#I've contemplated writing an actual fanfic about this

[strongheartneteyam]

Realize where you belong.

Pairing: neteyam sully x female!human!reader/female!dreamwalker!reader

Neteyam is aged up.

Chapter 2

CW: angst, reader hates her life, neteyam is like her "secret admirer" but he eventually becomes obsessed, so, it gives off some creepy vibes, possessive neteyam, forbidden love, neteyam is REALLY protective over her, neteyam isn't really fond of humans (hates them) and only makes an exception for reader, TRIGGER WARNING for a few depression symptoms (such as reader holding back tears and looking miserable really often), stalking, obsessive behavior & possessiveness

Synopsis: Reader is unhappy with her human life. She works for the lab as a cook. She's a Dreamwalker and she spends every free day she gets walking through Pandora's forests. In one of those days, Neteyam sees her but she doesn't notice him. He falls in love, seeing how happy she is amidst nature. Neteyam finds out she's actually a human in an Avatar, so, he finds a way to go where her real body is. He hates to admit it but, seeing her in her human body, he realizes he still loves her. After watching her, he notices how she's always happier when she's in her Avatar, so, he develops a deeper connection to her. However, he becomes obsessive. Reader has only heard about him, the famous son of Jake Sully and future Olo'eyktan, praised for his great achievements as a young Omatikaya. After getting reader's attention, Neteyam asks her to choose to live forever in her Avatar, becoming his mate and making tsaheylu with him, gaining a new home as a fresh member of his tribe. Reader is scared and torn, since, even though she's intensely attracted to him and only truly enjoys life when she's Dreamwalking, she doesn't really know him and she's afraid of dying when trying to go past Eywa's eye. But Neteyam just won't give up on her that easily.

♡ This is Reader's Avatar

☆ This is the official playlist for this story, the songs I listen to while working on it.

•

Finally, this fanfic is out!! lots of people seemed to love the tiny sneak peek I posted so... I hope you guys will love the fanfic itself too hehe I'm so relieved I could finally post it ooof My environment is the worst EVER rn & i haven't had any motivation or focus to write lately BUT i seem to be getting out of that damned writer's block I was in (ITS THE WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD UGH HATE IT TO DEATH)

Not proofread. My life is a hurricane, so, we don't work with proofread stories here. Hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me, my angels :')

na'vi words:

yawne - beloved

tsaheylu - the neurological bond the na'vi make with their mate, through their tendrils, at the end of their long braid.

Chapter 1

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

I love your touch, cold as ice

And I love every single tear you cry

I just love the way you're losing your life

Oh, my baby, how beautiful you are

Oh, my darling, completely torn apart

Gone With The Sin (HIM)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Neteyam would look at you every moment he could. He didn't have that much free time since he was the Olo'eyktan's son and had so many responsibilities weighting on his shoulders. But he would always make any sacrifice he needed to make to find time to see you. Even if it meant using the few hours he had to himself to contemplate you. His sad, gloomy-eyed, beautiful girl. You were not actually his yet, but, he was determined to make that change.

Neteyam saw you holding back tears way too damn often, so, he was always deeply worried about you, and, that was one of the reasons why he was always creeping around, high up in branches of trees located in Hell's Gate, watching over you, almost every day, ready to help you, defend you from any danger, to say "screw it" to how out of the blue it would be if he - a stranger, a male na'vi stranger - just came up to you and said "hey, I've been watching you for a while, and… I'm so, so in love with you. Please, leave this damn idiotic human life you live and let Eywa help you be transferred to your Avatar body for good, just like she helped my father. You're so insanely pretty like this - and I have never felt attracted to any female of your demon kind before, so, believe me when I talk about your beauty - but you look even prettier when you're in your Avatar form. Let me make you my mate, let me make you the future Olo'eyktan's mate. I can give you a far better life than the one you have now"

He knew he was just a weird alien boy (as the humans would probably say), stalking you, always up in the highest tree branches he could find and reach, watching a girl while she cooks - as it was your job - like a hunter watching their prey. But he meant no harm. On the contrary, he meant to take care of you, to save you from it all. Because he wasn't blind. Neteyam saw how unhappy you looked while peeling potatoes (he knew what they were because his dad who was once human told him and his siblings about how delicious that vegetable from Earth tasted, especially when it was made as French fries) to cook on the high-tech stove the humans used to prepare their meals in and prepare mashed potatoes to those damn lab guys who invaded his Planet and did nothing but harm.

Neteyam thought it to be unnecessary. His future mate could easily prepare the same potatoes in a bonfire he would light up for you in the Omatikaya forest. He knew they would taste even better roasted in the natural fire than just plainly cooked in that energy fueled cooking device the humans used. He could give you a life so incredibly better than the one you had right now, it pained him to see his yawne working so hard to feed every damn scientist in that cold, air-conditioned lab while not being as appreciated and thanked by them as you deserved to be. You could be preparing food to feed his children instead, the sons and daughters he would give you, if only you accepted becoming his forever mate.

He hated the humans. They didn't know how to lead a proper life. But you were different.

Neteyam knew how breathtaking you looked in a na'vi like body because the first time he saw you, you were in your Avatar body - as you were a Dreamwalker - and that's when he fell in love with you. But he learned to love your human body too. He could never hate you, even in your human form. You were the only human he did not despise.

The day Neteyam first saw you, he was out in the forest to hunt and gather food, collecting bladder polyps, lionberry seeds and trying to kill a hexapede, so, he could bring all of it home and him and his family could eat a nutritious dinner.

That's when he heard a squeaky, funny laugh. It was a female voice, he recognized. Neteyam followed that sound just like he was a sailor and the girl whose laugh he heard was a mermaid, bewitching his senses and drawing him closer.

When he saw you, it was like his heart was going to explode in a thousand pieces, so fast it was beating inside his rigid ribcage, so strongly the blood was being pumped through his arteries. He knew he had to make you his mate, to have you forever.

Neteyam had always been a practical and rational young man, he had to be. He was the eldest son and had to look after his 3 younger siblings and not show a single sign of weakness when his father would scold him in a harsh tone, whenever any of his siblings - specially his younger brother, Lo'ak -, got into trouble and somehow, Neteyam ended up having to take responsibility over their actions. "But that girl… that beautiful, ethereal girl… she makes me believe in things I've never even considered before. I know it sounds stupid to say that about a girl I just met, only some minutes ago but I don't care", he thought. Only he and Eywa herself knew the raw, powerful feeling he was experiencing at that moment. He just wanted to let go for a while. To not force himself to be all brains, zero heart for once, just once. And you were gifting him the opportunity to do just that. Your beauty was so enchanting, it could leave any creature in awe.

His father had once told him about Christianity, one of the most popular religions back on the glory days of the Planet Earth, and, of course he didn't follow those beliefs, his spirituality was completely based on Eywa, the Great Mother, the spirit and moving energy of Pandora, but, if the beings called "angels" his father talked about were real, Neteyam was utterly sure that they could only look like you.

You were perfect. Every curve of your body, every bioluminescent freckle, every pattern of your stripes, your long dark braided hair falling like water on your flawless back, as you kept smiling and touching every single flower you could see, playing in a foolish way, just like a child. He felt a primal urge coming from his guts to make tsaheylu with you right there, right at that moment.

So many thoughts roamed through Neteyam's mind: "I need her… right here, right now. She's… ugh… I've never felt anything like this before… What's going on with your stupid mind, Neteyam?! You can't just choose any girl to be your mate, you'll be the next Olo'eyktan, remember?! The best choice would be a girl who has a calling to be Tsahìk. Maybe your parents will try to arrange a marriage, to find the perfect match for you. Damn! Who am I trying to fool? She is the only perfect match for me…"

Neteyam started to watch you go about the forest every chance he got.

When he found out you were actually a Dreamwalker, a human in a body created in a laboratory, a hybrid of demon and na'vi, a freak... It was like his world was falling apart, piece by tiny piece crashing on the floor. How did he not notice your fifth finger before?! Was he that much under your spell, that blinded by how beautiful and charming you were?, he asked himself.

