#and i'll delete this if it brings down the actual fic

[megamindsecretlair]

WIP Tuesday

Buckle up babes, it's going to be a long post!

I come before you humble, hat in hand. I know I been wilding ya'll. I know there's a lot of fics I need to update and get back to. I haven't forgotten! And since there are...so many new people thanks to my Terry fics, what a great time to call myself out chuz ya'll too nice to do so! I saw @nerdieforpedro do this a few weeks ago? Forgive me for not tagging the person you got it from, but I am tiredt, chilleee.

Current focus: Terry got my whole heart, ya'll. Every fic I read of him, I just want to go hop in the booth myself and get to writing. Ya'll inspire me every damn day, it's magical. There is a filthy, disgusting, mean, despicable fic I wanna write with him. But alas, he is not the only one I write for.

Girl, there's how many series????? Listen, the muse wants what it wants. 11 series in total. Chillee, why I do dissssss. Some are closer to finishing than others. So let's count them out (click the links to learn more):

Be My Little Darling - Loki series | It Started With a Whisper - Sam Wilson series | Midnight Sin - Vampire Tyrone series | Blackbird - Mob Boss Fontaine | Camp Wanderlust - Franklin Saint series | What You Deserve - Homewrecker Stunna | Runaway Lover - Professor Stunna | If I Took You Home - Kevin Atwater | Kill Her Softly - Zyair Malloy | A Taste of the Divine - Yakuza Sukuna | We Are the Night - Qimir

Frenn, that's a lot, do you sleep? Are you okay? Blink twice if you need help. I'm promise I'm good ya'll, I just love writing and I love interacting with ya'll. You have NO idea how much each and every single one of ya'll mean to me. I love the support, I love the comments, I love the reblogs. I'm trying not to disappoint folks, I was on a schedule and well, life happened. I can course correct, I promise. Just gon' take me a little minute. Let me close the smaller series first!

Okay, surely that's it right, frenn? Ahh no, because there's also the asks that have been piling up. Per my pinned post, you know that I have a scatterbrain. Some asks I deleted because they're too similar to what I've done before. Some I'm still trying to picture before I start writing. But the ones I've kept? At last tally it is...33. Some are similar and I'm going to combine them, but yeahhhhh. This isn't a callout post, keep sending those requests in! Just know it's gonna take me a smoooooooth minute. Also, welcome new people, welcome! But not everything needs a part two, I promise. If I write "The End" at the bottom, that truly means the end. No part 2 planned, ain't trynna write a part two. I want to move on sometimes. I love you, but I'll be writing until I'm gray if everything got a part 2. And I wanna get paid for my writing. Which brings me tooo...

Umm, umm, what's this I hear about a book??? Yes! I am actually writing a book based on an ask I received. It was a sweet ask about what kind of story would go with "Handwritten Letter". I said it gave friends to lovers, she fell first, he fell harder type of vibes. It has morphed into dark academia about a shy girl just trying to come into her own. It's a combo of and a love letter about girls like me, girls like you, each and every person who identifies as a Soft Black Girl. And I already have *so* many ideas about other books I want to do. There will be one based on the Mr. Black series I wrote. There will also be a vampire one! I just can't decide yet which will be the second book I put out. I'm leaning towards vampire because Terry is HEAVY on the brain ya'll. And he'd make a sexy vamp. But anywhooo...

I say all this to say that I'm not a machine. I'm not that quick despite appearances. I may not seem like I have any chill, but I've been fantasizing and turning over these fics in my head for days or weeks before I sit down to write. And I'm not saying to stop. Your support is exactly why I feel good enough about my writing to sit and write an entire book! I want to be a full time author. I want to share my ideas with the world. I'm just slow lmfaoooooo.

In the mean time, I hope you're hitting up all these amazing writers on here. I hope you're commenting and reblogging and showing love on here. I will keep saying it. This site will DIE and these BLACK writers will LEAVE if people keep stealing, not commenting, not reblogging, asking for part 2s and never showing love. Fandom is a community, not a pillar. No one know it's you behind that avatar, go crazy! Go nuts. Show nuts. whatever.

Love, love, love you all. If you read this far, drop something funny in the comments. Or go unhinged in my asks about Terry. Don't get me started about that man, but go awff about him because that's my baby favaaa.

no pressure tags: @chaos-4baby @j0kers-light @umber-cinders @harmshake @planetblaque @babybratzmaraj @soft-persephone

[queenie-avenue]

Don't run. He'll catch you anyway.

💌 ⤻ THE ACADEMIC RIVAL, SEO MIN-JUN

—> what happens when you try to escape him?

⤻ reader is gender neutral, dark themes, invasion of privacy, taking photos without consent, bullying, manipulation, slightly suggestive themes, typical yandere red flagginess (duh), min-jun is just a freak honestly, not too detailed but a small fic, besides straight up gore I think this is the darkest thing I've ever written

notes: @moyazami , i am so sorry, but i lost your ask. thank god, i took a screenshot before i deleted it. you are such a sweetheart. thank you for the ask, and keep them coming! i want to do the first imagine, but don't worry, i'll also do the second one at a later date! honestly wasn't sure to write out the part where he approaches you again but if anyone wants it, drop a ask, honestly-

The fact that you left was laughable to Min-Jun.

At first, he was shocked that you had actually left, and the reason was clearly because of him. Second, he was sad knowing he was the reason he would not see you anymore. Third, he was angry that you had left him. Who gave you permission to leave? Certainly not him.

Fourth, he projected that anger into scheming.

Sure, you left for another school. However, did you forget? Min-Jun's entire family was rather influential, perhaps not as much as the Samsung family in Korea, but certainly able to pull a few strings here and there. His entire family was full of ministers, civil workers, and some even celebrities with the power to topple the entertainment industry. Did you really think that transferring to another school would allow you to run from his grasp?

"Are you that idiotic?" He whispered under his breath as he schemed.

You leaving the academy was like inciting war and he was going to bring out the full arsenal to pull you back into his arms.

He would hire a private detective to comb through every aspect of your life; relishing in the intimate information the detective would give him. He honestly felt a bit bad about spreading it. Not because he worried for you, but because he wanted to keep all these secrets to himself, claiming ownership of you and every thought you had in the sickest manner. Still, he supposed he could part with this knowledge. After all, when he got you back, he'd be able to learn more about you.

As said before, rumours spread like wildfire. A simple strike of a match is all he needed to turn into a massacre.

Soon, not only people from your school but from your neighbourhood began to whisper about you behind your back. They talked about your nature, some even going as far as coming up with fake rumours about you just to entertain the masses.

It was hell on earth for you. Worse than when Min-Jun tormented you.

Then, it was only one person — a boy whom you had no idea was your academic rival — but now, it was your entire community that had turned against you.

It got worse when pictures of you leaked. How had someone managed to take so many pictures of you like that?

Some immature students even stapled your embarrassing moments to the school board, leaving you to clean them up during lunchtime.

Min-Jun had some friends in that new school you went to, so of course, he heard everything that happened to you. His poor rival, you must be so hurt by all the things happening to you!

Serves you right for leaving me, Min-Jun thought as he looked at the photos of you crying when you thought nobody was looking.

Just a bit more, and he would intervene. He wanted you to feel the pain he felt when you left him. Maybe about a week more, and he would come to your rescue one of these days.

For now, he would enjoy the delicious tears that streamed down your adorable cheeks.

[bagopucks]

J. Hughes - Can’t Break Up Now [Old Dominion & Megan Moroney]

✄————————————

Jack Hughes x Fem!reader

Word Count: 904

Warning(s): talk of major fight, self deprecating thoughts, thoughts of self harm

I promise this fic will not hit the same if you don’t listen to the song while reading. This song quickly became my favorite as soon as I heard it, and I knew it just had to be a Jack fic.

—————————————

You know the color of my coffee

Too many t-shirts in my closet that you bought me

At this point, I can't unlearn the things you've taught me

About myself

It was our biggest fight yet. Jack and I had both said things we didn’t mean. We were scared of the unknown. Scared of a disagreement with our future. Jack had merely said he could easily see himself leaving the city if he ever got traded. But I had a stable job and family here. I couldn’t leave…

I had been frozen in shock when the door slammed shut. He’d left. Perhaps rightfully so. I’d called him horrible things. I broke down on the carpet in the bedroom when he left.

You pick the music when I'm driving

Your mama always takes my side when you fight me

And these days, my dog likes you more than he likes me

You can just tell

Jack hadn’t thought the answer through, and in the end he got too defensive to admit how wrong he was. When he left he didn’t know where he was headed. Jack just knew he was going somewhere. The yelling, the accusations, the hateful words spoken… they’d all been too much.

Jack gripped the steering wheel of his car impossibly tighter than before. His knuckles were white. He wanted to pull the wheel and turn himself into oncoming traffic. He wanted to spend his life with this woman. What had he done?

So what am I supposed to, unlisten to every song written?

Take you out of every melody?

You know my secrets, my demons, and I know your weaknesses

All of your doubts and your dreams

Jack knew she was alone, just as he was. Crying, panicking, asking herself what to do. He just couldn’t bring himself to go back. He didn’t know how to face her. But where were they supposed to go from here? The only way to know was if they could talk it out. Jack knew if they didn’t talk, it had a 100% chance of ending badly. Maybe if they spoke they could fix it.

So we

Can't break up now

No, we

Can't break up now

Four years. Four solid years of loving and growing. There for each other in every scenario. Every rise and fall. Every accomplishment and failure. There was such a deep history, how could they end things?

