#i'm currently working on a thing i hope works. a little canon divergent au starting on s1. then there's the last bingo fic.

[sisterdivinium]

... So I was answering a thing elsewhere and I did some math and apparently I've written almost 68.000 words of doctor superion fic in total, lol...

[darlingsart]

your oc is so adorable! 😍 can you tell us more about him?

Thank you!! 🥺❤️ Here he is (+ His little brother!)

Okay SO I've had these Patchilles OC's for like 3-ish years now and I've never shared them on here before bc they mean so much to me the idea of putting them out here seemed super scary BUT here are two of my Patchilles kids Maximus and Hyacinth 👉🏼👈🏼 (Yes that name is intentional and supposed to be ironic lmao)

More about them + the lore under the cut!

Basically, this is canon divergence and the lore is that Pat and Achilles don't go to Troy and instead stay in Phthia after their time on Pelion. Thinking that they no longer have to worry about a prophecy, they end up getting married and starting a family but, unbeknownst to them, the prophecy doesn't exactly go away, it gets passed down to Maximus and becomes it’s own big thing as the war goes on for well over a decade overseas. Thetis is the only one who actually knows about this and she keeps it a secret from Achilles and takes it upon herself to train Maximus and turn him into the next aristos achaion.

I'm actually in the middle of writing this as a series on ao3 (Currently on the 4th work!). If you're interested, you can start with the first fic, New Beginnings, which explains everything a lot more (their engagement, the reason why they stay) OR you can jump right into the story I'm currently working on, The Rest of Our Lives, though you might be a bit confused!

Maximus is by far one of my favorite OC’s but I love developing his siblings as characters too. If you read/have read The Rest of Our Lives, you’ll see that Maximus definitely takes after Achilles like without a doubt and it’s brought up several times but as he grows older, he becomes a well rounded mix of them both and I like to think that Pat’s attributes shine more then though I haven’t written it all out just yet! Maximus is just a fun loving, rambunctious kid who tries his best with the cards he’s dealt, he’s very loving and kind hearted and an overall good kid!

Hyacinth is about four years younger than him and one of my favorites too, especially as he grows into his character. So they do have another sibling but I’ve only just gotten there in the story so I don’t want to spoil anything, but he is a true middle child lol it’s actually an important part of his character that really gets explored later on in the series. He’s also a sweetheart, a little more reserved than Maximus but I wouldn’t call him an introvert, he’s just not as…. Hyperactive as his older brother lmao but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get roped into Maximus’ antics too.

I’ve also written modern au stuff with them (which I haven’t posted anywhere), so like now whenever I imagine any au with Pat and Achilles, it’s hard not to picture these two, especially Maximus, in it too lol

Sorry for rambling so much, this is the first time I’ve actually talked about these two outside of my writing 😅 I hope y'all enjoy them as much as I do! And feel free to ask me about them from time to time if you want :)

[mariejordans]

can u recommend some good aus and fics about jordan and marie I'm begging you plsssssss

*gasp* oh my goodness i love this questionnnnn!

okay, i’ll give you my current top five limoreau fics uploaded to ao3, but honestly there’s so many good ones for you to pick from, you really can’t go wrong with anything. also, these aren’t ranked in any particular order just my top five in general!

(warning: a lot of these are smutty bc it’s the most common rating in the marie/jordan tag at the moment, so if smut’s not ur thing, let me know and i can do a top 5 of non-smutty limoreau fics!)

1. you can take my flesh if you want, girl by stormbxrnbitch

rating: E

this author has only two limoreau fics out right now and both are SO GOOD (seriously, i can’t recommend this author enough) but i’m obsessed with this au which is why i put it on the list!

this specific fic is a vampire au in which marie herself is a vampire (a cool take on her canonic bloodbending powers) and jordan’s kinda (super) into it. it’s a three-shot, kinda marie-centric, and just all around super interesting and compelling to read. it’s still a wip and it hasn’t gotten smutty YET, but the author has promised lots of it for the final chapter!

2. Want Want? by Cherrydrama and Levie101

rating: M

i’ve recommended it on here before but seriously, IT’S SO GOOD!

it was written before episode five came out, so it’s a jordan pov, canon divergence fic on what happens after limoreau wakes up in the bed together, and i don’t want to spoil it too much, but i will say one thing: SPARRING/TRAINING AU.

this one isn’t super smutty iirc, it’s rated M, so it’s good if you like spice but not a lot of smut in your fics.

3. The Weight Of You by Georgiathewholedaythrough

rating: M

another canon divergence fic! written before episode five, it’s also a take on what happens after they wake up in bed together, only this time things get…smutty. it’s marie pov, very sweet, very romantic, and funny too.

4. two timing by diaphanouspages

rating: E

this is a slight au (described by the author as “has a weird relationship to the show’s actual canon, but just accept the violent canon divergence and move on”) in which jordan attempts to make marie jealous, which works and then they end up in bed together. starts off angsty and kinda smutty, but also turns sweet towards the end.

also slight praise kink for jordan, so if you’re into that…

5. Reluctant Study Buddies by MercutioTheVelaryon

rating: M

another canon divergence fic taking place after episode 4 ending, but they all go in different directions i swear!

this is a study partners/study buddies au (as stated in the title) in which marie and jordan are assigned to be partners on a project for one of their classes. it gets a bit steamy, but it fades to black so if you aren’t comfortable with explicit smut, this might be for you! also, very funny and the banter between jordan and marie in it is *chef’s kiss*

(also this author has a bunch of other limoreau fics uploaded, which i also really loved, so i recommend you check those out as well!)

THATS IT THATS THE LIST! i genuinely hope it helped even a little bit, and that it gives you the mariejordan fix we’ve all been craving since thursday 😭 also, let me know your thoughts after you’ve read if you want, i’m always down to ramble on about gen v/limoreau nonsense!

[nodirectionhome-ao3]

WIP Tag

Thanks for the tag @kay-elle-cee, @alittlebitofeverything23, and @isahorcrux !!! This is such a fun one. :)

List the titles your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!)

An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on!

Then tag 10 writer friends

Titles

Kindly Stopped for Me: Chapter 33. Lily lives AU, where Lily falls into a coma on Halloween 1981 and wakes up at the end of GoF. Lots of angst and family feels.

The Joker and The Queen: Chapter 3. A Jily fake-dating fic. Shenanigans abound. An "Idiots in Love" kind of story.

James Lives AU (Title TBA): Outline & Chapter 1. Basically a James version of Kindly Stopped for Me. James survives Halloween 1981 in a way that I will not spoil for you, and wakes up later on when Harry is a teenager.

Forever is the Sweetest Con: Short multi-chapter. Jily as con artists who fall in love while trying to con each other.

Fragile Little Flame: A post-war Hinny fic! Most likely a one-shot, but we'll see what happens.

(I’m not including the KSFM Missing Moments that I’m working on in this, since I don’t post them on AO3, but just know that I haven’t forgotten them!!!)

