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#yes the 40k and 60k chapters were for this
blubushie · 4 months
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Tell us about Vegas?
YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE [BUSHMAN GUSSIED UP] ROUTE!
A TALE OF HIGH-ROLLERS
Warnings: Absolutely none! This a fun story. :]
So in November of 2021 (yes, a month before the Pig Incident) I went back to the US to see my family for a bit. I came back loaded with cash as a peace offering for my family (it didn't work) and so I left and went up to Oregon with a mate of mine for a few days to relax, recoup, and discuss work.
This went (mostly) ok minus a brief blue between us (I say "brief" but he's Still Mad About It, in my defence it was not my fault) and I left for Las Vegas, somewhere I hadn't been since I was very young. I got a flight out there and lounged for a bit and made my way to the only place I know would have me, a historical casino that's very popular (but not as much as it used to be.)
I went in the first night with $20k to blow away. I was upset because of the fight with my parents, further upset by the blue I had with my mate, and I wanted to be a little reckless and a little 20 and enjoy life for a week before I had to leave.
I have a quick meal in town at the Peppermill (incredible place), do some drinking there, then stop by Dream Exotics, rent out a 488 Ferrari, and head for the casino where I end up getting a cheap room.
It's $1500 per 24 hours, I had it for 3 days.
I head downstairs to the tables, sorta keep to myself and eventually I get to come up and play. If any of the you have read my fic, the scene in chapter 9 where Jess and Mundy play poker? Those were my winning hands. So we do a couple rounds.
Something that I didn't know, since I don't make a habit of high-profile gambling, or high-stakes gambling, is that casinos will comp you if they think you're rich. You put down a lot of money and they worship you. They'll spend top dollar on you in the hopes that you lose it all. It's fucking predatory, but it works. What's $20k spent on a gambler if he loses out $60k to you? That's still a $40k profit, and casinos are in the business of betting and winning.
They bet on the wrong bloke. I came in with $2k to piss away and bet $1500 first game. Lost it. Bet the last $500 and got it all back plus $2k more. Wagered that $2k, kept it and gained $1500 more. Bet the $1500, lost that. This repeated, maybe 12 rounds and until 2am, until I decided I'd had my fun and walked out with my $2k plus $6500 richer than I went in.
I'm an addict of one thing--alcohol. I am not a gambling addict. I know when to stop. I stopped. Everything after this was the casino wagering money on me in the hopes I'd come back down to the tables with more cash and lose it all.
I go back to my room. When I get there there's a bloke in a suit waiting for me and he says that the casino's "impressed" and has decided to comp my room and is upgrading me to a second-class suite, free of charge.
Who'm I to say no?
I get my shit and go with him. The suite's incredible. Spa Tower--a fucking two story suite with a spiral staircase, and it comes with a private chef! We're gonna call him C for Chef.
So I get there, set up, stare at this giant fucking bed, and wonder what kinda mess I just got myself into because everything has its price. I didn't get much sleep. Most of my time was spent cleaning my rifle very nervously as a soothing mechanism and muttering about "Oh we're really in for it now, Winnie."
But! I'm here for work. I want work. I love work!
So I finally head to bed around 4am, get a few hours of sleep, and dismiss the chef when he comes in the morning. He insists on making me something and I tip him $50 for some eggs and bacon.
We don't talk much, he's quiet and nervous and I remember where exactly I am and it occurs to me that maybe most people aren't exactly nice to him.
He comes around again for lunch--I don't remember what it was, think it was a panini--and dinner. Dinner was very very very good salmon. He's still not talking much, we mostly ignore each other, but I make him a martini as a courtesy and he seems to warm up a little.
(The suite has a wet bar and you can bet I drank practically all of that $700-worth of booze in it. This is when I first got into making cocktails, and I still enjoy making cocktails today. Thank god for fake IDs.)
Third day comes around, and this is when I get my arse in gear. I am in Vegas in a very high-profile casino. I'm playing with the big boys now and it's time I fucking act like it instead of hiding away in here. I've got impressions to make. I phone the front desk, as to speak to the hotel organiser, we get to talking and at my request he sets me up with a private barber and private tailor. Excellent. This will work. Chef comes in and makes brekkie (potato hash with eggs and chopped bacon) while I'm on the horn with the tailor and giving him the measurements I remember from the last time I had a suit tailored (for court, yay).
I tell the tailor to meet me at 6pm (giving 2hr for suit adjustments) and that I want something black and blue and very formal. I want to look like money. I ring the barber and tell him to come at 4pm, which gives us an hour to get my hair fixed before dinnie (because a mullet is NOT going to cut it here). I tell the cook to take off lunch, I'll meet him back here at 5pm for dinnie. I get dressed and dip.
