#i wrote all of these for the otp writing challenge thing i did in like...october

[kirkwallgremlin]

15. Getting Dressed Up

Frankie Brosca x Alistair, 596 words

“Please don’t laugh,” Frankie called from the other room, finally dressed and ready for the events of the evening. Alistair waited in anticipation - she always looked beautiful but she took his breath away when she emerged through the doorway. 

Her dark hair was loose, contrasting with her pale skin. The dress, an unusual choice for her, was simple but elegant, a dark blue colour, and her dark eyes looked even more beautiful than ever. They had been one of the first things he noticed about her and continued to be one of the things that always caught and held his attention.

Of course, the very first thing he had noticed about her was her brand, a curious mark that spread dark across her cheek.

“It means I’m casteless,” she had told him when he asked, her chin raised in defiance as though challenging him to think less of her because of it. “Scum of the earth back in Orzammar.” 

The same brand was still visible on her face, as familiar to him now as every other part of her.

The servant helping her dress had offered to cover the mark, at least a little, but she had refused. As much as he knew she hated it, she always refused. Mages had even offered to try and find a way to alter it too, to hide it from her skin and she had always refused them too. 

“It’s part of me,” she always told them. “I will not forget where I came from and I won’t let anybody else forget it either.”

It didn’t make her any less beautiful as she walked towards him, although the expression on her face said she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the clothes she wore and the way she looked. 

“Pretty dresses like this don’t suit people like me,” she said, nose wrinkling in distaste. “I feel like I’m faking something.” 

“Francesca Brosca, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he told her, trying to keep his tone light and joking, as though offended at the idea she would think otherwise. It was difficult though, the words trying to stick in his throat as he looked at her, hoping his tone conveyed how genuinely he meant it.

Maker, how had he been so lucky to meet a woman like her, to have her care for him as much as he cared for her? 

“I hate you,” she said, cheeks turning pink, and his mouth twitched in amusement. That was the first thing out of her mouth every time he used her full name. Every single time. 

“Is that so, Francesca?” he teased, reaching down to take her hands, partly out of affection and partly to limit her ability to punch him in the arm. “I mean it though, you look absolutely beautiful. I know you don’t always feel it but everybody else can see it. And I can see it, and as we all know, my opinion is the most important one of all, about anything ever.”

“Of course it is,” she laughed, looking a little more comfortable even as her cheeks grew from pink to red. Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Really, though?” 

“Really,” he said. “You’re the most beautiful woman in Ferelden. In Thedas even. You’ll outshine the Queen herself.”

“I don’t think Anora will be happy about that.” Frankie smiled. “But… thank you.” 

“Anytime,” he whispered, crossing the space between them to wrap her in his arms. 

She was beautiful and she was his and he couldn’t think of anything that could make him happier.

[read all on AO3] [challenge tag]

[myevilmouse]

2020 Fic Year In Review

This disaster year was my second of writing fanfic for the Star Wars fandom, focused as always on my handsome Jedi and charismatic Grand Admiral.  Here’s the same thing I did last year:  basically share the idea of the fic I wanted to write and the result of what came out of that idea.

Because I don’t outline or plan, it is often as much a surprise to me as to my readers as to where the story winds up.  But I enjoy the magic that is surrendering to the muse / autonomous typing hands, so I doubt that will change anytime soon.

Context:  2020 began with the fic whining circle’s discussion of the sad dearth of blowjobs for Luke Skywalker in fandom.  We resolved to remedy this with the creation of the Luke Deserves All The Blowjobs Challenge, our 12-month mission to provide our man with 12 blowjobs, detailed lovingly for your (and his) pleasure.  We all agreed to contribute and so my first offering was:

1.    Anomaly

Idea:  In 2019, I participated in the Star Wars Rare Pairs Fic Exchange.  Shanlyrical had requested the pairing of Guri/Luke, which I’d never considered.  I didn’t get assigned that one (I got assigned Thrawn/Original Art Forger), but the idea stayed with me.  The blowjob challenge was the perfect opportunity.

Result:  A one-shot I am quite proud of, written from droid POV attempting to seduce our Jedi (who is quite difficult to seduce damn his perfect ass), full of technical and cyborgian terminology.  Since shanlyrical had put the ship in my brain, it was gifted to her.

2.  Comfortable

Idea:  Write an “old married Skywalkers” smutfic for a Valentine’s Day gift to my Luke/Mara cohorts.

Result:  A rather florid one-shot that is overstuffed with choice adjectives and bursting at the seams with love for my Jedi’s happy ever after.

3.  The Problem With Prophecy

Idea:  Write a Thrawn/Pryce fic for the Thryce Discord’s Valentine’s Day.  The prompts shifted, from “blind date” to “soulmates” or maybe vice versa as a theme.  I had already started it when the prompt changed so made them both work.

Result:  Another “how they got together fic” (of which I seem to write many for Thryce) that was a lot of fun to write, with a little contemplation about free will vs destiny in there.

4.  Proxy

Idea:  The Luke Deserves All The Blowjobs Challenge needed more fic, and no one wrote that Asajj Ventress/Luke pairing I had requested for SW rarepairs 2019… *cracks knuckles*  If you want something done, gotta do it yourself!