I hate the thought of starting over

If you left, I know I'd never get closure

Can't imagine letting anyone get closer

Than you are to me, oh

I flicked through photos in my phone, scaling back too many years. If I deleted them, four years of my life would be gone. Four years of so much effort. How could I leave him? I folded my legs beneath myself on our bed. Our bed. I needed Jack. The photos on the wall? His clothes? His towels in my bathroom. His dishes in my cabinets. His movies, his gaming consoles, his furniture. Everything would be gone.

Yeah, I'll battle this out all night 'till we fix it

If the ship's going down, I'm going down with it

Time alone did nothing to ease either mind. So perhaps it was better to be together.

Your friends are my friends

Jack turned his car around the moment he knew what he wanted.

I start where you end

I stood from the bed to leave the room. I decided I’d leave the front door unlocked. Yet when I got there, I couldn’t gain the courage to actually unlock it. Instead I sat against the wall next to the door, waiting to hear his knock. His voice.

We've got too much history

This was the right choice.

So we

Can't break up now

No, we

Can't break up now

We've come too far and we're in too deep

We love too hard just to let it go

So we

Can't break up now, oh

It didn’t take Jack long to drive back to the apartment. Mostly because he was speeding. He’d tried to fix his disheveled appearance before knocking on the door, plastered with fake gold numbers that clacked every time the door shook.

So what am I supposed to, unlisten to every song written?

Take you out of every melody?

I shot up at the sound, no hesitation in my body this time as I unlocked the door and opened it. We were met with one another’s faces, silent, blank. Where would this go?

No, we

Can't break up now

No, we

Can't break up now

“I’m so sorry..” Jack’s broken voice reached my ears. “I love you so much.”

No, we

Can't break up now

No, we

Can't break up now

“God Jack I never should have said any of that.” I fell into his arms, quiet sobs falling from our lips as we held each other tightly.

We've come too far and we're in too deep

We love too hard just to let it go

“Please let me in,” Jack whispered against my neck. It wasn’t even a question as to whether I would or not.

So we

Can't break up now

“Come in, honey.. let’s sit down.” I held onto his hand as I ushered him in, tears streaming down both of our faces.

No, we

Can't break up now, oh

It was better to heal together than alone.

Can't break up now

✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

a little fic update

Due to needing a fresh start I deleted more than half of my WiPs. Because my goal still is to finish all my WiPs this year. So I only kept the ones where I actually have written something and not just three sentences. I saved the ideas though. I have a Fic Idea document that is three pages long so if anyone is looking for fic ideas let me know. Or I'll make this a writing challenge/follower celebration in which whoever is willing gets a random fic idea to write from this document

I will work on a Joel fic this weekend and then for September as my own personal challenge I wanna write the second part to my Dave York fic You, the next part to invisible string (I want to finish this little series until October) and one sequel to a fic that you get to choose. I already put up a post last week asking for what fic of mine you want to have another part from and some people let me know what they would want to read. So please choose from the ones below

Find the fics in my Masterlist

And for everyone still reading and interested in what I have planned for the rest of the year:

A Halloween Marcus Pike fic in which he touches a bronze cat figurine of a new drop of stolen artefacts that brings him back in time to the witch who put a spell on all her stuff because it kept getting stolen, though she never anticipated her spell to work so well it travels through time. Now she has to figure out how to bring this strange, very good looking, man back into his timeline... or does she?

An arranged marriage AU in which Javi G has to marry the very young daughter of a crime boss to keep the peace, only to end up falling hopelessly in love with her and they both decide to bring down both of their families

A Dieter fic where a big scandal he caused left him no choice but to flee the country to wait until this blows over with his PR Agent who books them both into a four week stay on a private island to spend christmas together. And maybe (wink wink) they finally figure out that whatever they have going on for the last ten years is more than just a professional relationship

Christmas Tree Farmer Pero who against his will falls for the sunshine reader who gets hired by William to save his Christmas tree farm (I am looking for a co-Writer on this fic! If you're interested send me a message!!)

The last six parts of the Stay Universe (most likely short fics)

Only Fans Dave York (if my brain can decide on the actual plot of the fic for a change)

and the last two parts to my Soulmate Joel AU Counting stars

and if I actually manage to write this all like I planned I am gonna give myself an award. Or.... take myself out to a very fancy Chinese dinner lol

[phoenixcatch7]

Unrelated to the last post but MAN I wish I could make a list of characters view the canon fics that do it so well across fandoms but I really don't want to risk opening them up to deletion. It's only recently that these sorts of stories have been allowed to stay up, as only a few years ago they were considered 'too close to canon' and could - would - get forcibly taken down from just about every site.

I've lost too many amazing cvtc fics to staff deciding they were bending the rules too much to just post a list of links but... I wish they were more popular because there's some absolute gems.

Here, I'll talk about a few things they did:

Killed the protagonist and everyone had to rewatch his memories to bring him back. This was very controversial in universe and it made it work so well.

The protagonist was oblivious to the reading, not part of it. This meant everyone could theorise and debate between themselves and actually REALLY solved the pacing and dramatisation issues common to these fics.

The protagonist actually replaced a villain in canon; the reading was done pre canon and the villain believed he had gone insane was the one acting like that. It was mortifying but seeing his body make friends and get a happy ending when he believed he was beyond hope and vicious about it was heart wrenching.

The young protagonist accidentally wished to be understood and a villain took advantage of it. It switched between the reading and reactions and the protag desperately trying to defeat the villain and make plans to run away to prevent his revealed secret getting him killed by the government.

The very large cast was split into groups, but could contact each other via texting. This enabled each group to have wildly varying reactions and theories without having to constantly argue and fight. It made it more fast paced, and added tension as the villains plotted unsupervised.

A very small cast were on a road trip and found the protags audio diaries of his adventures in the glove compartment. This was a Percy Jackson one, and it built off the books' first person format brilliantly.

The protags purposely wrote down their adventures in books and sold them on the market to fix their reputation and earn some money doing so. It involved people frantically trying to verify the books and evolved into a pr nightmare.

The orphan protag somehow time travelled back to when his family was in hiding with his books. His parents and uncles read the books and got to know their currently infant kid in the process. (This was a Harry Potter one, and both the series and author got permanently banned from ffn years ago and it had gotten all the way to deathly hallows 😭. It had been in progress for over a decade and was immaculately written, I miss it so much. Author if you're out there ily.)

Midway through canon a group of the protags friends combined all of their memories in a crystal ball and shipped it to a conference where just about every important figure was in attendance. They did not tell each other of the memories they included. They did not tell the exiled protag what they'd done. Many unexpected revelations and betrayals happened during the viewing. It also made it so the only scenes that appeared were ones where other people were there, which was so creative and well done.

The protag was a powerful psychic brought in for questioning and made it everyone else's problem. It was hilarious.

For a video game canon a handful of trusted allies (and villains before they went insane) were secretly delivered the games by THE TIME TRAVELLING GHOST OF THE PROTAGONIST IN DISGUISE and played them. The main focus was the main villain finding out a) how to even play video games (there was an ongoing joke about ridiculous video game logic) and b) the reasons he went insane, in excruciating detail, c) his victim's perspective including his own history that future him died not knowing about. One of his friends got a spinoff video game about how all his other friends died tragically. Many people saw their own traumatic deaths on screen with about twenty pixels.

A group of next gen kids accidentally fell into their parent's memories (of a war they'd been lied to about).

The protag was the 'child' of an omnipotent being who got sick of them being a self fulfilling prophecy (which ended horribly in canon) and locked them all in a fourth dimensional cave. In the same fic, the protag was using illusions to maintain the appearance of on-screen canon while fleshing out canon scenes and implications. Really well written and the character relationships were 👌.

The characters parents got the books, and had to reverse engineer the events that led up to canon and also which character was whose unborn kid.

A villain made a wish to publicly expose the main group's 'lies', accidentally exposed them as telling the truth and themselves as the corrupt liars. Whoops!

Traumatised side character time travelled back to pre canon from an apocalypse (that wasn't in canon), demanding the canon be viewed to understand and prevent the events that led to the apocalypse.

Characters broke after the events of canon publish their stories as fantasy books to the unknowing civilian public. The fantasy people accidentally get hold of it and everything goes to pot. I swear this is a totally different fandom to the other one.

Dead villain ghost secretly witnesses a viewing, time travels back to adopt the protagonist and change history to his image.

Crossover where one character was revealed to be a character from the other fandom in hiding with a fake identity.

Protag lost his memories and everyone uses a magical device/ritual to restore it, becoming witnesses themselves in the process.

Characters were forced to watch amvs of each other and had to try and extrapolate the order of events and the symbolism of the song. No one walked away with the full picture, but they got the main problems sorted.

Someone made an uncannily accurate play and the characters had to track the creator down to sue them (and figure out how they'd done it) without revealing that the portrayal was accurate.

A travelling seer took severe umbrage to the body stealing protag and exposed him with receipts. He spent basically the entire fic curled in a ball of mortification.

The protag on trial for many crimes got the magic viewing device used on him in front of everyone in the courtroom.

One fic was pretty normal but every time someone on screen got hurt or sick, so did their 'irl' counterpart. It sped up the fic a lot as no one wanted to linger on the worst bits. Also the author used canon implications, that the protag was oblivious to, to low key scare everyone who noticed them.

Crossover where the adults of one fandom fought over adoption rights of the other fandom's teen protag.

The author only used cherry picked moments of canon to massively streamline the fic, which worked! All the high moments you want a fic to cover - epic fights, dramatic reveals, important conversations, silly moments, developing relationships. And absolutely NOTHING else, there was very little context. Made for some excellent moments of people frantically trying to explain themselves lol.

