#still thinking about la I will finish wips eventually....

[wardingshout]

fast travel duck my beloved....

#tloz #a link to the past #my art #it feels a bit excessive to come on here just to post this and have nothing else done but I thought it was cute for once... #this game is Doing it for me #talked to one little guy in the woods who gave me an instrument and then turned into a tree and I shed a tear #idk this is what I'm here for idk the small little things in these games just make me feel stuff #I'm enjoying it so much but everything is truly just out to kill and hurt you in this game holy shit #still thinking about la I will finish wips eventually....

[holofoiltowercard]

The Journey of The Tarot Haiku

X: Wheel of Fortune - Flow

When I first made a list of posts to be made about the book a la the Fool's Journey, I only had "luck" written down next to the Wheel of Fortune because it was the obvious connotation, but I don't really know if I believe in luck as it is traditionally seen, a stroke of completely arbitrary and inexplicable good fortune - and even if I did, I don't think that talking about whatever luck I had would help anyone. So instead I'll focus on the wheel part of the equation and talk a little about flow.

This book was an absolute passion project. Nobody twisted my arm to try it because the exercise that suggested it was completely optional. One day a poem simply occurred to me, and as another one followed shortly after and I was very much in the middle of learning the Tarot cards and how to work with them, I took up the challenge as a means of getting even more familiar with the cards, and eventually the basic systems as well. It was a labor of love from start to finish, and I still feel nothing but love in my heart when I think of my poems and illustrations.

And yet, just because I loved my project so much and was passionate about it didn't mean that I was always in a state of flow. Even when I was bursting with enthusiasm, the poems didn't always come, and all I could do from day to day was take out the cards, stare at my notebook, ponder a little and wait. On some days, several poems emerged from my mind in rapid succession, and on others, I couldn't even think, and so I closed the notebook. What mattered most was that I gave myself a chance whether I believed anything would come of it or not, because sometimes I felt I had nothing and still walked away with a poem, and sometimes I felt I had nothing and I did indeed walk away with no new progress. My creativity was in a state of ebb and tide, and I had to allow it to take its own course because I'm a perfectionist and I didn't want to phone in anything I had done for the book. I fiddled with some illustrations for hours. If I thought up a poem but it didn't feel quite right, I put it into a separate file where I was collecting these non-starters. I think I have about a dozen of them. When my computer was restored after crashing twice and I reread every poem I had up to that point, I actually shelved a few and marked some others WIP in order to redo them and find better words.

I just looked and counted eleven poems that did not make the cut. I'll share one of them just so you can see what fell off the wheel:

SIX OF WANDS REVERSED

An adoring crowd is not a faithful measure of real merit.

It's a nice haiku, nothing wrong with it, but I didn't feel it resonate enough, so the final poem is something different that reflects the card's meaning more to me personally. If anyone is interested, I can share a few more that I saved up as something I considered and then scrapped.

Buy the ebook

Buy the paperback

Buy the hardcover

#tarot #tarot cards #wheel of fortune #poetry #haiku #the tarot haiku journey

[kidlightnings]

Twenty Questions

stolen from @ohyangchon

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 53

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 192,116

What fandoms do you write for? well, by my stats, arcana, fire emblem, and the passenger

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

the better part of me 218 (this one feels like cheating tbh since it's a big compilation work) deepglow 176 memories of warmth 157 circle me 154 awful like me 129

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to always, I love comments, and I like to engage, because it's fun and hopefully it shows people that it's acknowledged.

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

sometimes dead is(n't) better or daydreamy, both of which are very unhappy

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

ngl a lot of mine have happy endings, but Red Ribbon is one of my sweetest, cutest, I think

Do you get hate on fics?

I had one comment in another language that near as I could figure, the commented was saying that the fic put them to sleep... aside from that, nope

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

almost exclusively - mostly PWP, and almost entirely kinky

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

not really, no - but I do have a soft spot for my L4D/Ocean's 11 crossover All Along the Watchtower

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not as far as I know, but I've never looked

Have you ever had a fic translated?

not as far as I know!

What's your all-time favorite ship?

oh, lord, I really don't know, aside from OC-ship stuff

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

two unposted longfic in arcana fandom with both of my kys' reversed endings. I'd really like to finish them someday, but at this point, my style has changed so much I don't know if I could. and, on that note, country down was supposed to have a sequel, and I have a smidge of it written, but I lost the concept I had for it

What are your writing strengths?

I honestly have little idea beyond what I've been told, "atmosphere," and then I think I'm pretty good at worldbuilding, when I don't get so into it as to become tedious

What are your writing weaknesses?

writing anything over 5000 words. no but honestly, plot structure. I actually struggle very significantly to put plots together. I feel like my only longish works are "a series of events that eventually converge into some sort of low stakes conflict that I then have no idea how to resolve"

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

very difficult for me, because I can only imagine that my attempts at translation are lacking a certain amount of Life and Substance to them

First fandom you wrote for?

Pokemon. I honestly wish I still has the terrible little word perfect files about my talking umbreon OC who was BFFs with Jessie and James and helped get them together

Favorite fic you've written?

honestly? really hard for me to say, but maybe, to go way, way back, My Shangri-La - there's a certain cadence in that that I've always been very fond of

Tagging... lord, if you're interested, consider yourself tagged

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

what's body back about 👀

okay this is coming at the perfect time because tomorrow’s video may or may not be all about BB!! 👀 also reminds me that I want to make a WIP intro for it! basic info is that it’s adult litfic!

The short answer is that BB is the bridge novella between Moth Work and Feeding Habits (which was a duology I wrote a couple years ago). If you don’t know, those book follow two men in a verrrryyy complicated relationship (Lonan & Harrison). MW is all about Harrison wanting to help Lonan & realizing he has to let that go in order to progress in his own life, and FH is about Harrison needing to see him again (for closure reasons, he says. Sure).

BB is the bridge between that gap, and when we see Harrison at his worst—his “I never want to see you again” era. I wrote THIS ask about it which is rambly but still super accurate.

And here’s the logline:

It’s 2005 in Las Vegas and 21-year-old Harrison is tired of routines, of gods, of men. On a mission to move past a complicated breakup, he’s about to get recklessly indulgent--and he’s come to the right place.

I’m hoping it’ll be around 20k! At nearly 7k now, which is absolutely bonkers. I’m thinking maybe 5 chapters?

Most of it so far has been deep Catholic contemplations, lol, which has been a bit unexpected because it implies Harrison would’ve gone out of his way to study the Bible at some point before BB starts, which I actually hadn’t planned for him to do, but clearly is what he did because there’s no way his voice would know all the allusions he makes otherwise (he’s an atheist who didn’t grow up Christian).

I JUST finished chapter 2 which was about 4k and called Immaculate Mary. This chapter was mostly about Harrison’s mother, Suzanna, who he now lives with post Lonan breakup. I didn’t think she’d get a chapter tbh but I see now that I needed that chapter to trigger Harrison into his glittery downfall lol.

I’ve been sharing a lot of it on here because idk I love this app for long and complicated musings lmao but probably won’t talk much about it on YouTube in comparison to SV since it’s sooo personal.

In a lot of ways, this book is just about being 21. I had such a hilariously bad intro to 21, and it’s only seemed to get worse, HAHA, and while I don’t often get sooo close to my writing to the point where I’m exploring my own life, I wanted to capture this very real moment of 21 year old Rachel’s life. I am not nearly as much of a disaster (affectionate) as Harrison, but some of those feelings are 100% mine. It’s why this project has been so cathartic for me lmao. I’ve never felt so personal about a project before. I want to hold this one forever. Me in 10 years is going to be like wow… all good?

Music has been… the most important thing in my life for this book and I could go on and on about the playlist which I’ll eventually make on Spotify (I am ancient and still buy my music LMAO).

Thanks for asking, always down to answer more q’s!

#asks #bodyback

[prettyboybuckley]

Ooh how about the eating disorder one

// Tw for eating disorder

This one is... profoundly sad, to be honest. I hope I will eventually finish it, and it is supposed to have a hopeful ending, but I've hurt myself a lot while writing it. Also, it's a sensitive topic and I might decide not to post it at all in the end.

It starts when Eddie gets out of the army and follows him all the way to LA. There are multiple reasons behind it. Buck and Eddie together somewhere around two thirds into season two, though they way they get together isn't a main focus, but what Buck does for Eddie is. Eddie starts to get a little better, and then he has a relapse after the well incident...

