddness—scar making grian laugh like this.)

------ hmtb chapter 49:

Scar looks at him innocently and presents his question: “What is a romp, Impulse?”

Grian bursts out laughing.

A big, toothy grin spreads across Scar’s face at the sound.

Impulse’s eyes briefly flit to Mumbo and he feels his face get hot. “I— What— That’s not fair!” he whines. “That’s not a truth, that’s a, Scar, I’m not a dictionary!”

At that, Grian laughs harder, bending over. His giggles tip over proper cackling, a bit breathless around the edges, and Scar thinks it’s the most wonderful sound in the whole world.

------ and of course this moment from chapter 47:

Neither of them can help it; their lips treacherously stretch into smiles where they’re pressed against each other, before they both helplessly dissipate into giggles, feeling lightheaded and high.

“What are we doing,” Grian huffs out through his laughter.

“Kissing,” Scar replies cheerfully and demonstratingly places three kisses along Grian’s jaw.

It’s the best thing in the world.

------

bet you didn't expect me to pull out the happy scenes out of this mess of a fic. ha.

but also! one the things i really like and enjoy is throwing anything to do with explosives, tnt, fire, etc, at scar and grian. like this:

Skin tingling and heart feeling like TNT on the verge of explosion, Scar moves to follow him, blindly, willingly, the way he’d follow him anywhere.

and this:

Watching him, Scar laughs quietly. He thinks of the sound the flint and steel makes, of the little click, of the hiss of TNT as it readies itself to cause damage. It sounds like his heart feels. He thinks of sparks that catch on leaves and grass and bark, a tree going up in flames, the catastrophic heat spreading violently to anything it touches, and he wonders if that is how Grian’s heart feels.

------

now, since i'm already rambly. there is one bit of hmtb i keep thinking back to constantly. and it's a particular conversation from chapter 21 (the talk in the middle of a crisis). this bit in particular:

“He wasn’t afraid then. He knew you could kill him, but he wasn’t scared. And you know what, Grian? You didn’t kill him,” he finishes softly.

“I… didn’t kill him?” Grian repeats, dazed and wobbly.

“He wasn’t scared, and you didn’t kill him”

(you guys should keep this in mind too. it might get a callout sometime, uhhhhh, around chapter 100 or so at this rate—)

(don't worry about that, ofc.)

and now for the real answer. (wow.)

because here's the thing. you're asking what's my favourite passage. and really, i love all those other things too, but there's one particular bit of writing that hits closer than any other.

the dancing bits.

the heartachy, complicated, painful dancing bits.

and yes, this ties to the whole fic i wrote about them dancing in the desert, but listen. the purely-hmtb bits? those? those. okay?

here we go:

------ hmtb chapter 37: call of the desert

Scar sighs a little and says: “I miss it.”

“Scar,” Grian’s voice is absolutely unsteady.

They haven’t really talked about the desert, not since it was over.

Nobody ever talks about life games, if they can avoid it.

But now Grian sits here and he has to forcefully remind himself that the skin over his knuckles isn’t torn raw and that Scar’s blood isn’t coating his hands and he has to accept that Scar misses the desert and Grian also misses it, in a way, and it’s all so dizzying, it makes him lightheaded.

“We used to dance,” Scar says thoughtfully. “Why don’t we do it anymore?”

“I forgot how,” Grian barely manages to get out. He didn’t forget. In fact, he remembers every step Scar taught him. He remembers them stumbling together into a fall, a small giggling heap on top of the warm sand, limbs tangled. He remembers the moment when Scar grinned wildly at him, joy bright in his eyes, as they completed a couple of steps without a hitch for the first time. He remembers how they laughed and danced, giddy and high on life in a world that promised nothing but death.

He doesn’t want to remember. It hurts his heart.

“I can teach you again,” Scar suggests softly.

The pain in Grian’s heart just gets worse.

Scar reaches for Grian’s hand, then. Even if they’re both sitting on Grian’s bed and they can’t dance like this, he still slides his fingers underneath Grian’s palm and brings it up, in exactly the same way he held it when they danced. With curved lips, he hums a melody.

Grian looks at him, absolutely wretched. His hand twitches in Scar’s grasp, but he doesn’t pull it away. “Scar,” he half-whispers, in a miserable tone. He meant to say stop, but he can’t bring himself to. So he just pleads, using Scar’s name itself, hoping the other man will get it.

Scar studies Grian for a second, before he lowers their hands. He huffs out a small laugh. “It’s okay. We can leave it for some other time.”

