#i have two chapters written and one outlined out of 11 but i think this wip is going to get out of hand real soon

[mellowsadistic]

The Magician's Game - Chapter 11

Madelyn’s New Life

Maddy sucked her thumb lustily as she toddled out on stage. She was dressed in a sparkly pink t-shirt that looked like it was designed for a ten-year-old. The words “Daddy’s Little Girl” were written across the front in sequins, and it was so tight that the outline of her large, braless breasts were clearly visible beneath it, her nipples jutting out obscenely. Below the waist, she wore a tiny pink miniskirt; the plastic waistband of her diaper stuck at least two inches out of the top, and the thick white padding flashed between her thighs with every step she took. Her long, newly blonde hair was tied up in a pair of high pigtails that jiggled about as she walked, tickling the sides of her face. She thought about how ridiculous she must look, and felt her pussy moisten.

Once she reached the lectern in the middle of the stage, Maddy looked out at the crowd of students sitting in rows before her. They were mostly girls, staring at her with expressions of shock and disgust and second-hand embarrassment. The few men in the room were looking at her wide-eyed, and Maddy giggled as she noticed a few tents appearing in the fronts of their jeans. Her thumb started to work a little faster in her mouth. By the time the first semester was over, she hoped she would’ve been able to wrap her lips around each and every one of their cocks and given them a good suck.

But she frowned when she saw what all the women were wearing. She didn’t think she could see even a single one of them dressed appropriately – either like dirty whores or sweet little girls. What were they thinking?! If she were a student again, she’d go to every class dressed in nothing but a tutu and a pair of fairy wings. And her nappy, of course.

Maddy giggled vapidly again. “Hi evewyone!” she said into the microphone. “Today I’m gonna talk about how girlth are weally jutht big babieth who, wike, totawwy need men to keep dem in line!” She realised her thumb was garbling her words, so she yanked it out of her mouth with a wet pop. Normally she always had to have something between her lips, usually her thumb or somebody’s cock, but talking about a woman’s rightful place was an exception. Daddy said she could keep her thumb out of her mouth for as long as she needed if she was explaining how women were just whores and maids and overgrown babies. “Oopsie!” she giggled, pulling a silly face. “I’m, like, such a dumdum! I totally forgot to stop sucking my thumbie!” She played with one of her trashy blonde pigtails and fought the urge to stick the end in her mouth and start chewing on it.

There was a stunned silence in the room. Many of the students couldn’t believe their eyes, or their ears. This had to be some sort of joke! How could Madelyn Smith, the renowned feminist activist and academic, be standing in front of them with plumped up lips and an oversized rack, dressed up like a little girl while she spouted some lisping, fetishy nonsense about how women were really just oversized babies?!

“But it’s good for girls to, like, always be sucking on something,” Maddy continued. “It means our mouths will always be wet and ready for cock! And it stops our silly bitching too. Men can just, like, shove a pacifier in our mouths when they want us to shut the fuck up! A girl’s mouth is for sucking, not talking.”

Many people in the crowd were whispering to each other now, wondering whether their professor had had some sort of nervous breakdown, or if she was suddenly going to announce this was all just a bizarre prank.

Maddy looked over to the door and saw her Daddy lounging there against the wall, smiling encouragingly at her. She grinned back at him. She loved her Daddy. It was strange, because she was pretty sure she’d used to hate him. But that was back when they were colleagues, equals, before the Magician had helped her understand her rightful place as a silly little pants-wetting cumrag. She was Daddy’s property now, and she was much happier.

She turned back to her students. “So anyway, I know this course was gonna be about, like, girls being oppressed or something, but now it’s gonna be about how girls are total dummies who deserve to be put in diapers! It’s also gonna be about, like, how to suck dick and stuff!” The muttering was growing louder and louder, but Maddy ignored it. “And you’re not gonna be able to drop out of this class either!” she said brightly. “I know a man who says he’s gonna make it so none of the girls can leave this class without failing their whole degree, so unless you want all the time and money you’ve spent at college to be, like, a total waste, then you’re gonna have to pass my exams on cocksucking and slutwear and un-potty-training!” Maddy giggled as some of the girls in the crowd exchanged confused, fearful looks. She was sure most of them didn’t believe her yet, but they would. The Magician said he was going to make sure every single one of her female students ended up as diaper-dependent sluts, and she was going to help!

At that moment, Maddy felt a slight pressure in her bladder, and she immediately started wetting herself. She let out an “Aaaaah…” of relief as the warmth spread across her groin and soaked into her nappy. Women didn’t deserve to use toilets. It was yucky and embarrassing having to go to the potty in her pants, but that just made her pussy tingle even more.

“Anyway!” she chirped, blushing and squirming in place, enjoying the sensation of her pee-soaked diaper squishing against her privates. “It’s just, like, an introduction today ‘cause I gotta go do my porn shoot! Bye-bye! I’ll see you tomorrow for our first class on how girls should dress like immature skanks!” And with that, she toddled off the stage and over to her Daddy, her tits bouncing beneath her tight top and her soaking wet nappy jiggling and drooping low between her legs.

The moment she reached him, he shoved his hand down the front of her diaper. “Oh my!” he said, “I think someone’s done a big wee-wee, hasn’t she?”

“I peed!” Maddy said happily, making him chuckle. Some of the nearest girls were staring at the scene in horror.

“That’s right, sweetie, you did go pee!” Maddy’s Daddy cooed. “What a clever girl!”

Maddy glowed with his praise and shoved her thumb back into her mouth where it belonged. She felt her Daddy’s hand cup the soggy seat of her padded bottom, and another pleasurable tingle jolted into her pussy. Her head was so foggy with happiness that she barely noticed herself being led out of the building and over to the car. She sat in the back, in her cramped car-seat, sucking her thumb dreamily and imagining it was a nice thick cock, until they arrived back at Daddy’s house. It had been her house once, but stupid little girls like her couldn’t be trusted to own anything. Daddy had explained it to her. So now it was his house.

He helped her out of her car-seat (she wasn’t allowed to undo her seatbelt by herself) and spurred her inside with a few sharp smacks on her bum. The moment she was through the door, he lifted her sparkly pink t-shirt over her head, exposing her enormous tits, and tugged her skirt down her legs so that her thoroughly soaked nappy was on full display.

“Are you ready to be Daddy’s little pornstar, sweetie?” he cooed, making Maddy giggle and wiggle her bottom happily. She loved being his pornstar!

He took her into the living room, where there was a large plastic playmat lying on the carpet. Maddy’s training potty was sitting in the corner – she didn’t get to use it much, but sometimes Daddy thought it was funny to make her sit on it and try to “make tinkles” for him.

Maddy got to her knees on her playmat and sat still while Daddy tied her bib around her neck. It was bright pink, like many things in her new life, and had the words “Daddy’s Little Whore” written across it. There was still some dried semen on it from that morning’s blowjob, and it didn’t even come close to covering her huge jugs. Her Daddy fiddled about behind the camera that was pointing in their direction, and then he smiled and walked over to her.

“Ready, sweetie?” he asked, unzipping his fly and taking out his cock. “This one is going to be called Ex-Feminist Sucks Dick in a Pissy Pamper.”

Maddy bounced up and down on her bottom in excitement, her nappy squishing wetly beneath her. “I’m, like, an ex-feminist in a pissy Pamper!” she squealed.

“That’s right, sweetie,” her Daddy said with a laugh. “You are.” He smirked down at the woman who had once been such a bitch to him when they’d worked together at the college, and shoved his cock between her eager lips. “And that’s all you’ll ever be.”

[scribeofwinchesters]

Secrets and Lies: Chapter 11 - Rope

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Word Count: 4,660

Summary: “You look at her like that again and I will make sure you die screaming."

Series Rating: Explicit/18+ TW: Rape/Non-con

Previous chapters: 

One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Sevenandahalf Eight Nine Ten

A/N: Definitely recommend catching up or re-reading before this chapter since we have some callbacks to chapter 1 here. Thank you all for showing me so much support after being gone for so long <3 This might be my personal favorite chapter yet :) Most of it's been written for years but had lots of rewrites and edits as I worked through it and came back to it again and again during my hiatus, so if there's anything that doesn't connect or track, please DM me so I can fix it! I've reread it like eight times, though, so I think we're good... I hope you all like it and if my story makes you feel something, reblogs, comments, asks, etc are very welcome <3 as always, link to AO3 if you prefer.

Tag list: @lauraashley93 @stoneyggirl2 @tiggytaylor @park-simphwa

You yanked hard on the door and sure enough, the door drug across the jamb and you had to give it a second hard pull to get it fully open. As soon as it was free Dean was right there, gun pointed ahead of him as he let his eyes adjust before quickly clearing the area to the left and the right. Just as planned you were directly behind him, gripping your gun but keeping it pointed safely toward the ground. 

The interior was completely dark except for rows and columns of sporadically blinking green and orange lights to the left. As Dean stepped in, you followed, remaining so close to him that you could literally feel your breath warming his neck. Dean should’ve known better than to exaggerate when telling you to do something that you didn’t want to do. He took another careful step inside and reached along the wall for a light switch. 

As he did, there was suddenly a soft tumble of footsteps and Dean deftly reached behind him to grip your arm and pull you along with him as he ducked to the right, pressing you safely between him and the wall. 

