#What I want is more appreciation for other crossover concepts

[notedgyanymore]

[teecupangel]

Dc x Ac Crossover idea

Desmond survived the solar flare and thru events become bruce Waynes sugarbaby

Feel free to ignore just thought it might be an interesting concept

To make this easier for us, we’ll have Desmond transported into the DC world after the Solar Flare. This way, we don’t have to make an excuse why the other DC superheroes couldn’t do something about the Solar Flare or how they learned about it too late.

Or… you know… we can have Desmond meet Batman because the Justice League was able to stop the Solar Flare and that leads to Batman learning about the Grand Temple and meeting Desmond.

Anyway, regardless of how it’s done, the main setup would be that Desmond would set up shop in Gotham because it’s more of his alley. The rogue gallery there is something he can manage and Gotham is under Batman’s purview so he doesn’t normally have to deal with the other DC characters… normally.

In this situation, Desmond would not know anything about Batman or DC as his world doesn’t have DC comics. So when he meets Bruce Wayne in a gala or something where he’s working as the bartender, he just thought of him as a charming rich dude.

A charming rich dude that he sucked off during his break.

But that’s about it.

Then, a few weeks later, Bruce Wayne comes into his bar and they talk…

He serves him drinks and one of his “we have no menu you eat what I want to cook for the day” meal…

They fucked in the small apartment he has above the bar…

Bruce Wayne leaves and Desmond thought that would be the end of it.

He wasn’t expecting anything from Bruce.

And he’s trying to keep a low profile as he build up his information network so he can plan how to to be an Assassin in Gotham without making a mistake that will shatter the order holding Gotham if he was to start building his Brotherhood.

Then…

Bruce Wayne visited his bar once again (always while it was closed) and…

Things spiral from there.

At first, Desmond assumed they were fuck buddies which he didn’t mind.

Then…

Bruce started giving him expensive gifts and Desmond can’t say no, not when his Bleed of Ezio has given him a taste of how nice it was to have expensive good quality things…

And then…

Bruce started taking him to places… high quality hotels… restaurants that need reservation for months just to get in…

Vacation spots that needs them having to use Bruce’s private jet…

It was only when he finally met one of Bruce’s sons, Damien Wayne, who calls him ‘father’s paramour’ that he realized…

Holy shit.

He was Bruce Wayne’s sugar baby.

.

.

On the other side of this story is Bruce who had been surprised (and enjoyed) by the blowjob and had only done a cursory check of Desmond’s identity because… well… he has a history for romancing people who would stab him in the back later on and…

… came up blank.

Desmond has an identity, sure, but it was fake.

Before that…

There was nothing.

So he went to the bar to investigate further and…

They fucked in Desmond’s place above the bar.

After that…

Bruce started to visit to keep an eye on him.

He started to feel bad because he was having sex with someone who doesn’t know he was trying to figure out their real identity (especially when Desmond seems so earnest about how he appreciates Bruce’s visits) so he started… giving him gifts as a way of apologizing without really apologizing.

Then he started taking Desmond out, starting with Gotham to check if Desmond is okay being seen with him then…

He started bringing Desmond to other places, trying to check if anyone would recognize him some way or another.

And feel bad because he is making Desmond bait for whatever past he was trying to hide.

Until Damien called Desmond ‘father’s paramour’ and Bruce realized…

He was too deep in this that he cannot tell Desmond the truth in fear of Desmond leaving him and no longer even caring what past Desmond is hiding.

… oh.

He was in love.

… well, fuck.

[wizard-finix]

Ao3 tag game!

THANKS @ragecndybars FOR THE TAG I APPRECIATE IT

*cracks knuckles* lets do this

How many works do you have on AO3?

24 works! I would have never expected to have that many 5 years ago, hahaha

What's your total AO3 word count?

186,291! oh wow, almost 200k!! (unsurprisingly PT minato takes up over a third of that LMAO)

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

10 fandoms! I'm counting Persona 3, 4, and 5 and separate, but I'm grouping all the Zelda fandoms together since it's all Linked Universe fic.

Here's the breakdown!

The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms (6)

Persona 5 (5)

Persona 3 (5)

SPY x FAMILY (Anime) (3)

Wizard101 (Video Game) (3)

SPY x FAMILY (Manga) (3)

Runescape (Video Games) (3)

Pirate101 (Video Game) (3)

Persona 4 (2)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (2)

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga (1)

Star Wars - All Media Types (1)

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors (1)

Top five fics by kudos:

The Ghost of Mementos/Stygian Ringlet (Persona3/5) - to the surprise of absolutely no one, since this is currently my longest fic. I'm very happy with Stygian Ringlet being the top because I love my boys :)

True Crime Special on the Midnight Channel (Persona 4/5) - my Ren has a TV Dungeon fic! also very proud of the dungeon concept for this one, I really need to finish the last two chapters

Dark Clouds on the Horizon (Linked Universe/TOTK) - I feel like this one got a lot of momentum partially because it was directly in the wake of TOTK's release, but I'm happy with how it turned out :)

Strangers Are Just Friends You Haven't Met (Persona 3/SPY x FAMILY) - this was a collab series with mewrose and a few others in the marigolds discord! we were throwing ideas at the wall to see what stuck and I really had a lot of fun with Shinjiro-related prompts, because I LOVE him and hitting him with the isekai baseball bat into a universe with Anya brings me great joy

Salt Tears and Raindrops (Linked Universe/TOTK) - directly related to Dark Clouds, and I'm glad people enjoyed good ol' fashioned angst >:) (I do need to post more of my wips, I do have a couple more roleswap AU wips that I want to post)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I almost always do because I really appreciate them and its my way of saying thanks for the comment! If I don't comment it's because I lost track of it or because I can't think of a response.

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

Probably Salt Tears and Raindrops. I was in a Mood and decided to go for the tried-and-true method of putting fictional characters I like through the emotional wringer. That's how I got the rough draft for this fic :)

Do you write crossovers?

*looks at my persona fics and recent LU fics*

...I think it's safe to say most of my fics these days fall under crossovers lmao

Have you ever gotten hate on a fic?

I wouldn't say I have? One or two comments that came off as rude, but no actual hate, thankfully. If I did, I forgot about it. I've been blessed by wonderfully nice readers <3

Do you write smut?

Nope. I don't read it, so I wouldn't know how to write it anyway.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of? I sure hope not.

I have seen a couple short fics slightly imitate Ghost of Mementos though, which I thought was really sweet that they liked it enough to inspire their own writing.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I'd definitely be open to it!

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

RYOMINA. Hands down. I love them so much, I am so mentally unwell about these two

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

My two Runescape fics, Whispers in the Temple and Welcome to the Jungle. I absolutely loved going hogwild with rewriting old quests in Runescape, but I psyched myself out of Welcome to the Jungle because I got overly anxious about accidentally doing bad representation.

(in hindsight, it probably wouldn't have been as big a deal as I thought; it's hard to make it worse considering how bad Legend's Quest was with the british-african stereotypes. that quest DID NOT age well.)

I also want to finish Snake in the Grass; that was my first attempt at a genuine mystery plot and I really liked playing with Warriors in that fic in the context of the gang trying to figure out who the heck is trying to murder him.

What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I'm pretty good at dialogue! I try to make sure it matches the character's speech patterns and personality. Really well-written dialogue can tell you who's speaking without actually telling who it is. (For example, the way I write them: Minato speaks as few words as possible and has very little filter with his observations when he does share them, and Shinjiro is pretty rough around the edges, with shortened words and the occasional swear. Warriors is good with words and wit, but he has a certain military-esque directness and doesn't dance around the topic.)

I do try hard to keep the plot clear and understandable over everything else, so probably that as well.

Also, now that I think about it, maybe fight sequences? I don't do them much, but I do enjoy the challenge of making a clear sequence of what happens in a fight and trying to make it understandable. Fight sequences are easy to skip or gloss over, but I think of them like their own miniature plot. What happens? What surprises are there? What are their movesets? How do they get the upper hand? (and of course, what looks cool as fuck)

What are your writing weaknesses?

Time management. I tend to over-proofread since I beta my own work, and often I'll go back to tweak stuff if I had additional thoughts to add to it, or extra insight. Lately, it takes longer to write chapters than I'd like.