Grian purses his lips. He doesn’t say there won’t be another time. He doesn’t say he doesn’t want this. He doesn’t say that something in him desperately wants this, actually, please Scar please.

------

but, you know what. it isn't over.

this answer has been long enough. i know. i know. (i appreciate and love everyone who bothered to read this far <3 ) but. but there's more.

there is more, and it's so closely related, these scenes are entwined and live snugly side-by-side in my heart. but. here's the thing.

this next bit is 1,2k long, and it's from a chapter that, as of now, hasn't been released yet. for the curious, greedy, hungry souls (love you all to bits), here it is:

------ hmtb chapter [unspecified]

Scar blinks and recalibrates under the scrutiny. His eyes dart to the jukebox and he lets a smile spread across his lips, as he reaches out a hand to Grian. “Hey, G, you wanna dance?”

Grian’s eyes widen a fraction, thrown off by the abrupt suggestion. “I’m… not sure,” he manages to say, eyes dropping to Scar’s invitingly outstretched hand, palm-up and ready for him.

His emotions wrangle in him—a need to be close, to give in, to accept everything Scar’s giving him, pushed violently against the sharp memories of sand and desert, something happy tiding over into blood and pain and misery.

He flexes his fingers, pulls them into a fist and then stretches them out, trying to unknot the tension and release the slight tremble that courses through them. His throat feels dry, all of a sudden.

“It’s okay,” Scar says in the softest tone that never fails to tug at Grian’s heart. “I can lead.”

The music turns mildly cacophonic, askew and sick. It buzzes and pitches and tilts, in a way music isn’t supposed to be able to. And Grian realises that he’s told Scar before that he forgot how to dance.

Scar taught him all the steps, back in the desert. A lot of hours spent in the stifling air upon sun-warmed evening sand, stumbling and laughing and holding onto each other. Their skin was more tanned then. Their eyes were brighter, their souls wilder. They felt unstoppable.

Grian feels anything but right now.

He doesn’t know if he can take it.

But Scar’s reaching out to him and Grian finds that he cannot turn away from it, his body shackled and chained, unable to resist. And so even if everything in him screams no, he still finds himself reaching back, meeting Scar’s hands with his own trembling fingers, trepidation sinking its teeth into him.

Scar’s smile brightens and oh, maybe it’s not trepidation that Grian feels.

He feels Scar’s fingers take hold of his hand, secure and warm; they pull at him, but not in a destabilising way. It’s the opposite: they tell Grian exactly where to be. Scar’s other arm finds Grian torso and seamlessly slides across to his back, sending shivers down Grian’s spine; his wings stretch out and shudder, before they fall back, feathers lightly brushing over Scar’s skin.

Everything about this is electrifying, and it’s driving Grian haywire.

He thinks maybe he needs to stop thinking. Maybe he needs to give in to the part of him that wants to let Scar have control of the two of them now; the part of him that wants to trust and believe that he’s safe; the part of him that craves affection with ugly, hungry desperation.

Scar leans closer and with a rumbling baritone wrapped in velvet, he checks: “Ready?”

Running on nothing but instinct, Grian squeezes at Scar’s hand.

With a low chuckle, Scar lets go of Grian’s back and Grian almost gasps at the abrupt loss—but all Scar does is guide Grian’s free hand to his waist. “Like this,” he murmurs, his voice just a step away from purring, and then his hand slots back against Grian’s spine.

A trembling breath leaves Grian’s lips and he dips his head, leaning forwards, inching closer to Scar. He feels the response in the way Scar’s touch on his back turns firm, accepting the new closeness with reverent neediness. He can’t see Scar’s face, but he can tell Scar’s lips are curved in a smile, cheeks slightly dimpling.

He almost wishes to look, but he can’t, he can’t, it’s too much.

He takes a deep breath though his nose. The air isn’t dry and hot. The ground doesn’t shift underneath his feet.

It hasn’t shifted underneath his feet in ages, but right now in this very moment, a part of Grian distantly thinks that it should. That if they’re going to dance, it should be atop a mountain, feet sinking into sand.

They’re standing on carpeted floor, and the music disc is one they didn’t have in the desert, the sounds of it wrapping around them in a rhythm completely discordant to the fast beating of Grian’s heart.

With gentle and deliberate move, Scar directs them to sway. Their feet shift, steady on the solid floor, something learned and simple. Scar leads them in careful, basic steps, the ones he used at the very beginning to teach Grian. Back when even that was too much, and Grian kept stepping on his feet, and Scar kept catching him.