Here's a snippet from somewhere near the beginning, when he is still in El Paso. It's not the worst of it but I'll put it under a cut anyway

The thing is, he really did expect to be back in shape soon enough. He's working three jobs at this point and two of them are physical, so you'd think the pounds would fly off. They don't, the months pass and soon enough it's been a year and Eddie stands in front of the mirror at night prodding at the layer of fat that covers his abdomen these days, feeling nauseous at the sight. Maybe he just needs to eat a little less. Sure, he might get hungry, but that is something you get used to, right? You can train your body to get used to less food and that's how it gets easier to actually lose weight. "Tomorrow you're skipping breakfast," he tells his reflection. The guy in the mirror doesn't say anything back, and Eddie is fine with that. 

aks me about one of my wip's!

#oh look the mailman came by! #tw eating disorder #tw ed #cm1031sr #gary writes #wip game #eddie diaz #buddie fic

[fraddit]

Here we are! The last ten fics in my five part rec list! Again, there's no rhyme or reason to this list, these are just like the title says, buddie fics that make my brain go !!!

Since I started this series, I've obviously been reading more fics. So, I'll probably just continue adding posts periodically. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I did.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

the heart beat so loud, we could not ignore by wonderfool (T, 14k)

Post 4x06/4x07, speculation for 4x08 “Change can be scary,” Buck says, “but we want your dad to be happy. Adults can get lonely too sometimes. He has a lot of friends at work, but he might be looking for someone who…can be a partner. Someone who worries about him and supports him when he’s feeling sad. Someone who loves him.” “But he already has you.”

the kiln-blaze in my body by lamardeuse (E, 17k)

It’s nearly six months before Buck tells anyone.

This is one of very favorite post shooting fics.

this life that we’ve created (or: how silvia rodriguez learned to believe in fairytales again) by @evcndiaz (T, 3k)

“So, just to be clear: You want to make a—” she glances down at her papers, “—Mr. Evan Buckley your son Christopher Diaz’s guardian in the event of your untimely death.” “Yes, that is correct.” “And you… don’t want to tell him about it?” “Eh,” he says. Eh, like he’s not breaking Silvia’s brain. “I’m sure I’ll tell him eventually.” or; eddie makes buck christopher’s legal guardian told from his lawyer’s perspective. because why not

Those Two Firefighters by DarkFairytale (T, 35k)

#thosetwofirefighters starts to gather a following on social media, as everyone tries to figure out if those two cute firefighters from the 118 in LA are a thing or not.

to keep still holy (your kiss upon my mouth) by @oatflatwhite (T, word count varies)

A collection of kiss prompt ficlets from tumblr.

What it says on the tin, and they're all great, but the one I’m specifically recommending is Chapter 9: “we shouldn’t do this” but they do so, anyway. (1.4k)

Two Minutes For Roughing by ok_thanks (M, 11k)

They trade for a winger after Buck’s second season. When he walks into the dressing room a few days later, Buck freezes in his place. Chim and Bobby are huddled in the corner, openly staring from their stalls. “Who the hell is that?” Bobby simply shrugs. “Eddie Diaz. New winger out of Dallas.” or: the hockey AU that literally NO ONE asked for

wherever we’re together, that’s my home by @woodchoc-magnum (M, 19k)

Set post-5x06 “Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1”, in which Buck is struggling and unwilling to let anyone in (until Eddie takes matters into his own hands).

Wide Awake (Better Not Fuck This Up) by riverlight (T, 3k)

“Eddie,” Buck says, voice cracking a little. “Eddie. Are we gonna talk about the fact that you kissed me, or are we still ignoring that?”

you touch me once and it’s really something by @nogamediaz (G, 2k)

Alarm washes over Buck’s features. “Eddie, I think she saw me. She’s coming over here.” Later, Eddie is going to wonder what on earth possessed him to do it, but in the moment he is seized with sudden clarity. “Do you trust me?” he asks, looking Buck directly in the eye. “What—of course—” Buck doesn’t get to finish his sentence, because Eddie cuts him off with a kiss.

Your Fingerprints Smeared on My Heart (Lead Me Back to You) by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (E, 89k)

In 1880, Evan Buckley of the arriviste set is sent out west to oversee his family’s railroad and recover from a broken heart - and meets Eddie Diaz, cowboy. When fate tears them apart, they make a promise: find each other again. In 2018, Buck walks into his fire station in Los Angeles - and meets Eddie Diaz, new recruit.

It took me so long to post this last part that this fic went from wip to complete. But, every time this fic updated, I stopped what I was doing to read the new chapter. The premise is basically a trap designed specifically for me and it was just as good as I was afraid it would be.

#buddie #buddie fic #buddie fic rec #eddie diaz #evan buckley #911 #911 fox #buck x eddie #eddie x buck #fraddit buddie fic recs #shut up fraddit

[procrastinatorproject]

Fic writer review, thank you to @thelaithlyworm  for the tag <3

how many works do you have on AO3?

Ten? Oh no, it’s actualy 12 now!

what’s your total AO3 word count?

86,468

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Grand total of 1: Star Trek: Picard - although my latest offering might branch a bit into other Trek as well.

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

“Passengers”

“And a Barrel of Gagh”

“CMO’s Log”

“Preparations”

“Game Night”

Which is actually kinda interesting. I wrote Passengers, Preparations, and Game Night while the fandom was still a lot more active (especially in the Aramis in Space corner), so that makes sense. The CMO’s log has had chapters added every few months, giving it probably the most exposure of any of my fics. Barrel of Gagh, though? I think I’m gonna attribute that to Thimblerig turning it into a truly, TRULY brilliant piece of podfic. Also the fact that it’s whump involving a character played by Santiago Cabrera. ‘tis A Thing..... :D

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I really try to! I love talking with people in the comments and just... thanking the people who found the time and energy to leave comments. But especially in the last few months I have gotten very bad at keeping up with the comments and now there’s about two dozen that I have neglected to reply to for a painfully long time 🙈

But I will get there! Because I love that kind of interaction!

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

So far, none of them have had angsty endings. Angsty middles, yes, but not endings. I’m just a sucker for everyone being happy in the end. Or at least on the way to being better, and supported and cared for on that way.

do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven’t yet, but I’m definitely not opposed. One of the threads of my 200k unpublishable whump scenes takes place in a continuity that has existed in my daydreams for... I wanna say six years at the very least, probably longer. It’s mostly straight-up Star Trek, but with the twist that it involves the Wraith, the telepathic, hive-minded alien race from Stargate: Atlantis that suck the life force out of you with their hands? Or, well, at least a variation thereof.

I once typed up the world building for that particular setting and it took me three hours to try and make it all make sense. So it’s... involved. But not necessarily “crazy”. And I’m not sure I’m ever actually going to publish any of the stories I have set in it (not least because that would envolve finishing any of them and bringing them into a form that is interesting to read for anyone but me...)

have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope.

do you write smut? if so what kind?

Hm, not yet. I do enjoy reading smut, but only under very specific circumstances. I think I may eventually try my hand at smut, but the inner prude is still very strong. Writing about Rios and Xyr making out (which, honestly, was really tame, all things considered) made me melt in a puddle of blushing embarrassment, so full-on smut is probably beyond me at the moment. One day!

have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. Though litigating that in a fandom like ours would be... tricky. ST:Pic is way too small to steal stories outright. But similar or the same ideas pop up all the time. And it’s a complete coincidence. Reading the book that recently came out and that has a kinda similar setting to a lot of my stories (pre-season 1, early in Rios’s history as captain of Sirena, dealing with original characters, holo shenanigans, friendship with Raffi, etc.), I was struck by just how many elements, both scenes or story beats and little details, were similar to things that have cropped up in my writing. And it is entirely coincidental, because I am beyond certain that the author doesn’t read fanfic. Just... for legal reasons. Not to mention I wrote a bunch of the things I saw parallels to while the book was already in production, and some of them are only in my drafts.

So there is a ton of convergent evolution going on in this particular section of the fandom, and trying to litigate who came up with certain plot ideas or character beats when would be a sysiphean disaster. Some things are clear and whenever I use any of them I give credit where I can, but people will have very similar ideas. It just happens. So no, I haven’t had either a full-on story or “an idea” stolen, and I might change my tune if it ever does happen, but so far, I’m trying to practice equanimity, so I’ll be better at it should I ever need it.

have you ever had a fic translated?

Sadly no. My dad keeps complaining that all my fic is in English so he can’t read any of it, but honestly? I’m kinda glad for this very convenient excuse. Maybe if I ever feel like I want to practice my interpreting skills, I will give translating the stories into German a shot. We’ll see. Otherwise, if anyone feels inspired: Have at it! Just let me know, okay?

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not quite. I have a draft of off-the-cuff worldbuilding that I wrote on Discord with @curator-on-ao3 and that I would love to turn into an actual short fic (letters from a conference on holo-ethics), but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

what’s your all time favorite ship?

I don’t really do shipping.

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I WILL NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT!!!! One day, I will write the next installment of Star Trek: La Sirena! I have so many ideas for that continuity and those characters. I’m not going to abandon them!

what are your writing strengths?