Also, dialogue-heavy scenes often get very chaotic in my WIPs because of the way I rough out fics. I'll throw together a bunch of dialogue bits I think would be cool to include, and sometimes they'll clash or get really messy, especially if there's lots of characters (looking at the latest two chapters of Stygian Ringlet)

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I think it's cool! It adds flavor to fics. If it's more than one short phrase though, or if it's story important, then I do prefer that there is a translation in the author's notes. I haven't done any non-English dialogue in fics, save for one memorable adventure into trying to figure out how Latin grammar structure works for a character that didn't speak English.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Wizard101 and Pirate101. I was obsessed with those two for YEARS. I really, really liked pirate stories in high school, and having a cast of crewmates that accompany you throughout the game really inspired me to write my first fic featuring my OC. (I was also into One Piece at the time, but I never wrote for it.)

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far?

Stygian Ringlet. It's really dear to my heart. I have poured so much love and effort into that fic, and the reception on it has completely blown me away.

THANKS FOR THE TAG!! Uhhhmmm for tags I'm going to go with @skyward-floored, @catreginae and @breannasfluff (but only if you want to!! no obligation of course)

and of course any other writers that want to do it as well!! go forth

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

'Who am I to Complain?'

As part of my own contribution to this year's first day of Spring 2024, aka the in universe birthday of one Richard John Grayson-Wayne, the First Robin and the crime fighter known as Nightwing, I would like this opportunity finally....FINALLY...posting up for you all a fic that's been in my drafts for pretty much the better part of any entire year. Originally meant on being released last Christmas, various forms of delay, writer's block and other general distractions have prevented me from finally finishing such a project. Well finally after such anticipation at least on my end, I have managed creating a final form for this story I think can satisfy.

For very quick context, this story is a component of my long running idea proposing and lore building of my own version of the DC Comics Universe. In particular, it takes within the long storyline both @thattimdrakeguy and I have crafted for the better part of two years, the first part being involved within the hypothetical Nightwing solo book, 'Clipped Wings' and its follow up crossover with Detective Comics proper, "Blue Hawk Down'. For more information regarding the general summaries of events, check out the links here and here.

I shall like to dedicate this story to my mutuals and friends @adalineozie @meara-eldestofthemall @nightglider124 @faesystem @confusedhummingbird @spider-jaysart @mothnem @lightdusk96 @camo-wolf @sbd-laytall @theredheaded-stuff @celaenaeiln @starlightbelle @shootingstarssel @avaraydrake @pin-crusher2000 @sillymanwithocs @batboyblog @bluegarners @tarisilmarwen @orange-s-mario @altinyns-multimedia-museblog @katmaatui and so many others

Constructive Criticisms are Generally Welcome; Replies and Especially Reblogs are greatly appreciated

The Following May Contain Graphic Scenes of Violence, References to Sexual Assault and other themes not suitable for a Young Audience. Viewer Discretion is Heavily Advised

As per usual, All Rights and Copyrights to Characters and Concepts seen in this work are owned by DC Comics, Inc, a subsidiary of DC Entertaiment and Warner Bros. Discovery

With all that....Happy Birthday Dick Grayson....Here's my gift of Grade A angst for you

Sigh. Cough Cough

Look at yourself. Just Honest to God, Dick, just look at yourself.

Take a good look at those cuts, that blood all over your ugly as hell face, that blood pouring out of your stupid, big fat hole you call a mouth. You wanna know who’s Goddamn fault it was for all this? You wanna know who's responsible for you being more pathetic and a freak than you already are? Cough Cough

You.

Don’t try to deny it. Why should you? 

After all, you allowed this to happen to you, right? Not just with what happened tonight but over these last few weeks. You know what I’m talking about. Losing your home and failing to find out how despite insisting you paid for it. What will Kory Cough say now when she comes back and sees that home you wanted to allow her into isn’t even yours anymore? What kind of fiance are you to allow that? 

  Why stop there? Here you are, without any place to call a house, your face gushing and oozing red as it had been lately, broke, nobody likes you, not a single damn soul cares about you. You wanna know who’s fault it is? Yours. In fact, as you right now are flinging that bottle of peroxide into your ugly face and stinging from it as you deserve, how about we explore what even happened tonight that led to this, shall we? 

  I think I should…Cough

 Three Hours Earlier….

 BAM 

“Ack!” 

“Tell Us Goddamnit, You Blue Wearing Cunt!!” 

As if I would. How do I tell these bastards where the hell Bruce is if I wasn’t even able to speak to him for weeks by now? 

I know what you’re thinking, ‘but are you his…’

Stop right there right now. If you’re gonna pull that whole ‘you’re his son’  bullshit on me, for one thing, at the very most I was adopted, I ain’t his real kid. I never deserved being his real kid at all given who we are. Another thing too; if he were to come to my help, he would’ve done so about…God knows how many times by now lately. I would handle it anyways, what kind of person needs any sort of father or even friends when it was their own damn fault they wound up taking two  bullets to the hamstrings? 

Why yes, that’s what I’m going through and yes it was my Goddamn fault being this utterly stupid and an utter embarrassment with my training for getting caught by those sickos like I was. Now you are thinking, everyone has an off day and…

BAM BAM BAM BAM 

Crap! Two on the calves and two more on my hamstrings, I can tell. 

“Motherfucker….” Damn it all they weren’t supposed to hear that. Great, now they laugh at it. 

The hell’s wrong with me? There’s no time to let them know what’s going with my nerves acting up. 

“You know, guys” (Cough) Keep it in, Grayson! You got something to say these assholes need to hear Damnit! “ You’re getting absolutely nowhere right now. If I knew where Batman was, I still wouldn’t tell you. So what the hell makes you think I do then after an hour and…” 

“Shut the fuck up, Birdfreak!” 

BAM

A kick right to my face? Yeah, another in my long line of failures and that one was justified; I should’ve seen that one coming. Hey, compared to the bullet holes though, it’s nothing really. Besides why even be hurt by that when I have this lowlife staring directly at my ugly mug of a face right now? 

“You know him, more than us here! You have to know where he went! We got a sweet little gig here and I ain’t rushing to see that pointy eared son of a dick trying to ruin it! ‘Sides, you’re in our hands now, so you see; once we’re all done here one way or another, we can get that dough from the cops since they’re looking for you more than us! Now you tell us if he knows about this place and if he’s coming, will ya?! We ain’t got all night and I’m missing my game!” 

Sweet little gig? As in the child trafficking operation they got here right now? Some of those children right behind me behind a cage like animals, forced to see me pinned on my torso and face, taking crap in many ways from them? They call that ‘sweet’ in mine and their faces?! 

“You calling that a game? Selling kids to sexual slavery? I really hate to see what’ll be your idea for a movie if that’s what you.re saying” That quip, I couldn’t help, it was damn true and these creeps needed to hear that. It was about as much a fact as Bruce hates me right now and rightfully so. 

Yet all they do is laugh even harder than before. They’re really….really starting to get on my nerves. 

Their ringleader grins ever so much in my face. His disgusting and unbearable cigarette smoke billows in my face. “So what?”  

So what? So what?? Is that really your best retort to me? It’s unbelievable, just what kind of devils and evils dwell in this city. But it’s evil I hunt for every single night. No one around me sees what I have to or does what I do around these parts. Not Bruce, not Tim, not Kory, no Donna….no one. On that note,  no one should have to. Maybe it’s my failure to stop evil like this and everything I do, everything so wrong and never good enough, that’s why I’m certain Bruce decided just to cut me off. 

No job, no place I can call a house or a home to stay in, no money, no spare clothes, no answering my calls, nothing. It’s been about three months of this so far, a three month test to see if I break if I had nothing, only for the big bad bat wanting me to literally cry my way back home to him. You know what? Screw you too, Bruce. Or whoever was doing all this. I know that, even for you Bruce, ins outs of everything, even you normally won’t stoop this low. It’s not just nothing I’ve been trying to figure out suggests otherwise. Maybe it’s just this….paranoia….no I can’t be paranoid. What’s happening is real and I need to deal with it and…

“Hey Cockscuker, you listening to me??” 

Oh right, this asshole. 

Looking at him, I can’t help myself but make my eyes go towards his own. What does he think would work now to make me talk? 