Character stared too long into the void, broke the fourth wall to watch their own media. They spent most of the fic about to cry.

Protags patron deities hosted a viewing to try and get him a gf/bf from their other avatars. He wasn't looking for romance but did eventually end up in a poly relationship.

Prophet reluctantly revealed his own version of events with the help of his sentient house. This was about a movie so it was pretty fitting thematically lmao.

There is so much potential!! There's so many ways to do it, branch out, give these sorts of fics a try! Don't get stuck in the rut of the same methods as everyone else, even in this genre there's all sorts you can do with it! Use some of these examples if you want! Get creative and don't forget you're writing a story!!

Of course, if you recognise or are reminded of these please don't link or name them*, but you're more than welcome to guess which fandom each belongs to XD!

*Except that Harry Potter one, please I need closure, it's been a decade-

[pillowspace]

hi! you write ur stuff on ao3 (or at least yk.. put it there) and my question is: how. I've been wanting to write n stuff for a little while but I do Not know how to use ao3. like to the point I don't even know how to use the searches n stuff. I just click links on Tumblr and go "this is great" and hit the little button at the bottom of the page. I know absolutely Nothing about this site and I Don't know how to learn

I'm good with navigation, but I am very bad at posting. I literally accidentally made 19 drafts of the last CSD chapter I posted and had to delete them one by one. So! I'll explain navigation, and if you have a specific question on posting, I can help with that. But uh, I'm better with navigation for broad advice:

You can search by "last updated," and sometimes I do do that. But what I tend to do is I go into a fandom's tag, go into filters, and sort by "Bookmarks"

From here, you're already mostly safe to read the most beloved works if you don't have something specific you want in mind. But let's say... you suddenly really want fics with modern themes, but you don't know the tags for that. Scroll to "Other tags to include," type in "modern," and watch for what tags appear.

Okay! Cool! I want Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, so I'll press that. BUT WAIT. I want fics that don't take place in a university! What do I do?

Scroll down to "Other tags to exclude" and follow that same logic

Oh, huh... I'm not interested in smut or graphic gore... what now? Perhaps I should open "Ratings" under "Exclude" and hit "Explicit"

Extra information. Relationships tags with PersonA/PersonB with a / are romantic. PersonA & PersonB with an & are platonic

So you're good to go with this alone. Buuuuut, let's say you want some more details.

I'm tired tonight, so I'd like to read a completed work that's under 20,000 words. Here's how I'd do that, opening Word Count and Completion Status under More Options

AND THEN

There's "More Options." Even I don't have this fully down, but this can be useful if you ever need it.

So let's say, you want fluff and whump fics to come up in your search. Either or. Fics that are just fluff, alongside fics that are just whumps, alongside fics that are fluff and whumps. You would type in "fluff OR whump". Caps lock OR

But wait! This whole time, you've actually been looking for a fic you forgot the name of! But you recall that in its description, it had the words "the trees stood tall." How would you search for that? Well, put that into quotation marks. It will search for those words in that exact order.

You can combine this with OR. Like...

"the trees stood tall" OR "the meadows were golden"

Also, adding a * onto a word will... ah, I don't know how to describe this. Let's say you put in app*. Your search will bring up fics containing the words app, apples, applies, applicable, appliance, etc. Words that start with app

And maybe

Just maybe

You're asking because of the DCA, and I have a complex DCA + reader/oc search I wrote up already saved that I can link to anyone

[rykno-j]

Phonecall (j/jk)

Summary: Like the title suggests, G/ojo makes a call for help. From who? N/anami. OR G/ojo calling N/anami to bring shit over for his cold

Ship: n/anag/o? it's up to interpretation

Notes: Tried to write a snz > plot fic for once. N/anami calls G/ojo "G/ojo-s/an" in the anime/manga so I'll probably retain that. I'm kinda proud of this one, ahh- (like the angst parts only) Oh right there's some angsty parts but it's pretty mild.. I think.. like there's more fluffy & snz parts..

Actually wrote this whole thing in 1 sitting. Imagine that.

2.7k words.

-----------------

"..Hh-hH'!! hAH'ZZDcHh!! hA'DzcHH!!"

Fuck. Those were the roughest he's had for today.

Gojo stares burry at his ceiling. The fan in the middle has 3 blades. If Gojo didn't know better, he'd say there were 5 instead.

His head hurt, everything hurt. He was sure he was sweating, but everything felt so cold.

..Must be a side effect from the fever, then.

Gojo sighed. It's been awhile since.. since-

"..hiH'tcHH!! haH'zZdchH!!"

-Since he had fallen sick. The last time.. the last time he had fallen sick..

It was only bearable because someone had been there.

Of course.

Gojo turns over to his table, the action taking up most of his energy. With what little he had left, Gojo reaches clumsily for his phone. It almost slips out of his trembling fingers as he flips it open.

The brightness from the screen stung his eyes, causing him to turn to the side to muffle a fit of photic sneezes into the back of his palm.

At least.. at least those didn't ruin this throat as much as-

"..heH'EshH'iww!! ..snff-!"

-As those did.

All the sweating he was doing now was probably due to his fever breaking, but Gojo wasn't so sure.

His brain loved to overheat, and while he would gladly heal any damage done to it with his reversed cursed technique, he was pretty sure this damned cold did not count as an injury.

How unfortunate.

He ate the last of his fever medicine 5 hours ago.

How unfortunate.

Although he was never one to back down from a challenge, even Gojo knew he would never make it further than the front door, if he could even manage to stumble out of his room.

"..hih'tchh!! hAH'DzcHh!! ..hH'!! ..haah.. ..snff-!! hh.."

Great. It's stuck. His body must straight up hate him.

In all honesty, Gojo figures that he deserves it. Who was it again? That said his body would give in if he didn't get enough sleep?

Right.. it was Nanami..

Nanami..

Nanamin!

Squinting at his phone screen, Gojo selects the 'contacts' option on his phone. He slowly scrolls down to the 'N' section, eyes gazing over a few painful contact names that he had yet to delete.

Even after all this time, he still couldn't just let go.

His finger hovers over the call button of Nanami's contact. Would he pick up? It's his off day after all. He knows how much Nanami treasures those.

Small breathers from the hectic world of Jujutsu. In fact, 'hectic' was putting it lightly.

Well, it's not like he was ringing Nanami up for anything stupid, like he normally does. Though, with that being said, this would count as something utterly stupid.

Nevermind that.

-----

Stepping out of the bakery, Nanami feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. Stopping in his tracks, he pulls it out, scowling at the name that appeared.

What did that annoyance (affectionate) want this time?

He lets a few more rings pass before picking it up, expecting to hear Gojo's obnoxious voice seep through the phone, no doubt to ask him out on another infuriating shopping trip.

Instead, he was met with silence.

Sensing that something was wrong, Nanami made his way to a more secluded area. Was there trouble?

"Gojo-san? Are you there?"

Nanami listens to the other side of the line carefully. But all he hears is soft, even breathing.

"..Gojo-san."

The breathing slowly turns into the sound of ruffling cloth, before a small string of inaudible mumbles could be heard.

"Nanamiin..?"

Nanami felt a pulse in his head. Seriously. Did he just wake up or something?

"..You called me?"

"I did..? Oh.. right I.. I dihH-..G'xxt!! ..did, didn't I? ..ahh, wait.. let me remembHh'!! ..h'NgxXt!! hh-G'nt!! ..aggnh, Nanamin I'm s' srry, haah-"

Instead of replying, Nanami's eyebrows furrowed. That voice was definitely Gojo's, but just what was he blabbing on about?

And those sudden, breathy sounds, punctuated by.. a weird, heavy noise. What were those?

"Are you okay?"

"Mm, no. Not really. Actually.. Nanaminn, can you come over?"

"No."

"..P-G'nXt!! ..Please?"

"I'm not falling for your tricks again."

"N-No tricks.. Nanamiin, pleease.."

Nanami sighs, wondering why he even decided to go back as a teacher in the first place. Why didn't he just delete Gojo's contact all those years ago?

"Fine."

"Yaay, Nanamin!!"

Nanami sighs again (he does this a lot when he's dealing with Gojo), finger reaching over to end the call when-

"Naanaminn, can you also bring some fever medicine overr? I.. ran out."

Fever medicine?

He opens his mouth to ask about that, but was only met with the monotonous beep of an ended line.

-----

The phone slips out of his fingers, dropping onto the floor with a thud that thankfully sounded like the item didn't crack into pieces.

All he had to do now was wait.. huh.

Gojo felt his eyelids slide shut. He tried to force them open to no avail. Seriously.. when was the last time he felt this bad?

..It was probably way back then, when he had gotten stabbed through his neck down to his knees, left bleeding out on the ground.

His eyes slowly slid shut, plunging him into darkness.

Darkness..

...

..Satoru-

..Satoru-!

Gojo suddenly jolts awake, the sudden movement sending him curled into himself with a fit of coughing, the scene that woke him up from his nightmare still dancing behind his eyelids.

..10 years.. or was it 11? 12? How long has it been since that day? How long has it been since he was last shook awake from a similar nightmare, tears streaming down his eyes, unstoppable?

Seriously.. this fever might just prove to be more of a nuisance than he originally gave credit to.

Lost in his thoughts, Gojo barely managed to register the sound of his front door opening. Even in his tired state, his body unconsciously prepared to fight, a thin layer of Infinity forming around himself.

"Gojo-san?"

With a weary smile, Gojo dropped his defenses. He recognised that voice anywhere.