Spend all day out on the town, seeing the sights and walking the strip and drinking for The Nerves. I head to Dream Exotics and rent out the Ferrari for another 2 days.
I don't get lunch on accounting for big dinnie. Eventually I get back to the casino, valet takes the car, and I head back to my suite.
4pm rolls around and 5 till, I hear a knock at the door. Scramble down the spiral staircase and make my way to the door. Answer it. There's my barber. He's short, very unassuming, older than me by about two decades, scrawny but with bony fingers that show he's been a barber for a long time. He has Those Kinds Of Hands--the kinds of hands that only people who work intricately with their fingers get; hairdressers, barbers, tailors, seamsters, artists, pianists... Wiry knuckles. You get it.
So I let him in and show him around the place. He comes inside and I ask to see his bag. We go through it. It's everything you'd expect. Ok, you're clear, I'll show you the bathroom. We head upstairs. Fifteen minutes later he's drawing the water up in the shower (yay detachable nozzles) and I'm trying my best to avoid looking in the mirror. And this blokes look at me and says my hair looks very thick. And that he likes this, because it means he doesn't have to use volumiser since my hair already has volume.
And then he says "You have hair like a woman's." There's a pause. "I mean that as a compliment." Thanks I guess?
I'm sitting on the edge of the tub and looking out the window and wondering why the fuck I even put this plan in action to start with when he asks me what I'm thinking. You know, in terms of style. And I say honestly, I don't know. Listen, I've got a meeting tonight, I know you should sleep on a fresh haircut but I'm a bit pinched for time. I have to look professional. I have to look good.
He looks at me, seems to have this eureka moment, and we get started. "I've got you." So I take my shirt off cuz it's just gonna get wet if I don't, my hair gets washed, and we head downstairs to the bar. I'm sat in a barstool we pulled from the bar at the eating bar in the kitchen and he gets to cutting.
And because this was pre-stroke I had a Texan accent at the time. So my barber, who I'm gonna call B, he gets curious and asks if I'm a Texas highroller. I tell him I'm a highroller but I'm not from Texas. A guessing game starts. I'll give you a $100 tip if you can guess where I'm from. The cunt guesses South Africa before he guesses Australia. Do I look South African to you? "No, you look like a cowboy." Pssh.
Eventually he guesses Australia. Ding ding ding, we have a winner. So we move on and chatter for a bit about this that and the other, he blows my hair to get the cuttings off but air dried hair is Special so we decide we'll let it air dry. Eventually C gets there, I let him in, and he makes us some steak and potatoes (FUCKING INCREDIBLE) and my hair dries as we all eat. This is the only time I've ever eaten wagyu steak. This shit was A5. Holy fuck the marbling. Melts in your mouth, absolutely incredible.
While all three of us are eating, I pitch the game to the chef. Barber and I are giggling as he thinks. His first guess is Oklahoma, because "Texas is too obvious." Buzzer. He guesses a couple of times. Gets them all wrong. He keeps guessing and he ends up getting a little red-faced in his frustration so I say if he can just guess the country I'll give it to him. He guesses South Africa. "That's what I said," goes B.
"Why South Africa? B guessed it too."
"There's a lot of rich white people in South Africa."
Fair. The game continues.
C names practiclly every European nation there is and then some. He names Canada, he names France and I wrinkle my nose. He names Spain. No. "You look Spanish." My mum's Portuguese?
To hand it to him, my freshly cut hair was drying, I was sitting at the dinner table shirtless and actually eating my steak with a knife AND fork, looking a bit professional despite my state of dress, and drinking a bottle of 1970-something Macallan off the spout. Plus I was freshly de-mulleted. I wasn't exactly the shining example of Aussie. More "American cowboy plucked fresh off the ranch."
But I get bored of the game eventually and I'd finished eating, so I say I'll give him the letter. Starts with an A.
"Aus-"
Yessss…
"-trian?"
NO!
His reasoning is that I'm drinking Macallan off spout for the past hour, it's not affecting me at all yet, and Germanics have a high booze tolerance?
"You know who else has a high booze tolerance? The drunkest nation on the planet."
C is confused.
"He means Australians," chimes B.
"Australians?" C looks at me. "You mean…" He grabs his knife, kinda points it at me but in the faux-threatening way. "'Now that's a knoife' kind?"
Sigh. "Yeah. Aussie."
