#i did not expect two PARAGRAPHS of kudos

[leighsartworks216]

Whores. All of you. (/lh /j)

[remimibanana]

A bit about Shattered!

I wrote a story about Robin and Sunday!

It's about what may have happened during their past, their present and what the reality during and after the never ending dream held for them.

You can find it here!

I wanted to write a bit about my thought process behind writing this, since I have a lot to say and it might interest some people! I also didn’t want to make my notes section way too long and make it hard to leave a comment or kudos.

All under the cut!

Conception

I started writing this story after 2.2 released, but I didn’t finish it until now. It took me so long but it’s finally here! 30k wasn't the amount I expecting but I am all for it.

It originally was meant to be a love letter to 2.2, but it soon became a love letter to Penacony as a whole since there’s spoilers for everything. I had to rewatch the quests often to make sure I didn’t mess up the lore.

I remember I spent a whole day on the 2.2 quest, a Thursday where I sat down on my phone reading through the dialogue and playing the game while wondering when it was going to actually end at one point.

It was way longer than I expected, but I cried by the end of it all while pacing around the kitchen like a crazy person. Seeing Robin jump for Sunday as he fell, I couldn’t help but tear up. It made me love Robin and Sunday way more than I did before!

It was an incredible quest. It was worth all the hours I poured into it, thanking everything that no one was home when I let out noises and screams like a maniac in the kitchen out of all places. I'm a very expressive person.

I also jumped like a maniac when Acheron said Mei, or Yayi since I play with the CN dub! I love Honkai Impact 3rd a lot, if you didn’t know. I mean, everyone knew beforehand but it felt super validating for it to be explicitly said.

I knew immediately that I had to write something for this wonderful story. I’m always inspired to write after a quest, especially one like this. Shaoji cooked with Penacony and he needs to come back and write more for Star Rail.

I had to write Robin and Sunday, because there was so much I could write regarding these two doomed siblings. I did alternating point of views with both of them, as I wanted to tell both their stories.

I also knew that I wanted angst to the max, especially after hearing what the heck Robin went through and the fact that the game barely touched on anything in her point of view. This is the same case with Sunday.

I’m sorry for the pain I have inflicted on you all! I will write a happy story at some point, I promise you. Then again, I've said this before and I still manage to write angst…

There wasn’t much planning for this, aside from a few things from the quest that I wanted to write into it and use…and yet it looks like I’ve meticulously planned it all out doesn’t it?

I amaze myself sometimes. I quite literally surprised myself actually at times, I made stuff connect and I didn’t mean to really. Is this what they call being a genius?

Let’s take it from the top!

The Past

The first thing I knew I wanted to write was how Robin was shot in the neck.

That sounds terrible, damn. I don’t know how else to word it, I’m sorry!

It was mentioned by Sunday so briefly, and then never brought up again by anyone which is insane to me like what do you mean that Robin was shot in the neck in a war she went into?!

We got to see how he was informed by the Dreammaster about it after showing Robin’s letter and how he was going to pack his bags immediately for Kasbelina-VIII but that was honestly it. This gave me the perfect base to write my rendition of how it all happened.

I structured this part by writing out two letters, the one that Robin sent to Sunday and one that Sunday would have written back if he received it first. I then wrote the actual happenings underneath each paragraph that contradict the letters.

My goal was to make this as interesting as I could since it’s the first thing you read in my story. I needed to hook you all in, and keep you wanting to read on until the end.

There is a lot of story building here, describing the conditions of Kasbelina-VIII and some of the messed up stuff that is happening there. It’s rather realistic, because I wanted it to be. If I was going to talk about a war, I would do so properly without downplaying anything.

I first found it strange that Sunday didn’t know about the war at all. I figured, wouldn’t a war be at least broadcasted by the largest government body, the IPC themselves?

That’s when the idea that the IPC was intentionally covering it all up came to me. It seemed like the most logical explanation, and a very interesting one that I could build upon.

Despite Robin’s letter being in her point of view, we see another being shown. The soldiers who she was staying with this whole time, their thoughts regarding the war and Robin herself.

I had to make a reason as to why she would be shot, because she had to be right in the middle of the battlefield for that to happen. If the IPC was covering everything up, they would also stop supporting the poor planet.

These poor soldiers she’s staying with had no new supplies delivered to for weeks, and yet they still gave what they had left to her, showing that there is still kindness in such a horrific situation.

Based of what I could see, Robin wouldn’t let them suffer like this when she learnt about the supply issue by what I assume was on accident generally. I wanted to give the soldiers some character, so I made them lie to her for her sake about how long they didn’t have supplies for.

We have a lot of lying mentioned in this story, since it’s the main premise for both Sunday and Robin. They both lied to each other for the other’s sake, thinking that it was the right thing to do. Lies after lies pile up, and we see what happened when they all came falling down.

I've never been shot before (god forbid) but I tried to imagine how it might have felt for Robin, the way it would make her feel. It did hurt to write this part, the way she still tried to deliver those supplies...the way she belittled herself for lying...

I wanted to make you all suffer, pretty much. That also sounds terrible.

Now, we go into Xipe and THEIR role. The Dreammaster mentioned how Harmony had blessed her by missing her vital arteries, so I made THEM interfere despite the fact THEY usually only observe and watch everything unfold.

THEY said that the bullet was not meant to hit her, but it still did for some reason that eluded them. This was such a major foreshadowing point that doesn't make much sense until later on, I am such a genius for this!

The same case when it is mentioned that someone could try to calculate their reasonings by forsaking their humanity, I was intentionally foreshadowing what Sunday does later on when he tried to.

You seriously would think I planned all this but it sort of came out this way.

Sunday's letter on the other hand, is much more of a character study of himself if anything. I wanted to explore how he would feel about all this, the way he would handle such a situation of his beloved sister being shot.

We know that Sunday uses puppets, but it's never stated why or how he had them in the first place. We can also see how he can manipulate them, making them act out scenes and characters during the time when we are stuck running through those Memory Zones before his boss fight, which I took and built upon the idea.

Sunday is a very complex character, so I made him a little mentally unstable when concerning his sister. The way he lashed out at his puppets, destroying them all over and over while making up scenarios of her shooting in order to cope. He even thinks that a puppet is Robin for a second.

If this is out of character or not, I don’t know. I wanted to give him more character than we see in the actual story, and naturally my thoughts went to this. It is mentioned how much he loves Robin (as a sister obviously), and so I wanted to see how far he would go for his only family left.

I took the concept of Harmony and expanded on it. We can see that Harmony can alter the mind's state, so why not make it so they can control others by altering their thoughts? I often like adding additional powers for the plot that still make sense in the realm of the game.

For Robin, it was mostly subconsciously done. For Sunday, he does it intentionally for his own reasons. Both use Harmony to alter minds without asking if the intended victim wanted it, making them both in the wrong.

We have these whispers present, the choir above that Sunday can hear because of how attuned he is to Harmony, alongside Robin that he rejects often. I don't think this is a thing in game, but I thought it would make everything so much more intriguing!

His distrust in Harmony grows and the rejection started from the first seed of doubt planted by Mr Gopher Wood. I imagine that his manipulation started young, slowly introducing the disharmony into Sunday's ideals.

This whole section quite literally foreshadows the rest of the story, it's great.

The Present

The major part of this story is when Robin is in Sunday's consciousness.

We have no idea what happened to her there, only that they were “put” to sleep. In Ena’s Dream, apparently it is called Tuning that she went through alongside Welt Yang by Sunday, who mentioned that nothing too bad happened to him there.

Then again, apparently it was Jing Yuan who saved Welt from Sunday’s subconscious???? I don’t really know how that works but point is, I had a lot of playing ground for what happens to Robin in there.

Here, we are introduced to the idea of Memory Zones (every time I read this, I think of Mystery Zones from Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum), areas of Sunday’s subconscious that he made to house his manifestations.

The first zone that Robin enters is incomplete. I imagine that Sunday never prepared for the possibility that Robin would ever enter his mind, so she was thrown into a zone that was quickly conjured up to keep her.

Since Robin too is attuned to Harmony, she can affect the Memory Zone to an extent. The colours you see on the ground is from her own power, as you can tell by the fact it originally came from her every single time it is mentioned.

As to why this is happening, I think it’s more of a subconscious thing once again. Robin doesn’t truly mean to use Harmony here while stuck in a random zone.

She can also hear the whispers, although they are trying to help her unlike Sunday’s ones. This is clearly a major foreshadowing point that you realise later on that these aren’t the same whispers.

We see the Charmony Dove from their childhood flying around and giving Robin a bit of trouble. This was definitely Sunday’s doing, who finally decided what he would do with her.

I wanted Robin to sing here because I thought that it was the best way to calm down the little bird, and symbolize how important her singing is to her and the world around her.

As she keeps saying, it’s the only thing she is good for at the end.

It was Sunday who made the bird fly away like a puppet with feathers, and Robin ran after it. I feel like she’s very selfless, to the point that she would run into a trap knowingly.

A zone just for her.

I knew I wanted to use that story with the Charmony Dove since it’s pretty prominent in 2.2. The Memory Zone she runs into is a replica of the bedroom the siblings stayed in, with the Charmony Dove now in the cage they kept it in.

This bird isn’t the same one as before as you can tell, since this whole zone is Sunday’s memory of how he released the small bird to its death. Robin helps it to fly, but it only shattered its wings when it fell as Sunday explained.

That’s when she learnt that this was all her fault, and we learn why that bullet that wasn’t meant to hit her did back then.

It was karma. They do say that karma’s a bitch, and for Robin, it took form with that bullet. It sounds like I’m quoting Jojo Siwa but I’m not, I swear ;;

Point is, I AM A GENIUS FOR THIS.

