#just because I'm writing this modern au doesn't mean I won't ALSO be writing in-canon stuff as well for the time being :)

[optiwashere]

Finally, the modern/band AU is more than idle coffee thoughts.

In which Shadowheart is part of a three-piece metal band that gets stuck in a town called Rivington. Where happiness and a much softer life is something that she doesn't think she deserves. Where she's always in danger of falling back into the relationship with her ex, the Avatar of the cult that raised her, who just so happens to be the band's frontwoman.

Featuring a modern version of my primary Tav, Asheera, as a mechanic who's just doing her job working on the band's broken down van when things get a little more complicated. You can peek at in-game shots and art of her here and here.

Rating: E for Eventual Smut

Category: F/F

Ship: Shadowheart/Trans Fem Tav

Tags and AO3 Summary under the break.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Band AU, POV Alternating, Romance, Angst, Strangers to Lovers, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Religious Cults, Abusive Relationships, past abusive relationships, implied/referenced past prostitution, Dissociation, Trans Female Character, Eventual Smut, in which a traumatized metal guitarist finds love in a small town, and searches for her cottagecore fantasy

Summary:

Shadowheart, the guitarist for a small-time metal band on tour, nearly crashes her band's van into an auto body shop in a podunk called Rivington. That's the least of her worries. Every day on the road revolves around the devolving relationship with her ex, the Avatar of her religion and the frontwoman of the band. Everything is Shar, and Shadowheart knows no escape nor if she deserves one. At least until Ash, the head mechanic of that dinky garage, questions everything Shadowheart's ever known, digging into her life until they both bleed. Ash told herself to forget about them. Forget about Shadowheart. She needed to make forgetting easy and turn her heart to stone to the attractive, enigmatic stranger. That’s all Shadowheart was. That's all she should be.

[centuryberry]

Queen of the Mountain Universe

So, after watching Season 5 (which has devastated me, by the way - completely and utterly destroyed me), I was inspired to incorporate a certain character into the Queen of the Mountain Universe and tie together the AUs tied to the games. (Excluding the A/B/O AU, Fae AU, and the Imperial Harem AU.)

This technically isn't a fic spoiler since I won't be adding any of this into the main fic itself, mind you. I already have too much planned in Acts II and III to include the new revelations, but I'm writing my ideas here. (May consider writing some oneshots set post-QotM.)

Warning: Spoilers for LMK Season 5 below!

We all knew it was Xiangliu. This snake man has a grip on me that only happened once before when Season 1 Macaque sashayed into my life. Holy hell, he's the definition of chaotic neutral. Also, the hints of lore he dropped before casually moving on because he thought it wasn't important? Drove me insane. What do you mean you and Wukong used to be friends? What do you mean Macaque made a deal? What do you mean be "he's winning"?! Who's he?!

I have no idea what LMK has planned for him (or if he's even going to come back in the future seasons), but I know what plans I have for him now.

To be honest, Xiangliu (the Nine-Headed Demon who nearly scammed Ao Guang and his ilk in Chapter 16) wasn't supposed to be significant in the Queen of the Mountain universe. But with how Season 5 ended up, I made him into a more important player.

Just like the LMK world, I'd like to think that the QotM world also experiences a similar "cycle" in the form of "resets." It would make sense, right? As In the Sun's Embrace and Sunchaser are games that encourages reloads and resets to explore different routes, it's not too far-fetched to think that the world itself experiences something similar.

I've always had a fondness of Time Loops in stories, especially with at least one person remembering every loop. Xiangliu would be that person in this case. Somehow, he became aware of what was happening and yearned for an escape from this constant resetting of the world.

(He must've gone insane gaining and losing friends, lovers, and enemies, doomed to repeat the same song and dance again except his bonds would never be the same since he's always changing and always growing while everyone else regresses every time.)

Eventually, he removed himself from the living world all together and replaced one of the Ten Kings of the Underworld to find a way out. Still, he'd pop up here and then to maybe make some interventions or watch when something new played out.

While a lot of the diverging AUs are mostly due to the different choices made by individuals, I'd like to think that Xiangliu made some of them possible. Notably, Warlord Shanzha AU, Withered Grave Flowers AU, Detoxify AU, and Extra Pilgrim AU.

Well, you noticed how LBD seems to be absent in those AUs, right? How Yue magically comes out of things alive and unpossessed by her into the modern era? Well, the answer in Xiangliu. He doesn't do this in every cycle, but he sometimes has the heart to spare Yue from her canon fate. Making her fate better always seems to give happier endings to all of the celestial monkeys. Not perfect, but happier.

(And, because it would be so funny to me, I'd like to think he at least hooked up with every member of the celestial monkey poly occasionally in between cycles. So he has a history with all of them which I may expand on in another post if anyone's interested.)

So, there you have it. A way for all of these AUs to technically be canon. (Thank you, Season 5.)

As for what Xiangliu is doing during Queen of the Mountain, he's doing nothing. For the first time, he didn't have to do anything to make a drastic change to the usual script. For the first time, he's interested to see how things turn out. Because of a certain six-eared baby monkey yaoguai who ended up in the palanquin.

[anachilles]

Hi!!

Just read all of your firehouse!au and I’m obsessed!

I saw your post about Chick observing them once they’re in a relationship and being pleased with the way he sees Gale take care of John.

Curious if you have any moments planned/HC of ways John takes care of Gale in this universe?