"So where are you from? Sydney? Where's your accent? Have you ever seen a kangaroo?"
"Are you from Melbourne?" asks B. It's a good guess--there's a lotta rich people in M*lbourne.
"Someplace you never heard of."
The topic drops.
We yarn for a while longer about nothing in particular, mostly about food. I find out that B spent some time in Italy and really loves Italian food, C's favourite food to cook is Italian, they hit it off and I'm sitting in silence as I listen. Not in the third wheel kinda way, but in the intrigued kinda way. They're having a conversation that I'm glad to be a part of. It's interesting.
I make a mental note to have C cook me something Italian for dinner tomorrow.
B decides it's time for the dry cut, so we head back to the kitchen bar (I bring my whikky) and C goes about cleaning up the kish. He's humming as he tidies and eventually he looks over at me and goes "So nowhere Australia?"
"Woop woop, yeah."
"How'd you end up here? With the suite and us? How'd you make it?"
There's a hope in his eyes that's kinda sad. In that childish "I wanna be like him one day" kinda way. He thinks I'm something to aspire to be like. Sad.
"Cattle baron's son?" asks B. He's polite about it. There's no implications there. It's an honest question. He wants to know if I came into money or if I was born into it.
"Nah. Just know the right people."
Topic drops again.
It hits 6:30 and I say goodnight to C, tell him I'll see him in the morning, and he leaves. B is just finishing up with the last trims on my beard--he did a fucking excellent job, made my sideburns sharp and my beard looked perfect--when T gets there. We brush me off, he blows my hair and face and shoulders and chest, and he rubs up my face with an aloe-free aftershave before blotting it try. I get up and let T in and I can see the look on his face when he realises I am in fact as short as I said I was. Kinda funny!
B gets to watch, very amusedly, as T tries to get the bushman into a custom-tailored suit. T thought I was very strange at my initial refusal to wear undergarments (autism no like), but he insists that he can retailor the suit and reuse it for someone else if I do wear underclothes, so I agree and put on some trunks and an undershirt.
The suit was a little loose since this was the start of summer in Australia and I was down quite a few kilos. So some last-minute adjustments have to be made.
After an hour it strikes 7:45 and I'm now fully dressed in this suit. It's tight at the wrists in a way I don't like, but it's a pearl-buttoned jacket, pearl-buttoned dress shirt, pearl cufflinks, and black silk bowtie. I look good.
Black sleek suit, blue velvet lapel, all the pearl accents and everything else? I'm looking good. I get a little blue velvet handkerchief that goes in my breast pocket. I look built for a wedding. Or making connections.
Best $2k worth of clothing I ever spent. Except maybe the $150 I spent for my hat. But still. I'm rocking this shit.
So T is adding the finishing touches, tightening hems and adding little folds on the inside that you can't even really see so that the suit fits me just perfectly, and B is chuckling about this. I glare at him. He stops chuckling about it. Very amusing. T hands me my sunnies and explains that the piss-yellow of the sunnies compliments the black and blue nicely despite the contrast. And I might not be much an artist, but I am a colours bloke, and I can see it. I can understand it. Makes sense. I put them on.
B wets my hair a little, breaks out some hair gel and rubs it on his hands, styles my bangs over to one side, makes some quip about how I should've let him clip the sideburns, and the two fellas back up to get a good look at me. I Am Nervous.
T makes a comment about my hair, B agrees and walks up and fucks with my bangs until a little piece of them dangles at my forehead over my widow's peak instead of combed to the side like the rest. I cock my brow at him but then he steps back and dries his hands and puts them on his hips.
They're not saying anything.
"…How do I look?"
T asks B if he has a mirror. No no no, no mirrors, just tell me.
"Like a million dollars."
Aces.
I pay them, thank them for their time, agree to return the suit to T at the end of the week, and get on my way after they leave. Get my knife in my jacket pocket and my revolver in the other, head downstairs to the lobby, then get the lift down to the subfloors. I flash my card to the bouncer and when I walk in the smell of smoke hits me. In this casino you are not allowed to smoke inside. The highroller floors are an exception to this rule.
I get a glass of champagne off a waitress' tray and find my way to the bar and I sit there for a bit and start yarning with the bartender. The night's quiet, there's not many people in. Most are out at dinner. It didn't get lively until 10pm, and that's when the real fun started. I played a few more games, won $1500, went back to the bar to drink and people watch and wait. Work as usual.
And that's about it. Ended up walking away with a job that night and it was fun! I met people! I socialised! I didn't make an idiot of myself! Yaaay good impressions!
