#may have to include this scene in my current wip

[exbex]

Hi! For the intimacy prompts: SamBucky + 21?

Sam’s heartrate is probably returning to its normal resting rate. 

Bucky’s, on the other hand, is definitely increasing.

Sam is standing in the kitchen, wearing what he calls runner’s leggings, what Bucky calls an imminent danger to motorists, and the royal blue hoodie that threatens to do Bucky in. He’s drinking from a metal water bottle and Bucky is losing his mind because he’s jealous of a damn bottle.

Sam turns to him and grins, and Bucky’s heartrate increases at the way his eyes light up, as if Bucky is the best thing he can think of coming home to. “Morning Sleepyhead.”

“Morning,” Bucky murmurs, and crosses the few feet between them. He takes the hem of the hoodie of excellence in his fingers, pauses, giving Sam time to put the brakes on, and when Sam just gives him a playful look, he begins to inch it up. “You look like you need to cool off.”

“Is that what you’re doing?” Sam smirks, but he lifts his arms to allow Bucky to pull it over his head and off.

Bucky leans in, kisses the pulse point in Sam’s neck. “Gotta check your heartrate; make sure it’s returning to normal.”

“I don’t think it’s gonna do that with you this close,” Sam says as he tilts his head to give Bucky easier access.

Bucky pulls away, slots his hands on the backs of Sam’s thighs. “Up,” he says, and lifts Sam in one easy movement. He relishes the way Sam gasps and wraps his legs around Bucky’s waist, leans his ear against Sam’s chest, and listens to his heart.

It’s strong, and steady, and reminds Bucky, more than the hoodie of excellence, more than the danger leggings, more than anything else at all, that he is damned lucky to be alive.

[byoldervine]

How To Always Have Writing Ideas…

For A New Story:

1. Keep a list. Any time you have one of those sudden bursts of inspiration in the middle of writing a separate story, don’t quit your current WIP or pretend you’ll ‘just remember it’, put it into a separate list. You can always go back to this later on

2. Writing prompts. Look them up, use random word generators, pick a random object you can see, whatever helps you come up with any idea at all. Write a few paragraphs. Can it evolve from there?

3. People watch. Go to a public place and make up backstories for the strangers you come across. That man in the hat is using it to hide his elf ears. That woman with the bright pink hair didn’t dye it, she’s secretly the main character of an anime trying to dodge all the tropes and cliches. That toddler is actually a guardian angel reincarnated to watch over their new baby sibling. What brings them to this place? Where did they come from? Where are they going next?

To Continue An Existing Story:

1. Act it out. Say the words aloud, act out what your characters are doing, get props or people to act off of if you need to. See what feels like the most natural progression of the moment

2. Coffee shop AU, or other substitutional one-shot. Good for establishing dynamics between two or more characters, or even just working out a lone character’s day-to-day. Just write a few paragraphs about your characters entering a coffee shop or similar appropriate establishment/ordinary location. What do they do? What do they order to eat/drink? What do they say to each other? How do they treat the staff and other customers? If all else fails, write what they do after they leave, as if it were an ordinary day for them

3. Rubber duck it. This is something programmers use to work out where they went wrong in their code, but I’ve found it can work for figuring out story stuff as well. What you do is get a rubber duck, or any other object of focus, and start explaining your problem to it out loud. In this case you can read your chapter to the duck, or even give it the full run-down of the plot so far. Warning; side effects may include getting frustrated that the problem was right in front of you and subsequently throwing the duck

For Both:

1. Writing graveyards. I talked a bit about them in a previous post, but writing graveyards are basically just the folder you store your deleted scenes in instead of yeeting them into the void. Reread those, see if they have anything you can recontextualise or repurpose

2. Combine ideas. My WIP Byoldervine is a combination of two separate plots I had that I realised I’d be able to combine - twice. I first realised I could put together my ‘angel and demon heroes protecting humans from a war between heaven and hell’ story and my ‘quest through the fantasy realm to find the ingredients to a cure for a dying god’ story into the same universe as two sides of the same story as a duology. Then I realised I could just remove a few characters, tweak a few plot points and mash them completely together into one book. Combining them works wonders and minimises worldbuilding

3. Go out with friends or family. I guarantee that the one time you’ll be flooded with inspiration is when you don’t have an opportunity to write it down

[monbons]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tags @artsyunderstudy, @bookishbroadwayandblind, and @bachusekart. It was lovely to get your updates today.

Honestly, I probably shouldn't be posting because I have so little to show for my efforts recently, but I thought perhaps putting out "please cheer me on" vibes into the universe would help motivate me.

STITCHES After what I think is almost three weeks now, I have finally (mostly) finished tooth-fairy Baz, and he is lovely. I just need to add some earrings when they arrive in the mail and then stitch his head on.

I've also cut out all the pieces I need for this Baz's Simon, but I haven't started sewing because my hands have been giving me trouble. So, he's just on hold until it doesn't feel like I'm being stabbed in the wrist whenever I pick up a needle and thread.

SENTENCES In fic news, I have two WIPS currently. The first is a very messy friends to lovers AU with cheerleader Simon and soccer player Baz. My Simons tend to be lovely and sweet and my Bazs are always angsty vampires. Neither is true in this fic, and it's been harder to make progress than I expected as a result. But, here are some sentences anyway, Baz POV talking to Dev.

“Seriously, what did you see?” I strain to peer around him, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. Agatha and Penny are standing next to a couple of milk crates filled with purple and white cheer poms. Trixie is wrestling with the portable speaker—a chunky black cube the squad rolls with them everywhere. Keris has a clipboard and she seems to be taking attendance amidst all the girls I don’t recognize. Then, my eyes finally spot the one anomaly. The one person wildly out of place. Amidst the sea of skirts is a singular boy. A boy with bronze curls and blue eyes and billions of freckles. More freckles than he had the last time I saw him. An impossible number of freckles.

My second WIP, a Dark Rise AU-ish thing, is in the colorful post-its planning stage still. I have a very rough outline of the main plot, but there is an incredible amount of backstory to reveal and I am currently trying to figure out where and how to do so. I think I may need dual timelines and several POVs I've never written before, including the CO adults. Find some Malcolm below.

MALCOLM I wish you could see him, Natasha. Your son. He is bold and brilliant. Top of his class. A fine magician.  The best of you. The best of me.  I tried to protect him. To hide him in plain sight.  I taught him to be cautious. Stoic. Discreet.  I insisted he never reveal the inner workings of his heart. I provided a template for him—a guide he could follow—with my own.  One cannot be vulnerable when one remains indecipherable, Basil. Be unreadable.  Unknowable. Or be undone. He is a magnificent student, Natasha. The very best. He didn’t just learn; he excelled. He kept everyone at arm’s length. (Including me.)  I tried, Nat. I tried.  To keep him healthy. To keep him safe. I failed all the same.

(If you have read C.S. Pacat's Dark Rise series and the unicorn horn scene has been branded into your brain the way it was in mine, then please know that this fic is me attempting an AU just for that scene. The brain rot is SO real.)

Anyway, head pats are appreciated. Hellos and high-fives.

@alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy

@best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch,

@confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart

@harrie-leithillustration, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife

@katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @martsonmars, @messofthejess

@mooncello, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony, @prettygoododds, @raenestee

@rbkzz, @rimeswithpurple, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @shrekgogurt

@skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @technetiumai

@the-beard-of-edward-teach, @twinkle-twinkle-up-above, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @valeffelees

@whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold

[turtletaubwrites]

TurtleTaub Fanfic Masterlist

| masterlist | about me | rules | ao3 | ko-fi |

requests are closed but asks are always open! feel free to pick an emoji signature for anon asks, & let me know what you pick! here's my anon's so far: |⭐|💌|🍊|💗|

Hi, you can call me Lynna! I hope you enjoy my lil words! 🥰🥰 Currently writing for One Piece. All of my fics are Fem!Reader and NSFW unless listed otherwise.

THIS IS AN 18+ ONLY BLOG. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

WIP Updates: Current WIPS: Currently on a WRITING SPREE for NUMBERS GAME Upcoming WIPS: Sanji Request, We've All Got Needs 28, Misty Eyes 6, Wrong Side of the Bars 2, a few WAGN extra scenes, and 4 requests that came in while they were closed) Announcements: Requests will remain closed until I complete the next batch of Numbers Game, as well as the requests on my list. I'm sorry for the delay, I keep turning them into multi-chaptered fics! If you've submitted a request, please know that it is on my list, and I've already started outlining! Notes: I have a queue that reblogs super cool shit once a day. I never tagged it because I'm on here everyday. I use the queue for my ADHD, otherwise I wouldn't reblog anything for two weeks, and then I'd spam the shit out of your feed, lol.