So, he told himself he was going to find a way to at least see what your true form looked like. He hissed at the thoughts and feelings you had caused him the whole way to Hell's Gate, where the laboratory was and where he knew all the humans that stayed in Pandora and had an Avatar stayed.

When Neteyam saw you in your human body, he got hit by something as strong as lightning. The moment he sniffed your sweet scent (the smell you had in your Avatar had notes of your original human scent, as your DNA was used to build that body), the moment he recognized that melodious voice… The expression in those eyes, that smile, that laughter… it was you. His yawne.

He didn't understand how that was possible, what he was feeling. Nevertheless, he realized he still loved you. His heart still beat fast for you. It didn't matter which physical form you took. Na'vi or human. You were you. And he loved you. Madly.

His people had a great contempt towards the ones who Dreamwalked. They were "demons in false bodies", like his grandma and his mother always said. And Neteyam himself felt the same. Worse, he had felt disgusted by the love and desire you made him feel, back when he watched you wandering around the Omatikaya lands, when you would jump like a little kid, so happy playing with the bioluminescent, neon plants of the forest.

But, still, that feeling lingered inside him. The attachment, the deep affection, the devotion… He could not comprehend it.

All Neteyam could grasp was that he hated all humans, but you were the only exception.

Even though you were originally human, you had a na'vi heart. He just knew that. As crazy and impossible as it sounded, he figured out it was true. And that blew his mind. That sorrowful girl he was seeing cooking in a small technological kitchen was not the same one he had seen at the forest. But it was, at the same time. It apparently made no sense, but it actually did. You were not where you belonged. You did not belong imprisoned among those four walls that the other humans kept you in. That you were keeping yourself in. You belonged free amidst the Pandoran trees. You did not belong in those big human clothes. You belonged in a comfortable loincloth and a big leaf necklace covering your beautiful breasts, letting the wind hit your skin.

You seemed out of place in that environment you were currently in. And that made Neteyam feel something so overpowering. He knew it was useless to try and fight it. He was not even sure if he even wanted to fight it anymore. That feeling was good. It felt just like what he felt when he thought you were a na'vi girl. He even felt attracted to you, even though he still thought you looked much prettier in your Avatar body.

He was fully aware you were one of the demons. But you were not like the rest of them. You were special. He could tell that. He could tell you'd be a hundred per cent happier if he could convince you to become na'vi. And that's exactly what he was planning to do. He still did not know how, but he would find a way.

༊⁀➷

Taglist:

@crazy4books1

@samistars

@lik0

@miri-belle

@nerdybouquetofkittens-blog

@xxunnie

@your-girl-mj

@sereisstuff

@darktyrantwinner

@henhouse-horrors

@explosiongamora

@yeosxxx

[darkkitty1208]

on fic writing and fandom: where am i going forward?

So. It's a bloody dull Friday and I'm writing this post--have been meaning to, for a while--because I can't stop thinking about it. It's just a few (a lot, actually) thoughts I've had in my mind the past few days that I've decided to spill into a single post, which turned out far longer than it needed to be, but nothing too important. Under the cut.

I've been a fanfic writer for a while now. Not a long time by any means, but a while nonetheless. My first fic--which is now orphaned like a few of its brothers for undisclosed reasons, though if you're an og you might be able to guess why--was dated back to the 18th of November 2021. 3 years later and I've got a humble 89 works and counting (the orphaned works and unposted wips unincluded). I can safely say I've improved quite a lot since then.

Where are you going with this, then, Kitty? Surely you aren't here just to brag about your writing progress?

Well. Not exactly. But I'll start with this: I guess what I'm trying to say is I've lost the spark.

You know. The old feeling. That boost of serotonin you get after you finish a piece you're proud of, or when you get lovely reviews on ao3, or when you get a kudos email, or a new mutual, or some wild tags under your silly post. The spark. I haven't felt it in a long time, now. The last time it's been so palpable was... I'm not sure. Probably last year's October. That was a lot of fun. I was most prolific in fic writing, that year. It shouldn't feel like a long time ago. Because it wasn't.

Don't get me wrong. I love all this. All that's going on right now. The comments I'm getting--even if fewer than I had before--and all the other interactions, I appreciate and enjoy and love them so, so much. And writing my newer fic projects are well exciting. But it just isn't the same anymore. I'm afraid it never will be.

(Maybe it has something to do with the lack of interactions lately. Maybe? I don't really know, either. I'm sure we're all well aware the fandom is past its peak, and with the current developments in the MCU I am frankly unsurprised, but I dunno.)

I guess that's part of the reason I've been less active lately. I've been inactive as a whole this year, admittedly, and disappearing far too often for far too long (and I notice some of my friends are, too). I just didn't get the same joy from being in a fandom like I had when I first started this blog, or my ao3 account.

In hindsight, I've probably been a little too dependent on fandom to provide me serotonin. The past few years have been hard, the years before that, too. Life just keeps kicking me in the arse time and time again. I guess I've been using fandom and fic writing as a coping mechanism, and once I've had my fill, the joy dies off to something a little more dull. Like a gum I've been chewing for too long that the sweetness has since worn off.

Honestly? I don't want it to be this way. I want to live without being so dependent on my presence online. I want to live without only knowing joy through internet interactions. I've got to learn to. It sounds silly, but it's true. (I think I may be slightly chronically online, oh no. x'D)

So naturally my first instinct is to distance myself a little. I contemplated quitting, but I can't do that. I don't see myself ever doing that, no matter how many times my brain convinces me that I might.

When this year started, I had set some goals for writing. One of them was to write for more whumptober prompts than I did last year or complete them all. I did like 21 prompts or something last year. Of 31. Within a little more than a month. While still balancing all the life stuff I had going on. This is, if not obvious, an extremely ambitious goal. I am not insane. I don't know what I was thinking. I can't possibly do that now, can I? Not with all the stuff that's been happening.

...

Can I?

...

Yeah, no. Definitely not.

See, that's another thing: writing. Probably the thing I'm trying to get at in this post but otherwise derailed completely from. Fuck my brain.

I'm sure many of you have noticed that I've been writing significantly less. I still post, obviously, but not as much as like, last year when the number of works I had went from a few to far too much. That had helped me improve quite a lot, actually, but those days I barely slept because I just insisted to replace my sleep time with Writing Shit For The Gays. It was pretty unhealthy now that I look back at it. My sleep schedule is still shit now but, yk. Some things just never change.

I was really, really caught up on wanting to be good at writing. Like, really good. I wanted to make awesome things. I wanted to write like a real fucking pro. Like all the more popular fandom authors I look up to. I want to be like the big dogs in fandom. It sounds so silly. I did everything; sprinting daily, setting a minimum of 500 words writing sessions every day, trying new writing styles, churning out works after works, writing for prompts and events and gifts and the like. I was enjoying it, yes, but was it really something I did for myself? Or was it because I wanted to please other people or impress other people for their validation, which is something I'm entirely too dependent of? Was it for the numbers?

Well. It was more for that than for me, I realised a little too late.

So yeah. Fuck wanting to be good. I want to write for the hell of it. I want to write something that's for me. Not what the majority of the fandom or other people want to read, but for me. Which is why I absolutely loved writing works like just a matter of time, how to kill a god, or how to become a god, because they're not meant for other people but myself. (Ironically that last work is a gift but, yk. I still liked it.) I know I joke about self-projecting a lot, but it's been seriously helping me rediscover the joy of writing that doesn't come from the incessant need to be good or perfect or focus on producing more and more and more. It makes me feel like a kid again. Also, I'm only realising this now but I'd rather get like 5 people who enjoy reading my works so much and express them to me rather than 100 people who silently thumbs up at me and then go away to consume another fic or demand more. (All this to say I still love interactions, it just shouldn't be my no. 1 priority to get them when writing fanfics.)

But yeah. None of those works are perfect. They're not meant to be. But they're mine. They're me. They represent me. And it's so, so great to feel that in writing. I've been so stuck up on being some sort of content machine. I'm doing this for myself, how could I forget? I've been saying this since the beginning, I don't know why I'm still struggling to do it. God. It's ridiculous.