The shadowy form of a person was visible somewhere ahead of Dean, outlined by the blinking lights. It was wielding some kind of weapon that you couldn't make out in the darkness until it glinted in the light and you could see the flash of a long, sharp point. The figure darted into the darkness and from somewhere across the room you heard a deep, stifled scream. 

Dean gripped his gun with both hands and aimed it at each corner of the room, hoping to catch sight of some kind of movement. 

You shifted your handgun to one hand and silently pulled your silver blade from its holster and gripped it tightly. You scrapped it along the wall, using it’s extra length to find your mark. After a short moment it caught on the switch and the room was flooded with a dull, fluorescent haze; the bulbs flickered and buzzed faintly before steadying on. 

Momentarily blinded by the sudden light, you narrowed your eyes and squinted as they adjusted.

You peeked around Dean as you sheathed your blade. Your stomach dropped. 

There, in the middle of the room, was Sam. He was tied up in a chair, ropes tight around his wrists and ankles and mouth. He’d been stripped down to nothing but his boxers and socks and there was blood splattered on the ground beneath him. Sam had a black eye and a horrific mixture of blood and sweat dripped from his forehead. He had a handful of cuts and gashes across his chest. He caught sight of you and your eyes locked together. The marble pinged against your insides again as you saw Sam’s bloodshot eyes glisten with tears. Your heart caught in your throat and you could feel yourself forgetting to breathe. 

Sam glanced to his left, drawing your eyes away from him.

You froze. 

Standing in the dark corner, just a few steps away from Sam, was the last thing you expected to see...

It was...

you? 

Not current you... but clean, moisturized, fresh-faced, hair-brushed-and-styled-with-the-perfect-flounce-you-could-never-quite-achieve-despite-many-frustrating-hours-spent-fussing-over-it… you.

It was fully dressed in clothes that looked like something you’d wear if you had time to put thought into your outfits, and to top it off, she was wearing Sam’s wellworn green jacket and a blue flannel and something about that made your stomach churn. It held a long, jagged blade comfortably in it’s outstretched arm as it grinned and you pulled yourself back behind Dean as you tried to catch your breath. 

“ ‘Bout time you guys joined the party,” it said cheerfully and took a careful step toward Sam. It was bizarre hearing your voice come from another person… thing… it. 

“That’s close enough,” Dean warned as he pointed his gun at the shifter. 

“Oh, Dean,” it said as it suddenly dropped and rolled skillfully behind Sam. Dean fired his gun at the movement but missed the target, leaving a small smoking circle in the machinery. You jerked at the sudden sound and took a moment before taking in a deep, stabalizing breath. 

“Come on, after the last few days, Dean, stuck at home with… me,” it smirked as it slowly crouched over Sam and held the jagged blade to Sam’s throat.  “The sad, pathetic thing you rescued from purgatory,” she mocked with an exaggerated pout. “Listening to her whining, holding her as she cried, falling asleep on the couch as you held her… we both know you were dying to put a bullet in both of your heads just to get the pathetic misery to end.” 

You studied the back of Dean’s head, imagining the furious expression flashing across his face.

The shifter pulled the edge of  it’s blade through Sam’s sweat-slicked hair, causing the tip to graze against his check and scalp, just light enough to not break the skin. Sam flinched reflexivly and squeezed his eyes shut. The shifter sneered at Dean for a moment before catching your eyes as you peaked over Dean’s shoulder. 

It smiled and narrowed its eyes at you as it licked it’s tongue across it’s teeth. “Looking a little rough there, sister. My brother got a few good hits in at least. Tell me, how far did he get before you noticed? One finger? Two? Balls deep?” It laughed. 

“Stop it,” Dean seethed. 

“Oh, sweetheart,” the shifter sneered as it pressed the blade ever so slightly against Sam’s throat, drawing beads of blood to the surface. Sam winced and you felt the rage building inside of you. It took every ounce of control you had to stay put. 

You locked eyes with Sam as tears spilled from his wide, horror-filled eyes. The throbbing ache in your cheek was a painful reminder of earlier that night and you watched as his eyes drifted over it. 

The shifter crouched down again and licked Sam’s ear while looking at you. “Am I doing it right?” it asked before brushing your… its fingers through Sam’s hair and jostling his head around simply for the sake of reminding you who was in charge. 

“That’s what you asked the first time you put Sammy’s cock in your mouth, isn’t it?” it drawled right into his ear, its eyes still locked on you. 

Your heart raced, and you squeezed your eyes shut as the throbbing ache in your cheek worsened from your rapid pulse. You rested a palm against Dean’s shoulder to steady yourself as you felt yourself losing balance. All you could think about was rage. But for Sam’s sake you couldn’t let its taunts get the better of you. That was easier said than done. 

“You look at her like that again and I will make sure you die screaming,” Dean bellowed as he stepped fully in front of you, blocking you completely from the shifters view and sadly, from Sam. “Your brother went quick. Couple silver bullets and he was down. When I’m done with you you’ll be begging for a bullet, do you hear me?” 

You heard a brief squelching sound and something heavy and wet spilled to the ground.

“I needed to catch up,” Sam sneered. 

But it wasn’t Sam. It was the shifter, transformed now, into Sam.

“Mmmm, that’s some sweet, sweet pain and guilt, Sammy,” the shifter hummed. “Delicious..."

It pressed the knife further into Sam’s neck. Sam grimaced as the blood dribbled down his neck. All you could hear was Sam grunting in pain. 

“Your gun,” it said.

Dean dropped the gun, letting it swing from his pointer finger as he spread his arms.

“Cut the crap. What do you want?” Dean asked.

“I told him not to go after you Winchester’s,” it spat. “But he insisted.”

“Refresh my memory, would ya? What did we do to you anyway? We haven’t hunted a shifter in years.” 

You could hear Sam breathing rapidly as he tried and failed to catch his breath. 

“Charisse.” 

Dean hesitated. “Who the fuck is Charisse,” he asked under his breath. 

“The witch… from the other day… my last hunt with Sam,” you whispered. 

Dean gave you a small nod without breaking eye contact with the shifter. 

“Since when do shifters and witches work together?” Dean asked. 

“Please, Dean… we both know you don’t care,” the shifter replied. 

Dean shrugged again. “Eh… normally you’d be right, I don’t really care what you monsters get up to when you’re not hurting people. But a witch and shifters working together? Well, that’s not something I’ve ever seen before.” 

“Charisse was like a mother to us,” the shifter said as he stood, still holding the blade to Sam’s throat. “She fed us and took care of us and gave us advice about moving through the world as monsters that people like us never get. And in return we helped her… well, pay the bills…,” 

“So you were thieves,” Dean said. 

You silently crouched and glanced around Dean, desperate for a view. You caught sight of the shifter standing above Sam. The grip on its blade had loosened as it spoke. The top of Sam’s head reached just beneath the neck of the shifter but in Sam’s frame, with his broad shoulders, there was a clear shot; a small shot, but a clear one. 

As you stood, hidden behind Dean, and his open jacket which added several inches to his frame, you took advantage of the cover to check that the safety on your gun was released. 

“Don’t move,” you whispered so that only Dean could hear you. 

“So mommy dearest bites the big one and your brother decides to get revenge,,” Dean vamped to keep the shifter distracted. “You both came to this town and got up to no good in order to draw out Sam. But brother got dead and now it all rests on your shoulders. Did I miss anything?” Dean asked, taunting the shifter. 

As he spoke you slowly, carefully and silently turned so that your back was to Dean’s and aimed your gun forward, ignoring the throbbing in your cheek. You were going to have to move quickly or the shifter would get the drop and… and… well, that didn’t matter because it wasn’t going to happen. Your took a deep, steadying breath. 

As the shifter began to reply you swiftly and carefully spun around on one foot, ready to aim your gun at the shifter’s head.

It looked and sounded every bit like Sam and if it weren’t for the fact that he was sitting right there that may have given you pause. You aimed and without a whisper of hesitation, fired off a single silver round into its head. It dropped the blade, sending it cascading across Sam’s front before clattering to the ground. The shifter stumbled backwards and Dean made a break for it, crossing the room in several long strides as you dropped your gun and sprinted to Sam.

Dean pinned the shifter down with his knee digging into its back as he pulled its arms behind its back and bound them tightly at the wrists. It was unnecessary, though, it was as dead as the one you’d left at the bunker.

“Nice shot,” Dean said as he examined the thing. For the second time in just a few hours Dean had to deal with the lifeless and bloodied body of his brother.

You stood over Sam and leaned over him, your fingers trembled with adrenaline as you fumbled with the knot on the rope between Sam’s lips.

“Y/n,” Sam whispered between his panicked breaths the second his mouth was free. You crouched down in front of him as you deftly cut the ropes off his wrists and ankles, hardly pulling your eyes away from his for more than half a second.

You looked him over as he stood carefully. In addition to the blackeye he was bruised on his thighs and abdomen and there were deep, red rashes around his wrists and ankles. Sam’s eyes hung on you but he wasn’t looking into your eyes. He was examining you, studying whatever it was that Dean saw in the car earlier that made him wince. 

Without even thinking, you found yourself pulling your silver blade from your boot. “I’m… I’m sorry,” you said. “But I have to.” 

He nodded and pulled his hand into a fist as he held his arm out. Sam watched your eyes as you swiped the blade across his arm, drawing out a thin trail of blood. He winced and inhaled sharply, all the while never peeling his eyes away from you. 

You let out the breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. It was Sam. It was really Sam. You dropped your blade to the ground with a clatter.

