#definitely the hardest thing i've done in this game

[foxstens]

actually i take back everything. spearmaster's campaign is perfect

[barcaatthemoon]

a bad feeling || arsenal x teen!reader ||

your bad feeling before a game ends up turning into your worst nightmare, but your teammates don't let you mope for too long.

"now that is a starter if i've ever seen one," katie said as she put her arm around your shoulders. you had been nervous all morning, nearly throwing up your breakfast before any of you had gotten on the bus. you were playing against manchester united, which meant going against tooney, but more importantly, mary. you had been with arsenal for a little while now, but you hadn't gotten to really play in any of the games against united yet.

"oh yeah, that backline won't know what hit 'em," alessia joined in. she wasn't sure what you needed at the moment, but katie's jokes had been making you smile so far. they wanted you to be relaxed and comfortable. there was a lot riding on this game, but the last thing any of them wanted was to put too much pressure on your shoulders. alessia wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she had done something to cause you to crumble. "you okay?"

"yeah, i'll be fine," you reassured her. a part of you felt like you'd be anything but fine. you weren't sure why, but you felt like something bad was going to happen. there had been something off all day, but you couldn't figure out what it was, so you tried your hardest to ignore it.

on the pitch, things were working fine until they weren't. manchester's girls were being a bit rough with you, which alessia and katie definitely noticed. at the half, katie had absolutely gone off ranting about them, but alessia had distracted you during katie's rant. you were a bit more winded than you normally would have been, but you didn't let the other team's aggression deter you.

"you go out there and score some goals," katie said as she pulled you in for a hug. you nodded against her before she kissed the top of your head and let you go. alessia pulled you into a similar embrace, something that she had noticed leah do during every game that you got to play in. leah's injury was hard on you, but everybody had picked up the slack to make sure that you were taken care of.

you started the second half in good spirits. you managed to get an easy break early on, slipping past their defense with ease. you kept your head forward like you'd always been taught to. the defense wasn't nearly as far behind as you had expected, and when you went to take your shot, one of them came in for a tackle. it wasn't clean, but she hadn't expected to connect as well as she had. your movement mixed with hers had you crumpling to the ground clutching your knee.

"(y/n)?" mary was the first person at your side. she pulled your head into her lap as she rubbed your back. ella was quick to join alessia and katie, as well as a few of your other arsenal teammates.

"i want leah," you whimpered. alessia frowned as she held onto your hand. they all crowded around you until the medics came with a stretcher to take you away. a few quick scans had confirmed your worst nightmare, an acl tear. it was worse than that, but all you had heard was that part. everything else out of the trainer's mouth had been garbled like your head was stuck in a fish bowl.

the rest of the day felt like a blur. you were whisked away to a hospital, several people from both teams and your national team came to visit you. it wasn't until you were back in london at your parents' place that you finally saw the one person you had been begging and pleading for all weekend, leah. she hadn't come alone, having heard how you had been moping since you left the trainer's room in manchester.

"hey," leah greeted you. she was speaking softly, just like everybody had since you got hurt. you were laying up in your bed, confined to your room to rest for a few days. technically, you could move around your house, but you didn't see the point in getting out of bed until you could play again.

"is it okay if i come in?" viv asked from your doorway. you perked up a little, not having seen her for what felt like forever. beth was with her, the two of them rarely separated off of the field. you nodded and scooted over so that there was more room for all of your teammates to come in.

"what are you guys doing here?" you asked. leah took the spot right next to you, the two of you having developed a special bond from the start. you had flocked to leah immediately, but back then, you had just been in pure awe of her. now, she was like your absolute best friend on the team and had stopped treating you like a baby all the time. that wasn't to say she wasn't fiercely overprotective of you like you were her sister.

"we wanted to check on you. i heard you've been having a hard time since the game," beth answered. you shrugged it off, despite knowing that she was telling the truth. you had been having an incredibly hard time dealing with your injury and the reality of what it meant. you were so young, and this was the kind of thing that ruined careers.

"more importantly, we wanted to remind you that this setback is temporary. you'll rest and rehab it, and take care of yourself so that it doesn't happen again, not for a long time at least. you'll bounce back from this because you're young and smart enough to take good care of yourself. i believe in you, we all do," leah said. "isn't that right?"

"yeah, i'll get better," you mumbled. leah nudged you, trying to get you to say it again louder. "i'll get better, and i'll stay better."

"that's right," leah said triumphantly.

"how long are you guys staying?" you asked. you were a bit distracted from your injury, and hopeful that your friends would stay for a bit. since joining arsenal, you hadn't really had much time for friends your own age. they didn't understand the strictness of your schedule and training regiment. it was just easier to hang out with your teammates, even if the age gap meant that you had a lot of differences in interests.

"well, i happen to have a clear night. in fact, i believe that mary and tooney are coming down for a little get-together. if you've got all your school work done, i am sure that your mum wouldn't mind if you stayed over," leah suggested.

"viv and i might even stop by for a bit before her bedtime," beth said. you had finished nearly your entire week's worth of work with an open schedule, which meant you were free to go to leah's for the night. that was something that your mother definitely knew, and had most likely even arranged to get you to come out of your room.

"do you mean it?" you asked leah. she nodded and helped you pack a bag to spend the night. it had been a long time since you'd gotten to attend a team sleepover, and even though you couldn't play and train with everybody else, you were glad that they still thought to include you. you hadn't admitted it to anybody else, but your big fear was that the team would shut you out because you were injured.