Anyway. That's that. This has become a very long ramble. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk. And for letting me waste your time, if you make it to the end of this post.

[ladysomething]

hi maddie, orange army anon here

firstly, very cool that the title was actually based on the movie, loved the movie too!

secondly, regarding the orange army: it is not just used for max verstappen fans (though he'd certainly deserve to have a name just for his fans). it's also used for other dutch sports competitors, especially football (when the national team is playing), max is just where the term comes up most often currently (very iconic of him tbh). there's also dutch terms (oranjegekte and oranjekoorts meaning orange craze and orange fever respectively), but i've never seen those used in germany.

also tifosi isn't just about ferrari either, but about sports teams in general (football teams, italian racing teams other than ferrari etc.) (which i wasn't aware until recently when i was jumpscared by the term watching football)

thirdly, i've long stopped questioning my life choices when it comes to fanfic, i did however make sure not to open the fic around people wearing max verstappen merch. it would have been their fault if they looked at a stranger's phone and got traumatized by omegaverse lestappen, but i didn't want to go that far.

orange army anon you've gagged me TWICE today because what do you MEAN tifosi isn't just used for ferrari? currently contemplating my entire life.

while Max does deserve his own orange army, I'm now having very deep feelings about baby Max being part of the orange army for other sports and now being somebody that single handedly brought that same orange army to f1. I wonder what he thinks and feels about that. I hope he's proud.

I do get what you mean about not opening it near Max fans. I do generally try not to write fic in public, because while people tell me that it's not on me if random strangers look at my screen, I also do feel like I probably shouldn't just be exposing people to Max fisting Charles when they're not expecting it

[agent-cupcake]

any advice to a new fanfic writer? i love to write but i feel like it takes a ton of energy. is that just because I’m new? thanks in advance, i am equally inspired and intimidated by your work!

AH YES another episode of the blind leading the blind let's goooo

Writing does take a lot of energy like I imagine any art does. For me, it still does, I'm just a tiny bit better at managing that energy because I've been at it for five-ish years.

Taking inspiration is good, very good actually. Read, watch movies, listen to music, absorb art and let that fuel you. BUT BUT BUT the only person you can be compared to is your past self so if you're just getting started you're actually beyond comparison.

There is no reason to care about what people say about the type of stuff you want to write, they have ant opinions and you are the god of a new world.

When you open a blank document, do not have a stare down with that endless white oblivion and contemplate why you're even alive. Make it your bitch. Write out everything you can with the incoherently drunk violence of a deadbeat boyfriend whose TV just broke, really let her have it. Are they good words? Who cares! You have defeated the snowstorm purgatory that is an empty doc, now you can try and forge something out of that chaos.

Look. I don't think people recommend this and maybe it's bad practice but find a thesaurus you like and use it. I'm giving you permission. Those "said is dead" posts are a bit cringe and I think using action tags between dialogue or describing the tone of voice/expression is more effective but sometimes you really reach a point where you've used "splendid" like six times in two paragraphs and you gotta move on. Personally I like Power Thesaurus. There are also websites you can use to check for repeated words which I find helpful.

If you can, find somebody to help read your stuff with you. It's super cursed but I've also plugged stuff into AI reading websites just to try and check for errors. Listen to the robot read your smut. Let your spirit leave your body. Suffer. I am a terrible editor (lazy editor) though so take that as you will.

Write as much as you can. That's it. You could get all the advice in the world and it won't matter unless you're doing it.

Good luck!

[depizan]

I'm still boggling over the concept behind the poll I just reblogged. People write fic for things they haven't watched/read/whatevered?

I...I don't get it.

I understand somewhat related things, like someone who hasn't played a video game, but has watched other people play it, writing fic for it. Or people who've only consumed one particular piece of canon. (Almost no one is consuming all of Star Wars canon, much less, say Superman's canon. I'm not even sure someone could consume all of Superman's canon. Or Batman's or any other superhero who's been around for all that time.) Read a Narnia book and wrote fic, sure. Watched some Doctor Who and wrote fic, sure.

But if you have no familiarity with any portion of the source material, what would prompt you to write fic?

I've seen gifs of Supernatural. I know that the main characters are two brothers. I think I know which two guys in the gifs are the main characters. What would I even be writing if I sat down to write a fic for Supernatural. "There's two guys who have a car and also an angel who maybe is in love with one of them, and also there are monsters. And hell." Unless I did a crap ton of research, it would basically already have the serial numbers filed off.

But more importantly, if I had any interest in Supernatural, I would have, you know, watched it. Why would anyone write a fic for a fandom they're not interested in???

I guess, maybe they have a friend who is? But yegad the amount of research one would have to do to stand any chance of getting anything right! I don't even know what kind of car the car is! I'm only 90% certain the main characters are Sam and Dean and I am 0% certain which is which.

Then again, I am a very weird fanfic writer who isn't interested in shipping and only has any desire to write fic for things where you basically write about OCs in a canon universe. (Other than SWTOR, the only thing I'm contemplating fic about is D&D. Not the recent movie (though I quite enjoyed the recent movie!), doing the create characters and novelize an adventure thing that people do, and which I've been quite enjoying other people's versions of.)

I completely understand reading fic for things one hasn't consumed. Its just another story. You could say we do that any time we pick up a published book.

And I guess some people write episodes of TV shows and the like without watching them. But they probably do that whole crap ton of research thing, at least if they're going to write a decent episode. And there's a motivation there: money.

Am I missing something?

Why would someone use their limited spare time to write a fic for a canon they're not familiar with? What are they getting out of it? Wouldn't they get much more out of writing for something they actually liked?

[desceros]

Are you a professional writer by any chance? How long have you been writing bc it's seems to be as natural as breathing to you?

- 💙🌸

not yet, though that's certainly my goal, fingers crossed! i've actually just finished one novel earlier this year edit LAST YEAR thank you kirsten that i'm shopping around for agents at the moment, and i'm contemplating doing some self publishing stuff until-slash-if that ever gets off the ground. tbh if i could get paid to write, man, that's like, the dream! i post fanfic stuff here, but i've actually mostly done original work. i guess if i get enough interest i could start hawking it around here??? probs not though as i don't want to bog things down when i know people are mostly here for turtles :p

as for how long i've been writing, it's been a loooong time. i started making my own books when i was about four bc i read everything on my bookshelf and got annoyed and wanted more. i very quickly was like. oh. this is awesome. and have preeeeetty much been writing ever since. i'm mostly affected by adhd, but writing is definitely an autistic special interest so i'm always in a better mood when i indulge and i endeavor to do so a little every day!! to say that it's like breathing is quite apt.

anywho thank you so much!! i'm not sure if you meant it as a compliment but it feels like one so i'm going to interpret it as such :D

[bish-plz-haha]

Trouble Is...

I'm back on my Maze Runner bullshit (not sorry about it). I've had this fanfic sitting in my phone notes for so long. Its like halfway done.

Take a peek, tell me what you think? Should I post it and continue writing it?

Thomas sat in the circle, giddy with excitement and adrenaline as the kids played truth or dare. They had moved to a quieter room of the enormous house to get away from the music a little to hear one another. They were all on the verge of drunk or actually completely drunk. Thomas had had a few drinks but he knew he could remember everything come morning. Not that he was complaining.

Minho knew how to throw a party. And with his parents working a lot, out on business trips, his parties were frequent and usually the most talked about event of any given week. But with school about to start back up again, the parties would become less frequent, per the usual. Thomas was going to be a senior this year, just like most of his friends. This was the last summer party he would be attending during his high school career.

"Thomas," someone blurted. Thomas hummed. This was his fifth time being called on since they started the game an hour ago. So far he had stripped down to his underwear to give the group a show, skinny dipped in the pool, admitted which of his friends he'd had a sexual fantasy about, and put three ice cubes down his pants and waited for them to melt. "Truth or dare."

Thomas contemplated his answer. He knew he would probably head home after his turn this time. Truth can be a boring way to end a party. But dare could be embarrassing - he'd already done several dares. Thomas hoped that if he did pick dare and the girl that called on him gave him an embarrassing dare, no one would remember it due to the drunken state most of these kids were in. But he also didnt want to end this party, the last summer party of his high school career, without a bang. "Dare." He finally said enthusiastically with a smile on his face.