Recent Works: Numbers Game ~ Ch. 40 ~ One More Chance ~ Cross Guild Polycule x Shanks x Fem!Reader x ??? Numbers Game ~ Extra Scene ~ Rabbit's Fur ~ Mihawk x Fem!Reader x Crocodile Misty Eyes ~ Part 5 ~ Law x Fem!Reader, Doflamingo x Fem!Reader (Past) (DARK CONTENT) Such a Softie ~ Law x GN!Reader (SFW Drabble) Wrong Side of the Bars ~ Crocodile x Fem!Reader

One Shots & Requests ~ Masterlist ~ Here's all of my fics for various characters that you can read on their own including: Zoro, Sanji, Ace, Law, Katakuri, Shanks, Crocodile, Zosan, Buggy, Luffy, Zoro x Nami, Zoro x Robin, Sanji x Robin, Zeff, and more on the way!

Misty Eyes ~ Masterlist ~ Trafalgar Law x Fem!Reader, Doflamingo x Fem!Reader (Past & Flashbacks) ~ DARK CONTENT ~ Ongoing ~ You were the weakest member of the Donquixote Family, so Doflamingo found another way you could serve him. Until your childhood crush found you, freeing you from those chains. What will Law expect in return?

More series masterlists, fic rec masterlists, fic playlists, & my #tags below the cut 💜

Bend Until You Break ~ Masterlist ~ YANDERE!Trafalgar Law x Fem!Reader ~ (Completed) ~ DARK CONTENT ~ You have struggled with mystery pains and injuries for most of your life, and had resigned yourself to suffer after every doctor told you there was nothing wrong. But when a world renowned doctor/pirate comes to town to offer aid in exchange for supplies, you decide to give hope one more chance. Maybe you'll finally find a doctor you can trust.

Numbers Game ~ Masterlist ~ Ongoing poly fic series (Paused but returning soon!) ~ Cross Guild x Fem!Reader ~ You left your stable/boring life as an investment banker to have some adventure. Unfortunately, that sweet Warlord of the Sea didn't follow your financial advice, and now you and your clown are at the mercy of his biggest lender and his new business partner.

We've All Got Needs ~ Masterlist ~ Ongoing poly fic series ~ Zoro x Fem!Reader, Sanji x Fem!Reader, Robin x Fem!Reader, Sanji x Robin, Sanji x Fem!Reader x Robin, (and a spinoff with Zoro x Sanji and Zoro x Fem!Reader x Sanji) ~ Enjoy the smutty shenanigans as you agree to be 'crewmates with benefits' with a certain surly swordsman. Things may get a little out of hand.

What You Need ~ Masterlist ~ Sanji x Fem!Reader (Completed) ~ You’ve been a member of the crew for a few weeks, and although you feel welcomed, you��ve been feeling a bit out of place. And your distracting crush on a certain ship’s cook isn’t helping matters. (Reader has a condition that makes intimacy difficult and sometimes painful, but Sanji is ready to prove how much he values your pleasure.)

Take Me With You ~ Masterlist ~ Buggy x Fem!Reader (Completed ~ May return after OPLA season 2) ~ Buggy takes a small town hostage and the reader asks to join him. You take this chance to leave this shithole of a town, one way or another. Buggy gives you the perfect opportunity to take some revenge before you do. What kind of life will you lead if you pass his violent audition and become one of Buggy's freaks? (Starts shortly before, and then follows the OPLA timeline.)

Fic Rec Masterlists: | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | I adore the incredible fic writers on this site! Please enjoy my Fic Rec Masterlists and go show them some love!

Fic Playlists: I just started making playlists for fics, and it's been so much fun 🥰✨ Here's what I've got so far! These are YouTube playlists, and you can play them on the regular YouTube app/site or on YouTube music. I have YouTube Red, and I refuse to be judged for my clearly superior music app 😅😅 (I live for shuffle and music videos, okay!)

Numbers Game ~ YouTube Music Playlist | YouTube Playlist Misty Eyes ~ Law x Reader ~ YouTube Music Playlist | YouTube Playlist Bend Until You Break ~ YouTube Music Playlist | YouTube Playlist More to come, and feel free to send me song recs, they make me so happy 🥰🎶

Tags I Use: #turtletaub fics ~ (all of my fics, including headcanons & drabbles) #turtletaub talks ~ (announcements, random thoughts, etc.) #turtletaub fic recs ~ (what I'm reading, and you should too!) #turtletaub reblogs ~ (fanart, other fandoms, etc. filter to only see my stuff) #turtletaub responds ~ (answered asks) #turtletaub screencaps ~ (feel free to use and enjoy the screencaps I take) #turtletaub self reblogs ~ (filter if you don't want reruns) #turtletaub shitposting ~ (me having the sillies) #about lynna ~ (for more personal topics, vent posts, or just about my life) #lynna's health updates ~ (any physical/mental health posts and updates) #✨final edit time✨ ~ (When I started editing the final draft before posting!!) Fic Series Tags (will be editing to make more personal soon) ~ | #numbers game | *Please feel free to filter any of the tags above that you wouldn't like to see.

| rules | about me | ao3 | ko-fi |

[rinwritingcorner]

May I ask the software you use to write?

Congratulations on getting so much done!

Thank you so much. And, of course.

I use the Reedsy Book Editor for all of my writing projects, and I've been using it for about three years now. I also have experience with other amazing softwares, and I would love to create more tutorials on them if you need me to.

Here's a quick tutorial on how to use the Reedsy Book Editor.

When you visit the website, the first thing you'll come across is this page. It's a completely free writing tool with a fantastic interface. All you need to do is sign up with your Google or Facebook account.

After you've completed the sign-up process and provided some information about yourself, you will be directed to this page. Please locate the "Books" option in the website's header.

Feel free to give your book/WIP (Work in progress) a title. Remember, it's okay if it's not your final title, as you can always change it in the settings of your book later.

Once you've created it, you can take your time and when you're ready, you can click "Write.”

Once you click "Write," you'll be directed to the next page. There, you'll find your chapters, the space to write your manuscript, and a sidebar with various helpful features provided by Reedsy.

Then, you can choose any name for your chapter that feels meaningful to you.

You can also track your writing goals for your specific manuscript or book. This feature provides insights into your writing habits, such as the days you've written and the number of words you've written. You can also set a target word count goal for the manuscript, and you also have the option to set manual writing goals. Additionally, you can check the word count in your current chapter from the bottom of the widget.

You have the option to set a deadline and choose the days that work best for you to write. This will help Reedsy estimate a realistic word count goal for you.

Remember that on Reedsy, there's a new beta feature that allows you to plan and outline your novel without having to leave the website. It offers note cards for you to jot down the plot and scenes from your novel, which can serve as a helpful guide and provide a simple outline to support your writing process.

Also, don’t forget the various features available to you when creating your book in Reedsy. For instance, you have the option to include preset formatted pages such as a dedication page and an epigraph that resonates with your story. These features can add a lot of value to your book, and I encourage you to explore them further.

Hopefully this can help you understand the basics of Reedsy Book Editor. One of my favorite writing softwares that is completely FREE!

Hey fellow writers! I'm super excited to share that I've launched a Tumblr community. I'm inviting all of you to join my community. All you have to do is fill out this Google form, and I'll personally send you an invitation to join the Write Right Society on Tumblr! Can't wait to see your posts!

[crownofefflorescence]

DEMO UPDATE + QUESTION ABOUT EYE COLOURS + CELEBRATIONS

Hi, hello, yes there is a lot to cover today.

I have accidentally overhauled the entire UI / aesthetic for Garden of Bones. It looks very nice in my opinion. Originally it was simple flat colours, which also looked nice, but Simple and I happen to be total strangers.

ദ്ദി ˆᗜˆ) ✧

Pushing back demo release had its drawbacks, but it has also given me some time to explore more artistic options on the side while updating the intro.

Have I gone mad with all the possibilities?

Possibly.

In a less startling change of heart, recently added 3 new eye colour variants! Originally they were all "real" colours, but it doesn't make sense for this setting to limit your options. The new colours are:

gold

silver

purple/violet

Gold is very popular I think, and purple as well, and both gold and silver work with the story thematically.

NOTE: If there are any other eye colours you REALLY want me to add for your OCs, please let me know! I'm still updating variables and am quite happy to go back and include more upon request.

Also, 500 followers is incomprehensible.

Maybe this is pretty average for in-progress IF blogs? Who knows. Not me! Anyway, I don't really know what to say to 500+ people on tumblr, so here, have my sincere shy person appreciation for your - at minimum - passing interest in this WIP.