Hmmmmm. Probably detailed worldbuilding? Ask me something about, say, a technological or cultural aspect of Star Trek and chances are, I have thought about it in the past or will come up with three different sets of intricate lore within half an hour. (Things like... the architecture of San Francisco, or Will there still be taxi drivers? or the treaty between IKEA Intergalactic and the Borg Collective, or the Universal Translator, or Emergency Services or Why There Are Very Few Ambulances On Earth Anymore etceterah etceterah...)

I’m also good at slapping together off-the-cuff plot ideas (if, say, you need an explanation for how Seven and Agnes ended up stranded on a desert island, I could probably give you three different scenarios pretty quickly. Just don’t ask me to make them poignant or actually write them.

I’m also very, very good at beginnings.

what are your writing weaknesses?

Everything that isn’t a beginning. Especially endings, or rather: finishing something, but also just... keeping momentum.

I think my dialogue is somewhat samey and not distinct enough between characters. (Also my witty banter is... let’s just say it doesn’t come to me naturally...)

And I also struggle with keeping things brief and to the point. I can write you 30k of whump covering a span of three hours, but fitting a whole story in the same space? Much more difficult!

I have also avoided writing full-on action so far, but where it has crept in it has always been a struggle and been workshopped a lot with the indefatigable beta.

Otherwise, I don’t know. My self-perception is always a little warped, so I’m not sure what other people would say my weaknesses are.

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

Oof. Well. I have used Spanish sentences in my fic and done the thing where they’re translated in the end note, but I’ve mostly done it sparingly. I’ve also done the ‘“What do you want?” he said in Spanish.’ It’s tricky. But I will likely keep doing it in some instances, even if it’s a bit annoying.

(It also really helps to have a native speaker of Spanish as a beta, even if it’s Spanish from a different region than you’re character.)

Speaking of regional: I’m also torn about the whole “phonetically writing out accents” issue. Some people love it, some people hate it, I’m really unsure because I’m not a native speaker of English, so I’m not even sure I’m consistent in my narrative voice’s regional quirks. So far, I’ve mostly gone with describing that an accent is happening, and only writing out when phrasing actually differs from standard English. Like Ian (Scottish) saying “dinnae” but not writing “I” as “ah” as you’d see on, say, Scottish twitter.

Though it can be a very useful tool if, for instance, you want to indicate a characters accent getting stronger as they get tired or upset. 🧐

Anyway, I don’t think there is one right or wrong answer here and everyones milage will vary.

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

Published? ST:PIC

Actually first? Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Pretty much simultaneously, though I did write more for LotR. On graph paper, mind, with my fountain pen turned upside down so I could write smaller. I still have folders worth of those stories that I urgently need to digitize before they fade and I lose them forever...

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I’m going to quote @thelaithlyworm here: I Love All My Children Equally! I honestly couldn’t say. They are different and I love them for different reasons but I love them all.

Thank you for the tag! ❤ I’ve kinda lost track of who all has done this already or has already been tagged, so feel free to ignore me! But I tink I’m tagging @curator-on-ao3, @aini-nufire, @29-pieces, @flowers-creativity, @highfunctioningflailgirl, @cristobalrios and @the-goofball. And anyone else whom I forgot or who feels inspired to do this!

#ask meme #writing #lili's writing adventures #this was fun!

[springsteenicious]

Okay, since you said I can send you a prompt...

Maybe Jackie telling Hyde she's pregnant with their first kid? I always thought she would find a creative way to tell him if the baby was planned. I would love to see Hyde and Jackie giving the news to Red and Kitty too, it would surely be a very mood lifting fic.

I spent the last 10 minutes trying to come up with a prompt, and it was a relief. Because I spent the whole day scared, and trying to come up with a prompt for you was literally so relaxing that I even feel like I can breathe better now lol

That's it, thank you so much for this ❤

No problem, I love writing cute little one-shots and stuff! I'm glad to help out in any way I can. Covid sucks, so I'm more than happy to help you relax and get your mind off of it.

((Also, hypothetically, if you were to send me an ask with the title of one of my WIP fics, I would give you a little snippet if you wanted...))

Anyway, enjoy this cute little ficlet :D

Point Place, Wisconsin The Hyde Residence 1985

Jackie tied the end of the large banner above her and Steven's bed. It was the final part of her plan to reveal her news to Steven. She left their bedroom once she finished and went downstairs to their living room.

As she sat down on the couch, a feeling of complete happiness settled inside her. She was sitting in the house that she shared with Steven, in the living room she had designed, pictures of them on their wedding day hanging on the wall. It had taken a while, but she and Steven were happily married and had been for a little over four years.

After Steven married that stripper from Las Vegas, Jackie had thought all hope was lost for them. But he had spent months making it up to her and asking for forgiveness once Sam was gone. Jackie had stood her ground at first and she hadn't accepted any kind of apology from him. But he hadn't given up. He continued to prove to her how much he loved her, and eventually she couldn't deny her love for him.

Now, five years later, all was well. And it seemed like it would get even better.

Jackie hopped up from the couch as the door opened. Steven was home from work, finally. She met him at the door. "Hi, Puddin!"

"Hey, doll. How was your day?"

"It was great! And I bet I can make your day even better…" She took his hand and started to tug him upstairs.

He raised an eyebrow, but a smile was working its way onto his face. "Yeah? How?"

"It's in the bedroom."

"Uh-huh…"

Jackie stood with her back against their closed bedroom door. "It has something to do with that thing we've been talking about the past month… And trying to do…"

"Yeah…"

She grinned and opened the door, extending her arm to show off the room. It was filled with colored balloons that she'd blown up with a pump, and streamers hung from the ceiling, not obscuring the banner, which Steven read out loud.

"We're having a baby?" He grinned at her. "Really?"

"Yeah! I'm pregnant!"

He laughed happily and hugged her, lifting her off the ground a little. She wrapped her arms around him snugly. "I love you," he said into her hair.

"I love you too."

He put her down and pulled back just enough to look at her. He looked so incredibly happy that she giggled, unable to contain her own joy. "We're having a baby," he said, like it was too good to be true. "You know, before you, I never thought I would ever have kids. I never really thought about it. But I'm actually really looking forward to doing this whole parenting thing with you."

"I'm really excited too. I think we're gonna be great parents."

He kissed her quickly. "Yeah, I think we are."

~

"Steven, Jackie, you're here!" Mrs. Forman excitedly greeted them at the sliding door. Red was sitting at the kitchen table with Donna and Forman.

"Hey, Mrs. Forman," Hyde said. She hugged him, keeping it brief, which Hyde was grateful for. "We brought cookies. Jackie made them."

"You brought burnt cookies?" Forman asked.

"No," Jackie said. "Steven taught me how to make them and he made sure they came out of the oven in time."

"Really? I feel like Hyde would be more distracting for you," Forman said.

"Kitty, why did we have to have this dinner? I don't want to listen to Eric being rude to Jackie," Red complained.

Jackie grinned at Forman, who frowned. Mrs. Forman gave Red a look and said, "We are having a nice family dinner. It's still a family dinner even if Laurie couldn't make it. So be quiet and enjoy this quality time with our sons and daughters-in-law."

Red frowned. "Fine."

Mrs. Forman smiled. "Now, why don't we all go to the dining room and I'll get everyone's plates ready?"

Hyde sat next to Jackie on one side of the table, Forman and Donna across from them. Red and Mrs. Forman took the ends of the table. Mrs. Forman smiled as everyone started eating. "So, what's new with my favorite bunch of kids?"

"I got my first article published in a magazine," Donna said.

"That's great, Donna," Red said. "What was it on?"

"I interviewed a local band. It was really interesting to talk to them about their inspirations and everything." Donna was practically glowing with pride. Forman was looking at her like she was the only woman in the world.

"And Eric? What have you been doing?" Red asked, clearly expecting a much less accomplished answer.

"I applied for a student teacher position at the elementary school," Forman said.

"That's great!" Mrs. Forman exclaimed. "Oh, you are going to be such a good teacher, sweetie." She turned to Hyde and Jackie. "How about you two?"

"Well…" Hyde looked at Jackie.

She grinned and said, "I'm pregnant!"

Mrs. Forman laughed loudly. "That's wonderful! I'm going to be a grandma! Oh, oh, I should take up knitting again. I could make little baby blankets!"

"Congratulations, you two," Red said, with a small smile of approval.

Forman gasped. "You know what this means? This child is going to be the Antichrist."

"Shut up, dillhole," Hyde said.

"Eric, stop it," Mrs. Forman said. "Steven is a good boy and Jackie is a sweet young lady. They are going to have a wonderful child."

Hyde looked at Jackie, who was smiling softly. He believed Mrs. Forman's words completely; they would have a wonderful child.