"You left your front door unlocked." Nanami sounded pissed off. No matter, the most important part was that he came. He came..

"Ahh.. did I?"

"I'm serious. What if someone had broken in?"

Gojo felt himself relax as the shadow of Nanami's form stretched pass his doorway. "Nobody would do such a thing.. I'm sure. To non.. s-sorcerers, I'm a nobody. And n-nobody else knows I live hhH'!! ..here. Except you."

"That's not an excuse."

"Lighten upp, Nanamiin, I'm fiiine. Anywayy, I'm so glad you camee- I was convinced you would've ignored me for goood."

"..."

Based on the scene in front of his eyes, Nanami could easily conclude that Gojo was, indeed, not fine. Not in the slightest.

But even he knew it was futile to argue with the other, even in the.. state he was currently in.

"..Hh-G'nX'cthh!! ..hiH'gnXshh'!!"

"Bless you." Nanami sighed. So those sounds over the phone were sneezes, then.

Gojo removed the fingers pinching his nose, waving them dismissively.

"I'm fhH'!! ..fine, don't worhH'!! ..worr'hH-!! ..hiH'gx-ShHe'w!!"

Nanami found himself wincing at the effort it seemed to take Gojo to keep those quiet.

Seriously, of all the people he knew, including those he used to know, Gojo was never one to stifle.. unlike-

"Na-na-min! Did you bring what I asked for?"

"..Mm. Fever medicine, right?"

"Ahh- thank youu!! How much do I owe y-you?"

"Consider this a gift."

"How kind!"

Nanami stares, unbelieving, frozen by the doorway. Despite his distance away from the bed, he could clearly see how badly Gojo was faring. The disheveled hair, reddish hue surrounding his cheeks and nose, the fact he was lying down instead of bouncing around the room.

Why? Why was he always trying so hard to seem fine? Even after all this time, why?

Finally making his way inside, Nanami drops the plastic bag into Gojo's open palm.

"..Oh..You bought the solid kind."

"Huh?"

Gojo slowly removes the box, shaking it in the air. "..Solid.. pills."

"Yes." Was the fever messing with Gojo's brain? What was he asking?

Nanami watches as a pout forms on the other's face. It would have been quite comical, if not given the current circumstances.

"Nanamiin, I can't swallow pills that are this big, remember? Liquid.. do you have liquid ones?"

Ah.. right. Nanami remembers having this conversation with someone before, about how Gojo couldn't take solid medicine to save his life. He remembers the conversation, from ages ago. The conversation with.. with-

"I'll get water for you." Nanami turns to leave, shaking the image of that Someone out of his mind.

"Ah- Nanamin! Wait!"

Nanami found himself freezing at the sudden desperation in Gojo's voice. The tone of a scared child. When was the last time he heard that sound come from the other..?

"What is it?" His own tone softened, a subconscious reaction.

"..Don't go, please."

Once again, Nanami finds himself speechless. A few seconds pass, before Gojo cleared his throat, eyes looking everywhere except where the other was standing. Embarrassment?

"..Sorry.. I- that- that came out by itself, haha-"

Nanami sighs. Through all the years they had known each other, Gojo had always been an easy read due to his expressiveness. Although.. there were some people could read him better than others.

Nanami was one of these people. Possibly one of the few that were left, at that. It was to be expected, especially since the two of them were all each other had years ago.

Turning back to face the bed, Nanami shrugs off his coat, gently pressing it into the mattress next to Gojo's head.

"Mm.?" Gojo looked up at him, confused.

"..Look after this for me, I'll be right back."

"Ah, of course."

Turning to leave the room once again, Nanami was met with no sounds of displeasure this time.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Gojo's fingers wrap tightly around his coat, watched as Gojo brought the article into his chest, face buried into its collar.

Nanami felt his eyes soften at the sight. Even after all these years, Gojo never really grew up.

He was still the senior that greeted Nanami with that stupid smile on the first day of school, the friend who had comforted him when he was crying his eyes out, the friend who needed the comfort when it was his turn to cry his eyes out, and now the colleague who loved his students more than words could describe.

All of that put into the shivering body on the lonely bed.

"..heh'shHEiw!! hiH'gSsH'iww!! hH'!! ..snff- hH'dZzchH!!"

The corridor was quiet, Nanami could hear every little sound coming from the bedroom. Gojo must've thought he was in the kitchen by now, judging by how he was no longer stifling.

..How considerate.

"hiH'dzZch'iww!! ..H'tchh! aH'ngsHE'iw!!"

Nanami decides that he would grab a box of tissues from the living room. He doubts that Gojo even had any in his room.

Honestly.. his level of self care was off the charts at times. There was only so much his technique could heal. Cuts, bruises, fractures. Not colds, not fevers, not broken hearts.

That's what Nanami was there for.

It was decided then. He would stay over until Gojo was back on his feet. Nodding to himself, Nanami reaches for a cup, filling it with water.

He should probably leave for a grocery run after Gojo goes to sleep. He wonders if the other had even eaten a bite after this had started.

Probably not.

"..h'gShHE'iww!! hAH'dZzcHH!! snff- g'tchh! 'tchh! 'zztch! h'gtch!!"

As Nanami approached the room, the fits of sneezes progressively got clearer and clearer. The last couple sounded itchy, he noted.

Like Gojo's photic fits.

He remembers the first time he witnessed one, remembers the tears that gathered at the edge of Gojo's eyes under the sun.

He remembers that period of time years ago where Gojo would always misplace his sunglasses.

Before that, it never used to be a problem, since a Someone would always be there to make sure he didn't lose them, to make sure they were always covering his sensitive eyes.

After that Someone was erased from their lives, Nanami took over. He was the one that gave Gojo the idea of wearing a blindfold instead.

..Perhaps 'erased' was a little too strong of an expression. 'Slipped' would have been a better word.

He slipped from both their lives, both of them did.

"Gojo-san.?"

Nanami peeks into the room, the sight in front of him tugging at his heart.

Gojo had curled even his legs up to his chest, the long coat tangled between his limbs. There was a small, damp patch on the collar of the clothing right below where Gojo's nose was.

Nanami found himself not caring too much about that fact. He was just glad. Glad that he was able to provide the other with some comfort.

People often forgot that Gojo was human too. Despite how he was extremely immature and smiling all the time, Nanami didn't know of another who went through as much pain as he did.

Sometimes, it was almost like Gojo himself too, forgot that he had limits.

"Ahh- Nanamin.. welcome back!"

You don't have to force yourself to sound so cheery all the time.

"I'm sorry I made such a fuss just now, you did nothing wrong."

You don't have to apologise for anything.

"I owe you one."

No. Nanami presses the cup gently to Gojo's lips. You don't owe me anything. It was my pleasure.

When Gojo struggled to get the pills down, Nanami stayed by his side, rubbing comforting circles into his back.

He didn't know what else to do, what else to say.

Nanami stares into Gojo's dull blue eyes, the colour muted due to his fever. He remembers the last time Gojo's eyes wore a similar shade. He remembers not knowing what to do then as well, except to stay by Gojo's side.

"I'm really glad you came, Nanamin."

Maybe this was all Gojo needed after all, someone to support him. Maybe this was enough.

"Thank youu-"

Nanami hummed in reply, setting the cup down as Gojo dissolved into another small coughing fit.

"You're welcome."

"Juice would have been better t-thouhH'!! ..hih'G'Nxt!! 'NgxXt!! ..snff-"

Instead of biting back with a quick "the only thing you have in your kitchen is coffee and sugar cubes", Nanami pulled a tissue out of the box, pressing it to Gojo's nose softly.

"N-anamin?! I.. I can..hH'!! ..do that myself-"

"I'll let go if you promise to stop stifling."

"Hah? What do you mhH'!! hIH'KsShh'iw!! ..snff- heH'DzZtchH!! ..fuck. I'm so sorry-"

Nanami gently wiped the edge of Gojo's nose before pulling the tissue away, replacing it with a fresh one.

"W-Wait.. NahH'!! ..Nanamin-! Be carfhH-!"

Turning as far away from Nanami as he could in their current position, Gojo clasps a shaky hand over the one on his nose, his breath hitching desperately.

"..N'GsHH'iww!! hIH'tCHH-w!! hH'!! ..haaH.. nngh-..heK'sHh!! t'chh!! dzZtchH!!"

Pulling away once more, Nanami pulled a few more tissues from the box, this time handing them straight to Gojo.

"..Always thinking ahead, hm? How'd you know to get these from outside?"

"Your sneezes always get rather messy." Nanami wants to say, but he remains silent.

"..I'm sorry you had to see that, anyway."

"Don't worry about it."

"Mmh.. I'm a little tired."

"You should get some rest then."

"Yeah.. join me?"

Not expecting that response, Nanami stares blankly at Gojo for several seconds, before his eyes travel down to his wrists, where Gojo had already latched his fingers around.

Not like he had the option to deny the request..

..That's not it, Nanami thinks as he shifts to lift the covers. Even if he had the option to say No, he still would have picked Yes.

Finally setting down next to the other, Gojo shifts his grip from Nanami's wrists to around his waist, pressing his damp nose into the crook of Nanami's neck, lips on his collarbone.

"Na-na-min."

"Hm?"

"Thank you. For coming, and for staying."

"..."

"Will you still be here when I wake up?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"..Promise?"

"Yes."

The grocery shopping could wait.

--end--

----------------

finishing notes: idk if the whole "gojo used to be with geto, and he still misses him" implication spoiled the nanago vibe of this fic

if it did, ahjhaesd IM SO SORRY

but i really, really REALLY, couldn't stop thinking about gojo and nanami using each other to heal from whatever tragedy befell upon them in the hidden inventory/premature death arc, and how they healed each other until eventually getting together.

that's all i have for now, thanks for reading!