I didn’t intent for it but I wrote down that sentence “Perhaps, Robin was shot in the neck because of what she did” and my brain connected the dots immediately with what I wrote with Xipe earlier.

Sunday finally makes an appearance in person. This whole sequence is interesting because we have him hurting Robin, as if she was one of his puppets. I intentionally made it this strange, with Sunday mentioning after that the zone fell out of his control later on.

I described how his arms were out like an overseer, that’s a very obvious reference to Otto Apocalypse from Honkai Impact 3rd.

The lullaby part is from 2.3, where Robin mentioned how Sunday used to sing a lullaby to her when she was restless at night. I thought it would the perfect final blow.

It isn’t Robin in that zone. But it is at the same time. It’s interesting, isn’t it? Would it be too farfetched to say that it was Robin's consciousness who transferred into that puppet? Who knows.

Robin “wakes up” from that Memory Zone, completely nauseous and disoriented from the sheer amount of Harmony, or Order she was subjected to. We saw this with that doctor earlier with only a small amount of it used.

It was too much for her to handle. It was only when Sunday appears again to cut through it all, does she snap out of it out of his sheer grace. What a kind person he is.

We learn that Robin is in a cage. This is the same cage we see in her splash art! I like to try to integrate them into my stories, like I did for one of my previous stories with Black Swan’s one!

The two siblings share a conversation that doesn’t end well, with him leaving her. It was the only logical outcome for our doomed siblings here. I feel bad for them.

The cage breaking and Robin singing is also based on her splash art, as I needed a way for her to escape the cage that made sense to her and the story. I think it signifies how important her singing is to her and how Harmony interacts when she does.

We see Robin running around all the various Memory Zones Sunday has, noting how there are many puppets in them. I was alluding to when we go through those Memory Zones in the Grand Theater where Sunday tells us some stories using his puppets.

In one of them…we find her companion that was forced to sleep alongside her.

WELT YANG IS HERE.

I just wanted to write him since he is one of my favourite characters and I had my chance to finally in a story!

You can probably tell how much I enjoyed writing him based on how long his part is. If you have played Honkai Impact 3rd, or know Welt’s backstory, this is my little treat for you. If Hoyo won't make him do things, I WILL.

I made Welt finally use his powers. He’s the Herrscher of Reason, he has the freaking Star of Eden (the 9th Divine Key itself), AND HE BARELY DOES ANYTHING PLEASE DO SOMETHING I WANT TO SEE—

Ahem.

Making a bench is child’s play for Welt. I thought it would be kind of funny if he did.

Welt is more childish here since he wanted to cheer Robin up, who looked clearly sad. I think he probably used to do something similar with his adoptive son Joey when he was upset. He couldn't help but do so for his companion.

The idea for him making himself have wings like hers is from this one comic I saw on Twitter that lives rent free in my mind. I thought it would be a great way to cheer her up while also using his power more!

(It took me so long to find this, it wasn't funny how much I scrolled)

His wings smack right onto his face rather comedically and I took that from the official emojis where you can see Robin hiding her face. I imagine that younger Halovians struggle with their wings moving around and his wings are practically akin to newborn ones.

The power of Reason.

This is where I had to make things painful. Welt talks about his experience, the memory that Sunday chose to use against him. I was thinking about what would be the best memory, and of course I went for the jugular for that pain factor.

This is where Welt Joyce, the former Herrscher of Reason died in the city he was protecting. This was where Joachim Nokianvirtanen, who we now know as Welt Yang received the Core of Reason, the name Welt and a mission from Welt Joyce, before passing away.

It’s a very important memory to Welt, and one I would see Sunday exploiting. Only those who know of Welt Yang’s story would know that the man he mentioned was Welt Joyce since I intentionally didn't mention his name.

For Welt recreating half of the town, I was spitballing about the energy part. I don’t know if Memoria would be a good substitute for Honkai energy but I’m just rolling with it. Don't quote me on that.

The main role of Welt here is to reassure Robin, give her the will and inspiration to keep going despite everything. She even tells him all about her experiences, a connection between the two already facilitated by simple communication.

I feel like Welt is such a father figure. If only we all had him in our lives.

Reality

Sunday has now merged with Dominicus and has fallen to those whispers above, as the never ending dream is taking form.

The Dreammaster, Mr Gopher Wood himself makes an appearance as his former form. In 2.2, all his ravens die and he is never seen again, making it pretty clear that he's dead. However, I assume that he joined the Dreamscape and is now an entity that can oversee everything.

Dead only physically, as you will.

The Embryo of Philosophy is named by the Dreammaster here, since I was wondering how Sunday was named that during his boss fight, although it could have been from the whispers THEMSELVES. I also made Mr Gopher Wood show his true colours, to show that manipulative side.

There was a reason for this. He didn't want his son to start rebelling or second guessing his choice, so he used Robin as a way to keep him ensnared in his deception. Evil, isn't he?

I honestly think that Sunday knew that he would ascend to Aeonhood, as smart as he is. At least, he would have had an inkling of Gopher Wood’s true intentions.

Those whispers were Ena this whole time inside of Xipe as we learn. If Xipe absorbed Ena, wouldn’t Ena still be there? I think Mr Gopher Wood and Ena were in cahoots, scheming together. Perhaps even more than that (gets hit).

How…how dare he? 

How dare he glimpse Heaven’s will? How dare he change people’s fate?

How dare he decide the life and death of other beings? 

How dare he represent the will of all beings? How dare he control the greatest secrets and riches of the world itself?

How dare he…hold the fate of the entire world in his hands?

These lines are from HI3, particularly from Chapter 3 of Part 2 but slightly edited. This is what Baiji thinks of his actions to save everyone, and I feel like it also applies to Sunday.

We have many HI3 references here. I couldn’t help myself.

We now go back to Robin's point of view. This is after she awakens from Ena’s dream.

I don’t know if any other people woke up aside from the Astral Express + Acheron, Boothill and Black Swan, but for plots sake, there was. Just some random people we don’t care about.

We have Acheron! I wanted to write her since she played a huge part in Penacony and it would be a shame not to after I read this:

The bloody sacrifice becomes the sweet dreamland. The real world will lose meaning for them, while the eternal dream will become their only reality. They will no longer think with time. Their dreams will be connected, which will create a true miracle that transcends finality.

This is also a treat for the HI3 players. The words here are the words that Raven tells Mei before Project Stigma takes place. I was playing through that chapter at one point and thought that the words fit perfectly for this story.

I rewrote Acheron’s part because I disliked what I had initially. I was writing about Finality and how it was the same as transcending Order but it didn’t fit well so I changed it. I wanted to say how Finality governs time and how it can change reality if you had the authority...but perhaps another time.

As we know, Acheron was the only survivor who defeated End, referring to Kevin Kaslana all by herself without her companions unlike in HI3. I had to mention this and highlight the difference between their cases.

She doesn't show up again in the story, but she also impacts Robin in a way.

Miss Firefly takes the stage!

We have a bit of Robifly because I do ship them and I couldn’t help myself when I had a chance to write an interaction between Robin and Firefly. I wanted something a bit more lighthearted to break between all the angst and pain.

I saw how Firefly mentioned that she can't dream, and so I just wanted Robin to tell her otherwise to cheer her up. She’s following Welt’s lead, being that kind and inspirational person!

I’m sorry for making you the third wheel…

Speaking of him, we have Welt again appear! I couldn’t help myself, I just wanted to write more of him and I felt like Robin would try to seek him out first.

Did you know that it was called a Dream Pool, that bed in the Reverie? I had to rewatch 2.0’s quest because I didn’t remember the name for the life of me.

This time, we have Welt suffering yet again…I'm sorry that I only write you like this. He mentions in 2.3 that he dreamt about returning to his homeland and seeing all his old friends. This poor man, imagine waking up to find that it was all a lie.

The yelling mention was obviously a nod to Tesla who I would imagine yell at him for taking this long to return without a single word.

I hope Welt does get to connect with his homeland eventually, I want to see them or hear them!

We then go into the battle against Sunday! I purposely chose Sunday's point of view here, since we never receive it in the game.

I was rewatching the fight, and noted how sudden the switch from the question Sunday asked to mentioning how it was their final talk felt like it wasn’t him talking anymore, which I made the case here since we have my wonderful whispers.

We learn more about how Sunday felt during this, and what may have happened after their fall. Robin mentioned how she woke up by herself, which could only mean that Sunday left her there.

I think he genuinely was upset by the failure, but most of all…failing Robin. The feather falling down is a reference from how there were feathers flying around when Robin appeared and how the Trailblazer took it into their hands.

It clearly has the power of Harmony, and that’s what Sunday can feel when he holds it tightly. I imagine that he would keep that feather with him, as a reminder of what he lost.

The ending is based off 2.3, where we learn that Sunday is captured and will face trial. I didn’t go into much detail since we really don’t know much about how he was caught.

It won’t be the end.

It will be the end of all the suffering. 

I will realise my dreams.

I will make my dreams come true. 

I won’t fail again.

I will never fail.

The poison to Penacony still lingers.

I am a traitor. 

These are Robin and Sunday's thoughts respectfully. As you can see, they are both the same fundamentally. That goes to show how they are both traitors in a way, aren't they?

We have a little ending about the siblings, alongside a story with a snake.

The snake is Miss Jade herself, where Robin went to her to make her greatest desire come true...to let Sunday go free. I wanted to reference the end of 2.3 where we see Jade talking to Sunday, how he was free but he refused her.

I repeated the words Acheron spoke for the very end to tie it all together. The perfect words to end a story filled with so much!

End

Thank you for reading all this! I’ve spent way too long on this story and I’m glad it’s finally out there for everyone to read!