[tiredmamaissy]

hey 👋

i think this is the longest i've been gone. i missed you all a lot. i've been writing this entire time, and wanted to finish the last (for now, it’s definitely not completed) two chapters of the ralak series before officially coming back. i didn't want to come back without some sort of peace offering (lol how could i come back empty handed?) and i don’t want to leave you guys hanging again, gotta give some sort of closure to this series!

i'm almost finished, but i felt like i needed to come on here and explain myself.

i've been really struggling with my mental lately. it's just been pretty bad, to be frank. and when i get like this, i find it extremely difficult to juggle all that life entails, and will typically neglect certain aspects of it just to get by. unfortunately, this, and my social life, have taken the biggest hit. i find it hard to keep in touch regularly with friends, and i end up just retreating into my shell. motivation becomes little, or nothing at all.

i don't want to go into too much detail, but i've found myself between a rock and a hard place. i don't feel like i have many options in my current situation. i feel trapped. i suppose i've felt this way for the past few years, but it's just been pretty bad recently. issy has been an escape for me. i created a ‘new’ identity, one that i could unapologetically be myself. no face to the name type of thing. i fell in love with pandora, yearning to go there. and suddenly, my ideal world--my ideal everything was at my fingertips.

when i first started, the feeling of regaining my identity after so many years was exhilarating. i put many, many things on the back burner to immerse myself into this feeling and this world. quicker meals, shorter showers, later bedtimes. i did any and everything to dedicate as much time as i could muster up to hold onto this new identity. i could feel myself becoming happier, slipping back into who i was before i lost her.

but life just happens. you know? it continued, and it did so ten-fold. it was one thing after the next, and soon my plate was so full that i had to take something off of it. i guess i'm used to choosing myself to neglect first, so i told myself i'd put this off until i could get through this and then come back. so i did, and i came back. then life happened again. so i left, and came back.

but this time around life hit me hard. i felt like i was playing a game on the hardest difficulty, with a half a life, no pauses, and no way to exit safely. i'm still playing that game, but i've realised that i should really try to make the most of it. so i've been writing in what time i have. it's been one of my biggest escapes and it makes me happy that i can share it, and see that others enjoy what my silly brain comes up with.

i'm ready to come back, but i'm honestly still really overwhelmed with life. i really, really don't want to disappoint anyone…and i can't promise that i won't leave again anytime soon. i never want to leave. and honestly, i don't think i'll ever really leave for good. i will forever love avatar, and all that it’s done for me for the past 14 years. i guess i’m just trying to say… thank you all for your patience and love.

okidoki, let me stop here while i can lol.

ill be posting the chapters as soon as i'm done with them, ofc. i love you guys!! i’m heading to bed and will try to clear out my inbox and dm’s asap

-issy 💜

[beatcroc]

a year!!! as of today i have now been drawing these funny little pizza freaks, to the exclusion of almost everything else, for!!! an entire year!!! i wanted to do a nice group shot/lineup of everybody to compare to when i first started trying to draw them because oh boy were they bad. i never even posted most of them anywhere because they were so bad. but im posting them here, now, to see how everything's changed/evolved.

this is probably the hardest time i've ever had trying to figure out how to work with a style, but we got there eventually; i'm pretty happy with the handle i've got on everybody now...dont let ur memes be dreams. lots of unimportant journaling and idle thoughts abt it below.

older pics

the first one is the VERY first time i drew them, before i thought i was going to actually have any interest in drawing them [lmao]; it was just the one isolated image, for my friendserver, to illustrate the funney message, so there was no attempt to make it Good or actually understand anything going on w/ the designs or style.

second is the original run of practices sketches to start trying to figure them out for real; done after i started having ideas for the comics and such and realized oh god maybe i am actually gonna draw fanart for this. [again, lol, and lmao.]

third one is the first pt art thing i posted on here. there were a couple weeks of sprite studies between this one and the previous image. the one on the top right wasn't part of that post i just threw it on as space filler; i'd intended to shift to doing Sprite Redraws But Stylized to explore tings more, but that was the only one i did. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

individual characters

peppino: by far the hardest dear god. bro what ARE your shapes how DOES your face work. jesus christ. everything i have trouble with this style for, peppino has it in excess. i draw in polygons! i need consistency! and that is the last thing this kind of style is concerned with. they are made of squarshy clay and i do not understand how to mold them. i was really hoping trying to learn this game's style would GIVE me that kind of flexibility for fun exaggerated facial expression but i don't think much came of it in the end 😔. anyway on the bright side all this means once i got peppino figured out a little bit everybody else clicked way easier.

fake peppino: honestly i never did anything with him on purpose except for how his eyes work + the perma-smile thing. i figured ok hes supposed to look weird and off model so whatever happens with him happens. and it did. and it kept happening. it is still, in fact, happening.

noise/ette: somehow, for every bit that peppino was the least natural thing i've ever tried, these two worked pretty much right off the bat. i still don't understand it, seeing as pretty much all the things at play for peppino are also at work for them. i think the new sketches are actually a little worse than older ones but not enough that i care.

gustavo: really funny bc i drew him on model twice and just went 'okay, cool nice, easy, um. he doesn't have any fucking legs?' fortunately he was the only one i had a strong idea for how to stylize him [square] and it worked exactly as i was hoping so wahoo.

brick: is an animal and therefore 5000x easier and more natural for me to draw/stylize than anything else in the cast. that is Just a rat bro. i can draw a rat.

gerome: i think the funniest one here. the most drastic and least necessary change imo. i was gonna have him be really small at first, like smaller than the noises, but then i just... didn't. he's just peppino-sized now. also i gave him like. actual human facial structure, which is funny bc in most cases i'd do anything to avoid, but it works well for his being A Rock to give him some angles and definition like that+ to differentiate his vibe from the rest of the cast who are all very squishy. also since he is essentially Just A Head it's good to emphasize that too ig.

john: i only drew john a couple times but he gets to be here because i like him. and because most of the stuff i applied to gerome was readily applicable to john, though i did try to keep him a little more uncanny because he is a Huge And Lanky Freak. i hate that he is barefoot btw but idk how to make his color balance look right with shoes.

pizzahead: i did not want to put him on here honestly but i Have drawn him a handful of times and more importantly i didn't know what i was gonna do with john's pose if i didn't have him there to be glared at. the only thing that's different with him is giving him wider-bottomed pants, which i got from when i tried to draw these guys in clone high style [i never posted that one either][i will eventually]

snick: he gets to be here because 1. he's like 6 lines 2. i like him and 3. ive scribbled him a few times offhand and it went pretty well

misc

there are some guys missing because those are guys i didn't draw enough [or at all] to have gotten comfortable with them. sorry

i would have Liked to shade these but for the time being i have accepted that my grasp of light/shadow has decayed to the point im not going to be happy with anything i try there, so For Now i am working on my presentation with flats i guess. gerome has a shadow only because he's shaded like that ingame and looks naked without it

anyway if you are still reading [hi?] i get to shamelessly plug now. i'm over the hill of my pizza run now, and while i still have plenty of things i want to make here, most of the bigger more in-depth ones have passed. pizza tower was the first thing in THREE YEARS to get me out of my oc groove to doing fanart, and once i am done with my ideas here i will be going right back to it. if you like my art or how i write characters/interactions you should check out my oc/webcomic blog @jamverse . i can't promise people who like pizza stuff will be terribly into my designs, but i can guarantee i treat my guys with the exact same sort of tone i handle the pt guys with. and hell, i've mentioned it a few times before, but like 70% of my characterization for fake pep is just copied off one of my characters, so if u are going to miss him... he will still be there in spirit >;p

and if you dont care about any of that and are still reading thank you anyway. actually making these comics + seeing how shockingly well-received they've been has done a lot for my confidence, and for seeing that my kind of stuff IS something people enjoy :')

[bisexuallsokka]

25 from the prompt list!! :)

25. a kiss as a 'yes'

Zuko can't keep his eyes off Sokka.