Now I get to back to my week of examinations! Totally didn't spend hours writing this instead of studying for Economics! <3 <3

--5 days to Shibuya--

[moonshynecybin]

Can't decide on a specific scene but i'll take anything you have to say about i'll meet judgement by the hounds bc at this point i have re-read it so many times ...

the thing about ill meet judgement by the hounds is that literally no concrete planning went into writing that thing. i was up against a deadline for a grad school assignment i was procrastinating like NOBODY'S BUSINESS had two panic attacks that week (unrelated to school!!) and then flew to bath with my roommate spur of the moment. posted that ch2 late at night zooted on my anxiety meds and and woke up to some LOVELY messages that i read on a bus when i was pulling away from the airport. insane experience. i didnt even want to give it a chapter two right away i was like IM BUSY. and then i wrote it immediately.

BUT to actually talk about the fic. like you asked <3. i actually had this idea that i wanted to follow marc's pov (at that point i had only written vale) and get inside his insane headspace leading up to his arm surgery and then be like. wouldnt it be crazy if vale was there and wanted to reconcile a bit but he was also kind of avoiding SAYING THAT. wouldnt that make marc feel EVEN CRAZIER. marc marquez saw trap simulator. inside you there are two wounds one is valentino rossi and the other is your fucked up arm. anddddd 2022 seemed like the ideal place for a rosquez reunion to me! like. dramaturgically. marc is on the brink. vale has just retired (easy to get a reason for him to have an epiphany regarding marc, made even easier bc marc pov means i never have to explain it in depth !)

and the thing about this fic is that it was supposed to be. A LOT longer. go race by race until his surgery and have them talk a lot more. change a little more gradually. but uh. ive already said my life was insane at that time and i got excited and fucking SENT that badboy. (again. i was lightly tranquilized.) which i think MOSTLY makes it better but the pacing is still little wacky. anyways i do think of the scene i cut where marc talks to alex all the time but i think i also fully deleted it! dont write fic under the influence! i also cut a BIG scene of them at the french GP where vale brings marc a sandwich and makes him eat it. it should also be noted that i was doing SO much journalism research about this period and i found a bunch of WILD quotes from marc that i compiled into a small insane vision board of them to ground my fic in his crazy way of conceptualizing his life. that i apparently also deleted while zen-ed out. so

more stupid behind the scenes under the cut

actual plot summary (my "outline") that i wrote out at the top of my google doc complete with typo:

Thinking about how absolutely distressing it would be for Marc pre surgery or right after if Vale tried to reconcile. Early 2022 before surgery decision and post Vale retirement

Scenes of Vale like. earnestl y talking to him. Marc represses a panic attack every time. race by race?

and here's what i had written for aragon, which is full of lines i just thought of with NO context or structure like this part would NOT take off the ground. you might notice some of them get repurposed later in the fic:

III. French GP, 2022. P6.

Marc’s still not out of the habit of reaching for him, apparently. He looks— God. Marc’s head hurts just looking at him. He could swear he has defenses from this, from how Marc can feel where he is in every room they’re in together. He guesses somewhere in the last few weeks he’s lost them, again. Just another thing he used to be good at.

despite everything, Marc can feel himself relax, with Vale here. The warm heat of him sharing space. He used to feel like this all the time. Vale to his left. His arm, casual and pain free, on his right. Now he's scarred all the way down both sides.

He remembers when he was a kid and he met Vale. How he had winked at Marc and said, I'll look out for you, cradling the toy car that Marc had brought specifically to give to him in his hands. How Marc had turned it over in his brain for years. I'll look out for you.

Marc bargains with himself

Marc does stupid, stupid things when Vale is in his life. He knows this. Going to the ranch is a bad idea. the press alone, if anyone finds out, would feed the paddock journos for years. It would be stupid— risky

Someone needs to tell him not to race. calm him down. Usually, it’s Álex. 

MORE OUTLINE: Vale brings him a sandwich and Marc wants to cry, terrible race. They watch a movie its very Valentino voice lemme take care of you !!! but no talking about their past lmao. maybe arm

Genuinely terrible race. That one stat about alwasy finishing top 5 or crashing. Vale like actually gets him to talk about his arm which gets no where fast (guest alex?) and riding misery begins to reach a tipping point

[osarina]

hi carina !! havent been in ur inbox for a while, hru :)) i hope ur well >^< !!

i'm mainly here to ask if u have any writing tips/advice bc ur lit one of my fave bsd writers ever i adore all ur works sm and recently i've hated everything im writing ajkrnjekncvej SO IM WONDERING IF U HAVE ANY ADVICE CEJFCNJ (hopefully this isnt strange eabfihri)

you dont hafta answer this is u dont wanna btw !!! have a great day mwah <333

REDDDDDD MY SWEET LOVE BUG i've been doing okay!! work hasn't been as awful as i expected it to be, i rlly got lucky with my boss HAHAH - how are you doing?? you had exams right?? i hope they all went well!! sorry it took me so long to answer this one, but i wanted to actually be able to give u a good response so it had to wait until i had time i fear

IT'S NOT STRANGE, ur so sweet im giving u the softest forehead smooch. i'm sorry to hear you've been feeling that way about your writing though - i get it, trust me i do LOL, i go through days and weeks where i literally am revulsed by every word i put down in a doc. actually, i just went thru it like 2 days ago while writing the first chapter of civilian dazai so it's all fresh in the head LOL

honestly, i think the most important tip i have is really basic but u should never force yourself to write just for the sake of getting something out. like, i've done it before and whenever i do, i'm soooo unhappy with the results that it usually makes me go through a huge writing slump -> this happened with uu6 actually, i was so busy but i was trying to force the chapter out on time that i ended up rewriting it like 3 times because i hated it so much. finally i decided to move on to write some pmzai drabbles to clear my head & then came back to uu6 when i started feeling it again and behold, it came with ease. sometimes when i want to write but none of my wips are doing it for me, i'll literally conjure up a huge list of tropes and just read through it until one pops out to me LOL and then ill work on that

another i think basic piece of advice is reading. whether its fanfics, or novels, or whatever. whenever i have trouble liking what i write, i find something to read. reading is actually how i taught myself to write HAHAH my go tos are fantasy/scifi- tolkein, martin, herbert, rf kuang, i've been meaning to read sanderson but haven't had the time yet. honestly, in general, if i have free time and i'm not writing something, 9/10 i'm reading something.

i think plotting is also really important!! even for like one-shots, sometimes i get so lost in the writing that i lose focus of what the fic was originally supposed to be about and that frustrates me into deleting everything i've written. so something i do is i list out all of the scenes i want to see in a chapter or a one-shot before i start writing it so that i don't lose focus.

dialogue is a huge hurdle for me - sometimes i struggle to figure out whether or not my dialogue is realistic, so LOL sometimes i just sit there and speak it out loud, acting out a conversation with myself to see if it flows properly and then adjust accordingly. sometimes i do it for like descriptions/narration too if i think the narration isn't flowing or is too clunky. reading things out loud is a go-to way for me to figure out what's wrong with my writing.

and then lastly, this is more of a mental thing than anything else, but i've just slowly had to teach myself not to be too hard on myself. like i'll get so mad if something doesn't come out exactly how i envisioned it, and it used to genuinely make me so disappointed that i couldn't bring myself to write for days. so i've just slowly been working myself into a mentality telling myself that it doesn't have to be perfect to be great, yknow. and ten times out ten, you're seeing faults in your writing that no one else will take notice of.

so the whole tldr:

only write what you WANT to write, dont force urself to finish/write something

read when you can, whether its fanfic or novels or whatever u can get ur hands on

plot things out so you don't get lost

read things out loud that aren't making sense

work on not being so hard on yourself

[sugoi-and-spice]

1, 18, 22, and 23 <— for the writers asks :)

The Writer Ask Game! (Gahh, these are so fun! ^_^)

1. the last sentence you wrote

Ah, this is a little sneak peak of the next chapter actually. ^_^

Instead, Iguchi just shoved him back onto the bed, then stormed back over to his own, muttering about what a spoiled asshole he was all the way over.

18. if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic.

I started to write a chapter where MC, Shigaraki, and Iguchi go to a climbing/bouldering gym, but ultimately scrapped it. I still like the concept though, so I'll probably bring it back in some form or another in the sequel, though without this particular version of banter, since this takes place when MC and Shigaraki are still trying to deny their feelings for each other. xD

Little more than a paragraph, but I have a feeling y'all won't complain.

“I thought we were already rock-climbing,” Shigaraki said as she knelt down in front of him to adjust the harness around his waist.

“Nah, that was bouldering.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Besides the harness?” she chuckled, then nodded towards one of the walls they were actually going to climb, which was at least three times the height of the tallest wall they’d covered in the other section of the gym.

“Huh,” he acknowledged with a twitch of his mouth.

That actually looked kind of fun.

She secured the last strap and then tapped Shigaraki on his outer thigh for his attention, “Alright, is that too tight?”

He just smirked down at her, “I don’t know. Maybe you should give it a feel and check.”

“You realize I’m in prime nut-tapping position right now, right?” she deadpanned, “Might not want to piss me off.”

Oh, he was painfully aware of her position right now. About fifty different scenarios of her sucking his dick right now had cycled through his head just in the time since she asked that question.

22. do you every worry about public reaction to what you're writing? how do you get past that?