Scar doesn’t need to catch Grian now, because Grian knows these steps. They’re imbued in his muscle memory, something sunken and anchored, a part of his soul that’s reserved for things that feel like home.

Testingly, Scar throws in something more complex. He pulls Grian along, turning them in circles, every step confident and filled with joy. The music is the background rhythm, but they’re both locked somewhere else, in a fragment of a memory—something that used to be; something that Scar believes could be again.

With a curve to his lips, Scar hums and remarks: “You said you don’t remember.”

Grian’s breath hitches and it’s only now that he lifts his head to meet Scar’s gaze. Despite that, his feet do not stumble; he doesn’t need to watch where he steps, he knows it all by heart. His gaze anchors in green eyes and something rises within him so tidally and overwhelmingly that he feels hot wetness blur his vision all of a sudden. “How could I forget?” he manages past the lump in his throat.

Scar gently lets go of Grian’s hand and instead reaches to touch Grian’s jaw, brushing his thumb soothingly over Grian’s cheek as he takes in the raw, ravaging emotion in Grian’s eyes.

Grian moves his suddenly free arm around Scar, fingers finding purchase in the fabric of Scar’s shirt, digging into it until he has a firm grip. His lungs spasm in his chest, his heart stutters, his wings droop then lift and spread. A loose feather drops to the floor and Scar sidesteps it expertly, as if it was somehow too precious to damage.

“You remember,” Scar murmurs, an odd inflection to his voice.

Grian’s skin buzzes where Scar touches it; a tingling, warm sensation spreads from Scar’s fingertips and robs Grian of breath. “Of course,” he murmurs, quiet, destabilised.

Scar’s eyes crinkle in joy, lips spreading into a bright, toothy smile that ends in dimpled skin as he looks at Grian. He makes no attempt to call out Grian’s earlier lie; he seems content in knowing that this is the truth, warm and alive underneath his fingers, guided by his steps. “Oh, I wouldn’t mind teaching you again, but this makes me so happy!” he admits openly, fractionally heightening their tempo as he leads them in spinning circles, everything in him attuned to the music even as it becomes nothing more than a background noise.

Grian isn’t ready for those words. Nor for the way Scar looks at him.

He feels like he’s drowning, and Scar’s both his sea and his oxygen.

Scar starts humming in tune, the happy expression lingering on his face, and it’s only then that the discordant rhythm of the song disentangles and starts making sense to Grian. It’s only the reverb of Scar’s voice that puts coherency into Grian’s existence; into their steps across the carpet that doesn’t give underneath their weight; into the way the room sways around them, full of warm shadows and flickering flames and muted colours not quite matching sand.

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deancaspinefest · 1 year

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Unbeknownst Soul Mate

Author: seidenapfel | Artist: theheartchoice Posting on Saturday March 25*

While suffering from writer's block, Castiel's life changes when he discovers an abandoned record in a thrift store. Although already hooked by the vinyl's cover, the mysterious singer worms his way into Castiel's heart. Frustrated after a disheartening recording session, Dean strolls into a bookstore, only to be stunned by the sci-fi novel he picks from a shelf. The impala headpiece on its cover could be a coincidence, but the author's note cannot fool him. Whoever Emmanuel Allen is, he dedicated the book to him. Years go by, one dedication following another, and the hidden subtext of their works speaks for itself. Unaware of the other's identity, neither is able to stop the feelings from becoming more. Something profound. But then Dean releases *Unbeknownst Soul Mate*, and their story becomes an internet phenomenon overnight. With their identities out in the open, it should only be a matter of time until they meet for the first time. Though their relationship can’t be the fairy tale everyone believes it to be. Or can it?

Keep reading for a sneak preview!