Loved the chapter where John helps out at the bar after seeing Gale is still a bit sick/behind on school btw! Does he ever get to be Gale’s person in those vulnerable moments?

Thanks for writing this and sharing it! (will be re-reading by next week LOL)

Hi anon!

First of all: thank you so much for the Firehouse love! I'm so so glad you're enjoying the story! 🥰

In terms of the ways in which John takes care of Gale, in my mind it mirrors the way we see it even just in the actual canon events of the show, just in a modern context where they're allowed to kiss lol.

As you've touched on, he's an acts of service fiend. Gale's very hyper-independent, by virtue of having to be growing up, and so John always gets a little thrill when he can anticipate something he might need before he even realises it himself - or something he has realised but won't just outright ask John for - and take care of it.

This often goes hand-in-hand with John's magpie-like tendencies and his inability to walk into any store without seeing something to bring back for Gale, something that either reminds him of him, or something that he knows he either needs or simply would enjoy. Like John will text him on his way home asking if he wants anything from the store because hey, he has to stop anyway, and Gale will say no but God knows John will come back with his favourite chocolate bar or a packet of Milano cookies.

(because it'll be a cold day in hell before Gale Cleven and his notorious sweet tooth will ever be able to pass up sweets, lol).

Assorted Other Ways In Which John Takes Care of Gale:

Contrary to popular belief, Gale does in fact have a car, and can actually drive. Not that you'd think that if you only met him after he and Bucky got together. Driving Buck around as much as possible is, like, part of Bucky's love language at this point (Gale's an incredibly competent driver but he's also a bit of a menace when it comes to speed and risky manoeuvres). Living that passenger princess life fr.

Growing to love Maverick like his own, even if he is to some extent "the spare human" in her eyes, lol. Takes care of her when Gale's not there without even thinking about it. When Gale gets home from campus, or the bar late at night, and finds the two of them lounging on the couch with Mav sprawled across Bucky's chest 🥺

In a literal, material, sense Bucky has tried to help Gale out financially in the past - whether that be a bit of help with the bills, groceries etc ("because hey, I come around here so much, I may as well contribute"), or by insisting on paying for stuff on their dates. He doesn't really think twice about it, it isn't a big deal to him - he's by no means rich but he has a decent job and is well off enough. Gale does okay but he's still studying and working essentially two jobs. It just makes sense to him, but it's one of the only things that causes real friction between them because it can make Gale feel uncomfortable.

Speaking of Gale working on a PhD and doing some teaching at the university and doing bar work - he inevitably gets burnt out. Where he'd push through before by hook or by crook, Bucky's getting better at prying him away from his laptop when he's been going at it for so long he's starting to look stuck, or frustrated, or tired. Makes sure he eats. On the days where Gale has to wear all three hats it's making sure the little things needing done around the house are done so he doesn't have to worry about them.

[minniiaa]

I AM FROTHING AT THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE!!!!11!!!!1!!!!!! YOU GOT ME BARKING

First of all, thank you ^-^ <333

You've not only satisfied my simp heart with bottom Law but also my yearn for and emotionally constipated Law being proven wrong

Second, I have more ideas or course :D

This is a gigantic leap from my previous… contributions, but I want to share my love for something I enjoy just as much as my little guys (grown ass men) getting railed in such a way it puts the trolley problem to shame. Sweet, sweet aftercare, I dunno what about it that enthralls me but just- like- I- jsbdudbskospaks-

It's an honest 50/50 whether the aftercare situations I think up actually comes after sex or if it's all I think of. It has me by the throat man.

Something about Law feeling safe enough to tell Luffy when he's had enough without feeling the need to force or threaten Luffy, or not holding out far past his limit so Luffy doesn't “get bored of him” makes my brain melt and mold back into the shape of a sea urchin.

OH, MORE THOUGHTS!!! >:0

Here me out, modern au, Law comes back to their apartment more tired than he's ever been after the longest shift he's pulled in a while. All he wants, more than anything, is their bed, screw the shower, he couldn't stand long enough to take one and he knows the moment his knee bends further than what's needed to walk his body will collapse. So he heads straight to bed, unsurprisingly, Luffy is awake and anticipating Law's return to give him his “goodnight kiss” that became the only constant thing Luffy upholds. Law tosses himself into bed as soon as he gets his pants off, leaving them on the floor along with his shirt, and Luffy is immediately on him. Not to Law's dismay, he knows he won't last long but the fact that Luffy still wants him when he's coated in sweat and deadweight kind of turns him on. He's right, he doesn't last when Luffy eats him out while running only the pad of his thumb up and down the base of Law's shaft, and GOD does everything *hurt. Law doesn't get that post-nut daze, instead he's hit with an ache deep in every muscle and bone from the souls of his feet to the back of his head that he has no choice but to succumb to. So badly does he want to feel Luffy all over him, all up in him, but he can't ignore his limit if he tries. He gets what he wants anyways, without having said a word Law's exhausted body is crushed by the concrete hold Luffy calls a hug, and Law couldn't be more grateful for Luffy's mysterious workout routine. It's the silent communication of Law's needs that relaxes him further, not needing to rely on his voice for Luffy to know, to understand, his pain makes it all the more easier to just let Luffy take care of him.