This is nothing new, of course. At this point in their years of marriage, preceded by years of friendship that turned into years of dating, Zuko is sure he has spent hours of his life staring at Sokka.

This, though...this is different.

He watched Sokka's brilliant smile all night as he played and talked with his niece and nephews for hours. He saw Sokka running around with them, playing tag and hide and go seek and half a dozen games the kids had invented until Sokka needed to rest his knee and found himself with a lap full of three young kids mere moments after sitting down. Zuko smiled fondly as Sokka read the three of them books until all four of them were on the verge of falling asleep. Zuko saw every hug and forehead kiss he gave the kids as they said their goodbyes, saw Sokka's eyes getting misty at their protest of his leaving, saw the content smile on his face as he drove.

Once they are home and getting ready for bed, Sokka catches him looking a few times until he grins and teases, "Is there something on my face?"

Zuko smiles. "No. I just...I love how much you love those kids. I love them too, of course, but you are crazy about them. It's cute."

"Yeah, well, I can't help it that they are so cute."

"They're getting so big," Zuko says. "Do you ever...miss when they were smaller?"

Sokka shrugs. "I thought I would, but I love seeing their personalities emerge as they grow. It's so funny seeing them act just like Aang or Katara."

"Don't you miss their newborn snuggles though?" Zuko asks.

Sokka eyes him suspiciously. "Obviously. I'm not a monster. Wait, did you-" he starts, eyes lighting up for a moment before he calms down. "Never mind. No way is Katara pregnant, she's told me she's done having kids." He still gives Zuko a side eye, and Zuko laughs.

"She's not pregnant, no. We were talking about something else all night."

"Okay," Sokka says, giving him his full attention, now definitely on Zuko's case. "It has to do with babies?"

Zuko nods, trying his hardest to not betray his nervousness. He's not nervous about what he's trying to ask Sokka, he knows he wants it, but he also knows how badly Sokka wants it, so Zuko wants this moment to be special. Sokka, looking confused, just waits for Zuko to elaborate, and Zuko swallows. "Well, I've been talking with Azula-"

"She is pregnant?" Sokka says, eyebrows shooting up, and Zuko can't help but laugh at the bewildered expression on his face.

"No, definitely not," he says quickly. "She just-- well, you see, she's been...she's a lawyer, yeah? And not the kind that we...but she has connections...she has some good recommendations..."

Sokka looks completely lost, so Zuko stops, takes a deep breath, and says, "She gave me a list of good family lawyers. Ones that have experience with adoption cases."

At first, he thinks Sokka hadn't heard him, he's more still than Zuko has ever seen him in his life. But then, his eyes widen, barely enough for Zuko to notice. Zuko doesn't think he's even breathing.

"This is something that we have talked about but we always dropped it, leaving it for some future discussion because we were busy or low on money or distracted by one thing or another. I know how badly you want kids, and I was nervous about it at first, but now I know how badly I want to have kids with you, and it's been all I can think about the last few times we have been at Katara's, and I swear she read my mind because she started talking about it tonight and everything just feels right, so if you are ready, if you think it's a good time-"

He doesn't get to finish his rambling. Sokka shoots across the room, his hands gently cradling Zuko's face as he looks into his husband's eyes. Sokka's own eyes are wide and excited and so damn beautiful, and he says, "You're serious?"

"More serious than I've ever been ab--hmmph!"

He's taken by surprise as Sokka interrupts him again, this time with a kiss so fierce it honestly kind of hurts. Zuko smiles into it nonetheless, his arms reaching for Sokka's waist to pull him closer.

Sokka's lips widen into a smile as well, and when they pull back, Zuko asks, "So is that a yes?"

"Of course it's a yes, you dumbass," Sokka says, going for exasperated but failing as his tears are overflowing and Zuko reaches a hand up to wipe them away, not registering his own tears until Sokka does the same for him.

[dwarvenbash]

"I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my Krootox don't like people laughin'. Gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it..."

The Kroot with No Name

My favorite operative in my Farstalker Kinband Killteam, the Kroot Pistolier (I prefer "Gunslinger" though, it's easier to say, too!) is such an awesome piece that can do some close-range burst damage AND can even get a shot off on a quick draw!

Free-handing the iconic poncho design was definitely a challenge, when you really look at it the pattern is pretty darn complex!

More on the process under the cut:

I've always been a huge fan of the Kroot, so when their Killteam was announced a couple years back I was over the moon with excitement. I'm still in disbelief that they're actually going for an entire Kroot-focused detachment in 40k though; when that box is finally released I'm totally screwed. Anyway, when I picked these bad boys up initially, I had to put them all together in time for a Killteam Spec-Ops narrative campaign I was doing in a couple days, but I saw these two models in the instructions and my conversion-obsessed brain was already off to the races:

The poncho on the Warrior was straight out of a Spaghetti Western, and luckily for me, the Pistolier's arm bits fit almost perfectly (with a little greenstuff filling). If I was going to go full-on Western, though, the hardest part was definitely making a convincing-looking hat.

I toyed with a couple different methods, but the most doable seemed to be sculpting a greenstuff "crown" onto a flat "brim" piece. The problem was finding a good material to make the "brim", though. In the end, I settled on using one of these:

The humble milk carton pull tab! With some (somewhat) careful pruning, the thickness of these things make for a pretty believable hat brim at this scale. With a couple rings from a jeweler's chain because I had to throw in the Gun X Sword reference to accent the hat, it was done! I wouldn't finish painting the poor guy until wayyy later, but I got some fancy shaded priming done in time for the campaign, at the very least...

Thanks for reading! If I can get my workspace in order hopefully I'll be able to post more painted models, since they're more fun to look at and write about. I need a lot more practice painting, too, so hopefully this blog can help me feel like I'm progressing in my painting ability the more I post on it.