Upcoming Scenes, Events, Details

I've been making some minor changes to my outline for KSFM, so the exact numbers may change, but looking at it from a birds-eye view—Chapters 35 and 39 are two of the angstiest chapters in the entire fic😅 So...in preparation for that...I'm giving you all a slight break from the heaviness of this fic with chapters 33 and 34. I'm hoping it won't feel like a crazy tone switch after the previous two chapters, but I'm excited! Chapter 33 is a bit of a transition chapter (setting up some important things!) so maybe won't be the most exciting thing to read. But it will include Lily watching Harry in a Gryffindor Quidditch match for the first time and the gang celebrating Sirius’s 36th birthday!🎂🎂🎂 So hopefully you all will enjoy that!! And then Chapter 34 will be a Harry POV and will feature some good old-fashioned teenage romance drama😅

Chapter 3 of The Joker and The Queen has taken soooo long to write because it's something I sort of have to be in the right mindset for. (I still don't have a full outline for it because I posted the first chapter impulsively before I really thought about the plot very much lol) But I'm hoping it will be worth the wait!! The chapter will feature Lily meeting Fleamont and Euphemia (and possibly some Potter extended family members too) for the first time. I've never written James's parents before, so I'm excited!

Oh man, oh man. What can I say about the James lives au?? I'm currently drafting multiple vague outline ideas as I work through the timeline that I want it to take place in. But, despite what I've said previously, I'm finding myself starting to lean towards setting it in the OotP universe after all. (but no promises yet!) I'm staying kind of vague about the plot of this since it's still very much under consideration, but I'll just say that Peter's betrayal and its ramifications will be a major focus. The betrayal will happen slightly differently than it does in canon (as some of you have already guessed!), and I expect it to be devastating😈

Forever is the Sweetest Con is a fic that has been percolating in my brain for a WHILE now. I haven't officially outlined it yet, but I already made the banner so it's officially happening! It will be canon divergent, and I'm excited to explore the cat-and-mouse dynamic that I envision when I think about this one.

Fragile Little Flame is a fic inspired by Taylor Swift's "I Know Places" and is also one that I already have a banner and title for, but no outline. It'll be a post-war Hinny fic (I've been wanting to return to writing them!) and will take place in the 19 years between the end of DH and the epilogue. I haven't really thought about the plot in detail yet, but it probably won't be epilogue-compliant. Harry will (probably) be a Quidditch player rather than an Auror, and the fic will explore Harry and Ginny recovering from the war and rebuilding their relationship amongst the chaos of both grief and fame.

Apologies if you've already been tagged! But here's a no-pressure tag to: @suzyq31 @nena-96 @uncertainwallflower @turanga4 @takearisk-ao3 @annasghosts @practicecourts

[willowser]

how fuuunnn, i was tagged by @itoshisoup to do a self fic rec ! 🥺🩷✨️ which is so sweet !! i — really had to think hard about this, and i have so many that kind of rank in the same space for myself LOL but !! ty for the tag mao 😌🍑🦋🌻 ( fyi !! : all these links are to ao3 and my works are currently set up to only be viewable by those with an account ✨️)

･ﾟ→˚₊ ┊ love to say this to your face: "i love you only" -- bakugou x reader; fantasy au; nsfw.

i had so much fun with this one tbh !!! doing it for the teahouse fic exchange 🥺🩷✨️ i love fantasy au, love arranged marriage, love a language barrier 🥺 and i'm proud of some of the lines in this one 🥺🌻

･ﾟ→˚₊ ┊ well, i've been saved by the grace of southern charm -- bakugou x reader; cowboy au; nsfw.

not done yet LOL but ! i love cowboy bakugou. i'll always love him. getting to indulge in southern elements is so fun LOL and i think i did an okay job conveying the emotion in this one, maybe ?? and i'm really excited for what's to come with it, bc i think the message is important 🥺🍓

･ﾟ→˚₊ ┊ now that my broken bones all have been healed, i think i'm starting to feel -- kirishima x reader; kid fic.

i really enjoyed koji he he he i took a lot of inspiration from my nephew ajfhsjaka and !! i think reader and kiri fit well together ?? idk how to explain it. they both have faced heartache, they both have had to learn patience, how precious time is together, just little things !!

･ﾟ→˚₊ ┊ pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name -- touya x reader; canon divergent; generally nsfw just bc dabi.

ptmy is my little baby that's in kindergarten rn. i don't know how else to explain it to you than this LOL it's so low on my list bc, looking back at it — there are certain details i wish i could change !! and those details stick out in my head so much when i think about this fic 😭 but ! i love it for the love touya is going to get 🩷✨️

･ﾟ→˚₊ ┊ and you take me the way i am -- bakugou x reader; assistant au.

ah. my first child. my dear, my darling. i — can't not love this fic bc it's quite literally put me right where i am LOL and i think...a lot can be said about the first fic you write for a character, and this reader is probably truest to me, personally, so i definitely hold it close to my heart for that reason. but ! just like ptmy, i read it back and wish i could edit it !! LOL

tagging (only if you want to 😌 !!) : @sipsteainanxiety @namodawrites @petrichorium @crybaby-bkg @bfbkg

[galexystern]

butterfly wings

chapter one; spring 1983

pairing; steve harrington/reader, eddie munson/reader, eventual steddie/reader

rating; M

warnings; fluff, au - canon divergence, fucked up the timeline a bit, made steve a bit more of a player

word count; 3k

desc; you meet new friends, steve, and eddie when you move to hawkins.

read on ao3 / series masterlist

You're helping your sister Nina carry your brand-new couch into your newly-renovated apartment when you have your first glimpse of your new next-door neighbor.

Nina is inside the apartment, you are outside in the hall, the couch in between you. It's become stuck in the doorway, and as Nina's boyfriend Mark inspects the problem, you take a breather. You turn your head just in time to see some pretty little thing duck into the apartment next to yours, followed by a guy your age, who stops in the doorway. You actually start to admire him—wildly gorgeous hair, strong jaw, nice smile—when he looks back at you and winks.

Yes, winks.

After that, he disappears inside and the door closes. Then Mark's directing you forward and you forget all about your neighbor. It's not until the couch is in place in the living room and the three of you have collapsed on it, watching something irrelevant on TV, that you remember the encounter.

"Have you guys met our neighbors yet?" You ask nonchalantly, keeping your eyes trained on the screen.

Nina hums. "Only in the apartment to the left. Name's Steve. Seems nice enough."

"Steve? From Hawkins High?" Mark asks.

Nina looks at him and shrugs. "I guess so?"

Mark barks out a laugh. "I can't believe you guys live next door to King Steve."

"King Steve?" You question.

"Oh yeah. Like king of the school. Probably the most popular guy there."

"What's he like?"

Mark looks straight into your eyes. "You don't wanna know."

You exhale heavily. "Good to know."

Good to avoid.

;

The next day, after everything is moved into the apartment, if not unpacked, you bundle up, grab your current read, and escape up to the roof. It's the best feature of the new place—the building is tall enough that you can see for miles, and it's green all the way around. Well, white, since it's January. You've been wanting to spend time here since you first saw it. And it's just abnormally warm enough to do so.

You've settled into a spot facing your favorite scenery and are deep into reading when you hear, "Hey there."

You freeze and look over your shoulder to see King Steve standing behind you. You immediately notice that he looks really good, in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a letterman jacket, hair perfectly coiled—you catch yourself and try to think about something else instead. It doesn't really work.

You turn your head back to your book. "Hello," you say, trying to keep the disdain in your voice and only partly succeeding.

"Hi," he says again. You hope he's feeling at a loss. "Have we met yet?"