You got me out here writing paragraphs man, you've changed my chemical components on a spiritual level lol. Also, I stand by that my headcanon dumps are a bit much, so just know that I don't expect a masterpiece response every time. I MEAN THEY ARE ENCOURAGED CAUSE GYATT DAMN, would ABSOLUTELY eat your writing while dressed better than for a wedding and a napkin in my lap, but I dunno, I don't want you to think I'm trying to make you pump out tailored content for me. Definitely just like my own self-consciousness wanting me to make that clear sorry lol I think this might be the largest headcanon dump I've shared.

-💫💀💫

ANONNN I AM SO SORRY I JUST CHECKED MY INBOX AND SAW THIS BEAUTY!!

I am sooo glad you enjoyed my little oneshot I wrote and it scratched the itch of your last message. I just took that idea and RANNNNNN with it I have to admit.

I am also super happy that you came up with your own head canons omfg I'm frothing. I definitely can't write a whole story this time, but you inspired me to add some of my own little head canons because it was just too good!

You are hilarious and I am picturing you dressed for a wedding waiting for dinner but it's actually just my writing. Don't feel self-conscious, I live for this shit. You can leave headcanons whenever though I can't promise I'll be able to get back asap, I will always slurp it up and add my own thoughts if it's something that speaks to me. Maybe one day you'll decide to share your own stories and I will be the one who gets to leave my headcanons in there! :)

With that being said, here are my thoughts:

I loveee Lulaw aftercare (and just aftercare in general cause who doesn't like the sweet moments after getting your insides rearranged), especially your situation. I'm deceased at the thought of Luffy always waiting up for Law's goodnight kiss. Does he do it because he wants Law to be the last thing he sees every night before bed? Or because he wants to make sure that he's awake if Law needs him after his long hard days at work? Maybe both, Luffy is self-indulgent and also wants to do whatever he can to make Law feel loved and comfortable.

Sometimes Law needs Luffy to fuck him until he forgets about how shit his day was and how maybe he lost a patient and he just needs his mind and body filled with nothing but Luffy who can push him to the edge in unimaginable ways. Luffy never says no, he could eat Law for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He just loves watching the way his normally tense and irritated lover falls apart underneath him. Other times, Law just needs his partner to give him a quick and much-needed release before pulling him into his arms and giving him the attention he craves when he can barely think straight after a stressful day, his body screaming at him to just shut off and let go.

Luffy knows Law so well that he never has to tell him what he wants which is great because Law is terrible about asking for things. He never wants to be a burden, never wants to feel like he's taking too much from Luffy when he's already given him everything he's ever wanted and more. Luffy feels Law's body going limp after he comes, how he sighs contently and buries his face into his chest. Law just needs him there to recharge him, to soothe his weary body and soul and Luffy loves him so much he would never think of doing anything different.

Luffy knows exactly what Law needs in those quiet moments in the dark. He runs his hands over Law's aching body, healing him with his soft touches. Soft kisses are pressed against his skin, no intent to go anywhere further behind them even though Luffy yearns to feel Law around him, to hear his pretty sounds echoing through his ears. That can wait for another time, right now he will just satisfy Law with his gentle caresses. He wraps his arms around Law, pulling his weary form into his arms, so close that he begins to forget where he ends and Law begins just the way he likes it.

Law usually gets so flustered and cranky when Luffy spills his feeling out but they've been doing this for so long now that Luffy knows Law will let him say whatever he wants when they're like this and he takes full advantage of it. He plays with Law's hair, telling him how much he loves him, how he's so lucky to have him in his life, how he wants to be with him forever. He lists all of the thing he loves about him-his compassion, dedication, strength, and beauty.

Law loves the way Luffy's voice sounds when he whispers these sweet nothings into his ear. He's so calm and quiet, so different from his normally loudmouthed self. Sometimes he responds, though usually only with a "thank you" or "I love you". Words are hard for him even though he feels just as strongly for Luffy. It brings him comfort knowing that Luffy never expects him to say anything back, that he does this simply because he wants to.

Once, in a fit of insecurity, Law asked Luffy if he feels neglected because Law is so terrible with words and even though he tries, he just can't express how he feels inside. Luffy simply smiled at him and said "I know how much you love me. You don't need to say it. I just like to tell you because sometimes you get in your head like you are right now and forget". Another time, he apologized to Luffy for being too exhausted to move a muscle after Luffy went down on him. Just like before, Luffy smiled and said "Making you feel good makes me feel good. Taking care of you makes me happy."

After that, Law realized he might just be the luckiest man in the world. He stopped worrying about if Luffy wanted or needed more from him on these days when he he couldn't give anymore. He graciously took all the affection he was given, allowing Luffy's calming voice to lull him to sleep, saying words Law would never be able to accept were all for him.

That's all for today, sorry if it was a little messy I am too tired to proofread any further. Thank you once again for the food for thought <3333

[sentient-stove]

Fuck it,

A non-comprehensive- and better- list of names containing the root word Leo that are better than what the wiki says for Leo Valdez. Because Leonidas is stupid. (no offense[full offense]) (my credentials: i have over 56 percy jackson/heroes of olympus wips and am chronically allergic to using the same name for leo more than a few times. plus leo is my oc)

-Leonidas. The og, the one that everyone seems to think is the canon name. If it was, why didn't Hera or a monster or Gaea never call him it? Anyway, the first Leonidas was a king of Sparta and claimed to be related to Hercules. The modern Leonidas is a chocolate brand.

-Leoni. Just means lioness. It's a female name (a few on this list are) but it still gets the job done of being a longer Leo name but still unique.