Result:  This was an interesting challenge.  Whilst I typically attempt to create scenarios for Luke to bang all the ladies that are SOMEWHAT realistic, I decided the only way to make this happen was to assume whatever plot was required to set this up had already occurred, so it starts *cough* right before the action, so to speak.  I also sort of low-key ship Ventress/Kenobi (what is that called?  Ventrobi?) so operated throughout with the idea that since she couldn’t have Obi-Wan, she was settling for another Jedi as a plaything.  Since I used only pronouns for Ventress in the fic, I suppose the reader could imagine any wicked woman or Nightsister or whomever on the other end of Luke’s cock, but in my brain it’s Asajj and she is a lucky woman (and Luke is a lucky man).  Anyway, it was probably one of my least popular fics this year but I still like it!

5.  Thranto 400 Works Celebration Ficlet (Ch 3:  Everything To Lose)

Idea:  @jessko-fic​  asked me to contribute to this collection to commemorate the Thrawn/Vanto ship hitting 400 works on AO3.  Me:  Slash?!?!

Result:  I don’t write slash in general because I just…don’t really enjoy it, doesn’t float my boat or melt my butter, although so often I wish that weren’t the case.  I have read a lot of Thranto thanks to Jess’s evil influence though, and thought I could tackle this ship.  I wanted to write something exactly 400 words for the 400 works thing, and the result was a little “missing scene” that I hope was true to the spirit of the collection while also slotting into Thrawn and Eli’s storyline.

6.  Creativity

Idea:  For The May The Fourth fic exchange, try to hit my giftee’s likes and stuff as many MacGyver-inspired easter eggs as possible into the story.

Result:  14 “original series” MacGyver-isms crammed into this thing, including winks and nods to names and dates, and  plenty of Luke and Mara banter to accompany the mission. One of my most researched fics this year and one of the most fun to write!  And my giftee loved it, which is the best result possible.

7.  Physical Graffiti

Idea:  Agreed to a one-on-one fic exchange with @jessko-fic​, since we never get matched in “regular” exchanges.  She requested Luke x Sabine, which tied in perfectly to my never-ending goal of Luke x All The Ladies.

Result:  A (hopefully) sexy multi-chapter that required a lot of research on timelines to get them together for this “missing scene” and Mandalorian stuff.  My septuagenarian mom has proclaimed it’s her favorite of any of my stories, so I call it a success.  O_O  Yes, she reads my fic.

8.  Strangers When We Meet

Idea:  Write a reader-insert fic for @enmudecer​.  I love setting challenges for myself, and writing a smutty reader insert was something entirely new to tackle.

Result:  I think reader inserts sometimes get a bad name but they can be a lot of fun.  I avoided the (y/n) convention because I find it pulls me out of the story, tried hard to keep it gender neutral, and hopefully everyone who reads it can feel like they just banged Luke Skywalker 😉 Also I have a long-standing goal of writing songfic, and while I didn’t do it here, at least the title is from a Bowie song that seemed appropriate.  So not just my first reader-insert, my first song-titled-fic!

9.  Infectious

Idea:  The Thryce Discord, and in particular @handsofthrawn​, had been asking/lobbying me for ages about writing a quarantine fic since the world was in lockdown.

Result:  Well, this is what I achieved this year, when I look back at what I accomplished.  My longest fic ever, and a particularly ambitious premise of getting from an awkward, miserable (and hopefully realistic) fuck-or-die scenario to a happy ever after for my evil OTP.  I unashamedly love this story and I’m so happy and grateful to the readers who loved it with me—their comments and kudos gave me life when the stress of reality made me want to curl into a defensive little ball and hide for the rest of the year.

10.  Evilmousetober 2020

Idea:  I couldn’t choose what X-tober prompts to use for my October drabbles this year, so I used whatever felt right that day.

Result:  A compilation of my tumblr drabbles from various October prompts.

11. Dis Manibus

Idea:  I am not going to write this fic.  I am not going to write this fic.  Crack and ridonc and no way is there any conceivable way it would work.  And then I wrote it.  The basic concept as my muse nagged me was to write the “nightmare comfort” trope with Luke and Pryce.  WHY?! I HAVE NO IDEA I DON’T CONTROL THIS BITCH.  Anyway, the idea wouldn’t go away.

Result:  This fic is the perfect exhibit of how I never know what the heck is going to happen when I start writing.  Everything was a surprise to me, including the Thryce element to what was SUPPOSED to be a Luke/Pryce fic.  Also I didn’t get the smut I wanted.  *curses*  But I like it anyway and it worked, timing-wise, for Halloween-y themes.

12.  Alone Time

Idea:  After swearing not to write fic for the rest of the year, @contentment-of-cats​ put out her Merry Chissmas bingo card and my ambitious ass decided to try to knock every single prompt out with a one-shot.

Result:  Thrawn jerking off in the shower and thinking verrrrrry naughty things.  I apologize for nothing.

So in 2019 I wrote 26 fics and this year only got to about 12…but fanfic is for fun, and we all needed fun this year.  I enjoyed writing for you and I hope you enjoyed reading my output.  I look forward to providing more smexy silly and strange fic for you in 2021.  <3

[creamypudding]

The endless chain of writers-block and its effects on productivity

Heyo!

I just thought I'd give an update as to what's happening in regards to writing projects, for anyone wanting to know.

I have a lot of things going on and not enough attention span to stick to any one particular thing. My To-Do list is 18 projects strong and in the last three months I've worked on 4 things (technically 5 if you wanna include Barbershop Duet which I had only minor tweaks needed in order for me to consider it complete enough to post), trying to complete one, getting stuck or bored or uncertain and then sought refuge in another story, only to get stuck, bored, or uncertain in that one and moving on to the next one, etc.

It's been a bit of a hard slog, TBH.