I feel like in terms of storytelling, this is my best story so far! I'm proud of all the elements I was able to merge into this!

- Miku

[elenyafinwe]

 "Nidaime-sama, I thank you for this lesson," Shisui said. "I have one more question, even though it doesn't really have anything to do with this. But I've been wondering for a while now why everyone always insists I'm a boy. But I'm not, I'm Shisui."

 Tobirama did not answer immediately and pondered this question for quite a while. He didn't feel he was the best person to ask about it.

 It was Kakashi who spoke first. "Because people always like to put everything in boxes. People are just like that, they always want to squeeze everything neatly into boxes without paying attention to whether it really fits. So they look at you and judge that you're a boy, and with me they claim I'm a woman without even asking us what we think in the first place."

 "But why do they do that?" continued Shisui.

 Yes, why did they do that? It occurred to Tobirama that he had never asked that question.

 Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Education, socialisation, something in our brains that always wants to put everything into categories. I don't know that exactly either. Some even claim that gender is a biological fact, but that's nonsense. They don't even ask other people how they see themselves, but impose an identity on them that they are not. You can safely throw people like that out of your life, nobody needs them."

 Itachi tilted his head and thought about it. One of the ravens had found him again and sat cawing on a branch in a nearby tree. Casually, the boy tossed a nut to the animal. It had barely hit the ground before the raven had snatched its morsel.

 "But if gender is not a biological fact, what makes me a boy and Shisui not?" asked Itachi then.

 "You'll have to ask Shisui that, not me," Kakashi said. "I cannot define for Shisui what makes Shisui's identity. But in general, it can be said that gender is primarily a social construct. Women are treated differently from men and non-binary identities are still ridiculed and dismissed as imaginary by far too many people. Women are expected to dress a certain way and men a different way, and when someone breaks out of that, most people react with irritation. That's the social aspect and none of it has anything remotely to do with sexual organs."

 Itachi let these words sink in for a moment. "Then what makes me a boy?"

 "No one dictates that to you," Kakashi said. "You can decide that for yourself. If it feels right, then it fits, and if it doesn't, then find something that fits better."

 What actually made Tobirama a man? Another question he had never asked. It was what his parents had ascribed to him when he was born, and he had never questioned it. Maybe he should.

 "I just want to be Shisui," Shisui said. "It's weird that women are supposed to cook and men are supposed to work and that they're supposed to dress a certain way instead of the way they like best."

 "Yes, I also think that the construct of gender as a whole should be abolished. But we as a society are still a long way off." Kakashi dug his hands into his pockets.

 "What would we have to do to abolish it?" asked Shisui.

 Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "A revolution."

 Ōkami rubbed her head against him. "One step at a time. Everyone should be allowed to be who they want to be, and if someone dislikes you for it, send them to me and I'll eat the person."

 This made Shisui and Itachi giggle.

 "You laugh, but she means exactly that," Kakashi said deadpan.

 As if to confirm his words, she nibbled his hair.

A little excerpt of Underneath the Silence for those who haven’t read my TobiMina timetravel story yet.

And for those who had: I had nothing else to read on my weekend and read my own fanfic, ahem 😅 And while I did so I noticed that at some point and for whatever reason the last paragraphs of chapter 1 got lost. No idea why or how, but I fixed it now.

I plan to continue the story once my lectures are over in two weeks and the stress is a bit less for me. You know what would be cool by then? 200 public bookmarks (currently 197) and 700 kudos (currently 698). Can we manage that? ❤

[blackjackkent]

🖍Post Any sentence from your wip ♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP ❤️Not a question, just a second kudos to send.

(Ask Game for Writers to Procrastinate Working on Your WIPs)

🖍 Post Any sentence from your wip

"And it's true she has never been sentimental, no matter the dangers pressing around them. This fear, though, is not sentimentality but something far deeper and older and more primal - the rage-fear of the mother tiger whose cubs are threatened. No logic, no stoic resolve, no discipline or self-control will allow her to escape it. It was only the pure knife-edge clarity of adrenaline that has kept it to the back of her mind this long. Now the danger is past, and she is forced to take stock of the things she may have lost in this victory."

From the post-game Jaheira one-shot that's currently top of my WIP pile. (More than a sentence, I know, but I'm pretty pleased with how this whole paragraph came together. c: )

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♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP

One of the reasons Chap4 of Open Your Eyes took so long is that I spent quite a while writing a whole opening sequence where the crew escaped from the guards through the "Muzad" - the Undercity warrens of Calimport. I ended up scrapping it from the chapter because the necessary exposition screwed with the pacing of what was supposed to be a hectic escape sequence.

I did really like some of what I wrote in it, though, so I saved most of it and I think it may end up seeing use in a later chapter instead.

Excerpt from the scrapped scene:

They have, quite suddenly, left the sewers and entered a broad pathway lined by buildings on either side. It might, indeed, look very much like a nighttime street, except that the "sky" is smooth sandstone, some thirty feet above their heads. A small crowd of urchin children, startled at the unexpected appearance of new faces, scatter into the shadows between the buildings. "Welcome to the Muzad," Rasaad says with a mild flicker of something like pride. "The true heart of Calimshan, some have said." "Muzad?" Minsc asks. He prods at the brick face of one of the buildings as they pass by, as if half-expecting it to tip over and reveal itself a clever facade. "A city that hides within the sewers as Boo hides within Minsc's pocket." He grins, sounding somewhat impressed. "This is a magic not seen every day!" Jaheira smiles slightly. "Intertwined, I think - like two balls of yarn tangled in each other," she says quietly. "Or so Khalid once described it to me." She shoots Rasaad a sideways look. "The Undercity, yes?" "The Muzhajaarnadah," Rasaad agrees. "The city of shadow. Calimport has rebuilt itself time and time again, and each time it leaves fragments of itself below, and below, and below..." Imoen clicks her tongue softly. "We know how well Caden fits in with criminal sorts," she says dryly. "This'll go well." "Shut up," Caden says idly, but he gives Rasaad a concerned look. "Dangerous sort of place?" Rasaad hesitates. "To describe the Muzad only one way is to attempt to describe all of the gods in a word," he says after a little while. "Many criminals make their homes here, yes, and do business in the dark corners. And many people who scrounge their living by honest means where the opportunity allows. Some who come by day to escape the heat of the city streets. Some who come by night to find pleasures too strongly censured by the amlakkar. It is said that darker things still lurk in the forgotten corners of this place, things that slumber and should not be awakened - but these, I think, are fairy tales only. It is simply a city, as all cities are." He shrugs. Another long pause. "I was born here," he says, more to himself than to Caden.

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❤️Not a question, just a second kudos to send.

Ahhhhhh, thank you! And back at you - now that I've finally actually caught up and read some of your writing, I am doubly flattered at the kind words you've had for mine. <3 TYSM friend.

[remyfire]

tbf re the “just because a bigger writer did it better” I think is not so much a deterrent bc plagiarism but more “who is going to pick mine to read vs that” which isn’t a good way to think but is probably a mindset folks have had before

You're right!! I mentioned that because in a past fandom, I had a friend who left her very popular fic unfinished when she left the fandom, and about three years later a new author to the fandom had clearly taken her entire unfinished fic, gone through and changed the wording here and there, and expected nobody to notice, and it still really grinds my gears to think about haha.

That being said, now I am going to ramble about my own personal experiences as a writer in this fandom. I have no idea if this will be helpful for anyone else to read, but my experiences are the only ones I can pull from, so here we go. I'm gonna be referring to the royal you in this, btw, so anon pls don't think I'm just throwing a million paragraphs at you specifically hkdfds

Okay, who is going to pick yours to read versus that other fic? A good thing to remember is that new people come into the fandom all the time. These readers have no idea who the Big Fic Authors are. Sure, sometimes they'll ask for recs or sort the ship tag they're curious about by highest kudos or hits or whatever, but a lot of times they'll just pull up the ship tag and start browsing from whatever was most recently updated, so if your fic that you're nervous about trying a trope out on is the most recently updated one, that's what they're gonna open up. Before you know it, you are the author they associate with that trope, and they're going to remember your fic so incredibly fondly even if they do eventually trip over the Big Fic Author's fic from two or three months or years ago dealing with the same trope. Yours will likely still live larger in their heads because it was their first and they loved it so much.

People typically remember me for two big fics, Scratching the Itch and Just A Drink Away From Honesty. I actually didn't read many fics before I began writing Scratching the Itch because I didn't want my characterization to be influenced by others, so when I discovered that me writing Hawk as inexperienced with men and BJ as experienced with men was counter to fanon, I was incredibly surprised. I got a massive positive response from it. The massage scene in particular received really lovely reviews. Suddenly I was the person a lot of people associated Experienced Beej and Massage Fic with.

Imagine my delight when I did begin reading older fics—ones from 2017 through 2021 or so—and saw, A, a remarkable amount of inexperienced Hawk/experienced Beej and, B, extremely evocative massage-centric fics centering Hawk and BJ. I hadn't actually pioneered anything. I'd simply picked tropes that resonated with me and just wrote. And now I got to go back and read authors who maybe will never know my name but who loved those same tropes and wrote them fucking beautifully. I'm still thrilled to bits about it.

Same with Just A Drink Away From Honesty. Glory holes are my favorite underutilized smut storytelling device. This isn't the first time I've written about one and it won't be the last. Readers ate it up. It's far and above my most popular Trapper and Hawk fic and I imagine it always will be.

Again, I was delighted when I started looking back at older fics and saw a few glory hole ones had already been written. You mean I get to read these and my own? Two cakes!! Two delicious cakes that I am devouring whole!!!