"No," you answer while turning a page.

"Ah." He walks until he's standing in front of you, leaning against the railing. You can see the sunset behind him haloing him like he's an angel from heaven from the corner of your eye. You have to tell your heart to calm down. "I'm Steve. Steve Harrington."

With an internal sigh, you raise your head and finally lock eyes. You give him your name and he grins.

"You're the new neighbor, right? Living with your sister?"

"Mhm," you hum while nodding.

"And how are you this fine evening?"

"Oh, I'm just peachy. How are you?"

"Fantastic! I feel great."

"Good for you."

You stare at each other. Your face starts to heat up the longer it goes on, and Steve seems to notice and smirks at you. At that, you duck your head.

"So, beautiful, tell me about yourself." Your heart skips at the compliment. "I like to know my neighbors, especially when they look like you," Steve continues and you feel yourself start to smile.

You tamp it down and reply, "Well, I'll be a freshman at Hawkins. I like pop music, traveling, and not taking long walks on the beach."

Steve grins. "And books."

It's kind of infectious, and you half-grin back. "Yes, and books."

"I could tell," he says with a wink.

You feel a blush coming on again and rush to ask, "And what about you, Steve Harrington?"

"Well," he starts, crossing muscular arms across his chest. "I'm also a student at Hawkins, but I'm a sophomore. I also like pop music and traveling. Though I love taking long walks on the beach." You laugh and he smiles and now the electricity is flowing between you two and you sort of wish it wasn't. "I also love sports."

"Oh, you are? Wow, I totally didn't realize that, what with all the patches," you reply sarcastically.

"This thing?" He motions to the jacket. "This is definitely not mine," he says back, just as sarcastic.

"It has your name on it," you point out teasingly.

"It does? Dammit," he says, dramatically faking frustration. "You're sharper than I thought." You laugh. "You've got a nice laugh."

"Thanks," you say quietly.

"No problem." His voice is just as gentle.

You're gazing at each other intensely, and the colors in the sky behind him make him look really good, and maybe that girl from yesterday was his girlfriend? And they broke up last night? And he's opening his mouth to speak again—

"Hey, Steve!"

Some girl bounds up out of nowhere and Steve startles into standing upright. You both turn to look at her and her face lights up after catching his gaze. She's a completely different girl from yesterday.

He clears his throat. "Hey, Maria. Guess you found the place okay."

"Yup!" Her voice is unnecessarily perky. "Though I had to really search to find you. Who knew you'd be up on the roof?" She laughs and you cringe at its high pitch.

"That's where I said to meet," Steve says under his breath. Your mouth twists and you try not to smirk as he turns back to you. "Maria, this is my new neighbor. It's her roof, or partly so."

"Hi!" She sticks out a hand and you just stare at it.

"Hey," you finally say and stand to shake her hand mechanically. "I, uh, I'll go. Let you two enjoy the roof." You grab your book and rush to the door as quickly as possible. You hear Steve call your name, but you're already down the stairs.

;

"How was your first day of school?" You hear Nina call from the kitchen when you walk through the apartment door. Closing it, you sigh and toe your shoes off. You walk through to where Nina is, dropping your backpack onto a chair and opening the fridge.

"Fine," you answer while pulling out a lemonade. "Just like all the other first days."

She makes a face at you from the stove, where she's stirring something that smells great. "More words, please."

You slide into a chair and take a long drink, thinking of the day's events. "Well," you start, "Mark was not kidding about Steve."

He really wasn't. Getting to school and finding the office and locating your homeroom wasn't difficult. But the party didn't really start until Steve Harrington walked in. Fellow jocks shot up from their seats and surrounded him, clapping his back and giving him high-fives. Girls started swooning and self-consciously checking their appearance. Nerds shrunk into their desks to go unnoticed. And the slackers rolled their eyes and got grumpier.

Once the group had dispersed, Steve was left standing with a guy and a girl.

"That's Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins," someone said beside you, and you startled. Looking over, you saw a girl with flaming red hair and bright smile looking back. "And I'm Vickie."

You shook the hand she presented to you and introduced yourself. "I'm new."

Vickie laughed. "I suspected," she replied, not unkindly. "Nice to meet you. Welcome to Hawkins."

"Thanks." You gave her a small smile back and turned to face the front of the room again. Steve, Tommy, and Carol were all still talking, Steve lounging on the teacher's desk. A minute later, someone came sweeping into the room.

"Harrington, Hagan," they called out, "to your desks. And Miss Perkins, let's hope you have enough time to get to your own homeroom."

Carol rolled her eyes but gave Tommy a kiss on the cheek and ran out. Steve and Tommy leisurely made their way to their seats. You caught Steve's eye, and he grinned and nodded at you. You nodded back awkwardly.

"How do you know Steve Harrington already?" Vickie whispered as the teacher got set up.

"He's my neighbor," you replied, keeping your eyes straight ahead.

She just hummed in response, but you didn't like the tone.

After the bell rang to signal homeroom's end, everyone stood and left as quickly as possible. You got swept up in the crowd, which spat you out into the hall, completely turned around. You glanced at the schedule in your hand and the nearby classroom numbers, despair starting to set in.

"Where do you need to go?"

You whipped around to see Vickie standing behind you, reassuring expression on her face. You sighed in relief, just handing her the paper.

"Okay, lemme see." She took it and scanned quickly. "We've got a couple classes together! But not until third period. Right now, you're gonna go down there," she pointed to the right, "make a left, and go into the third classroom on the left. After that, you'll keep going down that hall and then into the fifth classroom on the right—from the start of the hallway. Then you'll backtrack and pass this room," she threw a thumb behind her at the homeroom, "and go into the classroom at the end of the hall, dead ahead." She looked back up, beaming. "Then you're with me for the rest of the day! And I can be your tour guide."

"Wow," you said. "That was amazing."

She shrugged. "It's a small school. You'll get to know it real well." You cracked a smile. "Go, so you're not late. I'll see you in a few hours." You nodded, following her instructions, as she went the opposite way.

True to her word, Vickie did stick to you like glue after third period. She even let you sit with her and her friends at lunch; you've never felt luckier. You shared the period with Steve, you'd noticed, who was holding court across the room. It was hard to keep your attention off him and on the conversation. That magnetic quality of his definitely contributed to the king status.

He'd also been in your last two periods as well—kind of. Your last period was study hall, which Steve was technically in, but as soon as the bell rang to signal the beginning of class, he, Tommy, and Carol (also in the study hall) saluted to the teacher monitoring and just walked out. The teacher had just nodded and let them go.

Vickie had caught you staring at the interaction. "Mr. Catcher is the football coach. He's tight with Steve and Tommy," she explained. You'd nodded in acknowledgement and tried to focus on your schoolwork. Study hall being last period had been a nice idea to you—a chance to get your homework done before school was even let out—but you guessed King Steve didn't think the same way.

Who would've thought.

"Oh?" Nina says, bringing you back to the present. "How so?"

You blow out a breath, wondering if you could even describe it all. "Let's just say he really embodies his king status," you settle on.

"Okay," your sister replies slowly. "And classes? Teachers?"

"Classes good. Teachers good."

"Nice to hear, caveman," she teases and you roll your eyes. "Any friend possibilities?"