While you wanted nothing more than to leap into his arms and wrap yourself around him, to cling to him, you were still unsure of everything. You stopped short of a hug and instead stood there like an idiot, frozen, as you stared up at him. You had to remind yourself to breathe, again. He stared down at you, holding your gaze now, before briefly glancing to the side of your face and back. 

Dean picked up your gun and blade before giving the room a quick once-over. The electronic components, flashing green and orange, were kept to one side, opposite of the desk.

Sam caught your eyes lingering on the pile of rope and the blood spatters around the chair and pulled you to him. You wrapped your arms around his waist and inhaled deeply as he rested his chin on the top of your head. “I’m okay,” he whispered. 

You felt your insides return as he held you. Your heart and lungs and thoughts all fell back into place, stopping the pinging marble in its tracks as the walls crumbled. The marble, with one last ping, lodged into your heart. You were whole again… mostly.

“God, Sam,” you said, fighting back your sobs. “I… I-” 

He brushed his hands over your hair and tenderly shushed you. “I’m here,” he said softly.

“Is it dead?” Sam asked Dean, his tone hard as he continued stroking his palms carefully over you. You caught Dean giving Sam a small, silent nod as you pulled away, ready to not spend another second in this place. Dean handed you your gun and knife which you quickly put away.

Dean stood to the side of the door, ushering you and Sam out before flipping the light switch and pushing the door shut behind him. 

 Dean lead you all back to the Impala, his eyes scanned the area like clockwork as you all made a beeline for the car. You climbed into the front seat, the safety of the Impala enveloping you as you finally relaxed and your shoulders dropped. Dean quickly looked around as Sam climbed in the back. Dean started up the engine, it’s gentle rumble surely waking at least one person in the nearby houses. 

In less than fifteen minutes Dean had you all back at the motel. 

“We’re not going back to the bunker?” Sam asked. 

Dean shook his head and glanced at Sam in the rearview mirror. “We need Cass to check the warding. It’s not safe.” 

Sam looked at you and then back at Dean. “The… the bunker?” 

Sam shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He wanted to know more but the hesitation from you and Dean to say more made him scared to ask. He slowly opened his eyes and his gaze fell upon you and you could see in the rearview mirror the tears glistening in his eyes again. You had never seen him look so vulnerable: half-naked, no weapon, fighting back tears. You wanted to kill the shifter all over again. You bit at the inside of your lip, worried that it might start to dawn on him what had happened. It’s not that you didn’t want him to know. You just weren’t ready to deal with it. And as long as Sam didn’t know, you could almost pretend that it hadn’t happened. Almost.

Dean nodded curtly as he cut the engine and climbed out of the car. Sam’s eyes narrowed as he stared distantly ahead. 

“Stay here,” he said to Sam as you climbed out of the car, too. You raised an eyebrow to Dean. “I’ll be right back,” he added to Sam.

Dean, ever the over-protector, was now made even worse. He followed you to the door and once again, checked the entire place over. 

“Dean,” you sighed. 

“Not up for debate,” he said, repeating himself from earlier, his eyes still studying every inch of the room as he avoided your gaze.

“I’m not saying you can’t be protective but you’re not my security guard. There isn’t a monster in every closet,” you said. 

 His nostrils flared as he stood in the doorway, silent for a moment, before turning back to you. “What happened… tonight,” he inhaled deeply, “...will never happen again. I won’t let it,” he finished as he swallowed hard. “Not even for a single second will I let you go through something even remotely close to that ever again.” 

You stood there in the middle of the room, too shattered and exhausted to argue with him. This was exactly what you had been trying to avoid that night all that time ago when Cass manipulated Sam’s memory. 

“What are you gonna tell him?” you asked as you choked back your emotions. 

“Enough to catch him up,” Dean said as he turned away and headed back to the Impala.

He left the motel door open and climbed back into the Impala. Sam watched you from the backseat. You locked eyes for a brief second as Dean twisted to face Sam and rested his arm on the backseat. 

You stepped away from his line of sight, not prepared to handle what Sam’s reaction might be. As they talked, you kicked off your boots and jeans and slipped out of your flannel before climbing into the already unmade bed, leaving the fresh bed for Dean. You left half the bed for Sam, though you weren’t sure if he’d take it. Sure, he’d been emotional and comforted you, that still didn’t mean he’d forgiven you. 

You cozied up under the blankets and shut your eyes, desperate to fall asleep, though you weren’t sure what you’d find when you got there. More importantly, however, if you were asleep then you didn’t have to talk with Sam. You inhaled deeply as you nestled your face into the pillow. It smelled faintly like Sam and the longing for him slowly began building back up inside of you. You felt a single tear slip down, leaving a wet circle on the fabric. 

Dean’s booted stomps sounded as he crossed the threshold, followed by Sam’s silent, shoeless scuffles. You half wondered if he’d brought any other shoes with him but that was a problem for tomorrow. One of them flipped the lights off. Sam paused at the edge of the bed for a moment and you could hear him quietly breathing as he watched you. A beat passed before he continued to the bathroom and shut the door. Dean pulled the string on his bedside lamp, providing him with enough light so that he could walk about the room but not disturb you. Seconds later you heard the pipes squeak and water rushing as Sam turned on the shower. 

You carefully opened one eye just a sliver and watched as Dean grabbed the ice bucket from the dinette table and left, this time pulling the door quietly shut behind him. He returned moments later. You listened as the locks clicked and Dean slid the chain lock into place. He sat in the dinette chair and peeled open one of the empty plastic bucket liners. He scooped ice into it and tied a knot at the top, sealing it closed. The chair quietly scraped across the floor as he stood up and pushed it back. You could feel his presence looming over you, blocking out the light of his lamp on the other side of the room.

“I know you’re not asleep,” he whispered. 

You huffed and gently bit at your lip before opening your eyes. “What gave me away?” 

“Scooch,” he said. You turned carefully and painfully onto your back and pushed yourself back just enough for him to sit beside you on the bed.

As the adrenaline began to wear off, the pain of the near suffocation you'd endured back at the bunker was beginning to set in. Your chest ached deep down to the bottom of your lungs and you kept your breath short to avoid the sharp, stabbing pain that came when you inhaled too deeply.

Dean lifted the ice bag and slowly pressed the bag against the right side of your face, eliciting a hiss from you as it stung your tender skin. You reached up and placed your hand over Dean’s who pulled his away, letting you take over. You held it there as he watched you. 

“I’m gonna get the first aid kit,” he said as he stood back up.

“What for?” you asked. 

“Um, your face,” Dean said as he wrinkled his brows.

“Is it that bad?” you asked as he squatted down to pull it from one of the side pockets of his bag. 

“You haven’t looked?” he asked as he made his way back over to you and sat down. You shook your head slightly, the ice clinking along to each movement. He studied your expression before nodding. He kicked his boots off and leaned over. You let your hand fall as he pulled the ice bag back. 

“Can’t see,” he muttered as he reached over and pulled the string of your bedside lamp, illuminating your side of the room. He straightened up and zipped open the first aid kit to pull several items out. 

You glanced down and watched as Dean fussed over his tools. A little bottle of clear liquid caught your eye and inexplicably made your stomach drop.

“Not rubbing alcohol, Dean… please,” you said quietly, shocked at yourself as tears stung the corner of your eyes. You just couldn’t… hurt, anymore. Not tonight. You’d had enough.

“Don’t be a baby,” he said before catching your pained expression. “Sorry,” he whispered quickly. “It’s not alcohol,” he said, shaking the little bottle. “It’s like antiseptic or something.” He shrugged. 

You took a deep breath and looked away. Dean took that as his sign to continue. “Can you sit up a little?” he asked. 

You pushed yourself up and jutted your head forward. He held the washcloth beneath the cut. 

“Look up,” he said. You did as he asked. He squeezed the bottle’s liquid across your cheek, into your cut, cleansing it. The washcloth caught most of the runoff, but some did escape and run down your neck, slicking it. He pulled the washcloth away and refolded it to get to a dry edge and dabbed it gently along your check. You stared at a random spot on the wall as he worked. He returned the bottle to the pouch and pulled out an ointment tube which he squeezed onto a cotton swab and swiped it across your cut as gently as he could manage. 

“This is deep, y/n. I’m gonna have to stitch it in the morning,” he said as he pulled the wound tightly shut with two butterfly bandages. You grimaced at the thought.  

“Done,” he said with a gentle smile as he returned everything to the kit and zipped it up. 

The roar of the shower cut off and there was the familiar scrape of the shower hooks across the curtain rod as Sam exited the shower.

“Thanks,” you wheezed as you looked down and fiddled with your fingers. 

Dean cleared his throat. “Can I… do you need anything?” 

You shrugged as you locked eyes with him. “Water, I guess? And every breath hurts from when... And sleep, but… I’m also, I mean, I’m a little afraid… to sleep. Don’t know what I’ll…,” you trailed off. 

Dean glanced away and seemed to think for a moment. He left your side only to quickly return with the stainless steel water jug and a plastic cup from the motel. He filled it with water and handed it to you. As you sipped the water he returned to the first aid kit and pulled out a small plastic bag with two large white pills in it. Dean handed them to you and you let them roll over in your palm as you tried to guess what they were. 

“They’ll conk you out,” he explained. “And Sam and I will be right here the entire time. You don’t have to worry,” he assured you. 