I definitely want to write more on here about the Kroot, too, since they're one of my favorite aspects of 40k! Expect some more on them when I get around to taking some pictures of one of the bigger Kroot conversions that got me into the hobby.

Next time though, I think I'll divulge a bit from the mainstream Games Workshop beat and write about some cool miniatures you may have never heard of!

[bryce-bucher]

What part of lowpoly modeling is the most difficult?

Honestly that's a hard question. I learned how to do highpoly modeling first, so, by comparison, doing lowpoly felt a lot breezier to learn because everything just takes less time to do. I think the thing that took me the longest to figure out was that, for organic modeling (like plants and characters and animals and w/e), you should start out with a plane or an edge and sort of draw out shapes with extrusions rather than start with a cube. Once I figured out how that kind of organic modeling was done, creating characters became much easier, and I was able to make them look better as well. Texturing can also definitely be pretty difficult depending on your skill set and what it is that you are texturing. I took a lot of photoshop classes growing up, so I'm v comfortable editing photos to create nice photo-sourced textures; however, I am much newer to hand-painting, so the hardest thing for me to texture is definitely human faces. It's probably the only part of creating lowpoly characters that I still regularly struggle with. Either way, I've learned that (for me at least) the best way to create textures for lowpoly assets is to create the texture information in rectangular formations within an image and then arrange the uvs afterwards. I used to do the uvs first and then create the textures to match the uv shapes, but this can end up looking p wonky with lower resolution textures, and it was a lot more time consuming. If you look up textures for ps1 games they are almost always just arranged in rectangles and then the uvs are creatively placed on top of the texture information.

[welcometololaland]

someone pointed out i didn't actually do my own WIP game, so here you go lol. thank you to everyone who participated!!! i love knowing what's on your tasty, tasty plates.

I'd like to encourage anyone who hasn't done this to please do it! This is an open tag from me, you can say lola pressured you ;)

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more). (There are also questions for artists/GIF creators below).

For Writers

1. WIP List:

(only my active WIPS):

Not Now But Soon aka 10 Things I Hate About You AU (Tarlos)

When in Rome aka Eurotrip (RWRB)

Call Me (By My Name) (co-write with @rmd-writes) (Tarlos)

Cause of Action aka Set It Up AU (TGM)

[Redacted] Christmas Fic (RWRB)

The Ring-In (Again) aka The Ring-In Sequel (Tarlos)

[Unnamed/Redacted AU] (co-write with @strandnreyes) (Tarlos)

Product Placement aka Sequel to TikTok Fic (Tarlos)

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

Hands down Eurotrip - I think it's about 45k right now.

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

Eurotrip. By my projection, 180k.

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

I love writing my co-writes. I just find them so, so fun to plot and jointly scream about.

But I also find writing The-Ring In 2.0 very easy because it's just so. damn. silly (see also [Redacted] Christmas Fic which I think might be the stupidest thing I've ever written).

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

Eurotrip because it's SO LONG and also I keep having self-doubt.

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

See above. I think because I keep worrying it's not good enough. I really wanted it to be so perfect and I think that perfectionism is haunting me. Plus, I keep getting discouraged that it's boring and everyone else is doing the same thing but better lol.

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

All of them because frankly I can't be trusted not to give a character six hands or put them in the shower with their clothes on.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

Eurotrip, many times. Not Now But Soon. Cause of Action. Product Placement. All of them have been haunted.

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

Definitely The Ring-In 2.0. I have Richard "Dick" Reynolds, the childhood 'nemesis' of Carlos Reyes that turns up at an inopportune moment. Also, an unnamed OC which will basically be a play on Tad Mikowski from the Aspen episode of South Park (if anyone has seen it).

OH ALSO. REDACTED RWRB CHRISTMAS FIC HAS THE MOST RIDICULOUS OC OF ALL TIME. seriously. i cannot wait to write him.

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

Well I've barely started The Ring-In 2.0 and they've already fucked in a spin cycle shower stall so...

I think Call Me (By My Name) will also be fyyyyyre since Rae is there with me.

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

Not Now But Soon or Eurotrip. Neither are particularly angsty, but I don't write angst (well).

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

I think the [Redacted] co-write with Jen will be heartwarming and funny and Jen is amazing at characterisation so I have faith she will carry the team ;)

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

Eurotrip (I HOPE). The Ring-In 2.0 could be really fucking funny if the scene setting is good. Also, [Redacted] RWRB Christmas fic if I can pull it off. 'Scene setting' but not as you know it ;)

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

Eurotrip, but it continues to evade me.

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

Eurotrip. Which is the whole damn problem with it.

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

Yes. I hate it because I can dream it but not write it (WHY?)

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

Eurotrip, because the characters are covering a lot of distance (literally). It involves more research than the others. Call Me (By My Name) for [redacted] REASONS.

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

Oh shit. All of them? Humour is my brand people!! I mean The Ring-In 2.0 will be straight up ridiculous, of course. I have cackled over the plotting for [redacted] with Jen and Call Me (By My Name). There are some truly stupid moments in Eurotrip. The whole of Product Placement is basically crack. The REDACTED RWRB CHRISTMAS FIC. GUYS. THIS FUCKING FIC. WILL BE THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN (also it has nothing to do with Christmas don't look at me).

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

Not really, but I have to create some OCs for The Ring-In 2.0 and also bring back a bunch of existing OCs from the original, which makes the characterisation aspect a little more complex.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

Redacted RWRB Christmas fic is basically being co-created by my sister who offered to jump into my Google docs. A family affair!

Thanks again to everyone for playing!

[wickermayne]

💖 What do you like most about your own writing?, 🤔 What is the hardest part of writing fic?, 💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

Thank you for the aks dayeongi!

💖 What do you like most about your own writing?

Fanfiction is mostly written by women, this is known, and of course, even the smut. I've read a lot of fanfiction and a LOT of smut, especially written by woman (from which I've learned a lot) but I definitely think being a man puts me in a different perspective for smut fics. I think that difference of perspective really shines through in my writing to be honest! Not to say the influences of female writing are not apparent in my writing, but I think things like being more influenced by visual senses and getting in the mind frame of a man comes through well in my smut because it's more natural for me, as a man, to exemplify those things.

And I like that my writing is a reflection of that sort of female influenced-male written style.

🤔 What is the hardest part of writing fic?

