#guess what it turns out writing multi chapter fics are hard when you have a real job and also don't plan your fics out ahead of time

[slutabed]

18+ - ch. 3 preview: "He Carries the Reminders" from Where the Ragged People Go

...all of a sudden, Steve seems to want his title back. 

It’s ridiculous, and Robin nearly snorts beer out of her nose laughing in her haste to remind him what a dork he truly is. Jonathan grins and chimes in about how far King Steve has fallen off of his throne, and how it’d be pretty tough to sit back up there with a broken ass and no crown.

But Steve is grinning wildly, all shining lights in his eyes and just a flush of red high up on his cheeks, looking every bit the golden captain of the basketball team he’d been even during his team’s losing streak. 

“If Munson wants my title,” he says to the room at large, passing Eddie another beer and grabbing one for himself, “he’s gonna have to fight me for it.”

Blood swims in diametric streams throughout Eddie’s body, half rushing to his face and half rushing south to what could become a dangerously embarrassing situation if he doesn’t get a fucking grip soon. 

Fight Steve? Eddie could die from one knock-out punch and be satisfied, if it means Steve gets his hands on him. 

But while Eddie is busy trying to shove his horny brain back into his mental closet, Steve pulls a multitool out of his back pocket and flips the knife open. 

“I’m assuming you have one of your own?” Steve asks, entirely too calm for this shit, as if it’s completely normal to – what, invite Eddie to a fucking knife fight in his living room? 

Eddie blinks and does the only thing he can think of while he fumbles for the switchblade he keeps in his pocket: he runs his fucking mouth. 

“Aw, so it was just a knife in your pocket after all, huh, Harrington? I thought you were just happy to see me.”

Robin and Jonathan boo him from their respective seats while Steve rolls his eyes, grabs Eddie’s collar and hauls him to his feet. 

“If you’re too chickenshit to shotgun for the title, Munson, just say it,” Steve croons before shanking a hole into the side of his beer can, popping the top, bringing the hole to his mouth and sucking, hard. 

“Oh shit.” 

[facewithoutheart]

Thanks for the tags @monbons & @rimeswithpurple ❤️

I’ve finally finished the first draft of my COBB which feels super good. For once, I’m not doing a multi-chapter fic but I’m pleased with how it turned out. It needs a bit of finessing at the end so I’m going to let it sit for awhile. Come back when it’s closer to posting time for last minute tweaks.

Have some cute goat content:

Simon shrugged one shoulder. “Who can say? But he’s been loved. That’s what counts.” He placed the goat gently on the ground and the little thing scrambled away, bleating like a banshee at the kids who had yet to take flight. “Of course he’s also been a right bastard. Maybe that counts more.”

Cute/deranged, same thing.

Song vibes if you need them:

Tags & original fiction thoughts below the break.

I also spent some time making piccrews of my OCs. I only like to write original fiction about love triangles with two men and a woman so here, meet Hawk, Gabriel & Zoe:

Shout out to my brown eye peeps although I forgot Hawk actually has hazel eyes. WHOOPS. We’re just gonna pretend he has flecks of green sprinkles in there that only Gabriel can see. And yes Zoe is that hot on purpose. She’s a messy bitch and I love her.

One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is the theory that words written are not words wasted. As in, don’t regret the things you wrote that aren’t published or make it into the final piece. And I’ve had to adopt that for fanfic to original writing because sometimes it’s hard looking at my, frankly ridiculous, back catalog and wonder if it wasn’t all worthless. Because in the end I spent all that time and energy writing someone else’s stories.

But this is a fruitless and, frankly, untrue line of thinking. I’ve spent years honing my ability to write plot and setting and dialogue and action and messy situations. Sure, I’ve been using someone else’s characters and outline to do so, but the skills transfer even if they do also require new ones. I would never have had the courage to take on messy characters for a romance novel if I hadn’t written Boulders or This Charming Man. These two fics directly inspired my original idea.

So I’m kind of sitting around feeling really … grateful? I guess? That I’ve taken this time, I’ve written these words, and I’ve stretched these muscles. Writing an original novel is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid and it feels really good to be working on one again, especially after my rather demoralizing attempt at NaNoWriMo in 2022.

Which is all just to say I’m having a good time, and all your efforts are not wasted, and does this make any sense? Maybe not entirely. And maybe you’ve skimmed it but maybe this is also something that will resonate with one of you all.

Okay now. Tagging @martsonmars, @sillyunicorn, @bookish-bogwitch, @thewholelemon, @raenestee, @cutestkilla, @skeedelvee, @artsyunderstudy, @palimpsessed, @aristocratic-otter, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @stitchyqueer, @run-for-chamo-miles, @larkral, @whogaveyoupermission, @moodandmist, @mooncello, @creepyspice, @ivelovedhimthroughworse & @shrekgogurt

[quinloki]

Hii! Can i request for kid, killer and zoro

Praise kink,subspace and cockwarming. I love your account so much💖

Oh thank you - I feel like I'm going to quickly become the Kinky Head Canon Account and not the writes multi-chapter smut fics account XD but that's okay \o/

I'm having fun and I write what I want to write, so it works out all good -^_^-

Okay, so before we go into this, subspace is... well... less a kink and more a state of mind. But, I think I know how I'm going to talking about it - I just want to be upfront that it's a little different. Certainly an aspect of kinky things and bdsm though, and not at all a bad thing to put in the ask <3

Let's do this one by character as well \o/ Alphabetical? Sure, sure, why not?

Zoro:

Praise Kink - Yes - Zoro's not overly chatty as a general rule, but he is a little more loquacious behind closed doors. At first it's to ask questions, and make sure everything is going good, and then it becomes part of the process as he becomes more learned and practiced. Dom, sub, switch, top, bottom - Zoro strikes me as the kind of guy who adapts to you and your desires. Sure he'll have some of his own, but he never gave this sort of thing much thought before you, so he's just trying out everything.

Praising you comes so easily though, he doesn't even realize he's doing it at first, and when you praise him in return - he certainly likes that. He can definitely degrade you if you want, but he'd rather sing your praises (and have praises sung to him honestly).

Subspace - FUCK Yes - the first time you sink into subspace Zoro panics. Maybe you never had before, maybe you just didn't think about explaining it to him, maybe you did explain it to him, but hearing and seeing are two different things. It ends up being the end of that particular session, but with the experience and lesson learned, things go much more smoothly going forward. It starts to be a goal for him, to slip you into that state of mind, however he can. The more you like it the more dominate he becomes.

On the flip side, Zoro is a Sure, or I guess. It's a lot of trust to put on his partner, and control. It's not that he doesn't trust you or your control, it's just that he's never been not-in-control and it's hard to let go of. Binds can be broken, but mentally sinking into something like that is a little much.

Cockwarming - Oh god you don't even know - Zoro's a zen kind of guy. He meditates as part of his training routine, and he's often spoken of the philosophies of swordsmanship - not just practical applications. He's surprisingly patient, and unlike his captain he's not at all twitchy or fidgety. Depending on the mood you're both in it can turn into a bit of a battle of wills, but sadly you've got a long way to go to beat him in stamina and focus. In the end you're always the one begging for him to move more, or to let him let you move more. He's not likely to be rushed though >.> So good luck.

Killer:

Praise Kink - Oh god your don't even know - Killer will praise you and accept your praises. But mostly praise you - how well you take him, how sweet you sound, how beautiful your laughter is, how delicious, and warm, and tight and perfect you are. Killer loves to lavish you with praise. You are his good little one, and he'll make sure you never doubt it.

It's also easy to tell that praise effects him positively as well. You can hear his soft moans shiver when you praise him, feel him twitch inside you, the flex in his fingers as he works to control himself.

Subspace - Yes - for pushing you into it unintentionally more often than not, Killer is definitely a Yes. It's icing on the cake, and it's not necessarily something he's going for, but it's nice when it happens. It's an odd kind of praise on its own, that he's filled that dominate role for you so completely your submission has sunk you entirely.

Cockwarming - FUCK Yes - Killer likes to cuddle with you, letting hands and lips wander over one another and just reveling quietly in the connection and caresses. He doesn't get to do it as often as he'd like, you're both busy people, but when there's enough time to just sink inside you and stay there, touch and hold and tease you a little while you try not to squirm against him. It's relaxing to start, and the slow build into something more gives him a chance to flex his will and control.

