#if you wanna see how I handle purple prose TUT is the golden child in my AO3 portfolio

[phoenixtakaramono]

Writing Pattern Game

Thanks for the tag, @deliciouskeys (♛) and @plasticfangtastic (♛).

Rules: Share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able and see if there are any patterns!

Ah…. *side-eyes my total AO3 WIPs and Twitter threadfics* I can scrounge up 10. My “writing style” tends to reflect whose character’s POV it is and the atmosphere/ setting of the writing itself. Looking at these listed below from an objective standpoint, I think my pattern is the typical writing strategy us writers try to use to hook readers in. 🤔 I’dunno if it comes off that way on your guys’ side when you read through my stories. But I usually view the first paragraph as a window of opportunity to grab the reader's attention and have that hopefully stir enough interest to lead them right into the story. It is your first impression after all. :) I’ll show the first sentence to abide by the rules of this game (hehe)—but then strikethrough the following sentences after that, if it’s in the same paragraph, so you can see the following context.

(Symbol Key: ♛ - direct links you can click)

AO3 Stories

The Name of the Game (♛)

The Boys: Billy Butcher/The Homelander | John

Fine coils of gray smoke spiraled from the end of a dying cigarette, the ember buffeted from the winds by a black leather gloved hand. In the frigid overcast sky, the little ember sparked across half of the person’s sharply defined features. Rooted in place, this man was a sculpture hewn from rugged granite and adolescent dreams.

Truce (♛)

The Boys: Billy Butcher/The Homelander | John

When Homelander had first heard the news, he’d laughed. When no one joined in, his smile dulled. Looking Ashley Barrett in the eyes, he’d said, “You’ve got to be f*cking kidding me.”

The Untold Tale (♛)

SVSSS: Original Luò Bīnghé/Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū

Let it not be said that Shen Yuan didn’t know how to be an accomplished—arguably better—writer than his nemesis Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky.

A Prince and His Baron (♛)

Helluva Boss: Blitzo/Stolas Goetia

It was undeniable that there was an upcoming new threat in Hell, rivaling some of the realm’s most ancient fiends in ruthlessness despite his pedigree. Like a chaotic storm, his killing efficiency—a startling track record of a hundred percent hits and zero failures—made waves in demon society. His calling card was left behind at every crime scene: a business card or a horned smiley face doodled with the victim’s blood on the corpse. With the amount of dark energy consumed and the carnage wreaked and demonic pacts made, they cemented his candidacy as a new, potential Overlord of Hell.

Green and Gold (♛)

HP, InuYasha: Harry Potter/Sesshomaru

"We've arrived at the Higurashi Shrine, Pottā-sama," the Asian wizard moonlighting as a Muggle taxi driver said respectfully, pulling the car to a smooth stop along the curb. The stars stood out among the dark night sky, beautiful in this wondrous occasion. Dark eyes surveyed the still figure in the back seat, said infamous wizard who had his eyes closed throughout the long drive from the Apparition Point in the Narita Airport. With an awed smile, the young man lowered his gaze reverently from the Boy-Who-Lived. Turning the ignition off, he added, "I shall accompany you to the spiritual grounds as per Shacklebolt-san's request."

Finders Keepers (♛)

Borderlands, TFTBL: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)

The storm of profanities died on his lips as Handsome Jack immediately performed a double-take at the man he’d nearly tripped over on his way to Hyperion’s artificial intelligence branch. The ECHO devices he’d been carrying were strewn all over the floor, with the bright light of personnel photos and the information he’d been reading now glaring up at the ceiling of the space station.

Twitter Threadfics

M3GAN AU (♛)

The Boys: Billy Butcher/The Homelander | John

One day, CIA agent Billy sees a life-sized male android from the company Becca works at. It’s handsome, it’s blond, and Billy’s creeped out that it’s in his girlfriend’s flat.

Fix-It AU (♛)

The Boys: Billy Butcher/The Homelander | John

The first time Homelander met William “Billy” J. Butcher isn’t the romantic spy thriller the media thinks it is. It’s not what his now-fiancé thinks either.

Sugar Baby AU (♛)

The Boys: Billy Butcher/The Homelander | John

It’s months in, and Homelander’s discovered the pleasure of being catered to by a handsome British expatriate whose c*ck is worth $7K per night.

Vampire & Lycan Hunter AU (♛)

The Boys: Billy Butcher/The Homelander | John

Chains rattle when Billy hears the screeches. Dark hair and loose articles are sent flying as a maelstrom of golden bats eclipses the balcony view.

Thoughts: Comparing the two categories above, I tend to get straight to the point for my threadfics—since I’m constrained by the wordcount—whereas for my AO3 stories I like to tease my readers in (hopefully hook you in and guide your eyes to the second paragraph and so on). At the very least, my sentences tend to be descriptive (lol, my word salads, haha) so I think I tend to describe the main character, give the first insight into the main character(s)’ personality you’ll be reading about, or tease the worldbuilding/ setting/ premise. I do see it as the introduction into the story so my thought process essentially goes: 1) it’s gotta be intriguing, 2) it gives the reader the general gist of what you’re probably getting yourself into, or 3) it ironically foreshadows a big narrative device later so if you wanna see how we get there, ✨you should follow along and read the story✨ hint hint nudge nudge.

I tag: @fuckingpajamas, @kosmochlor, @tzeentchs-secretary-tea-time, @officially-tilly, and feel free for anyone who wants to do this!╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ Only if you wanna!

#writing meme #writing #my writing #writing pattern game #ask #deliciouskeys #phoenix talks #I notice I have a lot more butchlander fics in my portfolio than in any other fandom I’ve written for *amused* #my brief impromptu vacation in the rarepair hotel somehow extended into what it is today haha #if you wanna see how I handle purple prose TUT is the golden child in my AO3 portfolio #after that is G&G (which is essentially a crackship that we treat seriously; it’s the reason why I made an AO3 & was my 1st popular fic) #TNotG is how I handle purple prose through a Western style & not the stylistic Chinese light novel style in TUT #G&G reflects modern juxtaposed against Japanese feudal fantasy #FK is my attempt at sci-fi #the threadfics are just how I usually write—but pared down to fit the twitter wordcount