"Thank you." ( //>///<//)⸝♡

I have a lot of faith that the second chapter will take much less time, since I've been teaching myself how to code along the way and making a lot of mistakes that I won't repeat! The self-inflicted expectations of greatness may have slightly increased with the blog's follower count, but I promise it won't stop me from releasing the demo in a less-than-perfect state.

Am definitely excited to share and will need your feedback to continue making improvements!

Currently editing the last tiny branch of the first chapter. There is one specific decision you can make that results in your MC ending up on U's roll of dishonor a brief detour and change the timing of one particular scene, so I had to code in different times of day, etc., for the different scenes. Not that difficult but still ate up some time.

As a final celebration, almost all customization options (except for a few that are important later) have been moved to the beginning of the game.

This incidentally gave me an interesting opportunity to greet you, the player, outside of the narrative before you get started (there might be a hidden achievement related to that) and it was also significantly less work than I was thinking.

To-do list, currently:

add customization screen

add the [SPOILER] branch

better stat tracking

make U less insufferable

make U even more insufferable

CSS improvements

that #@%&! scrollbar error

bug fixes

...probably would have crossed off more if I hadn't gotten distracted by completely changing the aesthetic but it is what it is.

PROGRESS!

~ Effie

[mcclainwilla]

Writing Fight Scenes Part 9 - Training

I'm back, after a grueling hiatus spent working on my current wip, for now referred to as m&m - a prequel to my duology that follows two guys who attend a military academy. In my experience, I see a lot of characters who are 'finished products' in terms of their fighting abilities; today, I'm talking about the process of training.

This one goes out to @pulletandraptor, who was kind enough to include me in their writing references masterlist. I hope you find this useful!

Approaches to Training

I'll be candid, this is going to draw heavily from my own personal experience, but I'll do my best to cover multiple perspectives.

Depending on the circumstances of your story, your character might have a gradual, carefully-timed introduction to various aspects of fighting, or they may be tossed into the ring headfirst. There are benefits and drawbacks to every approach; I'll list them below.

Low-Stress Classroom Environment

Think of a mixed martial arts class with multiple participants of about the same skill level, led by an experienced instructor. In these types of controlled environments, characters will gradually be introduced to aspects of fighting as their skill progresses - they may learn the basic blocks, hand strikes and kicks, then how to escape from various wrist grabs. When they're ready, they may progress to light sparring with plenty of safety gear (discussed in detail below), then learn how to throw an opponent to the ground, and finally how to execute certain blood chokes/cranks/bars/etc (discussed in Part 7).

Advantages:

imo, the safest approach to learning fight techniques, both for your character and for their peers

Builds camaraderie between characters (more coming soon)

More accessible for characters whose stress response is flight, freeze or fawn, as it allows more time for acclimatization to increasingly stressful situations

Your character will likely develop better fighting form, which will make it harder for opponents to find chinks in their armor

Enables character to perform more technical maneuvers like the aforementioned chokes/submissions (as opposed to using brute force)

Disadvantages:

Characters get used to 'playing by the rules'. This comes with two implications:

They never get used to putting their full strength into their hand strikes/kicks, and never follow all the way through on their chokes/submissions

They are not prepared to deal with other fighters who do these things, nor do they know how to defend against illegal hits (discussed in Part 8)

This can be a big problem. A character who has risen to the top of their school of training might be in for a rude awakening when they find themselves facing off against an opponent from another school. (Or, they might mop the floor with them. Who knows)

Mid-Stress Boot Camp Environment

As the title suggests, think military basic training or police academy (at least, if you're in America. Ew, I know)

The most important thing to remember is that main goal of those bitchy drill sergeants isn't to break your character down, it's to prove to them that they can survive stressful situations and still keep their wits about them. It's to build work ethic, discipline, and respect for your character's superiors. And sure, yes, to make your character more physically strong in a relatively short amount of time. I don't know much about the process of teaching fighting techniques in gov't academy settings (I made up my own rules for my book), so I'll be speaking in a more general 'physical exercise' sense.

Advantages:

Faster results than the classroom environment

More representative of the 'real world' (although certain illegal strikes will still be, well, illegal, even in a soulless place like the military!!)

Toughens your character mentally as well (though this is only an advantage if it actually works. Which leads me to...)

Disadvantages:

High-stress at times, characters with flight/freeze/fawn responses will fare the worst. Might even worsen these stress responses

Makes your character more prone to injury. When they are pushing their body to its limits, they might end up pushing a little too far. I used to know a powerlifter who slipped a disc in his spine doing sit-ups during his basic training. Those kinds of injuries stay with your character for a long time, maybe even for life

High-Stress Street Environment

Also known as the 'fuck around and find out' approach. In these kinds of environments, your character may not even have an instructor. They might live in an environment where they have to fight for their livelihood every day, and as they go through the years, they learn what works and what doesn't based on the outcome of the fight, if they even get to walk away. Think of it like growing up with siblings who were much bigger than you, but taken to the next level; these characters are scrappy and can hold their own against imposing opponents, but they're almost entirely self-taught.

Advantages:

Your character is equipped to deal with whatever their opponent throws them, including dirty tricks and illegal hits

Your character might be better at using the terrain to their advantage. Discarded board on the ground near the fence they have to jump to get into the city? Make them smack someone with the side that has the nails in it

I'd argue your character would be more acclimatized to dealing with pain, which would make them more durable in a fight. This is a double-edged sword tho...

Disadvantages:

As the rules are shunned, the stakes get higher, and it becomes increasingly more likely that your character won't walk away from a fight

A character without a formal fight education probably has sloppier fighting form, which gives an opponent more openings to target

As a final note, the Luke Skywalker in the swamp-esque training scenes generally won't do much for your character. I am a proponent of positive stress - your character needs to be pushed an appropriate amount in order to grow in their fighting skills, and telekinetic meditation just doesn't cut it imo

Gear

This will be broken into two parts - common training tools, and common safety gear. The tools at your characters' disposal/the safety precautions they're allowed to take will depend on the aforementioned approaches to training - you'll probably want to allow more training and safety gear in more low-stress approaches.

Training Gear

This is not an exhaustive list, but rather some of my personal favorites. Note that all the names I'm about to give are slang terms invented by my training place. Feel free to come up with your own names to give your story an individual feel!

Kicking pads: thick (about the same length as your palm) rectangular pads a bit bigger than a human torso; meant to absorb the sharp impact* of elbow strikes, knee strikes and kicks. Great for repetitive kicking/hitting drills. Your character holds it like a shield flush against their hip/torso

Blaster pads: just like kicking pads but even thicker/more absorbent; meant for the strongest impacts (mostly kicks)

Wishbone pads: a handle that branches into two partially-joined pads (put your palms together, but keep your fingers apart. Like that). Good for precision kicking drills because they make a nice clapping noise when you hit it just right

Hand pads: kind of like oven mitts that your character's training partner wears on each hand, the padded side over the palm. Good for repetitive punch combination (remember - your character wants to throw punches in bunches) drills. The training partner will move the pads to different locations for different types of strikes/punches, detailed in this post

Punching/kicking bags: exist for the exact purpose you would imagine. No training partner required, although they're helpful for holding the bag still because they tend to wobble/swing after hard hits. There are multiple types of bags - standing bags that have a water/sand-filled base (of these, there are ones with cylinder-shaped bags, upside-down cone-shaped bags, and rubber ones shaped like men. It's an unspoken rule that everyone names their man-shaped bag 'Bob'. Everyone), as well as bags that hang from the ceiling on chains. I have no strong preferences but hanging bags are probably my favorite

Pool noodles! Pool noodles. I'm being deadass. Pool noodles are great discipline tools for teaching your character how to dodge because if they mess up and get hit, it doesn't hurt at all! They're also good for teaching precision - your character's training partner can throw pool noodle hits at intervals for your character to try to punch/kick

*I say 'sharp impact' because, while kicking/blaster pads absorb the 'jab in the gut' sensation, I was once kicked halfway across the mats by a second-degree black belt and football player while holding one. It didn't hurt my stomach so much as it did jar my entire body.

Safety Gear

Here, it's important to note that not all places use the same safety gear. Personally, my safety gear was pretty limited, even though I was taught in a classroom environment. Generally, the lower-stress the setting, the more safety gear your character will be allowed.