Kid:

Praise Kink - Yes - Kid'll praise you, so long as you've earned it. Of course, if you're not earning it, your relationship probably isn't going to last that long. He's not withholding it, or demanding anything really, his praise is almost subtle compared to most. It's like a mix of degradation and praise. He can't just seem to call you his pretty [boy/girl/babe], he has to call you his pretty little slut. You make the sweetest whore sounds.

He can try to tone it down, but honestly for Kid, the more degrading his praises are, the more he's actually meaning to praise you. Gods forgive anyone who thinks they can talk to you that way though, cause Eustass won't.

Subspace - Oh god you have no idea - Eustass loves dragging you into subspace. He's liable to press every button he can to get you there fast as possible unless you're begging him not to (for whatever reason). It's not like he has to put forth much effort, there's barely a speck of submissive in his entire body, and once he gets into a groove in a session it's almost impossible to not fall into it.

There's nothing to fear though, if you're under his care he's looking out for you. Established or a one-night stand, it doesn't matter. There's rules to bdsm and being a dom, and they're engraved on his bones.

Cockwarming - Sure - Eustass is a little too much energy and movement to sit still and do "nothing". You can get him to tease and caress and cuddle, certainly, and if the situation is about you staying still and being patient, then he can drag it out like the demon that he is. But, it's not something he's likely to suggest himself.

If he's going to drag out teasing you, he'd rather restrain you and bring all sorts of toys and props and sensations into it. Not that he doesn't want to cuddle or be intimate, but if you want cuddles then don't bring his cock into it >.>

Kinky One Piece Head Canon

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

It Wasn't Real (But We Were Happy)

First posted: June 6 2018

Focuses on: Tim Drake and the Fam

Favorite bookmark: "I was clutching my face for the last two chapters."

Second favorite bookmark: "Do you want to cry?"

Tier: Top five in hits and subscriptions, top ten in everything else

This is my “behind the scenes” series where I indulge myself horribly by annotating my fics. Link to the fic itself above.

This is a multi-chapter series, so this thread will be reblogged with each chapter's thoughts added beneath the cut.

Chapter One

This is one of the rare fics where I can remember exactly what was happening when it sprang into being. Mostly. I was walking home on evening, post-rain, and skirting around puddles while texting with @starknjarvis27. I don't remember what started the conversation but suddenly I was knee-deep in emotions about Tim as The Replacement, Tim as Nanny McPhee ("When you need me but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me but no longer need me, then I have to go."), Tim as Mary Poppins (That's gratitude for you. Didn't even say goodbye?" "No, they didn't.")

I don't think I started writing directly after that, though I may have. I do know I deliberately banked up the chapters and didn't post the first until they were all written. I was worried about losing steam and not finishing. Given how popular this fic is, maybe I should do that more often.

The title is from Dear Evan Hansen (it was 2018, give me a break), from the song "Words Fail," where the main character emotionally confesses the elaborate deception he had built, ensnaring the people he professed to love in a fantasy that he said was for them but really, in the end, was only for himself.

It was said that time was the great equalizer, but Tim didn’t know how that could be true. Time seemed to touch everyone differently, and everyone grappled with it in their own way.

As you've probably noticed, I do this kind of a lot. "It" being both a philosophical beginning and lining up each of the fam and examining what makes them different in certain ways. Both are a good way (for me, the writer, at least) to ease into a fic. Starting is hard.

Dick bobbed in its streams like a vacationer in a tube. He let it carry him along, neither struggling nor straining, but enjoying the ride wherever its path led. Jason floundered, striding through the water until his steps inevitably found the gap of his stolen life. He would lose his footing and plunge under, only to burst above the current with great, heaving breaths and push on determinedly once more.

Again with the water metaphors. I would say I'm sorry but I'm not. I'll also add that this is, of course, Tim's perspective. He's not wrong, but Dick, for example, would likely have a nuanced take of his own relationship with time (that also would not necessarily being objectively right or wrong because perception is subjective, even of ourselves.)

A good many endings surprised him, horrified him, came whistling out at him like fists in the dark. 

I think I use this metaphor more than once in fics. Mentally I tie it to "A Knife in the Dark," the Bree chapter title in The Fellowship of the Ring and later the song title from the Howard Shore soundtrack for the same scene. The whole point is wildly different, but the mental association is there for me, whatcanyado.

But it was only their timing that caught him off guard, never their existence, like turning the crank on a silenced jack-in-the-box. Without the music, he could only guess when the pop and cackle would come, but he knew the lurch in his stomach was inevitable.

My sister was scared of jack-in-the-boxes as a kid/young adult, like Buddy the Elf, so I stole this from her and him.

Alfred would have noticed, had he been around, but timing his exodus to Alfred’s annual sabbatical in England had been Tim’s one act of true cowardice. Alfred would have noticed Tim’s abandonment of the Manor and would have lured him back in with calls or threatening visits from the others or the sheer guilt power of a raised eyebrow.

I think if I were a stronger or braver writer it would have been a good challenge to keep Alfred present rather than shooing him off to England like Superman to space.

No, the hardest task had been quitting the Titans. They didn’t need Tim any more than the Waynes did, but they wanted him. They were his friends. Tim couldn’t see any way to continue with the Titans, however.

Commenters speculated on the Titans showing up. I hope they weren't too disappointed when that didn't happen but I do not know those children at all. And they weren't the point, anyways. The point was Tim and his family.

[daifukumochiin]

Writers ask!

1. Start to finish, how long did it take to plan and write? Did you take breaks during the process?

6. How did you decide what tense and POV(s) to use?

18. Talk about your editing and revision process

26. Share your favorite detail

Since no one is curious about any particular fic, I'll just answer in a general sense, Lav 🥲 I'll address it to everyone who'd come across this post. 1. How long does it take me to plan and write a story? Do I take breaks during the process? > I don't have stellar records. So far, out of nine that I uploaded on ffnet, I have two completed one shots (one of those, I promised I'd write a part two, but I'm not interested in it anymore), a completed short multi-chapter fic, a microfic anthology, and then all the rest are WIPs. I've been DM for 7-8 years now... That's how long it is to plan my most read fic xD Technically, it is complete, but I promised some extra chapters and I could just never get it done. I'm answering in a roundabout way because I'm not as organized as Lav when planning and writing my fics. I don't keep records, I mostly go by feeling. However, if I do put my mind into it, I guess I could be the type to set a deadline and get it done. Though it's not a guarantee that I'd get the response that I hope for, and that makes me feel gutted. So, in my case, after getting familiar with my writer self through all these years, I need to believe in the importance of a fic more than anyone so that no matter the response and readership, I'd never stop until it's complete. How long does it take me to plan and write a story? Until the will to do it takes me through its completion, that's my answer. Do I take breaks? Hahaha! It's breaks that need to be taken from me.

2. How do I decide what tense and POV(s) to use? > Past. Third person limited POV. Those are my default. I don't think much about it. 3. Talk about your editing and revision process. > Even after I finish uploading a fic, I'll always end up finding errors here and there. I don't have a perfect chapter unlike PianoCoat. When I see an error in PianoCoat's chapter, I'm like, "whoa, that's rare." I edit for as long as I see mistakes, and for as long as I wanted to check for mistakes. I used to be more prudent with this, especially with my first fic, but recently, I don't have much time anymore, and you know, that's fine. I run it through Grammarly-sensei and even after then, I'd still catch some errors. Fresh eyes? Don't know her. Maybe give it five to ten years, then I'd truly have fresh eyes. Not the day after. Fresh eyes I tell you, isn't necessarily a good thing. Your past self's treasure could turn into your future self's cringe. My verdict: I edit and revise, but I'm not the best person for it.

4. Share your favorite detail. > 🤔... This took long for me to think about to be honest. I think I've already told everyone in the SasuHina Month discord about things I liked that I felt those are old things that aren't necessarily very true for current me anymore. I'm thinking maybe something from my most recent works. Is 2022 recent? Doesn't matter, let me tell you about it, 'cause I haven't told this to someone yet. I liked how my story for SH Month 2022 Day 3: Dépaysement took everyone on a journey where they didn't know how it would turn out. That's my favorite part about it. People knew it was a SasuHina story, but they weren’t able to predict the ending because the experience of the journey had immersed them. Also, I liked that Hinata had a hard time with the goats. That part was semi-autobiographical🤣

Thanks for checking out my stuff😽💞🙌 If you haven't yet and are interested, here are links for you:

AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daifuku_Mochiin/works

FFnet https://www.fanfiction.net/u/9526245/Daifuku-Mochiin

[nouklea]

Fic Tag Game!