-Leocadius. Bright, shining. If you're looking for something vaguely greek-y, this is usually what I go for ngl. Sounds cooler than Leonidas anyway.

-Galileo. Famous inventor/astronomer. Also the only name on this list that doesn't start with Leo, but instead has the name at the end. Does this ruin the lion motif? Maybe! Do I care? No!

-Leora. Compassion, light. Also a more female leaning name, but look me in the eyes and tell me you won't write trans Leo with him just making his birth name more masc, you won't. Or transfemme Leo lengthening her name to Leora.

-León. Meaning lion. Spanish/French/Italian origins. There's a guy on TikTok that calls Leo León exclusively instead of Leonidas. I've had him blocked for months cause I don't like his content but he did have a valid point not calling Leo Leonidas.

-Leota. 'Of the people.' German roots and origins. (I'm actually using this for an au rn where Leo's an oracle/seer lol. Cause, cause... get it? Nevermind.)

-Leonardo. Another famous inventor/astronomer. Need I say more? Also don't tell me Esperanza wouldn't name her baby after an inventor.

-Leonora. Another name meaning light/brightness. You'll notice that Leo can either mean lion/lioness or light. Which I think is fitting for someone who burns so brightly as Leo Valdez.

[saunne]

You know what babe? M gon ask u about yingheng now cause they 💯💯 need the spotlight as well and i WANT the world to know how crazy u are about them. Go fuck shit up dear spouse

*looks at inbox* *looks at ask* *looks at date*

WELL GUESS WHO FORGOR TO ANSWER. I did the XingRen one here but I guess ADHDon't then got in the way and since I open my inbox like, once every three month I just. Forgor. We're kinning Acheron in this house baby.

So. Heart is big cause So Many Thoughts but I think indicating that it could have taken off like a rocket from the top right corner towards distant horizons was also a possibility.

So, YingHeng. YingHeng as "HCQ Era Furnace Master Yingxing" and "Dan Heng of the Astral Express" (and for once it's fixated dynamic). It is a rareship and even more, it is a crackship cause there is absolutely no way for them to ever fucking meet in canon.

Doesn't mean I won't try tho.

(Long babbling under the cut)

It doesn't make any sense because they do not belong to the same timeline at all (700 years apart more or less) and because the only way for them to meet (and do more than that) would actually break the space-time continuum OR involve some really strange and fucked up revival/reincarnation with the existing possibility of destroying/replacing Blade in the worst case scenario process.

BUT AEONS IT DOES COMPEL ME SO MUCH and you would know cause I shoved at least 4 WIPs about them right in your face lmao.

I like this ship because it compels me and scratches a itch in a way that classic RenHeng never really managed to do except for certain fics.

I will admit that I sometimes have troubles with the RenHeng ship and the way their dynamic can be/is portrayed despite loving the ship. RenHeng has a common past involving Yingxing and Dan Feng their past-self/incarnations (whether one agrees or not with the theory/system of thought that DH = DF for that matter) and their ship is based on acceptance/rejection/reflection around this common past, the idea of responsibility and above all an idea of healing of trauma (for BOTH OF THEM).

The main thing is that RenHeng often involves violence (canonical and/or added one) and more or less toxic relationship tropes that I don't always have the desire or energy to deal with, even if the writing of the fic is of exceptional quality (I have a lot of RenHeng fics like that in the waiting list fir when I'm in the mood for it tho) . Sometimes I just want something that's still as emotionally charged but a lot simpler and that's where YingHeng came in.

The biggest problem for YingHeng is to "bring" Yingxing back into the picture and there are several solutions for that :

time travel (him coming or Dan Heng going)

dimensional travel (Curios are very practical for this kind of stupid plot)

Yingxing's memory having survived in one way or another (in an object, in Dan Heng's memories inherited from Dan Feng, sealed outside or inside of Blade)

Alternate Universe (it's easier to make him appear in a modern AU settings than in sorta-canon HSR settings lmao)

I like the third option the best, because it allows me to be able to keep Blade in the picture if I want (whether to do a YingHengRen or just an opposition/comparison study between Yingxing and Blade) or not ( by "killing" Blade by retransforming him/rewinding him back to Yingxing).

My two mains thoughts paths about YingHeng are “longing for something you never had” and “mourning for something you never thought you would have to mourn”.

"Longing for something you never had" is mostly Dan Heng centered. I like to start from the idea that Dan Feng's surviving memories can be a curse because they blur the separation line between their respective identities, but that it can also be a blessing. I like the idea that fuzzy and imprecise surviving memories of XingYue's passionate love could have been one of Dan Heng's greatest comforts during his imprisonment in the Shackling Prison. I like the idea that Dan Heng fell in love with the idea of Yingxing or at least fell in love with the idea of Love and Being Loved because of these memories of Yingxing.

All of this while being intimately aware that they were never intended for him.

I like the idea of Dan Heng longing for something that doesn't belong to him. Of being unable to let go of this feeling of "wanting/desiring/missing" Yingxing's love he felt in Dan Feng's memories despite wanting to separate as much as possible from Dan Feng and the burden of his unintended inheritance. Which can lead to a feeling of shame/embarrassment due to being sorta "voyeuristic" and yet attracted to it. Or on the contrary, a sort of defiance with a "these memories have been imposed on me against my consent so I don't have to feel guilty about anything, let alone my feelings about them".