Even more interestingly, when I finally started reading those old '17-'21 fics, I literally began finding phrases that I wrote into my fic that I had not previously seen before. I found someone's Trapper saying that Hawk was the best I ever had and I remembered being so !!! because that was such an essential dialogue moment in JADAFH. Again, I had not revolutionized a damn thing. These authors were the PEAK Big Fic Authors of their time—and yet now so few readers have a clue who they are. They can't name their fics.

In three or four years, readers aren't gonna know who RemyFire is. My fics aren't gonna stand the test of time. New authors will come in and pick up the gauntlet and spin their own beautiful, sexy, aching stories. Honestly? That excites the hell out of me. Writing is always going to be new and fresh no matter who did something first.

Anyway, people are gonna remember your fics over That Fic (whatever it is) because you're gonna write it beautifully and your fic is gonna be their That Fic. But for that to happen, you have to write it first. Again, this is the royal you. Whoever is reading this, if you need the nudge to write it scared, I'm handing it to you. If you need encouragement to get started, come send me an ask. And if you write something that you're excited about, let me know so I can read it and squeal in delight!!

[saltandfire-blog]

Lucerys Velaryon x Aemond Targaryen

Salt and Fire

When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in - blood and salt.

Summary: Lucerys Velaryon belongs to both sea and sky. His whole life he has tried to prove his blood runs thick with not just fire but salt, despite the scandalous accusations that have haunted him and his brothers. Aemond Targaryen is nothing but fire, and before their families tore them asunder, his nephew was one of the few people he did not scorch. History books would have you believe the green and black children of House Targaryen grew up enemies, but before eyes and loyalties were slashed, there was once devotion between the two second sons. As boys grow into men, it is easier to repay an injury, because forgiveness is a burden and revenge a pleasure.

Notes: I’m SO sorry this chapter took much longer to put out than expected! Last chapter I put out way too soon, posting it around 4 in the morning, so the next day when I read through it I was horrified to see just how many mistakes there were! So if you read the chapter 10 when it was freshly posted, I strongly encourage to reread lol. I’m sure there’s still stuff array considering I’m a terrible proof reader, but it’s not humiliating at least. So with this, I admit I did take extra time updating to make sure it was ready. Anyone a beta reader out there?

I also did receive a comment last chapter about Jace’s character development, and I wanted to wave frantically and assure them it was coming! And here it is! Lots of brother moments in this chapter that I’m particularly fond of and really enjoyed writing Jace and Luke. Entirely different brother dynamics than Aemond and Aegons that’s for sure. I know I have also focused a lot on Luke and Laenor’s relationship, but I felt like Rhaenyra needed to be paid her dues, especially after that new trailer (!!) so here is my tribute to her character development through this story as well.

The poem Lucerys reads is not actually from Nymeria or the asoiaf universe, but from the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley. It’s a favorite one of mine that I thought could sound easily Dornish. Florys the Fox also isn’t mine and belongs to G.R.R., though I did embellish and added more to the original story that I hope you guys might have found interesting with this back and forth story exchange between Aemond and Luke.

I really tried my best to go back and read over crumbs about Dragonstone from Davos POV chapters and inserts from F&B, so I hope you enjoyed them!

Thank you so much for all your comments, kudos, & bookmarks! I cannot express how thankful I am for every bit of feedback!

Oh, and issa embar zaldrīzes translation is my sea dragon 😊

Chapter Eleven

disenchanted.

Waves lapped at Luke's feet where he sat along the beach of Dragonstone, his boots having been discarded a while ago where he buried his naked feet beneath the sand and sat with a light booklet in his hand. Three rods had been set up, but it was only Luke looking after them. He glanced up from his reading every few paragraphs to check if any lines were being tugged at, but despite them having casted them quite a while ago there was still nothing. Luke determined something must be amiss and debated pulling them back in to the check the bait. Dragonstone's castellan Ser Alfred Broome had told them how harvester and hunter shrimps were common to catch in the warmer waters around the volcanic island, so yesterday their father made a day of rowing out past the dead coral beds that surrounded Dragonstone and set a net to catch the shrimp they meant to use for larger fish today. They were supposed to meet Laenor after they broke their fasts that morning, but his attendant had informed them their father was running rather late. Recalling how he had indulged more than his usual the day before while at dinner, Luke sighed and determined to go on ahead while he waited for his father to compose himself, taking Ser Lorent with him down to the beach to appease his mother. Even though his brother wasn’t usually interested in fishing, Jace had also come to join him, but Luke suspected he had only come as it was something to do on their off day without any lessons and had brought his bow with a small satchel of arrows to practice with on the beach.

He and Jace were still on tentative terms, but they were each other's only company it could sometimes feel like on the island. Their port was not a busy one like it’s neighboring island and lacked a market of any foreign merchants, nor was it teeming with relatives like on High Tide or the Red Keep. It was only them who resided in the previously vacant castle, and the servants on the island mostly came from the fishing village on the eastern side of the island. His mother told them it had not been properly lived in for over a decade, and remarked with a small smirk it's last resident had been her uncle, Prince Daemon who had left King's Landing with his mother’s brother's egg and a paramour. Though that was all before his marriage to Laena, his father interjected in defense of his sister's honor.

Luke found Dragonstone a very peaceful retreat when one warmed up to its gaudy castle and rather enjoyed life away from court with his family. Life was much more relaxed here. They spent the whole first week they came to the island practically living along the surrounding Blackwater. The sands were soft and the beach was long, and Luke taught Joffrey how to jump over waves and to pick his feet up higher as he ran through the water. Despite Jace and their father's complaints, he even enjoyed the smell of smoke and brimstone in the island's salt air that was particularly distinctive on Dragonstone, especially the closer your traveled towards the Dragonmont that emitted the thick grey smoke. Even his mother and father’s drawn faces had softened after a time and begun to relax in their household away from the capital, and before long, he actually heard his mother confess favoring their decision to move more than anyone. After all her refusals, it seemed Rhaenyra felt life was much easier away from the Red Keep as well.

Though while Luke and his mother wondered why they had never left King’s Landing sooner, it was his brother and father who were struggling. Jace had become uncharacteristically quiet even before they had moved here and it seemed even more prominent now. Back in King's Landing, if Luke felt betrayed by what had happened about the incident in the Dragonpit, it seemed his brother felt just as much, if not more so. Aegon's blatant denial of showing them the tunnels had appeared to have struck Jace rather hard, and as the ever dutiful son, whatever relationship he had held with their eldest uncle seemed to dissipate when he agreed with their mother that he was to create distance between her half-brothers. Jace mentioned Aegon apologized not long after the whole affair and tried to steer his brother back into their old antics, but Luke had found his brother lingering in their apartments and spending much more time with their mother and Joffrey than he ever would have before. That had included Ser Harwin especially.

Jace was not discreet in seeking out whatever attention it was he wanted from Lord Strong, and it had become a problem. So much so, that when Ser Criston was able to mistreat his brother in front of the other knight, it had been enough to provoke a beating so severe it had him disbanded from the City Watch. After returning all three of them back to the Keep, Luke remembered how he had stood in his defense against the Queen before his parents had shown up, and if he hadn't already began to endear himself to Luke, he had earned Luke's admiration after that night. Most of his life he had spent either trying to ignore or hate the man everyone whispered was his true father. Now that he was forced away, he felt unexpectedly dejected to see him go. Enough so that when Ser Harwin implored he should make up with his brother before leaving, he did his best. The two had never been so distant from each other and he could tell Jace was still sour about the slug he had thrown at his shoulder when he tried to pull Luke away from going after Aemond.

Though once the training yard incident happened, it appeared to have been the last straw for his parents.

“Father's not coming,” Jace called out, shooting another arrow into the distance to land in the sand further from his last.

Luke noted he was wearing his new bracers Laenor had made for him out of brand new leather that matched a sheath for the dagger Ser Harwin had given Jace that was now a permanent fixture on his belt these days. Before saying goodbye, Lord Strong had claimed it was a nameday present for Jace since it was approaching, though it did not look newly forged and had three small stones of blue, red, and green imbedded into the hilt. No one commented it seemed a much more sentimental gift than just for his brother's nameday. In fact, his mother had even looked away when Ser Harwin pressed it into Jace's hand, and their father handled it for a few moments before he gave it back to his son, only to gift him a sheath to place it in a few weeks later.

“He's just running late.”

Jace shrugged, loosing another arrow before traipsing off to go collect the rest from the beach.

Surprisingly, it was their father who had been the most publicly upset after the training yard fight. Ser Harwin gave his account of it all and told them how he had felt Ser Criston had handled Jace roughly and had only reacted to slander being thrown at his and their mother's honor. When the Queen called for Ser Harwin to be disbanded from his position, it was Laenor who pushed back rather abrasively about the decision.

“It was Ser Harwin that laid hands on my son, Ser Laenor. And we have already established years ago that Ser Joffrey provoked such an attack on himself when he threatened your own wife.”

“Your Kingsguard is a mad dog!” he exclaimed, angrier than Luke could say he had ever seen him, reminding him that his father was Velaryon but also half dragon. “First he’s shown clemency for killing Ser Joffrey Lonmouth at our wedding, and now he dares lay hands on my son!”

“Disguise it how you wish, I will no longer turn the other way and live beside this man who dishonors my family, your Grace. How much longer will you turn your eyes from the crimes this man continues to commit while in his position? When will consequences finally be sought?”

Viserys, who had been his own witness to it all, faced Luke's father and everyone was silent while the King hesitated to answer Laenor's calls. Though the Queen swept ahead and turned her chin up at the heir of Driftmark's challenge.

“Ser Laenor, have no doubts that I would gladly wish to see the day decency and duty are conducted about this castle, and consequences dulled out indeed.”