I was tagged by @beri-allen, @writerrose1998, @cosmic-lullaby and @wileyonce. Thanks! <3

20 questions below the cut:

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

16

2. What’s your AO3 word count?

136,228

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Wednesday for now. I used to write for StarWars (see question 12) but no traces remains from that era.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Woe of Wrath

I'm on my Way

Variations on a Main Theme - 1

A Second Chance for a First Impression

Five Minutes Earlier

5. Do you respond to comments?

As much as possible. Usually I respond to every comment, even if it's just to say a quick Thank You. The only fic on which I haven't done that is Woe of Wrath, if fell into limbo and I have a hard time focusing on it right now. And I feel kind of weird to answer comments after several months of silence, but the more I wait the weirder it gets...

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Doomed is a Dead Dove Do Not Eat fic. The entire text is dark, including the ending.

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

I will go with Double-Date With Dad. Farewell Xavier Thorpe ends on a really good note too (if you are not a fan of Xavier).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

It never happened. Fingers crossed.

9. Do you write smut? What kind?

I try. I find it difficult for two reasons. First, it's tough to avoid clichés. When you read smut, you end up noticing some general patterns, and I do my best to stay away from those. Second, I'm not a fan of some popular kinks, for instance I can't stand the expression "good girl", and therefore I'm not interested in writing it, even if I keep reading authors that use them. Some people probably think my smut fics are boring, too soft, too ordinary. But I don't care (yeah, I do, but shh).

10. Do you write cross-overs?

No. And I have a really hard time reading cross-overs too. And I hate cross-overs in tv shows. Complete respect to authors, however. It's just not my thing.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. I guess I could translate my own fics in French since it's my native language, but for now I don't see any reason to do so.

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

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I did. It was a weird kind of toxic partnership. The other person was responsible for writing the general plot (because my ideas weren't good enough), and I had to turn every page he wrote into a three-pages long section, adding descriptions and filling the blanks. And correct the spelling and grammar, and add better vocabulary...

13. What WIP would you like to finish but doubt you ever will?

I hope I will finish every WIP I currently have, even if they tend to pile up (WIP bunnies...). My biggest challenge is to go back to Woe of Wrath. It is my first fic, it is a multi-chapter one, and I started to write it just to let the steam out after a twenty-years-long writing hiatus, so the outline was not super clear, there are many plot holes I try to fix, the sentences and vocabulary are bad... I know where I want to take the story and how it ends, but it's hard not to want to start over.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

For fanfics I'll say Weyler because it's the only thing I've ever written. Now besides that... For those who read Guy Gavriel Kay, I'm forever bound to the Diarmuid/Sharra ship, followed by Paul/Jaelle. Quite fond of the Clary/Jace ship in The Mortal Instruments (The books! Don't talk to me about the movie or the tv show!)

15. What are your writing strengths?

No damn idea. I've been asking myself the same question since I was thirteen.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably not being able to answer question 15. Imposter syndrome.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

In French it's not a problem, of course. I've done it in Impulsion. I have studied Latin for two years in highschool so I felt comfortable enough to translate a few sentences in Woe of Wrath. For other languages, I would only do so if I can find a beta reader fluent in this specific language to correct the grammar. I cringe everytime I read English fics with badly written French dialogs, it makes me loose the focus on the story (Same for tv shows, by the way. Come on, you have 2 millions $ to produce an episode and you can't find someone to double-check your French sentence?). It's really hard for me not to comment with a correction (AO3 etiquette: do not provide corrections unless the author specifically asked for it). I don't want to inflict that on my readers by butchering their native language.

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars. It was a long time ago (in a galaxy far far away), when there were only three movies and a few books (Timothy Zahn forever!). And for those who wonder how old I am, I used to write with WordPerfect, DOS version (it was the pre-Windows era). It had a blue background (terrible for the eyes) and some keycodes you had to use to change the font to bold or italics. Since you can't visualize anything in DOS (it's not a wysiwyg), it used colors, so you had to remember what it meant (yellow letters meant italics...). And I used to save those texts on a floppy my mom took to her office to print.

19. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

It's not a popular one, but I really like Monologue for a Hyde. I like the tone. Pretty happy with Fuck Me Once Shame on You, Fuck Me Twice Shame on Me, too.

20. What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

Woe of Wrath without a doubt. With a proper plan, and a lot of plot holes avoided (that damn cellphone...)

I will tag the Death Metal and Glitter Club members whose Tumblr ids I know, aka @anotherbluesunday, @tastethesetears, @darling-gemini, @darlingfuego,

As well as @broken-everlark, @persephoneed, @bithablu, @allergictocolor and @insomniac1994.

[uncleasad]

for that fic ask meme - 14, 26, 50, 53, 55

14. what’s your worst writing habit?

Oof! My entire writing process is one giant bad habit, so it’s hard to pick the worst part 😂

I know I just reblogged that post about ignoring the tyranny of the daily word count, but I’m going to say not trying to write a few words every day, or a sentence a week, or something like that…I let myself get into writing droughts that go on and on and on (and, yes, I’m busier than I was in 2020 and 2021, but I love writing and doing so always makes me feel good), so trying to stop those pauses before they become droughts is something I need to do to break a bad habit.

26. do you like to write one-shots or series, and why?

Both? I write what the idea I have calls for, I guess? (Almost all of my series are collections of one-shots; I have never thought of writing a series consisting of multi-chapter fics, but one kinda sneaked in there 😳)

I enjoy—and sometimes specifically choose an idea because it fits—writing one-shots because they’re a good way for me to get back into writing when I’ve been too busy with life or bogged down in one of my long WIPs. Last Christmas’s Mischief and Mistletoe is a great example of this: short, self-contained, and seasonally relevant 😏 I liken these sorts of fics to artists doing a doodle or quick sketch as a warm-up.

Sometimes while writing a one-shot I’ll think of something that will open the door to a sequel, sometimes there’ll be nothing specific but nothing to rule out more in the same vein (e.g. the Tales from the Salvatore Kitchen series), and sometimes readers will have a suggestion I hadn’t thought of that I love that will turn a one-shot into a series of one-shots.

It’s nice to have a series or two where you enjoy the world/setup, because it’s fun and easy to dip back in and write some more (so all the benefits of a one-shot) and you (I!) can develop ideas, characters, and events without feeling guilty about not updating (vs a single multi-chapter fic where readers have started reading and want more 😏); there’s less expectation.

(My true favorite things to write are the big, expansive, complex stories, but they’re simultaneously my least favorite for all those reasons 😂)

50. do you plan or do you write whatever comes to your mind? 53. when writing, do you have an outline? and do you stick to it?

These two are related, so I’ll tackle them together. I’ve linked to and written about George RR Martin’s post about gardening before, so there’s good background there and I’ll (try! to) make this the short version.

I mostly have a lightweight plan for what I write: a collection of scenes, or some important character beats or plot points, and often, but not always, an idea of what the ending is (sometimes my idea for the fic is “I want to write this scene that is probably somewhere in the middle of an actual fic 😂 but more often it instead is “this would be a fun situation to throw them into; let’s see what happens!”). That’s as close as I’ll get to an outline 😳

I’ll often also make a series of notes as I’m writing, again of the same types of things as in the “plan,” plus dialogue and details, as a sort of “living outline” for what’s next/coming up. But nothing formal or well-structured (which does make it harder to do those bigger stories, naturally). I have hated outlines since elementary school, so…

I’ll diverge from what I have “planned” any time I have an idea I really like or think will improve the story, although to my recollection it rarely happens, and when it does it’s more small changes. I’m much more likely to split “planned” chapters and make a fic 4x longer than I originally thought it would be 😂

So, needless to say, I mostly write what comes to mind. Sometimes that’s filling in the big blank spaces between things I know I want to include, and sometimes that’s deciding where the whole story itself will go. (My mind is wont to come up with crazy twists and tangents #this is the way my mind works 😂)

55. do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

I don’t think I have any WIPs that I’ve started writing that I never intend to come back to/finish. I have an entire laundry list of WIPs that I have not written on in months or years, though.