But just to list the four ongoing projects, because I want to get them done in the next 12 months -

The project which took up a lot of my time has been The Anomaly: part 2, which is my Axel is a demon AU. The first part you can currently read on AO3. I've had a very solid plan for that since I first published it a year ago. I wanted to have the story finished for Halloween this year, but the project grew too big. Part 2 is done (but not uploaded), and I have a part 3 and 4 to write now. I got hopelessly stuck on part 3 and moved on to another story, which I'll talk about below. But going back to The Anomaly for a moment - I'm very excited about this story. It's the biggest project I've got going because it has a lot of off-shoot projects attached to it, which I look forward to delving into once I'm done with the main story. And the main story is a beast. I've re-written large parts of part 1 to make it cohesive with the subsequent parts. I added an extra 5000 words to it, bringing the word count up to 40k. I haven't updated the story yet and won't do so until I'm ready to post parts 2, 3 and 4, and I'm not sure when that might be. Part 2 is over 30k, and while I'm not sure about the length of part 3 (esp since I'm so horribly uninspired and stuck on it) but it might be long once I get back into it. I think part 4 will also be quite long as well, as that is the part I’m really looking forward to writing. So you see, it is definitely a project I'm really enjoying... when I'm not stuck on it, and I’m stuck on it because of a POV change. God damn. So I dropped The Anomaly and moved on to this 'short' AkuRoku smut drabble I have to write for a friend, which should be the easiest because it was just supposed to be smut but I got bogged down in backstory and motivations and character drives like I usually do. I got up to a certain point and gave up on it. It feels like I've been working on it for ages but only have like 3000 words of writing to show for it. Also, an added fun bonus (not) of difficulty was a very unexpected crisis I had in regards to writing tense. I had started writing this story in past tense, but then going back to it after spending so much time living and breathing The Anomaly (like I was crazy prolific, writing about 50k in the span of maybe 3 weeks) I couldn't write past tense anymore. I basically rewrote what I had for this AkuRoku story in present tense and continued going with it, until I hit a brick wall and moved on from it.

The project I went on to work on is something I've had sitting on the ‘to be completed’ pile since October 2017. I'm very close to finishing it. Possibly two more chapters, but I am terribly uninspired about writing it too because it's hard. It's a Clack and AkuRoku story, where Cloud and Roxas as brothers (I love that familial relationship). It's also written in past tense, so of course I had a really hard time switching gears from the present tense high I was on from the previous two projects to the past tense this story needed. I thought about re-writing this Combo story but... I had already written too much to warrant the effort of rewriting the whole thing. So I had to stick to past tense and that was insanely hard. It had me in tears. It had me pulling at my hair and doubting that I would ever be able to write anything cohesive and meaningful ever again. Everything I had written felt like crap because I now feel like past tense is too passive. I really enjoy the impact of present tense. So everything I read and wrote felt like swill. 

In the midst of my crisis, I’ve now decided to exclusively write in present tense once I finish the past tense stories. It's also why I haven't gone back to The Anomaly and the AkuRoku story, because I'm scared of getting stuck in present tense mode again. It was really fucking hard to break out of that mindset to write past tense again, so I don't want to relive that experience.

Anyway, predictably, I got stuck on the above project and moved on to the current project which I'm writing. It's pure Clack. I started writing it in September 2017. Back in 2017 I got stuck on this Clack story, moved on to writing the Combo story above, and got stuck on that and started writing what became the behemoth that is The Two Penguins, which consumed two years of my life. But this Clack story is my true passion project. It's the thing I love and cherish the most. It's the thing I've been longing to get back into writing the most. Clack is my OTP, above AkuRoku. It's the pair I fear writing because I feel I can't do it justice; writing Cloud is hard. AkuRoku is my comfort ship. My easy ship. The ship that's as easy to do as breathing. Clack is breathing while climbing Everest, but I love it, and I am determined to finish it (until I get stuck on it and feel tempted to move on to something else 😅). I am three chapters away from finishing this Clack story. I'm having serious concerns about getting stuck after I finish chapter 7 because I think chapter 8 is a POV shift, which (as you may recall was also the thing that made me give up on The Anomaly) is always challenging for me. But God damn, I love Clack. I love this story and I want to finish telling it and exploring really heavy issues around recovery from severe physical and mental trauma (’cause that’s the way I roll). 

Anyway... these are the four projects I've got going at the moment and hope to finish in the next 12 months.

Clack Clack/AkuRoku AkuRoku The Anomaly (I don’t have any solid titles for any of the above stories, bar this one, as I did publish the first part of it, so ship names to identify the stories will have to do)

I want to finish the stories In that order. I'm least excited about the two middle projects, So I figure if I stick The Anomaly at the end it will motivate me to finish the other AkuRoku fic.

If any of you would like to be pre-readers for any of these stories do hit me up. I might need you. When I have people I can talk to and brainstorm with about my current projects, it helps me feel motivated to stick it out and get it done.

Send me asks, chat with me on Twitter or discord. You can find all my handle ID's on my AO3 profile page.

Anyway, I initially came here because I wanted to procrastinate and rave about my Clack project, but I might leave the raving to another day. I've procrastinated enough.

[ferociousqueak]

A Review of the Year – Writing Meme 2018

I’ve been really terrible at answering memes I’ve been tagged in these last few weeks. Sorry about that everyone! But it’s a new year, and both @mordinette and @ripley95things tagged me for the thing a couple days ago so let’s get things started right :D

Total number of completed stories:

If you count all the one shots from Desstober (when I wrote a one shot for Dess most days), about 19. Considering the longfics I still have in the works, I’m clinging to that number to remind myself that I can actually finish the things I start.