He didn’t even like cars, especially big muscle cars. They only destroyed what was left of the environment. Nobody needed them. There were other, more effective ways to travel. And yet— The moment he saw the album in the thrift store, Castiel was hooked. The photo of the black car with its silver metallic grill between the headlights had something magical. He had no idea why the album was named after an African antelope, but he could not leave it behind. Whoever had left it in the store, they hadn’t even listened to it. The wrapping was untouched. Castiel would be the first who experienced it, and he wondered why the previous owner had discarded the record without at least giving it a try. Unwrapping it, Castiel held the album in his hands. A black label listed the artist and the song titles, and he carefully brushed his fingers over the white letters. Too impatient to wait any longer, he placed the vinyl on his tattered record player and gently dropped the needle. A second of silence before a guitar riff filled the entire room with life. Within a few beats, Castiel’s life changed. Forever. The music hooked him at once, but when a gruff, smooth voice began singing, Castiel knew he was lost. The voice of the singer pierced his soul, the words resonated inside him. They felt like a warm blanket that promised to keep him safe. It was exactly what he needed and what he had yearned for, for years. Someone who understood him. Fuelled by the music, Castiel sat down, and wrote. After months of writer’s block where nothing had helped to get him back to finishing his novel, the singer’s voice pierced through the veil. Words that had resisted him for so long, suddenly flowed out of his fingers, forming sentences and chapters. Over and over, Castiel listened to the indie artist who remained a complete mystery. Wherever Castiel looked on the internet, he couldn’t find anything about the album or the singer. If there hadn’t been the obvious evidence of the record, Castiel would have questioned himself. But somewhere out there existed another artist, who became his muse. The mystery made the man even more intriguing. The only hint regarding the artist’s identity was the writer of the songs, credited on the record. However, Castiel couldn’t be sure if the singer’s name was indeed D. Winchester as the credits suggested. Maybe D. had just written the song. It wouldn’t be that unusual. And yet, the feelings he could hear in every note let him believe otherwise: D. Winchester had to be Impala. D. Winchester was the man who changed his life.

[continue reading on Ao3 on Saturday March 25]

*This post has been edited to reflect a new posting date. This team was originally scheduled to post on March 13, but will now post on March 25.

#Destiel Fic #Destiel Art #Destiel Fanworks #DeanCas Fic #DeanCas Art #DeanCas Fanworks #Pinefest Previews #2023 Dean/Cas Pinefest #Author: seidenapfel #Artist: theheartchoice #Everyone Ships Castiel/Dean #Singer&Songwriter!Dean #Writer!Cas

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the-ravening · 12 days

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20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @zsparz and @six-demon-bag for tagging me! ❤️

1. How many works do you have on ao3? Only 12, because I am a baby writer.

2. What's your total ao3 word count? 86k

3. What fandoms do you write for? Winterbaron, or more accurately, Zemo/everyone

4. Top five fics by kudos: Let's do a top 3, since top 5 would just be like half my fics.

Something Sweet to Eat (142 kudos) Extremely underage Halloween fic, bunny boy Zemo shows up trick or treating at Bucky's house Adopt, Don’t Shop (123 kudos) Omegaverse, bratty teen Zemo is for sale at an Omega kennel and Alpha Bucky goes shopping Gift-Wrapped (113 kudos) This was the first fic I ever posted (just a few years ago) and I'm still pretty proud of it. Just a silly Winterbaron rimming PWP, but it's hot

5. Do you respond to comments? I try to, I always mean to, but I think I'm a bit behind right now. I know there are some amazing comments on Home to Me from last year that I still haven't replied to and I feel bad about it all the time.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Probably Under Lock and Key (what a mess we’ve made), the Heinrich/Helmut Zemo dadcest fic I wrote for @ex0rin where I followed her hurt/no comfort philosophy of leaving him on the floor crying.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I don't know if I really do happy endings? I have PWPs where the happy ending is they both come, if that counts. 😅 Let's say... Ink Kissed (with violent precision) where tattoo artist Bucky gives his client Zemo a dick tattoo, and Zemo ends up quite happy with the tattoo as well as the rest of the service.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I've only gotten one or two of the world's mildest hate comments. I guess my ships are sufficiently niche that no one cares about them.

9. Do you write smut? Yeah! Do I write anything other than smut? No.

10. Craziest crossover: I've only written one crossover, A Suitable Course of Treatment, Bucky Barnes/Laszlo Kreizler from The Alienist, which isn't crazy at all because as we all know, Laszlo has Zemo's face. (If it counts, I once started a Dir en grey x Sailormoon fic where the band members magically turned into Sailor Scouts, but I did not ever get far on it.)

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? Yes, the aforementioned Adopt, Don’t Shop was co-written with @violenciorp and @tales-from-a-maphia-don, because Vio lovingly bullied us into it, despite me and Mel ostensibly not being into Omegaverse.

14. All time favorite ship? I've jumped ship a lot over the years, but it's gotta be Winterbaron, since this is the ship that finally got me writing and posting and getting really involved in a fandom.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? The first serious attempt I made at writing in this fandom was this teen Zemo necrophilia thing, and I wrote the necro part but none of the plotty stuff leading up to it. I still dream of finishing it, in an abstract way where I have no motivation to ever work on it.