“I never worry about that,” you said, giving him a lopsided smile. 

He frowned and took a deep breath. You wanted to tell him not to do that, that he had done everything he could and what happened wasn’t his fault, but you just didn’t have the energy. You swallowed the pills and finished the water. Dean refilled the cup and set it on the bedside table. You shifted onto your side, your injured cheek faced up, and got comfortable under the covers as Dean turned the lamp back off. He picked up the bag of ice and placed it gently back over your cheek. 

You were just beginning to drift off when you heard the bathroom door open followed by the quiet footsteps of Sam making his way to his bag to rummage for clean clothes. He returned moments later and climbed into bed beside you. It was quiet for a moment but you could feel his presence as he leaned over you, examining your face in the pale light.

“Did I miss anything?” he whispered to Dean.

“Just bandaged her up a little,” Dean whispered from his bed. “And gave her the good stuff to help her sleep.” 

“Maybe I should go to a pharmacy and get some real ice packs,” Sam thought aloud. 

“It’s four in the morning. There’s nothing open for over a hundred miles,” Dean reminded him. 

“I’m sure I could break into a doctor's office or something in this Podunk town,” Sam said. The bed creaked as he leaned back against his pillow. 

“Okay, simmer down, John Dillinger,” Dean teased. “It wouldn’t make enough of a difference to be worth it. Gonna have to stitch it up in the morning regardless. What about you? You good?"

"Yeah," Sam whispered. "Nothing deeper than surface level."

You wanted to move, to curve to Sam, or ask him to hold you, but the drugs Dean gave you were strong and were quickly taking over every muscle in your body, including your tongue and lips, and thankfully your aching lungs.

“Get some sleep, Sammy,” Dean whispered. Dean’s bed creaked and you slipped your eyes open a crack to see him turning onto his side, squeezing his pillow against his face. He hadn’t even bothered to change out of his jeans and flannel. You couldn’t see it but knowing Dean the hand under his pillow was resting over his Colt. He reached over and turned off the bedside lamp. 

Sam leaned over in the darkness and pressed his lips gently to your temple. You sighed as you fought tooth and nail against the drugs for more seconds with Sam, scared that in the morning, or when you were better, Sam would be gone again. Your body was so heavy you felt like you were going to sink into the mattress.

He pushed toward you, pressing his body carefully against yours and found your hand. He grasped it in his and with everything you had left, before giving into the heaviness and slipping under, you squeezed it, desperate to let him know you were there and aware and so grateful for every moment with him. He laced his fingers with yours and pulled your hand along with his to your heart, wrapping you in him like you were a gift and he was the bow. 

The message had been received. 

EDIT: Chapter 12

[crimetimesteadicam]

ok @morporkian-cryptid tagged me to do this fic author interview so here we go...

if you would like to do this, i am officially tagging you, yes you, right now. tag me back so i can see your answers

1 How many works do you have on AO3?

i got 40

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,044,749

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

sorry like none of these are lupin iii. a blight on my lupin iii blog

Wabisabi (991 kudos) - Spirited Away. idk it's short and cute, read it

BONES OF BLACK MARROW (952 kudos) - Homestuck. the infamous cyoa cannibalism sex fic. scrolling through the things people say about it in the bookmarks is always so funny

Cum mortuis in lingua mortua (925 kudos) - Homestuck. no clue why it has so many kudos lol it was like the first long thing i've ever wrote (a whole decade ago??? jesus). it's a d&d/discworld joke

Vanitas vanitatum (914 kudos) - Homestuck. the same d&d/discworld joke except the LI is turbo depressed. notable for being the only fic i ever outlined and edited and that's why it whips

Supermassive Retinol Overdose! (677 kudos) - hey look, a lupin fic made it on here!

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

i do when i have something meaningful to say besides "thank you!" i don't have a lot of thoughts about my own work so therefore i tend to not respond if there's not a direct question :( my head is empty. i always respond to every single comment on the last chapter of longfics though because i'm always impressed people read that far lol. genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading all that

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

idk uhhhh i wrote a series once where two of the main couples break up at the end, but it wasn't really angsty

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

they all end pretty happily

7. Do you write crossovers?

if i did it was so long ago i don't remember it

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

no but people used to send passive aggressive hate about my art in fics once in a while. hasn't happened in like 2+ years

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

yes. every kind. EVERY KIND

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

a bot will sometimes scrape my high kudos homestuck fics and plant them on a junk ebook site

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yeah i think like 7 of them got translated into russian and do numbers on ficbook.net

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

in the past me and my friend would sit around a laptop and scream laugh write our way through crack fics

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

right now it's jiglup and fujilup

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

i finish almost all my WIPs because i'm a freak. if i don't finish a WIP it's because some dramatic life event happened. this has only occurred two times

15. What are your writing strengths?

im a funny binch

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

i don't outline or edit or re-read any of my fanfic. i just type it and then eyeball it for typos and then post it. i COULD outline and such to really make the narrative nice and tight, but i don't find it very fun to do (for fanfic) and this is like, my relaxing wind down hobby. i just wanna have fun haha. the only reason my fics like, make sense, is because i write at least one ending scene first thing and always aim for that, and also i write out of order so i kinda know the route of the story

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

it's fine if it makes sense to do it there as a narrative device

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

h-hetalia crack fic.....

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

once i figure out how to draw zenigata it's over for you bitches. luzeni hours on da clock

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

for lupin iii fic, i like Lightkeepers the best

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is: foresthearts! @kiaramori has 11 fics in the Stranger Things fandom and 7 of them are in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @kiaramori:

Suspended Bridges

Consensual Catfishing

Just Because You've Done It Before Doesn't Mean You'll Do It Better

In My Head (I See a Supercut of Us)

finding a cozy place in you

I read her first Steddie fic (Suspended Bridges) as it was updating and I fell in love!! The world building and plot in that fic, compared with the writing make it absolutely irresistible. I've been reading all of her fics since then and there have been no misses! Every single one is incredible. Can't recommend them enough ❤️❤️ -- anonymous

Below the cut, foresthearts answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I heard that a lot of times when people ship things, it’s a character they project onto with a character they’re attracted to. I find that I feel both things towards Steddie: I can somewhat project onto both of them to a degree, and then I also find them both pretty attractive. So it’s the best of both worlds (lol). I also think that both Steve and Eddie are at this really cool point in their life. After high school there’s a lot of self-discovery. Finding your own independence, figuring out who you are, deconstructing the messages you were raised with, finding your path…I think that’s a really cool time to write about.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

One of my favorite tropes for this pairing is Kas!Eddie. I really like fics where Eddie is a vampire, they’re great. Another favorite trope with these two is idiots-to-lovers. I love the way both these guys can be dumbasses for different reasons.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

I think miscommunication (in a playful way, not so much an angsty way) is a favorite for me. Especially oblivious!Steve. Anything I can do to maneuver Steve into a slutty little outfit and have Eddie thirsting over him, I love it. Especially when Steve has no clue Eddie is thirsting over him. I think I have that in almost every single fic I write.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

I have so many, it’s hard to list just one. “Sub-culture” by palmviolet was the first Steddie fic I read, so it has a special place in my heart. I’d also say “Rock of Ages” by BoudicaMuse and “You’re Divine” by OonionChiver. One I’m reading currently is called “House of Pain” by mynameis152. It features Steve and Eddie in a group home, and I really like the exploration of both of their characters.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I have a fic I’ve half-written with Merman!Eddie and Grad Student in Marine Biology!Steve (extremely loosely based off the chinese novel Desharow Merman). I think that’s one I’d love to explore in more depth.

What is your writing process like?

My process usually starts with daydreaming up a certain scene. Then, I’ll kind of expand it from there. Sometimes, I’ll take notes or write short outlines at night to get my thoughts down. Then, I’ll usually write a first draft. Something that’s pretty stream-of-consciousness. I don’t worry about it sounding good. Then I’ll delete most of my first draft and start over with a second, keeping only the parts I like the most.

Do you have any writing quirks?

I’m not sure if other people do this, but I think a quirk of mine is how much I’ve come to enjoy rewriting things. It’s not unusual for me to write half a chapter, delete the whole thing, and then start over again. I find that I typically like the second draft a lot better than the first. When I was younger, it was such a struggle to delete things and start over. It felt like I was erasing all my hard work. But now, I just see it as part of the process.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

This is a funny question for me because my favorite way to do things was definitely how I did Suspended Bridges. I had about 80% of the plot written before I posted anything, and as I posted each chapter, I could comfortably go back and edit each chapter/add foreshadowing/add substance to the fic before posting it. But I haven’t done it that way since then; now I pretty much post things as I write them.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I think I’m most proud of Suspended Bridges, partially because it’s the longest fic I’ve ever written, so I’m pretty proud of the work that went into it. I also am pretty proud of Just Because You’ve Done it Before, Doesn’t Mean You’ll Do It Better. It’s my most recent one, and I can feel myself growing as a writer as I write it.

How did you get the idea for Suspended Bridges?

Suspended Bridges is really an amalgamation of a lot of different pieces of inspiration. I think at the time, there weren’t a ton of omegaverse fics out for the pairing. I had a lot of omegaverse headcanons for the characters and how they would fit into an alternate season four. Since there weren’t a lot of fics out at the time, I figured if I wanted something that was so specific (canon divergence, Steve being a secret omega, life-saving mating bonds, etc) then I was going to have to write it myself.