In his hands was some sort of object. It looks bladed, I can tell based on the glistening of the steel coming from the moonlight coming in through the window. Once he gets a bit closer, I see it now….oh of course….a damn pizza cutter. Oh and just my luck too, in his other hand is a goddamn cheese grater. I guess either this warehouse is for kitchen  tools or just my karma telling me how much I fucking suck and rightfully so again. Maybe the latter. 

The asshole only grins at me. “Okay then, maybe some…slices can get ya to talk. What do you say?” 

I take a deep breath and brace my teeth within my mouth. No use crying out, screaming or any of that weakness than I already showed earlier . This frankly I deserve, and come on. 

I’ve taken a few swings from a baseball bat from Two Face, got injected with Slade’s nanoscopic probes that were shredding my cells inside and out, got blasted by an alternate Luthor, forcibly swallowed a heart paralyzing pill by Slade and the actual Luthor (that bald cunt)….and now just a circular blade and a metal sheet with blades on it on my forehead and face?

Seems fitting enough to take; whatever I’ve done and didn’t do in my vow to protect the innocent and never strive off the path of justice, being a terrible friend, never good enough for Batman as I had always been, letting the only two people that actually had any right to care for me fall to the sandy and hard floor, shattering almost every bone in their bodies when I had only one job to do which was catch them….yeah this is appropriate. This is exactly what I deserve after all of that. Losing my home, my job, and my means to do basically anything for myself, I deserve that.

Who am I to complain, really? 

  Back at the Present Day….

   Sssszzzz….

“Ah Fuck!” 

Peroxide…it never fails to emit any sort of sting on any sort of cut, don’t it, Dick? 

Oh but you gonna start cussing and feeling it now? What the hell’s wrong with you? You can’t handle just a tiny sting of this shit without any yells? 

Suck it up, will ya? You’re acting like a spoiled brat. 

Who are you to complain about really?

Oh and by the way, there goes the last of our Peroxide, just circling down this old bathroom sink drain into God knows sewer pipes along with the blood it splashed off. You're gonna have to fetch some more, Dick. It’s not like Bruce is gonna get us anymore. 

Fuck Him. 

We’ve been putting up with his shit every since we lost are damn place to stay in, then our jobs all over this city, villain after villain breaking out, us being blamed for the Mayor, his wife and girl getting ripped to shreds and blood all over one day with one of your Wingdings, making you hunted down from pretty much everyone (for what only $1.5 Billion Alive? Oh c’mon that's too generous of a bounty for you. I’d put myself at about only 25 cents given your piss poor track record); You know for sure Bruce did all this, all behind the scenes, pulling every string he can to get us like this. 

 And why? Letting him know that you can take care of ourselves that one time and him being this offended by it? Well, fuck it, You’ve been showing him alright! Things are shittybut maybe that’s just how he likes it for you. Nothing gonna change that anytime soon; might as well make it the best for you, because it’s all you can do by now. 

  So now, no shoes, no fucking good socks at all, only one pair of torn sweats, that black tee, suit and toothbrush in your bag, here in this damn blizzard….every breathe getting…heavier….kinda….getting hard to stay awa…Cough Cough Cough

  Hey! Cut it out, Dickface! Cough Keep going at least somewhere! Anywhere out of this snow…so much of it….Wait, that spot there, in this alley. That’ll work for now. 

You hear that, laying on this backpack now….yeah this’ll work….at least not being out in that wind, though…..so much snow….it’s everywhere. It’s been everywhere these last few days. Fitting really, since well you do hear that right?

  C’mon pick it up, Dick, your ears can’t be that piss poor 

Cough

  “May I, as your new Mayor, wish us all in this dear Bludhaven…..”

   Yeah, there it is…..old Mafia boss now politician giving his speech for what today is. 

    “A Good…Merry ... .Christmas…!” 

   Okay, you get the idea. At least that’s one thing you got right….

   Getting sleepy now….

…...pretty cold…..tomorrow might be better….

But at least that’s one thing, Dick….

…this damn city….all of its people….they got a good Christmas….

Gotta close your eyes now…..

Wait….that the Redbird….isn't that….can’t be Timmy…..

Cough Cough

 Heh…looks like he tripped…Not real though….can’t be…..Bruce doesn’t care….you don’t need him…..but yeah….need rest…..you gave them a good Christmas 

Who…am….I….to….Cough…..Complain?

[riveatstoes]

the idea of finn wolfhard’s roles being somehow related has been beaten to death already but i do enjoy the concept of richie tozier and mike wheeler being twins separated when they were young, and then being forced to endure their own interdimensional horrors with their groups of Loser Buddies.

i also like the idea of how they’d react to each other’s aforementioned interdimensional horrors. personally i think if richie had to deal with anything remotely upside-down related he’d Flip The Fuck Out and just scream a lot. if he came face to face with a demogorgon he’d try to hit it with a baseball bat or a stick or something, and then max or lucas (or maybe even el) would have to go out of their way to save him from his own dipshit decisions.

alternatively i believe that pennywise would be a cakewalk for mike and the party. mike would simply hit it with the “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls 🙄” and it’d be so confused it would have no choice but to back off. i also am a firm believer that if the losers club had max with them they would’ve fully defeated pennywise in the first movie. she would’ve figured out the “make it small” shit SO FAST.

at her core max mayfield is a Thirteen Year Old Girl and i applaud her for it. i love her.

anyway i’m working on my own twins!richie and mike fanfic so we’ll see how that goes. i don’t want to post it before i have something super solid because i have a tendency to abandon fics if they don’t interest me enough the entire time. we’ll see.

bonus—some stranger things/IT pairings that i want to see more of in crossover fics:

STANLEY AND WILL!!!!!!!!! trust me

bev and el

dustin and richie

if you’re gonna do the bev/max thing i also strongly suggest doing lucas/ben as well because what’s the point of writing the ginger girlbosses without their Stupid Goofy Men?

bill and mike w

idk i just feel like eddie k would just hate eddie munson. crossover where the losers club have to climb through that portal in the munsons’ trailer and eddie k refuses purely because of the state of eddie m’s mattress

i get the feeling that stanley would be the one constantly being stuck with steve and robin and forced into ridiculous tasks. imagine the stranger things 3 russian elevator scene but instead of dustin trying to set up robin and steve it’s just stan uris panic-reciting bird species

stan’s first thought would be “oh she has a bird name :) nice” and then the rest is “what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck”

honestly any pairing other than reddie/byler because even though i love those boys to death it’s just so OBVIOUS atp

and also i can appreciate that they’d relate to each other but mike hanlon and lucas is far from the best mike h pairing. for example imagine him being stuck with (throws dart at board of ST character names) murray

erica sinclair and eddie kaspbrak world domination

adding onto the richie/mike twin thing the idea of nancy having to adjust to +1 brother is both funny and interesting to me. i think she’d lose it one way or another

jonathan byers and bill denbrough guilty older brothers bond

also imagine hopper reacting to a Second Mike being in his general vicinity. i think that would force him off the edge, ESPECIALLY after getting to know richie

[cheerycherrycandy-resurrected]

Ghoulette Appreciation Week 7

Also, a little Valentine's Day fic! 💕

back on schedule, babyyy

Week 7: “Can’t you see how much I love you”/love confessions & makeovers/dressing up

The annual Valentine's Day costume ball is coming up at the Abbey, and Aurora can't wait to attend in matching costumes with Mist. One small issue: she has to ask her first.

Rating: T Content: Fluff, Mistrora being cute and in love, allusions to sexual themes Words: 2002

This one got out of hand quite quickly! Happy Valentine's Day if you celebrate! 💕

Read below or on AO3!

At the Abbey, the annual Valentine’s Day costume ball was coming up. Because what said “Satan-worshipping-church” like a debauched disco on a Saint’s memorial day? At these parties, the ghouls and humans intermingled freely, and nights often ended in more than just intermingling. For the ghouls, it was also a night of freedom from their masks, all the more appreciated by the newer ghouls with their oppressive helmets.