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roipecheur · 1 year
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2022 fic year in review
Total number of completed works: 12
Total word count: 222,173
Fandoms written in: Marvel (Daredevil, Punisher, and Black Widow both MCU and comics, mostly MCU and comics fusion), DCU comics (Deathstroke and Nightwing + adjacent bats and birds) and Peacemaker (HBO series)
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?  I figured I would write a little less than what I did in 2021 because I got kinda burnt out by the end of the year. I wrote about 60k less, so I think that’s about what I expected.
What’s your own favorite story of the year?  A toss-up between mapped out and blind date, they were both really fun to write.
Did you take any writing risks this year?  I signed up for two bangs and one exchange, so there’s always the risk I won’t finish in time. (I didn’t for one bang and the exchange, but got everything posted a couple weeks late.)
Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the new year?  Yes, I have three sladick fics I want to write for sure: a fantasy/royalty AU, one where Slade keeps restraining Dick and accidentally gives him a bondage kink, and one that’s a time-travel Blüdhaven fix-it fic (but not in the way you think). I also have tentative plans to write chapter twos or part twos for some of the sladick fics I did last year. I’ve had a Leota/Keeya (from Peacemaker) idea bouncing around in my head for awhile (featuring Adrian committing chaos in the background), so I will try to get that out by February because I like to do femslash February. And I got 15k into an obikin fic I had to set aside due to other fandom events that I would like to finish by the end of the year. Fratt is on a bit of a backburner for me, but I do still have ideas and would participate in fratt weeks and DDE if that gets scheduled. Basically, I will still be on my bullshit.
Most popular story of the year? By kudos, it’s scientifically sound, with muscle memory as a close second.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: wolves and girls for sure. It’s a nearly 40k fic for a pairing (natelektra) with 15 works on AO3, one of which is the art post for this fic--I used it for the Marvel bang. I didn’t expect it to get much traction, but by god this pairing deserved at least one bang-length fic, and if I cannot find it, I will create it!
Most fun story to write:  Maybe scientifically sound? It was 2k and I wrote it in one sitting, which was a first for me, as it’s usually a struggle to keep any of my ideas under 10k. I also had fun writing all the sladick fics I did for the sladerobin weekend/mini event back in April--I had a bit of time off, so I was able to crank those out much faster than usual. (Those are mapped out, a pound of flesh, and one for the road.)
Most unintentionally telling story: Tbh it’s probably wolves and girls for the same reason it was the better half last year. I again romanticized the ability to travel and spent an inordinate amount of time describing the scenery. 
Biggest disappointment: Lack of time, more than anything. Real life kicked my ass this year, and I didn’t (and never do) get as much writing done as I wanted. I also really wanted to finish that obikin fic before I started my next one, but that didn’t happen, and it is now languishing in WIP land.
Biggest surprise: Going feral over obikin like I’m in middle school again.
My favorite part of fandom this year: I always like working with artists for bangs and events, and @flamebird-j created a lovely piece for muscle memory. I also met some cool people through the DC fandom and read just enough comics to appreciate the excellent shitposting potential of batfam shenanigans.
Tagging: anyone who wants to do it 💕
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blind-alchemists · 3 years
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you know what? fuck it. I'm talking about this fanfiction.
Be warned. I'm rambling. I guess that's why this fic got so much out of hand.
So, it all started in the second half of December 2020, when I was looking at the Dragon Age tag on AO3 and suddenly asked myself, has anyone written a corruption arc feat. the Inquisitor? The answer is, 'not really'. Then I thought, 'huh, could I write one'?
At the time I already had written 60-something-k for another DA fic but inevitably got stuck because I screwed up my characterization, so I would have to scrap everything and start again.
Anyway, spoiler: I didn't write a corruption arc. I wrote a 'Inquisitor Protagonist joins Solas' plot feat. Solas/m!Elf and a lot of platonic relationships.
Working title is "fangs" (because the actual title is taken from song lyrics so it's long and I'm lazy and it might change again).
The first draft had roughly 100k. Which I wrote in the span of two weeks, funnily enough.
The second draft - that I started basically immediately after, because my brain latched onto it like I've been starving it, which I haven't, I just write 90% prose - is ... marginally longer. By marginally, I mean, 'there are three parts, and I'm on chapter 12/15 of part 1, and I have +295k'.
Yeah. Let's not talk about it. That's all a problem for future!me.
The main character is a nuisance who likes to cause inconveniences for everyone involved. In other words, there are reasons I can't call him Inquisitor/Lavellan and it's a pain to tag.