When writing Suspended Bridges, what was something you didn’t expect?

I’d have to say 1. the writing process, and 2. the reception. Firstly, it was a really unique fic for me in that it was so easy to write. It felt like the words just flowed out of me. I wrote the first 60,000 words of it largely on my phone while on vacation. I just couldn’t stop writing. It was more than I’d ever written in one sitting before. Secondly, I was not expecting the reception it got at all. It is far and away the most popular thing I’d ever written, and I was so floored at the amazingly kind comments people wrote and the way it was able to resonate with so many people.

What inspired Just Because You've Done It Before Doesn't Mean You'll Do It Better?

I really like Time Travel Fix-Its, they’re one of my favorite types of fics. I watched this clip where a comedian was talking about how if he went back in time, he’d be effectively useless. And I thought to myself, “what would it be like to have someone go back in time and kind of mess things up even more?” which is what inspired this fic. Steve’s back in season 1, trying to change the past so that things can go better…but it’s a harder job than he expects. There’s a lot that he doesn’t know, and his assumptions about the world can often cloud his judgment.

What was your favorite part to write from Consensual Catfishing?

I think my favorite part was just all the little internet references. Consensual Catfishing was really fun to write because it was a bit of a love letter to my own fandom experiences. My favorite part might’ve been in chapter 1 when we see the clip of the 1DxY/N fic parody. I was laughing pretty hard as I wrote that. I also just liked all the little clips of Hellfire’s DnD podcast. I really enjoyed writing their friendship.

How do/did you feel writing In My Head (I See a Supercut of Us)?

Uh…horny? Haha Supercut was one of the most explicit fics I’d written and so sometimes I would kind of post it while blushing bright red haha. It was fun, though. I think comedy is a bit of a niche for me. I really like to write stuff that makes me laugh, and Supercut was definitely that. Steve’s first fantasy he gets dragged into cracks me up every time.

What was the most difficult part of writing finding a cozy place in you?

I think the hardest part was just making it short. I suck at writing one-shots, I typically like leaning into the conflict of the story and making some elaborate worldbuilding. But this one I wanted to be soft and sweet, to feel a bit like curling up on the sofa with a warm cup of tea. It was a different vibe than I usually write, so it definitely stretched me.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I think one of my favorite scenes is in Suspended Bridges, when I rewrote the fight against Vecna. There were a lot of powerful moments: Max, Dustin and El all standing up to Vecna at various moments, Steve playing Dustin’s song to stop his possession….then the life-saving bond right after that. That was definitely a highlight for me.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Right now I’m mainly looking at my current projects, rather than any future ones. If there’s one I’d promote, it would be “Just Because You’ve Done it Before, Doesn’t Mean You’ll Do It Better” It’s an omegaverse time-travel fic, where a gruff alpha Steve goes back into his season 1 (unpresented) body. He wants to change the past, save Barb, and get Nancy back, but there’s a lot he doesn’t know. And things get pretty off the rails when he presents as an omega in the new timeline.

Thank you to our author, foresthearts, and our anonymous nominator! See more of @kiaramori works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[nerdieforpedro]

Weekend Update 03/03/2024

Hello! This update will be a bit shorter than others. Due to school and other things I haven't written or read as much as I normally do. In fact, I'll need to push back one of my series because the outline for it doesn't look right at all. 🥸 I'm feeling more moody and my smut fairy is back. Not that I can't write fluff, it's just in shorter bursts. To sum up:

Two Hearts by the Ocean will be delayed by a week or two (hopefully I can get the outline to cooperate with ideas).

Roc & Doc is updated less regularly so it's not affected.

March Spring Prompts are ongoing. I've been keeping them under 1k so shouldn't be any issues there. I did several of them ahead of time so I'm working on the last 2/3's of the month. I think. There's 10 or 11 done currently. Ugh math.

Florida Heat and Foul Play are both smut so they're safe.

Weddings 101 with Dieter should be fine as well considering what I planned for the next chapter. Not sure when it will be out.

The Lake between us is still on schedule. (Out later today I believe and then bi-monthly.)

Diddle Disco Dieter is being beta read, so maybe this week.

Follow up to a Din Djarin one shot I did still pending. It doesn't have the right feel yet.

I'm also tinkering with a Javier Pena series and a Frankie Morales series as well.

Nerdie, you think maybe, you might have too many projects?

I'm not understanding what you're saying. 😙 Or maybe I do. I have been thinking about cutting back but then my brain says, 'No. Why? It's fine. Motivation comes and goes but your need to write is forever. Also, we can't just leave these ideas in here. They'll turn into cobwebs."

We...nevermind. Carry on.

Now for what you really came for, fic recommendations! 🥰 Make sure to check warnings before you read. 😎

Hot in the Hotel by @musings-of-a-rose Dieter Bravo with himself. (The mind is a wonderful thing. Also pro tip: accents). 😍

It's Leading me on every time we Touch by @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin (Poe Dameron x f. reader)

Aquarius by @magpiepills (Javier Pena x f. reader)

Private Chef Joel by @bluemusickid (Joel Miller x plus size f reader)

Hunger by @morallyinept (Pero Tovar x f. reader)

Hush by @dincrypt (Din Djarin x reader)

En El Mar by @magpiepills (Javier Gutierrez x f reader)

En El Mar by @magpiepills (Joel Miller x f. reader)

Lie to Me by @morallyinept (Javier Pena x reader)

Night Walks by @toxicanonymity (Joel Miller x f reader)

Feel Good by @charethcutestrory02 (Frankie Morales x Benny Miller)

Keep It by @jksprincess10 (Marcus Pike x reader)

Second Chances part 1 by @pedroscurls (Marcus Pike x f reader)

To the Flame chapter 6, chapter 7 and chapter 8 by @pedroshotwifey (dark Javier Pena x f reader)

Sorry by @secretelephanttattoo (Frankie Morales x f reader)

Bat & Al’s Hidden Treasure Fic Rec List by @magpiepills and @schnarfer

Stay safe and happy reading everyone! 🤗

Love Nerdie ❤️

[silverskye13]

can i ask how you get the motivation to write? ive been writing for most of my life but i have such a hard time sticking with it

Honestly it just comes from the overwhelming desire to create. In a perfect world, I would rather animate or make comics, but my life is short on time, so I write instead. I can take my fic with me everywhere, squeezing in writing time while in lines or alone in the office or whatever. It's versatile.

For long projects specifically, it helps to have a plan. You don't have to outline everything [though I know people who do that]. Knowing you have a premise and a major climax somewhere is sufficient. The premise is interesting to you, the major climax is the very cool finish line you want to cross. Setting that goal of "write until you write the thing you desperately want to write" keeps me going. It's why I write chronologically instead of cherry picking scenes I have ideas for and then filling in the blanks later. I treat those scenes like they're dessert. You want it? Work for it :3 not to say cherry picking is a bad thing. I know plenty of people it works for. I just know myself, and if I give myself the fun payoff when I want it, I won't slog through the rest.

In the shorter term other things that help:

Making music playlists or mood boards or whatever. Give your brain a reason to keep picking at the story outside of the story context. Make it fun to work on. Don't feel like writing but don't want to forget you have a project? Add songs to the playlist, look up photos for setting inspiration, make a Tumblr tag for quotes. It has the added bonus of helping your story along, and giving you a reason to make the world and characters better.

Don't be afraid to drop it. Like, seriously. I know this whole post is about motivation, but nothing kills a project more than getting insanely guilty about said project. You're allowed to take days, weeks, months, years to rest on a project. Just because you put it down doesn't mean it'll stay down, and agonizing over putting it down will just ensure it's harder to pick up again. If you're staring at a project and you would rather do literally anything but work on it, don't work on it.

Uhm, counter to that, if it's been awhile and you're scared to start again? Just write gibberish. I have a section on every large document called "cut pieces" where I slam out the most dogshit writing and after I get warmed up, I cut it and put it at the bottom of the doc. For two reasons. The first being you've got the swing of things so you can get rid of all the practice you did getting to that point. The second being it might not be as bad as you think it is. Someday you're gonna remember that dialogue, and you're going to want to salvage it.

Keep aids handy! Especially for things that bring you trouble. For me it's descriptions. I love descriptions, but I often have trouble thinking up good ones or I have something specific in mind I can't nail down, or I've been staring at a wall for an hour trying to think of a good way to describe clouds and I can't. So I keep a description document, full of descriptions from books I've read or previous ones I've written, that I can use as a jumping off point. It speeds things up, keeps me from dithering on something stupid, and sometimes someone already described the perfect cloud, yanno? [As before so again, if anyone wants my description document, feel free to ask. It's massive and it's organized.]

Never stop at the end of a chapter. Well, you can stop at the end of a chapter sometimes it's 2am and you just wanna write [Chapter 11] on the header and go to bed. But normally I like to keep writing a few more paragraphs? So when I start [Chapter 11] I'm not staring at a blank page. Blank pages will always win a staring context. Put an I there so it blinks instead.

Change your document color. Like the paper color? White is so mean sometimes. My screen is black with white text. Other writers I know swear by lavender or green. White is just so hard to break man there's just something about it.

Last one but, keep reading. Like, why do you want to write? Because you want to tell a story sure, but why do you want to tell a story? Well, probably because you read a good one somewhere, and you want to give other people that "I read a good story" feeling. So keep reading. One of the most motivating things you can do is remind yourself why you're slaving over a hot keyboard.