Aurora couldn’t wait. This was her first Valentine’s costume ball topside, and if it was anything like the other parties she had been to topside, it would be a blast. From the minute it was announced, she had been thinking of what her costume should be. Halloween had been incredible, everyone dressed some kind of spooky or sexy, or both. Aurora had matched costumes with the other touring ghoulettes Cirrus and Cumulus, going as The Plastics from Mean Girls.

Aurora wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue her chick-flick move theme for this party. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to go as. What she did know, is that she wanted to coordinate with her girlfriend, Mist. Was that even the correct word, Aurora wondered to herself? They weren’t mated yet, but they were… something. The humans had more words than they could possibly need for these situations, Aurora could surely borrow some.

There was one slight issue with this plan, however. Mist famously did not attend costume parties at the Abbey. Aurora figured her best chance at going with Mist was to come up with a costume concept the older ghoulette couldn’t resist.

This was going to be a challenge: Aurora’s aesthetic and media preferences didn’t exactly align with Mist’s. While she would happily go as anything pink, princess-y, or otherwise hyperfeminine with a 2000s movie influence, Mist was quite the opposite. She was more into dark colours, androgenous styles and fantasy novels. Aurora was sure there had to be some crossover to explore though.

Putting aside her initial dream of matching Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper costumes, she tried to think closer to what Mist would choose. Certainly nothing involving a dress or a skirt, she knew the thought of wearing them made Mist’s skin crawl. What about a knight? Heroic, Big Sword, rescue the Princess from a big tower? Aurora wasn’t the sort of Princess that would need rescuing though.

“What about dragons?” she mused aloud to Sunshine one evening, watching the multi ghoulette crouched on the floor sewing sequins onto a pair of intricate butterfly wings.

“I think Swiss and Phantom are doing dragons…” Sunshine hummed, almost cross-eyed with concentration, “something about dragon and dragon rider.”

Aurora rolled her eyes and mimed gagging, as Sunshine looked up from her work to snicker at her reaction.

“Yeah, you might want to steer clear of them all night. Swiss gets a bit carried away on Valentine’s.”

Aurora flopped backwards onto Sunshine’s bed with a huff, “What are you going as? Maybe I can convince Mist to do a ghoulette group costume?”

Sunshine proudly held her wings aloft, “I’m a butterfly, and Mountain’s going as a caterpillar! He’s still got about fifty pom-pom feet to sew to his outfit before the party.”

“They look amazing Sunny!” Aurora looked on with envy. At this rate she was going to end up going as a lonely cat without a date.

“Why don’t you just ask Mist to go to the party with you, Rory? She might have an idea for your costumes.”

“Maybe…” Aurora rolled onto her front to face Sunshine properly, “How should I ask her?”

Sunshine sighed, setting her wings to the side and moving to sit next to Aurora. In times like these she really felt like a big sister to the newest ghoulette.

“The same way you asked her to be your girlfriend, petal. But maybe with less references to movies she hasn’t seen.” Sunshine tossed an arm around Aurora’s shoulders as best she could in their awkward position on the edge of the bed, “Besides, there’s no way she’d say no, Mist is so head over heels for you that Satan Himself could see it from the pit!”

Aurora hoped she was right.

Later that day, Aurora steeled herself to ask Mist to go to the Valentine’s ball together. She found Mist where she often was when she didn’t have duties, sat reading on the stone bench next to a small, secluded pond. Mist looked up when she heard footsteps approaching, and seeing her wide smile as Aurora approached made her heart stutter in her chest.

“Hi Moonflower, I thought I’d find you here.” Aurora sat down next to Mist, the pair instinctually shuffling as close together as possible, pressed to each other like magnets; shoulder to hip to ankle.

“Hello Sweet Thing, come to keep me company?” Mist set her book down to snake an arm around Aurora’s waist and press a kiss to the corner of her lips, seeking permission to deepen the kiss. Aurora giggles against her lips, happily losing herself in Mist’s embrace.

When they eventually broke apart for air, Aurora remembered why she had some come find Mist in the first place.

“So…” she started, trying her best to sound casual, “are you going to the Valentine’s ball?”

“Why do you ask?” smirked Mist, “are you inviting me?”

Aurora forgot what she was going to say, not expecting Mist to see straight through to what she was asking so quickly. She was flustered, stuttering out some sounds that could possibly have been interpreted as a “yes”. No one else could manage that quite like Mist.

“So, what are you going as then?” asked Mist, reaching out to play with a piece of hair behind Aurora’s ear.

“I’m not sure yet, I was hoping you might have an idea actually. I want us to go as something we both like.”

“I’ll be happy in anything, as long as you’re there.” Mist cooed in her ear, “I’d turn up with nothing but my unglamoured fins, if that was what you wanted.” Her cool and delicate fingers traced over Aurora’s neck, where gills would be if she had any, and Aurora gave in to the carnal distraction of Mist’s smooth tongue and fingertips. The costume party didn’t seem so important anymore.

Stuck polishing the wooden pews in the chapel the next day, Aurora thought more on Mist’s comment. Unglamoured fins. Creatures of the Sea. She started formulating a story in her head. She could still be a princess, but how about a mermaid princess, with the alluring voice of a siren. Mist often called her my sweet siren after all. Mist could be a beautiful pirate queen trying to pillage the mermaid’s lands, but ending up beguiled by her song convinced to go adventuring upon the high seas together.

Mist would hopefully like the costume too, a blouse loose enough around her gills, not an overly “girly” costume, but still badass. Rory lost herself in her daydream, fleshing out her perfect Halloween costume idea and backstory, until she realised that she has been polishing the same armrest for ten minutes.

This idea seemed perfect for them; dressing for a story no one but them knew. They’d tried to keep their relationship a secret for so long, even though they later learned that they hadn’t been in the least bit subtle, and their respective packs had seen through them near instantly.

She dropped by Mist’s pack dorm on the way back to her own quarters, to suggest her idea. If she’d been surprised by Mist’s enthusiasm to accompany her to the ball, she was even more astounded by her interest in the costume. Mist had all but begged to make her own, and to keep them a surprise from each other until the night of the party.

For the rest of the week leading up to the party, she spent her spare evenings in Sunshine’s room, joining her on the floor to sew sequins onto her own costume. Sunshine was predictably now making Mountain’s costume for him, attaching fist-sized pom-poms to a green zip-up hoodie. She had asked Cirrus and Cumulus if they wanted to join their crafting sessions, but they had claimed their own costumes, the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, were already finished.

Little did Aurora know, that Mist had already enlisted the air ghoulettes to help her with her own costume, showing her how to stitch frills and ruffles to the cuffs of a blouse, and embellish the rest of her outfit in a way befitting of a pirate queen.

The evening of the Valentine’s day ball finally arrived, and Aurora was buzzing with anticipation as she waited for Mist to knock on the dormitory door. She had insisted on coming by before the party to collect Aurora. Eventually, there were three sharp raps on the door, and Aurora had to force herself to count to ten before she threw it open.

"Ahoy! I be here t’ collect me Princess!” Mist grinned widely, flourishing a plastic cutlass bedazzled with crystals. Aurora looked at her outfit in wonder; Mist looked ferociously beautiful. The delicate linen fabric of her blouse rippled in the breeze from the hallway, showing off the numerous gold swirls stitched along the frilly cuffs. The cut of her tight leather pants was enough to make Aurora’s mouth water, her long legs emphasized by the tall boots she was wearing, also decorated with rhinestones and gold. But nothing quite compared to the costume jewellery she was practically dripping in; body chains, hooped earrings, hammered metal arm cuffs. She looked every inch the terrifying pirate queen she was meant to be.

“Mist…” Aurora whispered, in awe, “you look incredible!” Mist broke character to blush at the praise, full of compliments of her own for Aurora’s sparkling bodice and mermaid “tail”.

Their tender moment in the doorway was interrupted by the boisterous entrance of a sparsely-clothed dragon and his equally underdressed rider, off to join the other ghouls that were pre-gaming in the kitchen.

“Woah Mist, you look awesome!” hollered Swiss, clearly already in the party spirit. Mist straightened her spine, and glared mock-haughtily at the multi-ghoul,

“'Tis yer Royal ‘ighness Cap'n Mist t' ye, ye rum-soaked scalawag!” she leered at him with a dangerous grin. Swiss looked like he was torn between being terrified and turned on, but was saved from having to justify either reaction by Phantom dragging him away to the kitchen. When the door closed behind them, leaving both ghoulettes alone in the entrance hall of the dorm again, they collapsed into each other’s arms in peals of laughter.