Regardless of that little issue, I love him. His name is Din, he's an old man middle-aged elf, his specialization is Anti-Mage Spellthief (rogue/mage), and he would have made a really good scholar/researcher under different circumstances. He has two older sisters (they aren't blood-related but who cares), whom I adore just as much. Those two are also pretty important.
Staying on the topic characters: Solas plays a huge role (no shit), Felassan is also there (he's great), there is a fourth OC whom I adore (I love badass women), and there is a different ancient god who loves his adopted children troublemakers.
The Inner Circle is ... there ... as supporting characters. Honestly, Din is an ass and doesn't care about most of them, which is a bit of a shame, but I wrote him that way, so I shouldn't be the one to complain.
In truth, it's a pretty dark fic. Lots of fucked up morals. Lots of trauma. Lots of (meta) criticism. Lots of Elvhen history. A surprising amount of situational comedy and magical theory. Me disregarding canon like there's no tomorrow. I guess there's a positive underlying message?? Ask me again when I've finished this monster.
Ngl, it is self-indulgent. In a really weird way.
Right. So. This fanfic got out of hand and I grew really attached to it, so I'm hoping other people might take an interest. I'd be really happy!!
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Fanfic recommendations part five: Alternate Universe (canon divergence)
I am going to make three AU posts, one with AU’s that diverge from canon (this one), one with 100% AU stories, and one with Soulmate AU stories, I’ll probably post the next category tomorrow or maybe even today.
After the AU’s there are only two more categories left, Christmas fics and Crossovers! After that I will make a master post with the link of all the previous fanfic recommendations posts.
Enough rambling, this is a long category, which means, long post.
a retro romance by poeticlyme
Jackie Burkhart, the Princess of Point has an unrequited crush on a certain paranoid burnout. Or is it so unrequited?
Please read this story, it’s amazing and I love it!!! The slow burn and the sexual tension between Jackie and Hyde in this story is everything!!
This story is a WIP and it’s being updated constantly.
59k words, 18 chapters for now.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna and Kelso/Brooke.
Cheater, Liar by Maleesha (MalissaNgov)
Jackie hates cheaters.
(or when Jackie is less naive and Hyde was more aware of her situation.)
This story is a WIP.
36k words, 12 chapters for now.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Contact by tanith75
Stop what you’re doing and go read this story right now!! It’s amazing, this story is definitely on my top 10 favorite stories of all time.
What if the night Hyde and Jackie stood in the Forman driveway, kissing, the sliding door hadn't been locked? What if Kelso had gotten outside in time to confront Hyde? What if...
This story is not complete, but please don’t let this stop you from reading it.
53k words, 10 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna
Everything Works If You Let It by Ultrawoman
Jackie and Hyde pretty much hated each other from the get go, and yet he still agreed to take her to Prom. Kelso was unable to win Jackie back that night, and everything changed between the rich cheerleader and the Zen Master. S1 rewritten from 'Prom Night'.
This story is complete and it’s SO CUTE.
60k words, 23 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Endless Midnights by Anonymous
Were they stupid? Of course. Were they terrified? Duh. Were they doing it anyway? Hell yeah.
In which Hyde feels guilty about covering for Kelso and Jackie finds out about Laurie much sooner.
BOY OH BOY THIS STORY IS AMAZING PLEASE READ IT.
This story is complete.
54k words, 17 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna
Escaping The Friendzone by KayRight
Jackie doesn't take Kelso back at their prom. Instead, she starts an odd friendship with Hyde. They both want more but the only problem is he thinks she's on the rebound and she thinks he's not interested.
This story is complete.
73k words, 23 chapters.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Also Available on AO3
Going to California part 2 by holograma209
What if the whole gang went on a road trip to California after graduation, finding themselves along the way? Set at the very beginning of season 6.
This story is a WIP, it hasn’t been updated in a while but I still have faith.
11k words, 5 chapters for now.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna
Halloween: Extended Cut by Hyde’s Bride
An extension of the season two episode, "Halloween". Jackie forgets her poncho in the field where the gang buried their permanent records. Hyde goes back with her to get it. What tricks or treats will be in store for them on this Halloween night?
I love horror stories (even though I’m scared shitless of them) and this one is really nice! It’s not THAT scary, so don’t worry.
This story is complete.
8k words, 3 chapters.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
High on Summer series by QueenBookBuff
Hyde has been craving Jackie for a long time. It's summer time, anything is possible, and he is positive she will be his new favorite drug.
This is a WIP.