There were no words of threat, Luke had thought, but the way his father straightened and his heated breathing quieted, his mouth setting tightly against his teeth as he and Rhaenyra glared at Alicent, it definitely seemed perceived as one. Like the Queen had just drawn steel against them.

[undying-lilies]

5, 7, and 14 for the AO3 wrapped ask game!!

5 - What fic surprised you with how much interaction it got this past year?

this one for SURE. I expected it to get a couple hundred views, maybe?? and instead it has 1200 hits and a weirdly surprising amount of kudos for something I wrote in an AU that exists solely in my friend group. Glad people are enjoying it lol

7 - Share a line/paragraph/snippet that you were especially proud of from a work this year!

Here's one from the last chapter of TCAMT:

“Are you trying to get us killed?” Second Sister griped at him.

Cal’s jaw dropped. “I just saved everyone!”

“Well, don’t let it go to your head! I doubt your precious Jedi Order would’ve let you be so arrogant.”

“If you’re going to be ungrateful about it then -”

“Don’t bother, Cal,” Tech said, his eyes still on his datapad. “Second Sister is severe and unyielding, and I doubt that is something she will change.”

“You’re siding with me now?” Second Sister arched an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t like us.”

“Just because I understand you does not mean I agree with you.”

I'm very proud of this bit hehehe. I felt like a genius for paralleling canon

14 - Give us a sneak peek of one of your upcoming works!

ohoho let's SEE. Here's a sneak peek of a fic that hopefully I'll be posting in the next couple of weeks!

Tech adjusted his goggles and peered at his own bowl of stew. “Exactly how many tablespoons of garlic powder did you put in here, Omega?”

“Uh . . .” Omega tapped the end of her spoon on her chin. “How many tablespoons are in half a jar?”

“You put half a jar of garlic powder in the stew?!” Crosshair demanded.

Wrecker shrugged after a bite or two. “Isn’t that bad, honestly."

[samshinechester]

@thehighfiveproject, thank you for this challenge :D I had a lot of fun finding & commenting fics!

OLD FIC:

The Only Twenty-Four-Hour Bookstore in New York by tsukinobara Jared is the proprietor of The Moose and Mayhem, New York City's only twenty-four-hour bookstore. It takes up most of his brain but he loves it – the employees, the customers, the shelves and shelves of books. Jensen is co-owner of Two Brothers Bar, Red Hook's finest purveyor of bourbon, beer, and country bands. It takes up increasing amounts of his time but he loves it – the bartenders, the customers, even line-dance nights. Jared's weird year begins on No-Pants Day with the unusual presence of people riding the subway in their underwear in January. Jensen's weird year begins with an impulse to cross the river into Manhattan at three in the morning to see if the tall Texan guy he met a week ago is as cute as he remembers. But neither of them is expecting the challenging year that follows, and they'll need the things about New York that keep them sane to help them survive it.

RPS Jared Padalecki/Jensen Ackles ~38k

This is such a feel-good fic! It languished in my TBR list for a long while, which is a shame because it's a sweet one. Sweet with a dash of angst and a lot of realism, which is the best compliment I could pay to a story. I wish I owned a bookstore too (not even kidding here) ~

<1K HITS/100 KUDOS:

Indiscretion by Heartlesskids You could find everything you want in the South’s brothels, even what you did not know you wanted, and sometimes everything you needed. (au: Robb is a North king a bit at lost in the South, and Theon a skilled courtesan/prostitute who, maybe, used to be a Greyjoy.)

ASOIAF Robb Startk/Theon Greyjoy ~around 1k

Ehhh, I guess I'm cheating? A bit? This story doesn't have any kudos or visible hits, as it's from the kinkmeme. On Lj, things were different, but we had spectacular works nonetheless; you just had to dig to find them. Case in point, this fic. It's a short one, with Robb as King (I like it when Robb is alive and crowned), Theon as a prostitute (because I love my recurring themes), and they make it work while staying IC.

IC and writing style are my conditio sine qua non when it comes to fics, and the author can juggle them both in an effortless way. Bonus Hand!Jon <3 ~

FANDOM CLASSIC:

Full Service Firm by Rivkat Jensen's ego is stinging four weeks after being dumped by his long time boyfriend. He's been turning down guys left and right because, while he wouldn't mind some nice, no-strings-attached sex, he's more than a little scared of any kind of rejection. Enter the hot guy in the expensive suit who's been drinking the bar's best all night. Jensen nearly swallows his tongue when hot guy sidles up and says he'll pay double Jensen's going rate if he agrees to leave right the fuck now. Jensen's more than a little peeved that the guy thinks he's a hooker, but when he names an outrageous price off the top of his head, and the guy agrees without blinking an eye, he feels all his insecurities vanish. At least until a few months later when he realizes he may be in love with his one and only regular.

RPS Jared Padalecki/Jensen Ackles ~12k + companion piece available

I already left kudos there, damn XD but this fic. This fic, omg. It deserves a full, well-articulate squee in the form of comment. It's funny, it's well-written, it's an AU featuring my favorite fake jobs & tropes for the Js (hooker! Sort of! Lawyer! In love!), it's so beatiful I come there and reread it quite often <3

"How many clients do you have?" Jared asked, an unusual strain in his voice as he leaned back against the headboard.

Jensen suppressed the powerful impulse to say "one," because Jared had made it pretty clear how things stood between them. He thought about work, the client numbers it seemed like he dreamed about. "Four or five," he said, hoping it sounded plausible.

ASFDGFGDFGDF GFG. Besides, paragraph 131. Go read it now. ~

UNDERDOG TROPE:

The Old Gods Return by fleshflutter The envelope is waiting for them behind the desk of the motel when they try to check out. It's made of a thick, coarse brown paper and Sam can't stop touching the flowing script in black ink that's the only marking on it: Mr Samuel Winchester. HP Lovecraft & SPN

SPN Sam Winchester/Dean Winchester ~16k Ah, mpreg. It's not my thing, not really, as it tends to involve 99% sex and 1% vagueplot. Here, though? It's all plot! Well, they do fuck and Dean gets knocked up, but there is a reason behind it - a solid, terrifying and 100% IC reason. Casefic with a side of believable mpreg :D the writing style is, of course, superb, and the eerie atmosphere feels real. I adore this fic.

I just found out it has a sequel! So, if you'll excuse me...

~

RARE PAIRING:

Lead the Way from All Is Lost by Somehowunbroken 'Cam isn’t sure what he’s expecting to see when he walks into the General’s office, but he knows for damn sure that it’s not a man, dressed in base uniform, slouching in a chair with his arms crossed behind his head, staring unconcernedly at the ceiling while General Landry does his best to glare a hole straight through him.'

SGA/SG-1 Cameron Mitchell/John Sheppard ~25k

I keep going back to this fic. Every once in a while, since 2010 (it was still on Lj back then? I can't remember), I just have to get back and read it all over again. The author handles the recovery aspect in a realistic way, and their Cameron sounds so real. He's caring, he's compassionate, he's firm yet respectful of John's boundaries. The scene with the general is satisfying under every aspect - I'm always happy to see justice being served.

~

FREE SQUARE:

Why Ned Would Have Executed Theon by Redrikki Would Ned have killed Theon if Balon had rebelled before Ned’s death? It’s a tricky question. You can’t prove a counterfactual and the narrative offers clues that could go either way. Ultimately though, the answer is yes.

ASOIAF Gen, meta ~1k

Self-explanatory title, interesting meta. I read and appreciated many fanfictions where Theon doesn't lose his head despite Balon rebellling again. They satisfy my little Theonstan heart a lot. Like, I'm writing one myself as we speak.

In all seriousness, tho, they're implausible.

Ned would have killed him. Robert would have killed him (in 0.5 or less). Robb, as much as it pains me to admit it, would have killed him.

It's a matter of culture, which is medieval and brutal, and context. Even today, modern States et al, the 'no dealing with [insert random threat here]' is Public Show of Force 101; in a medieval setting, fake or otherwise, a show of weakness would have disastrous consequences. You don't keep your word and save the hostage = you're a weak King and we'll raid your land in 1-2-3. Would they have regretted it? Robb, yes. Ned and Robert, ahem. And Balon, who has been giving minus zero fucks about Theon since his failed first attempt, wouldn't have regretted it either. Acceptable loss is the technical term.

From an impartial point of view, that's it. What saddens me is that the enormity of it - can you imagine living with such a Damocle's sword hanging on your head? Theon's levels of anxiety must have been through the roof for years, spiking even higher every time a raven showed up - doesn't really transpire in the books. ~

AO3 WARNING:

Cupid's Got a Gun by geckoholic Fuck-or-die, set in early S4. But they've been fucking for years, so that shouldn't be a problem, right? Wrong. Ever since hell, Dean's in no hurry to get that show on the road again. They've tried, and it doesn't work, too many bad memories from what's been done to him downstairs. A case that involves a cursed cross and a vengeful witch takes that choice away from them, though...

SPN Sam Winchester/Dean Winchster ~13k

I struggled with this one, because I don't pay attention to warnings, so recalling a fic with one of the big three or chose not to has been kind of a bitch. I only check if the summary sounds interesting and the style is good. If both check out, I'm in. That said, if you like a trope-subversion fic mixed with post-hell Dean and established relationship, look no further. The casefic part is believable, and the curse is horrific, even more so because of the flashbacks. ~

NEW FIC:

The Perfect Bride by Anagrrl The guy ducks his head, rubs his jaw briefly. "Sorry, of course, right. Trust but verify, right? It's Rodney. Rodney McKay, it's great to meet you."

Rodney's a genius, but sometimes, he's also kind of dumb.