“His face Mist! You’ve given the poor guy a pirate crisis!” Aurora managed to catch her breath just enough to talk between fits of giggles.

“It’s not him I feel sorry for, think about Phantom!” they both promptly dissolved into laughter again. “Poor Bug…” mused Aurora, as she dragged Mist by the hand to her room, before they had to leave for the party proper in the Abbey’s main hall.

“You really do look amazing, Waterlily.” Aurora smiled at her as her bedroom door swung closed behind them.

“So do you, my Songbird, you’re always the most beautiful thing in every room, but tonight you look exquisite.”

Aurora pulled her onto the bed and into a kiss. They had time for a brief distraction while the other ghouls drained their liquor supplies.

“I can’t believe you went to all this effort!” pulling away, Aurora ran her hand down Mist’s arm to admire the little details of her outfit. “I didn’t even think you would want to go at all!”

“Can you still not see it?” asked Mist, raising Aurora’s chin with the tip of one long finger, “This is for you. Everything is always for you. I’d do anything just for one more smile from your beautiful lips.” She brushed across them, soft and gently parted, with her thumb. “Can’t you see how much I love you?”

[honeydewsblue]

#ao3moirecs. moirae’s ao3 fic recommendations.

a masterlist for all my favorite ao3 fics; fics i think should get more love, in no particular order. send the authors some love 🤍!!

disclaimer : most of these are reader inserts… sorry i need my dopamine fix. also read the tags!! read!! the!! tags!!!! my review will not be sufficient!!

includes … jjk (9), atla (2), genshin (1), misc. (1)

jujutsu kaisen

kintsugi, by kirketeer (21.3k wc) || toge inumaki / reader

sign language fic, looove how it deals with the hypothetical aftermath of shibuya arc! super funny too, overall a heartfelt and lighter, happier read :-)

ask me to bleed (for you i will), by kirketeer (3.2k wc) || geto suguru / reader

non-sorcerer reader. ‘you will die just as every other non-sorcerer dies: alone and afraid. and suguru will let it happen, because he knows his ideals are unflawed. they must be.’ ao3 author kirketeer you never miss

the color yellow, by rhydonium (29.9k wc) || gojo satoru / reader

hanahaki au. haven’t read in a couple years but i remember being utterly heartbroken. i also remember the concept of gojo and having everything and yet being unable to do anything in the face of something that can’t be helped sticking with me. (also read as: gojo and reader with a terminal illness.)

ariadne’s thread, by hawnks (3.8k wc) || gojo satoru / reader

‘he loses himself. he finds you instead.’ gojo dealing with losing and living. i can’t get enough of their characterization for him!! it’s too good. so much written in under 4k words—it made me appreciate how much storytelling you can do even without a higher wc. fell in love with the portrayal of falling in love.

let your hand become a blade so i may take it, by pantao (~10k wc, ongoing) || gojo satoru / f!reader

knight & princess au. ohhh my God. The writing is so good i’m sick. gojo in this… Phew. started my obsession with royalty aus. i crave the pining in loyalty and trust

doctor, coroner, mourner, by deadpooled (2.3k wc) || shoko ieiri

— and her companionship with death. character study. beautifully written :-( oh how i miss her so. i love her so much, i neeeed to read more works of her :-(

lover’s vigil, by nariveri (24.6k wc) || gojo satoru / f!reader

she fell first, he fell harder. gojo and taking care of ill readers pt2. love the characterization of gojo in this too!! gojo helplessly in love… gojo dealing with the repercussions (guilt) of being rude…

the natural movement of particles, by goldenlake (2k wc) || nobara & gojo

nobara has a talk with her teacher. what we could have had… love little stories that expand on things we don’t see in the original :’-)

the eightfold path, by hawnks (~16k wc, ongoing) || geto suguru / reader

soulmate au. ‘in the great scheme of things, you’re no one special. you are, however, the key to bringing suguru getou back down to earth.’ so! good! geto suguru is the people’s man… Ugh

avatar the last airbender

☆ measure each step into infinity, by paxbanana (200k wc) || azula / katara

azula’s growth from war and love. This is my Roman Empire. i can’t do this fic justice through a summary, but it altered the entirety of my chemistry. i appreciate and adore their exploration of azula’s character so, so much. this is my standard now. i want a physical copy ** since it doesn’t have additional tags, cw for nsfw/sex, descriptions of torture, heed the depictions of violence warning

make a meal of you, by thatweirdguyinthebushes (4.6k wc) || sokka

character study, ‘[his relationship] with the concept of war’. ‘the first time he kills someone, sokka is fifteen years old.’ so very beautifully written

genshin impact

what the wind brought, by jupiterism (38k wc) || kaeya alberich / reader

bookshop keeper reader. also haven’t read this one in a while, but i remember loving the storytelling and characterization :-)

miscellaneous

translations, by bignostalgias (~18k wc, ongoing) — hiccup haddock / jack frost

crossover. language barrier fic. did not know this ship was a thing until i found this fic one day when i got obsessed with the guardians movie… (there’s a whole crossover with tangled, brave, httyd, and guardians????) so, so well written. executes such a creative idea so, so well. worldbuilding is amazing. god i love writers

[vinelark]

fic writer meme

thank you [checks notes] @megafaunatic, @cairoscene, @englishsub, @yuebings, and @cafecliche for the tags ilu

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 15! which is solidly 14 more than i ever expected to have on there when i made the account

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 277,844

3. What fandoms do you write for? on ao3: mdzs/cql, tgcf, shl, and dc. in groupchats/dms/my own head i’m running wild all over the place

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 🐉 this river runs to you 💍 i’ll have you and you’ll have me 🪐 i will be chasing a starlight ⚔️ you’re the trouble that i always find 🌊 a wave crashes to shore

5. Do you respond to comments? not often; i have made multiple attempts to start replying regularly but all have eventually failed in the face of me desperately wanting to show my earnest and genuine appreciation for each comment vs. wanting to hide my blushing face under a pillow every time. also, because of who i am as a person, each time i sat down to do it i ended up spending hours making little progress and eventually decided that i will make an effort to spend those hours writing or commenting on other fics instead. i am honored by each and every one though!!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? while i tend to write angst it is always firmly of the “with a happy ending” sort. the one exception is my shortest fic (originally posted on twitter) never been away so long, which is more of an ambiguous/open ending with implied angst. i dooooo outline the eventual happy ending in the endnotes, though. also as it CURRENTLY stands buy back the secrets ends on one hell of an angsty note, but there are two more chapters in the works to fix that.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? despite the wangxian star trek au having like 20k of deliriously happy post-misunderstanding sex, i think trrty has to have the happiest ending because not only does the fic end happily, but there are also multiple very happy codas in which wwx gets a good night’s sleep, finally gets to bang his dragon boyfriend, and, my personal fav, one by aubreyli where wangxian go flying in a thunderstorm.

8. Do you get hate on fics? not so far, for which i am grateful but mostly lucky.

9. Do you write smut? occasionally; on ao3 there’s the aforementioned trrty coda, plus the aforementioned cowritten wangxian pon farr sequence 💪

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you have written? hmm, i’m not opposed to crossovers—i’ve read some really fun ones (recent fav crossover read here)—but i’d have to be really compelled by both source materials and have a very clear vision for how they interact to want to write one myself. i’ve written a few fandom fusions (aforementioned wangxian star trek au; i also started a wangxian dragon age au but again, no dragon age characters were going to show up, just the world/setting) but no full-on crossovers. i did have one partially drafted wangxian fic that was going to have a hua cheng deus ex machina, alas.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that i’m aware of! it’s not something i really go looking for/concern myself with, but so far, like with fandom hate, i’m grateful to not have encountered it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes! my wangxian wedding fic was translated to russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? i co-wrote seventy thousand words of published fic with @feyburner! and probably two hundred thousand words of unpublished fic and outlines and story ideas just for fun. even when we aren’t co-writing we tend to talk through our individual fics with each other so we’re pretty in sync when it comes to writing. i also spent like a year in @cairoscene’s DMs concocting whole outlines/zerodrafts for batfam fics together that i still cherish and reread (notable favs: tim drake ella enchanted au, concept where the waynes are cursed to suddenly feel nothing but apathy about tim and he has to deal with that, story where robin!tim gets de-aged and oops red hood is the first one to show up…). i’d say the OCBFEU is fic-adjacent and cowritten by a group of us. also shoutout to the mdzs threadfic @cafecliche and i brainstormed/zerodrafted where lan qiren gets cursed into an owl and post-cql wei wuxian is the one who unknowingly saves him.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? oh yeah it’s [loud truck goes by]

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? cyborg!wwx…i still think of you fondly. the only ao3 fic i’ve ever posted knowing i probably wouldn’t finish it but wanted to share just for fun.