"Yeah," you answer nonchalantly, but the approach doesn't work on Nina, who turns excitedly. "OMG, what's their name, what are they like, when can they come over?"

"Chill! Her name is Vickie. She helped me find my classes. She's nice."

Nina realizes that's all she's gonna get and so turns back to the food. "Cool," she says, so uncoolly that you laugh. She joins in. You can tell the meal is almost done, so you go get the plates and silverware to set the table, and the conversation fades away into the clatter of eating.

;

A month or so goes by and you get settled in at Hawkins High. Thankfully your friendship with Vickie was not a one-day-only deal, and you become closer. She explains everything she can about the school and its students, and you begin to understand that she's a major gossip. You enjoy it and love learning about all the dirty details of people you barely know.

She introduces you to some of her friends and you become friends with them too. A few of them are in your other classes, so you don't feel lonely at all—a blessing from heaven.

You start to notice the patterns of the students around you, and file them away. There goes the girl who only wears heels but can barely seem to walk in them. There goes the group of kids you thought were genuinely arguing every day but are actually debate club members and constantly practicing their arguments. There goes the guy who wears a black handkerchief in his back left pocket and strums an air guitar as he walks and always shoots you a wink as you pass him between fourth and fifth period.

There goes King Steve, leaving last period study hall as soon as it starts. Until he doesn't. That day, you watch as Tommy and Carol strut out, while Steve stays behind and lounges at a desk, practically napping. You mark it off as a one-time fluke. But then it happens every day for a week.

"Hey," you whisper to Vickie while Mr. Catcher is preoccupied. "Why is Steve still here?"

She looks at you like she has juicy gossip you have to hear immediately. "So," she starts excitedly, "it seems that King Steve here has a crush."

Your heart speeds up. You and Steve had been greeting each other as you passed in the apartment building, his smile blinding you every time. Your sister had even invited him to eat with you two one day, but he'd had practice and had to politely decline. But he'd said he wanted to come in the future.

"Who is it?" You ask, hoping your voice isn't shaking.

Then Vickie speaks and crushes your small hopes. "Nancy Wheeler."

"Who's that?" You're trying to rein in your venom. There's no reason for it. You don't want it to be present at all.

"Another freshman. Apparently he's been waiting until the end of school to leave so he can give her a ride home."

"That's nice of him." Your voice is faint, trying not to keep glancing at Steve and failing. He's dozing. He looks sweet.

You shake your head. "Or maybe not." You say firmly.

Vickie smirks. "I don't know. She's a good girl through and through. I think she's making King Steve work for it."

"As she should."

"You got that right."

As you turn back to your work, your mind wanders. You hope he doesn't break her heart. That might break yours.

;

He doesn't. He steals it.

Nancy makes Steve work for it for a few more weeks, and then they become official halfway through the spring semester. They're glowing and wrapped up in each other. It makes your heart twinge. It makes you look away from them every time they appear.

You focus on other things. You get closer with Vickie and her friends Jesse and Hailey. You join the drama club, performing in the spring play. You learn black handkerchief guy's name: Eddie Munson. He tells you after he catches you walking to your car after drama club, springing back when you spin around, ready to punch him.

"Sorry for the scare," he continues with a sheepish grin, running a hand through his long black hair. "Didn't mean to."

You breathe deeply. "It's okay. I'm just glad you're not a murderer."

"Nope, definitely not a killer. At least, in reality." You give him a "what the fuck" expression and he laughs. "That's actually why I came over. You were really good in there." He smiles at your blush. "How do you feel about the fantasy genre?"

Having no idea where this is going, you shrug. "It's fine, I guess? Why?"

"Well, I need an apprentice."

"What are you, a wizard?"

"Close!" He chuckles. "I run the Hellfire club. We play Dungeons & Dragons. I'm the DM—Dungeon Master." You raise an eyebrow. "I know how it sounds, but! It's a fantasy role-playing game. We have a lot of fun. And I need someone to succeed me as DM once I graduate. I think you would be perfect for it."

"Why me?" You ask suspiciously.

"Because, like I said, you were great in there. Really believable. You connect to people onstage. And that's the kind of energy you need to play D&D."

"I don't know..."

"Think about it. No rush, just wanted to put it out there." He grins endearingly. "If you're interested, you know where to find me." And with a bow and a wink, he disappears into the dark.

Very dungeon master, you think.

You think about it very briefly and then you forget. You're too busy with drama club and your friends and your sister and the part-time job you get to prepare for the summer. But Eddie continues to wink at you when you pass him in the hallway. It always makes you smile.

The school year ends with good grades all around and you're so relieved to not have to see King Steve and Queen Nancy parading around the school anymore, as much as you don't want to be. You pick up more hours at your job at the bookstore and spend days at the beach with your friends and take camping trips with Nina and Mark. You barely see Steve—or Eddie—at all.

chapter two

[electricbluebutterflies]

weird question but i basically went through the entire leto/jessica tag in a 2 day fever dream spiral after seeing dune 2 last month & i commented on absolutely nothing... if one were to go back through and read stuff in an actually coherent manner/leave comments, where should i start with your stuff? <3

Lol, how do I sort 300k worth of fic... let's do this with commentary!! I do have other stuff but we're ignoring some of it!

never listen but i see it with my eyes closed is the fever-dream of a canon-divergent fix-it fic I wrote (mostly) in December 2021 / my life was Actively On Fire at the time and it shows. First thing I wrote for the babes and I do side-eye some of my characterization choices in hindsight but... they were new to me and I was trying. Only longfic I've ever managed to finish.

one bright moment is all i ask is a throwback to a fic format that was popular circa like 2016 and one of the most fun little things I've written. (As you will see, everything is my favorite.)

shoot for the memory so you can forget me is a missing scene that can be blamed on a few things, but mostly the fact that that was the moment when I became Insufferable in a relatively packed movie theater. (There is Lore related to how this fandom spiral happened to me and it comes up kinda frequently...)

take his body as a relic to be canonized - the summary I posted on ao3 for this is "last thoughts of a dying man" and it is EXACTLY what it says on the tin. I broke my informal personal rule against writing death scenes for this one and I think I hit the fucked-up gorgeousness of it.

nothing in the world - the knife-kink fic, another thing that haunts me forever. There's a little context that I think is in the notes, but it's very... not the kind of content I usually write and I do love it.

give you my wild - the rituals fic, take 2. The original version of that concept was courtesy of an ex who I broke up with BECAUSE of this spiral (long story); this, written about a year later, is a softer version and twice as long.

prompt-comps, in order: i hope my love was someone else's solid ground, i never fall outside of love, i'd live and die for moments that we stole, sit awake until the wild feelings leave you (current / active one). This is where most of my fic HAPPENS / I like doing prompts that people send me, there's something about the responsiveness that works well for my process. I format them in sets of 50 for housekeeping purposes. Mostly canon'verse, occasional modern AU / me kicking myself for not writing as much modern AU as I want, "moments that we stole" has a few segments of a different canon-divergent AU that I need to do more with...

pillars - my new favorite and I'm not saying anything about it beyond that I wrote something I have spent two and a half years avoiding and it only broke me once.