For Yingxing, it was the idea of how he would deal with grief that interested me. Firstly the mourning of his life/friends (and what they became) if it's a time/dimensional travel scenario. Secondly, if his memory is forced back into Blade's body or stuffed in a newly created body to "re-alive him", the mourning of his past death and having to continue / start living again (whether or not he is immortal after said resurrection). If Blade remains alive it adds yet another level of mourning/philosophical reflection on identity, on what makes someone unique and all the tropes around "what would you ask/would say to your past/future self if given the opportunity". I like the idea of exploring the grievance of the one who died/should have died first ending up mourning the one who should have lived/who was supposed to live.

I like the idea of how Yingxing and Blade might treat differently the whole "is Dan Heng = Dan Feng ?" and "does Dan Heng has to pay for Dan Feng's mistakes/errors/crimes ?". I like the idea of Yingxing being "excuse me I was married to/in love with Dan Feng and I can tell you that Dan Heng is definitely not him" compared to Jingliu and Blade's "Dan Heng is Dan Feng" motto. I like the idea of exploring the theme of the difference between Dan Heng and Dan Feng through Yingxing's eyes rather than Blade's.

I like the idea of Yingxing bringing emotional and identity stability to Dan Heng by falling in love with Dan Heng not for his similarities with Dan Feng but for his differences with him. Because Dan Feng was irreplaceable and nothing could take his place in Yingxing's heart, especially not what would appear as a poor copy of his former lover. I want Dan Heng to feel comfortable asking Yingxing about Dan Feng, because Yingxing never compared them as a before/after or past/present but always kept talking about Dan Feng as if he was Dan Heng's deceased brother or distant relative.

Also, I'm sorry but I find Yingxing more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes than Blade, even more when you put him in the Artisanship Commission uniform and next to short-haired no Vidyadhara features 4-Stars Dan Heng. Also, Yingxing should have wrinkles like crow feets and smile lines. And not completely white hair, but more like a salt and pepper hair with mostly grey/white hair but some surviving black hair.

I think they should hold hands and cuddle in the Archives Room while Dan Heng updates Yingxing on what happened while he was dead and asks him about crafting and Zhuming to add to the Express Database.

*gestures* I'm nowhere near the term "sanity" when it comes to them.

[koulakoukoula2003]

controversial opinions: erwin would prefer modern/contemporary art museums because he'd find the art more interesting to analyze and read about, erwin is a bit of a bastard man, erwin actually has a good sense of humor (bit cheeky even, in a casual and subdued way) + he does appreciate good banter with people he trusts, although he values traditions and customs erwin isn't as traditionalistic as people think, erwin isn't necessarily scholarly by nature, "erwin never cries or gets emotional" ???

Finally someone's not asking for smut LMAO

Erwin would prefer modern/contemporary art museums:

At first, I was like nah I don't think so but when I actually considered it, I think you're right??? This man likes puzzles and he likes putting his brilliant brain to use to let everyone around him know that he's smart af so maybe, just maybe, he does prefer modern art but he's also appreciating the older, classic, renaissance whatever it's called, art.

Erwin is a bit of a bastard:

That he is LMAO especially canon!Erwin. If you think canon!Erwin will ever love you, you are a total idiot LMAOOO this man will only use you if you have something to offer and he WILL be feeling bad about it but he still won't stop cuz you're actually pretty helpful with something (fighting titans or being very brilliant strategically or whatever). This man doesn't know how to do this weird thing called feelings.

I know y'all are deprived of the perfect man and you imagine that Erwin IS the perfect man y'all need, but let's be honest with ourselves, he's anything but perfect. He's a manipulative son of a bitch who's going to use up everything you have to offer and you won't even be mad about it.

Erwin has a good, cheeky sense of humour:

On that, I will disagree, Erwin has a terrible sense of humour when all he's making is dad jokes that only he laughs at AHAHAHA ERWIN HAS BOOMER humour ok? this man has no idea how to have fun, all he's focused on is his work and his duties and whatever boring thing you can think about. He doesn't make jokes, but when he does, only he and Miche laugh istg but he DOES appreciate good banter with people he trusts I AGREE on that.

A joke that Erwin would say: "I have a joke about vegetables... but it's corny."

queue crickets chirping in the background

Athough he values traditions and customs, Erwin isn't as traditionalistic as people think:

It's me, I'm people AHAHAH I do think that Erwin is a traditional man and LET'S BE REAL and consider that all canon events take place in a WWII kind of era, so if we really want to be canon, consider that he's a military commander in the 1940s-1950s. What we call now traditional was modern for them back then lmaooo and because I have a smalllll fixation with those decades (cuz I've been writing an original book with an erwinlike character that takes place in the 50s) a military man in WWII who used to fight nazis for breakfast would be a man that we would totally call traditional today.

Traditional meaning that he'll be the one to provide for you, he'll work day and night, he'll be bringing you flowers and chocolate boxes whenever you're having an anniversary. He's a soft dom (or rough if you ask him to lmao) BASICALLY he's 100% a dom, TO SUM IT UP he is everything your grandpa/great-grandpa was in his prime I guess.

BUT if we're talking about modern AU erwin, then yes, I will agree. Modern!AU Erwin is not as traditionalistic as most would think he is. Such traits and mindsets are vastly dependent on where and when someone was born ofc.