Everyone around him giggled and smiled. The girl who was giving out his dare sat in silence for a moment. The music that blared in the main rooms of the house playing distantly in the background of the shut off room. "I dare you to..." she paused as the girl next to her whispered in her ear. "Okay," she smiled widely, mischievously, at him, "I dare you to make a nerd fall in love with you before the end of the year. But once they do fall in love with you, you have to break up with them. Any nerd of your choosing." She slurred her words a little but not enough that Thomas couldnt understand her. Everyone in the room gasped, looking to Thomas. Most were swaying in their seats due to their intoxicated states.

Thomas gulped. He wasn't one to go willy nilly hurting peoples feelings. Him and Minho were known as one night stand guys. Everyone they got with knew to expect nothing more except sex. But he also knew that he wouldn't be seeing any of these people again after graduation. Most of these kids - at the party and otherwise - aren't really his friends. So, with a less than enthusiastic nod and a slight 'okay,' Thomas agreed to the dare. He silently hoped that none of the people in this circle of about thirty remembered his dare by the start of the school year in less than four days. And with his dare complete - a verbal agreement made with his fellow students to start the dare once the school year began in a few days - he excused himself. He said goodbye to his friends and made his way home.

[autumnslance]

LynMars FFXIV Write 2023 Master Post

This year's challenge completed! Congrats to everyone who wrote anything at all this month, even if just one prompt! Thanks again to @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for 7 years of this!

Previous Years Master Posts: 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

Anything wolcred ship-related is marked by an asterisk* as usual. Commentary and stats for anyone interested below the Read More.

01. Envoy: ARR; Aeryn makes her Grand Company choice. 02. Bark: Dark has the wrong pie thief suspect. 03. Free Day! 04. Off the Hook: EW; Lucia & Maxima explore their new HQ. 05. Barbarous: HW; Aeryn's frustrated by the land of her birth. 06. Ring: EW; keepsakes & memories of Aeryn's mother. 07. Noisome: Dark & Iyna contend with ubiquitous seasonal flavors. 08. Shed: EW; Aeryn answers Zenos at the edge of everything. 09. Fair: EW; Azem's brother tries to ensure the future has his aid. 10. Free Day! 11. Once Bitten Twice Shy: ShB Bozja; unwarranted concerns. 12. Dowdy: Backstory; Aeryn's always had Opinions about fashion. 13. Check: Iyna discovers C'oretta's personal business. 14. Clear*: ShB; semi-poetic sweetness of coming together. 15. Portentous: Backstory. Zaine speaks to Tanzel about a decision. 16. Jerk: EW; Aeryn meets an old friend as the Final Days loom. 17. Free Day! 18. Fish Out of Water: Shb: G'raha gets used to his new life. 19. Weal: EW; Vrtra sees to his people and their home. 20. Hamper: In a possible future, Iyna answers academic questions. 21. Grave: Legacy; Zaine Striker returns to his childhood home. 22. Fulsome: C'oretta sorts through her parents' old promos. 23. Suit: ARR; what the Scions wore that most fateful night. 24: Free Day! 25. Call it a Day: Pre-ARR; Iron Summer contemplating his daughter. 26. Last: EW; a final conversation between ancients. 27. Sole*: Post-ShB; Thancred vs the perils of Aeryn's flip-tastic jobs. 28. Blunt: Post-ShB; working with Gaius, like it or not. 29. Contravention: EW; "In from the Cold" violates laws of nature. 30. Amity: EW; Varshahn & Aeryn discuss Thavnair & Garlemald.

Only 2 short shippy prompts all month! All 4 modern girls got a couple spotlights, various family cameos and backstories, a future prompt as is tradition, Zaine had a few posts, a few NPC-only scenes, a LOT of Endwalker, and even Ancient Icarus got a story, tying into 2021's "Destruct" prompt and how/why the siblings' souls have been connected through time and reincarnations.

A few of these are alternate takes on scenes I've touched on before, but it's interesting what a new prompt at a different time can get one to say, how we change as writers in what we focus on and how we say it.

This comes in roughly 300 words shorter than last year, at 18,493. The week of the 18-22 I had off work for my birthday, and that had the most 1k+ prompts, with a word count nearly double the other 3 full weeks. While the longer prompts are good, I'm really happy with how so many of the short ones turned out!

I was again trying to be realistic about my time, energy, not pushing free write days...and also working on an original writing project on the side, so I actually did do more writing over the month, just not FFXIV related!

(Also why some of my responses were in just under the wire...)

But this was a good break and exercise from that other writing, and let me try a few new things.

And comparing to earlier years--especially 2017 and 2018 when I was getting back onto the writing horse and feeling out my OCs--I feel like my growth as a writer, especially to be more succinct yet still evocative when needed, is evident. I've gotten a lot of practice in over time, and this challenge is one of the things that helped me get to where I can write an original story on top of my fanfic!

Breakdowns for funsies: Longest: 21 Grave; 1,652 words Shortest: 14 Clear; 106 words

Between 100-500 words: 1 Envoy; 2 Bark; 4 Off the Hook; 5 Barbarous; 7 Noisome; 8 Shed; 14 Clear; 15 Portentous; 26 Last; 27 Sole. Between 500-1000 words: 6 Ring; 11 Once Bitten, Twice Shy; 13 Check; 16 Jerk; 18 Fish Out of Water; 22 Fulsome; 23 Suit; 25 Call it a Day; 28 Blunt; 29 Contravention; 30 Amity. 1000+ words: 9 Fair; 12 Dowdy; 19 Weal; 20 Hamper; 21 Grave.

I didn't look at the totals until the end; I only checked some of the shorter ones during the challenge to see if they hit my personal "500+ words" cut off for adding a Read More to the posts.

"Grave" honestly could have been a lot shorter; I started the plot too early, and much as I like Zaine making one last visit to his childhood Nana, for the purposes of the challenge, I could have just focused on going to the lichyard to save myself time and energy, and wrote about the visit on my own another time. On the other hand, it's done now!

Not sure which is a favorite; there's a lot I like.

As usual, these will be revised at...some point (some more than others, probably) and added to Ao3, in my various series and threads.

[bobafett]

stealing this because the boops made me realize how much i miss tag games.

How many works do you have on AO3? A grand total of 14. I am not a prolific writer.

What’s your total AO3 word count? 63,880. Please see above answer.

What fandoms do you write for? Batman and Star Wars. I have a little bit of Supernatural fic posted on an alt account, and I've been turning over an idea for an OW fic in my head for a while, but it takes me a long time to figure out how to write in a fandom in a way that still captures the "vibes" of the source material (which is always one of my goals). So I rarely branch out.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? New Cornerstone (suitless!Vader AU from a million years ago), Brothers in Arms (Jon starts to get an inkling that his best friend has perhaps not had a normal childhood), Setting the Bone (Selina Kyle: reluctant parental figure), In This Twilight (Damian and Jason brotherly bonding, first batfam fic I ever wrote), and Try to Sweep the Darkness Out (batfam Christmas special that I've almost orphaned 10 times because I hate the writing choices I made in it so much). None of the fics I'm actually proud of are on this list. Tragic.

Do you respond to comments? Irregularly and unpredictably! I will if I feel like I have something to say and it catches me in the right mood.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Uh, that would be High Water Mark since it starts with a scene of Cody contemplating suicide and ends with the instant right before Order 66 kicks in.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably Problem Solving since it's the only fic I've ever written where I was actually trying to be light hearted.

Do you get hate on fics? Never, thankfully.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? If I thought I could do it successfully, I would. But I'm not, so I don't.

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Basically never. There is a Doctor Who/Sherlock fic buried on my old FF.net account. There's also a Super Smash Bros fic on there that I wrote in 2009, which I suppose also counts.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? I can't imagine why anyone would.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, and I never would. I'm too much of a control freak about my writing. Writing, say, shared universe stuff might be fun, but actually co-authoring something would drive me nuts.