#ficlet #that 70s show #steven hyde #jackie burkhart #hyde x jackie #jackie x hyde #zenmasters

[dawningofdrag]

Hello 💙

All of your wips sound so good, I need to know everything now, but can we start with "I kissed someone, it wasn't you", please? That sounds like some gorgeous angst 👀

thank you so much for asking my frey!! and yes, it is a hurt no comfort cc rosénali fic inspired by a song by dodie. the idea came to me when rosé and mik started hanging out much more often. tbh im so glad you asked about this because i dont think ill ever finish it, but i still do love the concept of it!

rosé and denali started dating on the show, and they really had a connection, but it never became anything serious despite denali really wanting it to. rosé is really bad at relationships, apparently. it leaves denali heartbroken and it really messes with him because he just grew so attached to rosé. he tries to drown it in hookups and clubs but nothing ever comes of it.

but eventually nali moves on. he gets better, he heals! but all of that progress comes crumbling down the second he flies back to la to shoot promo for the season, and he's forced to relive the relationship he built with rosé. it hurts more seeing mik and rosé act all lovey dovey (i posted about this scene in a previous six sentence sunday!), the same exact way him and rosé did when they were shooting the season.

the flow goes back and forth between scenes of denali processing the breakup, rosénali building their relationship, denali getting better, until it ends in denali back in square one. its really supposed to be angsty and painful, but you know how i love jumping between scenes and places in time in fics!!

here have some of the parts ive already worked on!! (ok i put them under read more bc its pretty long!! sorry)

-

“I wish I could’ve given you that role, but I couldn’t.” Rosé’s words are soft, mirroring the gentle touch of the older’s fingers that wrap around his waist. It’s hard for Denali to focus when he feels those kind hands grip his side a little tighter.

“Oh don’t say that.” He chuckles, careful not to smudge the dark lipstick he’s reapplying. He catches a glimpse of the cameras turning to point towards them, and Denali wishes it was just them in this room.

Rosé sighs, body inching closer to his. “I just- you’re the closest person I have right now and I wanted to give it to you, but we kinda have to compete.”

“I know, I know.” Denali rolls his eyes as he finally turns to face the blonde, dismissing the attempted apology. “Please don’t feel bad, you killed it. I don’t want to take that away from you.”

Hands that were previously resting on Denali’s hips move upwards as Rosé’s gentle touch moves up to caress his bare arms. Rosé’s hands are warm, comforting. Denali feels at peace when he touches him like this.

“God, you are so nice to me.” Rosé smiles. “I don’t think I deserve to have you sometimes.”

“Oh, so I’m yours now?” Denali giggles, placing the lipstick down to wrap his arms around the older’s shoulders. The blonde’s words catch him off guard, but he knew this conversation was inevitable. Tip-toeing around the state of their relationship was gonna get tiring eventually, and Denali is happy he’s not the only one ready to give in.

It’s playful, the stare Rosie’s giving to him. There’s a hint of a smile as the blonde leans in closer. “I mean, if you wanna be.”

Denali pecks him on the lips. “Yeah,” His words come out barely above a whisper, but the smile on his face already speaks a thousand words. “I wanna be.”

-

“He never loved me-“ Denali cries, throat sore from the uncountable shots of straight liquor he’s downed in the past hour. “Not even a little bit!”

It hurts to scream, throat itching at the lack of care, but all he can think about is how he’s never felt this kind of pain before. How it’s broken him down to a pathetic version of himself that’s nothing more than broken pieces stuck together with tape that can barely cling onto anything. It’s embarrassing how he's affected him so intensely.

The music in this club is so fucking loud, but it’s not enough to stop his mind from thinking about anyone else. His heart still can't feel anything besides how it aches for someone who isn’t there. Denali is a mess as he’s dragged to the side of the dance floor by Kahmora.

“Nali, please-“ He sighs. Kahmora is usually the last person to be compelled to stop his friend’s reckless behavior, but even in his drunken haze Denali can see how frustrated Kahmora is from the way he’s acting.

“You’re making a scene.”

#asks #freykitten #thank u frey my love for asking! #tag game #my writing

[a-wonderingmind]

peggysous week, day 4

the song this was inspired by is called Don't You Worry, by Oh Wonder, and actually, is another long unfinished wip that sat long and lonely in my folder. So here you go!

stay here, darling

The sound of Peggy’s laughter echoed through the chill of the night. He watched her unfold in the cover and sound of the darkness, taking a hop, skip and a jump over the tramlines.

LA at night was like a different world; the darkness creating a blanket where they could just be them, Peggy and Daniel, not Agents Carter and Sousa. He wanted this feeling more.

She looked back at him and smiled. It could have lit up the city.

We walked the city streets at midnight when the world went quiet

We skipped our dancing feet along beside the taxi rides

If I'm honest, it felt like love

Daniel looked up from his seat on the bench, and met the tired eyes of his partner, seemingly fresh out of the halls of Congress.

“How was it?” he held his hand out, and she took it gratefully.

“I am spoiled at SHIELD, honestly, Daniel. I had forgotten how tiring it is to work without having the respect of your colleagues,”

He merely hummed.

She joined him on the bench, and laid her head on his shoulder, hands still interlocked. She sighed.

And all the beats fell in between the silence that we shared

And all the trees were swaying softly in the thick black air

If I'm honest, it felt like love

The kettle was boiling, beginning to whistle as she put the last of the tea leaves into the strainer. Her dressing gown wafted out behind her as she reached over to take it off the stove before it woke Daniel.

The mug was warm; she wrapped her fingers around it and revelled in the gentle heat it provided. The morning of a day off went frequently like this, him preferring to sleep in late and her taking the opportunity to get up at her own pace.

Speaking of, she should probably think about taking her curls out soon.

Just on her way out, tea finished and mug on the side, she runs into him, hair messy and still half asleep.

He reaches for her, his crutch squeaking to accommodate the arm he places on her hip to pull her closer.

Their lips meet and it's a barefaced morning kiss, bad breath and all; fondness.

“Morning,” she smiled.

“Morning, Peg,”

And you said, stay here, darling

Don't you worry 'bout a thing, don't you worry 'bout a thing

I'm right here, darling

They lay bedside each other, panting and red.

Peggy turned to him. “I love you, Daniel.” He merely hummed in reply, though she could hear the reciprocation in his voice. His eyes were slipping closed and she watched each muscle in his face relax as he dozed.

She could feel the pull of sleep as well, but she watched him just a little longer, joining each of the freckles that smattered his cheeks and nose with her gaze.

She reached out to trace a line across his left cheek. She got about half way, before a hand jerked up and grabbed her fingers.

“Hey!” she protested quietly.

“I can feel that,” he rumbled in return. “Go to sleep,”

We let the freckles on our faces make a million stars

A constellation so amazing, that we saw a spark

If I'm honest, it felt like love

It was nearing 5am when the thought hit her. They were on some weapons smugglers' tail, down by some nondescript warehouse near the port. Daniel had just made the worst pun; and now, was rummaging around in the back for the snacks he had packed the night before.

“Daniel?” she said, trying not to think too hard about what she was about to do (though of course she had been thinking about it, rolling it around the back of her mind as maybe, possibly, someday), but watching her partner and knowing that this felt right.

“Hm?”

“Marry me,”

He snapped back to sitting beside her, doing his most adorable impression of a deer in headlights.

“Peg?”

“Marry me, Daniel.”

“I mean, yes, but -” he said, still slightly dazed.

“Why the hesitation?” she replied, confused.

“Would you believe me if I was to say I went ring shopping last weekend?”

“So, dinner tomorrow night...”

“Yeah,” he smiled shyly.

She grinned.

And in the morning, you adored me 'til the sun went down

And then I knew you were the one I couldn't live without

If I'm honest, it felt like love

He could hear the kettle whistling from the kitchen. He had been dozing for about half an hour now, and he could heat Peggy up and about, pottering around the kitchen, probably making tea. It’s the first day in almost three months they’ve both had a day off together, and he is determined to make the most of it.

He should probably shower, but the bed was warm and his crutches were too far away from under the comforter.

Eventually, the call of nature compels him to get up; thankfully, the bathroom was not too far. Next on the list - coffee. He meets Peggy on the landing. She’s barefaced and beautiful, a hand keeping her dressing gown across her waist. He reaches for her and pulls her in for a kiss, graceless and raw, soft and yielding.

“Morning,” he smiled.

“Morning, Daniel,”

And you said, stay here, darling

Don't you worry 'bout a thing, don't you worry 'bout a thing

I'm right here, darling

It was not uncommon for Jack to turn up at their DC house, bedraggled from a cross-country haul and ready to collapse on the nearest soft surface.

But all the times before this, there had not been another, tiny, human in the house.