Erwin isn't necessarily scholarly by nature:

If his father wasn't killed by the government when he was just a child, he wouldn't have thrown himself in books and conspiracy theories and historical books. IF Erwin's dad never died and he had grown up normally, he probably wouldn't have joined the army at all???? Im not sure, just saying that his father's death had a huge impact on his life and his decisions.

But I DO think that he's a bookworm??? In every scene we have of him in snk he's in his office surrounded by hundreds of books LMAO if that ain't a nerd right there, idek what is. I BET in modern AU he'd be wearing glasses too.

LET'S BE HONEST a man who reads and studies and is literally buried in books IS HOT. I DON'T WANT MY MAN DUMB and Erwin certainly isn't

Erwin never cries or gets emotional:

NOT in front of others. And even when he does breakdown, it's very, very, VERY rare. He does have the 'im a big strong man and big strong men are not allowed to cry' ego. He IS harsh on himself but most of the time he's trying to ignore all the burdens and guilt and regret that befalls him that eventually pile up and he's breaking down and crying, but EVEN THAT is silent and quiet.

I imagine him TOTALLY ALONE with his back against one of his many bookcases, seated on the floor, messy hair, wrinkly shirt, unshaved face, a total mess, crying silently cuz every time he closes his eyes all he sees are friends that he's the one who's sent them to their deaths.

Listen, canon!Erwin suffers probably more than most characters in snk (actually no everybody suffers in snk but you know what I mean ok?) he does act like the big strong commander with a resolve of steel BUT HE IS HUMAN and he DOES breakdown however silent it is.

There's lots of shit that comes with the position he has. No one could have ever dealt with all of this better than him, but he still breaks in the late hours of the night when no one is there to visit him and see him in a state that he doesn't want anyone to see him in.

And that's why hoes like me write fanfiction uwu

[o-ramir-o]

RAMIR'S NAVIGATION

Howdy, welcome to my page! You can call me Vin or Ramir, whatever you like! I am a 15 year old minor, thus I won't write any smut. I will write and post fluff, angst, character x character or character x reader

𝑅𝒰𝐿𝐸𝒮:

FOR REQUEST'S ╰┈➤ If you have a prompt/scenerio you want me to write, you can be specific about them but please don't write the story for me. This will really limit my imagination and put various bindings on how I'll write it. ╰┈➤ Ff you noticed I didn't list a fandom or a character that you'd want me to write for, please ask. It may be that I forgot about it/them, and can write for you! ╰┈➤ When asking for multiple character's from one fandom, for example Jujutsu Kaisen, please specify what characters you have in mind instead of saying "Imagine the JJK men.." ╰┈➤ Just because I know a character from this franchise, doesn't mean I will write what you ask for. Some character's I may find complicated or hard to write. Please be understanding toward this. ╰┈➤ Be patient with me. When I said that I accept your request and scenerio, I will write it but the time taken on it may vary. ╰┈➤ If you request a teenage charcter, please have in mind that I automatically make you (the reader) also a teenager. ╰┈➤ Please look into the things, characters and fandoms I can write for before asking me, thank you! FOR INTERACTION'S ╰┈➤ I'm okay with anything, as long as whatever you're asking about follows the rules and my Yes&No's ╰┈➤ I'm open (and happy) to disscus with a character or a fandom (if i know it, of course) ╰┈➤ Do not ask personal questions, be it regarding my private life, my family. Anything connected to my IRL world that isn't a valid and understandable question will be ignored/blocked. Thank you for understanding.

𝒴𝑒𝓈&𝒩𝑜:

⚝ 𝒴𝑒𝓈: ╰┈➤ I'm okay with writing fluff, angst and suggestive pieces. ╰┈➤ Character x Character or Reader x Character is also okay with me (the reader's gender will never be specified unless asked for this. I want everyone to read and enjoy my work.) ╰┈➤ I'm okay with writing gore fics, cannibalism, obsessive/possessive characters/reader's or anything that's brutal. (If you wish for one, please specify how gruesome it has to be.) ╰┈➤ I'm fine with writing in diffrent settings/AU's if needed. Modern, royalty, gods, pirate&mermaid, you name it. If there is a setting that I'm not familiar with and/or have trouble understanding I won't write it. Thank you for understanding. ╰┈➤ I'm fine with writing platonic and romantic ships (so far as they are legal. If you reguest something involving a minor and an adult being together, be aware that your request will be reported.) ╰┈➤ Writing A/B/O doesn't bother me, as long as it's not NSFW. ╰┈➤ More to be added!

⚝ 𝒩𝑜: ╰┈➤ NSFW pieces. Please understand that I am a minor and won't be taking such request's. Thank you. ╰┈➤ Trans character's. I am not trans myself and I don't understand how tough the process is, so I won't force myself into it. ╰┈➤ Genderbend. ╰┈➤ Anything illegal is off the table; pedophilia, incest ect. ╰┈➤ Won't write or completely ignore specified Reader's featues (chubby, curly hair, race or anything color related (hair, eyes ect.)). I want my reader's to be free to imagine themselves without a Reader(you) look pressed at them. ╰┈➤ Won't write anything standing out much out of canon. If what you requested is originally seated into a modern and no-power setting, I won't write reader having powers or already fantasy character's "second body" canonically astablished. If a character is representing/is a/or has the characteristic of, for example a lion, I won't write them being a tiger. Thank you for understanding. ╰┈➤ Even if specified that the scenerio/prompt isn't NSFW, I won't write anything related to child-play (one character acting like a little child), forced feminization). Please keep your kinks and turn-on's far away from here.