Hmmm, not much. Not anymore at least. When I first started this blog I was a bit worried about potential harassment since I do write dark and problematic content. But I've really only received one or two mean comments/anon messages in the, what, 2 years I've been posting this content? And I just deleted them.

Haha that being said, I think I'm actually a little nervous about whether or not people will like this next chapter. It's pretty much entirely Shigaraki and Iguchi backstory and it also weaves in a lot of really personal viewpoints and experiences with mental illness, so I do hope I do that representation justice.

23. pick three keywords that describe your writing

Ooooh, I'd say angsty and problematic, but also, ultimately healing.

I really love exploring toxic relationships and complicated dynamics in my fics, and particularly I really like to examine how characters can grow from and out of those dynamics and become better people. I love to write growth and character arcs.

...now, would it probably be a bit more moral if I didn't also write these fics as love stories? If Play Nice was a cautionary tale and I wrote about how MC is able to get away from Shigaraki and move on with her life? Haha, yeah probably.

But where's the fun in that?

[utilitycaster]

as a reader I feel that both canon-has-disappointed-me-and-i-shall-make-everything-how-i-want-it-to-be and the kind that, as you say, explores canon themes at least somewhat on canon's own terms has value, but it depends on which fandom I'm looking at, how much / whether I'll indulge in the former. I'd never even consider looking for it re: Calamity for instance (haven't seen candela yet), but then there's canons I'll be happy to entirely disregard. I think maybe it changes with just how much I personally value the canon work of fiction as a work of art in and of itself. plus, if the art is shit, if it's valuable to me as a jumping off point only, I don't see why I should respect the integrity of the work like that.

it does suck to think that people think of Calamity the way I think about, like, the call of duty modern warfare reboot tho.

anyway. not disagreeing at all I just. you know, I felt vaguely called out because sometimes I do like that style of fic, but then I realised uuuh it's probably not about me.

Hey anon,

I know you sent a follow up saying I could delete this if I wanted, but I am actually not annoyed and I think this offers an opportunity to elaborate that I'd like to take.

I will note: I am pretty aware that I make posts that are very easy to take personally if you a person who likes the thing I dislike. They are, more often than not, posts about trends rather than any individual person; but that doesn't mean that an individual person participating in that trend won't feel called out. This probably won't help with those feelings, but while I'm ultimately just making posts about my opinions and what I like, I am not opposed to someone feeling called out and rethinking what they do, and if they come to the conclusion of "hey, utilitycaster is an opinionated asshole and I don't need her approval" that is valid (honestly, more valid than strangers feeling they are entitled to my approval) but it's also a not undesired outcome if someone says "oh, huh, this is a good point, what am I doing with my constant fluffy fix-it fics of things that are about grief and loss and tragedy."

Anyway what I actually wanted to cover is respecting the integrity of a work you don't care for. I don't actually care about the integrity of the art in transformative works! It's fic! The writers and authors do not care! But I also have never, ever seen the point of saying "I don't like what this work did so I want to spend more time in this space and make it do what I wanted." At most, I've picked apart what I thought was good about the premise before it went to shit and used it to inform my other writing or my meta but like...I've stripped it down for parts to the point that it's not even a little about that canon anymore. I steal the concepts for a cool magic system or a specific character trait and bring them to other creative endeavors but I do not associate it with that work anymore. I don't write fic for stories that I, at least at the time of initial writing, did not think were pretty good. If it sucks, I do, in fact, hit the bricks and stop spending time on it. The only scenario I can really concoct is like, a Game of Thrones situation in which someone familiar with both the show and the books writes an ending that is true to the themes of the books (and earlier themes of the show) and diverges before the steep decline); but that is a very specific situation. Even shows I enjoyed that I think ended poorly - even those that are widely agreed to have had bad endings (Battlestar Galactica; How I Met Your Mother; Rusty Quill Gaming) do not entice me to write a fix. It's not that I think the writers or creators did a good job that I am obligated to honor; I just don't see the point.

Fundamentally, I do not see fanfiction as wish fulfillment. I simply do not. Nor do I watch/read/listen to fiction with an end goal of writing or reading fanfiction. If it happens, it happens, but just as much as my post was about "hey, if you look at a tragedy that was made with intent, and you cannot exist with it and live with it and embrace it as such, that's perhaps not a great thing," it is also about being able to see fiction as a completed story that does not need you.

This isn't me saying fanfiction can't be good or enjoyable or isn't an art or a worthwhile pursuit. But I left out some tags from my post that I originally had there, which is that almost all the fanfic I've actually enjoyed has been from people who also write meta. It's written by people who are as comfortable following and listening, as they are leading and telling. And again, this isn't about the integrity of canon so much as the fact that I believe that if you (the general you, not you the anon) cannot read (watch, listen) without saying "how can I make this mine" your work will never be good. I think a lot of people write fanfiction in order to mark hypothetical territory, or get a good grade in ao3, or because Fic Writer is a part of their identity, rather than because they have something to say is best communicated through the medium of fanfiction. And that's their right - I cannot and will not stop them - but I don't care to read what they're writing.

[thewatercolours]

KING'S QUEST: Deleted Fic Moments from "Paths/Path of Kingship": ANISETTE

So remember how originally "Path of Kingship" was going to be a ficlet collection called "Paths," full of AU's about Graham not ending up on the path of kingship but instead pursuing something else or another? And the whole "being king is hard" thing was just going to be a framing device in between AU's now and then? And then the Tollbooth scene happened and I decided I liked the framing device better than the actual scenes? Here are two parts of a deleted scene from that original vision, where Graham tries to sign up as a crew member on his sister's ship.

So the situation:

Graham lost the tournament in Daventry, and feels ashamed to slink back home. But as he says in canon, all the other jobs that have anything to do with his training have dried up. So he's trying to cast his net more broadly, and has tried all kinds of things, but no luck, no hires. At last he decides to track down his sister Anisette, who at this point is captaining her own ship. Perhaps she might have a place for him. It's actually been a few years since he's seen her - it should be quite the reunion.

He arrives in a port city where word on the street says she's docked. He makes his way to a pub where she and her crew often hang out when they're in town. She's sitting at a round corner table with some rough looking customers.

Graham greets her exuberantly, but Anisette hurriedly runs over him before he can blurt out her name. and steers him to shut up and sit down. She assures them that he's her brother and he's okay. Graham quickly picks up that his sister is involved in making some kind of illegal deal with these guys, agreeing to intercept some black market goods for them at a meeting point out at sea. Graham is naturally shocked, but bites his tongue until the clients clear out and he's alone with his sister.

She pulls him out of the shop and into the street. He starts questioning her on how on earth she got involved in this kind of thing, but she cuts him off, and pulls him into a shop a few doors over.

“Graham, remember the last time I came home, and I brought you that enormous box of Cordian chocolates, and your mouth was so full  for an hour you couldn’t speak?”

“Yeah?”

She whipped a pouch from her belt and  poured a splash of clattering brass and silver coins onto the counter. “Biggest box of chocolates you’ve got,” she said to the astonished assistant.

Graham flushed indignantly. As the assistant disappeared through the curtains into the back room, he growled under his breath, “If you want me to keep quiet, you can just say so.”

“I know,” she whispered back, with an apologetic smile. “But this way, everyone wins. I get to feel witty, you get chocolate.”

“I’m not exactly ten anymore,” Graham said.

“Don’t you like chocolate anymore? 'Cause I do. And I was kind of hoping you'd share. Look, Graham, if we can just hang on until we get to my cabin onboard, I'll fill you in on everything.”

They make their way to the ship. On the one hand, this is all kind of thrilling, but Graham is feeling a bit huffy and lets Anisette eat five chocolates before he breaks down and takes any. On board, Anisette explains that she's actually up to anything shady. It's just that lately, she and her crew have been going after rewards by gaining the trust of pirates and crooks of various sorts, and setting them up in situations where the port authorities can nab them with irrefutable evidence. It's a dangerous way to make a living, but after her latest grand voyage, she's been short on money to pay the crew with, and this is a quick way to make a silver piece.

She's genuinely glad to see him, and wants to hear all about the family, and brings up some inside jokes from their younger years. He's happy to see her too. But he's a bit self conscious about that fact that a) he's here because all his attempts at knighthood failed - he keeps dancing around that fact, and b) because the last time she saw him he was a child, and like a lot of people his age, he's feeling a bit sensitive about anything that could be taken as an underestimation of his capabilities.

Eventually he brings up the fact that he's looking for a job. But of course she shouldn't give it to him just because he's her brother. He'd want to prove himself to her. That's what he's here for.

She's surprised, but starts asking about his skills, experience, how far he's willing to go, if it would be tough for him having his sister as a captain if she took him on, etc. He answers everything competently and satisfactorily. He doesn't know much about seamanship, but he makes all the right connections to what he's already good at. She also wants to know if he's any good at fighting, as they're often in harm's way.

“That wasn’t half bad, actually. You got inside my guard and your form was great. If you’d been playing for keeps that would’ve connected fine. You don’t have the weight to back it up yet, but you’ve got time. You’re only, what…” She closed her eyes and snapped her fingers a few times by her temple. “I know this. How old are you again?”

“You’re six years and two months older than me.”

“Right, right. So that would make you, what… Fifteen, sixteen?”

“Eighteen,” Graham said gruffly. He hoped it didn’t sound like he cared much. Too much focus on age made you sound younger.