What’s your all time favorite ship? What a question. I come back to Jaime/Brienne a lot for reading, but I don't think I'd ever write it. I write a ton of BatCat, but rarely read it because I'm particular. I like Lois/Clark, but I almost never write OR read it. I'm honestly not very ship motivated. Most of the time I filter for a ship because I'm in the mood for its attendant tropes, and if the writing is good, you can sell me on just about anything.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Hmngh. New Cornerstone again. There's 20k of an expanded version of it on my hard drive that I haven't added to since probably 2017. There's something very fun about suitless!Vader as a character because he's such a sparking, destructive livewire of a person, but also I'm experienced enough now to realize how difficult doing justice to that premise is. Also, I'd have to rewatch TCW to get Ahsoka's voice down, and I just don't got time for that shit.

What are your writing strengths? Description and sense of place. Also pretty good at dialogue.

What are your writing weaknesses? Fucking. Long fic. Plot in general. I'm horrifically bad at it.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I'm usually inclined to keep all my dialogue in English, but it would depend on the context and the effect I was going for.

First fandom you wrote for? Purposefully? Inuyasha. Without having any idea what fanfic was? I created an Artemis Fowl fairy OC and stuck her in Indiana Jones when I was 10 years old.

Favorite fic you’ve written? They Don't Sing Songs For Me. No contest. It's perfectly captures what I think is the ideal form of fanfic: two characters who have absolutely no business interacting with each other building a compelling relationship dynamic over the course of 9k words.

I will be tagging @panharmonium, @apostatefrog, @dead-ghost-walking, @ryehouses, @yellowocaballero, @lazuliquetzal. Also anyone else who wants to. I will bring back tag games by force of will, so help me God.

[marenhoshifonia]

Heyyyoooo........ What's up pipol?... It's been awhile hasn't it?.... Well, ya gurl has been watching bsd (Bungo Stray Dogs) recently and I've loved the series. So today, I will be posting a fanfic of Chuuya. This will be my first time writing this and hope you guys would love reading it. Now on to the fanfic..

Chuuya Nakahara x Abused Reader

Night falls as Chuuya Nakahara decides to visit one of his regular bars. After a long day of completing his reports, he finally finds the time to unwind at the bar. Upon his arrival, he is greeted by a serene atmosphere within the establishment. The soothing sounds of jazz music fill the air, accompanied by the gentle hum of conversation and the enticing aroma of his favorite spirits.

Taking a seat at the bar counter, Chuuya places his order, which the barista gladly takes, recognizing him as one of their frequent patrons. And who can blame him? The bar's pleasant ambiance and the exquisite selection of wines and liquors are simply irresistible.

One of the reasons Chuuya finds himself returning to this bar time and time again is because of you. From the moment he first set foot in the establishment, he couldn't help but notice you, always sipping on tequila. It seems that, like him, you also seek solace at the bar after a tiring day of work.

Whenever Chuuya visits, he often catches glimpses of you at the counter, seated at a table, or elsewhere in the bar. There is an unspoken connection between the two of you, a silent acknowledgment of each other's presence.

Chuuya finds himself increasingly intrigued by your presence each time he frequents the bar. Although he hasn't had the opportunity to strike up a conversation with you yet, there is a mutual understanding that both of you are drawn to this place for a reason. Perhaps it is the shared desire for a glass or two of wine that brings you together each night.

One evening, as Chuuya was on the verge of entering the bar, he had a premonition that something was about to occur. Over the past few nights, he had noticed you appearing melancholic or lost in deep contemplation. Upon entering the bar, he ordered his usual wine and took a seat.

While surveying the surroundings, he spotted you at one of the tables, and observed a stranger attempting to grab your arm. The man appeared sober and was seemingly trying to flirt with you. However, witnessing your distressed reaction, Chuuya promptly rose from his seat and made his way towards your table.

"Excuse me," Chuuya firmly grasped the man's arm, the very arm that held onto you, as he whispered audibly for the man to hear. "Harassing a defenseless and innocent lady is not behavior befitting a gentleman, particularly if you wish to avoid any unpleasant consequences."

"What the hell?" The man turned to face Chuuya, bewildered by his sudden intervention. "Get lost! You have no business here!"

"Now, now, tough guy. I have no tolerance for troublemakers who possess the audacity to cause harm others," Chuuya tightened his grip on the man's arm, issuing a warning.

"If you refuse to release her and stop bothering the lady over there, I will not hesitate to break your arm." He paused, intensifying the pressure on the man's arm. "...in an instant."

Frustrated, the man clicked his tongue and reluctantly released you. "Fine, I'll leave."

As the man retreated, nursing his sore arm, Chuuya shifted his attention towards you, noticing the relief evident in your expression.

"Are you alright, miss?" he inquired, his gaze meeting yours, accompanied by a gentle smile and a sense of gratitude.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for coming to my aid," you responded, returning his smile.

"By any chance, do you know that guy? Who was he?"

"He was actually a former colleague of mine after he was terminated for disrespecting one of our clients while attempting to pursue their daughter." You responded in a monotone and disdainful manner, stating that he was subsequently blacklisted by your company and others. "He later placed blame on me for able to secure employment, which resulted in the situation you just witnessed and handled."

Chuuya listened to your account with a sigh. "What a *sshole! It seems he is facing the consequences he deserves."

"By the way, I haven't properly introduced myself," you said, realizing your oversight. Standing up, you continued, "My name is (Y/n) (L/n). It's a pleasure to meet you, and I sincerely thank you for your assistance."

"I'm Chuuya. Chuuya Nakahara," he introduced himself with a smile. "Don't mention it; I'm just glad you're alright. Say, (Y/n), why not join me for a glass of wine? Perhaps some tequila? It's my treat to brighten up your evening."

"Well, surprise me. Judging by your expertise, I'm sure you'll choose something delightful," you replied, smiling at his offer.

He smirked and called the barista, placing an order for his favorite wine to share with you. As the night progressed, the two of you engaged in conversation, and before long, a friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship. Every night, you would meet at the bar, becoming drinking buddies and enjoying each other's company.

[scruggzi]

My library finally got an audiobook copy of The Goblin Emperor after I've listened to the two Cemeteries of Amalo books dozens of times and they are now my comfort books.

I'm actually contemplating fic in a way I've not done for a long time.

I want to see Maia decide that his firstborn daughter will succeed him and whisper that plan to his Empress.

I want him to send his wife to council meetings with a clear 'we speak with one voice and she speaks for us' message.

I want him to keep championing women in positions of power in ways that terrify the mediocre men of the court.

I want him and his wife to visit Amalo and at the Emperor's request, attend a performance of Jelsu (sic? I'm only audiobook unsure about spelling) and see Thara and Iana as a happy if publicly unacknowledged couple and have that spur him on to improve the situation for manae as much as he can.

I'm going to have to listen to this a few times then write some tragically unsexy fanfic about it.

[one-britt-to-rule-them-all]

Just me rambling about my fanfic projects

(I didn't really proofread, I'm sorry.)

Listen, I know nobody's really gonna give a fuck, but screw it, I need to word vomit a bit.

I've posted on another platform about how I've been writing some Twisted Wonderland fics behind the scenes – three of them, to be exact. I haven't published them because I've been enjoying writing and indulging in this hobby in a stress-free manner, because I sometimes feel overwhelmed when having to cater to an audience, which incidentally takes the fun out of writing for me and causes me to block or burn out easily.

Doing this has really been making me happy, and I'm on the fence about publishing the fics. I probably will at some point; it would be a waste to not share the works. Plus, they're already written in a reader insert format, so it's not like I'd have to change much about the stories to cater them to my typical audience. I think I'd publish them only when I'm nearing their completion or when I have a lot – and I mean a lot – of chapters done. That way, I can set a consistent upload schedule.

But regardless of what I end up doing, I'd like to share the basics of the three books I've been working on! So continue reading if you're interested! ~

I'd like to give a preemptive warning that the second story I talk about is heavily NSFW-based. So, if you're uncomfortable with that, then skip over to #3.

Another thing: the reader is referred to with she/her pronouns throughout the explanations, though if published, they might be changed to GN, but I'm not really sure yet.