9 works on this series for now, according to my calculator, the entire series has 26k words.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Hyde Bags Jackie by gah-linda
After s3ep8 “Jackie Bags Hyde”, Jackie and Hyde start a very steamy affair behind everyone’s backs.
This story is abandoned, but it’s pretty good.
75k words, 23 chapters.
Rated M. Very, very M. Seriously, this work has a lot of sex, but the story’s plot is overall very interesting, I really like it.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna
I’ll be There by crimsinsky
When Jackie finds out that Kelso cheated on her again, she was hurt that her so called friends didn’t tell her. A new friendship happens starts up, and an old relationship turns obsessive.
This story is a WIP, and it’s being updated constantly.
26k words, 19 chapters so far.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna
Knowing Me, Knowing You by Writerperson100
After being cheated on by her second boyfriend, Jackie accepts her aunt’s offer to come live with her.
When her past is ready to catch up with Jackie, will she be ready to face it?
This story is complete.
61k words, 26 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna
Movies As Friends by rymilu
Jackie realizes a few things about herself after her kiss with Hyde. She once more tries to bag him after Michael and Donna leave to California, no longer hiding her feelings. Instead of pressuring him like before, she decides to start with taking him to the movies.
This story is a WIP.
38k words, 6 chapters so far.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Never Look Back by Shabbuuu
Jackie and Hyde decide to leave Point Place instead of waiting for Kelso to return.
Pretty sure this is an abandoned story, but the ending of the last chapter was nice, and they’re happy, so...
20k words, 17 chapters.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
New York, New York by Shabbuuu
This one is also on my top favorite stories of all time, do yourself a favor and read this, it’s amazing.
What if Hyde did go to New York City with Chrissy? It's 1981 and Jackie has just moved to NYC for a job. What happens when she runs into a familiar face at a bar?
This story is complete.
40k words, 38 chapters.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Of All Things Creepy and Unnatural by CaedanceLaura
Also on my top favorites, lol. I can’t help myself, I really love AU’s.
What if Donna and Eric hadn't found out about Hyde and Jackie? Hyde and Jackie manage to keep their relationship a secret for much longer. How will this change the development of their relationship without having their friends lack of support and ridicule in the beginning?
Not complete, but it ends in a nice place. No cliffhangers here.
56k words, 16 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna
One Difference: Donna and Kelso Have a Fling by MistyMountainHop
Believing she's lost Eric forever, Donna accepts Kelso's offer to have a fun, commitment-free fling. They plan on keeping it a secret, but Jackie and Hyde's own summer secret complicates matters.
This story is complete.
32k words, 11 chapters.
Rated M.
Pairings: Eric/Donna, Jackie/Hyde
Also Available on AO3
One Difference: Hyde Catches Jackie by MistyMountainHop
Kelso forgets to pick Jackie up from work ... again. Feeling neglected, she falls into the arms of her boss, only to be caught in a transgressive lip-lock by Steven Hyde.
This story is complete.
15k words, 4 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Also Available on AO3
One Difference: Hyde Doesn’t Lie by MistyMountainHop
Hyde tells Jackie the truth about their Veteran's Day kiss, but his choice alters their relationship — and the lives around them. One difference can change everything.
This story is complete.
12k words, 3 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Also Available on AO3
One Difference: Hyde Goes to Kelso’s Ice Shack by MistyMountainHop
Kelso plans to get Jackie back by taking her to his uncle's "fabulous" cabin in the woods. He has everything in place—the right lie, the right couple to emulate—but an unexpected variable threatens to dismantle his scheme: Steven Hyde.
This story is complete.
21k words, 5 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna
One Difference: Jackie and Hyde Don’t Kiss (During the Summer) by MistyMountainHop
With the basement to themselves, Jackie and Hyde can't seem to stay away from each other. Buried feelings rise to the surface. Jackie makes the first move, but Hyde blocks it. Rather than kissing, they end up in a chess match of escalating risks and consequences.
This story is complete.
126k words, 31 chapters.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna
Also Available on AO3
One Difference: The Answer’s Probably Yes by MistyMountainHop
In a desperate act, Hyde seeks advice from Jackie, a girl who thinks he's scum. He's not fond of her either, but she makes him a crazy yet strangely-appealing offer.
This story is complete.
60k words, 15 chapters.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna
Also Available on AO3
OPERATION: REBOUND by ShanghaiLily
I was having a lot of trouble categorizing this, since it can be considered an AU and a season 8 fix-it, but in the end I placed it on the AU category because there’s a original character involved.