Total word count:

I’m gonna go with words posted because the words written are kinda scattered and hard to count, so: 45,869. Oof. Probably my least productive year in a while, but that’s fine. Can’t change it now. That just leaves more words for me to write in 2019 :D

Fandoms written in:

Pretty exclusively Mass Effect, but @pagerunner and I are still kicking around a crossover for the shows Lucifer and Leverage.

Looking back, did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?

I definitely started 2018 with grander aspirations, but circumstances converged on me so that I had next to no Me Time for about, oh, nine months. (Not for the reason that length of time usually implies, but the real reason is headdeskingly similar *sigh*)

What’s your own favorite story of the year?

This question is so haaaarrrrd! Because I like a lot of things I wrote for different reasons. I like You shouldn’t have come here because it’s kind of the first moment Dess starts to grow up. I like All’s Fair because it’s finally letting my OTP ship sail. I like I know you do because it’s such a great brother-sister moment between Dess and Hadrian. I like You should have seen it because it was kind of a sweet moment and much-needed support between Dess and Alli. I like Light in the Dark because I don’t write nearly enough Vetra even though I love her with my whole heart. I CAN’T CHOOSE AND YOU CAN’T MAKE ME.

Did you take any writing risks this year?

Not especially. Well kind of. Not in technique or structure or anything. I’ve held the Hannah/Dess ship pretty close to my chest for a while now, but even though I’ve intended them to be endgame since pretty early in writing Hawks and Doves, I’ve written them almost exclusively platonically with a lot of subtext hinting at more romantic feelings. But in All’s Fair, they finally, finally, FINALLY kissed! I considered that kiss, and this ship, a bit of a risk because I’m working with one canon character who’s basically an OC and another OC, so there’s next to nothing in the games that hints at their story. It’s a whole new ship, specific to my universe, and it’s friends-to-lovers on top of it. I took a risk in hoping I’d written their relationship well enough to this point that anyone reading the story would either 1) at least be able to see the natural evolution of their relationship, or more ideally 2) actively want them to get together. So far, the response to them getting together has been overwhelmingly positive, so I feel like this risk paid off :D

Do you have any fanfic or profit goals for the new year?

YES! I wanna finish All’s Fair (or the gala fic, as I’ve been calling it) because then the whole Hannah/Dess ship will be solidified and I’ll finally be able to get on with things in Family Resemblance without that little turn of events hanging out there. And I know I’ve only got the first chapter posted, but there’s a whole lot more I’ve written. I just started posting it in November and then the holidays started happening so :/ Right now, I’m a couple hundred words away from having the next three or four chapters done :D

Best/most popular story of the year?

I’m not exactly sure how to measure this one, but I’m gonna say the first chapter of All’s Fair takes the cake because it’s a completely new ship that wasn’t in the games, and it’s had a pretty positive reception. And for just one chapter of OC shipping (and so far the only thing that’s happened is one kiss), it has about 100 hits, which is pretty good for me!

Story of mine most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

I don’t quite like the implication behind claiming something is “underappreciated” because I’m always thrilled for any appreciation, but one story I think didn’t quite get the platform I would’ve like for it was Light in the Dark. It’s a good story, but the fandom for Mass Effect: Andromeda petered out a bit when BioWare said they were putting the franchise on ice. What can you do :/

Most fun story to write:

I had an absolute ball writing all those one shots for Dess in October, so I’ll take them together and say Between the Letters was the most fun :D

Story with the single sexiest moment:

I don’t usually write sexy things, so the kiss in All’s Fair is definitely the sexiest thing I wrote last year. Maybe People like you have no imagination is up there too, but it didn’t have the same emotion behind it.

Most sweet story:

I think Light in the Dark also gets this one. It’s a formative moment between Vetra and Sid as they’re trying to make it on their own, and despite the challenges, they can still take a moment to be sisters.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:

Justification, the chapter of Family Resemblance I posted last year, made me consider other aspects of my OC Bethany Greenwood. Before that chapter, she’d started to fade into the background, but after Justification, I have more plans for her :D

Most unintentionally telling story:

In 2018? Hm… I’m drawing a blank. If I’ve written anything that’s telling, it’s probably more obvious to others than it is to me :P

Hardest story to write:

FAMILY RESEMBLANCE OMG

Write an alphabet fic, I said!

It’ll be fun I, said!

Let’s make it a political intrigue crossed with a family saga spanning 30-ish years! And change perspectives every chapter! No big deal!

*cries about it*

Biggest disappointment:

That I didn’t write more :/ But I’m trying not to be disappointed about that. You can’t drive by looking in the rearview mirror. I might not have written as much as I wanted last year, but I have plenty to write this year :D

Biggest surprise:

That so many people are so enthusiastically on-board with Hannah/Dess :D My heart is so full that so many readers were rooting for them!