There are things I can't write at all pretty much. In-depth plot/storylines, fight scenes, politics, ect. But of the things I do write I think the hardest part is getting the words to match the scene in my head. I daydream about my scenes often and pretty viscerally, and it's a big struggle to translate that into the written form in a way that captures how clear it is in my head. I often settle in my published work because I'd rather write something than nothing at all.

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

Almost never tbh, this is a hobby and research seems like work lmao. At best I may do a quick wiki search just to make sure I'm not like 100% wrong about something. Otherwise, I did do some research on choking/asphyxiation for one of my CR chapters (and I also read some fics with that kink to try and understand mindset and sensations) otherwise I also did some research on the A-spot and if it's real or not lol. So usually some sex stuff that I'm unfamiliar with or trying to get sensation information about.

Ask game questions!

[not-poignant]

!!!

palmarosa and 5, 6, 11 & 12 for the fic ask thingy pls! (If that’s too many questions for one ask then just. Any of those. Ty!)

Re: Palmarosa - okay let's gooooo

5: What part was hardest to write?

So far, the sex scenes (although see below for some of my issues re: behind the scenes researching). They honestly are often the hardest parts to write. But also, Astarion is rather more sex averse than I initially imagined him being, but as I've been writing the more 'concrete' fic, I'm finding he is very sex averse and has a lot of reasons to be, and as a result it's slowed Raphael down. It's not bad, but I already struggle with sex scenes in general just because I want to craft something decent.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

Mmm. Astarion's a vampire and I actually (can't believe I'm admitting this) don't really love writing vampires! Writing creatures who drink blood to live I think is a tentative first for me, lol. Otherwise there's more similarities than differences. Like, the fandom and characters/pairing are different, but a lot of the themes are the same.

I'd say this is the first world I've written in re: fandom that has this much lore to go through, and almost all of it contradictory in some fashion. So I'm having to do more research kind of like through three separate fandoms to find what I want, or to realise I have to invent something new. That side of things is challenging.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

The crunchy dynamic between a not particularly pure-of-heart vampire spawn and a definitely not pure-of-heart devil. I really enjoy their banter. They're both very theatrical and performative. They both like a good show. They both think elements of violence are fun. They're both not particularly concerned with being good people every second of every day.

I get to have Astarion say some really fun lines, and that gets to be relatively in character. I get to have Raphael say some truly unhinged purple prose bullshit, and that's also pretty in character for him! I think I also really enjoy matching the voices as much as possible. I sometimes feel like I can 'hear' them saying their lines, and that feels really good.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

Probably the lack of easy ways to research the dialogue and world etc. I was very spoiled by like... the Dragon Age: Inquisition wiki, and even the Stardew Valley wiki. They have most of the dialogue and written parts there. The BG3 Wiki is kind of terrible for almost everything I need to know and I'm surprised when it can actually help me. It's also not immediately easy to add to, which I've thought of doing in the past (I have a Wiki account, and I have edited/added to them before - but Fextralife is different). And then also, a lot of it is contradictory.

The game writes pretty significant character growth in many different directions which means you can canonically write Astarion as two completely different characters in terms of morality and it still be...canon compliant. And then on top of that, there's just typos and issues - Korilla is 'Korrilla' in almost all the correspondence and texts, and 'Korilla' in the dialogue. So which is it? Do I just get to choose for fun? (I do).

As a result I've read hundreds of raw datamined dialogue files, and that's just laborious, because 90% of that is irrelevant to what I'm doing. In general, there's not a ton to hook into for Raphael, and some of his best lines are actually written down or transcribed.

I don't think anyone will ever truly know how much behind the scenes research I've done for what is ultimately a very Id/ridiculous fic, but I've done a metric fuckton of it. And when people then go 'oh but actually Gale is an X and you got that wrong' I want to claw my own eyes out, because I've spent at least 50 solid hours researching and compiling a fairly information dense Obsidian Vault for worldbuilding, and when I get basic things wrong it makes me want to cry and then immediately quit, lmao.

(In case anyone wants to see what that looks like so far:

--

From this fanfic meme!

[hoodie-buck]

Weekend WIP Game

Tagged by @wikiangela @thewolvesof1998

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more)

WIP List:

active (mostly) wips

—murder!boyfriends

—chris doesn't come back au

—baseball au 2.0

—prision!buddie

other wips that are in the abandoned wips folder...maybe i'll return to them one day...

—author!buck

—insurgent au

—platonic fwb

—fwb buck 1.0.2 au

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

—chris doesn't come back au (a little shy of 14k)

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

—probably chris doesn't come back au. i've barely gotten into things and am already at almost 14k 💀

4. Which WIP is your favorite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

—hmm i'm actually having so much fun writing the murder!boyfriends au! i just love making them unhinged 😈

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

—probably the murder!boyfriends, just bc it is so dark, and i don't want people to hate it. idk i'm afraid i won't be able to pull it off 😩

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

—the author!buck one. it was just a silly little idea, but writing all the smutty parts for it became kind of intimidating and i ended up hating it and throwing it to the side. i haven't looked back since

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

—i've never used a beta reader tbh. i usually just send my friends snippets or things for vibe checks!

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

—see above the abandon wips, or any of the ones you haven't seen me posting about lately 🥲

9. Which WIP has your favorite OC? Tell us about them?

—i don't have any OC atm, but i would love to play with that in the future!

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

—hmm probably the author!au from what i remember or murder!boyfriends just bc i think them being covered in blood and stabbing ppl is sexy 🙊

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

—chris doesn't come back au. its a pretty heavy one. i love all the threats i get whenever i post a new snippet 😆

12. Which WIP has the best characterization (in your humble opinion)?

—hmmm maybe the chris doesn't come back au? i've had to really deep dive into both their heads for this one

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

—chris doesn't come back au bc tsunami episodes my most beloved, but also murder!boyfriends, bc the dark settings are so fun to conjure up!

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

—chris doesn't come back au. it's the one i've put the most time and effort into as of late. she's been in my ideas for forever and has a special place in my heart <33

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

—chris doesn't come back au, mainly for the reason above. she's my babygirl, ok 🥹

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

—mm not that i can specifically think of or remember, but i'm sure i have at some point!

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that that your other fics don't?

—murder!boyfriends is definitely darker than anything i've done before

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humor?

—author!buck is the only one that comes to mind

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

—not currently. i've played around a little with that in the past though. it's always fun diving into others heads!