Jackie & Hyde have trouble hiding their secret relationship, because a housebound & heartbroken Eric continually walks in on them while they're fooling around. Sexually frustrated, they resolve to find Eric a girlfriend to distract him so they can be alone in every way. What happens when Donna comes home and finds that Eric has moved on? Will she fight for him?
This story is complete.
65k words, 13 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna, Eric/OC.
Spur of the Moment by shy1214
What might have happened if Hyde had made a different choice and said a different thing at one point early on?
Donna is not a nice character in this story, just to let you know.
This story is a WIP
49k words, 9 chapters for now.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Tiny Dancer by ourinvisibleink
After a summer of fooling around with resident bad boy Steven Hyde, Jackie discovers that she is pregnant.
This story is a WIP. It hasn’t been updated in a few months, but I still have faith.
9k words, 5 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Trick or Treat by MistyMountainHop
Kelso invites his single friends to his brother's Halloween party. Casey's Monster Make-Out Mash-Ups are renowned for encouraging commitment-free flings. Fresh from a break-up — and pining over Kelso's girl — Hyde needs some naughty-bad fun. But Jackie is far from happy herself, despite being one-half of the only couple left in the basement.
This story is complete.
14k words, 2 chapters.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna
Also Available on AO3
Welcome to Hydeville (One Difference: Hyde Doesn’t Toss Jackie’s Bag) by MistyMountainHop
When Jackie tries to prove her coolness to Hyde, Hyde shows her just how uncool life with him would be.
This story is complete.
13k words, 6 chapters.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Also Available on AO3
You Look Like an Angel by crimsinsky
It all started with prom, but what if Hyde hadn’t immediately gone off with Pam Macy and waited to see what Jackie would do?
This story is a WIP.
22k words, 17 chapters so far.
One-shots:
A chance encounter by hanaasbananas
When Jackie rejects Kelso's serenade, she leaves the basement and the gang behind for good. Seven years later, a meeting in a bar gives birth to an unexpected friendship that could change the course of her life forever.
7k words.
Rated G.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Beats of Silence by vampy.rEVOLution666
When she was with Kelso, Jackie never experienced the passion that she always thought she would when it came to sex, so responsibility falls upon the Zen Master to show her that it can be so much better when you're with the right person. Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde finally go on their first date, they have their first kiss and they spend their first night together.
3k words.
Rated M.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Catching Up by springsteenicious
Hyde isn't exactly sure just how he ended up in a smelly ice shack staring at a notebook paper with his name written on it in Jackie's curly handwriting, but he does know that today is going to change things between them.
Or: Hyde goes to the ice shack.
3k words.
Rated G.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Communication Breakdown by springsteenicious
Donna told Jackie she didn't want a new boyfriend after Eric. Hyde offers his friendship and Donna mistakes it for more. When Donna makes a move, Hyde tells her something shocking about himself.
6k words
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna, Donna/Hyde friendship
Creepy and Unnatural?? Not at all! by HydeLuver
As usual, Hyde is the only one who can comfort a heartbroken Jackie.
1k words.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Fez dates Jackie by zeppelinandunicorns 
A rewrite of S3EP21. Instead of asking Donna for help with Caroline, Fez asks Jackie, making a certain burnout jealous beyond befief.
5k words
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
From the Land of Ice and Snow by MoonTickler
Blizzards in the Midwest suck at the best of times, but never as much as when Hyde and Jackie get stranded in the Vista Cruiser together, and they're forced to confess their feelings for one another, which may or may not have to do with the first kiss that neither would confess they felt anything during.
7k words.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna
Hyde Doesn’t Sleep With the Nurse by springsteenicious
What if Hyde hadn't slept with the nurse in "You Shook Me?" What if he and Jackie had just talked things out?
1k words.
Rated T.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
It’s Just a Kiss Away by springsteenicious
It's Veteran's Day and everything Hyde thought he knew about love is being changed. Jackie, on the other hand, is just happy to finally be with him.
2k words.
Rated G.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Little T&A by springsteenicious
Eric and Donna actually do get married, prompting Hyde to make a decision about his own relationship.
(Eric and Donna's wedding told from Jackie and Hyde's POVs)
2k words.
Rated G.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna
wouldn’t you love to love her by donutcats
And the story deviates off course yet again, because Jackie twists her mouth for a moment and then says; “Can we try that again?”
“What?”
“Can we kiss again?"
11k words.
Rated G.
Pairings: Jackie/Hyde
Feel free to reply to this post if you think I left out a good story!