16. What are your writing strengths? pangs… mining little character details for humor (or, more often, for more pangs)… i also think i’ve really improved my action writing/pacing over the last few years.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i write actual drafts/prose fairly slowly, which can be frustrating for me. also like @yuebings i often get very caught up in trying to perfect one small part of a draft before moving on. ummmm describing outfits/settings for reasons other than immediate plot-relevant details, i’m terrible at that + remembering to do it—i literally make myself do a What Are We Looking At Here Pass while revising sometimes.

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics? i’m not totally sure what this question is asking tbh, but it’s something i think can be done incredibly well—and, like with many things in storytelling, it’s the sort of thing where if you don’t actually speak the second language you need to be willing to put in work beyond a cursory google to try to achieve what you’re doing, and be willing to admit if it’s beyond your capabilities. i really like how the portuguese dialogue in bbts ended up and that’s 100% because @tigerjpg translated it for me and also already understood the scene/concept/characters; without them i would have found a different way to approach that scene. also, stylistically, i personally like when dialogue in other languages isn’t italicized unless there’s a real reason for it to be.

19. First fandom you wrote for? oh it was [a second loud truck whooshes by]

20. Favorite fic you have written? right now it’s bbts, because i think it’s also the fic i’ve had the most fun writing. trrty, though, will always hold a special place in my heart.

and i tag! @tlumeti, @burins, @smilebackwards, @bonesbuckleup, @hearteyeshayley, @sonosvegliato

[jesncin]

I know you said at some point that you had zero idea on how to put your own stamp on the Bat Rouges, and that does sound super difficult I feel like I have a few suggestions for the big 4 (Joker, Riddler, Selina, and Penguin) at least.

Joker - Follow B:TAS, bits of the 1989 film. In addition to actually being funny yet scary (especially B:TAS) those takes on the man were ex-mafiosi. Do what you will with the concept of Joker once being in the mob.

Riddler - He's an actual genius, but he's also an attention seeking narcissist, and the Arkham games the man has a case of megalomania, so maybe have him at some point move some operations to metropolis. Basically make the man an honorary Superman villain. He HAS worked alongside Lex in the silver age and in SOME comics, so like a Riddler-Lex team up could be in the air.

Catwoman/Selina - This is a free box so long as she remains a thief within the grey area of morality.

Penguin - Another free box honestly because Oswald has been redone a LOT, though I recommend going back to some earlier comics and some modern stuff to distill his essence.

While I appreciate the suggestions, I feel like I'm not clear enough with communicating why I struggle doing a reimagining of the bat rogues. So to put it plainly, when I do a re-mix: I need a thesis (a story to tell). I usually form a thesis if I find a narrative opportunity or I'm dissatisfied with how the character is handled in canon. That thesis will then fuel the story and design interpretation of that character.

Lately I've been reimagining Conner Kent/Superboy because I feel in canon after his initial debut in Reign of Supermen, Conner struggles being overshadowed by Jon Kent Superboy or Superman's legacy. DC doesn't know where to place him or what to do with him after his Lex Luthor-Superman-clone origin as a solo. Much of the later additions to Superfam don't feel as politically motivated as Clark would later be interpreted as (with the exception of Kong). So I wanted to create an origin that helps Conner stand on his own, be a uniquely different experience to Clark, and place him somewhere new after his origin is revealed- that adds longevity to his narrative. That's how my Paul Westfield/Conner Luthor version is created, from that thesis.

And that's my approach with all the characters I've done so far too. I wanted to tackle Martian Manhunter's ableist lore, or I wanted to reinforce the immigrant allegory in the Clois dynamic, or revitalize Superman rogues because they're underappreciated (Livewire), or I wanted the evil robot to be more gender (Brainiac). When I get suggestions to just follow what works, that's not creatively fulfilling for me.

Stuff that gets the gears in my brain turning are when I see fans passionately talking about but also being critical of characters they love. Like this Scarecrow video! It opened my eyes to how underutilized and undeveloped a character Scarecrow is (who I previously thought was popular). That's the kind of thing that gets me excited to pitch an interpretation on a character!

And lastly! I really don't want to crossover Batrogues into other hero's worlds where I can. I've done it sometimes sure, but only when there's a story to tell. Rogues are created to tackle a specific superhero's abilities and themes. A superhero crossing over rogues too often (especially with the Bat rogues, I get it they're the best rogues gallery in the business) feels like the creator lacks confidence in that hero's own rogues gallery. I'd rather revitalize a hero's rogues gallery than have My Adventures With Other People's Rogues Gallery. Amirite, MAWS.

[take-the-hidden-paths]

HIDDEN PATHS: A Celebration of the Smaller Tolkien Canons

Hello, and welcome to Hidden Paths, a fortnight-long event dedicated to the celebration of smaller Tolkien canons!

We all know and love the tales of Tolkien's Middle-earth, but the Professor's creative and academic endeavours didn't stop there.  However, fanworks for smaller Tolkien canons (such as Farmer Giles of Ham, Mr. Bliss, Leaf by Niggle and more) are much rarer than works inspired by their Middle-earth counterparts.  This event was created to be a low-pressure, low-commitment opportunity to explore those lesser known works, and create and share fanworks based on them.

Define “smaller Tolkien fandoms”. 

Basically, any Tolkien canon or text (including academic works and translations) that is not explicitly set in Middle-earth and is not based on The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, or The Silmarillion and closely related histories.  This includes, but is not limited to:

Beowulf/Sellic Spell

Farmer Giles of Ham

The Fall of Arthur

The Father Christmas Letters

Finn and Hengest

The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son

The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun

Leaf by Niggle

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún

Mr. Bliss

Mythopoeia

The Notion Club Papers

Pearl

Roverandom

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Orfeo

Songs for the Philologists

Smith of Wootton Major

The Story of Kullervo

Tolkien (2019 film)

Tolkien's essays, poems, letters and non-ME artwork

We also accept fanworks based on The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (because it collects a number of poems that were not originally intended as part of the Middle-earth canon) and The Book of Lost Tales (because it differs so significantly from later versions of the legendarium), and/or centring characters or concepts that only appear in extremely early drafts of The Lord of the Rings (e.g. Trotter).  

We know that this leaves a bit of a grey area, but ultimately, we will trust and accept the judgement of fanwork creators.  Act in good faith, and assume that others have done the same. 

How does it work? 

At the start of the event (14th February) the mod will post seven optional prompts to inspire you.  There will be a thematic prompt, a character-based prompt, a setting-based prompt, a text prompt, a visual prompt, an audio prompt, and a wildcard prompt.  A second batch of prompts will be posted on the 21st. 

If you like the prompts, then use any or all of them to create and share a fanwork based on one or more small Tolkien canons.  If they don't speak to you, then please feel free to do your own thing – the prompts are there to spark creativity, not impede it! 

What types of fanworks do you accept? 

Anything you like.  Fic, poetry, meta, art, edits, vids, podfic, craft, cosplay, rec lists, playlists, compositions, interviews with fellow fans...it's all good. 

Are there any minimum requirements? 

No, none.  Want to write a six-word story?  Be our guest. 

Are crossovers permitted? 

Yes!  We accept crossovers with the Middle-earth canons, and with non-Tolkien fandoms.  We only ask that one of the smaller Tolkien canons plays a significant role in your fanwork. 

What do you consider a significant role? 

We don't.  The event is intended to be low commitment and low stress for both participants and the moderator, and we trust that people will act in good faith.  We are not going to police fanworks or apply an arbitrary definition of “significant” - we leave that up to the creator to decide. 