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs

—i do have a secret wip not listed anywhere above 👀

tagging: @loserdiaz @redlightsandicedtea @honestlydarkprincess @monsterrae1 @onward--upward @barbiediaz @spotsandsocks @buddierights @eddiebabygirldiaz @elvensorceress @witchesdiaz @jacksadventuresinwriting @wh0re-behavi0r @spaceprincessem @wildlife4life @daffi-990 @hippolotamus @giddyupbuck @disasterbuckdiaz

[nerdacious]

So now that the fic has been finished for a bit I have some questions about the making of Partners and Paper Trails. I'm just curious about what it was like to write it (and wondering whether my experiences writing for this fandom are universal). No pressure to answer!

Generally speaking, did you find Harry's chapters or Kim's chapters harder/easier to write?

Which parts of the fic (either POV) were your favorite to write? Alternatively, which parts were unexpectedly frustrating?

From what I understand, you wrote the entire fic ahead of time and then edited it as you went along, but didn't start publishing it until the first draft was entirely finished. Do you have any advice for someone who's attempting to write a long fic following a similar process?

(as a secret fourth question, if there's any hidden lore/details that people didn't seem to pick up on/something else fic related you want to share and haven't had the opportunity to, I'm all ears. love me some secret lore 👀)

Sorry it took me so long to respond, I was working on my response instead of working and then I was like crap, I should probably do work, and then I actually went out and did stuff with people irl for once lol. So now I'm back home and can answer this!

Generally speaking, did you find Harry's chapters or Kim's chapters harder/easier to write?

There were aspects of both that were difficult. I spent a whole other fic in Kim's head so I had more practice with him, but I think Harry ended up being a little easier or at least more fun. I could break up reactions and thoughts into each of his aspects vs the solid paragraphs of Kim's chapters. You also can just do more wacky stuff with Harry and his skills. However, it was hard to remember all of the skills. Like, I did Encyclopedia so dirty. After a point I kind of just forgot about him or didn't feel like thinking up facts for him to chime in about lol

Which parts of the fic (either POV) were your favorite to write? Alternatively, which parts were unexpectedly frustrating?

My favorite thing to write is dialogue, especially when Kim and Harry are really getting into the groove of the case and when they get their little banters going. I also really like competence porn so Harry wasn't nearly as much of a mess as he could be in game. It was a bit of a wish fulfillment fic in that I wanted to see Harry doing better for himself and not just for Kim. I think directly after Martinaise he probably was doing worse than the point he's at in the start of the fic.

The hardest part was writing the case and trying not to make it too obvious (but it definitely was so I had to hope people enjoyed it regardless haha). I'd never done a mystery before so coming up with what happened and how/what they discovered was challenging. So I guess that's not really unexpectedly difficult. Writing the actual porn was unexpectedly frustrating! A majority of what I write is smut so it was like "why is this so difficult???". I had to get that last chapter perfect (I still don't think it is, but what writer ever does) because I dragged it out long enough and I didn't want to let anyone down. It's very different from what I originally had. I also had never written d/s before, thankfully my editor has experience in that realm so he had really good pointers even though it's really light in the fic lol. I still don't know how successful I was with the smut for this one.

From what I understand, you wrote the entire fic ahead of time and then edited it as you went along, but didn't start publishing it until the first draft was entirely finished. Do you have any advice for someone who's attempting to write a long fic following a similar process?

Some people can just write and post as they go, but I have way too much anxiety to start posting something that isn't finished. I also have way too much ADHD to trust that once I started something I actually would finish it. I've also seen too many fics that don't know or don't want to quit so they just keep going past the point where it would have been a good/interesting ending (not really in this fandom, I just mean in general). So, yes, I finished it, had my editor do an initial read, made some general edits based on his feedback, and then he did a more in-depth edit of the first few chapters and then I started posting them. Some chapters I added a lot more to them during this stage and some chapters stayed pretty much the same. There are a few chapters that haven't been edited because he was unexpectedly unavailable for an extended period of time and I didn't want to stop the momentum. I didn't really have a beta reader for this one, but I asked a few people to beta specific chapters. It's not something I typically would want, I'd have preferred to have a beta for all of it, but it is what it is (or was rather). So all of that is to say, you don't have to do it that way lol, but I would at least have an outline and stopping point and stick to it. And if you want a beta reader, find someone who's opinion you trust and who you can trust will be honest with you. Also don't get rid of anything entirely. If you like something, but it doesn't work, cut it and paste it in a separate document because you might find a way to bring it back or parts of it back in other places. Also make copies for version control. Once I finished it, I made a copy so if I changed something too much in the final version but didn't like it, I could either refer back to or restore parts from the original.

As for secret lore/things no one mentioned:

In the first chapter, when Mollins first flips the siren on, Harry has an adverse reaction to the sound because of his encounter with The Pigs. Then there's an Esprit De Corps check about her listening to her police shows. (Hilarious fact: I couldn't remember her real name correctly at first and before I double checked the wiki I thought it was Marine Le Pen loool)

This goes back to the first fic, but Kim bought a book on how to support someone in addiction recovery and the receipt shows he bought it when he first started as a detective with Eyes. If you take the radiation drug in the game, there's mention of Kim possibly having had a partner with addiction. Also based on his many comments on seeing officers in much worse condition and having only one partner, I'm guessing he's talking about Eyes so I went with that. I still have no idea what exactly happened with Eyes in my story, though.

Shivers helps Kim open the door to the Linnea.

The reason Johnny's body was dropped off in the Harbor is because there had been a bank robbery in Jamrock at the time and there were cops everywhere looking for anything suspicious. That's a tidbit that didn't make it into the text.

The people in Harry's Shivers check in the first part of his final POV chapter are the people that would have been targeted next.

Thanks for asking these questions, they were fun to answer!

[paula-of-christ]

I think you might have some fun with the "the coquettification of catholicism" by mina le. It0s not really ABOUT catholicism, but it's influence over the fashion world and the fashion world borrowing from it.

(you can watch the video here)

First off: CONFESSION READINGS???? SHe is NOT a priest????????? also, also also also. Selling confessions........ for 5$.................... she is definitely NOT a history girlie that is for SURE

But on a more relaxed note, from what I've so far watched (and I will be watching the rest of after I finish this post) this Mina Le did her homework for this video and it's very well done imo. I enjoy fashion history so it's a nice piece. The way she speaks, I wouldn't be surprised if she was Catholic herself, but if not, I'm glad to see more non-Catholic (and secularists) going to bat against the cultural appropriation of Catholicism.