SGA Rodney McKay/John Sheppard ~4k

Pretty new fic (October was, like, yesterday) and entertaining AF. I have a soft spot for arranged marriages, but the modern spin *and* the John-left-at-the-altar/misunderstanding twist are... I don't know, how did Anagrrl make a perfect idea even more perfect?

It's funny and lovely, they're a delight to read, and I enjoyed it from the very first word. ~

<1K WORDS:

Last Train Home by Sparkagrace “‘s me. Your pal, your buddy,” he hiccups, “your Buuuuuucky.” He drawls his name out, the word feeling like cotton in his mouth. “I can’t feel my teeth.”

- Bucky takes the last train home to Steve

MCU Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes ~995

This is so good! I love how Sparkagrace used a line that screams angst, pain, and sufferance, and turned it into something sweet. Drunk!Bucky is so cute it's ridiculous, I went all 'awwww' over him and Steve. ~

NEW AUTHOR:

Eldritcher with Carnarium His dreaming brides of death.

ASOIAF/House of the Dragon Balerion ~3k

I'm cheating a little because I left a comment on Carnarium right before this challenge started, but I left another one today! It's a magnificent fic. Poor Balerion, poor Aerea, poor... everyone, really. I feel for them all 💔

Also, Eldritcher's writing style! No praise can do it justice. Wow.  It's-atmospheric, evocative, and it's a style I appreciate a lot. It offers a diversion from 'regular' writing (apologies, uncorrect term here), and while I love a story that focuses more on actions than on spirit, the latter has a certain je ne sais quoi.

So good. ~

>10K WORDS:

The Price by Theroguesgambit Stiles must surrender the most important thing in his life to protect the town… and no one can figure out what it was.

Teen Wolf Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale ~18k

This is one of my newest pairings (I really branched out during 2022, what can I say), and I still have that kid in a candy shop bursting feeling, no? To me, old fandoms are like expensive wine tasting, when I get to pick and choose as I already know my way around; with TW I don't, not yet, so every author I discover is a supernova in the feels.

Case in point.

The author took me on an exquisite pain journey. It was delightful just as much as it was gut-wrenching, and the end left me even more satisfied because of it. I legit stopped reading around chapter 4 and told my kid that The Price was scooping my heart outta my chest (paraphrasing). I can't recommend it enough. ~

UNDERDOG PAIRING:

Rising from a long night as dark as the grave by Janie_tangerine In which Stannis holds Storm's End for a year. GOT Stannis Baratheon/Davos Seaworth ~9k I don't really read Stavos (probably I'm looking in the wrong places?), but I gave this fic a try because I knew the author and their Throbb fics are e x c e l l e n t. Rising is excellent as well: I adored the characterization of them both, and the one I loved best is the one I care very little about in canon. Janie's Stannis is real and raw and visceral, and I found myself going 'ohnonono' with every hole in his belt. Marvelous, marvelous job. ~

OUTSIDE FANDOM:

Chicago's Most Wanted by Speranza "Of course he got the money--he's Fraser, he's organized, he's a fucking criminal mastermind, what do you think?!"

Due South Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski ~42k

I'll read anything as long as it's well-written, and that's a blessing (most of the time) and a curse (right now). A blessing because I'll never run out of fics to read; a curse because I don't really have outside fandoms?

I've been hearing about DS since its inception, but I never tried it out, back in the day. ~

1ST/2ND POV:

I Would Cradle You Tight in My Arms, Always by Oxoniensis You promised yourself, you'd always keep Sammy safe.

SPN Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester ~1.5k

I struggled a lot here, because first or second povs are so not my thing. It takes a lot of talent to handle these povs, and there's always the real risk of getting repetitive af - the 'I-I-I or You-you-you' syndrome, you know?

I read enough stories of Oxoniensis, though, to know that they're able to handle a difficult pov in a marvelous way. It reads effortless. Natural. I mean, wow. The story itself is achingly beautiful, and Dean, oh, Dean <3 ~

UNDERRATED FAVE:

Take What You Want by bertee Jensen and Jared are happily married. Jensen is an ex-prostitute who satisfied the rich and famous, Jared is the rich businessman who fell in love with him and OMC is the asshole who recognises Jensen on one of Jared's business meetings/poker evenings/whatever and who thinks that Jensen is still on the market.

RPS Jared Padalecki/Jensen Ackles ~3k

This fic is so underrated it's criminal. Yes, it was on Lj during the good ol' fandom heydays; yes, it's by a wonderful author who has many other fics recced to everyone and their mother (and rightly so! They're awesome!); no, it's not on reclists. Why.

(I hoard reclists like a dragon hoards gold, I should know. C r i m i n a l.)

3k words and each of them is a punch in the gut. There's a despicable outsider pov, there's justice being served, there's a victim who serves that justice himself. I've read it more than once, and every time I find a new detail to focus on this time is Ben's life crumpling around him. Amazing.

Great, great story. ~

EPIC >100K FAVE:

The Stars Incline Us, They Don't Bind Us by Pangea, Ikeracity Intergalactic Federation pilot Lieutenant Charles Xavier is assigned last-minute to a high profile mission: transporting over two thousand prison inmates from an old and overfilled prison complex to a newer, higher-capacity prison stronghold located on the outer reaches of the galaxy. Just as he's settling down for a long and uneventful ride, things take a turn for the worse after the inmates riot and stage a hostile takeover of the ship, leaving Charles to find himself at the complete mercy of cold-blooded killers and facing the chilling prospect that he might not ever make it back home alive.

X-Men Charles Xavier/Erik Lehnsherr ~162k

My first foray in the X-Men fandom and it steamrolled all over me. In a good way. One my favorite tropes is justice being served, and in here it is served to a great degree. Plus, AU, space, enemies to lovers, bamf!characters who save themselves, and a realistic ending? Sign me up.

My first foray in the X-Men fandom and it steamrolled all over me. In a good way. One my favorite tropes is justice being served, and in here it is served to a great degree. Plus, AU, space, enemies to lovers, bamf!characters who save themselves, and a realistic ending? Sign me up.

[frozen-fountain]

10 & 17 for the fic asks?

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

I try not to make forecast attempts too much because that way lies madness, but on the plus side, I'm geninely astonished that I raked in over fifty kudos on a fic principally about Elmyra Gainsborough. She's a very minor character in the game and yet that one did numbers, by my standards.

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?

In one fic, there's a scene where a widowed character reminisces on the first time he cooked for his wife. It takes up all of two paragraphs, but it send me down a whole rabbithole reading up on food cultivation and preparation in high altitude areas. Did you know that low air pressure affects the sensitivity of several areas of our tongues, and that's part of why in-flight food tastes so legendarily bad? It also makes water boil at lower temperatures!

[dimplesandfierceeyes]

Writer asks! 🤲(what do YOU get out of writing?) 💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting? 💥(find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it)

Hi Lauren!!! Ok so I apologise for the length of these answers haha once you get me talking about my fics, I just have a lot of feels

🤲what do YOU get out of writing? 

So I think two main things. One, it’s a creative outlet and I think that’s important to have. Two, it’s my way of accessing the fan community. I’ve never been much of a social media chatter. I’m not good at it. I find it difficult to express my interpretation of media so I’m not good as an analysis poster; I find it difficult to express my enthusiasm in a way that feels authentic so I’m not much of a ‘reaction’ poster; I find it difficult to reply to posts and asks and chain things without overthinking (hence the length of this post haha) so fanfiction is my way of doing all of those things. It also gives me an excellent excuse to keep rotating my blorbos in the microwave of my mind…

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting? 

Absolutely The Fine Line Between Home and Hormones. I truly did not expect the outpouring of love that I got from this fic. Omegaverse is such a love/hate trope and for a lot of people it’s an outright ‘no’ whatever the situation. I think this is because many omegaverse AU fics often kept caught in the trappings of the trope and lose sight of the characterisation, which is a shame because it’s a concept that has a huge amount of potential to really explore characterisation if approached from a certain direction. I’m incredibly happy that people gave The Fine Line a chance—even those who normally wouldn’t touch the trope with a barge pole!—because I was truly expecting to be passed by haha

Another special mention to the response I’ve had to The Space Pirate and the Officer of the Law. What has surprised me about that one was not the initial response, though that was overwhelmingly positive, which of course made me very happy, but it’s the way that it has stayed with people. It's not my most kudos'd fic, it's not the one with the most comments or the highest number of bookmarks, it's not even the one that people have read the most. Statistics-wise it's pretty average.

However, it is one of the most common fics that people still mention it to me, that people still want to know if there’s anymore to rummage out of that universe, that people still highlight as one of their favourites—that more than anything is incredible to me.

I love that it made such a lasting impression, not least because I didn't originally write the story for PatPran at all. In fact I wrote it several months before Bad Buddy aired. But when I stumbled back across the original mucho brainrot later it occurred to me that the dynamic between the two characters was a perfect fit for Pat and Pran and so I just had to adapt it for them

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it. 

So my least kudos’d fic is in fact a Supernatural fic called Fallen Human (not a very exciting title I know haha). It was a coda for series 9 episode 1 after Castiel has become human and it only got 100 hits and 6 kudos.

At the time, I was really compelled by this idea of a celestial being for the first time truly experiencing humanity first hand, to become that bridge between the ‘animal’ and the ‘divine’. I enjoyed exploring it though. Here’s one of my favourite paragraphs on this theme:

He was still shaking from the raw physicality of it. His graceless body betrayed him. He had known, distantly, dismissively, of the toxins and electricity that fuelled the human form. He had never realised how it ravaged them, controlled them. He was, disorientingly, exhilarated yet terrified, the lungs of his body lungs dragging in great, heaving gusts of air without his permission, every limb trembling with the overload.