𝐹𝒪𝑅 𝒲𝐻𝒜𝒯 𝒜𝒩𝒟 𝒲𝐻𝒪 𝐼 𝒲𝑅𝐼𝒯𝐸 𝐹𝒪𝑅:

࣪ ִֶָ☾. Jujutsu Kaisen ➜ Itadori Yuji, Fushiguro Megumi, Kugisaki Nobara, Gojo Satoru, Nanami Kento, Maki Zenin, Toji Zenin, Inumaki Toge, Mai Zenin, Aoi Todo ࣪ ִֶָ☾. Wuthering Waves ➜ Rover, Yangyang, Chixia, Baizhi, Aalto, Calcharo, Jianxin, Jihsi, Jiyan, Lingyang, Mortefi, Taoqi, Yinlin, Xiangli Yao, Zhezhi (with Danjin, Verina and Encore being only platonical/parental options). ࣪ ִֶָ☾. Kaiju No.8 ➜ Hibino Kafka, Kikoru Shinomiya, Leno Ichikawa, Iharu Furuhashi ࣪ ִֶָ☾. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. ➜ Kaidou Shun,Kobayasu Aren, Mera Chisato, Saiki Kusuo, Saiko Metori, Teruhashi Makoto, Rifuta Imu, Aiura Mikoto, Hairo Kineshi, Toritsuka Reita, Yumehara Chiyo

MORE TO BE ADDED

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

evidently i need to have at least three works rotating at my head at any one time, bc i just started on zombie apocalypse AU tes/hes

anyway does anyone have suggestions for the setting. the only thing i got going for it right now is that it literally takes the world ending for hestio to go "hey wait maybe i should do something about my feelings". normally i would redact homophobia out of a story altogether, but in the case of tes/hes i think them feeling like they can't realistically get together is an important part of their dynamic. in the canon universe i used the vatican's "sacred sheep can't get married" stance, but for this AU i replaced it with general modern-day homophobia (rip)

it's going to be a modern AU instead of being set in the canon universe, because canon universe tesilid already has enough problems without a zombie apocalypse and i can't deal with all that.

which 1) means that he won't have his stigmata restrictions? which means (gasp) he probably dated at some point?? some people would have asked him out - him being extremely handsome is an important part of his character after all. and with his pushover personality i think he would have gone out with some people and have had some extremely terrible experiences. which tbh is sad bc i do want this AU to be exploring the both of them having their first romantic relationship 🤔 so maybe i'll change that up idk

i think tesilid will still be very stuffy and proper even without the restrictions by having some crazy strict and controlling guardian. plus, tutorial era tesilid did have a very strong moral compass, he is intrinsically motivated to do good and help others.

2) tbh i also want them to be adults in this AU though because lowkey i don't want to deal with writing teenagers lmao, and they're already 20 in canon. we didn't really get to see their teenage years so i don't really know how to write them at that age.

i can't think of what jobs to give them though. all three of them are definitely tied to jobs they kind of hate, although tesilid doesn't outwardly show it and he's a top performer at whatever it is that he's doing. i thought of tying them down to a modern AU version of the vatican, but the only thing i can think of that takes in a bunch of children and milks them of their worth is uh. very criminal and illegal. and i'm not sure that such an unethical organisation would keep its children alive until adulthood. while i'm sure that tesilid could be made an exception, hestio & ephael would probably be too average to be spared.

oh and also ephael isn't in this AU because i don't know what to do with him. he wasn't with them when the zombies hit and they haven't seen hide nor hair of him since. i'm sure he's fine tho! 😀

[spaceofentropy]

20 questions for fic writers (and artists)

I was tagged by @dragonflylady77 and, why not? Why not procrastinate a bit? :P

1. How many works do you have on ao3(Tumblr)?

14.

2. What's your total ao3 (Tumblr) word count?

253,035 as of right the fuck now. Holy moly that's a lot.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've written for Why R U? and now for Stranger Things.

4.What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Of soulmates and colors (a chonky metalsandwich soulmates AU)

What happens in Vegas... (a WhyRU? canon divergence with Tor waking up in Vegas, married to his ex)

I just came to say... (modern era Harringrove meet cute)

Amok (modern era Harringrove thing about Billy meeting his mom by chance and being conflicted as fuck)

Like a curse (the WhyRU? heist AU nobody had asked for but they still had to face)

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

I try. Sometimes I'm slow as fuck and sometimes I'm perched on my inbox like a starving hawk, but I always try.

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

Probably What doesn't kill you makes you a monster, which is an angst fest built around body horror and body mutation which ends with Steve having basically no hope about the future. But then, months after, I went and wrote a follow up fic where Steve gets to find another monster and fall in love with him and have a HEA, so I guess it only half-counts ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uh... I honestly don't know. I mean, I mostly write fics with a good ending or at worst a hopeful ending (like Come Close) and I honestly don't think I can't rank which of my HEA fics is the happiest, so, all the happy ones? I guess?

8. Do you get hate on any fics (Art)?

So far, never.

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

Yep, I do, even if it's hard as hell and I always feel like it sucks. As for what kind... uh... I don't know how to answer... The smutty kind? Sometimes it's soft. and sometimes it's hurried, and sometimes it's filthy monsterfucking because monsters, too, deserve to get laid.