“I can go somewhere else, it’s fine, you’re tired enough,”

"Nonsense, Jack,"

Peggy turned to Daniel. "Can I give you this task," summarily handing him the squirming child, "and I'll go and get the spare linens. I think there should still be some open in the fridge,"

“Linens? In the fridge? I think you guys might be more sleep-deprived than I am,”

Daniel rolled his eyes and throws a ‘she means the milk,’ behind him as he crutched through to the kitchen and pulled it out of the fridge; he leant himself against the side to free up the other hand in order to sterilise the bottle. To Jack’s untrained eye, even half asleep, Sousa seemed to be able to bottle up the milk and give it to his daughter very efficiently.

“Look at Mr Dad over here, barely awake and daddy-ing with ease,”

Daniel gives him an unimpressed stare; in complete contrast to Edie, who giggled and reached for Jack.

“She recognises you,” he chuckled. “You’re family now.”

We built a little house and filled it with our little dreams

But shining brighter are the moments that were in between

If I'm honest, it felt like love

“Is this what it was like for you?” she asked, turning away from the melee, gathered in her honour.

He chuckled, the deep sound stilling the vibrations in her bones. “It was a little quieter, for sure, but basically, yes,”

“If one more person comes up and makes a joke about finally slowing down,” she grumbled, without any heat behind it, “I swear I’m going to accelerate it exponentially and knock their head against the wall,”

Daniel just smirked. “There she is.”

She looked at him questioningly.

“You’ve been flitting about all evening, darling, almost like you don’t know what to do with yourself. I know work has been a huge part of life so far; and it’s hard to lose, no doubt, but I, for one, am looking forward to spending more time with you,” he said, eyes sparkling.

He took her hand and she squeezed his palm, just like the first time in the van. Their hands were older now, like they are, but just as warm, just as snug as then.

“Me too,” she smiled.

And now we're ready for the ending, we're hand in hand

A life so colourful, we didn't even need a plan

If I'm honest, it feels like love

tagging @peggysousweek!

#my fic #peggysous week

[upstartcrow42]

Fic Writer Interview

Thanks for the tag, @chelsfic!

How many works do you have on AO3?

16

What’s your total AO3 word count?

201,056 👀

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

If we’re just counting AO3, then it’s just one. What We Do in the Shadows. I’ve only had this username for a year. Under different names in different places I have other fics for other fandoms. That would bring the grand total up to 5. I tend to have huge fic dry spells.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

66 - Especially For You - Nandor/Guillermo. Gen - Gift fic for @jujubeas. Guillermo is injured (very minor) and Nandor cares for him by buying him food from Panera Bread.

44 - Tell Me Things Will Be Okay - Nandor/Guillermo. Gen - Gift fic for @riskylatte and a collaboration with @andyandnormski. Nandor tries to calm Guillermo’s frayed nerves after they arrive home from the theater massacre.

35 - The Protocols of Revenge - Nandor/Nadja that leads to Nandor/Nadja/Laszlo. NSFW - My first fic for the fandom. Laszlo makes Nadja made, so Nandor proposes revenge. Nadja eventual relents but on the condition that Laszlo watch.

33 - Just Right - Nandor/Guillermo. Gen. Gift fic for @andyandnormski. A seasonal storm spooks Guillermo, so Nandor takes matters into his own hands as far as his relaxation goes. Naturally, things go awry.

32- He Demands Satisfaction. - Nandor/Guillermo Gen. Tumblr Prompt request for @andyandnormski. Nandor and Guillermo are taking their relationship to new levels post theater massacre, but the threat of sunlight puts a damper on things. 

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I get so few comments on my fics these days, so I reply to them all. I understand why people don’t comment on fics, especially NSFW ones, but I love hearing from readers, even if the comment is super short. I love getting replies back from authors when I comment, so I try to do the same for anyone who comments on my fics. I like engaging with the readers.

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

Rooftop Reflections. Nandor/Nadja. She’s been missing Laszlo since he want on the run and tries to escape by sitting on the roof. Nandor joins her and then leaves her be. She is really bummed out at the end after Nandor leaves and has to be alone with her thoughts about Laszlo.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not yet, but I’m not against.

I’ve been wanting do a weird one with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/What We Do in the Shadows. They’re both in NYC, and they both have to keep to the shadows, so it makes sense that they’d run into each other. Leonardo vs. Nandor as leaders, lol. Donatello and Colin Robinson getting into technical details about topics. Raphael and Nadja being just the rudest. Micaelangelo and Laszlo straight up chillin’. And Master Splinter and Guillermo shaking their head at their charges acting like such fools.

I’ve also thought about them running away to Canada and meeting the crew from Letterkenny.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

When I was writing HP, yes. It was mainly about how I was ending my chapters, and to be fair, the endings were not great for what I was trying to achieve (setting up some context - kind of omncient). I’m pretty sure I’ve deleted all of those from existence now.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Most definitely. I’ve written mainly mlw and wlw with reference to mlm. I’ve also written OT3 situations with mmw.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of. How does that even happen?

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes.

I mentioned Tell Me Things will be okay earlier. Andy and I were very equal partners on that one and it was fun take their lead and then run with it and then see what they came up with next.

Nandor the Relentless: Conqueror of Courting. Nandor/Guillermo. A round robin fic where ideas were thrown out and shaped as a team. Nandor tries to court Guillermo in one-sided fake dating scenarios to protect him. I contributed to the last chapter of this gem of a fic series. I’m really proud that Nandor’s lament of the Windsor name was kept in.

Shoot Your Shot. Fendermo. Another round robin known by the writers as the Basketball AU. Nandor is a WNBA pro and Guillermo is her assistant. They’re even stupider in this story than in the show. It’s not complete, but one day we’ll finish it. I’m really proud of the text chain I wrote in the first chapter.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

I know nearly all the stories I’ve talked about are Nandermo, but that’s not my all time favorite ship. I don’t know if I can really pick a favorite. It’s just Nandor/Anyone really.

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

A Chance Encounter. Nandor/Silvia de la Cruz (Guillermo’s mom). NSFW. I’m only afraid I won’t finish it because I’m stuck on the next part for how the story should flow now that the smut is out of the way.

What are your writing strengths?

I’ve been told that I’m good and smooth dialogue.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I think I use the same descriptive language too much. The same facial expressions and dialogue reactions. I also need to work on differentiating my imagery and adding more figurative language to my stories. I love seeing that in other people’s works, but suddenly forget to do it in my own.

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

I love to see it, or even incorporating English language learning sentence structures into fics for characters whose primary language is not English. When I write in another language, I have had a friend who can speak that language check my work and phrasing to make it sound realistic. There was a lot of that in A Chance Encounter and @theoceanismyinkwell was immensely helpful with the Spanish dialogue and the Spanish Speaker in speaking in English lines too.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The first one I ever published on a fic site was Gundam Wing. I really hope that is not floating around still as I can’t even remember the site it was pubished on. It was peak cringe.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

It’s not complete, but Written in the Stars has consumed an epic amount of my time. The word count alone is two novels worth. It’s been fun to look into Nandor’s past, but also make him somewhat of a softie at that time too for a fic that could be otherwise very dark (there are defintely some mildly dark elements, but it’s generally just regular flavor NSFW). And it’s fun to take a semi-canon character who has one trait and flesh her out into a full person. At least I hope she comes across that way.

Tagging: @safetyhazardfics

@walkwithursus

@andyandnormski

@mapnerdbloodbag

@satincowboys

@nandoor

#Tag Games

[internetkatze]

Tagged by @obstinaterixatrix !!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!  

---

I have fewer that 20 published, But I guess I can list some of the unpublished ones too ;) 

1. Untitled WIP (Wandersong, unpublished 2021) The flight home was long enough that, despite Miriam's unease, by the time they had made it to her house, the worst of her anxiety had been replaced by a heavy blanket of exhausted resignation.

2.  Echoing Notes (Wandersong 2020) The world was ending, until it wasn’t. The sun rose again, against all odds, casting its beams of light across an improbable planet, bathing its inhabitants in the most welcome daybreak.

3. Still The World Keeps Turning (Doctor Who, 2020)  She sees the world afire, again.

4. OSTINATI (Wandersong, unpublished 2020)  An unfamiliar face greeted the Bard as they made their way up the hill towards Langtree Village.

5. Split Complementaries, And Other Approaches to Musical Composition (Wandersong, unpublished 2020)  Kiwi rose with the sun, impossible though it was to see through the Chismest haze; the date on the calendar hesitantly suggested it might have been early summer, although the weather all but shouted otherwise.

6. What Do You Want To Hear? (Doctor Who, 2020) "So, Doc, any thoughts yet?"

7. Untitled WIP (Doctor Who, 2020)  The wonderful thing about time is that it never stops, so if you happen to find yourself in a bad situation, eventually you will be carried away from it into hopefully a better situation.