My least kudos’d Bad Buddy fic is Extra-ordinary Louis, (which is miles ahead of Fallen Human with a sleek 31 kudos). This is based on the concept of characters having self-awareness between the scenes of shows (which I stole from another show).

I actually really like this fic and had a lot of fun plotting it out. I also enjoyed playing with the world-building too because once I’d started I couldn’t help the questions. Like, well if this is the side characters what about the background characters? What are they, how do they work? 

I can understand why it’s not popular though. The characters are not that popular and it even focuses on a rarepair romance haha. It’s also a pretty weird concept. My joke tagline as I wrote this one was: The fic nobody will read. That was not entirely correct but it wasn't without its truth either haha.

Thank you for the questions, Lauren!

These asks were from this post here, in case anyone reading wants to join in and reblog yourself!

[northerngoshawk]

Tell me a little about your most recent fic (make sure to link it!): what was your inspiration? Favorite line you wrote for it? How do you feel this piece shows your strengths as a writer?

so ig i'll be talking a bit about my very very niche AU that superimposes the lore of another media onto atla lol ty hotwife for this opportunity luv u 💖

so my most recent fic that i posted just yesterday and is sitting at 19.2k words (help me 🥲) is The Darkened Path, which is the prequel to a fic i wrote one and a half to two years ago, The Dishonored Blade. these two fics are set in an AU that combines the ATLA worldbuilding and characters with the lore of two League of Legends characters. in particular, it centers around Aang and Zuko and deals with themes of regret, shame, guilt, and forgiveness. while "The Dishonored Blade" focuses on Zuko and how he grapples with his guilt over killing Aang, "The Darkened Path" focuses on Aang, his journey through the Spirit World, and how he manages to come back to life.

the number one "inspiration" (nothing short of copying lololol) for the plot of this fic was this animated cinematic, similar to how TDB was derived from another animation. however, the main reason why i was finally motivated enough to write this prequel was because @chocomd read TDB and really enjoyed it. i’ve always wanted to write the prequel for a while now, but then life and other ideas pushed their way to the forefront so i put it on the backburner. not to mention, since this au is really only for me, i was never expecting a lot of engagement on these fics anyways; i’m even surprised i managed to accrue 26 kudos on the first fic. so to see someone enjoy something that i enjoyed as well really helped in terms of motivation and inspiration 🥺

as for my favorite line, i’ll have to add a paragraph preceding it for context:

At some point, he realized, firm arms that could only belong to Sokka had wrapped around him, but this time, it was not to restrain him. This time, it was to hold him. To let him fall apart and break to pieces before he inevitably had to put himself back together. Because that was what the war had made of them.

i think i just really enjoy that last line because in addition to the shameless self-indulgence, it really hits home the stakes of war. because when you’re fighting in a war, there’s no time to grieve properly---you can only let yourself mourn for a brief moment before you had to shake it off and get the job done. i just think that’s really tragic, and that last line really hammers down on that thought.

finally, strengths this piece showcases... i think this fic really shows how i can weave in various themes into something that can be very action-packed and plot-heavy and self-indulgent. in addition, i also think that it shows my ability to be able to write various relationships with different characters, since there are flashbacks that feature Aang’s relationship with Sokka, Toph, Katara, and Zuko individually. also fight scenes, because i really enjoyed writing the fight scenes here lol.

anyways i really did enjoy writing this fic, and while i’m not expecting much in terms of engagement, it’s still thrilling to see a universe i created from my mind have two fics already existing and out there.

thanks for the ask, hotwife!!

[cannedkopi]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

So, this has popped up in my feed several times within the last few days, so I thought, why not give it a go and expose my fic writing persona. So....

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

7. All posted as Sequanea

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

103.282, which I know for some writers is like one story, but for me is quite a lot.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently only Bridgerton. I used to write for other fandoms waaaaay back in the day, specifically Buffy and Harry Potter. But looking at when the former wrapped up, you can see that I do mean way back when I say way back.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

When the world ends (675)

Lift me up (667)

Heaven is here if you want it (558)

Don't fight it (if you don't know what it is) (283)

Year of Hell (194)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I usually do not, because I feel extremely embarrassed about what to say without sounding stupid and not being able to show my appreciation properly. Which I know is doing exactly the opposite, and I really, really want to change that, but unfortunately old habits die hard.

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

All of my fics have a HEA, but I think the angstiest thing I have written so far is “Year of Hell” since the angst goes all the way until the last few paragraphs.  

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

As above, everything I write is HEA in the end.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully no. There were some weird comments that did not make much sense in the context of what I have written, but no hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Ehm... I try? I still feel quite embarrassed writing smut, but I am doing my best to push myself to get out of my comfort zone and include more M or E rated content in the future. I'm a very vanilla kind of girl though, so don't expect anything other than that.

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

Not anymore, but the very first fic I have ever written was a Harry Potter/Discworld crossover (which was pure comedy) and there is an abandoned Harry Potter/Buffy story probably still buried somewhere on fanfiction.net that I never finished. You get the picture. .

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I did write a few fics in German. Needles to say, all have been abandoned.

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

Nope.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I have to say Bridgeton’s Kathony (Kanthony?), but there was a time when my heart belonged to How I met your Mother’s Barney and Robin. I shipped these two even before they became canon and still remember the discussion if they should be called Robarn or BRo (It's BRo btw. Robarn just sounds so wrong).

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

I really would like to finish that Buffy/HP crossover, but a) I am so way out of these fandoms by now that don’t think I could come up with a proper plot (and I forgot most of my initial outline) and b) I  have lost my password to all of my old fanfiction accounts as well as access to any email addresses that I used for them.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I can write an entire story without any dialogue. Does that count?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Finding the right words after dialogue in order to not repeatedly write he said/she said or a variation thereof. Not repeating myself, including not using the same words multiple times in a sentence or paragraph, is in general something I struggle with.

Courtesy of my lawyer brain, I also get stuck on details a lot and over think things far too much. It’s hard for me to sometimes just say “screw it” and not go down the rabbit hole of research because I want to get each and every fact right.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Only if it serves a purpose, and at least in my stories it never would. I exclude terms of endearment from that though. In my opinion these do not count as full dialogue.   

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter (and Discworld, since my very first fic was a crossover).

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Surprisingly Year of Hell. Which has a very similar structure to another one shot I am very proud of that I wrote for HIMYM like 15 years ago and found earlier this year on one of my old hard drives. I think it is still somewhere on fanfiction.net, but I really don’t remember under which nick I posted it, especially since I don’t even remember what nicks I used to go by back then to be honest

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Since I am still new to tumblr and don’t really know anyone around here, I tag whoever stumbles upon this and decides to give these 20 questions a go. Cheers!

[katierosefun]

Hello hello! Big nosy as usual over here but these asks are really great so here's something to ponder over during your precious study break: 💫🪄☯️💝🍭

hiii iva!! thank you for the asks!! // from these asks

💫: what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

well, i love your comments, for starters—because i think they get at what i just prize in comments general? just, like, any account of feelings/reaction to a scene that i wrote or any kind of picking apart a specific line and how it works. any deeper analysis is also really nice, although def not necessary, just bc i know fic is an escape for lots of people, and i don’t want people to feel like commenting on fic is work haha! but when that does come in, i do feel very happy

🪄what is your post-writing/sharing aftercare? How do you take care of yourself or celebrate yourself when you've finished a fic?

depending on the time of day, i’ll usually settle down for a movie or an episode of a show i love. i’ve found that in order to keep myself from getting burnt out, it’s just as crucial for me to consume stories as it is for me to write them—so yeah, def reading or watching something is kind of my care post-fic! (and, occasionally, a glass of wine. if i’m living by myself, ofc.)

☯️how do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/experience social anxiety?

hm, i think to an extent, it can be helpful! i have only just gotten to answering comments on ao3, and i only got to that point bc i realized that i do love talking to other fandom people—but i only got to that conclusion after really having conversations more often with folks on twitter and tumblr.

however, i do think that like, with anything and everything, it can quickly become p toxic. i have a bit of an anxious and obsessive personality, for example, so ?? i will find that sometimes, i get really nervous about feeling as though i’m coming off more transactional or insincere, and sometimes i find myself thinking “oh boy, if i go quiet for too long, people will no longer find my stories worth reading or noticing” and that’s all definitely very dramatic, but! in those moments, it def helps for me to just. pause, take a step back. take a break, write stuff that makes only me happy. or just delete twitter and tumblr off my phone for a week or two haha

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

ooh. . . maybe shit my friends say because (1) it was my first fic in roughly a month, so when i posted it, i was kind of worried that people were no longer interested in my stories (haha, see above paragraph for my funny brain), and (2) it was one of my shorter fics? and the entire fic is told mostly through the perspectives of minor characters, and i wasn’t sure if that would really appeal to anyone? so i was so pleasantly surprised to find people enjoyed the style and the story overall :’))

🍭why did you start writing?

oh man, if we’re talking writing in general, i def started because i just always loved stories—like, as a little kid, i would scribble in scrap pieces of computer paper (and those scribbles were literally. scribbles. like, crayon and pencil squiggles) of stories that i wanted to tell. imagine my annoyance when i realized i couldn’t remember the story i was thinking of in my head from those squiggles! (and when i learned how to write, like just put together sentences, it was the only thing i was doing—and then, when i was in third grade, my dad realized that “shit, my daughter really loves writing little stories…and she doesn’t have a real notebook” so he gave me one of his old binders, filled it up with paper, and that was my first-ever notebook of stories, one that i didn’t need to like. steal extra little notebooks that they’d give to my kindergarten/first grade/second grade classes lol)

but if we’re talking writing fic, i just really, really loved the idea of adding deleted scenes, moments that could have happened but didn’t. and changing the ending of stories when i wanted them to continue. and i think, like, lol, this is def a TMI, but i was a pretty lonely kid growing up, and like! writing fic felt a bit like i was just hanging out with my friends or something. which maybe sounds a little sad, but i think that really opened up my obsession with dialogue—in that i really wanted it to feel real, not just for myself, but also, i learned as i was posting fic, for other people too? because when i started posting fic, i noticed how there were people who also just seemed to really need a distraction or escape, and i just. also really wanted to provide an escape through my stories too, if i could!