[actual-bill-potts]

and all his towers cast down makes me jumpy in the best of ways. I am not usually an AU person, much less an enjoyer of this sort of extreme canon divergence, but this one really works for me. Can you talk a little about what motivated you to write it? Have you sorted out the endgame yet? That tag How to cope when ten ppl got eaten alive in front of u is so rich in potential! Thanks very much :)

adfkldsajk thank you so much for this ask, my answer is going under a cut cuz it's gonna be LONG

first off thank you so much for your kind words, it always makes my day to hear that someone is enjoying my work!!

Second off, this AU was motivated by a variety of things. Some of my thought process is actually laid out in this post: I originally wanted to see Maglor and Lúthien girlbossing together (bc people always pit Daeron vs Maglor when Lúthien is clearly the superior singer...) and then I thought "omg I bet Maglor and Lúthien together would fuck up Angband" and then I thought I have to write this. Originally Finrod wasn't even going to play much of a role - rescuing him was just a catalyst for the plot!

But I am Finrod's #1 stan and the more I thought about his death/possible rescue, the more I realized just how much fell apart with his loss, and how cruel his death was. The guy most famous for having friends everywhere rode near-friendless to his ending and died after losing everyone who stuck with him. I decided: he deserved better, and thus the story took its current form, with one thread following Maedhros and Fingon dealing with the political fallout of the Nargothrond debacle, one thread following Beren, Luthien, and Maglor on the Silmaril Quest, and one thread following Finrod's recovery.

I have sorted out the endgame, although this fic continues to grow in scope. Originally it was going to be 10 chapters max and just feature Maglor stealing the Silmarils; now it is semi-plotted all the way through to the War of Wrath and I'm considering starting a series to fully cover all the themes I want to hit. Suffice to say this story is going to be going on for a very long time, haha.

I am proud of that tag you mentioned, because for all that Finrod wasn't initially supposed to feature that prominently in this AU, I think the tag sums up at least a third of what I want the story to be about. Finrod's story is particularly tragic to me because he loses so much of what defines him as a character in Tol-in-Gaurhoth. He's the Friend of Men, but nearly all of the Bëorians died in the Dagor Bragollach, and Finrod dies believing that he was unable to protect the one remaining descendant of Balan. He's a noted diplomat, but with one request Thingol has entirely torn apart any future hope of complete allyship/harmony between the Noldor and the Sindar. He's the King of Nargothrond, except the Nargothrondrim turned away from him. He went across the Ice for love of his cousins, but Turgon is gone and the Fëanorians betrayed him. The symbolism isn't subtle - he literally dies in the tower he built, that's been turned to evil and destruction...

So what I really want to explore in the Finrod part of this fic is: how would that have changed him, if he lived? Could he recover, from being torn apart so thoroughly? Would he want to? What would he choose to do about the whole Thingol situation, about Nargothrond, about the Union of Maedhros (should it arise)? And of course, there's one person who underwent a similar experience of being torn apart and unmade: what would Maedhros think about all of this? Would he be able to help?

Writing this story has been a true joy and a discovery, because the characters have come so fully alive in my head and I keep discovering things they would be concerned about/do/say that never occurred to me during my (minimal) outlining. For example, Beren was not initially even intended as a POV character, but he's such a fascinating kind of blank in the Lay that I felt an overwhelming curiosity about what he would have thought about in the wake of his rescue. Fingon wasn't really going to make an appearance in this fic, but then I thought - he surely helped with Maedhros' recovery, could he help with Finrod's? How would he respond to the Nargothrond debacle? And he must have been devastated to learn about Finrod's death, coming so close after he lost Angrod, Aegnor, and his father; how relieved he would be, to see Finrod at least saved! So there are many threads that emerged (and are still emerging) from this story that have been so much fun to weave into the narrative.

Thank you again for the question, and I hope you continue to enjoy the fic! <3 <3 <3

[cricketnationrise]

Weekend WIP Around

so. i'm bad at responding to tag games at the best of times. and then i worked 11 days straight and lost all sense of time and space. but! ive had several days off now, my head is screwed on relatively straight again, so here we go. thanks to: @cha-melodius @three-drink-amy @inexplicablymine @affectionatelyrs @dumbpeachjuice @welcometololaland @celaestis1 @indomitable-love @14carrotghoul @rmd-writes @doggernaut @sherryvalli @kiwiana-writes @leaves-of-laurelin and @read-and-write- for the MANY tags over the last two weeks! have some words! 💜🦗

I'm using @welcometololaland's 20 question game for writers and artists (thanks Lola, this is so fun!)

1. WIP List: (from my "Active WIPs" folder otherwise we'd be here 5eva) Game Changer (Noise Boys) Tortall AU [FTH] rwrb assassination attempt AU [FTH] jon/alanna Tortall canon-divergence [FTH] an incomplete list series going platinum sequel jack's off-season wishlist series rwrb kiss-cam omgcp say yes to the dress au

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest? Game Changer AU ~2.4k

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest? eventually an incomplete list series since it has the most parts planned, but the going platinum sequel has more than a little potential to explode on me

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why? I am SUPER enjoying writing the Game Changer AU right now, it's really fun coming up with all the prompts!

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why? jon/alanna canon-divergence. hands down. it's not a pairing i usually seek out, and i want to write them believably, especially since it's for charity

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

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why? probably everything on this list will get a beta pass, actually. kiss cam will depend on how long i end up making it/if it actually gets a whole plot XD

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block? jon/alanna has less of a writer's block and more of a starting block, but i'm hopeful that once i figure out the plot the writing will come fairly easily. kiss-cam au I paused on purpose because i was writing The Mummy AU and Going Platinum at the same time and a third wip was driving me crazy.

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them? none of them have OC's at this time

10. Which WIP is the sexiest? Going Platinum sequel 🤝 Jack's Off-Season Wishlist

11. Which WIP is the angstiest? rwrb assassination attempt AU, for obvious reasons

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)? well, i hope all of them!

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

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on? as of today, Game Changer Tortall AU

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why? Going Platinum sequel. I cut a lot of ideas from the original fic because they didn't make sense with the hiding identities I had going on, so now that they're together, I'm really excited to figure out how alex's job (and henry's support of it) lets their relationship evolve and grow

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs? not about any of these, but while I was writing the Mummy AU I watched the movie so frequently that I would regularly dream about that one.

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't? Going Platinum sequel - choreography complications since they still aren't showing their faces on the streams Game Changer Tortall AU - working within the framework of the show itself, possibly coding the whole thing to look like a script

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour? Game Changer AU for sure.

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process? not right now!

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs. say yes to the dress au - Bitty as Randy, but it's a Nurseydex endgame fic AND a bonus snippet from the Game Changer Tortall fic to make up for all the 6/7 sentences/wip weds i've missed :D

“Tonight’s guests: coming in fresh from a shower: it’s Merric Hollyrose! Looking around for somewhere to tie his horse: Owen Jesslaw! Tallest, oldest, last – and certainly not happy about it – it’s Neal Queenscove! And your host, me! I’ve been here the whole time.” “Welcome to Gamechanger, the only game show where the game changes every show. I am your host, Kel Mindelan, and I’m joined today by these three lovely contestants. Now, you all understand how the game works?” Merric shakes his head. “Nope.”  “Haven’t the foggiest,” says Owen cheerful as always in the face of the unknown. “You haven’t explained a dratted thing.” Neal pouts and Kel feels the last wisps of nerves melt away in response. Kel knows how to do this – getting Neal to hit peak dramatically grumpy levels is as natural as breathing. She throws Neal a cheeky grin before turning back to the camera. “That’s right! Our players have no idea what game it is that they’re about to play. The only way to learn is by playing, the only way to win is by learning, and the only way to begin is by beginning, so without further ado – let’s begin.”