8. An Urgent Request (Good Omens, 2020)  The door crashed open, jangling the entrance bell with all the alarm of an air raid siren.

9. Fracture (Doctor Who, 2020)  He scans the horizon, under the Australian sun, brimming with anticipation.

10. New Year’s Fic (Good Omens, unpublished 2019)  And now it was 2009.

11. As a River Flows on a Pathway to the Sea (Good Omens, unpublished 2019)  Geological timescales are a funny thing, to angels.

12. Black Magic on Mulholland Drive (Lucifer/Good Omens crossover, unpublished 2019) A sunny morning in LA is par for the course. A rainy morning in LA, while uncommon, isn't entirely outside of the realm of possibility*. A foggy morning in LA, however, suggests something surreal is afoot.

13. Heaven’s Over Us (Good Omens, 2019)  Aziraphale stood at the edge of a precipice.

14. Aziraphale Gets A Smartphone (Good Omens, 2019)  If one were to believe that the universe isn't just one single instance of existence created by God according to the ineffable plan, but rather a collection of several universes—a multiverse, if you will—one might believe that each of the other universes contains something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike any other.

15. About Face (Good Omens, 2019)  By the time they arrived at the front door of Crowley’s flat, it was the dead hour, too late to be night and too early to be dawn. 

16. Identity, Ineffability, and Other Things we Don’t Understand (Good Omens, 2019)  "Crowley."

17. V1 (Good Omens, unpublished 2019) The problem, Crowley had decided, was feelings.

18. Hard Landing (Good Omens, 2019)  The problem, Aziraphale had decided, was feelings.

19. Adventures in Attempting to Purchase a Book From that Weird Old Soho Bookshop, A.Z. Fell & Co. (Good Omens, 2019)  [New Topic] Does Anyone Have A Copy Of Clockwork House Vol. 6?

20. The Question of Who (Sherlock, 2012)  "I've told you before. You see, but you don't observe."

Also as a bonus have two original stories:

1. Untitled WIP (original, 2019) A star shot through the sky and landed right outside my window, at a horrible hour of the morning.

2. Untitled WIP (original, 2019)  There was a witch at the top of the mountain, or so I had been told; I had never been there—I had neither the means nor inclination.  

---

Patterns, hm... Well, I certainly like to go for either a highly descriptive line that establishes the scenario right away, or a short and catchy line that’s intriguing enough to make you want to read the next line, which is then usually the highly descriptive line. Generally speaking I do favour a compact writing style that fits as much information as possible into as few words as possible in each sentence, so it’s not surprising my opening lines are like that too.

I’m often tempted to open with a line of dialogue, but I’ve heard that’s offputting, so I try to avoid it. Still, there are some cases when that works best, usually when the dialogue itself establishes some important information right away. (In the case of #16, that’s an entirely dialogue-only piece, so the first line establishes it’s Aziraphale who speaks first.)

It’s kind of hard to pick a favourite because I’m very fond of all of these for different reasons. For example, 4 looks very plain, but leads into scenario where the “unfamiliar face” is quickly established to be someone the Bard should know, but doesn’t. And then later the same line gets repeated again in different contexts, developing the theme further. I love 9 because not only does it quickly locate where in the timeline this canon divergence begins, it also establishes a metaphor that, when combined with the next two lines, becomes relevant to the entire fic. 12 and 14 were both jokes I wrote to myself to make myself laugh and fell in love with especially as I developed the jokes further. 17 and 18 make a pair.... except I never actually published 17 so the joke is lost too RIP

Honestly I think the main takeaway here is I should actually finish my WIPs sometime lmao

TAGGING: @wyvernquill @fremulon @gottagobuycheese @theoldaquarian @theplatinthehat @picnokinesis @maskedhero 

IDK HOW MANY MORE FRIENDS WRITE FIC TBH and i dont remember everyones usernames either if you’re reading this and u write stuff consider urself tagged

#obstinaterixatrix #QU writes things #meme night with QU

[kinetic-elaboration]

OMG drop the deets on the DOLLHOUSE AU! I watched that show last year and I tried so hard to come up with a fic idea for it but i couldn't ever get it right! Such a cool concept!

(Wip nudge game)

Okay first off YESSS Dollhouse! I love that show. I feel like it’s way too underrated / poorly known. But it’s so good. I love hearing that other people like it too!

So, I had this idea pretty early in my involvement in T100 fandom, like probably when S3 was airing, so it reflects both the canon and my own personal feelings and interests at the time. I did a lot of planning / brainstorming / note taking and I got really into it in my own head; I really enjoyed playing out random scenes as daydreams and stuff, just for fun. Sometimes I still use the universe for daydream fodder, tbh.

Unfortunately, when I tried actually writing it, I didn’t like what I came up with. I don’t know if it’s because the beginning concept isn’t strong or just bad luck or even if the openings I tried are better than I thought, but I wasn’t feeling it. I have two beginnings written but I think if I were to ever try this fic again I’d start again entirely.

Basically the idea was Bellamy as Echo and Clarke as Ballard (but not in the FBI). At the start of the fic, she’s a disgraced med school dropout going through a post-breakup, post-burnout slump. Abby, secretly the head of the LA Dollhouse, tries to break her out of it by sending her off on a fun night out, during which she meets purposefully planted doll  Bellamy, who will remind her of the good parts of life again. (That this is an immoral idea bothers me less than that it seems a long shot idea lol--it’s also very hard to write, in part because writing a shippy fic with known characters while simultaneously giving one of them a purposefully fake personality is... a new sort of challenge!)

She does meet Bellamy, she does have a good time with him, but while they’re together, he glitches and remembers, very briefly, who he really is. Then later she sees him disappearing into a mysterious black van. This makes her very suspicious, obviously, and as she and her friends (Wells, Monty, and Jasper) try to figure out what happened, they end up going down the rabbit hole of the whole Dollhouse legend.

Parallel to this is a story line involving Bellamy, going on various engagements and starting to glitch more frequently, etc. Eventually, they’d meet and uh... I don’t know, score some kind of victory one assumes. (I’m not looking at my notes so I don’t remember how much of that I worked out.)

Other stuff I wanted to include:

Raven as Topher... obviously

Miller as a Doll who finishes his term of service during the fic itself; Clarke and co. follow him as he reunites with his husband, Bryan, not aware of what’s going on (this was my favorite scene to imagine in my head for some reason)

Jasper, with his S3 characterization, somehow signs on to be a Doll without telling anyone, then becomes a sleeper agent, dramatically revealed

Octavia as, obviously, Bellamy’s sister, who was also involved with activist work with him (similar backstory to Echo’s in the show) before he was caught by the Dollhouse and is still looking for him

Murphy as an ex-Doll who lives out in the desert (for the Aesthetic mostly) and trolls people on message boards about what he may or may not know.

Obviously this is a multi-chapter fic. I never consolidated all the notes into a proper point-by-point or chapter-by-chapter outline. At some point, I decided I knew the beginning and I was excited to actually write--and then it went so badly I kind of soured on the story. It would be suuuuper ambitious for this point in my t100-fandom life but I still think of it fondly, so I added it to my wip list.

#answers #wip nudg game #dylanobrienisbatman #dollhouse au #this got long whoops

[spaceorphan18]

Author Spotlight: Kuhlaine Day 3

Author: @kuhlaine

How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

It depends! My first draft is always just a rough 'get the words on the page' type of draft. If it's un-beta'd, I'll transfer the rough draft to a new document and do a fresh pass through the following day to fine tune, then work on formatting and do one last pass through for spelling errors after giving myself a break from looking at the material. If it's a beta'd project, I'll go through and start adding my comments/concerns and shoot them off to my beta. Once we've worked through all of theirs and my comments I do one last pass through for any last minute changes and I'm good to post! 

tldr: two and a half-ish drafts for un-beta'd works, closer to four drafts for beta'd projects!

If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?

I'd revise Cross the Line, which was the first fic I ever posted! I took a 9 month hiatus before posting the last chapter (which I'm so, SO sorry about, I promise I won't do it again), and I always worried that it felt like there was a distinct shift in the tone of the story once I posted that final chapter months later. I'd want to do a proper outline for that fic and draw out the last few chapters a little more. I had originally wanted things to go down slightly differently, but I felt like it was too late to scrap that draft when I was already months behind posting my latest chapter.

What do you look for in a beta?

I've been working with my beta, Adri, for my past two multi-chapter fics and my next WIP, and honestly I'd say I'd look for someone like her, as shameless as that is to say! She's amazing - none of my work would be what it is without her guidance and influence on the writing process.

Usually, my greatest concern with my work is that the logic is always sound. Sometimes things that make sense to me don't make sense to someone else - likewise, I created these characters, and I control their thoughts and actions. Sometimes I may know why they chose to act a certain way, but the reader might not - so having someone who's able to call things like that out, for clarity and context, is SUPER helpful! A great memory is also amazing because I have a bad habit of forgetting some of the more minute details in my fics (and also forgetting that Adam exists).