Helmets: non-negotiable in classroom settings (I'm not sure what the military allows, and they're probably not common in unstructured environments). This is google-able, but traditional sparring helmets are padded all over, and cover the jaw/around the chin, over the temples/ears, the forehead, and velcro shut at the back of the head. Some come with clear plastic face masks to protect the eyes/nose/mouth - these are nice. I am part of the reason my studio began to require these. Sorry man

Mouth guards: should be non-negotiable in classroom settings but I actually never used one. These serve a dual purpose - they stop your character from cutting their lips/cheeks on their own teeth if they get punched, and they stop your character's opponent from cutting their hand if they accidentally punch your character in the mouth (Again. No one ever purposefully punches someone in the mouth)

Wrist wraps: these are NOT gloves in any capacity! Rather than offering shock absorption, wrist wraps keep the wrists very stiff and immobile so that the impacts of punches don't jar/smush the interior components of your character's wrists over time. Arthritis is no joke. These are more common for boxers/stand-up fighters, as opposed to wrestlers. I never used these

Gloves: as hinted at above, these provide more shock absorption for the bones of the fingers/hand. The amount of padding varies. Typically, stand-up fighters will wear both, gloves over wrist wraps, anytime they're punching anything, including punching bags. You should know that it's still totally possible for your character to break their hand while wearing boxing gloves, tho

Body pads: basically like a padded suit of armor that covers the chest, stomach, sides and back so that it doesn't suck as bad when a character gets hit in the diaphragm/liver/kidneys/ribs. However, it can be a counter-productive suit of armor because some include targets over these regions for training purposes. They also make versions that just cover the breasts because it sucks to get kicked in the titty. I never used either and I took my titty kicks like a champ. More common among stand-up fighters

Shin guards: these are padded, as opposed to armor-y, and either slide on like a tall sock or strap around the calf and ankle. The best ones have flaps that protect the tops of your character's feet as well. I actually did use these because we had a couple of BITCHES who would jab their elbows into my feet/shins

Cups: I wasn't born with a loverman so I don't know the intricacies of this one, but the key takeaway here is that they are NOT invincible. It's like, if you get shot while wearing a bulletproof vest, you won't feel the bullet, but you'll still feel the force with which it was fired. Also it's still possible for your character's opponent to reach around and grab the cup wearer by the nuts (seen it happen). I've known several stand-up fighters who opted not to use one, so it's up to you

The main takeaway: I didn't use nearly as much safety gear as I should've, and it's a miracle I don't have even more chronic pain

Character Behavior

Finally, you may have heard the phrase 'professionals are predictable; it's the amateurs that are dangerous'. This can be true, but there's more to the story. Allow me to elaborate:

Amateurs

In my experience, amateurs are either really, really skittish or really, really bold. The skittish ones are (understandably) afraid of being hit and will throw punches from miles away because they're afraid of getting close to their target. The bold ones have never been hit and therefore have no reason to fear it, so they charge in, eager to get a hit in/win the fight/impress their instructors or peers. It's the bold ones who are the dangerous ones, imo - sometimes they're so bold they do crazy shit you weren't expecting and it knocks you on your ass. It's just that after all that, you know what to expect, and it's a lot easier to counter. Additionally, all forms of fighting/martial arts require balance, flexibility, body awareness, fine motor skills and multitasking skills, which amateurs likely haven't developed yet. The skittish types usually look stiff and uncertain, and the bold types look ragdoll-y and wild

Students

Once again speaking from personal experience, characters who have undergone some fight training but aren't yet good enough to be considered professionals have the widest range of styles. You have skittish, you have bold, you have characters who hammer away and you have characters who pick their punches carefully. Those who favor the techniques they're starting to learn and those who use their strength. What students often lack is situational awareness - there are times when it's appropriate for a character to push, and times to conserve energy. Students are also juuuuust starting to develop an eye for strategy, but don't expect them to be making observations like 'she always drops her left hand before throwing a roundhouse kick, imma get her ass'. They are still very much in flight or fight mode, and much of their internal narration will be centered around the here and now/what they're experiencing or doing in the moment

Professionals

My favorite way to identify a professional is to look for someone who can fuck around in a fight and still not get hit. My old instructor would put his hands completely down, and it would drive me nuts, and yet I never once landed a headshot. Sure, professionals are predictable, because they have a solid understanding of technique and don't usually do stupid shit. But professionals are so in-control of the situation that they're actually the safest people to spar against, because they can moderate their own output so well

In general, think of ufc fighting, where some of the best athletes in the world go toe-to-toe. Two professionals, pitted against each other, and while there's often a clear winner, both parties usually leave the octagon with some bruises. Getting better at fighting means your character will often triumph against characters in brackets below them - students over amateurs, professionals over students. But within a given bracket, it often comes down to narrow differences in skill, circumstance, and even luck. Let your characters struggle.

I know this was a long post, so thank you for sticking with me! I hope this is helpful!

[jayyydez]

How many words have you written this year?

44,462, which is spread between two oneshots, the end scene of a Gravity Falls WIP, and my last 4 chapters of Wicked Game

How many works did you publish this year?

2 completed oneshots, plus four chapters of my multi-chaptered fic

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Wicked Game. It really is my baby and it’s wild to me how much it has progressed in my head from its original conception to what it is now/ what it is going to be. My planning doc for the fic is MASSIVE (currently 23 pages) and it gets fleshed out even more every few chapters as I figure out new details and come up with new ideas for upcoming scenes. It’s a work that I’ve been semi-consistent about, and intend to be even more consistent about updating. It takes up a lot of my mental room, and it’s rewarding to see how many people love it and look forward to seeing more.

What work of yours has the most hits?

Wicked Game, easily. It has the benefit of being published for nearly 3 years though, and having several chapters.

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

Maybe Reflections, or Seeing Double? I don’t know, it always surprises me when people leave comments on smut lol. Not for a bad reason, but I usually expect to see more bookmarks than comments on smut for… various reasons.

Favorite title you used

Seeing Double. It’s still my favorite, well over a year later. I genuinely just find it fun, considering what the fic is about.

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most?

I’m realizing that most of my fics with song lyric titles are all WIPs lol. Wicked Game is the only one currently published with lyrics being the reason it’s titled that. So, Chris Isaak, though I admit the Ursine Vulpine version was the one I heard first and used as my initial inspiration.

Pairing you wrote the most for this year?

Bowuigi. Easy. I’m well into the 30 thousands for the chapters and fics regarding them, and it may even be close to 40k.

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

Brain Dead/ Dead Tired/ Danny Fenton X Tim Drake from the DpxDC crossover

My favorite stages to write are the pining stage and the “basically an old married couple” stage. While Bowuigi is fun being able to establish and build so far, we’re not quite that far along with them. So, with both of my Tim x Danny fics having them be previously established, I had a lot of fun with their interactions.

What work was the quickest to write?

Bewitched. I wrote it roughly in four days, on and off between work and some other things going on. It also felt like it went fast, because a lot of it was the dialogue, and once I got that to flow how I wanted, we were golden.

If we’re talking outside of this year, though, Seeing Double was the quickest work I’ve ever written. I’m about 90% sure I wrote it in an evening. I stayed up LATE to finish and post, but I wrote it within one day.

What work took you the longest to write?

Wicked Game, for obvious reasons that it’s 10 chapters and I’ve been working on it off and on for almost 3 years. I was initially working on it during a very turbulent point in my life, but I’m hoping that with certain things being settled and having a new job with a more defined work life balance (as well as not having a crazy manager), I’ll be able to be more regular about updating.

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

I don’t know about getting them all out next year, but I have about 9, if you’re including Wicked Game.

What’s your longest work of the year?

Wicked Game. I wrote about 34k for it this year, and even overall, it’s my largest work.

What’s your shortest work of the year?

Reflections, by less than 200 words.

What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

Obviously Wicked Game is coming with me. I have way too much to cover and a lot of writing to do to not work on it more next year.

Beyond that? Probably One With Eternity, One with You and Slipping Through Your Fingers.

The first is a JayVik epilogue. I know in very broad strokes how Arcane ends and all the major spoilers, but I haven’t sat down and watched it yet because life has gotten in the way. I want to at least fully watch Season 2, and potentially rewatch Season 1 with the new lense, before I write OWEOWY. However, even with what I do know and what I have seen from bits of pieces online and fanworks, this is going to be a DOOZY.

Slipping Through Your Fingers is a BillFord fic, from Gravity Falls. I stumbled across an interesting prompt for something to happen if Ford showed up at the Theraprism as part of Bill’s rehabilitation, and it started chewing on my brain. I’m also battling with myself to keep it relatively short. It’s a fix I will probably only post when I’m done writing it, just because if how some things play out.

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

…

Considering I’ve written two smut fics for Tim x Danny

Uhhh

PWP and voice kink

…Don’t look at me like that

Your favorite character to write this year?