Number of fic chapters written in 2018:

One *cries about it*

Number of chaptered fics completed in 2018:

I think I need to call my lawyer…

Relationships:

Mostly Hannah/Dess, but there was also a little Dess/Adrian that was fun (if a little sad) to write! I also wrote a little bit about Dess/Cassia and their . . . interesting relationship. I consider Cassia aromantic and Dess demiromantic, so neither one of them considers their sexual relationship something that would ever last once it stopped being fun. They are friends, though, and Cassia does care about Dess being happy, so she’s actually very happy to learn about Dess and Hannah finally making romantic overtures :P

Proudest achievements:

Honestly, that I was able to write anything at all. I was especially happy about fleshing out some of Dess’s background and character (especially the parts that don’t include Hannah) because I feel like she’s more than just a love interest now. And the fact that I wrote 18 one-shots for her in one month surprised even me! I wanna do that again, but with Sana this time :D

Writing goals for 2019:

Finish writing All’s Fair. This is at the top of my list because I really can’t proceed with Family Resemblance until All’s Fair is done. Thankfully, it’s not supposed to be that long, maybe 40k words at most and I’m already sitting at about 20k.

Continue writing Family Resemblance. The next chapter is K (Kismet) and it’s mostly finished but still needs some pretty heavy editing—and it’s gonna have a special appearance by Adrian Nyx :D Then L (Liminal) still needs Alli’s half, but it’s gonna loop Bethany Greenwood into the story more tightly in Michael’s half, which is already done. Then M (Mindoir) still needs to be written, and I’ve been putting it off because it’s gonna be so hard on everyone :( Then N (Nexus) has Alli’s half done and about half of the second part, which will be from a perspective that’s neither Hannah’s nor Michael’s :D Really if I can work Alli through the rest of her pre-Alliance life (O, for Opportunity) this year, I’ll consider it a win.

Write a month of one-shots for Sana. It was a lot of fun when I did it for Dess, and I have a lot I want to write about for Sana in the same way! And for anyone wondering, yes. There will indeed be at least a brief glimpse at baby!Sana :D

Who knows? I might even post a little smut ;)

I think I’m also gonna start keeping closer track of my word counts this year. I’m not gonna set myself a word count goal, but I think it would be informative to know when I’m most and least productive and figure out why. Let’s say every first of the month I’ll tally the words from the previous month and break it down from there. Yay spreadsheets :D

Now for tagging! How about @pagerunner, @servantofclio, @black-rose4, @tarysande, and @thievinghippo. Only if you want to and if no one’s tagged you already, of course!

[3laxx]

3laxx Masterpost

This is a Masterpost for all my (reuploaded) fanfictions, art and photos that I took, with a link and short summaries!

Hope this helps to orientate over the name change from @awesomefreckledjesus to @3laxx that I made early in 2018!

My profiles if you want to check me out on other websites are counted up here:

Tumblr - 3laxx Twitter - ToniWorz Discord - 3laxx #9024 Archiveofourown - 3laxx Fanfiction - 3laxx Instagram - _3laxx_ DeviantArt - 3laxx

Everything you need to know, sorted and (re)uploaded, is under the cut!

Fanfictions (#freckles writes)

  OneShots:

Reckless Adrienette, post-reveal: When Marinette and Adrien get into a fight, everything turns out for the worst. Can Marinette convince him to think twice before he makes his final decision? Ao3 / FF.net

Escalation Adrienette, pre-reveal: One dumb action by Adrien, one boiling of anger Alya, one passed out Marinette and one laughing-his-ass-off Nino. That should be hilarious. NoMagic!AU tho. Slight Adrienette, hinting to more Ao3 / FF.net

Jealous Kitten Adrienette, jealous Adrien, pre-reveal: Jelly Adrien happens, Nathaniel's in the game, Marinette's confused, Alya threatens with killing. Just a normal day for our heroes, isn't it? Ao3 / FF.net

Just an ordinary day in Paris LoveSquare and slight DJWifi, reveal, Alya-centric: A reveal that's a little... Sudden. Not just for the superheroes but also and foremost for their friends. Ao3 / FF.net

Stargazing Marichat and Adrienette, pre-reveal, Secret Santa gift for @sweet-childhood-dreams: After a night of stargazing, Chat begins to see things in Marinette that he didn't think would be possible. His heart belongs to Ladybug... Right? Ao3 / FF.net

Aftermath Marichat, reveal, Server Secret Santa: After Marinette takes a hit that was meant for Chat Noir she gets patched up by him. Fluff ensues and a reveal is just around the corner. Ao3 / FF.net

Raging Flames DJWifi, Nino-centric: The raging flames come closing in on him as he spots her. And all she sees is his face, framed by heat and death. Ao3 / FF.net

  Prompt Collections:

My lovely DJ (#my lovely dj) Nino Appreciation week: A collection of prompts all around our favorite boy Nino! Ao3 / FF.net

Wintery Warm Drabbles (#wintery warm drabbles) 25 days of Christmas: Winter! Christmas! What's our Miraculous Squad up to? I found a prompt list for 25 days and spontaneously decided hey, why not, let's see if I'll make it? Ao3 / FF.net

My sweet reporter (#my sweet reporter) Alya Appreciation week: Since I already did Nino Appreciation Week in October I thought why not give it a try? Ao3 / FF.net

Miraculous Prompts (#prompt) Collection of all Prompts and ideas: It's just a list of prompts around ML that I came up with and I wanna share what I wrote so far. Ao3 / FF.net

  Multichaptered:

Nightmares (finished) 9/9 chapters, Adrienette and DJWifi, reveal: Adrien has terrible nightmares and slowly becomes desperate. Things escalate (I wonder why they always do in my fics... Meh, so many mysteries!) and he soon confuses his friends by acting really strange around a certain bluenette. Adrienette, slight DJWifi and rated M for language and serious injuries Ao3 / FF.net

Party Night (finished) 2/2 chapters, Adrienette and DJWifi, NonMagic!AU, slightly aged up: New Year's Eve! The old year ends with some new things to get used to for Marinette. But as the new year starts, there'll be something entirely different waiting for her. Ao3 / FF.net