My story as a current fanfic author goes like this:

Started writing Have At Least One Totally Epic Love in spring 2020, ran out of steam/got stuck near the pivotal moments.

Had an idea for After Ten Long Years and started writing it to try to work through that block, but got stuck on it.

Had an idea for Old West Hosie; started writing it to work around that block, then got stuck on it, too.

Had an idea for Hosie Alternate Realities; started writing it to work around that block, then got stuck there, also 😳

[Cue Hope Mikaelson: “Love, Lose, Grieve, repeat”]

At some point in there, I wrote the first one-shot in the Tales from the Salvatore Kitchen series, You Complete Me, to break the cycle and publish something, which turned into 3 more seasonal one-shots (initially), and then I finally finished Have At Least One Totally Epic Love, almost exactly 1 year after I had left off. 2021 I think was a pretty good year, lots of shorter works finished, but also several more big works started where I once again ran out of steam/got stuck/got distracted by the shiny new idea 😂

(Also, after the experience with Have At Least One Totally Epic Love, I rarely actually write and publish things serially unless I have a really, really good idea of the scope of the fic and also know I’ll have decent amounts of writing time—so there’s nothing out there that readers would perceive of as abandoned. The biggest example of a fic I’ve written and published serially since HALOTEL is And I Will Always Love You, 8 chapters, 32K words, written from February to May.)

So approaching 200K words of incomplete WIPs now, but nothing I intend never to finish.

Thanks for asking! Lots of great choices 😀 Hopefully I didn’t bore you to sleep with the answers!

[ronanceautistic]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Why thank you!

THIS WAS SO HARD mainly because in my head I have two types of fics: ridiculously long and complicated multi chapters and one-shots I wrote at 5am because I was sad and it feels difficult to compare the two.

Anyways in no particular order:

the stars, the moon (they have all been blown out) - I've spoken about this one recently. But yeah, it was my first time writing in present tense and I think it works well with the vibes. I like the sense of Nancy being kinda detached from reality and the majority of the writing being her own thoughts rather than what's going on. I think I had a specific idea for how I wanted this one to feel and it turned out really well!

and I just want to live in the moment (that's all) - again very similar fic which I've talked about recently. another present tense one. I like a lot of the lines in this one, I don't really do poetic-ish descriptions a lot and I definitely leaned into it more with this one. I was going it through it that night I guess, I don't really remember writing it LMAO. Also, as I said in a separate post, I like the un-acknowledged implication that Nancy was maybe about to khs.

and the bells were ringing out (for christmas day) - OH MAN my underrated baddie I love this one so much. Writing from Mike's POV is always a delight, and I loved exploring the idea of him protecting / caring for Nancy, even when he feels out of his depth. Please give this one a read I need more appreciation for it. I promise it's not all that Christmassy, it's fine to read in July!

trapped between two lungs - Every now and then I ask myself 'was it that good or was it just overplanned' and maybe I'm being cocky, but no, I think it was that good. Over-planned? Yes. But I loved it. TBTL Nancy is so special to me, her character was so interesting to explore. It was especially so much fun having S1 go a different way for her and getting to build my own Nancy angst based on what I wrote for her, rather than my usual Nancy angst which is built from the show itself. I loved where her, Robin, and Mike's stories ended up and it was just so much fun to write a plot-heavy Stranger Things fic, especially planning out my own Season 5. It was a lot of fun writing this fic, and I will never ever do it again because it took nine months and I can't be arsed. That's how long babies take to grow.

Float - This is probably subject to change. It's my most recent fic, so at first I was like 'eh maybe I should let it sit a little before putting it on this list' but I had a really hard time picking one of my older ones and honestly? I really like this one. I rarely explore future-Nancy, mainly because the idea of writing a functioning adult terrifies me. But good news! Nancy is not functioning in this fic at all! So it works out great! I love the idea that should everything go well for her, Nancy gets so caught up in the past that she kinda floats through life (hence the title). I also love the fact that when Robin first shows up she seems really well-adjusted compared to Nancy and then not long later you realise that she's fucking insane, too. Also Nancy not knowing how to feel about Holly idolising her is so :C. I also find the idea of Hawkins becoming a tourist attraction deeply funny and didn't plan for that to happen when I started writing.

I am too anxious to tag people personally so if you're a writer YOU'RE TAGGED.

[virtie333]

Twenty questions for fanfic writers

I was tagged by @agent-troi and @randomfoggytiger. Thank you! I needed this diversion today!

How many works do you have on AO3?

102

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

892,823

What fandoms do you write for?

Star Wars (sequel and original trilogy), The X-Files, Triple Frontier (still have a Moon Knight WIP, too!)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Kinetic

Flight 814

Eyes in the Night

Let's Get This Show on the Road

My Best Friend's Weddings

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! Sometimes I only have the energy for an emoji or two, but I always respond.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I always have happy endings... unless they are a cliffhanger because I was already planning another fic in the series. My craziest cliffhanger was definitely Let's Face the Music and Dance.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All of them? LOL Uhm, probably my happiest ending was Kinetic, because it was the actual ending of The Rise of Skywalker, only elaborated upon (Poe Dameron was on the Millennium Falcon at the end of that movie, dammit!)

Do you get hate on fics?

No hate, thank God. I did get a few people complaining I had tagged Rey/Ben Solo in My Best Friend's Weddings, but I informed them that half of the fics that end up in the Rey/Poe tag are Reylo, so they have nothing to complain about. I was warned that by doing that I would get Reylo hate, and I did not, so that made me happy.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep. I usually include it in my long fics and the occasional smutty short, but I don't write PWP. My smut is pretty vanilla (one reader called it 'classy,' which made my day), but I do have a little bit of a praise kink myself, so that comes out sometimes.

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of. I was fairly well know back in my X-File days, and I think someone would have let me know if they saw my stuff without my name on it.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I know I had a few of my X-Files fics translated years ago, and one of my Damerey, Just In Time, thanks to @marieziffer!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I was part of a crazy multi-writer X-File fic way back in the day. We wrote the thing on the fly, taking turns for every chapter. It was on the Delphi Forums X-File site. I have no clue what happened to it, but I know we never finished it!

What’s your all time favorite ship?

I am going to have to say Damerey, because I've been obsessed with it for over four years now. However, I will always love MSR and Han/Leia, and may yet write for both again someday.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I hope to God I can finish them all! My Moon Knight is waiting patiently for me to finish this crazy Sequel rewrite, and my angsty Damerey is also always on my mind.

What are your writing strengths?

I've been told my dialog is very realistic, and I've been told my smut is good, too. LOL

What are your writing weaknesses?

I find when I re-read my stuff that I favor certain phrases and use them a little too often. I also have a hard time writing action, but again, I've been told I do it well, so the struggle is worth it, I guess.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I like it, as long as it's minimal. I don't want to have to always look up what things mean and I don't want my readers to, either.

First fandom you wrote for?

Depends. I was writing Star Wars back in Junior High/High School, but nothing anybody ever read. I also wrote for Jack and Jennifer from Days of Our Lives back than. My first 'published' fanfiction was for The X-Files.

Favorite fic you’ve written?

OMG. This is tough. I really love a lot of my stuff ('write what you want to read' is my motto!). I think I'm going to have to go with El Halcón.

Thank you, muchly! No pressure tags for @romanarose, @ivystoryweaver, @melodygatesauthor, @reallyrallyauthor, @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction, @walkawaytall, @phoenix-rising-starbird-one, @diplomaticprincess, @missdictatorme, and whoever else wants to do it (not sure who all has AO3, but you can always skip that part if not!)

[bambiraptorx]

19 4 1 20 24 25 62

19. What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

Gonna be honest I don't really know a shortcut to figuring it out if there is one, but it's probably just character tags lol. I don't necessarily use tags like "x character needs a hug" or whatever consistently. Honestly though it's probably some variation of the Baron Draxum and the turtles tag lol.

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Gonna be honest, half the time I forget where my ideas come from or how I got to what I ended up using lol. That being said, I think I just kinda run through a lot of variations on an idea seed and kind of play with it to see where it goes, if that makes sense?

Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

Honestly I don't have a real preference, but I will say that I like how contained oneshots are. If I finish one, its over and done. Sure I could write a follow up, but I don't need to. With multi-chapter fics it's a little more complicated, especially as I'm less of a planner and more of an improviser. I don't really start fics knowing how long they're going to be (which is probably part of why I have so many fics that are/have ended up as long fics lol).

20. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

Honestly if I notice myself repeating words or phrases I try to edit it to lessen the repetition because I feel like it flows better then (the exception being if I repeat something intentionally as a callback).

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

It's not actually bad advice, but the whole "know how your story will end" isn't a principle I keep in mind as I start. For me it's more important to know approximately where I'm going, and then I can figure out where the ending will be as I go along. (That being said, I do have endings in mind for several of my long fics, but for some of them it's much more fleshed out than others). Like with Minor Interference for example, I very much did not have an ending in mind when I started it, but I had a premise I wanted to see explored. To be fair though, that was my first multichapter fic, and I do in fact have an ending I'm working towards now.

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Hard to say, honestly. I wouldn't turn down more interest in any of my fics, but at the same time, the ones with less interaction are the ones that are a bit more... self indulgent I guess? Like, Body Horror Baby and My Circus My Turtles don't get quite the response of some other stuff of mine, but fankids are a niche genre of fanfiction anyways and My Circus My Turtles is really more of a collection of stories set in the same AU than a cohesive fic. That and MCMT had lived in my head for months before I started writing it, so there's a lot of stuff in it that I probably haven't explained well but that makes sense to me lol.

62. Thoughts on cliffhangers?

They can be used well and they can be used poorly. So far, I've avoided them in my stories just because I tend to like wrapping chapters up fairly neatly, but there's a couple points in some of my fics where they would work very well with what I have planned.

[rangerbeads]

ficwip

fic writer asks

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again? - I broke up my multi-chapters into one-shots and shorter fics. It worked out so far! Makes it much easier to work on.

How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!) - Five. Four are published, I've got the fifth one almost ready to go. I'm hoping to have it finished before the new year, but it's... long now.

What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer? - I am really drawn to damaged characters, I like to explore them and try and bring them some peace and healing. While also doing that writer thing and poking them with a stick.

What piece of media inspired you the most? - Hannibal the TV series. That will become readily apparent later.

What fandom(s) did you write for this year? - Marvel (Blackhill) and Harry Potter (Fleurmione)

What ship(s) captured your heart? - Fleurmione!

What character(s) captured your heart? - Listen, I didn't know I liked Hermione Granger, at all. It was very surprising to all of us.

Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year? - Yes, see above. Harry Potter and Fleurmione. I even joined a Discord server!

What fic meant the most to you to write? - Ooof. It's probably still Red Sorrow, but Life Signs is really fun.

What fic made you feel the happiest to work on? - Wash Out The Salt From My Hands and this Christmas fic "My Arms Are Open" that I'm still working on.

What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing? - Red Sorrow, for sure. It's so long and I'm really proud of it.

What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it? - Red Sorrow was probably the most difficult, because it's time consuming and is requiring a lot of editing work. Life Signs is also difficult, though, because it's in a new area for me.

What fic was the easiest to write? - Wash Out The Salt From My Hands.

What were your shortest and longest fics this year? - There Is Something Beneath is the shortest, Red Sorrow is easily the longest.

Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023 - Red Sorrow for Blackhill. Life Signs for Fleurmione.

What were you go-to writing songs? - According to Apple Music... Sleep Token, Bad Omens, Evanescence, I Prevail, and Asking Alexandria are my top bands. Which isn't surprising in the slightest. Top songs were Take Me Back To Eden, Euclid, Just Pretend, Alkaline, Rain. All are Sleep Token tracks except for Just Pretend... Shocker.

What were your go-to writing snacks? - I'm not much of a snacker? I like pistachios if I'm going to snack.

What was the hardest fic to title? - None of them were hard to title. I guess the Christmas one took me the longest to narrow down from my options?

Share your favorite opening line - "The pain would never end."

Share your favorite ending line - "I'll remember that."

Share your favorite piece of dialogue - Oh no, I don't think I can pick a favorite. I love all of the banter in Red Sorrow so much. Maybe "... Do you know that you look like a Star Wars villain?" in the beginning?

Share an excerpt from your favorite scene - My favorite scene of Red Sorrow hasn't been posted yet... have this one:

“So you looked up something someone said and it pulled up porn.” Maria waved a dismissive hand. “Case closed. At least now you know what NSFW stands for.”

“It’s everywhere,” Rogers said, transitioning seamlessly to his thousand-yard-stare. “Like a minefield - and that’s when people aren’t actively sending it to you! I was shocked at just how much it, just, pops up. Stark was trying to help me with the internet and social media but then I kept getting messages about thirst traps and… it spiraled.”

“Ah ha, it was Stark! Should have known.” Barton slumped back down into the couch and returned his attention to the television. “That guy lives to push buttons. Especially yours. Maybe even more so than Fury’s.”

“Maybe we should put a parental lock on Cap’s devices,” Natasha added, a familiar mischief in her eyes and that lopsided grin of hers when she looked at Maria. “Commander, can we make that happen? We really can’t have his respectability violated. Imagine if the world found out that Captain America watches porn.”

“I’ll get right on it,” Maria said and nodded gravely. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Rogers. Rest assured that I will punish the filthy miscreant and we will make sure to protect you from smut from now on. Can’t have our paragon sullied.”

“At least he isn’t in the porn.” Clint grinned. “Yet.”

“Very funny,” Rogers said with a huff. “You’re all so hilarious.”

“We know.” Natasha groaned and turned away from the laptop. “Change of subject. Are you ready to start the questioning? Rock-paper-scissors for who goes first?”

“Excuse me! You can’t just kidnap me. I want my lawyer!”

23. Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out? - "The pain would never end. The intricate agony Bellatrix weaved for her, like the conductor of a torment symphony, reached deep, touching and torching everything. Every nerve and fiber, every stray thought, it burned through her synapses and fried her emotions, her rigid control to ash. Her torturer's masterpiece of anguish seized and strangled her lungs, stabbed through her belly, poured on her tongue and down her throat like honeyed acid. It twisted around her spine, pooled in her joints, and snapped every finger and toe." - I was trying to get the horrendous torture across without being too graphic and gory about it. As a horror fan and someone who loves a good action movie, too, I don't usually shy away from writing violence, but I wanted to be gentle here and I had to find a way to do that. I'm actually really happy with how it turned out. To me, it's much, much nicer than the more detailed version I originally had written.

24. What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story? - I had some interesting ideas pop up while I was outlining Vigilante (I haven't published that Fleurmione fic yet.) It didn't change that story so much, but I did end up going back and creating 5 other fics that will be precursors to it.

25. What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.) - I use Novel Factory to track my word counts and keep all of my details in one place. Very handy. I usually draft in Word and paste into NF when I'm finished. This is all on my laptop, unless I'm breaking down a scene or taking notes, then I use my reMarkable tablet.

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year? - When I posted a chapter of Red Sorrow and a chapter of Life Signs one right after the other! Two fics going at the same time! WILD.

27. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic? - I went to bed early LOL

28. How did you recharge between fics? - I consume a lot of media. If I'm feeling depleted I give myself permission to watch something like Brooklyn99 or a dumb slasher movie, maybe Lord of the Rings if I have the time. Just to watch something for fun instead of studying or seeking inspiration.

29. If this were an awards show, who would you thank? - Sarah, Seamount, AJ, thank you so much for reading things that I've thrown at you and finding all of my missed or incorrectly used commas. - My new friends on the Fleurmione Discord, thank you for being so welcoming. It's been a crazy year and I really appreciate you taking me in so readily!

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024? - Oooh. Okay. I want to start the Fleurmione fic "A Ghost In The Hallway Grinning," and my really fun Blackhill fic "Everyone Goes Home." I've got a lot of things outline and ready to go, just haven't had the time to knock them all out yet. I hope 2024 will be a fun and prolific year! Maybe I'll even get around to finishing a WonderCroft fic or my Supercorp fic.