Bowser. He’s a lot of fun to write for, and once I find his voice, it comes very easily. He’s very funny, in ways he doesn’t necessarily intend.

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

Tim Drake. I’m coming from outside of DC comics and got invested through the DPxDC crossover. While I had some previous knowledge on the Batfamily in general, I haven’t ever been entrenched in DC. I’m trying to get more acclimated with the characters in general, and trying to balance various parts of a character I’m not as familiar with was challenging. 

I do intend to read more of his comics though, as reading Red Robin was a massive help to giving me a feel for what he’s like outside of fanon. I’ve been advised that a truly great look at Tim is the Young Justice run with him in it, and it’s probably next on the list to read. 

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

JayVik and BillFord are major ones, of course. JayVik kills me with both the angst of them being at odds at each other and being able to see at multiple points of time where things could have been very, very different, as well as the fact they made each other their fated soulmates. That they are destined to find one another in every universe, every timeline, because of their own actions, interference, and because they’re so connected to one another. Fucks me up in the best way.

BillFord… It can be played in a humorous way, it can be played in a heart-crushing way. There’s a lot of depth and variety to ways you can explore these two. I love the idea of Bill eventually getting his shit together and becoming a better triangle and Ford, against all better judgement, still allowing him close enough to grow on him like a fungus all over again.

However, this is a pairing that has been horribly toxic to Ford as well, and he has every reason to not forgive Bill. He may very well be too traumatized from everything that happened to even consider gwrring close to him again. The best, healthiest ending for Ford is him moving on and living his best life. And Bill gets left behind alone, because he can simply never get over it, because even if he gets his shit together, it’s simply too late in those scenarios. It’s fun to think about and I might explore either path more in the coming year.

Also technically CaitVi and TimeBomb (I am…horribly, horribly tempted to do a rewrite of S2 of Arcane. Still need to watch the season in its entirety, but knowing what I know… There are a lot of things where the pacing was not perfect, characterization was shifted for the plot and narrative, certain things were skipped over, other things were not allowed to settle. There wasn’t much follow-through for other ideas proposed. I need to watch S2, and watch it all again in its entirety, but I already have some thoughts.)

Also saw a very compelling argument for MelVi the other day, and we all know that's how it starts lol

Which work of yours have you reread the most?

Wicked Game lol

I’m trying to maintain consistency and make sure I’m leaving appropriate hints as things develop further. Trying to keep those little tidbits understandable enough you can see it when you look back, but not obvious.

How many kudos in total did you get this year?

2,923. Which is a WILD number to me lol

Which work has the most comments?

Wicked Game, with 381 around the end of the year. This number does include my own responses, but this fic is 10 chapters and I often have people come back every so often when I update. Plus, it’s almost 3 years old. It’s easy to collect comments when you’re multichapter and old lol

Did you do any collaborative works this year?

I did not

I was, however, a bit of a sounding board for @eleventhhourfactor while rhey were writing their Halloween Bowuigi fic Light Reading for a Dark Evening, and that was a lot of fun!

Did you write any gifts this year?

No. Closest thing was writing Bewitched for the Halloween Bowuigi server event, but no gifts

Did you receive any gifts this year?

No. I’ve got a bad habit of not being super interactive with the communities I write for, and it bites me in the ass when I feel like I’m not really part of them. I’m trying to be more involved and active, now that I have the emotional bandwidth for it after leaving my old job

Maybe another year, but not yet

What’s your most common category?

I think it’s technically smut right now LMAO

What do you listen to while writing?

For my fics that I’ve had going a while/ that I do a lot of planning for, I tend to have a dedicated playlist for it. Both Wicked Game and Dollar for Your Sadness (WIP) have their own playlists that I have been building slowly, usually when the mood strikes me

Beyond that? A LOT of Unlike Pluto. He has a lot of music and damn near all of it is good and it scratches the brain just right.

Favorite work you wrote this year?

Bewitched, if we’re not including chapters from Wicked Game.

It was a lot of fun to write, especially before the deadline of Halloween. I technically did not make it, since I posted at like 11pm Halloween night in my timezone, so it shows as November 1st, but it’s all good lol

The Halloween Boop Fest distracted me, in ny defense lol

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Honestly, probably Bowser’s rant in chapter 10 when he’s telling Luigi that he’s selfish and to let people believe he’s a tyrant and a menace if it keeps his people safe.

“And don’t misunderstand me. I’m not- I’m not some selfless goody-two-shoes hero like your brother.” He nearly spat the word out, that underlying animosity surfacing in an instant. “I’m not. I am selfish. I have and do still serve myself first. I will take care of me and mine above anyone else, and I will flatten anyone who tries to keep me from doing that. It just happens that me and mine includes my kingdom. So let them think I’m a tyrant. That I’m cruel and horrible and a plague upon all other kingdoms. To them, I will be. I am not a doormat, I am not weak, I will not be played with. I will be the monster under their bed and their cautionary tale to scare children for centuries if I have to be.”

Biggest surprise while writing this year?

That people enjoy my prose?

I joke that my writing is my stream of consciousness bullshit put into a written form, but it does feel like that sometimes. I struggle to differentiate my writing style from others, especially because I do often pull from and emulate and imitate things I like in others’ writing. I genuinely don’t feel like my writing is very distinctive sometimes, so it’s always a pleasant surprise that it comes up so often that people find it very distinctive and find that it flows well.

[strixamans]

2024 Fic Rundown

Thanks for the tags, @deadly-diminuendo and @dramaticchimpmunk!

2024 was my first year writing fiction, courtesy of Astarion.

words posted: Well, the bare stat is 198,977. However, that includes Fangs For The Memories, which I co-write with @fartasticdurge, and The Lord, the Thief, their Mistress & Fart's Lover, which was mostly written by @fartasticdurge and @vakariansyndrome (and it's seriously so fucking funny, you guys). So I'm going to estimate my personal word count at around 169,400.

additional words written: A few thousands of words between in-progress chapters of Hunting Creatures and Jury Duty. Oh, and some spontaneous porn in the comments.

fandoms: Baldur's Gate 3

highest kudos: Hunting Creatures, with 69

highest hit oneshot: Refusal (technically my only solo oneshot), with 337

new things I tried: It was all new to me, baby! Except for poetry, I guess. But it had been quite some time.

fic I spent the most time on: Hunting Creatures

fic I spent the least time on: The Lord, the Thief, their Mistress & Fart's Lover

favorite thing I wrote: Well, shit. Hunting Creatures is my reason for being here. But Fangs for the Memories occupies a very special place in my heart, too. And I love writing poetry as Astarion for The Vampire's Verses, too.

favorite thing(s) I read:

After Dark, by @vakariansyndrome (also, and I can't emphasize this enough: Drizzt, darling? Really?!)

Arcane Ops Solutions, by @fartasticdurge (also, her poetry!)

Strange Highways, by @nocryptographer

I'll ride in this life with you, by @alwaysmauria

And, last but not least...

Like Real People Do, a glorious Tav/Withers smutshot that may have inspired a scene in Hunting Creatures...

Also, although it only had one chapter up at the end of 2024, I'm really excited about @dramaticchimpmunk's new fic, Catch Me if You Can!

writing goals for 2025:

Finish my current WIPs. I only have two more chapters of Hunting Creatures left to go, but I'm taking my time with them because I want to make sure it gets the ending I feel it deserves.

Write that F/F/M Strixstarion smutshot I've been thinking about for a while.

More poetry!

I'm not really sure what the future holds for me, writing-wise, once the existing threads are tied off. But stay tuned, I guess.

new works:

Everything in my catalogue was new in 2024.

Hunting Creatures, my Astarion/Tav long fic

Fangs For The Memories, a modern AU Strixstarion romance collab with @fartasticdurge

The Vampire's Verses, Astarion's poetry (in the Hunting Creatures canon)

The Lord, the Thief, their Mistress & Fart's Lover, a cracksmut collab with @vakariansyndrome and @fartasticdurge (who did most of the work)

Refusal, a tragic oneshot inspired by the Bluebeard folk tale and the opera, "Bluebeard's Castle"

And, most recently:

Jury Duty: The Flowers of Evil, the kinky, sordid tale of Strix and Justice Ancunín, set in a modern jury duty AU, featuring Baudelaire's Les Fleur du Mal

That's a wrap, folks!

[khorazir]

Fic Writer Meme

I’m quite late to this, but thanks a lot for the tag @discordantwords

How many works do you have on ao3? 30 in total. Most are for BBC Sherlock, three are for Dead Boy Detectives

What’s your total word count? 1,574,736 (how did that happen?)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Enigma

The Horse and his Doctor

Rewind

Putting up Shelves

The Summer Boy

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

Yes, I do, although sometimes, it takes me a while.