Consider this an open tag to play along!

[non-un-topo]

End of the year questions!

Tagged by @aphroditestummyrolls. Thank you, my friend! <3

Tagging @guarncre @spacegirlsgang @andrea-lyn @ladytessa74, and everyone!

What is your favourite thing you created?

I've talked about it more than enough, but probably my big baby, Axis. Jericho, My Moon is a favourite too, for its whimsy and dream-like quality and gothic romance. I want to write more things like that.

Which work are you proudest of?

Definitely Axis. It's just under 30 thousand words, and took me a year while I was working through a ton of grief, stress, an identity crisis (ongoing to this day lol), and just generally losing touch with reality. I think it's one of the most raw and beautiful things I've written, though I'm def overselling it. I'm also happy with the section break illustrations I made for it!

Is there anything you are proud of that you achieved this year?

Mostly my university achievements. I won 3 awards/bursaries this year due to my hard work! Got a work/study position at a small feminist library in my faculty, made some classroom friends, and have been enjoying helping students when they come to me. I guess I'm also proud of myself for... maybe.. perhaps... coming to the point where I can no longer deny that I'm trans. It's been a lot. It's shaken the very ground from under me. But at this point I don't think it can be denied anymore. It's time to be brave.

Did you explore anything new this year? (A new way to be creative, a trope you didn’t write before, or an idea you hadn’t thought of earlier, etc.)

I guess gothic romance is a new thing for my writing. I'm kind of a romance hater tbh, so I usually just background the relationships or struggle with forefronting them, but I'm becoming more of a fan of the weird and macabre kind of romance. Also not necessarily new, but I almost never write modern aus and I completed one this year: tempests of dust. I guess you could say my canon-divergent t4t au, Wolf Tooth, is new too!

Which work gave you the most difficulty?

Besides the aforementioned 30k fic, probably finishing misplaced items of great (in)convenience. I let that one sit for a while, which I guess kind of lines up with the themes of the fic lol. Burnout is real.

What was your biggest creative challenge this year?

Drawing ;_; At all. Perfectionism and self-scrutiny stop me before I can begin. That, and I have a lot of WIPs I started in 2023 that are supposed to be pretty big.

Which work brought you the most joy?

Hounds! I wrote that 8k bitch in nearly one sitting because I was so fired up.

Which of your works do you think people should check out?

Not all from 2023, but perhaps some of my less read ones. Obviously I want people to read the long ones about grief and liminal space and adventures that I worked so hard on, but I know most people don't have the energy or desire to sit down and read a lot of plot.

I'd recommend an Andy-focused one from my mystery series, Chronos, and Primavera, my little Nico 3000-headcanons-stuffed-into-a-trenchcoat backstory. My time loop fic, la mer a bercé mon coeur pour la vie, is also a fun little Andy-centric team adventure. My queer ass is also very fond of Eight Minutes. Lastly, one of my Booker fics, all things pass into the night.

I should say that not all of my fics are available for people without ao3 accounts.

Do you have creative plans for next year? Is there anything exciting you’re currently working on?

Oh gosh, I want to be so productive in 2024. I really hope I can be! I have plans for another queer quartet adventure with mystery elements that will hopefully be longer and more adventurous than the works in the Tetrad Mysteries. I miss it when that was my specialty! I also am working on a big canon-divergent au in which Joe and Nicky were childhood friends (and still end up killing each other). That fic mostly takes place during their adolescence and young adult years, so I'm sort of stuck on how to end it since I'm worried it'll be a disappointing read for people if it ends in Jerusalem. But we already know the rest of their story, more or less. I've put it on hold for a while due to sensitive subject matter that I feel is just inappropriate for the world right now.

Those are the two big projects, but I'm also hoping to do some collaborations, maybe open up commissions (we'll see how busy I am in the summer!), and have some smaller works in progress.

Lastly, any words of wisdom or anything else you would like to share?

We are not defined by our productivity. The process is always happening and we are always changing and learning, even if we're not actively "creating."

[fezwearingjellybananas]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @starstruckpurpledragon, thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

315

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,163,434

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently predominantly The Flash (TV and Comics), though I have written a couple of The Adventure Zone fics, one Naddpod, and one Ghosts (BBC) this year too, and I've written one or two other things. I've been writing fic for a bit

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. Crossed Wires - The Flash (TV), Barry/Eddie (prompt fill for a Misunderstandings prompt in a Barry Week)

2. Mis-sent - The Flash (TV), Barry/Cisco (college AU texting fic)

3. "Just sleep in my damn shirt" - The Flash (TV), Barry/Eddie (a short prompt fill that does not even have a proper title)

4. Milk and Sugar - The Flash (TV), Iris/Caitlin (coffee shop AU that changed to a pre-canon canon divergence that ended up a 12 fic series)

5. Digging Out The Hole - The Flash (TV), Barry/Cisco (an episode 1x16 AU again featuring some fake dating and some Rogues)

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

I do! I appreciate all of them therefore I like to say thank you

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

Ashes to Ashes, it's part of the collaborative Marvellous Ladies of DC AU with @agentmarymargaretskitz where the ladies of DCTV get to be all the heroes in a MCU AU and this one is part of the Infinity War one so there is a very large amount of character death

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

I like writing happy endings so that one's a little tricky, but I think I might nominate Stargazing (DC comics, Barry/Iris/Hal), since the start is not quite so happy

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

I have but it's a rare occurrence

9. Do you write smut?

Nope! On the sliding scale of sex favourable to sex repulsed ace I generally slide between neutral and repulsed and usually fall at forgot sex exists again until I get a question like this. I do sometimes read the smut bits instead of just skipping now, but I have to be in a very particular mood, it's not a common thing, so I don't think I'll ever get closer to writing it than implying some might be going on somewhere

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have, though not for a little while. I might still have (very brief) notes for a Legends of Tomorrow/Librarians crossover somewhere though. Maybe one day

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I had someone ask if they could once but I don't think they ever posted it, and this was quite a while ago

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes, the previously mentioned Marvellous Ladies of DC AU.

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

Barry/Iris probably? That's the one I have been writing to fill the Year of the OTP prompts, and I'm pretty sure these poly ships appear because I like ones like Barry/Cisco and Barry/Hal, but I also Barry and Iris together, so now they all get to be a part of this

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

The Wally Fic, my Flash TV s2 AU where Wally becomes the Flash (because Barry did not survive his first encounter with Zoom). Perhaps one day, but it's been just sitting as part of a first draft for a long time now not getting very far. I might just cut it into scenes and post what I have when I have an end I'm happy with but I've also been saying that for a while and still not doing anything so who knows.

16. What’s your writing strengths?

I don't know if I really think about strengths, this is just for fun, but I often feel I write more dialogue than descriptions, so maybe dialogue?

I've also had a few people tell me I'm good at writing AUs which I am very flattered by and very happy they like them. I just enjoy myself messing around with how things could go if I change that bit of canon or sometimes trying to see if I can make a plot work in another genre instead, but it's very nice when people say they like my messing around and encourage me to do it more.