“Oh. Wow.” His sister paused, looking him up and down afresh, then grinned. “Oh, riiight, I’m twenty-four.” she chuckled. “When’d that happen? Honestly, I don’t remember, because  I always put down at least thirty when I have to sign anything. Port authorities tend to be a lot more overbearing if I’m in my twenties. That’s what threw me off. But gosh, you’re eighteen? That’s not supposed to happen! Crazy world we live in.” She laughed, sighed, and recollected herself. “ Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes. You’ve got the potential to throw a pretty darn good punch, eventually.”

Graham put aside his growing frustration, forbidding himself to mention that he was a good few inches taller than Anisette, and they could probably balance each other out on a seesaw. He wondered if she had the same standards of fisticuffs for herself as she did for her crew. “They taught us basic hand-to-hand combat at the Knighthood Academy,” he explained instead. “But of course I have more weapons training. Give me a sword, or even just a knife, and you’ll see the real stuff. Oh,” he added hurriedly as he remembered, “and I’m not bad with a bow these days either.” He reached inside his cloak, searching for his quiver.

“The Academy?” Anisette grabbed his shoulders  before he could produce it. “You made the Academy?” She sounded excited, but also slightly shocked. “Did I know about this?”

He knew, he knew it was because she was always at sea and most of their letters probably didn’t reach her. But did she have to sound so incredulous that he’d been accepted? He resolved then and there to say nothing about his loss at the tournament.

(I didn't come up with how the scene went on, except that by the end of the scene, they have to deal with the thugs she made the deal with at the pub. Perhaps Graham's arrival made them suspicious and they followed them for a bit before they reached the ship, and set a trap for them? Anisette and Graham deal with the thugs, both having moments to shine. It's clear by how he handles the situation that Graham's not only brave and compassionate, but wise like his sister. By the end of the scene, we can see that while there will be growing pains in bringing their sibling relationship up to date, they have each other's respect in a new way, and of course, they love each other as much as a ever. Graham gets hired, and the ship departs that very night.)

[primewritessmut]

7, 11, 17, 18, 19 distracting you despite it being against my best interests

The way this post was for everyone but you. 💀

7. Favorite Character To Write?

This is probably going to sound weird and very niche, but my favorite character to write is Gwen from every star for you. I was re-reading it today (bc it's bot infested and I had to go comment deleting) and I love an unapologetic, mean, awful woman that fucks. For this same reason, I also really enjoy writing Harley Quinn (even though I don't do it very often) and most of my original work has some flavor of unlikeable woman in it.

11. Have Any Sneak Peeks Of A Current WIP?

You are insatiable. And I even told you that story about my awful cat terrorizing the neighborhood in the middle of the night! But, since I wrote 1500 words on my cat!Loki wip yesterday... I'll give you some of that.

Very little of what Loki had learned about the TVA before deciding to come here had prepared him for seeing his own face on a screen. Parts of his own life, fast-forwarded and rewound like just another movie committed to celluloid film. The idea that all the choices he’s ever made are simply steps on a predetermined path. Or that there’s been someone walking those steps with him the entire time. At least a little.

He arches his back and yawns, stretching his legs out as far as he can until one paw lands lightly on Mobius’s back.

“Sorry,” he mumbles in his sleep, scooting further away from Loki’s sprawl across the surprisingly luxurious mattress.

Loki rolls over and stretches again, pressing both front paws harder against Mobius’s spine. The analyst scoots away a second time, giving Loki all the room a feral little cat might need, and falling off the edge of the bed with a heavy thud in the process.

“Ow. Shit.” Mobius rustles around on the floor for a minute, then exhales loudly. “I guess I can just sleep down here?”

Loki slinks up to the head of the bed and burrows into the soft down of both pillows, flopping onto his back and flicking his tail side to side since it’s the closest he can get to laughing.

17. Your Favorite Writing Conditions?

I assume we're talking ideal writing conditions? Not just the wet rag I manage to wring out every day?

My favorite place I've ever written was in a cabin on a cliff overlooking the ocean (spirit box vibes) in a place with shitty wifi and phone service. I've gotten to do this TWICE and it's incredible. I stayed there for three days making sure I always had drinks in multiples of three and bounced around between writing, napping, hiking, and doing other hobbies.

So those are my ideal conditions, I guess. A few days to decompress from life, then a few more days alone in a cabin where the paint has been worn thin by wind and sun and salt water, and I can just write whenever I want and I don't have to give a shit about anyone but me.

My headphones are probably there, too.

18. Favorite Writing Style To Read?

Ugh. I'm a simple lad and I like simple fair. I like books that are irreverent and show an author's sense of humor even if it doesn't seem like the genre for it. I also think my tastes run toward... bubblegum is the best word I can think of for it. I don't want to have to bring a machete into a book with me just to be able to understand a third of the plot.

And there's also a soft spot in my heart for author's that take you by the hand and walk you through the book, showing you the sights as you read and when you get to the end and you're looking at the sunset, they shove you off a cliff. Love a good "fuck you, bye", truly.

19. Last Thing You Read?

The actual last thing I read was the third chapter of spirit box as you know. Which I love every time I get to read it. 🚨 FIC REC ALERT EVERYONE 🚨

The last book I read was I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman which is sort of stuck in my brain like a splinter. It's one of those books where you read it and you're like, "Huh. I guess that's over." and then six days later you're in the shower and it hits you again and you feel like you're going to cry or throw up. It's really bleak and really human, and I think I'll be thinking about it a lot.

I have a couple books that are in the "just started" phase that I think I might DNF so I'm not mentioning them. But I'll probably tell you later so you don't waste your time.

x

[helianskies]

reflecting on my 2023 in this fandom, i wanted to share some observations, reflections and projections for 2024. it's a little mix of positive and negative stuff so, and as this will be something mostly only mutuals will read (if at all), i just wanted to give you that heads up. i have some bits to get off my chest.

so, to start with, some little observations about myself as a writer:

i tag it 'nationverse' because i don't tend to write nationverse (the odd bit of historical, but not consistently), and i think it's useful to signpost to my readers 'oh btw they are actually nations in this one, in case that's not what you want to read today'. that is okay.

i will always call it 'engspa' to distinguish it from 'spuk' because i have a preferred dynamic for them and i grew up in a fandom space that tagged things as such to help readers know what they were getting into. that is okay.

i prefer having a ficlet collection to posting small works separately because it helps me manage my fics, see what i have and haven't done, navigate my profile, keep the request fics in one place, and maintain my drive to write small things compared to posting them all separately. that is okay.

i block people in order to curate my online enviroment, to avoid topics or content i'm not interested in or that i don't want to be in my happy space, and to manage my own emotions - and i am allowed to do so. that is okay.

i don't like every ship under the sun and so won't fulfil every request or suggestion i receive into my inbox, no matter how many times i am asked to. that is okay.

i just feel a need to address these things that have cropped up in my year. at a few points i've felt like a 'bad writer' for doing certain things or have been made to feel like a 'bad writer' for... essentially having preferences. at various points i lost confidence and contemplated throwing the towel.

thing is, we all do things differently, and we all have our own systems, preferences, and needs. i wish we'd stop putting each other down for that.

while i don't doubt my insecurities won't shift much next year, in 2024, i'll be in my eighth year writing. that feels like an achievement i ought to be celebrating. and it reminds me how important writing is in my life - because that's a third of my lifetime i will have been writing for. and mostly for this fandom, haha...

.°˖✧

looking on the fics i've written and finished this year, if i had to pick my favourite three, they'd probably be...

'Let Me Go' - i'm still patting myself on the back for this one. it's my favourite piece of nationverse i've written to date, and i could do so much with it...

'Want' - begging myself to write a sequel that i probably won't, but i can dream!

'Smokescreen' - ...it felt good to be bad, just for a little bit!

if i then think about my favourite aus in general from this year, then it's got to be:

the zoo au, from 'Lovebirds' because it's just CUTE, okay?

the RNLI au, from 'Swell', in which Arthur and Antonio are lifeboat volunteers (10/10 would write more)

the dragons au, from 'Scales' because worldbuilding is fun but also,, Rhys, my boy! :D

the school au, from 'The Note', for the memories it brings back and the reminder that i can write fluff, dammit!

and if only you guys knew the aus happening in my messages with maiva,, we are so smart we are so cool we are constantly drowning in cats :)

to conclude these little reflections on my year in fandom, things i'm a bit sad about:

i've given up on 'Bound' as a series - i just haven't been able to get anywhere with the plans or drafts i have, and i've lost my love for it, so it's officially parked.

'Hopeful Waters' will also definitely not continue - i will, however, not delete it as i have stopped myself from doing a million times this year. i may write snippets of 'what would have been' but my relationship with the fic is... largely negative, so i make no promise.

hetaween fics slipped through my darn fingers this year and i didn't write as much as i wanted. next year, i will return with vengeance... ùwú

and things i'm happy about or proud of from this year:

romespa ✨everything✨

i've written now well over a million words on ao3 which feels,, just surreal, honestly. 16 year old helia would never

i finally cleared out my ao3 inbox and stopped hoarding comments for months and i'm keeping on top of it!

i've continued to write dialogue prompt lists! it always makes me happy when i see others using them as well <3

.°˖✧

and so, looking at 2024...

next year, what i'm hoping above all else is that 'For Me?' reaches its conclusion. it's been slow-going this year with updates, and it's nearly two years old (ouch), but i'm now finally getting the plot back on track and i know my direction. i hope the wait will be worth it! i'm excited about what's to come for Antonio, Arthur, and the others :)

i also hope 'Bitter Teeth' keeps going strong. i hope i let myself take breaks without feeling so guilty. i hope i get more into historical hetalia again. i really want to explore the implications of the events of 'Let Me Go'. i hope i learn to love my unfinished works or abandoned wips. i hope i start sharing more of my ideas. i hope i learn it's okay to not always want to write the same characters over and over, even if they are my favourites.

really, i just want to keep moving forward. i want to keep writing. i want to keep loving writing. i want to keep exploring. i want to not succumb to negativity as much. i want to indulge even more in what i want and what i feel like.

oh, and i want more cat aus. sorry maiva. we're not finished.