#1

So, the first book I want to talk about is called 'The Devil's Wonderland.'

This story is definitely inspired by some elements of Obey Me, though you don't need to have played Obey Me to understand what's going on because although it's inspired, it's not a crossover and the OM characters are never mentioned. 

This book does follow Twisted Wonderland's main story, though, with some artistic liberty taken to make it more unique to me and my story-telling. The reader is the highly-respected and somewhat feared demon lord of the Nether Realm (hell) and runs an institution where demons of all ages learn various things about the Nether Realm and important skills to have as a demon. The idea of the institution was first brought forth by the previous demon lord, her father, but the reader is the one to have actually gone through with it. Much like the Twisted Wonderland side of things, the institution has seven dorms with one demon at the head of each of them, and each dorm is based on one of the seven deadly sins. The dorm heads are personally very close to the reader in one way or another, and all come from different social standings of demon hierarchy. 

Her office has a mirror that allows her to look into different universes and realms, as well as travel to said universes, which is where the reader learns of Twisted Wonderland, a Realm she finds absolutely enchanting and fascinating and was contemplating taking a vacation there. However, when one of the freshmen, a mischievous cambion who has already earned himself the reputation of being troubled, gets called into the office, he goes into the mirror and Twisted Wonderland. So, with her trusty right-hand demon man at her side, they go into the mirror, where they are transported into Twisted Wonderland at NRC. They end up using humanoid disguises with magic to not draw much attention to themselves — they're unaware of what constitutes normal for the world — and originally have a mission to retrieve the troubled student and bring him back to the Nether, but they get dragged into the mess of the prologue of the main game. The thing is, the reader realizes that she likes being in Twisted Wonderland because of the way she's being treated. She's not being treated with fear and superiority. People aren't sucking up to her or blindly following and adoring her for her status because the NRC men don't know that this is the literal queen of hell.

She likes it. She likes being just another person. Hell, she gets excited when people outright disrespect her because nobody would ever dare say their true thoughts to her back in the Nether. So, she wants to stay in Twisted Wonderland to experience a semblance of normality, though she still has to flip-flop between realms because she has duties back in the Nether, so she's living this double life. Much to the chagrin of her right-hand man.

To make the story more unique to me, I've implemented a lot of elements of the original universe I've been building for myself and OCs, and there a few of OCs that will be added to add a little something! 

I'd like to briefly introduce these OCs to you. Please note that all the artwork that I'm about to show you have not been made by me. They are all paid commissions of my characters, directly taken from my ToyHouse account. I'd also like to apologize for the poorly-done collages of the images. I tied to condense things as much as possible.

Obviously I won't be revealing too much info on them as I don't want to spoil things should the books come to the public, but I want to share a few tidbits!

Starting off with my personal favourite and one of the most relevant characters, meet Alastair:

Al is the right-hand man and butler to the reader. His loyalty to her knows no bounds, and he's almost always seen with her. They actually have a very close relationship and respect each other as way more than just business partners, instead seeing each other as very close friends. Alastair is an absolute badass in his own way and possibly my favourite character. I'd even go as far as to say that he's my favourite of ALL of my OCs. I've just grown super attached to this dude and can't wait to show him off in story.

Next, we have Luka:

Luka is the cambion that got Alastair and the reader in the mess in the first place. Being half demon and half human, he struggles with his identity as he's unsure of where he fits in best. He faces prejudice in the human community for being unpure (racism is actually a big thing in my universe regarding human views on non-humans) and the demon community often reject cambions for being 'not demon enough'. Luka gets a lot of character development throughout the story, and his relationship with Alastair is pretty comical, and the relationship he grows with the reader is so wholesome to the point where I'm debating not making Luka a love interest because I feel like they have a very familial bond.

So, Luka and Alastair are the main OCs and the ones that are seen the most. The other OCs get introduced slowly but surely and are less present — though they still hold weight — so I will rapid-fire them at you.

So, let's get into the seven dorm heads of the demon institution!

First, we have Melchom:

Melchom is the dorm head of the Superbia dorm, which is centred around the sin of pride. He is a noble who is very well-acquainted with the reader and her family, being a childhood friend of hers. They were brought up with the intent of wedded to one another, but that didn't happen for reasons I'm not spoiling. With striking good looks, great power, a high rank in demon society and the sheer confidence he exhibits, Mel is definitely one of the more popular and admired demons at the institution, seemingly being perfect in every sense of the word.  

Next is Lucius:

Lucius runs Avaritia, the dorm based around the sin of greed. Although neither a noble nor anywhere near royalty, Lucius is a pretty successful business demon. He's incredibly skilled in business affairs and has made a name for himself in both the Nether and human realms, but is his money all from honest, hard work? Probably not. But he sure is good at convincing others that it is. He's a demon, give the shady man a break!

We move on over to Jinn!

Jinn is at the top of the Invidia dorm, which is based on envy. Out of all the dorm heads, Jinn is the most difficult with which to get along. Deep-rooted insecurities manifest as envy towards his comrades for one way or another, making it difficult to form a genuine bond. 

Next is the duo of Gael and Aziel:

Leading the Ira dorm, based on wrath, are Gael and Aziel. Gael is the only human that currently inhabits the Nether Realm, and he shares his body with a demon named Aziel. The reasons as to why Aziel is possessing Gael are redacted for the time being as I don't want to spoil, but much like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing, Gael and Aziel are completely different in terms of personality, and Aziel can take over Gael's body.

Next, we have Ezekiel, or just Zeke for short:

The Luxuria dorm is based on the sin of lust, and Zeke is the one who runs it. Zeke is a super open, chill and fun-loving guy who is all about self-expression and will absolutely shame kink and slut-shamers. He's allergic to wearing proper shirts, but if he must, he will. He also runs various clubs at the institution, including a dance club and a yoga club.

Next is Iblis:

At the top of the Gula dorm, home of gluttony, is Iblis. Iblis is an absolute sweetheart and cinnamon roll, whose tail and butt will do little waggles when food is involved. Despite constantly eating, he's rather fit due to gluttony demons essentially being bottomless voids, nearly immediately burning up anything they consume. And yes, his tail is as warm and squishy as it looks, and he's all for letting people use it as a weighted blanket. Once a human, reincarnated as a demon after death, one really wonders what the hell this guy has done to wind up in hell, he's such a sweetie... ~

For the last dorm head, we have Izzin:

The last dorm, representing sloth, is Acedia, which is run by Izzin. Much like, Iblis, Izzin was also once human and turned into a demon after death. Being a sloth demon, Izzin is forced into a perpetual state of sleepiness and because of that, he's the most uninvolved of all the dorm heads. Make no mistake, even in sleep, he's somehow perfectly aware of what's going on around him. He hears all, don't test him. Though when he's awake and aware, he's amongst the more mischievous and scheming of the dorm heads and often gets involved in Lucius' scams- I mean business.

There's one last character I want to show, and that's the reader. Now, in and of itself, the reader is not given a set appearance. The skin colour, body type, hair colour and style, eye colour, etc. remain ambiguous so that the reader can insert themself or their OC. Plus, this is made to be my sona as the MC of the story, but I still wanted to show! This is more to show what I have in mind with the outfit, crown, wings and horns when in demon form.

OKAY. Moving on to the next book!

#2

The next book is... something. It's called 'She's a Monster.'

Let me explain this book's existence with a simple conversation between my friend and I.

Friend: Hey, Britt! You know how everybody writes fics where the reader is a monster fucker?

Me: ... yeah?

Friend: Well, hear me out... what if the reader is the one who's a monster, and the guys are the ones who are monster fuckers??

Me: ...

Me: *Opens Google Docs.* Say no more.

So... this book is a collect-all-the-men reverse-harem-porn-with-plot... thing.

To make this simple, it's Twisted Wonderland, but the reader is a big, strong, naga woman that brings out the monster fucker in the NRC men. There's the plot that follows TW and my added plot lines, but there's a lot of sex and kink exploration.

My portrayal of nagas is not accurate to our real-world legends. My portrayal of nagas is purely driven by my original universe and narrative, so keep that in mind!