16. What are your writing strengths? I think I'm pretty good at rhythm and flow and making my prose sound musical? That's something I focus a lot on and I tend to read aloud while editing to make sure it sounds good to my ear.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Probably plot and dialogue, and figuring out how to include technical details of things I know nothing about. But most of all procrastination, my arch-nemesis.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? I personally avoid it, because I find it annoying to have to look up the translations in the middle of reading. I prefer to just say they're speaking in whatever language but write the dialogue in English.

19. First fandom you wrote in? J-rock RPF in the early 2000s, but I mostly just did a bit of RP and never got far with any fics I started.

20. Favorite fic you've written? Sometimes it feels like every new thing I post is my new favourite, haha. But I thiiiink my fave has been Something Sweet to Eat since I wrote it (the Halloween fic mentioned earlier), because it's probably the most self-indulgent thing I've written to date. I am truly the main audience for that fic and I'm very happy with it.

No pressure tagging: @violenciorp, @tales-from-a-maphia-don, @thepiper0fhameln, @ex0rin, @unlikelymilliner, @evenmyhivemindisempty, and anyone else who sees this and wants to join in!

#this was fun but wow I ramble #tag game #writer asks #ravening writes

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yletylyf · 4 months

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Fic Writer Wrapped- 2023 Edition

I did this in 2022 and 2021, and am revving it back up for my own personal interest in tracking these things. Tagging anyone reading this if you want to participate!

Like in previous years, this is about fic published on ao3 in 2023 (not amount of words written in 2023, which I don't keep track of).

How many stories did you complete?

I completed one longfic (more than 100k words), eight medium fics (between 15k and 100k), and forty-two short fics (under 15k). Just like last year, I continue to have considerable lag between writing and publishing. The longfic and some of the medium fics were mostly written in 2022, but published and finished this year.

What is your total word count for the year?

547,416 words

What fandoms did you write in this year?

I really committed to the multi-fandom bit. I also discovered an addiction to cdramas. I wrote in Harry Potter, Tolkien, The Grisha Trilogy, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, Emma - Jane Austen, Twilight, the Locked Tomb, House of the Dragon, 陈情令 The Untamed, 山河令 Word of Honor, 苍兰诀 Love Between Fairy and Devil, 莲花楼 Mysterious Lotus Casebook, 无量 Wúliàng, and 长月烬明 Till the End of the Moon.

Did you write more, less, or roughly about what you expected?

This year's published word count borrows from many projects that were written in 2022, probably about 150k words' worth. Even subtracting that, I wrote a lot more than I expected. Because I didn't write a long fic this year (123k of Rainbow of Chaos's total of 130k words was written in 2022), I felt like I was unproductive compared to previous years. But I actually I wrote a lot!

What’s your favorite story of the year?

To catch a fox (Grisha verse, the Darkling/Nikolai). I had a blast writing this, it felt like it wrote itself, and I think the fic is so much fun, I still enjoy re-reading it, and I'm really happy about how many other people liked it as well!

What is your most underappreciated story of the year?

This question gets harder and harder to answer every year, because the more deliberately niche I write the happier I am when I get a single comment and feel that is more than sufficient appreciation. I guess if I had to pick one, it's my Aredhel/Celegorm fic, because imo this ship deserves to be more popular than it is!

Biggest fanfic-related disappointment of 2023?

I was riding the high of discovering the Darkling/Nikolai ship after watching the TV show Shadow and Bone in March. A good friend left a prompt that I loved, in an event called Fandom Orienteer, which had a several-month-long writing period and then a posting window in August. I bit off more than I could chew when I started writing Palace in the Dark, found my ideas too plotty, and did not finish in time to post a completed story in August. By the time I actually finished over Thanksgiving, not only did I miss being part of the event, I had lost almost all my WIP readers (except my friends from the darkolai server, shout out to you, you are the best!). It's fine, the fic is finished and complete on my profile, and readers will slowly find it. But I was disappointed in not being able to finish in July for the event and when the momentum from the show was hotter.

Biggest fanfic-related surprise of 2023?

I'm surprised by how many multi-fandom exchanges I did. I was only dipping my toe into them in 2022 and was not sure the whole thing really suited me. I wrote almost forty exchange fics this year, and got some amazing gift fics in exchange, and it's been really fun.

Something you look forward to working on in 2024?

I think I'll work on more villain-centric fic for MDZS, and also hopefully write more new-to-me fandoms for exchanges.

#fic writer wrapped #about my fic

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