.... And this got very long sorry :'D

Hope this? Helps?

[zepskies]

Hey Lovely! For the ask game, I'm requesting #4, #7, and #24.

Thanks!! ❤️

Well hello there, friend! 🥰

Oh my, good questions...

Hahaa oh lord. I mean, how much time do you have? 🤣 I have entire files worth of ideas from different fandoms that I've even gone so far as to outline, but have never gotten around to writing.

I think the first ones that come to my head are two series ideas in the Smallville fandom:

Hanging By a Moment - Clark Kent x OC

Summary: The path of Clark Kent’s life changed drastically after he turned sixteen. It was choice, it was happenstance, it was destiny—all in one. He didn’t know it yet, but it was always going to be her.

(Yes, title is based on the song by Lifehouse. 😂)

Keep Holding On - Jason Teague x OC

Summary: Try as Jason might, he just couldn’t compare to Clark Kent. Not in Lana’s eyes at least. Elena is the casualty of war, caught in between.

Both sound very melodramatic now that I read the summaries next to one another. 😂 The main reason why I haven't written these, I guess, is because I feel like the Smallville fandom has mostly died out. Tumblr especially doesn't really support OCs as much as reader inserts, and these stories both needed to be OCs to give me the freedom to create as much backstory and character as I wanted to.

Oh a DEEP CUT you say? 🤣 Oh God, I've been writing since I was about 10 or 11 years old (and let me tell you, it was heinous).

I think my very first fanfic was for an anime called Rurouni Kenshin. It was an AU set in present time. It was that cliché thing where the heroine is sitting at a bar and is getting hit on, but she doesn't give the guy the time of day until her boyfriend (the main male lead of the show) shows up.

That character was known for being a spitfire, so she was good at putting people in their place lol. Her boyfriend is the more mild-mannered of the two, but still very protective, so I guess that's where the idea came from in my kid brain. I've long ago deleted that story off FF.net because it was so damn bad.

My first SPN fanfic, however, can be found here on Ao3. It's also pretty rough because I wrote it back in high school when I was first watching the show, first on FF.net, then transferred it over later to Ao3.

Another interesting question... 🤔

It can take me a bit to get myself into that creative headspace, but when I'm working on a one-shot, I tend to power through the draft until I finish it in a day, maybe two if it's long (5,000+ words let's say).

If we're talking about a series, I try to knock out at least a chapter at a time in one writing session, which could take me a couple hours or several more, depending on length and how detailed my outline is, if I need to do additional research, etc.

If I really have a good flow going, sometimes I can knock out 2-3 chapters in a day. I'll have a solid 1-3 hour writing session towards the beginning of the day, take a break for a few hours, run some errands, go on a walk, have a meal, and come back to it later. I tend to do the bulk of my writing in the afternoon and throughout the night.

Thanks again for asking these questions, lovely!! 😘💜 Always happy to answer.

[agent-troi]

20 Questions for 20 Writers

thanks for the triple tag @thatfragilecapricorn30 @randomfoggytiger @virtie333

i started working on the original questions before I was tagged by @randomfoggytiger so i'm just gonna keep going on those😅

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 108

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 402,230

3. What fandoms do you write for? mostly the x-files and star trek but i've dabbled in fringe and the west wing

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Platonic Procreation, Security Questions, Eden, Mother Knows Best, The MSR Files

5. Do you respond to comments? i always reply if they commented on something specific, and i try to reply most of the time but sometimes if i get a lot of comments at once i get overwhelmed and don't reply to them all😅

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i don't usually do angsty endings but i think that would have to be my rain king ivf fic, Driftwood Lullaby

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? you're pretty much guaranteed to get a happy ending with most of my fics lol but some contenders i wanna highlight are Aqua Vitae, Defining Parameters, Sweet Kisses, Where A Million Stars Catch Fire, Though the Heavens Fall, The Wrong Scully, Coda, and Blood and Water

8. Do you get hate on fics? i got one hate comment on my most popular fic (lmao) and a couple of nitpicky comments on other fics that didn't quite rise to the level of hate

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? no never lol

10. Do you write crossovers? i've had ideas with varying levels of ambition but never actually written one lol

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? nope

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? several! they're all in this collection with @katy-kt-katie, @tofuttim, @incidental-ao3, @baronessblixen, and IStanYouStan5676🫶🏻🫶🏻

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? MSR!!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? i have two: an AU that i was steadily chipping away at until my building burned down in february and i've opened the google doc maybe twice since then lol, and a multi chapter that's been sitting for literal years with every chapter either complete, partially complete, or outlined, but i just can't make myself work on it lmao

16. What are your writing strengths? dialogue i think, i spend a lot of time thinking about fictional characters so their voices are always in my head lol

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i'm so jealous of people who can write multiple multi chapter epics and i'd love to write more elaborate and complicated multi chapter fics but i just don't have the time or energy to invest in fully fleshing them out😔

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? i love it when it adds to the realism of the setting

19. First fandom you wrote for? lord of the rings

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? hmm idk if i can pick just one favorite so i'm gonna drop a few that i haven't already linked: A Most Owlish Conundrum, Beyond Antares, Light in Dark Places, The Scully Dimension, Scientific Proof, Faith, Hope, and Love, When Toads Fly, Cucumber Time

tagging the friends i already tagged in question 13 and anyone else who hasn't already been tagged bc i'm sure i'm late to the party lol

[unremarkablehouse]

20 Questions for 20 Writers

thanks for the tag @thatfragilecapricorn30

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 19

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 59,155

3. What fandoms do you write for? X files exclusively

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. The party 2. Laundry 3. The Declaration 4. The Mulder Manual 5. Domestic Partners

5. Do you respond to comments? Definitely, although sometimes I get shy, but I’m always grateful when people take the time to comment.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Second Quarentine, but it’s still pretty saccharine. My theory is life and TXF has enough angst so I try to balance it out with fluff fics.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? My mind went in the gutter but I’ll have to go with The Declaration

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, TXF fandom have been helpful and supportive

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I just posted my XF Porn Battle fic that I was too shy to originally share. Generally my smut is more romantic and just an extension of the Mulder and Scully dynamic

10. Do you write crossovers? no

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? TXF fic no, professional writing, you betcha.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? no

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I kind of consider prompts, comments and betas as a form of cowriting and one of my favorite fics I have written was because of a prompt to write from a third party POV (which I would never think to do).

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? MSR are my OTP

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I have this awesome series that covers before the revival and post pandemic. I have such a good outline but it’s so daunting to tackle because it would be the longest story I’ve tried sitting.

16. What are your writing strengths? Characterization and dialogue. I also read waaaay more fics than I write (in different styles) and that helps improve writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Sticking with a grammatical tense and being consistent 🤣 for other writing projects I usually have to use present tense (as the story unfolds), so I’ve been practicing other styles with when writing fics.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I’ve done it briefly but it’s kind of jarring to put a translation in and can get clunky and heavy with exposition if you’re not careful so I stick with English if it’s more than one line.

19. First fandom you wrote for? So I’ve had to write Specs when I was younger for different shows as part of an audition/interview and had two very successful specs that got me work for Medium, Community, and Hannah Montana 🤣 (I didn’t get to pick!!). But writing TXF fanfic is so much more enjoyable, I get to tell the stories I want the way I want and it’s not team writing.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? I have two and they’re polar opposites, lol. Her Own Desk was my first fic and came out of my thoughts on Scully not having an official desk in the Revival. I also love Field Evaluation and was contemplating adding another chapter just this morning.

No pressure writers tag: @katy-kt-katie @baronessblixen @cock-holliday

[jinxquickfoot]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @16woodsequ. Thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

82!! And that's counting the one-shot collections as 1 fic.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,572,787

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Still in Marvel, although I've had a few ideas around Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss that I probably would written if my MCU WIP list wasn't so impossibly long.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

The One Where Peter is Bucky's Weakness

Let's Whump the Spider-Kid and Friends!

The One Where Peter is Tony's Weakness

You're Always Spider-Man

The One Where Clint is Tony's Weakness

You guys really like it when I kidnap Peter Parker.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Of course!

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

The Worst Thing, it's the only ending I wouldn't call 'happy'. I labelled it 'bittersweet' instead, which I think is fitting. Actually Dollhouse also is a strong contender.

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

Let's Whump the Spider-Kid and Friends! teeters on the edge of soppy. Everyone is alive post-Endgame, Peter gets a prom with all the Avengers and his high school friends, and the Spider-Kid in question gets a whole month of rest.

In hindsight, I wrote that fic during pretty extreme burnout (that I am now thankfully over), and I can see my need for rest and care just bleeding through Peter in those final chapters. I'm so grateful we both got what we needed.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not for a long time, since the debates over Civil War have... if not settled, maybe don't hold as much interest as they used to.

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

Not yet, but I think I might be brave and include some Winterhawk smut in the Heart of Stone series.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. I've come across one or two with eerily similar premises and wondered, but I've never followed up. Tropes are tropes for a reason.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not a translation but Hair is Everything has a podfic!

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

Many! And tried to many at the same time which was a mistake, but I'm so glad I've gotten to work with so many incredible authors:

The One Where Clint is Steve's Weakness with @16woodsequ

The One Where T'Challa is Shuri's Weakness with @fluencca

The One Where Bruce is Thor's Weakness with @onwardmeteors

The One Where Peter is Peter's Weakness with @spagbol99

The One Where Bucky is Steve's Weakness with @usaonetwothree

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Winterhawk aka Clint/Bucky has my heart forever and ever, but I have a soft spot for Clint/Matt and Wanda/Vision as well. Outside of Marvel, I love reading for Stede/Ed, Husk/Angel, Caleb/Essek and Buck/Eddie.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you will?