[goldendoodlerlockerlove]

4 for the wip asks :)

Thank you so much!! :D

Sincerely, Me is a very rough WIP name for this WIP fic. It takes place in the universe of the musical Dear Evan Hansen, and it came about because I had the biggest desire in the world to write something Kleinsen-related (Evan Hansen x Jared Kleinman). It actually technically takes place in the movie universe, and I don't even particularly like the movie (I have thoughts). I don't hate it or anything, but it could've been done so much better. Anyway, I made it part of the movie universe so some good content could come from there. So, I guess I'd have to call it Kalsen (Evan Hansen x Jared Kalwani) because they changed his last name for the movie.

It's mainly centered around their daughter, Paige, and her best friend, Tyrone. Paige is Cis and Panromantic, and Tyrone is Trans Masc and Straight. They were definitely a fun duo to write, even though I didn't write that much for this fic. I was actually planning on it being a big, multi-chapter fic, but I might just try to make it a Oneshot so I can just finish it and post it. I'm not sure I can make it a big, multi-chapter fic with this concept, anyway.

Here's a little excerpt for you:

She didn’t answer, opting instead to glance at the trees. “I’m surprised you didn’t mention Jared being Indian first.”

She was well aware of his distaste for her calling her dads by their first names. In her opinion, it was entertaining watching his mouth become agape whenever she did this, so sometimes she’d do it on purpose. It never mattered to her--it was sometimes necessary, to distinguish them, and the two of them weren’t fretful of this habit. However, Tyrone always suggested she call Evan “Dad” and Jared “Pitā” instead, which is the Hindi word for Father. 

She never listened to this advice.

Tyrone began chasing a pebble with his shoe, “Well, he mentions being Jewish a lot more than he does being Indian.”

She sighed, crossing her arms as a sudden, harsh breeze cut through them, “I guess you’re not wrong.”

He didn’t stop harassing the pebble even when they approached her house. It was pretty average, as far as regular houses in suburbia went, being all beige and harsh corners, as well as a roof sharp enough to poke Santa on his journey every Christmas (she stole that joke from Jared).

Annnnd here's another excerpt that comes a little later!

“Paige?” She heard an all-too familiar voice float from the kitchen. “Is that you?”

“Yeah, Dad.” She began striding towards the source as Tyrone shot her a look. “It’s not as if I call them by their first names all the time.”

Jared was perched over the stove, nursing a bottle of water as he continued frying something on a pan. He enjoyed nursing a bottle of alcohol instead on some late nights, but he was trying to consume less for Bri’s sake. “Sorry about your sister. I thought she was going to be napping around now, but I guess it was my mistake assuming she would do anything I expect.”

Paige let out a snicker, “It’s fine, you know Ty loves her anyway.”

She leaned closer, trying to sneak a peek at his latest concoction, “I thought you wouldn’t be home. What is that?”

“I took the day off. It’s Rosh Hashanah, remember? This is chicken breast with leeks and potatoes. Your dad should be coming home soon from the park.” 

Paige felt her hand connecting hard with her face, “Oh God. Oh no. I can’t believe I forgot!”

A strength she always prided herself on was her ability to remember dates more so than everyone else in her family. The fact this one slipped by her was frustrating, to say the least--not to mention Rosh Hashanah was always her favorite Jewish holiday to celebrate. Perhaps Grace was making her more distracted than she first thought.

She turned towards Tyrone, “I’m sorry, I still can’t believe I forgot about this. I was hoping we’d be able to hang out tonight.”

“Well, I can’t see why he can’t stay for dinner.”

Her mouth agape, she turned on her heel to face Jared again, “Who are you and what have you done with my father?”

When he gave her a questioning look, she continued, “You’ve never let anyone stay over for Rosh Hashanah. It’s family time.”

Tyrone gasped, bouncing on the toes of his feet, “Does this mean… you consider me family?”

Paige grit her teeth and elbowed her friend, a fruitless attempt to calm him. One of the things that annoyed Jared the most was people who weren’t part of the family trying to insert themselves into their tight-knight dynamic. Sure, it seemed for a while Tyrone was the exception, but it was still thin ice to tread. A reason why was because someone else, someone older, tried doing the same some time back, and ended up uprooting all of their lives once it was revealed they were a no-good scam-artist. And, for irony’s sake, that person ended up being Grace’s current foster father.

Just for some context, Bri is Paige's little sister (So Evan and Jared have two daughters) and Grace is Paige and Tyrone's bully (mostly Paige's). And I was planning on having it be revealed to Paige the first time all of the events of the musical (Connor's death, The Connor Project, Evan's speech, etc.), which was never mentioned to her before because Evan and Jared were too embarrassed by it all. They kind of wanted to sweep it under the rug, which evidently wasn't the best way to handle the situation.

[zacharyleigh316]

Five Nights at Supernatural

Suptober Prompt: Day 12 - Crossover | Five Nights at Supernatural [SPNxFNAF] | Word Count: 1.3K | Teen and Up

When Sam has strange dreams of a place where a girl’s voice calls to him, asking for help, he, with the help of his bother, Dean, and their angel friend, Cas, applies to be the new night guard at a pizzeria called Freddy Fazbear’s. A place with that much history, built upon a foundation of blood, and secrets within it walls, well...it’s gotta be their thing, right?

Me, posting again, only a few days later, for another prompt as promised? I have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself, I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever written this much within such a short span of time (and I even managed to keep my word, so there’s that lol) anyway, I know that there’s a lot of different interpretations to the word crossover, but when I saw the prompt I immediately knew what I wanted to do. They just fit so well together, can you blame me XD I’ve been considering for a while now, actually, writing a larger, multi-chapter spnaf (as my friend so lovingly dubbed it) fic, so... consider this an excerpt, a little taste, if you will, of something bigger on the horizon

“Fuck, this place gives me the friggin’ creeps.” 

Dean grimaced, peering out the window and over at the desolate, abandoned looking pizzeria. He shifted the Impala into park, after pulling up to the front entrance, and turned off the ignition, effectively cutting off Baby’s rumbling purr, and descending them into an eerie silence. 

“Do you feel anything, Cas?” He asked his passenger, turning to face the angel, who was also looking out the window at the building.

He took a moment to study the premises, searching for something, anything, amiss before answering.

“Yes,” Cas hummed in agreement, breaking the silence, “It’s hard to tell exactly what it is, since it’s nothing demonic, but it’s very heavy. Something terrible happened here.” 

“So I guess it’s too late to pretend this place isn’t haunted or some shit, right?” Dean joked, drawing Castiel’s attention toward him. 

Dean bit his lip, trying to pretend Cas’ furrowed brow wasn’t all kinds of adorable–especially since they were currently, and actively, working a case.

“It would be safe to presume that it’s ‘too late’, yes. It’s quite haunted actually.”

“Is there anything else?”

Cas looked back toward the pizzeria, his eyes narrowed in concentration, and Dean followed suit, a shudder wracking its way down his spine the second it was back in sight. There was something about this place that put Dean on edge; he didn’t like–nor did he appreciate–the feeling. Like some kind of warning, to go away, run while you still could. There was no going back once you were privy to the secrets within Freddy Fazbear’s.

“There are some odd heat signatures in the building aside from Sam.” Cas confirmed, interrupting Dean’s thoughts, “but there’s something blocking me from getting an accurate read on them.” 

“Guess that means it’s time to go in and rally the troops.” Dean said rather unenthusiastically, the idea not sitting too well in his gut. 

“Let's get a move on Cas.” 

They both exited the Impala, Dean making his way to the trunk, under Cas’ watchful eye. Dean popped the lid and grabbed his duffle of supplies, visibly hesitating before closing her up. Cas reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Dean’s shoulder, immediately easing the tense set to his jaw.

“Dean?” Cas asked softly, and Dean looked over, nodding.

“Right. Sorry, just…thinking. ‘S’all good.”

Something akin to acknowledgement passed between them, and only when Cas was sure Dean was okay did he lead the way to the front entrance, the elder Winchester brother following not too far behind. Sam was already waiting for them when they got there, and hurriedly rushed them inside.

“Nice costume nerd, who are you cosplaying as?” Dean snorted, looking his brother up and down, taking in his purple uniform with amusement. 

“Very funny Dean, ha ha,” Sam rolled his eyes, “this is what they gave me, it’s not like I chose to wear this.” 

“Who the fuck decided that purple uniforms were restaurant chic?”

“They aren’t that bad. Besides, it’s not like I’m actually going to be working here. I just want to go in, finish the job, and get out.”