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

All of my fics have happy endings. For a while, I played with an angsty ending for my WW2 codebreaker fic Enigma, but ultimately decided against it and gave the boys their deserved happy ending.

Do you write crossovers?

Yes, kinda. I’m currently writing a Dead Boy Detectives fic (The Case of the Stolen Barrow) that borrows characters from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. And there is going to be a crossover between Sherlock and Dead Boy Detectives as the next fic in this series.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really, but there has been what I like to refer to as the Rabies Incident for my Horselock fic The Horse and his Doctor. When I mentioned that John, a veterinarian, would insist on a rabies shot for an animal he found, I got a number of messages from UK citizens reminding me that there is no rabies in the UK (even though I had checked with actual UK vets before and they’d said that of course they’d give a rabies shot to an animal of unknown origin). But yeah, just so that people know, there is no rabies in the UK ;)

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do, kinda. Most of the sex scenes I have written are rather emotional and a little awkward and experimental (and thus hopefully realistic).

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Some have ended up on Wattpad and in other places where they shouldn’t have been. I wouldn’t really call that stealing. I think (I hope) in most cases those who uploaded them there didn’t have any bad intentions. I don’t like it, though. The same goes for my art, which has been stolen and ended up on t-shirts and stuff without my authorisation.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I used to co-write Tolkien fanfic on messageboards back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but eventually, my co-authors dropped off, so the fics were never completed.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

At the moment Johnlock and Payneland, but I also have a soft spot for Faramir and Éowyn (book only!), and Laura Holt and Remington Steele.

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

I do try to finish all my WIPs, although it sometimes takes me a long, long time. Although I have an inkling that The Passage may never be finished ...

What are your writing strengths?

I think I’m quite good at writing dialogue and descriptions of places.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing smut is not my forte, I guess.

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

I have included dialogue in other languages in several of my fics, but they are always languages I either speak fluently or have at least a working knowledge of.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

If you count a machine-typed fic from the early 1990s, it’s Indiana Jones.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

At the moment, I’ve got my hands full with four idiot detectives, two alive and two dead.

What's your favourite fic you've written?

Oooh, that’s difficult. I have a soft spot for The Summer Boy, and also Slipstream and Nightjet. And my cracky Dead Boy Detectives fic The Petition because I had so much fun writing about demons bitching about their work conditions in Hell.

I don’t know who has been tagged before, so if you’d like to play, please do.

[aangussca]

Hello there, Whovians and Lux Imperator/Mr Ring-A-Ding enjoyers!

(I wanted to make this post sooner, but life got busy and I'm currently recovering from being sick as of writing this so oh well...)

I have two projects to mention that you guys may be interested in, one is currently a WIP and the other is more an interest check for said project… (if you want to just look at the latter, feel free to scroll past the other project I talk about in this post)

Project 1: Doctor Who AU (WIP)

A couple of you may be aware of an AU that I’ve been inspired to create since learning more about the Pantheon of Discord over the last few months (specifically Lux but also the rest of who I like to affectionately nickname “The Giggle Trio” (Toymaker and Maestro)).

While it is still a WIP, I want to confirm/clarify a few important details for now:

I first came up with the OCs (and some of the story) for this AU prior to the release of the episodes “Wish World” and “The Reality War”.

Therefore, this AU will NOT reference those episodes, but rather will be set in a timeline where the 15th Doctor is still around (but has long since parted with Belinda who’s living a happier life).

I have two gods (fan OCs) in the works: Acoíris (God of Art) and Seimei (God of Biological Life)

In terms of the canon gods who are featured in the story, the “Giggle Trio” will be front and centre (yes, there will be a focus on Lux, his character and his relationships with the other gods (both canon and fan OCs) bc I’m a little biased, shush!).

Sutekh will be mentioned several times - especially in relation to Seimei - but he won’t make a physical appearance.

The story will take place in the present time (just in different countries), and will be split into two parts (one focusing on Acoíris and one on Seimei).

Yes, I will also have human fan OCs too…

Also I want to send a quick thank-you to:

@starleska for their posts explaining the lore of the Pantheon, which I seriously appreciate (plus said posts got me intrigued about the potential interactions between the gods)!

@modmad and @janus-cadet for their own DW AU projects inspiring my own AU.

@velka-art and a few others for reading/seeing my rough designs and WIP AU ramblings during the Lux/Mr Ring-A-Ding Magma hang-out a couple of weeks ago.

ROWS 1-2: A couple of out-of-context colour keys (and the grey-scale versions to practice values in doing concept art) for certain scenes in the AU

ROWS 3-4: Doodles from @velka-art’s Magma hang-out featuring rough designs/doodles of my fan OC gods (btw some of the drawings of Lux/Mr Ring-A-Ding are hers)

Project 2: Interest check for potential Lux/Mr Ring-A-Ding fan collab artbook

I’ve had this idea in my mind for a while, and decided to put an interest check here… ✨💙🎞️

Please note that me actually being able to organise it all hinges on my ability to sort out my other priorities - including another artbook fan collab (specifically a Portal one - @portalmakingscience) I’m organising currently.

And while I may confirm the specific details later, it’ll be a smaller, less ambitious (FREE TO ACCESS) artbook collab compared to my Portal one (plus I hope it’ll be something for both Whovians and non-Whovians to enjoy)!

[purplecatghostposts]

Top 5 favorite writing ideas on your current WIP list <3

I have SO MANY but I think these are the ones I’m gonna go with! Only counting ones that I haven’t published yet bc that helps narrow down the list!

A Kaleidoscope Of Butterflies. Remember that ‘Ladybug!Félix’ thing I mentioned that kept getting more complicated? Yeah. He’s both Ladybug and Guardian and very stressed with responsibility but is doing pretty well so far! It’s also what I call a ‘Death Swap’ AU where Gabriel and Amélie used the Peacock Miraculous and died rather than Emilie and Colt. Félix, while thankfully no longer living under Colt, also no longer has the support of his very loving mother. There’s a lot of details to this AU and it concerns me bc I have no idea how long it’ll end up being, BUT it’s got Black Cat!Marinette, Bee!Adrien, Turtle!Kagami, and Fox!Luka as major players!

World Gone Mad (Let’s Start The Show). Monarch takes over Paris, Akumatizing Chat Noir into the out of control Chat Blanc and causing Ladybug to go MIA in the process. The Miraculouses are scattered in the process, a couple ending up on both sides, and the remaining heroes do their best to fight back against Monarch and his army of Akumas. Argos ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and finds himself trapped in Paris, but he finds an ally in Queen Bee due to having a similar goal: find their missing siblings and survive. Their reputation makes them unlikely heroes, but they just might be the allies the heroes need to win. This was to both satisfy my need for writing Félix and Chloé’s relationship, but also Félix meeting Chat Blanc!

You Win Some, You Lose Some. For months, Ladybug and Rena Rogue have been fighting against Hawkmoth and his own team of supervillains, including the destructive Chat Noir, the relentless Ryuko, and the defensive Chelone, on top of the usual Akumas. While others have been recruited, those two are the only consistent heroes. However, when Nino is chosen by Duusu to wield the lost Peacock Miraculous, not only does he join the hero scene, but learns all about Sentibeings, and the importance of treating them kindly. Accidentally ended up being a Nino-Félix Kwami Swap but Turtle!Félix and his battle dome is now one of my favorite things ever. Also Peacock!Nino being best friends with Adrien without either of them knowing he’s a senti was something I just really needed.

Before We Crumble. In a span of a week, Adrien finds himself not only Chat Noir and Guardian to an empty Miracle Box, but orphaned after his father passes. Outside of his own and the Butterfly Miraculous, all other Miraculouses are not only scattered and hidden, but Sealed, making them unable to be used unless a certain ritual is done to release them once again. Chat Noir not only faces Violet Admiral, the new Butterfly Villain, alone, but must track down and unlock the other Miraculouses if he wants to have any fellow hero allies. However, Chat Noir is not alone. While the Ladybug Miraculous may be missing and he’s only able to undo the magical effects, not repair the damage, Adrien still has allies. Not only from his Aunt Amélie and Félix, who have moved into the mansion with him, but from all his friends at school who just want to help.