If I've posted it, I'll finish it (I swear, I know I haven't touched the Whumptoberverse in three years). I do have an outline for something called the Amendment trilogy which I thought had some promise, but I've done so many Civil War Fix-Its now I doubt it has anything original to say these days.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I don't think my plot twists are too shabby, and I like to think that I find new things to say about well-worn characters and tropes. I'm also pretty damn good at structure, but that's because I studied and practised the hell out of it. Oh and occasionally I like to think I'm funny, especially when writing for Tony.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes I focus too much on getting a fic done than letting it breathe. I've been told several times the ending to The One Where Peter is Bucky's Weakness is disappointing, and I agree. I was ready to get out of there so I Game of Throned it instead of spending a good 5-10 chapters wrapping that fic up properly.

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

Short bits are fine if you pop the translation in the end notes. If not, I like to just say something like, "He switched to Russian [continues dialogue in English]."

19. First fandom you wrote for?

MCU and we're still going, baby.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

AH okay I want to include all those I co-wrote but that feels like cheating, because what I like about those fics is often what other people brought to them.

I used to say Budapest and that's still a strong contender. But I actually love The One Where Clint is Sam's Weakness, specifically the final chapter. The idea of mistakes and regrets and choices not making you who you are is a very personal thing for me. Clint saying "You’re my hero, Kate." might be my favorite line I've ever written in a fic. Sometimes the simplest ones are the best.

Low pressure tag: @fluencca @usaonetwothree @queenofalotofdifferentworlds @spagbol99 @teeelsie-posts

[greensagephase]

Hi Alondra!!! I absolutely love your Miguel fics; the way you write from his character to the descriptions of everything basically. I wanted to ask if it’s not that much trouble if you could share some tips for someone (def not me🤪🤪) who wants to start writing a slowburn as well? I feel like my way of writing is stiff and also English it’s my first language so I feel I’m in a worse position 😭

ALSO HOW DO YOU START A FIC ISTGGG that has to be the worst part about it. The fucking start.

Anyways I LOVE YOUR WORK!!! I LOVE YOU!!! MUAK 🩷🩷

Hi, anon!! YOU’RE TOO KIND!! Thank you!! 🥹🩷

And of course, it’s no trouble at all!! If I can offer some kind of advice or tips to someone who wants to start a slow burn (I see you 👀😌 consider me intrigued!), I’m more than happy to!!

I’m going to start off by telling you that this is my first time writing a slow burn, so I’m no expert! I’ve done a lot of writing, at this point 11 years (I feel old), and this is the first time I’ve written a slow burn, so I was hoping for the best in regards to it!! Also, I wasn't aiming for slow burn but the story decided that's what it was going to be, so I just went along with it, tbh😭💀, but I have learned some things and hopefully it helps you!!

The first thing that immediately jumps to my mind is to make the interactions between the characters gradual and small. Start out slowly by having your characters learn about each other. Maybe they’re already acquainted but they realize they’ve only known each other on a surface level, so give them little interactions to start out and build on them, making them more significant and vulnerable as time goes.

Tensions and obstacles are great for slow burn! Maybe one of your characters is oppose to relationships because they were hurt in the past and are afraid to let someone in, or they simply are not interested because they’re super busy and think they won’t be able to dedicate appropriate time and attention to a relationship. This can be anything from internal tensions to external ones, like someone trying to stop the characters from being together, or there's some big threat to take care off. This is where you think of the reasons why they can't be together right away!

Emotional intimacy! Something I’ve really loved from writing a slow burn is discovering that two characters can be soooo intimate with each other without there being physical intimacy, like, not even placing a hand on their shoulder, or a pinky squeeze. Give your characters little moments of this, make them emotionally vulnerable! This really builds trust between the characters and deepens their connection little by little.

Give sprinkles of what their future might look like! I’m very guilty of this, especially with the last few chapters of NC. I love teasing my readers with small glimpses of their future (lowkey also a way to tranquilize my need to make them be together already😭)! It adds to the suspense and keeps readers intrigued!

Let the story unfold on its own! I've mentioned this many, many times but NC was originally only going to be 3 to 5 parts, but then with the third part, the story was kind of like, "actually, there's more to tell here" and I decided to explore what that "more" was. So now we're here, and I'm satisfied with how the story has unfolded on its own. Accepting this actually helped with the slow burn a lot! So, don't be afraid to see where your fic takes you!

How to Start A Fic

As to how to start a fic - something that helped me was think about where the characters start and where I want them to end. What is the premise of the fanfic, as in what direction is it going? What are you trying to achieve? What needs to happen in order for your characters to reach all their goals? What internal or external issues do they have to face or resolve first?

I also want to add, which I’ve mentioned already in another ask, to use some sort of planning tool, like an outline! This helps keep your thoughts and goals organized!

And to end, just write, my friend! Everyone who writes started out somewhere and I think most of us weren’t immediately great at it. Tbh, even with some experience some of us still struggle at the beginning of a new fanfic because it might be a new fandom, a new trope we’ve never tried, or we’re applying a different tone and mood we’re not used to, but let me reassure, once you start and figure out where you want to take your story and you begin to feel more comfortable with writing, your writing will begin to feel less stiff and you’ll find your voice.

Also, just because it feels like that to you, doesn’t mean it’ll feel like that to your readers!

I felt like that when I first started writing for ATSV and still feel like that about some of my writing when I look back at it. The other day I went back to a post to make layout changes and let me tell you, I still feel like it was stiff, but a lot of readers enjoyed the writing! So, what I’m trying to say is, sometimes it’s just us perceiving our writing like that but it’s not actually like that!!

I hope this was somewhat helpful and that it’s not just me yapping and yapping lol!

Also, once you post your fanfic, I’d love to read it!! If you’re open to it, pls tag me!! I’ve been trying to read more fanfic these last few days because I haven’t done so in a few months due to life, and I’d love to read yours!!

Thank you so much for the ask and love!! I LOVE YOU TOO, ANON!!!! 🩷🩷 Please take care and I hope you’ve had an amazing weekend so far!!! MUAH!

-Alondra 🥰

[theriverwild]

Writer Asks

This was fun, thank you @demonscantgothere and tagging @galbrand, @tmwillson3, @jhalya, @myfavouritelunatic, @thrillofhope and anyone else who wants to do it!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Eight (for now...)

2. What's your total A03 words count?

568,161.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I am writing exclusively for the Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power fandom and incorporating significant lore from the broader Tolkien Legendarium (LOTR, Hobbit, Silm, Unfinished Tales, etc.).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

(596) That Which Lies Across the Sea (WIP): Fourth Age Mairon x Galadriel. Sauron/Mairon redemption arc taking him and Galadriel through the Dagor Dagorath and beyond to Arda Unmarred. It's a long tale!

(195) Autocorrelation (WIP): missing Haladriel scenes during TROP.

(136) Aftermath (WIP): Second and Third Age vignettes. Saurondriel plus other stories like where was Celeborn? And a little sprinkle of Celrond. Set after TROP with lore from LOTR and Unfinished Tales.

(82) Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Duplicity (WIP): Mairon's time as a double agent with the elves in Valinor before Morgoth is released from captivity. Character study vignettes with some one-sided pining for a young Artanis.

(82) Land of Enchantment: my first AU! This is a bit of dark fic with a much darker sequel but just watch me make it an HEA (of sorts). Haladriel / Saurondriel.

Note that the first four are part of my Use Well the Days series which is all canon compliant according to my own interpretation of Tolkien's works and The Rings of Power series.

(And more below the cut! Trying to avoid an overlong post for you scrollers)

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

Yes! Every single one is special to me.

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

Ah, well, I only have two finished fics so that would have to be Land of Enchantment which has a bit of a crushing epilogue, later explained and expanded on in the sequel.

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

My fic for a funny smutty term challenge: Sunny Days Chasing the Clouds Away It is a fluffy and feel good Haladriel one-shot!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, no. I tagged everything I could think of up front on Kingdom of Rust because the first four chapters are rough. I'm hoping that prevents any hate.

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

Yes I do! There is noncon/dubcon in Land of Enchantment, Kingdom of Rust, and Marring of Mairon but generally my smut is consensual and ranges from fluffy to mildly kinky.

I like to write extremely visceral smut that does not leave a lot to the imagination. So far there is a little M-M and a lot of M-F.

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

Nope! At least not yet.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Sort of. The first chapter of TWLATS was modified and translated and linked to my original story.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No. This sounds fun, but also terrifying given my propensity for "I'm not as good as anyone else" syndrome.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Well, I was a silent reader of many ships for over a decade but I have to say, nothing has struck the same chord as Saurondriel -- which pulled me out of the shadows and into fandom proper.

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

Nothing. I'm going to finish all my WIPS. They all have complete outlines.

Exceptions to this are my vignette fics, which do not have outlines, but I could call them complete today and it would not be out of place for how I set them up to support the rest of the series they are a part of.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Commenters have very kindly complimented my detailed plotting. I have short-term and long-term payoffs and like to weave events and interactions across years and different character arcs. My prose isn't the best and everything is quite wordy, but it's all there for a reason.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

My prose lacks consistency. Love some lines, hate a lot of others. I publish stuff I'm not very satisfied (in terms of prose) with when I reach diminishing returns so I can keep the plot moving. I'm not trying to be sloppy, but I'd rather post and keep the story going instead of get stuck on a scene for two months.