The gyst is that the reader is a naga — half human, half snake monster — a rare creature on the brink of extinction in Twisted Wonderland. The reader has been living completely isolated in the depths of a forest near the Dwarf Mines. She's rather lonely and craves having a clutch — what nagas use to refer to their group of mates — so when she sees Yuu, Ace, Deuce and Grim adventure into the mines, she's compelled to help them out a bit and interact.

Now, in this story, nagas are rare and almost extinct, so while it's not normal for her species, the reader is willing to get with humans and humanoids because she's a little desperate. Here's the thing: nagas have a weird male-to-female ratio, with females being much rarer than males, where there's only about a single female for every nine males, so it isn't uncommon for females to have multiple partners, and this instinct is still very present, and so that is why the reader is compelled to get with multiple guys. However, despite this, female nagas are very respectful and gentle with their partners and love them all equally.

The reader in this can shift between her proper, monstrous form and a more humanoid form where she has legs, though she's not fond of being in that form as she gets sore from containing her monster form. So, there are scenes where the men fuck the reader in her human form and some scenes where it's human on monster.

The reader is portrayed as a switch in the book, but there's a focus on her being dominant. I'm just tired of always writing submissive readers, so I'm trying something different. Plus, female nagas, in this interpretation, are typically larger, stronger and more dominant than the males.

Also... the reader has both female and male anatomy. I primarily work with female anatomy in the story, but when in her full monster form, the reader can sheathe and unsheathe two dicks, so there are some scenes where the dudes get dicked down.

There's some genuine fluff and emotional connections made, it's not all smut, and there are definitely some comedic moments, especially with the reader just... not understanding everyday slang, technology and human things in general.

So yeah, this one is definitely sexually charged and not for the sexually squeamish.

I'd like to give a visual reference of my OC that I've used to base the reader off. Again, keep in mind that my showing you these images is only to give you an idea of the physical traits the reader has in her monster form. Her skin/scale colour, hairstyle and hair colour, body type and shape, eye colour, etc, are all for you to pick. The basic appearance of the reader's insert is their choice, but this is a template for you to know what I have in mind when writing in terms of physical traits. The reader's 'colour palette' while in her monster form isn't mentioned, so feel free to think of her as the colour of your choice. Doesn't have to be purple and gold.

Her name's usually Lilith in my universe, but she's (Y/N) here, obviously! I have some more art of her, but the images are... very NSFW. So, I'm not showing.

Onto the last book!

#3

The last book is called 'Monsters & Magic.'

I don't have a cover for this one yet, but here's a commission that's in progress that I should get this week. There's gonna be a nice background of NRC's courtyard!

POKÉMON X TWISTED WONDERLAND CROSSOVER!!!

Okay, so this book is a little different... it's kind of a CYOA? 

Also, you don't NEED to be a pokémon expert to read this, but it definitely helps.

Basically, the reader is a champion-level and gets yeeted into the world of Twisted Wonderland thanks to Arceus. Basic stuff. But here's where it gets a little different: the book has three prologue chapters, and in the third prologue chapter, the reader stands in front of the mirror, and the story branches. There are seven branches for the seven dorms, and the reader will be placed in one of the dorms, and you choose which paths you want to read. So there are basically seven stories in one.

I decided to do this because I wanted to follow the stories of Twisted Wonderland, but I wanted the reader to experience the events of every dorm from the perspective of someone who's in that dorm. I wanted to write a bit more of an inside view of the dorm dramas and characters, with added plot lines and scenes made by me, of course. This is also a good way to give more depth to some characters I feel got screwed over by the writers. Leona, my love, I'm looking at you.

The reader also changes depending on the dorm she's in. Her personality and backstory are different, her pokémon team is different, etc. This is for variety because I don't want to write the same character over and over again but in a different setting.

The reader is from a different region for every dorm and has experienced the events of the main games associated with that region, plus more. The thing is, there are nine main regions and only seven dorms, so I can't honor them all. Plus, if you count Hisui, Orre, Fiore, Almia and Oblivia, there are even more regions.

Since I wanted to involve as many of the regions as possible, I fused some of them together, so here's what I got:

Heartslabyul: Paldea + Galar

Savanaclaw: Sinnoh

Octavinelle: Hoenn + Alola

Scarabia: Orre

Pomefiore: Kalos

Ignihyde: Kanto + Johto

Diasomnia: Unova

Because Hisui is basically old Sinnoh, I decided to not include it at all, but there are some nods and references to Legends Arceus, notably in the prologue of the book where Arceus brings the reader to Twisted Wonderland, and how pokémon are portrayed to be, as they are, wild creatures that can be extremely dangerous when not tamed.

Fiore, Almia and Oblivia... as much as I love the ranger games, I decided to not include them. Mostly because I haven't plsyed the games in so long that I don't remember them that much, but also because I wabted the reader's history to be more trainer-oriented.

Orre is included becasue I'm a sucker for the GC games, but also because I think the story and atmosphere based on those regions is great, and I'd love to incorporate it!

----

All in all, I'm having so much fun writing these books, and if I ever release them to the public, I hope y'all will enjoy them as well! 

Welp, thank you for coming to my TED talk! See ya!

[oboetemasuka]

Refuge

(An "Order of Attack" side story)

A while ago, I sent a suggestion to @good-beanswrites about Yuno and Mahiru before the attacks. Then one day I decided that maybe I should try a "fanfic swap", so... here. Another take on what happened before everything went down.

It's just a little writing exercise, not strictly part of the fic. I believe the term is "loose canon". Two parts, written about a week apart, so sorry if the tone changes abruptly. And a few moments of "wait a minute, how does that work-"

Edit: I forgot to link to Beans's writing. Here!

-

Yuno heard a knock on her cell door out of the blue. Well, it was more like a kick. A gentle kick. 

She wasn't sure how to respond. Who would want to talk to her? She had been so distant from everyone that they had all given up on trying to talk to her. 

Even the unforgiven prisoners kept their distance. Yuno had first approached Fuuta, who was making a huge racket in the next cell over, only for him to cuss her out. Fine, maybe the racket will distract from my own voices, then. Amane shooed her out immediately. Mahiru turned down her offer, seemingly out of shame.

If the person at the door was not Fuuta, and not Amane, then could it be…

There was another kick, followed by a soft "Yuno-chan…"

Yuno opened the door almost immediately. "Mahiru-san, what… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just… a little lonely."

"Do you want to stay with me?" The question spilled out of Yuno's lips faster than she could think. Was she really that desperate for companionship? No, not if she stayed in her cell while Mahiru approached her.

Mahiru shook her head at the question. "Actually, I was wondering if you would mind coming with me."

That was an odd request. Was there much of a difference between their cells? Still, if it made Mahiru more comfortable, there was no reason to deny her.

"Sure. Let's go."

Mahiru's cell was somewhat messier since the last time Yuno visited. Furniture was shifted a bit out of place. A few books were scattered on the ground. Mahiru probably would have picked them up if she could.

"Do you want me to get that?" Yuno asked, gesturing to the books.

"Oh, sure! I've been meaning to get those organized. Sorry you had to see my cell in this state."

"It's no problem. I get that it would be tough- oh, do you want me to help out?"

Mahiru shook her head. "It's fine. Just the books will be enough for now. I can clean this up when I get the chance."

"But do you know if you'll get the chance?"

"Of course! I just have to… hm… eat faster during meal times!"

Meal times. As far as Yuno knew, they were one of the precious few times the unforgiven prisoners had to move about freely. But still-

"It wouldn't be healthy to rush a meal just for a few extra minutes of free time."

"I suppose…" Mahiru looked up contemplatively.

"Maybe I can unbuckle the straps," Yuno suggested.

"If you want…"

But Yuno couldn't figure out how to undo them.

"Maybe I can cut them."

"I wouldn't want to damage the uniform, though. Who knows what the consequences would be?"

"Mikoto-san did that, and he's fine. Well, not 'fine' fine, but the restraints don't affect him anymore."

"I guess… I don't mind this, though. It's like giving myself a hug. And it would be a shame to destroy such a nice outfit anyway."