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

Describing body language. Especially during conversations, like a pinched nose or stuff like that, I'm often not sure how to phrase the motion and don't know if I put enough in.

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

Mixed. On the one hand, it can throw you out if suddenly there is a large passage in another language you're meant to still be able to understand as easily as the first bit, so I think if it were a full conversation I would still write in English and use the dialogue tags to indicate it's another language.

However if the point of view character has, say, my Spanish levels where I can pick out words and get the gist of some bits but not necessarily understand everything I might write that part as Spanish with the missing words and have the translation as the point of view character trying to work out what they just said.

I have also written characters swearing in French (as a "pardon my French" joke. The opportunity for a bad joke will trump everything else always). I hated my French teacher at school and dropped it for Spanish as soon as I could and I'm really, really bad at French, but I do know Merde.

People who have managed to become fluent in multiple languages are so cool. I don't know how you all did this.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

It was a very short Sherlock/Doctor Who crossover where Sherlock and John get zapped by Weeping Angels and end up at Victorian Edinburgh University meeting someone named Arthur. I panicked about posting that so much

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

This is an impossible question always, but since I haven't got a gen fic mentioned here yet I really enjoyed writing The Questing Flower (Flash TV), which is a fantasy AU centred around Iris West. She's on a Quest to save the Moon (and maybe her best friend along the way) and no one's managed to do this in the past 500 years they've been trying, but Iris is going to try anyway.

There's so many fics I've really enjoyed writing though, I don't think I have an all time favourite. Ghosting (Flash TV, Cisco/Hartley) usually gets an honourable mention at least though.

Tagging @agentmarymargaretskitz @squireofgeekdom @alittleflashvibe and @spectralarchers and anyone else if you fancy it?

[emilykaldwen]

Asking about writing - do you have a current favourite writing project right now? What is it about?

Oh! Thank you so much for this! I was popping in to look up something I saved and saw this!!!

So I really just have the one main project I'm working on right now and that's The Maiden and the Drowning Boy, which is a canon divergent AU for House of the Dragon/Fire and Blood.

Basically, I aged down one of Lyonel Strong's daughters to be the same age as the kids, and it's Arranged Marriage, Childhood Friends/Sorta Sweethearts to Lovers to Oh shit we have a war to get through because cycles of generational trauma and terrible coping skills and do we keep going down the paths our parents set for us or do we make a better world.

Abrogail Strong and Aegon Targaryen own me body, heart, and soul and I wouldn't give them up for anything in the world. It's been a really exciting challenge of creating a character that can exist in the world on their own - I don't want Abby's existence to simply be because she's in a romance, you know? I want her to exist as her own being.

Additionally, I'm really using this as an opportunity to work on my own perfectionism issues, practice the craft of writing, and challenge myself (god, am I fucking challenging myself) in terms of themes, through plot, and basically just... IDK. I'm writing this for me, but I want people who read it and stick with it to experience pay off in the little things I put in that come full circle. It's romance, yes, but I also like a ton of plot in my romance, and so I want to try see how I can give a lil bit of everything in terms of 'here's a story, and here's some yummy romance' and balance those out.

I've been working on this since last October! But then I had bariatric surgery, scrapped the initial 35k, and now I'm on four chapters in caught up with that previous word count. I'm HOPING to start posting soon, I'm just slow AF and I sorta want a consistent posting schedule while I'm also trying to pack my house up and move. So.

[masterqwertster]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

Tagged by both @astoriacolumnstaircase and @bolo-from-aeor

Favorite Color: I don't really have one? I like certain things in certain colors, but I'm not dead set on stuff. I dunno, red and black is always a good combo.

Currently Reading: Rereading once again, actually, Embers by Vathra. Which is an amazing Avatar: The Last Airbender canon divergence/AU with badass worldbuilding that was originally posted to ff.net, but I linked the AO3 port since it is not drowning in ads these days.

Last Song: Daylight by Shinedown. This is my selection for the Ashton positivity and hope song. So much of the lyrics speak to Ashton's situation and the hope they're finding.

Last Series: In-progress would be Critical Role C2. I'm only a handful of episodes from finishing. And then I will have watched all of the non-one-shot Exandria stuff!

Finished would be the One Piece Live Action. Which I do recommend if you like the manga/anime. They did a great job of keeping the vibe and had fun while staying true with the visuals. It's going to be interesting to see how far Season 2 will go and what changes they'll make to suit the format.

Last Movie: That I actually watched from start to end? Probably Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: Sweet. Love me some sweets.

Currently Working On: A couple of little crochet birbs for my cousins as requested by my Great Aunt since they like playing with the ones I made my Grandma for Christmas a year or two ago.

Not tagging anyone because I have no clue who to tag. Sorry!

[chaotictarlos]

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 aka. 2022 Recap

Thank you to the wonderful @good-ways and @tailoredshirt the tag! You're a peach 😘

Guidelines: post the top 5 works you’re most proud of that you released in 2022 (not necessarily your most popular), your top 4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release in the new year, your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year, your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year, and your number 1 favourite line you’ve written this year!

post the top 5 works you’re most proud of that you released in 2022

You took the best of my heart and left the rest in pieces Word Count: 23,520 | Summary: An exploration of emotions. The Breakup Era from Carlos' POV

This is the fic that took 6 months to write. It was my greatest achievement of 2022. It took so much out of me to write, many tears, and almost deletions but it turned out so beautiful. It's my favorite fic that I wrote this year, and one that I cherish deeply. It was well worth all of the time that it took to write.

With love, your soulmate| Word Count: 27,658 | Chapters: 7 / 10 | Summary: Carlos Reyes doesn’t think he has a soulmate. In the 22 years he had been alive he had never found anything that would tell him otherwise. At first, it bothered him that he was seemingly without anyone and that there wasn’t a perfect person out there for him but he learned to grow comfortable with that information. He learned to adapt, to date enough that he wouldn’t be lonely, and on the nights when he was without anyone he found ways to make himself feel good. He was content. Or so he thought so until a letter arrived on the day of his 22 birthday. A letter addressed to him, from the past and from his soulmate. From there, they start talking. Leaving letters for each other to find and read, falling in love through the words that they shared. Will TK ever catch up to Carlos so that they can have their happy ever after? Or will time remain cruel to them?

This fic was a bit out of my comfort zone and dealt with a new concept. It's been a blast to write and I've enjoyed pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I hope to get this one done very soon!!

Fuck my life up | Word Count: 2,728 | Summary: The one time Carlos and TK talked when they were broken up.

It's no secret that I'm obsessed with the breakup era and exploring the dynamics there. I fully believe, in my little hc, that Tarlos hooked up at least once during their breakup era. This was my take on that.

finding the sun in a world of shadows | Word Count: 5453 | Chapters: 2 / 10 | Summary: In a post-apocalyptical world, two lost souls find each other.

This is another one that took me out of my comfort zone but it's been really fun to write and build the world. I have chapter three done and I need to post it, this is another one I'm hoping to get done this year.

It was always you | Word Count: 3333 | Summary: Sometimes in order to find out just how much you’re meant to be with someone, you have to fall apart and lose them first.

This is one of those getting back together fic's but I adore it so much. I love a good ex's to lovers fic and I love how this one turned out. It was a joy to write.

4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release in the new year I have so many I'm excited for.