“Yeah, sure. And when has our job ever gone that way, Sammy?” Dean raised a brow in question.

“Anyway,” Sam huffed, quickly changing the subject–despite knowing fully well that his brother had a point, “we’re heading to the security office first. They told me I’d get debriefed when my shift started, that some guy’s supposed to call the phone there. After that we can make a plan to explore the pizzeria.” 

Dean gagged as they made their way down the hall, both he and Cas now following Sam’s lead, and scrunched his face up in disgust. 

“Christ, it smells like burnt flesh in here.” he muttered, the feeling from before rearing its ugly head for the second time that night.

Cas looked around curiously, nodding in affirmation. “The smell is quite foul. Do we know if anyone died in the fires?” 

Sam nodded. “So get this, the first initial fire was allegedly set by the owner’s son and basically destroyed everything, but it’s implied that, despite the damage, some things were able to survive. This place has been built over and over again.” 

“Well that’s just great.” Dean complained, shaking his head.

“A building just as haunted as the things inside it. Shoulda just left it alone when it burned the first time.” 

“Perhaps. But I don’t think the things that reside here would have found peace. Whatever is here is…restless. Angry. Trapped.” 

“Is your signal still blocked?” 

“Unfortunately,” Cas nodded, face grave with concern, “like I mentioned before, there’s something blocking my reach. Like it doesn’t want me looking further into the pizzeria. I don’t know the reason, but the influence is strong.”

“Strong enough to block out an angel?” Sam added, perplexed.

“Whatever it is, it’s certainly no longer human.” 

“Friggin’ awesome, love this place already.” Dean said sarcastically, with a roll of his eyes. “Like some sadist, discount Chuck E. Cheese. “Welcome to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, come in and get your trauma served with extra cheese. Don’t worry, the murder is for free.”’

Sam pulled another bitch face, glaring at his brother. “That isn’t funny, Dean. Real people died here, and for some reason, or other, they’ve asked for our help. The least we can do is show some respect.” 

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Sam.” 

Dean sent Cas a look of betrayal, only receiving a–rather apathetic–shrug in return. Licking his wounds, Dean crossed his arms and pouted, muttering a quiet “I thought it was hilarious” underneath his breath. He sullenly followed behind the other two, lamenting the fact that nobody really got his humor. Sam, on the other hand, knew fully well that his brother’s crude jokes were only a deflection, a mask to hide how he was really feeling. Even so, Sam didn’t have to put up with it, especially when said jokes were insensitive; everything had a time and place and, in Sam’s opinion, that wasn’t in a (most likely) haunted pizzeria where children were murdered.

When they reached the security office, Sam let Dean go first, and elbowed him hard in the side, warning him to behave. Dean let out a pained grunt, and glared at his brother, Sam matching his expression. Cas rolled his eyes, and shoved passed the two of them, ignoring their, quite silly and rather childish–if you ask him–moment of sibling rivalry. All else was hastily forgotten however, the second the angel walked through the office threshold. His eyes flashed blue with grace, and something electrical popped, causing both Winchesters to jump. 

“Christ Cas, warn us next time you decide to go all Angel of the Lord on us, will you?” Dean huffed, holding a hand over his heart.

“My apologies, but that was entirely out of my control, Dean. I hadn’t intended on that happening, but next time I want to intentionally cause an electrical surge, I’ll let you know.” Cas sassed back, stormy blue eyes meeting green. 

“You must have triggered something when you stepped into the security office, but what?”

“This place is old right? Could just be faulty wiring reacting to Cas’ mojo.” Dean cleared his throat, breaking eye contact with the angel, and looked away to hide his flushed cheeks.

“Maybe…” Sam trailed off, unsure. 

Not leaving them much time to think, the phone over on the security desk rang loudly, and all three of them jumped, snapping their gazes over to the device.

“Son of a bitch,” Dean cursed, glaring at the offending object, “is this place full of jump scares or what?” 

The phone continued to ring, mistakenly unassuming as it sat there in its corner on the desktop, the red light down at the bottom blinking out of time with every tone. Sam glanced at the others warily, and went over to answer it, each of them holding their breath, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. With a metallic whir, the line crackled to life, and with it came the answering enthusiastic, disembodied voice of a man.

“Hello? Hello, Hello!”

to be continued...

[sam-loves-seb]

new year's ask game for fic writers:

thanks for the tags @mybrainismelted and @rayrayor !

1) What fic did you have the most fun writing this year and why? Or, if you can’t decide, what was most fun about writing this year for you?

i had the most fun writing what we stay alive for this past year, it was really a passion project of mine that turned into this wonderful labor of love

2) What’s a scene/story that you finished and felt “wow, I really accomplished that, that actually went so well”?

probably loving you with no conditions, i've always really wanted to write a fic with that premise but i put it off for a long time because i was worried i wouldn't do it justice. but in the end, i think people really liked it, and it's one of the fics i'm most proud of tbh

3) What helped provide the most inspiration for stories, if anything? Was it poetry? A song on repeat? A gorgeous gifset? A walk outside? A book you read that made you want to change everything? Whatever it was! Tell all.

unfortunately the thing that inspires me most continues to be running/exercise. i cannot even begin to tell you how many plot bunnies/outlines i wrote in my head during runs last summer when i was training for a race. idk what it is, but when i'm locked in with my headphones on, my mind starts to wander and it gives me some really good ideas (and some wild ones, but those are fun too from a creative standpoint)

4) What is something you want to share about what you’ve written this year? A particular line, a comment that made you feel really good, a scene that was difficult to write — you get to choose! What do you wish someone would ask you about when it comes to what you’ve written?

god, i don't know. i've gotten a lot of really wonderful comments this year, too many to pick just one.

a scene that was difficult to write would probably be all of chapter four of orange juice, that fic overall is hard to write (but i still want to finish it someday)

but i write more fluff than anything so i also wanted to add a scene that was really fun to write, and that was writing mickey high as fuck in i need you (like cake on my birthday)

and to start off 2024…

1) Do you have any writing/creation goals for the year? What are they?

my goal for the year is to write two (2) complete multi-chapter fics. i mostly exist in the oneshot world in the shameless fandom, but i miss plotting big long fics and i really want to try and stick with at least two this year.

2) Is there a fic or idea that you’re really excited to be able to continue to work on in the new year (shout out to my fellow fic writing folks who take forever to finish wips, sometimes it’s nice to be able to continue working on something even if you wish you’d gotten it done! Now you get even MORE time with it!)

i think rock star mickey au is the idea that i most want to see come to life in 2024. i've been plotting it in my head since like july and one day i want to be confident enough to actually write the vision that plays on a loop in my subconscious.

3) What’s something new in your writing you want to try/are going to try? A different writing style? Different fandom? Darker works? Fluffier? Longer or shorter?

god, i mean, i guess i want to try writing more smut? i don't write a lot of it rarely any ever but i want to put a little bit in my big bang fic, and maybe some in some other fic ideas i have too. so yeah. maybe i'll try more of that in 2024 idk don't quote me on it.

4) What’s something you love about your own writing that you will continue to appreciate in the new year?

honestly i really like the way i write dialogue. it sounds very natural to me, idk if anyone else agrees, but when i re-read some of my fics i'm just like yeah exactly he would say that

(and maybe it's bad or wildly out of character but idk. i like it.)

tagging anyone who wants to play <3 happy 2024 my friends!

[coffeedrgn87]

Blurbs On Writing (2022 Edition)

I had this idea for a little thought compilation about my writing a while back, but I held back, unsure whether I wanted to write it all down. If I am honest, the thought of sharing something personal scared me, and still does. Today, I decided that I do want to look back on my writing exploits over the past year and add my observations. These will be at random, and I'll note them down as they come into my head. You can find the list after the break.

I enjoy writing for someone (I like the challenge), and teasing the recipient with excerpts or talking about their idea with them makes me so happy. There's something special about sharing a piece of my writing with someone or dedicating it to a particular person. Unfortunately, I don't get to do this nearly enough, and my anxiety makes it difficult to reach out to people. Occasionally, I'll jump over my shadow and ask, but it takes a lot of effort, and most of the time, I do not have the energy.