Wonderful Nothing. One of the Akumas from the new Butterfly Villain sends people to alternative dimensions, and manages to send both Ladybug and Argos to the same one. However, it’s one Ladybug recognizes as the reformed Shadybug and Claw Noir’s universe, giving her hope that they can escape this. However, before they can track down the heroes, they’re ambushed by a mysterious Dog Holder vigilante, and Argos is targeted, his Miraculous taken, leaving them in a bad spot. Thankfully, they receive answers soon enough: Shady and Claw have been trying to properly catch and talk to ‘Cerberus’ for a while now with no luck, and no idea what his goal are or where he got his Miraculous. From the name alone, Félix has a pretty good idea of who they’re facing… This was a huge excuse for not only Alternative Félix thoughts, but Félix VS Félix Shenanigans.

Andddd some Honorable Mentions:

You Can’t Win Me (I Can’t Be Beat), a semi-Portal inspired AU featuring both of the sentitwins as highly intelligent robots who may have more to them than meets the eye.

Saint Bernard Sits (At The Top Of The Driveway), a Fantasy-Miraculous AU featuring two terrible supervillains, Flairmidable thievery, and a rekindling romance <3

Blood Is Thicker, a Vampire AU with Monster Hunters Kagami and Marinette, Félix and Adrien having gone through hell but still coming out on top, and a couple misunderstandings about who is and isn’t a vampire.

Does A Swallow Dream Of Flying?, A Swap AU with Black Cat!Félix, Peacock!Adrien, and also Adrien in a bow tie. It’s really important to me that you know he wears a silly little bow tie.

How The Morale Goes (Nobody Knew And Nobody Knows), Monarch’s wish throws everyone into the past with new roles. Neither Adrien nor Marinette are the Miraculous Holders, Félix has the wrong mom entirely, along with a bunch of other mix-ups, and worst of all, a couple of them all remember how it used to be and are now trying to figure out all the new information. The kids all use their knowledge from the previous world to try and fix this one!

His Brother’s Keeper (Also sometimes called The Oversight), Félix hears of Hawkmoth getting help from a new Peacock Holder and goes to Paris to track down and take it for himself. There’s a high chance that his uncle, who is definitely Hawkmoth, is getting help from his assistant. However, he should’ve paid a little more attention to Adrien acting a bit strange before it became too late and he abruptly discovers that his uncle chose a different partner in crime. Enemies AU but Félix ends up learning things he shouldn’t essentially.

Again, I have way too many ideas and I love them all too much to give up. Hope you enjoyed reading about some of these, and thank you so much for the ask <33

(Send me a top five of something and I’ll rate it!!)

[the-blind-assassin-12]

Six Song Soundtrack —

Rules: If you're tagged, make a post with links to music and/or lyrics describing six things / events about your OC/story.

Thank you so much @valkblue for the tag! I Love sharing story soundtracks!

I'm gonna go with the soundtrack for The Mist on Mulholland, my Dieter Bravo x M!OC wip, because I'm very partial to this playlist (it ranges from the early 90s to current) and these characters.

1- Event that defines your character's past:

Pictures of You by The Cure - The whole premise of this story is that Dieter has decided to write a memoir about the time in his life that he considers the most formative - when he grew into himself and found his people and found out things about himself and formed bonds that got him through the hard times. Of course, at the heart of all of it is a love story that never quite took off but absolutely never went anywhere. The whole song works, but none of it quite as well as the closing lines:

There was nothing in the world That I ever wanted more Than to feel you deep in my heart There was nothing in the world That I ever wanted more Than to never feel the breaking apart Of these pictures of you

Throughout the story, as he's looking back and writing about these moments and these people, we see flashbacks of Dieter and Lake (and May, of course) falling in love and breaking each other's hearts but never fully letting go.

2- How your character sees themselves:

True. by The Airborne Toxic Event - A little self-depreciating, but very honest, this song feels like it would be how Dieter sees himself as he's looking back and revisiting memories. Once again, the whole song is relevant, but the very first verse stands out to me:

It sure seems clear to me As far as I can see How the highest life brought the lowest out of me Eventually

The rest of the song is sort of a thank you/ apology to someone that has been hurt by the singer's actions and decisions but who stuck by their side and always will.

Their closest relationships (romantic and platonic):

I love that this one includes both romantic and platonic, because as much as this is a Dieter/M!OC (Lake) story, it's also a story about the friendship between the two main characters and May, their third musketeer.

3- Romantic: What Does It Mean? by VHS Collection - This song is on the playlist for the tentative, unsure, "gosh I hope we both want the same things" vibes that keep both characters - Dieter and Lake - coming back for more. Specifically the bridge:

And I see you Only in yesterday Hoping that you would stay Are we dreaming? Was it a big mistake, Throwing it all away?

This corresponds to a point in the story midway between the two main timelines, when the characters are reunited after a long separation, and they're questioning whether or not they made the right call to not be together. Little bit of a rose colored glasses situation, but still, the questions need to be asked. And answered.

4- Platonic: Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs - OBVIOUSLY the "they don't love you like I love you" line works suuuuper well here, because Dieter, Lake and May form a friendship that is so solid that no one ever really knows any of them the way they all know each other. But even more relevant to their relationship, I think, is :

Don't stray My kind's your kind I'll stay the same

These three define found family. They are quite literally what is meant when you hear the phrase "you just have to find your people". They're the collective loves of each other's lives.

A major fight scene:

Every You Every Me by Placebo - This story is going to be a constant rollercoaster of ups and downs, and when it gets rocky it really gets rocky. This song is perfect for one of the rockiest moments, when emotions are raw and tensions are high, especially these lines:

Sucker love, I always find Someone to bruise and leave behind All alone in space and time There's nothing here, but what's here's mine Something borrowed, something blue Every me and every you

This represents one of the lowest/darkest points in the story, where Dieter focuses too much on his mistakes and beats himself up a bit (a lot) for not being able to give Lake what he deserved.

End credits song:

Mulholland Drive by The Gaslight Anthem - This is the song I was listening to when the idea for this story first came to me, and it has been acting as the cornerstone for the whole thing. Every single word of it is relevant to key parts of the story, but if I had to choose just one section it would be this one: I can still recall the hour when you first let down your walls And I thought I might've died right there, floating up above it all But it scared you love, to need someone, so you killed it all instead But in the mist up on Mulholland, I could've sworn I heard you say Oh that I would just die if you ever took your love away

A big part of this story is about public vs private personas and how managing both can affect relationships. This song is about a secret love that one person wants to remain secret while the other is hoping to bring it out of the shadows and give it some legitimacy. It's just a matter of how long that person is willing to wait to see if the other will ever be ready to acknowledge what they have.

** If anyone wants to know what other songs are currently on the playlist, my inbox is open and I'd love to share!**

tagging a few who might want to share some tunes: @artemiseamoon @maggiemayhemnj @grogusmum @secretelephanttattoo @jolapeno @oonajaeadira & anyone else who wants to play!

[deanwinchesterswitch]

20 Questions for Fanfic Authors

Thanks to @rizlowwritessortof and @thoughtslikeaminefield for the tag.

Disclosure: My AO3 is a mess. I didn’t know what I was doing when I first started posting there, and in an exceptionally OOC interlude, I did not take the time to learn before I started posting – especially about how to post a series. Additionally, many of my drabbles and ficlets are not posted there.

1. How many works on AO3?

32 {AO3} // 41 {Tumblr}

2. Total AO3 Word Count?

161,118

3. Top 5 fics by Kudos? {Click titles to read the fic on Tumblr}

Heat {One of my earliest attempts at writing smut}

Together We Are the Storm {Has an accompanying podfic done by the talented Drasna/Sandra/@talltalesandbedtimestories}

Trust You With My Heart {First full-length cardiophile story; mini-series}

Lightning Rod {First, and so far only, Jack Reacher story}

Just Me & My Baby

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Supernatural: Dean Winchester {only four stories feature a different SPN character or actor}

I have dipped my toe into and hope to write more for MCU, DC, and Reacher {TV series}

5. Do you respond to comments?

Absolutely – though I may miss a few now and then, I try to respond to each one. I enjoy interacting with readers and always get a thrill when I see a comment.

6. Angstiest Ending? {I have more than I thought I did. This one made me cry the hardest while writing.}

Evermore – This is a one-shot that just flowed and took the least amount of time to finish once I started typing. It was inspired by the Taylor Swift song of the same name and is set after SPN’s horrible finale. Warning: It's not a fix-it fic.

7. Fic with the Happiest Ending?

The majority of my fics have happy endings, but the one with the happiest overall vibe would be Not a Dry Pair.

8. Do you get hate?

I’ll never tell. I won’t give it a platform.