[stellawolfearts]

I have a question, what do you do when you get stuck with a chapter? I mean you already know what the chapter will be about but you don't know how to express the idea?

(I love your work! Keep up the good work)

Thank you, im so glad you like my stuff!! :DDDDDD

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

maaaaaan

see this is a BIG problem for me.

hell im stuck rn. for multiple reasons and with multiple fics lol. i just havent been able to write in a while for a buttload of reasons i wont get into.

but because this is a big problem for me ive got some advice for u buddy. there are a few things you can do, some is general advice and others is methods i use. note that everyone is different and some methods work well for some and wont work for others.

REST

thats my first piece of advice. dont stress about it. dont beat yourself up bc ur not writing. sometimes inspiration will come and sudddenly your hands will end up moving on thier own. but sometimes you just need the rest. its okay if you spend a day not writing. hell its okay if you spend a WEEK not writing. if your writing something something for you your supposed to enjoy it. this brings me to my next point.

WRITE IT FOR YOU

write it for yourself, especially if its a published work on ao3/wattpad/whatever...

i know it happened to me and tends to happen quite a bit even with my other content. you get too wrapped up in "comments, views, kudos, likes whatever..." your best work comes when you are enjoying what you're making and sometimes when you get too into that mindset suddenly its not fun anymore.

make it for you.

DISCIPLINE

sometimes you rest for too long, sometimes inspiration doesnt come. sometimes youve gotta sit your butt down and make yourself write. do you think its bad? doesnt matter.

whatever you end up writing down on that paper is progress. its a first draft and you can always come back to it later and make it even better then it was.

i know its hard and i really need to expercise this more.

i havent updated on ao3 in a while bc i keep going back to my drafts and think "man.....this is shit" or theres just this feeling like im hitting my head against a wall of bricks expecting it to crumblr for me but nothings happening.

so you really just gotta force youself to write sometimes. and there are some methods i use to help me.

REWRITE THE CHAPTER

yeah. its rough. but sometimes you gotta. what you have isnt working. so you just need to redo everything to get back into the groove. the flow.

i gotta do this with a new chapter im trying to write for longing for more. i already wrote like three thousand words but its not right at all so im redoing the whole thing when i have time.

SKIP THAT BIT

this has actually helped me ALOT.

so bassically if your stuck on a specific part of a chapter.....skip it. just skip it.

when i was writing longing for more the chapter where Mk talks to the lady bone demon in the dining room is one that i usedthis method for.

i wrote the first two paragraphs and then did a little "(they talk blah blah add something about this and then that and dont forget the thing)

and then i wrote the scene where mk escapes and the chase. i wrote that whole scene before i wrote the conversation they have because i had NO idea what to add in that scene. i was stuck. so i just skipped it and when i wrote something i had alot of ideas for i could come back and write that scene later.

and it worked. im really proud of how that scene turned out.

so if you need to just skip it and replace it with a little note (in these things i always forget what they're called) to remind yourself what goes there

MUSIC

Music is my greatest tool to help me write. idk how to explain it cause sometimes what im listening to while writing a scene doesnt make sense.

i think it wasssssss.

i dont remember which scene it was but i remember writing something REALLY sad to "vending machine of love". like gut wrenching sad.

funny stuff.

but yeah, music helps me get in the mood and visualize whats going on.

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

the most important thing here though is enjoy what your doing. dont pressure yourself or just be too hard on yourself in general. cause then its no fun anymore and makes EVERYTHING so much harder.

so have fun, dont worry about other people, dont be hard on yourself. enjoy it.

[hergan416]

AO3 (Writer) Wrapped 2022

Not sure where others are getting this, but I'm just aggregating it myself because I should have all this data anyway. I know how to get it and I don't write that much.

Alright! So far in 2022 I've written 25,107 words of fanfiction and posted it on AO3.

I also archived 12,438 words of Dorian Gray analysis, originally posted here on tumblr on AO3. (I haven't advertised this yet, but if you want to see the full tag archive it's here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43362990/chapters/109003806)

I feel comfortable with this. Last year I posted 22,881 words of fanfic alone, so I'm up, and that doesn't include the fact I've gotten back into roleplay and have been having some SERIOUS word count a paragraph at a time, no-pressure, no editing fun between friends in the last two months. (Or at least it feels like it. I don't really want to dig through discord and/or tumblr to verify.)

(Did I mention 2021? Look at last year's metrics.)

I posted 6 new stories (2 One Piece and 4 Yugioh) and continued 2 stories from last year.

Of the WIPS I mentioned last year I added to Seek and Ye Shall Find, posted the smut addition to my kidlaw one shot Conquest, and posted 3/4 chapters of the fic that had been delayed due to my concussion (the only part that hasn't been posted is what I had started pre-concussion, actually). I didn't update "The Fic That Shall Not Be Named" but I do still plan to... When I have spoons to deal with the graphic design elements of writing it.

I participated in two Yugioh fandom gift exchanges, and had a blast. I absolutely adored my prompts this year, especially the Dark Valentines of Dimensions exchange which I hadn't participated in before. I hope to participate again in 2023, but have to get time to read the prompt list and sign up.

I've seen people put their top fics by kudos/hits/etc. on these, but that's not really what I want to focus on. I'm going to put my top fics by my own metrics, how I feel about them now, regardless of stats.

Heartsick Rated: G(eneral) Prideshipping (Yami Yugi | Atem/Seto Kaiba) When Kaiba finally manages to pull Atem out of Aaru, they come back ten years later, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was an absolute blast to write. I got to play with Sugoroku's character, write some playful banter, and add in some Mokuba angst on the side.

Chronology: A Case Study Rated: M(ature) Prideshipping (Yami Yugi | Atem/Seto Kaiba) This was meant to be Kaiba's birthday fic last year, and I had to abandon it due to getting a concussion. I'm so proud of myself for not only having an outline of what happened when, but sticking to and with it. Granted I don't have the last chapter posted, but I have a fair amount worked on, and expect this fic to be finished early next year. The fic bounces across space and time, but only ever occurs on Kaiba's birthday, October 25, which is where it gets the title. While the fic suffers some minor continuity issues, the fact that I even stuck with a multiple chapter fic, even a short one is such an accomplishment for me.

Seek and Ye Shall Find Rated: M(ature) Chapter fic with no "main" pairing. There is, however, Violetshipping (Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Seto Kaiba), Heartshipping (Ryou Bakura/Yugi Mouto) and unrequited Prideshipping (Yami Yugi | Atem/Seto Kaiba). This is my self-indulgent, Katakuri-centric Yugioh/One Piece crossover fic and honestly, I'm still super excited and stoked about it. It's the thing I have written the most for me of anything this year, even if it hasn't been updated in a minute. I do know how I'm pulling Katakuri out of Aaru and some of what I want to happen between him and Atem before I do. I just need to spend some time sitting down and writing it.

Thanks for reading, and for all the positive feedback on my writing. I feel so blessed to be a part of the fandom, especially the Dark Pride of Dimensions Prideshipping Discord server, the Truth or Dare Yugioh RP group, and a pair of small discord communities of One Piece fans. Thank you for being a part of my life.

[onwriting-hrarby]

AO3 Wrapped — Hrarby Edition! (1)

Taken from this post. I would have liked to reblog but it was too long and I'm afraid not very convenient to navigate! I'd also ask messages on the inbox to answer, but I don't have that many followers, hehe, so enjoy reading my own answers! If you want links, or what to talk about me more, please do not hesitate to send asks!

How many words have you written this year? ... the whooping number of 297.479 words...

How many works did you publish this year? I published 5 works! - A hopeful, secret dream (Eremika, oneshot based on IDNLUT) - 8 chapters of Instead, they said (Eremika, multichapter) - Only a lifetime (Erejeankasa, oneshot) - A dreadful night (Rivamika, oneshot) - 17 chapters of Rotten Judgement (Eremika)

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? Oof, what a though one! I would say that the one I'm most proud of is Instead they said.

What work of yours has the most hits? That would be Rotten Judgement! Only until not long ago, it was I did not live until today.

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? Definitely A dreadful night surprised me, because people were so interactive and commented a lot! But I did NEVER expect the comments on Only a lifetime, basically because I didn't know anyone on the erejeankasa fandom.

Favorite title you used Instead, they said. I loved how recurrent it was in the whole novel, and consistent all over. I loved how it conveyed in the first paragraph that we would we talking about regrets in here, and I loved the change in the ending ("So, they say").

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? Finneas, definitely. Only a lifetime is a title of one of his songs, and generally his works defined a lot of the moods for sentences in my writing.

Pairing you wrote the most for this year? Eremika, without a doubt.

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? Rivamika! Basically because I had been reading their fics since I entered the fandom, recommending to my close fandom friends, getting hate for reading it, and always wondering: Would I do a good job? Would I even be courageous enough to do it? So writing it felt like a relief, honestly.

What work was the quickest to write? A hopeful, secret dream. It was the shortest (4k) and I wrote it in two hours, I believe. I also knew the characters because it was a sequel of IDNLUT, so it was easy. I remember writing it on a first of June in one sitting.

I'm going to take it 10 questions at a time as a win for when I write RJ. So, see you in just a tiny bit with questions 10-20!