(along with the two mentioned above):

TK POV Breakup Era Fic - this is a companion fic to the Carlos POV Breakup Era Fic and shows TK's side of things. It's slowly coming along but it's gonna be good and my hope is to have it done by summer!

Sequel to Carlos & TK Breakup Era Fic - this will focus on how and why TK come back together. It'll be canon divergence and won't follow along with how they got back together in canon, but I like the spin on it that I've decided to go with. I think it'll be a fun fic and it'll include a lot of conversations we missed.

[Redacted] Tarlos AU - 😉😏 this one is yet to be started but I have it mapped out. I'm keeping a little hush on the details, though. Sometimes it's fun to have surprises 😘

Secret Dating AU - Professor!TK x Social Worker!Carlos. This one I am currently writing and already has 4 chapters. I'm hoping to write it all out before I start posting it. This is another one I hope to have done by summer.

your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year

Length - My fics this year were longer and more fleshed out. They and more details and really went into the story rather than just brushed the surface.

Dialogue - I always feel like my dialogue is bad, but I think I improved on it this year. Hopefully I'll improve more on it this coming year too.

Ideas - I think my ideas have been better in general, which is really nice.

top 2 resolutions

Writing for myself and my pleasures which includes not being as upset / obsessed over numbers and how people might react to what I write. At the end of the day I need to be the one happy with the content I create, other people liking it is just a bonus.

Keeping in mind that I do this for fun. This is a fun past time and it shouldn't be stressful. Nobody knows me in real life, they only know a fraction of who I am and they may or may not make an accurate judgement of myself. And that's okay. As long as I'm having fun, that's all that matters.

number 1 favourite line you’ve written this year!

That’s what he got for thinking - a broken heart and an empty home that didn’t feel like home without TK. - which, of course, is from Carlos Breakup Era Fic

No pressure tags: @11thstreetvigilante @theghostofashton @bubblesandroses8 @mooshkat @cowlos-reyes @thebumblecee @noxsoulmate @detective-giggles

[mylordshesacactus]

Meta writing ask! 2, 19, 23, 24.

2: Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

Reunification is about to start an arc I've been excited about since I started the fic, so it's very annoying that I've been struggling to write it. XD

I also...really want to be able to do meaningful work on that Loresingers project. I got some concept writing done but with everything else going on and no one to rubber-duck to, it's been hard to get traction.

19: Is there something you always find yourself repeating in your writing? (favourite verb, something you describe ‘too often’, trope you can’t get enough of?)

YES, YES, JO'S LOYAL LIEUTENANT TROPE, WE'VE ALL SEEN IT.

23: What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?

Oh lmao that's definitely Aquarius. Which, hand to god, has not been abandoned; we've just been in a fallow season for a little while. This winter was hard on us both.

24: Would you say your writing has changed over time?

For sure. I mean, jesus, I'd hope so! I don't think it's possible to write regularly and not have your writing change over time; it's certainly not desirable. That just means you're not growing or learning. A lot of that development is invisible, so you gotta avoid overthinking it--like, I've just gotten better over the years and that can be hard to quantify, you know?

For one concrete and easily-observable thing, though, I do know I've gotten much more comfortable writing AUs since I was, you know, a teenager. For a long time I strongly preferred my work to be canon-compliant and in fact actively disliked writing canon-divergence or AU settings. That only started changing, essentially, when I got better at writing. Not just mechanically or in terms of technical skill, but like...I learned how to articulate and understand why I disliked some AUs, and what I didn't like about writing them, and then I became good enough to just not do those things.

Essentially, what I disliked was the idea of....making something up, essentially, and then realizing that it didn't quite fit into the timeline or contradicted something that happened or the way a certain system worked in canon, and just shrugging and writing it anyway because without it the story didn't work. You'll probably notice that, while I've ALSO learned how to keep them from totally interrupting the flow of a story, I'm fond of sprinkling little digressions on day-to-day practicalities or a specific logistical snarl into my work. Those details are important to me. When the lynchpin of your story concept is a detail that doesn't work with canon, the satisfying thing to is usually to find a way to make it work, not just...go 'oh well I'll just change how that works then'.

While I've never been against discarding a canonical detail or mechanic that's just bad or doesn't make internal sense--I write KOTOR and Warcraft fanfiction, for christ's sake--it yanks me out of immersion if I feel like the narrative doesn't understand its own rules.

And, of course, I hate AUs or fusions where the characters are unrecognizable. Strong character work will make the most outlandish AU feel real; no amount of in-depth worldbuilding or clever logic can stick the landing if you can't get the characters to feel like themselves.

[coreyww]

Info on slice-of-life/dramedy Omori fic I'm writing, "Mari Doesn't Die at The End"

[That title might not be 100% final but that codename made me chuckle so hard that I'm not sure something will top it]

So I'm currently about ... I would say half-way through the rough draft of the first chapter now and I'm pretty sure this is going to be something I will want to follow through on so I think it's safe to talk about.

My favorite Omori content since I finished the game has been stuff that skews towards wholesome, basically anything with that kind of "Sunny and his buds are hanging out" energy, so I wanted to make a fic that was almost entirely that. I also wanted to write Mari because I found the hints at her past character pretty interesting to explore and because honestly her relationship with Hero is adorable. So I found a way to do both. The fic starts a little while before ... you know, Stairs, and is mostly slices of life with Mari as the main character, though it is largely an ensemble cast with Sunny, Hero, Kel, and Aubrey also having their fair share of focus. The first chapter that I'm working on now being one that introduces the dynamics between everyone during this time frame through the lens of Sunny and Mari getting a little too absorbed in an especially challenging video game. (Also if you enjoy like ... you know, Hero/Mari Cute Shit there's gonna be quite a lot of that, I honestly didn't realize I eat that up as much as I do prior to writing this, but I totally do. Like the first chapter is more Mari and Sunny focused but even then I still manage to like ... already have a good amount of them being cute even when its not the main focus. And the second chapter is gonna have even more. Basically what I'm trying to get at is I'm lowkey shipping trash).

One thing I do want to emphasize is that though this will primarily be a comedy and be more lighthearted fair than the actual game, I do still fully intend on having drama sprinkled throughout, one of the main threads I intend to establish early on as being the contrast between Mari's confident and cheerful exterior and the all-too-relatable anxiety and doubt underneath, leading her to constantly push herself to an unrealistic standard. This will not be the only heavier theme gotten into but I certainly plan on that being a primary one. The chapters will mostly be episodic with some multi-parters thrown in, all while still having subtle continuing story arcs running throughout. I plan on having the story be mostly canon-compliant at first but I will be marking it as an AU as it will diverge in minor ways later. I will leave it as an exercise to anyone reading the title to guess what the point of diverge could possibly be. So that's the game plan. At the rate I'm going I'm hoping to have the rough draft done within the next week and get it posted within a week following. I'm writing after a lengthy hiatus and I've had a ... NOT GREAT track record of Writing Checks I Can't Cash so I don't want to make promises, but I would like to shoot for getting out one decent sized chapter out a month (talking like 5000 words or over) for as long as I can do this. Pretty excited since it's been a while since I was this energized about a project and I'm glad it seems like its turning out okay so far. If you guys like the sound of this already, let me know and I'd be happy to answer any Asks you might have as well! (Thank you for reading)