Unfortunate Kitten (in progress) 6/? chapters, pure angst, Chat Noir side switch: The words play over and over in his head. "He’s-… Tall. And blonde, like you.", and every word feels like a punch. "Kind. Really kind.", and he feels jealousy as well as hopelessness bubbling up in his chest. But just as the tears stop spilling, someone makes him an offer which lets his loyality change sides... Ao3 / FF.net

Cola Date (in progress) 6/? chapters, pure fluff, DJWifi centric, NonMagic!AU, aged up and new meets: When Alya finds herself on a date with the wrong guy she searches for unconventional help to get her out of this. Luckily, the cute waiter doesn't mind to help her out with a favor. And just as the glass topples over, the date changes into a completely different direction. A direction she can definitely live with, Alya decides. Ao3 / FF.net

Breeze (#breeze) (finished) 54/54 chapters, Lovesquare and DJWifi, mature topics, slightly aged-up: Marinette sobbed into her hands as she recalled Chloé’s hurtful words, each and every one of them. “You’re nothing! You’re not even worth yourself, much less your so-called friends! Don’t you see they just hang out with you because they pity you?! You’re worth the dirt under my feet, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And you have no right to speak to me like that, you pathetic little brat. You don’t even have the right to speak to anyone! Just keep your stupid thoughts and ideas to yourself because nobody wants to hear them!” After a big fight with Chloé, Marinette finds herself sobbing on her bed. The words hit her deep down. And before she knows it a dark Akuma comes fluttering in, ready to introduce her to Hawkmoth... Ao3 / FF.net

Wind (#wind) (in progress)

5/? chapters, Lovesquare and DJWifi, mature topics, slightly aged-up: After the fight against Hawkmoth - which ended completely not as planned - Marinette begins the way of healing. It's still a long path but her friends and family are on her side the entire way. Slowly, she finds back to her old self and despite a few backlashes, manages to get back onto her feet. Now that Ladybug is back she gets back to a balanced life, which is especially needed as finals come closer. Though, the evil does not sleep and so, Master Fu chooses anew... Ao3 / FF.net

 Tumblr Prompts:

Comic prompt suggestion from @shinrei261

DJWifi kiss on @orangebunnit‘s comic

Make-up Alya on @orangebunnit‘s doodles

ML Kittens!AU for @qookyquiche Part 1 / Part 2

DJWifi birthday gift for @tides-miraculous

 Headcanons:

Miraculous class headcanons

DJ Carapace Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

Art (#freckles draws)

  Unrelated drawings:

Kart gift (gift sketch) Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram

Self portrait (WiP) Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

@orangebunnit’s birthday gift Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

  Miraculous Ladybug fanart:

Sketches:

Harry Potter!AU (traditional art) Tumblr

Zorro!AU Tumblr

Miss Fortune Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram

DJWifi morning cuddles Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

All Time Low Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

“M’lady!” Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

ML Kittens!AU Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

 Full drawings:

Ladybug portrait (gift) Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Fresh dad Nino (first finished digital) Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram

"Close your eyes, Alya” Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Meet the Artist Tumblr / DeviantArt

Meet the Artist portrait Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

No more fear Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Stargazing Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram

New haircut Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Selfie Nino Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram

Nino in a suit Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram

SwappedMiraculous!AU Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Dragon!Alya Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Yarn troubles Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

DJ Carapace Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Racer!Nino Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Racer!Alya Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Racer!Adrien Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Racer!Mari Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Luka Couffaine Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Adrien Agreste Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Waiting for you Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Collabs:

“Nino, don’t!!!“ - with @orangebunnit Tumblr / DeviantArt / Instagram / Twitter

Nino Lahiffe - with @lily-codie19 Tumblr

Feel free to send me an art prompt! You can choose from this expression or this otp couples challenge or just anything you’d like!

Photography (#freckles photos)

  Space:

Moon by night:

1 / 2 / 3

Moon by day:

1 / 2 / 3

Moon comparison day and night

Stars:

1 / 2

  Sunset:

1 / 2

  Other:

Zoom:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Winter nature:

1 / 2

My beautiful dog

Nymphenburg castle in munich

Birbs:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Fireworks:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Feel free to send me a prompt! Own list, reblogged list or anything you’d like!

Wanna buy me a coffee?

[starcunning]

2018 in Writing

I’m a triple threat: art, writing, and baking. (There will not be a “2018 in Cooking” list. Sorry.)

January

Nothing long-form, here are some vignettes: Chilson Hector and Astyanax sing a duet

“What is it?” “A song I used to know,” Chilson said. “Something he used to know.” “Oh,” Astyanax said. It wasn’t often his father spoke of his … gene-sire? Father? Former incarnation? Hastur Sejanus had been likened to all these things, but none of them quite fit. Rather than say more, Astyanax lifted fingers to the keys, picking out part of the melody. “There are two voices.” “He used to sing it with his best friend,” Chilson said, his blue eyes distant through the haze of foreign memory.

Tatianna Adonia at sword drill

It was difficult, to be the youngest. To stand furthest from the glory of their forebear, not to envy the laurels that longer service ensured. Saint Alcuin taught humility, and it was this that Tatianna held in her mind as she reversed direction. Each step was a deliberate retreat, her blade brought across her body to defend. The tail of her long queue of blonde hair batted against her shoulderblades with each repetition.