.°˖✧

to finish, i just wanted to leave a little thanks to the friends i have here who read my stuff, who encourage me, and who give me the confidence to continue forwards. i treasure you. i hope you know who you are. and i offer you cookies, hugs, and well wishes for the year ahead 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂

thank you guys for everything <3

[calamari-ao3updates]

Warning! Long-ass post

SO!

Turtle Hot Pot is coming, don't worry, I've just got other things to get off my chest first.

After losing my drafts I just didn't do a whole lot in regards to that fic, but I'm getting back on it and have another chapter 7 ready to be finished up. Problem is, the drafts that got deleted had all the funnies. Now they've turned into crumbs of angst.

So yeah, very much looking forward to the reactions to that hehe

Anywho, I have a lot of hours on the Sims 4, most of it building houses as a way of literal fanfiction. This house is no different :D

Started building Aprils farmhouse from the 2012 series and that kind of spun out of control. Like, small farmhouse turned giant mansion out of control. 64x64 isn't nearly big enough...

Note: Early build/accidental screenshot of the house. I am in pain. The house is based roughly on and built most like this house but there are definitely some changes made to the final build.

I now have a 2012!FutureAU (like so many others-) and it is just Not Letting Me Go. I can't draw for the life of me so I'm writing a fanfiction to appease the turtle overlords while continuing the build. Which is actually kind of fun to have a visual of the place I'm writing about.

Anyway have Donnie's laboratory!

Completely finished with a small med bay, reinforced room for his wacky inventions and an observations/chemistry lab for all kinds of extra-terrestrial things Mona brings in. Her latest find was a weird-looking plant thing, hence the plants in there.

Some headcannons I gathered for Donnie's laboratory throughout my time being hyperfixated on turtles:

Kirby O'Neil gifted the farmhouse to the boys on one of their birthdays (idk which one, either eighteen or twenty-one) and gave them full permission to tear down the house and rebuild it. Simply because you cannot expect four mutant teenagers to live in a tiny house when their social network reaches into literal SPACE, nor did he want these kids to have families and expect all those people to move into the sewers of all places.

It's a big mansion, and took them three years to build and furnish the house alone. (I'll show snippets once it's furnished :P the backyard is a hot mess right now-). Afterwards they tore down the barn and rebuilt it, however the insides were custom-crafted with specialized materials (because labs).

All materials were procured via either Bishop or Mona.

The finished lab has a couple of different sections to it, as requested by both Donnie and his brothers.

The main area

The main area of his lab is where he does most of his tinkering. Either he's shoulders deep into blueprints or looking through data and whatnot, he's most likely to be found here right away.

Donnie's favourite nook in his lab is under the stairs. Usually the one place to find him late at night, illuminated by the one lantern on the back wall and the one desk lamp on the counter.

Casey decided it was also the perfect place for a fish tank, because it was away from his doohickeys and whatchamacallits. No one's complained and the fish are all thriving to Casey's surprise.

One of Donnie's most proudest trinkets is the portal, albeit secured and looked at regularly by both him and professor Honeycutt. It's known to boot up randomly and definitely isn't involved in bringing a past version of our 2012 boys into the future ;) hint hint

The Reinforced "Ticking Time-Bomb"

Raph loves referring to this place as a "ticking time-bomb", no matter how many times Donnie tries to tell him the walls are made from a special material scientists use for heat-resistant, explosion-resistant and all kinds of-resistant laboratories back on Mona's planet.

If you can't find him anywhere else, try your luck here. He might've bitten himself into a set of blueprints or experiments he absolutely couldn't wait to try.

The Med Bay

Note: ignore the succulent planter squares on the wall, I might change those. Don't like them a whole lot.

The only place he has to force Leo to step foot in. It's mostly used for routine check-ups or have Leo walk on the treadmill (bc his knee is a rice krispy and can crack so loud it makes Mikey think he'll start glowing in the dark).

Chloe made him the sunset painting (bc I headcannon her to be an art major) and Raph crocheted the plushies on the couch in case one of the kids ever have to come here for check-up and they need a buddy ;)

The desk has postcards stuck above them, Mikey being the cause behind it. He thought the space was too boring and "it needed some rizz" when asked why. So he one time asked Karai what he should hang up there and she's been sending them double postcards ever since. One for the kitchen on their fridge that has her message on it and another for Donnie's wall that only says "for the rizz".

Donnie has reportedly not tried taking them off or stopping them.

Also, peep Ricky in the corner. Guess who gave him that name.

The Lounge

Note: the blue line going through the wall on the right side is from a roof. Don't worry about it. It definitely isn't an overhead cover for Raphs chickens.

Where his brothers hang out if they want to hang out with Donnie :D

I don't know if you can tell from the first photos, but Donnie has stuck black and yellow security tape to the flooring leading from the door to the stairs. He decided that if his brothers wanted to hangout with him, they could do so in a designated space, reachable via a path that doesn't put them or his inventions, experimentations and research at risk.

The paintings were once again made by Chloe, waiting to be hung up somewhere. Leo and Raph collaborated on the ceiling planters (Leo brought the plants and Raph crocheted the strings) and Mikey stuck a hell of a lot of flower decals to the walls (and might have snuck in the unhealthy amount of butterflies, which Donnie definitely is pretending not to have known)

The toy bin is to keep the little kiddies busy and there's two pet beds in there in case Chompy decides to grace him with a visit.

The item display is definitely Casey's dumb idea and the sunflower rug definitely didn't come from Shinigami.

Donnie also decided to make the space functional aside from recreational and brought a corkboard up there, he might've asked Slash for help with that one. They needed to stick evidence somewhere, and Leo wasn't allowing it in the house. Raph and Donnie are found regularly up here, trying to crack cases they were given access to.

Mikey and Chloe regularly stick drawings up there, only to have them disappear. They got concerned Donnie was throwing them away until Raph showed them one of Donnie's many filing cabinets on the third floor; their drawings neatly sorted and safely tucked away in the various binders needed to contain them all.

If Donnie started finding more A4 drawings than other sizes pinned to the board, there definitely wasn't a reason for it.

There aren't cockroaches in the game, so let's pretend this spider is one.

Because of course Donnie has his little spyroaches roaming his lab, keeping an eye on things alongside Metalhead. Raph despises them, but has learned to tune them out.

If they hide while he specifically is hanging out at the lab, it's definitely not because Donnie has instructed them to do so.

The Observation/Chemistry Lab

It's mostly used for observation and testing of various subjects brought in by either Mona or Bishop.

He holds both video logs and written logs of his observations. It's also the place where he produces the retro-mutagen in small quantities.

The nozzles on the wall are a safety measure against harmful chemical fumes and are stocked with a generic neutralizer developed in collaboration between him, Mona and experts in the field from her home planet.

The Archive

Donnie's files on past projects, researches and all kinds of tidbits of information. There's a lot.

Anyone browsing and taking out random binders will find them filled with gibberish, words bordering illegible and photos of things that don't seem real.

If you find a shelf filled with binders containing art, you definitely didn't stumble upon his little treasury.

And that's about it!

I have a lot more headcannons but I've been working on Donnies lab in the Sims for two days, the story itself since the weekend. I really needed to share and remembered I had an entire blog dedicated to TMNT and my AO3.

I should really use this more often...

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

For the fic ask meme I chose: 6. What do you need to write? Is there anything special you need to do/have to help your creative flow? 12. Was there a scene you wished you could have included? Why didn't it fit in? and 26. WILD CARD

thank you for indulging me! 😘

(the meme in question)

6. What do you need to write? Is there anything special you need to do/have to help your creative flow?

My gut response is silence, but that’s not quite right. It’s not that I need no sound, it’s that I need no words (anyone needs me to pay attention to). Songs with lyrics, conversation I’m expected to participate in, even a TV on in the other room can mess me up. If I’m not careful, I start transcribing the stuff I hear rather than my own thoughts!

12. Was there a scene you wished you could have included? Why didn’t it fit in?

In i know i’ve kissed you before? God, so many. Something like half the Scrivener file is deleted scenes—though most of those are first attempts at scenes I did manage to include, after a few rewrites.

The one I’m maddest I couldn’t get to work is probably my first attempt at a Yasopp-Buggy scene. I’d spent so much time sending Buggy up in the rigging to get some space, I wanted to point out that he wasn’t actually alone up there—Yasopp was in the crow’s nest that whole time, maybe fifteen feet above him. But Yasopp was too professional about his on-duty time and Buggy too self-absorbed to notice him of his own volition, so I had to bring them down to the deck to get a conversation started. :/

26. Wild Card! I'll tell you a fun fact about this fic!

At thirty-four thousand words, ikikyb is the second-longest fic I’ve ever finished! (First place goes to a Pokemon fanfic I wrote when when I was 15, which I only managed to finish because I realized that the ridiculous fantasy elements I’d started to incorporate were taking over what had started out as a pretty basic AAML Sootopolis get-together, so I ended the fic with the get-together and started a sequel (forever unfinished, lmao) focused more on the ridiculous fantasy elements.) When I say shuggy awoke something in me as a writer, I mean it. I’ve written more this year than I have in a single year since 2014, and I’m writing more complex and lengthy stories than I’ve tackled since 2005.