9. Do you write smut?

I try.🤷🏻‍♀️

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have three WIPs that are crossovers – The Choice {SPN x MCU}, A Wedding to Remember {SPN x Las Vegas(2003-2008)}, and Hearts of Anarchy {SPN x Sons of Anarchy – though this one is shaping up to be more of an AU set in the SoA universe}

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

That I am aware of, no.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

No. Unless you count this little piece on a post that @waywardbaby and I hijacked.😅

14. All-time favorite ship?

I relish interesting dynamics, tension-filled moments, and bonding experiences in relationships, whether between friends or couples. However, I am not a shipper as fandom generally perceives it.

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

All my WIPs are finished - in my head.🤭 It’s just a matter of having time to write them. Actually, the first fic I started writing will never be finished and will never be posted because I’m writing it strictly for myself.

16. Writing Strengths?

Taking a perfectly wonderful short story and turning it into a multi-chapter odyssey.😁

17. Writing Weaknesses?

Taking a perfectly wonderful short story and turning it into a multi-chapter odyssey.🤣

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

If I can follow the undertone and feeling and understand how it relates to the scene or character, I love it. Currently, I have two stories that include a smattering of mixed-language dialogue.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supernatural

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

That’s tough!!! I love each of them for varying reasons. Ugh, right now, I would say it’s a tie between these two. Unfortunately for readers, these are both still in progress with only half the chapters posted, BUT I do plan to finish each of them.

The Girlfriend Who Remade Christmas – I adore Nic and what she’s doing for Dean. Their dynamic is so flirty and loving; even during stressful times, there is contentment and consideration between them, and the series is just a lot of fun. I am a big fan of and enjoy writing about established relationships. I even added an interactive companion element to this one.

Run to You – I want to be Kasey so bad! Even though I’m struggling with the current chapter, the connection these two have and how the story has evolved from its original premise have been so delightful and fascinating to write.

No pressure tags: @coffee-obsessed-writer / @impala-dreamer / @thinkinghardhardlythinking

[fayedartmouth]

Well since it’s okay please share some info about your upcoming projects sorry but im too curious and excited for my own good and i genuinely love your work read every single one in only a week

Well, in truth, I have like 20+ fics that are technically WIPs, all in various stages of development and completion.  I tend to get way more plot bunnies than I can write, and my WIPs range from rough concepts to like 30k words or more.  So it's just a wide range.

As per usual, I can't shut up, so the details are below.

For the record, some of those WIPs I really really love.  Like I have a whole series of Shoupe and preseries JJ that I'm super excited about (their first meeting, the first time Shoupe realizes JJ's getting beaten, JJ taking all of Luke's pills as a teenager, and a few more).  I have one very well developed with a preseries JJ getting kidnapped by one of Luke's associates and Luke blowing off the ransom (spoiler alert: it goes badly for JJ).  And I have a few now completely AU takes post S3, one with Rafe getting revenge on the Pogues by going after JJ (forcing him to take an overdose of drugs, and it's so convincing that almost everyone believes he did it himself) and a Sarah and JJ as siblings fic.  That's just a sampling.  There are so many more that I can't even remember them all.

One idea that just got hold of me this week is an AU with JJ and John B in the military.  There are a few other takes on this on AO3 that intrigued me, and the brothers in arms thing could be so fun to play out with those two.  And I mean, the whump. I may have wrote a few scenes....

However, the fics that I'm actively writing right now.  I'd say there are four (beyond the car accident fic I'm posting snippets of and the town council AU I did a snippet of last weekend).

1. Best of a Bad Deal part three.  This one is still in the works though technically kind of on my backburner.  I have completed quite a bit of this fic, which spans five-six years after JJ goes into remission.  I think I have a cohesive narrative at least through the third year with a lot of bits and pieces completed after that -- including the ending, which I really love.

2. My long fix-it.  I have been actively plotting this with woudsohfiv and currently have probably 70k done.  It starts around the mid point of S4 and maintains everything we see in canon -- but adds a secondary plot that manages to subvert it completely.  LOL, I don't want to spoil too much, but it heavily involves Luke.  The Pogues will still (mostly) think JJ is dead while JJ hits absolute rock bottom.  This fic is planned to be the first of a series.  We've been a little ambitious with our plotting and have sketched out plots for three additional fics.  The second one will really dig into JJ facing his trauma and dealing with his family heritage and Goat Island.  I'm really excited about this one!

3. I write fics for my friends for Christmas, and this year, I have two friends getting JJ fics.  The first one is for woudsohfiv, and she requested an AU of the S1 ep where Barry robs the Pogues.  IIn this take, JJ goes for the gun and gets shot for his trouble -- and the Pogues are faced with the reality of what they were willing to risk.  My goal is to make it eventually fit back into canon, however.  It's probably 15k in and is maybe half done.  It will (hopefully!) be done for Christmas.

4. For my other friend, I'm going on one of her favorite tropes:  seizures.  It's a fic set in that happy 18 months of Poguelandia 2.0 where the Pogues get sick -- and JJ ends up getting very, very ill.  This one is a pretty simple straight up sick fic where the Pogues have to confront that they're not quite as together as they thought they were, and wherein John B and Kiara have to face the reality that JJ isn't really as okay as he seems to be most of the time. Again, my goal is to finish this by Christmas, and I think I can pull it off. This should be relatively short hopefully in the 10k range.

Feel free to ask more questions or specifics! I'd even post snippets if you wanted. I only do completed fics on AO3 but I'm a lot looser here.

[nottawriter]

Fanfic Writer Questions!

Thanks for the tag, @fazedlight and @thatonebirdwrites

1- How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 16

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

356,960

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Supergirl – Arrowverse/ DC Comics: Primarily Supercorp, secondarily Dansen, Brainia, and J’M’zz, and I have one AgentReign with secondary Supercorp.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

PRIDE and Prejudice – Super gay retelling of Jane Austen’s classic. Every kudos equals $1.00US to a LGBTQIA2S charity I make at the conclusion of Pride month (June) each year (teen)

Tell Me It’s Not Too Late – Post-S4, Lillian believes Supergirl is responsible for Lex’s death. Lena rushes to J’onn’s for game night, to confront Kara on her identity, only to find she’s nowhere to be found (teen)

I Believe in a Thing Called Love – Full alternate Season 6 rewrite (teen)

Wouldn’t It Be Nice – 50 First Dates movie AU (teen)

How Lost We Are – Lena is placed by her Witness Protection team (Maggie, Kelly, and Lucy) in Midvale as a flower shop owner where she meets teacher Kara and coffee/bookshop owner Jess, among others (mature)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, I do usually respond, though not always right away. I enjoy chatting about my fics, so don’t hesitate to ask questions, but I don’t give out spoilers though.  

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

When She’s Gone, the Darkness Comes – Oof. It was so sad I had to write a second chapter. I much prefer happy endings (teen)

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

All of them have a happy ending of some kind, or they will once they’re completed. Though there are some with happy endings like Speak Now and Tis the Damn Season. Smut. I’m talking about smut (explicit)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yeah, though I’ve been mostly lucky. I don’t know why people leave hate on any fics really. If you don’t like something, close the tab.

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

Yes. It started as a small scene here or there when it was a natural progression of the fic, but now I occasionally right full smut fics and pwp like those found here (explicit)

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

Kind of, but the characters are all from within the Arrowverse/ DC Comics universes somewhere.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. I don't understand why someone would do this. Please respect writers.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes. I Believe in a Thing Called Love is also in Spanish Creo en una cosa llamada amor (teen)

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

I’m currently working on one with @thatonebirdwrites, though it's not published. It’s a Supercorp fic where Kara is a building inspector and when she goes to inspect Lena’s home, she meets Lena’s daughter to tells her the floor is lava, so naturally Kara has to ensure that issue gets resolved.  

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Supercorp. But I do love most wlw ships

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

I intent to finish all of my active WIPs. I have some WIP ideas that may or may not ever get going, but once I start a fic, I intend to finish it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I have no idea… I guess easter egg type stuff or like blending canon into storylines. If your a reader and there's something you think is a strength I have, let me know.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Actually writing. Words be hard. And it's hard to find the time.

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

I do it sometimes, probably not well. I like to include the translation in the fic (unless the characters themselves aren’t supposed to understand until later). But I'm sure the translations aren't fully right as I only use google translate and the Kryptonian dictionary.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supercorp. I started writing fiction in Dec 2020. Before that it was all scientific research papers for uni.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I suppose What Has Been Lost (Mature). It was what started this crazy adventure, has been the most challenging piece, and my longest (still ongoing). It truly blends lore and characters from across the Arrowverse and DC Comics into a human world and original storyline.

For Tags, if you'd like to participate: @fyonahmacnally @casualsavant @luthordamnvers @itsalliebitheway @innamorament0