February

Falling Snows

Haurchefant would not be waiting for her at breakfast. The afternoon before, he had kissed her forehead and rode for Ishgard. They would be better protected on the far side of the Steps of Faith, he told her, and he meant to sue for her safety.

He had promised to return, but she had heard such promises before.

March

Excerpts from My Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, my Brother, & Me

Fulgrim: [laughs] Beach tee shirts relax me now! I don’t know what it is! Ferrus Manus: [over] We’re killing fashion, one shirt at a time! Take that. Fulgrim: I would–I .. So .. So sue me! It’s October in West Chemos, I’d like to live on island time for a day! Ferrus Manus: You … Fulgrim: Cut me some slack! Ferrus Manus: I have Spotify open right now on my computer. Do you want me to blast you? Do you want me to put you on blast? 'Cause I got your history right here in the sidebar.  

April

This Beast that Rends Me

“I did it, I suppose, because Nael van Darnus saw a city destroyed and pulled the moon from orbit under the thumb of a god. Our aetherial deficiency is no shield against the influence of eikons, and so, there being but one aegis to adopt, we set forth.” “What would you have done?” Shasi wondered. “Been their Warrior of Light? It is a weightier task than you know.” She could hear the tremble in her voice, and wished she had not spoken.

He came to sit at her feet. “Why?” he said. “The duty of the Warrior of Light is to live,” she said. “For that reason alone I had not thought you would want it. To live, while others die for you.”

May

Untoward [NSFW]

She looked utterly miserable. He had seen her wear this sort of expression but rarely before, and now there it was, darkening her features, and it was his fault. The thought lanced through him, driving him back from the mouth of the stairwell, and he stood, looking transfixed at that forlorn expression a moment longer.

And then, like the child he was, he retreated down the stairs to curl up under the blankets. He wanted to cry, for no reason he could name exactly, but he knew he didn’t deserve to.

June

Elf Nonsense [published in The Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron]

When I woke up in the morning—and I use the term loosely here; I was often asleep until mid-afternoon—my first thought was of my elf. When I went to sleep, often in the dawn hours, my last thought was of her, too. My life became an infinite loop between my bed and my desk. Everything else fell by the wayside.

July

Cassilda oen Domitius and Nael van Darnus: “Kiss me.”

Cassilda might have feared her once; that she was dangerous was common knowledge, with a temper as keen as her gunhalberd’s blade. But the Seventh was no place for soft hearts, and though Cassilda was no trained killer as were her compatriots, she had found the same steel in her spine not long after her assignment.

No, it was something else about Nael van Darnus that intimidated her now.

August

Imogen Spencer and Faustus lux Gereon: “Can I touch you?”

The elezen’s long, elegant fingers were absent the sort of calluses she’d have expected from a soldier—neither did he have the bearing of one, precisely, so perhaps his build had misled her. His hands were cold beneath her own, and she placed them carefully upon the piano keys. The melody she played was simple enough, and she could hardly stop herself from giggling, feeling all at once giddy and girlish. At the Studium she might never have dared, but Sharlayan was far behind her for the nonce, and the world was wide and open and full of such wonders.

September

30-Day OTP Challenge: First Date

Blood smeared his flesh, the same crimson as his tattoos where they wound around his artery. She felt, beneath her fingers, the faintest flutter of a pulse.

She fluttered too, wings of hope beating like moths against her chest.

October

Flow

His name is Thancred Waters.

If he has any hope of surviving, it is in remembering that. He recalls his last moments as a man, in the dank darkness of a sewer.

November

Suffer Me to Cherish You

“When she fought Ifrit … was she afraid?” Shasi wondered. “I don’t know,” Fray said, and it seemed to trouble him. “She was cutting me off already even then. Were you?” “When I first came here? Of course,” she said. “My number was up. Me and my squad. First wave.” “But still you fought.” “I am usually afraid,” Shasi admitted. “And I always fight.”

December

Catocala ilia

“Now you,” he said. “Now I what?” Kallisti asked, dumbstruck as a child. He scoffed, annoyed, turning his masked face from her once more. “Does She teach Her servants nothing?” he groused. “I can tear your defenses down myself, but don’t you think I have enough to do?” Kallisti shivered in the coldness of the night. It was a different darkness than the one which dwelt in him, she realized, and wondered how she had thought all darkness was the same. Had she not learned better in the instant that Elidibus touched her, cold as distant stars?

So there’s no way I’m finishing the Erebidae this year. Sorry about that. Nevertheless, it was an incredible year for me as a writer--I had work published for the first time since 2004 (today, December 31st, is the very last day that donations will be collected from sales of The Puzzle Box of Yogg Saron, benefiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.). I completed NaNoWriMo for the first time ever, and also wrote a 50,000 word novella in April independent of that organization--just to do it, basically. I also finished a 30-day writing challenge in September. As best I can count it, I wrote 189,662 words in 2018.

In 2019 I’d like to contribute to another zine or project and maybe join a fic exchange. I intend to write two more novellas next year as well. My intention was for both of them to be fanfiction, but I might change my mind and do some original work instead.

[bellarkefanfiction]

For the month of October, Lina got the chance to catch up with @kay-emm-gee, author of Small Favors, The More Things Change, Bedgate and many, many more, which you can find here. 

BFF: Tell us about yourself!

Kayla: Hi, I’m Kayla - twentysomething, from the USA, graduate student in cancer biology. And to keep myself sane from science, I spend a good chunk of my free time watching TV and reading. I adore any type of romance story, and those of the fantasy, sci-fi, and historical genres most of all. And, when I’m too tired to read or write, I’m also an avid knitter! #grandmastatus #proudofit

BFF: When did you start shipping Bellarke?