If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Oh gosh, that's so tough... I feel like most of my favorite fics end in really wonderfully fitting ways. I think it'd be fun to take a crack at a Little Numbers sequel - the fic is absolutely astounding on its own, so this would just be a shameless chance to get to try out writing in that very unique format.

Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

I definitely take liberties! I like to weave in nods to canon throughout my fics just for fun, and because they make for intriguing plots when put into a new setting/context, but I'm really not one for canon compliance - since I'm not a huge fan of some of the details in canon.

Talk about a review that made your day.

Lots of reviews make my day! I'm very easy to please, honestly. If you say you like it, it makes my heart swell. 

One review that particularly stuck with me was someone who said it had been years since they'd read a newer fic, and had taken a chance on one of my fics. When I first rejoined the fandom I was definitely hesitant to read newer works, and wanted to stick with the classic fics that I knew and loved at first - knowing that someone took a chance on me as an author who was very late, and very new, to the fandom really meant a lot to me!

Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

Not really! This is a wonderfully supportive community and I've never gotten anything but kind and lovely comments.

I'd like to think that if I got a negative review I'd leave it be and forget about it - but realistically I'd probably obsess about it for a long time, forget about it for years, then it'll come back to me in the middle of the night years later.

As for critique/constructive feedback - I welcome it! My writing is critiqued/workshopped pretty much every day at work, so it's something I'm always very open and welcome to hearing!

What advice do you have for people just starting to write?

Don't be discouraged if the kudos/comments are slow to start! When I first started posting fic, it took me quite a bit to start getting kudos/comments, but I kept going because I had this thing I really wanted to write, and figured I might as well share it regardless of whether anyone was reading, because I knew I was going to write it either way. I posted (somewhat) consistently, and eventually readers started to come along! 

And write what YOU want to write! Don't write something that you're not passionate/excited about or that you feel like you /have/ to write, it'll just make the writing process unnecessarily difficult for you.

Which fic do you most like to discuss with other people? Why?

I'll talk about The Sidhe to anyone who will listen - it's one of my favorite fics of all time.

As for my own fic, I don't talk about many of them very often to others! I'm generally very vague when talking about my non-work-related writing to my friends. Though, I'm adapting Even Then, Especially Now into an original work, so that's the only project I've talked about a little more explicitly with them.

What's one aspect of writing fic that gets you really excited?

Creating worlds! I don't write fantasy or sci-fi, but I think you still do a great deal of world building with any story - you're creating characters and friend groups and social constructs and settings. I love those first few chapters when you're really setting the scene, introducing your cast of characters and what their world is like and how they operate. 

I also LOVE finally getting to the climatic point in a story and just writing my heart out! It's the moment I've been waiting for as a writer, and usually the moment the reader will have been waiting for, and it's so exciting to do all this building and just dive right in to this insane, emotional, rollercoaster of a moment.

***

Check out Kuhlaine’s Fics

The First of Many -  Kurt Hummel is overworked, exhausted, and desperately needs a drink. Or two. Blaine Anderson is underpaid, heartbroken, and dreading the thought of heading home for the holidays. When the two meet at neighboring bachelor/ette parties in Las Vegas, they wake up with more than just hangovers - a sky high room service bill, and a pair of wedding rings.

My Personal Hell -  Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson have never been able to get along, much less stand to be in the same room alone for more than 10 minutes. When their petty rivalry causes them to miss their bus back home to Lima after a glee club competition in Middle of Nowhere, Illinois, they'll have to do more than just spend 10 minutes alone together.

You've Got Kudos! -  In which Blaine gets tipsy and posts fanfiction about himself and Kurt on Archive of Our Own.

#author spotlight: kuhlaine

[mykingdomforasong]

Tagged by @capdjarin

My AO3

How many works do you have on AO3?

28

What’s your total AO3 word count?

208,158 (Do you think a depressed person could make this? No)

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

on AO3: 2 - Percy Jackson and Star Wars (just lumping all of Star Wars in here)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

More Light Than Heat (Din/Luke rated E, complete)

Flyboy (Din/Luke E) (this one is still baffling to me)

Be (Din/Luke E)

At A Glance (Will Solace/Nico Di Angelo T) (this is very old, please do not read it)

Love Me In the Dark (Din/Luke T)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Sometimes. Usually just to thank someone for a particularly kind or thoughtful comment, or to respond to something.

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

The House of Hades ending rewrite that I did called "The Doors of Death." It is the only fic I have with the "major character death" warning. I don't tend to do angst though.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

nope

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really. I've gotten one angry comment about not updating Once Upon a Pointe (which, let me tell you, did not encourage me to update), and one comment that told me they wouldn't keep reading More Light Than Heat because they didn't like how I depicted the relationship between Anakin and the Clones. Which, like, fine to each their own, but I don't know why you had to let me know about it.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

lmao yeah. Not sure exactly what "what kind" means here. Lots of m/m stuff, fairly vanilla.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, but people did use to steal my old Tumblr posts and put them on Instagram and pintrest.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Flyboy has been translated into Chinese.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope

What’s your all time favorite ship?

It's Percabeth and probably always will be. I will be on my deathbed, and still be thinking about "I'm never going to make this easy for you, Seaweed Brain, get use to it."

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

Once Upon A Pointe. I started re reading it the other day, and realized that I want to basically rewrite the entire thing before moving onto the next chapter, because I just don't think the writing is that good. So that update might be a while.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and creativity. I do think that I come up with some really good ideas for stories. I think I can also be good at editing when I really force myself to do it (like force myself to make cuts to things, or fix scenes). If I had decided to use my creative writing degree for something other than Star Wars porn, I probably would have made a better literary editor than actual writer.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Grammar and spelling because of the dyslexia. But also descriptions, especially during smut scenes; I struggle with describing both the physical and emotional sensations of the moment. I'm working on it though. I also feel like I struggle with characterization, particularly in Star Wars. I tend to make the characters way too soft (which I do prefer to the alternative that some other writers have come up with). I feel like Han and Din in particular are just ... never in character.

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

For non-Earth languages like Mando'a - If the pov character doesn't speak the language being spoken (a la Luke hearing Mando'a in MLTH), then I'm fine with the language being there. But if the pov character speaks the language, please just write the dialogue in the language the fic is in. Do not have huge blocks of text of Din and Boba speaking Mando'a and leave the translations in the notes.

I do feel differently about this if it is a real human language. Like if you want to include dialogue in Spanish, for example, it might still frustrate me as a non-Spanish speaker, but I will eventually remember that I am not the center of the universe.

But if it's a fake space language, just put it in English or translate it in the text if the POV character understands what is being said.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

There was one fandom before Percy Jackson, but you have to be a level 30 friend to know what that was.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Probably More Light Than Heat, just because I've never finished something like that before. It's for sure the one I'm most proud of. But I do think Illusions of Someday and Painted Blind are underrated

[faejilly]

I was tagged by @la-muerta​ & @facialteeth​ & @thedivinemissema​ for the WIP/Title Game

rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and interests you and i’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it!

AND THEN  by @shadoedseptmbr​ @msviolacea​ & @ravenclawnerd​ for the “stories you want to write... but for some reason haven’t yet”

so this will be a mish-mash of both? The WIPs will mostly have blurbs in this case (to fit the second meme) but you are still welcome to ask follow-up questions, if you’d like ;) Assuming you make it through the list, it is uh. Not Short.

Anyone who would like to play with their WIPs, please consider yourself tagged in either or both of these. :D

Misc Fic Folder:

“untitled document” - where I’m working on fictober fills so I have word-counts for my GYWO tracker. I am not working on these because Brains Are Dumb and also Going Back To Work Is Exhausting

I made a file called “YULETIDE!” which has nothing in it but I’m determined to finish this year so that is definitely technically a thing in the Unending WIP List of Doom worth mentioning. (Tho obviously that’s all I could say even if I had started, because anonymous.)

“coda-fics, rewatch!” -yes, that exclamation mark is important! it’s to keep me motivated! (it didn’t work). Much like untitled, this is for putting stuff so I can do word count tracking even if I don’t know what I’m doing. Currently I think it just says “MARYSE” because I was working on my SH 1x6 coda-fic and then got distracted and haven’t typed anything up yet. (Yay notebooks? Boo notebooks? Not even sure at this point.)