Does actor RPF count? 

For the purposes of this event, no it doesn't, unless you are also drawing on elements from a smaller canon (e.g. Liv Tyler encountering the Shadow-Bride).

Where do I post my fanworks? 

We have an AO3 collection, but you may post your fanworks anywhere you like.  We'd appreciate a link back to our Dreamwidth or Tumblr page, though, to spread the word about the event! 

Are there any restrictions on rating or content? 

Nope.  Tag and warn appropriately, as you normally would, but make whatever your heart desires. 

Can I post fanworks that were inspired by or created for another event, or created prior to the event's inception? 

Yes!  The goal is to celebrate and increase content for the smaller Tolkien fandoms.  Please feel free to share your creations and add them to the collection, regardless of whether they were created specifically for this event. 

I want to take part but I don't know anything about the smaller canons.  Help!?

Tolkien Gateway has helpfully collated a list of Tolkien's writings, and some of the articles reproduce or link to the actual text.  This is a great place to start browsing, and to find out more about a text before you invest in your own copy.

Have a look at fanworks for some of the smaller canons and see what appeals.  Innumerable Stars and TRSB both have several works for the smaller canons in their collections, and many of them can be understood with no prior knowledge of the source material.

Lists of characters appearing in the various texts and canons can also be a useful jumping off point - like this one for The Book of Lost Tales.

Many of the smaller canons are just that - small!  If you can get hold of a copy from your local library, book store or from a fellow fan, they are generally quick to read and digest.

If anyone has any other ideas and resources for folks wanting to dip a toe into the smaller canons, please get in touch so they can be added to this list. 

When does the event run? 

Officially, February 14th-28th.  Unofficially, as long as you like; the prompts will stay up and the AO3 collection won't close.

[evilspiritweek]

With Day 23 (Crossover) Coming up for Ninjavember, I decided to make a quick little poll asking the question: What's the best media to crossover with Randy Cunningham? There's the obvious ones (Secret Trio lol), but maybe there are some other ones you want to shine a spotlight on?

AKA, I wanna see a deep dive in the notes of everyone's AUs and crossovers they made up in their heads >:D

as with most polls, reblogs appreciated B)

[axyer]

This is Blood Moon, the result of Heart and Soul fusing without Mind.

More details below.

What happens when you combine utter, unbridled emotion with sheer irrationality?

Not all too proud of this (it didn't come out how I hoped it would) but here you are, a Heart-Soul fusion called Blood Moon that is actively rejecting itself as it's missing a part of the puzzle.

His emotions are EXTREMELY exemplified and he is INCREDIBLY desperate to remain in the presence of company, but despises attention as much as he craves others to be around him.

He's a mass of constant contradictions and loves just as much as he hates; he loathes his inability to rationalise and desperately attempts to be recognised as friend and not foe but is ultimately dangerous to be around, and his self-awareness of said fact only drives him further to madness (though not nearly as mad as Red Giant).

Despite this, he's actually very cuddly and in his short (but welcome) moments of lucidity can be a considerably useful ally whom can protect with the immense power that comes with this form as well as love with the power of two emotionally-broken touch-starved souls into one.

He's also extremely unstable physically and is constantly melting like an amalgamate from Undertale.

He is in constant severe pain, best described as every muscle rejecting the skin and bone attached to it; alongside feeling as if no part of his body is correctly connected (GET IT?????).

He has a magenta-pink theme to him, a recurring colour utilised in my stories to symbolise dreams and general insanity, fitting for a blend between violet and scarlet.

Considering this form's unnatural nature, it does not last long; thankfully, Heart and Soul's agony is only temporary and they will be released from this state once their spirits can no longer hold themselves together. If you know me, you know I am a widdle empathetic crybaby who can't handle my favourite little wet cats in perpetual pain, so luckily these two will only be a little (very much so) shaken up and probably need to sleep swaddled in heavy heated blankets with dim lights either far away from one another or smashed into the other's arms. Trauma responses are weird. That's why I want a career in them!

This is almost guaranteed to not happen in my (shared) CCCC AU, but rather more likely one of my super duper big crossover AUs, so stay tuned and witness just how intensely I can make lore out of nonsensical big house AUs.

Anyway, enjoy!

I am a hundred percent okay with:

- People drawing fanart of my concepts (ping me!)

- People making headcanons/AUs of my concepts

- People kinning my concepts

- And people roleplaying my concepts

For future reference! Anyhow, just had to get this infodump out. Thanks for reading, your company is MUCH appreciated!! :)

[microcomets]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @thychesters! ty kate!!

How many works do you have on Ao3?

80! a nice round number. i actually think i have even more that i eventually anon'ed

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

1,078,556

3. What fandoms do you write for?

primarily i've written for danmei fandoms the last few years (mdzs/cql, svsss, 2ha) but i kind of write whatever strikes my fancy! in the last year it's been xena, tristamp, bad buddy...just kinda whatever...i used to write for supernatural and merlin

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a turn of the earth (supernatural, deancas)

i'm the one for your fire (mdzs, wangxian)

come home to my heart (mdzs, wangxian)

the heartlines on our hands (mdzs, wangxian)

a light hidden and singing (mdzs, wangxian)

5. Do you respond to comments?

man i wish i could but i fell behind in 2015 and then never caught back up ;___; i definitely read & appreciate every single one!!!

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

honestly probably something from the early supernatural days. i was obsessed with writing angst as a teenager

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

all of my wangxian fics end happy!! i don't think any one is happier than the other because it usually ends up with them either in love or married :-)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

every so often! luckily the positivity tends to outweigh

9. Do you write smut?

yes! although this was something i had to work on getting more comfortable with throughout my 20s

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

the only thing closest to a crossover i've done was two alternate wangxian timelines in "a tide in two seas," but otherwise nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

a few times! if not verbatim plagiarism, then definitely have had entire original concepts/plots lifted & reused that are very identifiable lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!! most commonly into spanish and russian, but have also had some translated into mandarin and farsi which is super cool!

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

not formally!

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

i have love for a lot of pairings but wangxian definitely ate my brain the most and for longest.....and there they remain

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

hmmmm....i was about 20k into a giant merthur fix-it time travel fic in like 2018 and gave up on it and i'll never finish it but wish i had!

16. What are your writing strengths?

i've been told i have a nice turn of phrase!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

describing setting.......action sequences.......those are the two i most actively have to work at to make them sound normal and integrated with the rest of the prose lol. i think i can also fall into the trap of gratuitous overdescription pretty easily

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics?

i think it depends on the context but can be really effective if it's done correctly and respectfully! (if you're a non-native speaker, that is)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

honestly it was warrior cats. followed by twilight fanfiction i submitted to a local newspaper

20. Favorite fic you have written?

i tend to be more critical of past fics than not, but there are quite a few i'm fond of because i admittedly write to my own tastes but i'm especially fond of "make me whole, make me new," which is wlw wangxian!

tagging @yuklaa, @fruitdaze, @englishsub, @dcyiyou, @megafaunatic, @rcmclachlan and whoever wants to do it!

[egot1stical]

okay been a few days: finale thoughts.

first: i liked it. it wasn’t BAD. it was mid but it wasn’t Bad. I think my ranking of 6.7/10 is still pretty accurate lol. I enjoyed it. But now I complain

Pacing was crazy. I don’t know why we spent like, half of Simon’s runtime 1000 years in the future. And then the other half of Fionna’s world (which I cared a lot less about) was focused on like. 3 separate scarab fight scenes LOL.

Casper and Nova are fun concepts, but they’re not really. Accurate? They’re so heavy handed with their message of “petrigrof is unhealthy” that they kind of just. Get the dynamic wrong on how. Which is weird. Especially after we just had a whole Simon and Betty episode. It kind of paints Simon as some pushy guy responsible for all the hardships in the relationship. Like, uh, Simon wasn’t making all the choices in the relationship, guys? His problem was pretty much the opposite; he didn’t *make* any solid choices. Betty was the one that did whatever. Jerry literally establishes that Betty was incredibly impulsive about love and such. They’re still unhealthy; there’s still the thing where Betty ended up living her life around Simon because of the curse. But like. I don’t know why they portrayed Simon like that.