Kayla: Pretty late compared to most, I think? Not until season 2, even though I loved their dynamic from the beginning. I was intrigued by the idea of shipping them by the end of season 1, but I can’t say I really committed until The Hug^tm from 2x05 (I love that I have to specify which hug now lol) and then they went straight to OTP status from there!

BFF: How long have you been writing fanfiction?

Kayla: Funny enough…I actually wrote fanfiction when I was eight or nine, based on Pony Pals (I was obsessed with horses for many of my younger years), I believe, for a class assignment. So that was technically my start haha – but I guess my first published fanfiction was on FFN for Avatar The Last Airbender, a little piece that was supposed to be a prologue for a longer Zuko/Katara post-series multichapter AU…which I planned out entirely but never wrote (some things never change!). I posted a few other things there (for Smallville, Gossip Girl, The Infernal Devices series) but I was more in a reading stage then and couldn’t get enough of fanfiction (Tempest in A Teacup or Stormbenders, anyone??). I didn’t hit a prolific writing phase until Bellarke! And then the floodgates opened and I couldn’t stop writing, for them or for other ships too.

BFF: Are you a part of any other fandoms?

Kayla: Game of Thrones is something I have gotten into writing for recently, although it’s mostly for rarepair ships, which is strange for me (shameless plug for my sideblog, @winterfellslady). I’m usually very much about the narratively obvious pairings, but the Thrones universe is so expansive that it’s hard not to see so many possibilities. Aside from that, I’ve written here and there for a lot of other fandoms: Teen Wolf, A Court of Thorns & Roses series, From Dusk Till Dawn, The White Princess, The Shannara Chronicles, Reign, & Black Sails.  

BFF: Which of your fics was easiest to write, and why?

Kayla: First one that comes to mind as ‘easiest’ was my Peaky Blinders AU oneshot (Our Glory Days Are Numbered). It was a 3AM fic idea that just would not go away, and so I sat up and wrote it in less than an hour with barely any edits. It was a rare experience of producing something I was super proud of, super quickly. The process is usually much more laborious for me when it comes to fics that I want to stand out. As far as multi-chapters, strangely enough, my first one (Small Favors) was easiest to write? I think it was because I had very concise & defined ideas for each chapter, so it kept it simple and the ideas didn’t run away from me…like they do most times now.

BFF: Which fic did you find most challenging to write?

Kayla: It’s a tie between my modern scientist/lawyer AU i pick my poison (and it’s you) and my modern Sense & Sensibility AU by insensible degrees. The first never sat quite right with me (still doesn’t) because I never felt like the scientist perspective/experience came through smoothly enough. The second was tough because I had to power through writing it in its entirety before posting, which was a resolution for me so I didn’t leave it unfinished, but wow was it difficult. It ended up working, but it took almost a year to write (and honestly, it only got finished because @hawthornewhisperer gave me such good feedback & encouragement along the way so shoutout to her for that!). Even so, it’s probably one of my favorite fics that I’ve ever written.  

BFF: What do you predict will happen in season 5? Especially for our favourite duo?

Kayla: After being separated for six years and not knowing if the other is alive, Bellamy and Clarke are gonna have a lot of baggage to work through. Since I’m always here for the Bellarke Angst, I hope, predict, and expect we’ll get that in boatloads. Also, I don’t necessarily predict this will happen, but I’m interested to see if the Clarke & Madi dynamics mirrors season 1 Bellamy & Octavia at all, and if so, how that plays into Bellamy & Clarke’s dynamic (for better or worse). I’d love to see Bellarke get together on screen, of course, but honestly…I just want them to be each other’s centers again in season 5, that’s really all I ask for!

BFF: Do you have a specific process for your writing?

Kayla: Music is essential – I need thematic/atmospheric music to really get in the groove. Most of my Spotify is playlists for different story ideas actually. Aside from that, nothing too particular. I tend to edit as I go, which isn’t the most effective way to write, but I’m too much of a perfectionist to do proper draft editing.

BFF: Do you have any plans for other fics you’d like to write, if so could you spoil or tease us?

Kayla: Real life has been higher-than-average busy for like a year now, so I can’t find much time to write (and I’m working on Game of Thrones fics when I do find it), but there is one Bellarke fic WIP that is holding my interest right now. It was a request from a follower celebration winner for an Anastasia AU, but I wanted to put a spin on it, so I’m making it steampunk! Honestly, it’s the most inspired I’ve felt for this pairing in ages, which is promising. Here’s hoping the inspiration and motivation stays high!

BFF: What advice would you give novice writers?

Kayla: Keep writing. Even if you hate it now, it’ll make you better. And, later, when you do get better, don’t hate something you wrote early on, especially if you loved it when you wrote it. It’s where you came from, where you started, and it’s proof that practice makes a difference. And while you should mostly write what you want to write, it’s also okay to write for others. Because honestly, sometimes writing something that you definitely know other people will like or love is a safe way to boost your confidence (and get you motivated on stuff that you aren’t sure people will like!). One of the best tricks I’ve come across, and I use it often. Lastly, use a placemarker (like a unique, random combination of letters that you can easily Ctrl+F for) to note in the text when you need to look up a fact or something, and keep writing, instead of trying to find the info at that moment. It’s a useful way to prevent falling down a research hole and instead allows the inspiration and words to keep flowing.

We thank Lina and Kayla both for bringing us such a lovely interview! Please look forward to next month’s author interview!