I guess not many people like reading unfinished or WIP multi-chapter things, and I understand why it doesn't work for some folx, but I've discovered that I love writing this way. It's hard for me to withdraw into a corner, quietly work on something long, and only share it once it's completely done. I don't know how other writers feel about creating their work and/or sharing it as they go, but my personal perception is that even if an author posts a chapter a week or every other day, the work is usually already finished. I may be entirely mistaken, so don't consider this opinion etched in stone. For me, writing a chapter and sharing it is thrilling. The anticipation of being able to share an update, the readers' excitement, and potential interaction via comments/messages. I thrive on that. It often lets me incorporate ideas, tweak future chapters slightly, or sometimes change course entirely.

I absolutely adore one-word prompts. There's something magical about building a short story around a prompt. Sometimes the story is centred around the prompt; other times, it's just a support, an aid. Whichever it is, it's always exciting. I particularly enjoy noun prompts, though I don't limit myself in that regard. The way these tiny prompts spark an idea is magical, but it's also frustrating when you stare at a prompt and draw a complete blank. Especially when that uninspiring prompt is part of a challenge.

Describing scenes, particularly outdoor scenes such as a forest, a meadow, a cave, or a beach (to name but a few), is such fun. I like painting a pretty picture, going into detail about what's happening, what can be seen, how things smell, what they look like... It's not been a big focus for me before, but in 2022 I really made it my priority, and I feel it's elevated my writing. I've had a few lovely comments from readers who enjoyed it, so I guess I'm on the right track.

Smells and tastes are a delight to describe, and I first dipped my toes into making that a priority when I took part in a fest in 2020, but it took time for me to turn it into a habit. My Google search has since learnt that I like to research these things. Thrilling. Thank you, Google, my trusted research partner.

If I can make it happen, I like it when my characters spent time in the kitchen. Growing up, a lot of life happened in our kitchen (mainly because my dad was a kitchen person, but it's also my inner cat, associating the kitchen with warmth, chatter, and coffee, which awakens the dragon in me), and that shows in my writing. I think I did it unconsciously until I, at one point, added the tag "life happens in the kitchen" to one of my fics on AO3, and now writing scenes in the kitchen has become a staple of mine.

I never thought I might enjoy writing sprints with other people, but for a brief period, I got to try this and found it delightful. It tickled my competitive side. Perhaps I'll dip my toes into that again at some point...we'll see.

I've gotten much better at showing rather than telling how a character feels, and it's become such a joy to add in all those little descriptors that my readers can hopefully identify with when they read my works.

Eyes seem to be something I focus a lot on when describing a person. Eyes are stunning, and I truly enjoy describing them, especially the colour and how it makes the other person feel. Knowing that one of my characters is smiling or laughing or just genuinely happy makes me happy, and I always quietly hope that the same applies to my readers.

I'm no longer all that fussed about writing super-detailed sex scenes. I go there, but in recent months I've found that stripping away some of the details of the actual "this goes there in this way" and replacing it with feelings or a character's reaction gives me much more joy. Perhaps it's loosely related to a recent discovery I made about myself, or perhaps it's just my writing evolving, but I find this interesting. We'll see where this goes. One thing that I'm very sure about, though, is that my love for smut will always burn brightly.

Pets or animals in general. I love including a pet or an animal as a character, especially when I can give them an attitude, a quirk, or something that makes the pet or animal a delight to read. I've invented a few furry/feathery/scaly companions over the past year, and it's something I want to focus on even more. I'd be happy to have 50K of one character + a menagerie of animals, and while I don't know how my readers would feel about that, a writer can dream, can they not?

I don't especially feel like I'm part of my favourite fandoms. This might be a sad revelation, but it's true. While I thrive on making new connections and responding to messages/comments (after all, I am a chatterbug), I sadly am not the kind of person to reach out to people. It takes me forever to decide to take the plunge, and my anxiety always wreaks havoc on every attempt. I no longer feel confident enough to make the first move. I overthink, worry, and convince myself that there isn't a space for me. On a few occasions, it's made me want to stop writing, but I have since learnt not to give in to that impulse. My writing is all mine. It's something I would never give up, not for anyone. Still, not having that sense of belonging makes it hard to connect. I tried for a while, but I just don't have that much strength (for personal reasons, I won't elaborate any further).

Lastly, (and to end this on a positive note) I have learnt not to compare myself to other writers, whether they've been published or whether they're fanfic writers whose works I gobble up like coffee. Occasionally, the feeling still creeps in, but for the most part, I manage to ignore it. To continue to grow as a writer, I need to be able to appreciate without feeling like reading a gorgeous piece of writing makes me want to give up on my own writing. Instead, I allow other works to push me towards doing better.

[baratrongirl]

Fanfiction Trope Meme

Stolen from @pigeontheoneandonly, who I don't know at all. Saw it in their blog and went "I like these questions". Rules: copy/past and bold your fic preferences and tag someone to do the same. I don't ever explicitly tag people because I don't want anyone to feel put on the spot when they could be having a bad week/month/year. I'm interested in all my friends' answers, so answer the questions if you want to.

slow burn or love at first sight. (Good question. I tend to think that love at first sight is unrealistic, because you only know what someone looks like, not who they really are. So I suppose I prefer slow burn where the affection grows as the people get to know each other.)

fake dating or secret dating. (Ugh, I like both! Though secret dating wins with Klapollo - dating in secret because Klavier's a rock star and they don't want the tabloid hassle.)

enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers. (This is how my relationships have worked in real life. We've always been friends first - at least for the relationships that have actually LASTED.)

oh no there’s only one bed or long-distance with correspondence. (Ack! I can't decide! *squishes Klapollo into one bed* vs LDR with Apollo in Khura'in and Klavier in Los Angeles/Tokyo?)

hurt/comfort or amnesia. (HURT/COMFORT. Finally, an easy one!)

fantasy au or modern au. (This one depends on the original setting. If it's a fantasy setting, a modern AU. If it's a modern setting, then a fantasy AU!)

mutual pining or domestic bliss. (Get it together, silly boys! Of course, I'm talking about Klapollo again. With some of my other ships, I prefer them to simply communicate and sort their relationship out.)

smut or fluff. (I like both BUT if we are simply talking about tropes in the absence of plot, I prefer Porn Without Plot to Fluff Without Plot. Fluff Without Plot leaves me feeling unfulfilled, like I ate candy floss when I wanted a meal. Fluff WITH Plot is fantastic, and I've written quite a few Teen-rated fics myself. Smut is definitely not essential for a good story.)

canon complaint or fix-it fic. (Fix-it!!)

alternate universe or future fic. (AUs are fascinating.)

one-shot or multi-chapter. (Depends on the story, of course. If it's high-quality, I can easily read 150k of fic in a night. What is this "bedtime" thing you speak of?)

kid fic or roadtrip fic. (I am not really a fan of either, but I LOATHE kid fic. Fan-created OC children make me break out in metaphorical hives. Though - I say that, and I would still absolutely love to read a story where Trucy (aged 25+) offers to be the surrogate for Klavier and Apollo, since she is Apollo's sister and has the most similar genetic makeup to him. I guess I'm more interested in the negotiations (will they accept it? Does Klavier even WANT children which are genetically his considering how Kristoph turned out?) than the actual part where a baby exists.)

reincarnation or character death. (NEVER character death, I hate it - and it's an actual squick to the point of being triggering with my main ship. Whereas reincarnation, finding each other again and again in different worlds over time - OMG I love.)

arranged marriage or accidental marriage. (Especially if accompanied by queer lawyers with legal shenanigans.)

high school romance or middle-aged romance. (Middle-aged fans demand middle-aged Blorbos! 35 is not "old", you teenage Narumitsu fans.)

time travel or isolated together. (Can't decide. As long as it's not a tragedy where they're separated by time, or where one is already a ghost while the other is alive, I don't much mind.)

neighbors or roommates. (No actual preference.)

sci-fi au or magic au. (Slight preference for magic, but only because SF is hard to write well.)

body swap or genderbend. (No preference, though I should perhaps observe that F/F Klapollo are barely any different to M/M Klapollo unless you're writing smut. Body swap, however, is hilarious because you have Mr Tall, Skinny, and Beautiful suddenly inhabiting the body of Mr Short, Buff, and Ordinary - and vice versa.)

angst or crack. (Angst with a happy ending. But I do love a good crack fic too!)

apocalyptic or mundane. (Mundane please. Apocalyptic fic stresses me out instead of being fun.)