That said, I welcome concrit in my canonverse fics because I really do want to improve.

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

Yes! Quenya, Sindarin, and Spanish so far in my fics. I post the translations in-line.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power. And still here!

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

I absolutely love my Use Well The Days universe but when I finished Land of Enchantment I felt like, 'whoa, that was something else.' And I feel the same way about the sequel I am trying to exorcise from my brain so I can get back to TWLATS and my more popular WIPS.

[snips2112]

Ask game 💙

“That Familiar, Yet Unfamiliar Feeling”

3, 11, 15

Aww thank you so much for the ask!

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

Ooo great question. I honestly couldn’t decide, and without going back and rereading the whole fic, there was one passage that stood out in my mind (sorry, I’m gonna cheat and give you a small passage instead of just one line)

As her scent and her arms enveloped him, Rex’s brain was aware of only one word as he hung on the precipice between the waking world and unconsciousness.

Home. Ahsoka felt like home.

He fell into a dreamless sleep with a smile on his lips.

This is from Chapter 5: The Ones Who Survive. I really like it because I feel like it is a turning point for Rex, where he finally decides to give into his emotions and seek comfort with his friend, yet also it is when he decides to make her his purpose, which helps draw him back from the precipice of his grief.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I feel like this is maybe the opposite of how my readers feel but I love the slow development and slow burn of the relationship between Rex and Ahsoka. I wanted to show case the little, but still significant moments just as much as some of our more traditional “firsts” (ie. First kiss, I promise it’s on its way!).

I feel like I’ve done a good job building this relationship between the two of them and I’m quite proud of it.

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

I learned the importance of outlines 😆 I literally went back and added like 7 chapters to the beginning/middle of this fic. The original vision I had for it just wasn’t what I ended up wanting it to be, and tbh I think it woulda been much more effective to outline it first instead of writing and then rewriting things in the way that I did.

I also learned that it is a good thing to have the whole fic written before you post so that you can go back and add scenes/chapters if you need them. I definitely did that in this fic, and I’m glad I waited to have everything pretty much wrapped before I started posting.

[rockyroadkylers]

2023 Writing Roundup

@hgejfmw-hgejhsf tagged me to do this, and @inexplicablymine actually did, too, a while back, so here we go!

i haven't written much this year- well, no, okay, that's a lie, in terms of word count i've written quite a lot, but in terms of how many fics i've posted, i don't have that many to share, here. but i'm pretty dang proud of what i do have!

May

I Will Soften Every Edge (I'll Do Better) - MCU, 6.6k, T

Tony Stark is unexpectedly thrust into parenthood when he discovers that Spider-Man is not only fourteen years old, but also his son. He's unsure how to proceed from there, until the Vulture destroys a ferry full of people and Tony learns something about his son that makes him reevaluate his own behavior. Gift for hold_our_destiny from my Fic Raffle on Tumblr.

October

It's Nice to Have a Friend - RWRB, 59k, 11 chapters, T

Two boys meet on a beach, build a sand castle, write letters, and fall in love.

November

After Everything, I Must Confess I Need You - RWRB, 5.8k, T

“Fuck,” he gasps, tears springing to his eyes and mixing with the rainwater on his face. He’s not sure if the tears are from the asphalt biting into his palms, or if it’s a release of the emotions he’s been trying to shove down deep ever since he woke up to an empty top bunk at the lake house. Wait. Asphalt. Over the pounding rain, Alex hears the shrill sound of a horn honking, and looks up just in time to be blinded by a pair of headlights coming straight at him. OR: When Alex dares Henry to tell him to leave, Henry actually does. Neither of them could have predicted what happens next.

Upcoming in 2024:

i picked the petals, he loves me not

canon divergence starting from the day Alex and Henry met in Rio, following an AU where Alex develops Hanahaki Disease from Henry asking Shaan to get rid of him.

currently untitled sequel to It's Nice to Have a Friend

Picking up where chapter ten left off (Alex and Henry finally getting together), the sequel will follow the boys as they navigate their new relationship through the ups and downs of long distance, therapy, school, and Ellen's 2016 presidential campaign.

This Love is Worth the Fight

a surprisingly highly-requested sequel to After Everything, I Must Confess I Need You. It will likely be another longfic, due to the amount of ideas I've made notes of, but I don't have anything concrete, yet.

1/124th of a second (credit to Beas for the genius title)

Actor!Henry, Photographer!Alex AU. Sort of an enemies to lovers premise. I won't actually be able to write this one until Mary and George comes out, I don't think, because the premise of it is Alex taking a job as the photographer taking pictures of Henry to promote his role as George Villiers in Mary and George, and he watches the show to prepare for the job, so I might need to be able to actually reference some of the scenes in order to write about Alex watching the show, lol. Other than that, this fic is entirely outlined, so it should be easy to write... once I have access to clips of the show for reference, pfft.

this has been fun to do! so much of the writing i've done this year has taken place over the last four months, that sometimes i forget i did any writing before the month of September 😂 but i did! and it's good writing, too, as hard as that is for me to remember, sometimes.

tagging: @matherines, @firenati0n, @affectionatelyrs, @anincompletelist, @littlemisskittentoes, @read-and-write-, @happiness-of-the-pursuit, @songliili, @wordsofhoneydew

[tryingtimi]

@the-wip-project word count so far: 18,026

Alright, I'm so behind on posting that I don't try to figure out which day we're at right lol. So much have happened in the last two weeks (i think that's how long i was on and off gone). Attended an interview which I'm very anxious about because I still haven't gotten a respone if they are going to hire me or not. A relative was admitted to the hospital, and some more minor life stuff. It was and still is a mess. I expected a set back when I got the calls for interviews since I'm a way to anxious person, but the hospital part definitely doesn't make it any easier. Therefore, I did not write one bit last week.

This is how my month looks so far writing-wise, and you can see that gap pretty well, lol. I didn't want to force myself, and frankly, I couldn't anyway. However, my determination came back a little bit, and so I finished chapter 11 today. My project sits at 53,633 words in full, and that is already the most I've every written to any story. I'm proud of that one, and excited for the rest. And hopefully I can use it to take my mind off of some irl stuff for just a little bit.

To answer the event questions though: The story changed pretty cardinally throughout this challenge, and for the better for sure. I really like the way it goes now, even though I've extracted a lot of core stuff. Thanks to that, however, it makes more sense now, have more depth, and my characters feel more fleshed out. I also found my theme, I think. Working on the hundredth version of the outline, which actually makes me excited right now, because as my story became clearer, outlining became more fun. I have many scenes and points that I'm looking forward to write.

[elvain]

MK's Moves: February Wrap-Up

hi all! here's a little check-in/update for my writing during the month of february. :) i had some huge things planned - some of them panned out and some of them didn't. but all the support i have received has been near and dear to my heart. thank you very much.

Chaptered Fics:

dream a little dream of me. 12/13 chapters. the famous cheating fic! i have been working super hard to get this fic done early in the year to make way for some others. it's got ONE chapter left to write/post and that's it!

At The Heart Of Time. 10/42 chapters. this is my "thorin dies 57 times trying to reclaim erebor" fic. my goal is to finish this story by the end of the year and i think i'm off to a strong start already!

Sweet Like Summer. 5/5 chapters. written for fotfics' valentine's bingo, this is just a sweet exploration of how frodo finally tells sam he loves him. dedicated to my dearest razz.

One-Shots:

Between Two Lungs. 2.7k words. another exercise for me in writing sweeter, fluffier fics. some braiding/dwarf culture and quiet moments on the quest.

My Lover's Eyes. 2.6k words. an exploration of grief in the wake of the hobbit with some insight into the "real" reason bilbo adopted frodo.

Angel With A Shotgun. 2.4k words. this is my first work in exploring alison blaire/jennifer walters as a romantic ship and i'm super happy with the way it turned out. it even inspired some larger works to come...

WORD COUNT (FEBRUARY): 31,933

Goals for March:

Forged In Amber - my fili/sigrid amnesia story, outlined at ~28 chapters. i'm really looking forward to getting this fic up and running! i am trying to bank a couple more chapters to get a good headstart, but expect it soon.

Far Beyond A Star - upcoming alison/jen fic, outlined at ~20 chapters. dimension hopping, curses, a gay little warlock, multiversal date nights. what more could you ask for?

Mutual In Divine Love - a new jan/wanda fic that explores the 8 different kinds of love. a little late, but originally meant to be for valentine's/femslash feb.

stand by the man that you call home - a one-shot i'm working on to explore the impact Iron Man Vol 1. #124-125 on tony's personal life.

At The Heart Of Time - i'm looking to get half of this fic underway by the end of the month. currently i'm sitting at chapter 14.

[REDACTED] - a secret/surprise project coming by the end of the month as a very special gift for a very special someone. :)

March Events:

Multiamory Month (March 1-31)

March of the Noldor (March 1-31)

Manwë Week (March 11-17)

C + C Week (March 17-24)

Feanorian Week (March 25-31)

Quicksilver Week (March 25-31)

as always, my askbox is open for any and all questions/comments about my writing. i would love the chance to open up some more about this stuff. :)