I’ll repeat this at the end of every single post (seriously, I literally copy and paste this every single time): Speaking as someone who writes, it would be really cool if you guys decide to leave a review (or a comment, if the story is on AO3) in the stories you read, especially the unfinished ones. It really motivates the authors, and receiving a compliment is always a mood lifter. I’ve seen some authors updating stories after years because of nice reviews, so… yeah, this is just an idea.
The next category is: 100% Alternative Universe stories. Will post it soon!
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shanastoryteller · 6 years
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I'm curious- is there a work that you write which is easier than others? Like, do any of your stories seem to flow more naturally or feel like less effort to work on?
oh wow yes absolutely 
like, okay. a lot of it hasto do with the way i write. i work best when i have a lot of room to workwith and to tell the story, which is why my chapters are really long and i writein multiple povs. someone recently commented they were surprised they liked an invinciblesummer because it’s rare for them to really get into a story that’s less thanten chapters long, and i was like …. it’s almost a 140k words long. what areyou saying right now. because, in spite of it’s length, it only has 6 chapters.and originally it only had 5, but then the last chapter was like 40k and thatseemed too ridiculous so i broke it up into two.
this is why never grow awishbone is just … so hard for me to write. i have a lot of plot stuff plannedout, but i’m really struggling with finding a way to get to it, because ipretty much set myself up to fail for that fic. i wanted to try writing shorterchapters, because i never had before, and it hadn’t occurred to me that HEYMAYBE THERE WAS A REASON FOR THAT. but writing only 5k is very constraining tome, and it means i end up focusing one chapter on one specific thing, ratherthan bouncing around like i like too, and i end up writing myself into acorner. this is made worse by the fact i did a single pov for this fic, inspite of knowing full well how hard it is for me to tell a long story in asingle pov. when i start writing this fic again, i’m going to have to make thechapters longer, maybe 6-8k, because otherwise i’ll go insane.
crust and sugar over is agood balance for me for chapter length, because those chapters were 8-9k, andthat’s a really comfortable place for me if i’m not doing a super long fic.with caso i struggled a lot with pacing, because i wanted this story to stay areasonable length, but the actual writing was pretty easy, i just struggledwith plotting the timeline of things.
an invincible summer wasactually very easy for me to write. my chapters were like … way too long, over20k and i think two of them were over 30k. per chapter. what was i thinking.but that had a lot of stuff going on, and outline wise, i literally did notwrite a single thing down until after i published the third chapter, so over60k into the story i was like hey … maybe an outline for the rest of it. beforethat i just kept track of and planned everything in my head.
a terrifying clamour ortrumpets was very easy to write, in spite of being a single pov fic. but thatfic was very specific to my mood at the time. i’d had the idea of ed dying oftrisha’s illness since i was like … 14. but it wasn’t until i was stuck atminimum wage job that i hated with my bright and shiny college degree and a bitof situational depression that i was like OKAY now i am ready. and i wrote most of it all at once without anoutline.
know the difference, bycomparison, was very hard for me to write with the single pov. also a lot of itwas i was talking about a lot of big concepts with that fic, and it was anangel/wing fic, and i was worried people would read it for pretty boys withwings and then be like ??? what’s all this religious body horror andpretentious bullshit??
survival is a talent ispretty easy for me to write. there are scenes that i struggle with sometimes,usually because i’m trying not to mess up my timeline, but for the most partsiat comes out easy. 15k is a good chapter length for me for long fic, althoughsometimes it runs a little over because i don’t want to cut it off in themiddle of something Dramatic happening. i know i take a while to update, and i’dhate to leave you guys on too big a cliffhanger.
build you wings on the waydown is like … the messiest fic i’ve written to date. originally, bywotwd andson of the desert were one fic. but then i realized a lot of themes and storystuff would work SO MUCH BETTER in sotd, so i incorporated them into that fic.but then that meant my original plan for bywotwd was pretty much shafted. andit took me a really long time to come up with a continuation that wasn’t a ripoff of sotd, and instead was interesting and different in it’s own right. itended up being a MUCH bigger story than i was planning on telling, as tends tohappen to me, but i really didn’t want to spend 100k on it, which is why plotin bywotwd happens at 100mph. bywotwd is like if you were making a puzzle, andhalfway through someone stole all your pieces for a different puzzle. but hey!they give you two boxes of puzzle pieces, mess them together, and tell you goodluck. so now you have to complete the puzzle using these pieces, but you can’talter the half a puzzle you already made, and the whole thing still has to makesense and show an actual picture. that’s why writing bywotwd is so hard for me.
anyway. that was a super longanswer to your question. i hope it was interesting for some of you??
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