It reminds me of a youtube short I saw the other day of someone defending against the sexualization of Catholic nuns. He normally does reviews of video game or artwork of armor and how realistic it is, usually ended up being based on the sexualization of female characters. But, in a video he made the comment of it being wrong to sexualize nuns, since they are women that have tried their hardest to NOT be sexualized. Comments on the video were talking about how much they hate Catholicism so they were going to keep doing it anyways, and he responded with a video calling out the blatant sexism/misogyny. While the creator was secular, and his other videos he makes it clear he stands for things that go against Church teaching, it's heartwarming to see that there is still good in the world, and that those people are level headed. Especially in an age where people want to make content to make other people angry, to generate a hate-following.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.195 thoughts

[You Are What You Eat]

(Contents: worldbuilding - backstory/Master Rules, character analysis - Sun/Beast, thematic analysis - happiness)

Y'know, it's odd, this is my first week in like a year and a half where UU is the only review I need to write for Jump, so I figured it would be a lot easier for me to motivate myself to do it

And yet, this has been one of the hardest to get myself to start

I wonder if it's because I'm sad about the loss of Cipher Academy and Martial Master Asumi? Or do I just feel like I don't have much to say on this chapter? It's hard to say, but I've found that when I'm feeling down on the idea of doing something I know I enjoy, simply getting started on it usually helps reignite the enthusiasm, so here goes nothing!

The big thing about this chapter is definitely the worldbuilding. I think we all suspected that the Creation Story of UU started with man and expanded out from there (we once saw Victor standing alone in an empty wasteland at what was presumably the beginning of time), but the visual of countless souls simply floating around a molten rock paints such a striking picture of this world's origin

My favorite part of that visual though has to be the Sun and Moon looming in the sky, a grim reminder that both of them are above humanity in the pecking order. Even with the Moon standing between the Earth and Sun, shielding the Earth from the blinding and burning light of the Sun, the idea that the Moon is "protecting humanity" is of cold comfort when you consider that we still don't understand Luna's motivations, and she seems to be just as if not more sadistically invested in the struggles of the humanity

I think it's worth noting too that Beast never says "Sun" added the Rules; he says "God" added the Rules out of boredom and curiosity. For all we know, the worldbuilding itself was a collaborative effort between Sun and Luna, and it was only much later that the two of them decided that the only way to truly kill their boredom was to compete with each other. This is supported by Beast's statement that he was added to the game because God tired of seeing man vs. man and wanted to see a new enemy type (which, interestingly, apparently was done repeatedly since new Beast sub-Rules had to be added in over time like Tyrannosaurus, Shark, and of course, Crab), suggesting that the conflict between Negator and UMA came later

There's also an interesting little contradiction in Beast's story: God added the Rules to torment humans and "find what they desired; the greatest life of them all." Why does God care about that? If the Rules are meant to instill suffering and nothing more, what interest does God have in knowing what it means to live well? Is this a Darkseid "Anti-Life Equation" deal where God wants to know what makes humans happiest so he can take it away and maximize despair? Or is it a Komaeda situation and God believes that happiness is found through suffering, and is setting up the ultimate despair in hopes that it will allow the ultimate hope to shine brighter? I could really see it going either way, but I kind of hope it's the latter cus I think that it'd be more interesting if even the UMAs have the wrong idea about God's ultimate goals

Actually, if it is the latter, that would imply that Ruin has the right of it, wouldn't it? "I'm sure there's meaning in the suffering brought on by the Master Rules." While it currently seems like Ruin is delusional and justifying the cruelty of God, it's possible that he's the only one who actually understands what God wants: to create the ideal and happiest form of life on Earth. That might even be the core of the conflict between Sun and Luna, that they both want what they think is best for man, they just fundamentally disagree on what that is. If I had to guess, it's similar to One Piece in that the dichotomy is between Order and Freedom, where one believes that rigid adherence provides happiness through security while the other believes that choice at the risk of regret is more satisfying. The City Mouse and the Country Mouse, for my Chainsaw Man fans

Despite how close we seem to be getting to the story's climax, it's still too early to draw any conclusions on that front, but Tozuka definitely seems to be sprinkling those themes throughout the story. While they may be overwritten later with more context, it's never too early to interpret the themes as they're presented

On a more immediate note, I love the implication that Beast was added as the Seventh Master Rule and ended up getting demoted to Ninth later. This really speaks to the prevalence of Time (identity pending) and Language to the human experience; man eventually conquered Beast as the apex predator, there are no animals that man cannot kill, and in fact it's widely accepted that we are the objectively bigger threat to them, but the Language barrier? That's a direct impediment to human communication and solidarity, so while it may not be as damaging as Justice, it's undeniable that it's a bigger threat to us as a species than any animal could be. And of course, Time has always been a major enemy to the human experience; no matter what diseases you overcome, what animals you conquer and eat, what languages you learn, your time will come. You can delay it, but the longer you do, the harder it becomes to do so; your bones will weaken, your mind will slow, and even your very genes will fray and fail you one day. Time isn't the real killer, so War and Death are obviously worse, but just because it isn't as bad doesn't mean it isn't cruel, and much more so than Beasts. Beast's desire to reclaim "the Era of Beasts" is proof enough that the advancements of man have cost him his former rank

Beast also said that the Rules are not designed to benefit man, but that's either his own shortsightedness, merely a taunt to obscure the truth, or a testament to the strength of man. Beasts are food, clothes, and even companions. Language is an obstacle, but also a tool and an art. Time is an inevitability, but one that carries with it the benefit of experience even at the expense of longevity. We don't know much about the top 6, but at least these "weaker" Master Rules carry a very clear set of benefits along with their impediments. If God truly didn't intend for these benefits, then man is that much more impressive for bending the Rules to fit their needs, and if he did in secret, then that reinforces my earlier point that the suffering is merely meant to push man to greater heights

Maybe I shouldn't be putting this much effort into analyzing these points now since they're likely to either come up or be disproven later, but half the fun is following the breadcrumbs that Tozuka leaves for us over time. Much like Ruin's faith in God, I have faith that Tozuka's words are meaningful to the final message of the story, so ignoring them as they come just because they don't show the full picture is like missing the trees for the forest

What I am going to wait on though is talking about Top's decision to pit Unbreakable vs. Unbreakable, as that's going to be developed and possibly resolved in the next chapter. While I'm sure I could come up with a lot to say now, I get the distinct feeling that this is a tree that's better served being given time to grow

Phew! I had a lot more to talk about than I thought, and I was right, I feel a lot better now. Hopefully the suffering of losing CA and MMA was just an obstacle I needed to overcome to reaffirm the happiness I feel from reading UU, and that going forward I'll be able to continue to use that as motivation to keep bringing you all fun analyses like this!