Also, they don’t even acknowledge in their heavy handedness that they’re literally like, doomed in every universe. That’s what this series has been building up to right? Simon doesn’t find the crown? They die in the mushroom war. The star universe plays out. Ooo is wiped out at the hands of vampires and they eventually starve too. But then they show Simon getting on the bus with Betty as The Right Thing To Do which is kind of crazy.

Missed opportunities for the whole show: Having F&C cast and AT cast interact aside from Simon. Simon and Ice King interaction. More Simon and Betty interaction. Crying Simon. Using the decade long animation error of Simon having white eyes before the crown as a plot device rather than just pretending it was on purpose (like what they did with the second crown in Crossover.) SIMON. AND. MARCY. INTERACTION. WHY SET IT UP IF YOURE NOT GONNA KNOCK IT DOWN. IT WASNT EVEN IN THE FUCKING MONTA

I did like the rest of it though.

The Simon and Betty moments were good, just wish they were more substantial. And just. More. The no regrets scene was really good. Also, seeing Fionna and Simon's friendship. They're really cute.

I'm a little mixed on Fionna's world becoming magical, but I feel like it works because it's just Slightly. She still learned to appreciate her life as is, but Cake gets to be herself - Especially important when you see the connections between Cake and Simon. (Cake robbed of her mind due to the lack of magic, desperately trying to find a way to get it back or communicate.)

I feel that it should've been way more emotional though. The closest we got was the "too much" scene, which I REALLY liked, but I kind of find it hard to believe Simon "I don't want to move on" Petrikov just Got Better after seeing his fiancée die and then being told that everything was his fault. But yeah, I wish we had More closure on like, his Panic Attacks or depression. He also just kind of. Learns his life matters out of nowhere. Like, good for him, but boy where did you get that from. Tell me in words. Also he should’ve thrown up upon seeing Golbetty (half joke, but more reaction please.)

I’m glad he's moving house though. I’m alright with this as an ending. (And even better with it as a season ending.) But also, get that man away from the bar.

[hrwinter]

20 questions game

Thank you @luthordamnvers for the tag!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 10 on AO3. many deleted on FF-net.

2. What’s your total AO3 words count? 309,689 which is like, wow, not that much. especially given that one story accounts for 105k of that.

3. What fandoms do you write for? supercorp for AO3. i've definitely entertained the idea of writing for other fandoms, but haven't made it to an actually completed document yet. i've thought a LOT about writing for harlivy.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Mrs. & Mrs. Danvers, Fidelity, would you forget me (do i know you?), i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart), and What I Do When I Have Writer's Block. i have writer's block a lot.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? i always try to respond to comments! i get that other people may not, so no judgment, but i figure if someone took the time to write to me, i can take the time to write back to them. it just seems like it fosters more community and the idea that we are all big fans, even just consumers, and appreciate artists of all types.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i don't really write angst ending fics, but i've fleshed out a somewhat angsty 'No Way Home' spider-man AU that is pretty angsty.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? probably i carry your heart. faster than a speeding date is also the closest i think i've ever come to fluff.

8. Do you get hate on fics? it's not common, but it's happened. i try to remind people to engage with the content they want to read. everything is tagged on ao3. there really isn't an excuse to be reading 7 full chapters only to then leave a comment like 'i hated this.' then what are you doing here? and if someone is pointing out something they believe to be problematic in my writing, i do my best to fix it. i've had both bad faith and good faith comments, and i really appreciate the latter. m&m au is a bit of a tough one because the original movie is QUITE problematic. that's where i've gotten these comments the most.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind? like many, i'm sure, i've tried. i'm not sure if i've succeeded. i'm really impressed with the skills it takes to do so. i think people massively underestimate how hard and vulnerable it can be.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? i have never written a crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? yes.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before? no, but i think that would be really fun.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship? i've had a lot of ships that i'm going to list here: harry/ginny. snape/lily. jack/juliet. selene/michael. buffy/angel. buffy/faith. mulder/scully. alison/emily. santana/brittany. villanelle/eve. kara/lena. poison ivy/harley. adora/catra. i've never written as many fics for anyone as i have for supercorp, so i guess it would have to be that.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? there was this sex positive krypton/exchange student au prompt that i got so long ago, years ago, where i fell in love with the concept so much, i developed an entire original novel about it. the novel is absolutely a rip off of supercorp with different names because i didn't want to give DC my worldbuilding for krypton. i have about 60% of the plot written, but i am SO BAD at writing original stuff that i'm worried i'll never get it done. sometimes i've thought about just writing the god damn fanfic because at least then y'all would get to see it. i'm so obsessed with that story. it's absolutely insane.

16. What are your writing strengths? i've been told action and dialogue. a kind of "movie like" description or pacing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i'm going to say the same thing as the person who tagged me: Actually writing.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? it would be really cool! i just don't speak any other languages well enough to write in. i don't mind people who want to translate at all though.

19. First fandom you wrote for? harry/ginny. basic.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?  eternal sunshine au. i wrote it in less than 30 days, which has never happened again. and i felt like, even though i didn't at the time, that it actually captured both the essence of the movie and supercorp perfectly. it's one of those stories that is so HEAD canon to me, that sometimes i forget none of it happened in the show. i wish it had. i was so unimpressed by the explanation of why kara lied to lena, even though the 100th episode dangled the potential of it so close to our faces. in my mind, i just erase that, like my story, and imagine my version instead.

Tags, but no pressure: @littlemousejelly @shaolinbynature @coffeeshib @inkedroplets

[angelosearch]

20 Fic Questions

This seems fun. Thanks to @aleheartilly for tagging me in this one. Tagging some usual suspects and anyone else who wants to give it a go - @gardengalwrites @suleikashideaway @sevlinop @mathiwrites @lenorelovesmax

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 14.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 109,028.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Mainly FFVIII. I've written one Hazbin Hotel fic. I'd really like to branch out.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Winner Takes it All (Hazbin Hotel) (75)

Chaos Theory (47)

Silver Anniversary (11)

Balamb Harbor Playhouse (10)

Heavenly Bodies (9)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I do respond to comments, mostly because I really appreciate what my readers have to say and I want to make sure they know that! Writing is so much better with community around it.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't know if I can classify any of my fic endings as angry. Maybe Heavenly Bodies? Shit, I need to stop ending on a hopeful note all the time...

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Most of my fics have happy endings, or if not happy, at least hopeful or heartwarming. The happiest might be the Ballad of Ma Dincht but it's a toss-up.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Back in my youth, writing on FFN, I got hate from time to time, and I got hate in my college writing program, haha. BUT since I returned to writing fanfiction this year, there has only been love and it makes my soul sing.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? The closest I've come to smut is Heavenly Bodies and I am not even sure if that qualifies. I'd like to keep trying at it but I think I'll have to keep things steeped in metaphor. My asexual ass likes the choreography of it but the actual hardware makes me uncomfortable.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I haven't yet but I am not opposed. Someday I'd like to write an FFVIII-Star Wars crossover but I am scared of publishing anything Star Wars.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? As far as I know, no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but I am definitely open to it with the right project and partner!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Squinoa forever and for always.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Don't Be Afraid - if I do finish it I think it needs to become something else.

16. What are your writing strengths? I have been told that I am very good at writing things in-universe and making dialogue sound like something that character would actually say. I think, weirdly enough, I am good at this because I spent so many years working in marketing and comms - I know how to pick up on voice and create something in that tone.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I noticed that I rarely physically describe characters, which isn't a huge deal in fanfiction, but something I need to be mindful of. Then spelling, syntax, grammar, etc. I know I have more flaws as a writer but I am having a day where I cannot focus on my weaknesses too long haha.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? As a reader, if your character speaks another language, it's important that they use it, even if I have to translate it or deal with not understanding the line. As a writer, I don't know any other language well enough to write a line of dialogue in it. I wouldn't want to use Google Translate for something like that so I would only do this if I had another way to verify that the dialogue made sense.

19. First fandom you wrote for? My first published fanfic was for FFVIII when I was 13. But before that, I rewrote the ending of Because of Winn Dixie when I was 11.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? I think my favorite overall is Silver Anniversary. At this Moment has the best concept behind it. And then I hope you love the flowers as much as I do has the prettiest prose.