WNIP (works not in progress) Folder:

“TOG” - I had one vivid mental image of how Nicky & Joe met (blood-stained evil smiles?) but then no idea for a follow-up story and also the fandom is insane and I’m not sure I want to deal with all of *gestures vaguely* all that

“Shan Xia Notes” -for a TTRPG that never quite got off the ground; she was a semi-tragic selkie who was still in love with the evil queen/lady who stole her skin and I got to play her for like one session and she was surprisingly chaotic neutral, which wasn’t at all what I’d been expecting. But the game never really got off the ground, so I never had enough info to really delve into writing backstory fic

“post-Kruschev” -Kruschev’s List was the last episode of Scarecrow & Mrs King, and I was debating writing an epilogue in place of the s5 we never got, to try and tie up some loose ends, but the fandom’s three old-ladies in trench coats and I never quite worked up the gumption to get it anywhere

“Code Realize warm as silk sequel” -there is literally nothing in this file except “SEX! Only a little angst” because I wanted to write some “we can’t actually touch each other” smut but never actually did. 🤷‍♀️

BioWare (also all Not-In-Progress Anymore)

“seb/adelaide”, “Theia” & “DAI Erana” -these WIP folders were cannibalized for ficlets for the last few times I did fictober, and while originally I had ideas for longer epilogues for all three of them, at this point I don’t think any of the remaining bits could support a story any longer.

”whispers in the dark” -Maia Ryder never really got much fic at all; the cancellation of any further Andromeda stuff was really disheartening, and at this point I’d have to play the game again, and I don’t think I’m gonna manage that any time soon

”TSP” -a Mass Effect 3 Shepard AU collab project that kind of went off the rails, and our mutual brains/lives never quite seem to line up so we can try and rebuild it ”Ngaio & Tane” -my one truly ruthless Shepard (Alliance background, who romanced Traynor) whose father Tane Shepard was, I think, in PsyOps, and I wanted to figure out their complicated relationship but never really did know where I was going with it

”JE Zu & Yaling” -so I’ve rambled about my Tragic Sagacious Zu Romance Thoughts regarding Jade Empire more than once (#Icy Yaling should have most of it) but apparently I want to yell about it more than I want to actually write it? Whoops.

”CI sequel: 5 times fic?” -Cruel Intentions is a kinkmeme fill that I started and then it sat for like five years before I actually finished it, and I liked the ending, but it does leave a giant fucking question mark in terms of how those people got from there to where they are after the game, and I kind of wanted to write a proper h/c fic rather than just... leaving them wallowing in all that trauma?

But I didn’t. I don’t even remember for sure how I wanted to frame the 5/1 of it all, besides it being something sad about allowing people to see you or touch you in some way. (Prayers maybe, since I think there was definitely some Sebastian & Fenris & faith stuff going on in there.)

“candles” -Merribela prompt fill that I never was happy with? Not sure what I might do with it at this point, so it’s just sitting there all sad and lonely and neglected-like.

Shadowhunters

pt1: WIP LIST ONLY

“Persuasion” -so I keep trying to write Persuasion AUs in many fandoms because it’s my favorite Austen, but I think I like it too much, I have no real solid concept of how I’d transform it, and if I don’t have anything else to say about different characters within that framework, I have no push to actually write anything? Also this SH version of it suffered from MASSIVE scope creep when I started outlining and it got too big for me to handle so I like, killed it twice? Whoops. This one is really probably never gonna happen.

“oosdt sequel” -I wanted to write more about the Forest That Eats People and Magnus & Alec as Guardians Between Worlds, and also some background Magnus’ Found Family & Lightwood Family Feels (maybe some clizzy?) and I left a Madzie plot-thread dangling from the first one on purpose even but I think this one had too many ideas and not enough focus so it’s sort of sprawling all over a doc with a lot of “???” in it

“procedural-ish” -this was originally going to be a sex-farce. and then it turned more serious. and then maybe kind of copaganda which was uncomfortable in terms of the Everything That Is The News in 2020, and then maybe it was more a Mafia AU and at that point I had self-inflicted tone whiplash and I wished the voices in my head were a little more forthcoming about their plans so I stopped before I brained myself on my computer monitor in frustration.

“I had rather a rose than live forever” -I started a reverse!verse Malec (Shadowhunter!Magnus, High Warlock!Alec) for bingo last year, and I couldn’t quite get it together in time, so I made a moodboard inspired by the bits I’d started instead. I may see if one of my prompts from Bingo this year help me finish it?

“fall fright fest (practical magic  au)” -exactly what it says on the tin! almost exactly a year old & neglected! IDEK ANYMORE (I talked about this one with the WIP meme last time tho: here)

“priest!kink theology?” -I thought it was gonna be smut? I like priest!kink. I have made other people like it and yell at me even! But then I kept diverging into demon!Magnus thinking about Priest!Alec’s faith and as usual, IDEK ANYMORE *laughs*

(If they’re remotely canon-adjacent or divergent, a bunch of these are in here because I need to rewatch the show to get the pacing/timing/tone right and I haven’t, and I don’t know why, because I enjoy the show, but BRAINS! Are Dumb! So I guess that’s it?)

“I do” -I have tried to write this damnable Malec arranged marriage fic like six different times. I have signed up for fic exchanges and bangs with it, I have rewritten massive sections, trying to change tone or structure or POV or whatever, and it basically comes down to they like each other too fast and I keep not gutting it enough to get back to a useful pace, but by the time I realized that I was on take six and kind of sick of it. I may get back to it eventually

“wing!fic” -canon divergent in early s1, trying to deal with the consequences of Simon’s kidnapping as the Truly Serious Event that it should have been. It uh. Got heavier than I expected with those consequences (considering it was originally just supposed to be Alec’s wings flirting with Magnus) and also see above re: rewatching for pacing.

“2x20 aftermath/date night/pandemonium porn“ -yes that is the actual wip title. It used to be “spite fic” because I was originally inspired by fighting against a lot of fic!Alec characterization that was clearly based more on the books and ATG syndrome than the Alec in the show, which is the Alec I know and like and want to read about. BUT, pacing and etc. again, I think. Also I have somehow entirely lost my knack for writing porn, which makes it difficult to finish something originally intended to be smut!fic. Or even teasing almost!smut.

“rubbish heap” -so this is about three different fics that I realized complemented each other really well so they’re now all in the same file as I try to turn them into the sequel of “with an if in its soul”. It includes amnesia, parabatai lore shenanigans, a s3 rewrite, and some truly awful Owl adjustments that make me wince in horrified authorly delight and pain. BUT, as with the other ones in this file, the scope is large and I normally write short-fic and I kind of just threw up my hands in exasperation. I may have to break it back up into the three different fics instead, if I ever actually want to write it. Them? But also I need to take better notes on s3 to make sure I have what I need in here.

SH Pt 2: Started posting or not yet in hiatus because it’s actually almost ready to be a thing in the real world! maybe!?

“kisses (firsts)” -I actually started publishing this one, a “series of firsts” that was supposed to be kind of relationship milestones and kind of an excuse for smut, and then there wasn’t that much smut and I lost momentum and also dear lords & ladies the timeline is stupid, wtf. I may not ever add to this one, tbqh. It doesn’t stop in a terrible place, and they’re all ficlets so they stand alone all right.

“clizzy epilogue” -this is blank atm, it’s more a reminder for me to keep poking away at my “girls who can’t breathe air, only fire” collection BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY GET TO THE CLIZZY AT SOME POINT

"mer!alec" -pts 2-4 of a series, but apparently having an actual plan gets in the way of me *writing* the thing, and I haven't managed to throw the half an outline far enough away from my brain to be able to write again. Or something like that.

"ibhww" -if broken hearts were whole is a soulmate fic I started a million years ago, and purposefully set aside to finish some other WIPs because I thought they'd be quick, and now it's just buried under two and a half years of regret and shame so it's hard to get back to it

"iafy" -i am for you is a delightful & frothy semi-epistolary fluff piece that also just lost momentum because Life & 2020 & etc. It's far and away the most popular thing I've ever posted on AO3, which also makes me feel weird sometimes, and I feel like the fact that there's no grand conclusion planned, just a bit more fluff and settling in, might end up being disappointing? Basically, it's the first time I think I've psyched myself out about reader expectations, and until I get over that I'm going to have trouble finishing the last couple chapters. (There really are probably only two more chapters though. IT’S SO CLOSE, I wish I could just... write it. And yet?)

“fake-hating” -I do not like fake dating as a trope that much, I just do not get it, but I love outside POVs and arranged marriages and there’s this delighful tumblr post about how they wished there was more fic about people who were together but had to pretend they werent’, and uh. This may be that? Eventually? I’m not exhausted by my failure to finish it yet, so it’s still in the regular folder rather than the hiatus folder, even though nothing’s been posted for it.

AND I THINK THAT’S IT?

Not as terrible as it could be, but still. MANY WORDS THAT MAY NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. Posting the equivalent of one’s old ratty sketchbook is always a weird feeling. :D

#on writing #writing memery #unending WIP List Of Doom