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[castleclerics]

why will ripping off the bandaid is actually (very) good for byler

ever since the script came out (it was lowkey confirmed yesterday by a twitter byler that it's actually real, just an early draft of it) i've seen people worried about will trying to let mike go and what that would mean for byler in s5.

even if it's not real, i realized before the script that he probably was tearing off the bandaid anyway and that i'm pretty sure that's a big part of why that scene was so painful for him. the past year he hadn't been reaching out to mike and at the end of s3 he gives away his dnd game. the van scene was his second and final attempt of letting go of mike really quickly, and i think mike understood that (in a platonic sense) through this facial expression:

here's why it's actually a good thing:

him not reaching out to mike didn't help him move on. he painted that painting for him and was extremely extremely excited to see him at the airport. it literally shows that him ripping off the bandaid DIDNT WORK. so why would it work if he tried again? we all know will has always been in love with mike and he's not going to fall out of love with him probably ever, or at the very least not easily.

the only thing that made him try letting go of mike again was seeing how "in love" he was with el all throughout s4. we literally see so many shots of his perspective and thinking mike and el have the most picture-perfect relationship, proving he's an unreliable narrator. he also decided to grab the painting at the last minute before leaving lenora (while they were in a rush mind you) because you can tell he thought he had a chance at getting closer with mike after their talk in his bedroom. mike on that whole trip however, wouldn't shut up about how worried he is about his relationship with el. that's when will decides to be the selfless person he is and help their relationship flourish so mike and his sister can be happy. he realizes for the final time there's nothing to come of being romantically in love with mike and that he rly has to try harder this time to let go.

here's the kicker: if will has already ripped off the bandaid, then there is nothing for mike to reject.

once mike finds out will loves him he can't go to him and say "sorry i just don't feel the same way" because it wouldn't make sense. also narratively. also will's only response could be "i know i was trying to let go of you because i know you don't" and then all of this buildup for the entire series that they have so carefully planned out would have been for nothing. literally just for a quick scene like that, which is obviously not the case. mike reciprocating feelings is literally the only option here, and they've lined everything up very perfectly to make that happen, they literally have written themselves into a corner.

also, you can see in this shot will is trying his very hardest to move on. he won't even look at mike until the car pulls up.

it's also pretty obvious will is done with this whole situation. he's definitely never bringing it up to mike (even in code again) so the only option is for mike to bring it up to him, and with reciprocated feelings, because that's the only way he could bring it up, especially since the plot needs to be driven forwards.

so basically, this was a friendly reminder that byler is happening because there is literally no other way it can go. but wbk.

[catty-words]

finally back home from my family's and ready to put last year to rest with the

2023 fic writing roundup

Total 2023 Word Count: 95,451 published words, but 116,360 words written for the year   Total 2023 Hits: 25,513 Other 2023 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 1,272; Comment threads: 198; Bookmarks: 252; Subscriptions: 158.

Total 2022 Word Count: 36,969 published words, but 132,549 words logged for the year Total 2022 Hits: 17,797 Other 2022 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 1,910; Comment threads: 111; Bookmarks: 259; Subscriptions: 20.

links and titles to 2023 works

[cw's nancy drew] couldn't help noticing the gold mines glistening in your skin (3,966 words) - a birthday gift for bethany! what if nancy and ace hooked up pre-canon?

[never have i ever] one more last try (4,323 words) - for the girlies* who were/are incensed that the nhie writers had the audacity to make bad benvi sex canon and then UNINTERESTING. *it's me, i'm girlies

[cw's nancy drew] first contact (849 words) - nancy and ace texting can be poetry if you hold my hand and just believe!

[never have i ever] answering machines & how your voice says it’s gonna get back to me someday (3,163 words) - devi and ben's relationship through their first year at university as told by the voicemails they leave each other

[never have i ever] a lie away from getting you into the mood (77,482 words) - i mean. how could i possibly sum this one up? d/b FWB, sure, but also so much more than that. bitty spark 'verse pt 2.

[never have i ever] to nestle deep into the safe-keeping (3,440 words) - in a now time-honored tradition, i wrote rose some smut for her birthday! d/b being soft and in love their first year of university.

[cw's nancy drew] it’ll hurt like a mother when your foot comes out (2,228 words) - drew crew hike to commemorate a real life hike! fun!

Favorite Fic: 'gold mines' is a strong contender, but. you know it's 'lie away'. how could it be anything else? i spent a year and a half writing it and i finished the fuck out of it despite the tornado that stirred up my personal life this year. i don't know that i've ever been prouder of a fic. almost certainly not.

Hardest Fic: also 'a lie away'. the amount of material that i wrote and then scrapped because it wasn't right was A Lot.

Do You Plan to Take Prompts in 2024? haven't done a prompt game in a while! think it might be time to pull out that song lyric one, i've been gifted some exceptional music that way.

that said, though, when i do have all day to sit down and write, i've found myself more interested in chipping away at something longer-form. then again, it's been a while since i exercised the prompt-filling muscle in my writer brain, and i don't want that muscle to lose definition entirely. we'll see, i suppose.

What was the best thing about 2023? I FUCKING FINISHED 'A LIE AWAY' I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT

What was the worst thing about 2022? woof. i sure did split from my partner of a decade. which has actually been incredibly good for me, but living through it was a bit fucky, as you can imagine.

which makes this a great time to nod at 'answering machines' for being perfect creative fun and getting me out of my head during the worst of the breakup. looking at the title alone can make my brain stutter, though, it's a time capsule from such a tumultuous period in my life. probably doesn't help that i used a song from my unofficial breakup album to title the fic. i love you, 'answering machines'. i cannot fathom rereading you at this time.

Any last thoughts for 2023? i am content. the year was good to me, all things considered.

Goals for 2024

fuck around with devi the vampire slayer

original fiction???

fall head over heels for another show

continue writing devi/ben even if the audience for it dissipates entirely