"Whatever you say… Anyway, my offer to clean up the room still stands."

Mahiru accepted the offer this time. No shame in admitting that one can't do everything.

As Yuno organized the various dropped items, she found a conversation topic in the voices that plagued their thoughts.

After a while, Mahiru seemed more at ease, but the carefully-built atmosphere was abruptly brought down.

A scream rang throughout the panopticon.

[throughtrialbyfire]

A (Cycle of the Serpent), G, K, and Q for the ask meme!

hi lex!!!!!!!!!! <33

A: How did you come up with the title to Cycle of the Serpent?

its part of this song, specifically this section:

Oh ouroboros The cycle of the serpent Look close It's something like a spring Pull out It looks like it's a helix Push in And wear it like a ring

it's always read to me as a contemplation on fate, on repetition and on bad habits/past traumas which never quite end. actually, i'll paste something from discord to do some of the explaining in how it relates to the fic CotS, since i think i typed up a similar question response recently!!

essentially, alchemical imagery and cycles that persist, in spite of what may be wanted. and observing those cycles from an outside view, looking close to see the details, pulling it out to see its shape, and wearing it on your hand as an acceptance. or thats my reading of it specifically applied to the fic, anyways. and the title is "pillar of Na", which can be taken as a "pillar of null/nothingness", or "pillar of salt", something which crumbles away.

also the different verses, ive tied back to them. the first/opening verse is emeros, the middle "shall i lay awake" is athenath, and "call in 'i will always love you' to the radio" is ironically wyndrelis, but any time "love" comes up for him, its a love for his friends, for his work, and for the family members he used to be close with who are now gone and to tie back to the song, i always see the "turn all eternal" part at the end as being the aedra, daedra, the people whose lives they've touched, a sort of thing saying they're not the only ones stuck in cycles. and of course the part before it is just the trio, hgjkdhfgjk. yes i grew up on amvs and songfics how can you tell-

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

a mix of both! right now, i've been trying to write CotS in chronological order, but i do have scattered scenes that i've pre-written and am building up to, plus planned concepts for things to happen later!

K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

i've got dozens lol, but one of them takes place several years after CotS, where athenath gets poisoned and only has enough strength left to collapse at emeros' door. athenath nearly dies, and emeros wrote for wyndrelis to come soon bc he didnt know if he could cure whatever poison it was in time. :3

Q: How do you feel about collaborations?

i like them! i havent done any in a while - mostly bc i'm very focused on my own ideas rn - but i've done collab fics in the past and greatly enjoyed it!!

thank you so much for the asks!!!!! <333333333

fanfic asks

[naranjapetrificada]

As the "dealing with grief and other big feelings dredged up by the 🌟Gay Pirate Show🌟" thing appears to be sticking around I thought it was time for a master post about my new favorite thing:

Healing thru fanfic!

I should say up top that a) I usually prefer fic that's canon-compliant or only slightly canon-divergent, especially for healing purposes because I think it helps with immersion and b) the list is short right now but it's definitely gonna grow as time moves on. Anyway, recs beyond the cut:

Fallow Land & Bigger Sky: I've already mentioned before how reading (and sitting with and processing) Fallow Land & Bigger Sky was so incredibly healing but here I am, doing it again! And even if the emotional appeal doesn't get you to read it, you should try it for the beautiful imagery, poetic writing, and carefully and lovingly crafted (and canon-compliant) character study of one Edward Teach.

It's the kind of writing that makes contemplative manual labor, stunning vistas, a mischievous nun, a cute little black lamb, and gallons of homebrewed wine all feel as essential to the fandom experience as any other way we spend time with our blorbos. I literally cannot believe how beautiful and well-executed this story is sometimes.

Brace Yourself and Nestle into Me: I literally just read this one this morning, and it's actually what inspired me to make this post. The premise is that Ed and Stede figure out that they're into each other around episode 7, and they're deliriously happy to know that they feel the same way about each other. But Stede has some (understandable) sexual dysfunction around being queer thanks to the horrible society that he grew up in. Ed is a darling trying to help him through it all, and along the way he realizes he also has some of his own hangups he needs to work through together.

I appreciate that this one doesn't treat healing like a straight line because it never is, and emphasizes that trust can't just be implicit, you really have to talk it through as a crew, even if it's just a crew of two broken middle-aged men who are desperately in love with each other. It also gets into some of the stuff I've been talking about on here about grieving your former selves and the selves you never got to be, which was validating as hell. That sounds heavy and there are concepts that are literally part of modern therapy modalities woven into the story, but there are also warm and loving and hilarious moments too, including this gem:

“Also can you just imagine how proud little horny baby gay Stede would be know you would be to know that whatever he went through, today you’ve got your own ship and are getting completely railed by Blackbeard? I mean, just absolutely dicked down by the most famous pirate in history? He would lose his mind.”

To paraphrase the author notes, the "Healing Power of Gay Sex"  won't fix everything, but I put it to you as a reader that reading and thinking about it also helps. And sometimes it can shake something loose you didn't know you were holding onto! Which is great!

Adrift Between the Dreaming Seas: Based on my usual filtering on ao3 I probably never, ever would have come across this fic if it weren't for a recommendation someone posted on this hellsite. It's got fantasy elements, allegory, metaphors stacked on metaphors, talking animals, and so many other things that would have kept me from ever discovering it on my own. My life would be poorer for it.

Basically Stede is cursed to be a lighthouse keeper on an island that seems to move around the world. Animals show up and the ones who talk to him are members of the crew, and Ed is an actual kraken. It's all this symbolism about monstrosity and trauma and maladaptive coping and the messiness that is Stede's kindness scraping against his self loathing. I shed tears of many kinds along the way, and it made me think hard about community and recovery and the things we do to and for ourselves and others.

It's just a lovely little gem of a story that made me feel so much so deeply while also making me laugh much more than I was anticipating. I'm so glad I gave it a chance.

[that's it for now, more as I keep up my deep dive into the ao3 archives]

[impishtubist]

Fanfic writer self-appreciation! Answer this, then pass the ask along to your favorite writer, your mutuals, or just someone who needs to answer it. If I were to read one fic of yours that best reveals who you are as a writer, or the one you’re MOST proud of, which fic should I read?

First of all, thank you anon, you have no idea how demoralized I have been lately re: writing and how nice this was to receive <3

I don't normally do self-appreciation stuff, but I took a tour through my fics today on a whim after receiving this ask, and have reached some Conclusions. So you're getting a whole ass essay, buckle up.

I really fucking adore missing-scene fics. I write them the most, and I read them the most. But after taking a tour through my 200+ fics, I think the stories that reveal who I am as a writer the most are actually the long, plotty, post-canon ones.

I happened to re-read my As a Desert in Bloom series yesterday (Star Trek: VOY), which is a post-Endgame Chakotay/Tom fic, and you know what? I rocked it with the world-building and all the OCs, and there was also a good deal of plot there. I normally hate OCs in fics that I'm reading! But I am nothing if not a hypocrite, and they appear in a decent number of my fics.

RIP to the OC I killed off in the second fic of that series, you were my favorite blorbo.

Price of Memory is another one. I count this as post-canon because it takes place 15 years after Timeless (and, er, 12 years after Endgame? Something like that), even though that timeline eventually gets changed. Angsty men falling in love even though they know they're going to change history and erase it all? Hell yeah sign me up! This is another one where I did a bunch of worldbuilding and had a bunch of OCs and a bunch of plot.

In the Bleak Midwinter, A Memory That Never Forgets, and An Age of Silver are all post-canon Sherlock fics that do - you guessed it! A bunch of worldbuilding and have a bunch of OCs and are extremely plotty.

So what I have concluded here is, the fics that most reveal who I am as a writer have lots of plot, lots of OCs, and do a bunch of worldbuilding. Which would explain why my real jam is writing original fiction, and fanfic is just what I do on the side.

Okay this was super interesting and not at all surprising, but in 13 years of writing fanfic, it's something I've literally never thought about. So now I need to go take a break and stare at a wall and contemplate my entire existence.

Thank you for this ask, I'm gonna go put it in some other people's inboxes now 😂