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

My heist AU is a crossover between one show, a different show, and an AU of the first show. Two actors from the first show play minor parts in the second show. It's a wild, wild thing.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

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

No.

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

Harringrove.

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

Probably that one Gallavich thing I wrote 90k words of because I had to put it out of my head and is close to the end but when I look at it makes me feel eh because Ian's part of the plot feels to passive and NOPE!, that's so fucking wrong, vade retro Satana!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Plotting and dialogue. And wild ideas.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. Smut.

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

To quote Guin, "get it checked by a person who speaks that language before you post". Preferably a native speaker who can tell you if it sounds like your easy going teenager was possessed by the ghost of a stuffy academic from the 1820s. Also, it's a hard balance to make it not too distracting, to make sure it doesn't kill the pace of the story, so good luck in your endeavours, fellow writers!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Honestly no idea.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I love them all, they are my self-indulgent nuggets of entertainment and I won't pit them one against the other trying to choose a favorite. I reject this question. U_U

I should tag people, theoretically, but honestly I don't have the brain power for it tonight. If you read this and want to do this, consider yourself tagged. Have fun! :3

[m0ther-of-p3arl]

soooo i'm thinking of writing an au

just gonna throw that out there so yall won't be surprised if i randomly throw a fic or seven in your faces <3

FOR REFERENCE: this is gonna be a long post of me talking about shit i wanna write, it's mostly for my future self to look back and so i have all my thoughts in one place (i'm unorganized ok) and im publishing it so it's easier to find, but this is really mostly for my personal benefit in the future but if you all find it interesting yay thats great :)

anyhow

if i /do/ write an au, and that's a big if as my irl friends know about this acc and the teasing i could endure would be /endless/, it would be:

empires s1, with maybe some traffic characters thrown in- i don't feel like wc meshes very well with empires (else i would add it), unless the witchcraft witches were like at gem's academy or s2 shubble's witch school (OOOH that's an idea in and of itself lol

probably flower husbands based, or maybe mean gills, as they're slowly clawing up my mcyt ship tierlist... i'll have to think a bit on that one, but scott will most likely be the main character, cuz he was my very very first exposure to the wonderful world of empires and mcyt in general (found him through lauren, watched ep 1 of empires s2 and was hooked)

only very loosely based on canon events, i'd more be wanting to play around with the characters. therefore, out of the 3 ideas i have (more on that in a bit) i'd be more inclined to pick the more modern-day ones- though there would be fantasy elements of course like babe its empires

i have 3 main ideas that i feel like i could use- i'll put em in a poll if yall wanna vote, more info on each of them underneath

so yeah the first two are awfully similar- the main difference being that in the first option, the characters would be teachers, and in the second, students. imma go through all these a lil more in-depth, as i have ideas for all of them and i wanna see which one you all would rather read and i shall weigh that in on which one i'll (possibly) (ALLEGEDLY) write

teachers: scott is a teacher/the headmaster (i'll decide which later) at empires university (PLACEHOLDER NAME i swear i will come up with a better one) (probably) and jimmy is a new teacher who's just come onto the scene. he continually messes things up and scott is fed up with him and so they have a CHAT but obviously scott is traumatized by something in his past probably xornoth related or relating to one of the death games (life series) and jimmy is just CUTE but scott doesn't realize it and scott goes on being dumb about it and there is ANGST and such

students: basically the same general plot, but scott lives with horrible parents and jimmy becomes a reprieve and they become like best friends but they both have a secret crush on eachother (like in trust au omdsfksjdlkf go read it right now stop reading this rambling post and go read trust au SO GOOD SLDKFJ its by @/thetomorrowshow) and eventually scott is living at jimmy's house full time (jimmy has a cod tank in his room bc ofc) and then stuff happens heehhehehe no spoilers but again: ANGST

the main deal with these is there's ANGST (but also fluff because the two go hand in hand)

war: this is the main different one sooo it's set in the original empires world, but the cod empire and rivendell have been at war for decades and scott and jimmy hate each other but THEN they like meet one day and neither realizes who the other is until too late because they've never seen each other in real life and it's blasphemy and they like each other and all that yadayadayada ANGST

ummmmm anyway that's my fucking long rambling post done good graciousness this is the longest post i've ever done- anyway let me know (or don't, again, for my personal benefit) which one you would rather read and if any of them sound engaging at all- personally, i'm leaning towards students or war over teachers, i was full-in students but now i have so many great ideas for the war one- god i'm so messed up

that will be all

farewell

[misfitsandmusings]

Trafalgar Law: Verses, Wishlist, Fave Ships, etc.

♡ Main (Canon): Corresponding with the events of the anime/manga, canon-compliant. Interactions set between Sabaody and Zou preferred (my grasp on Wano is pretty poor because I speed-read the entire manga in two months and I retained very little from most of it. To revisit at a later date.) Open to exploring pre-Sabaody timeline and I love canon-divergent AUs.

♡ Heartverse: "What If" canon-divergent AU built with @climatact, in which: Bellemere lived, Nami became a marine, Law had an extra year with Cora-san as a child and their travels to find a cure for Law brought them to the East where their paths crossed with Bellemere and her two daughters. A chance encounter on an island in the Grand Line years later upends the trajectory of both of their lives. Tagged: ♡ // verse: heartverse ; || Ships: LawNa ♡

Heartverse series of events: during the 2-year timeskip, Law crosses paths with Marine!Nami on an island in the Grand Line (the first time they’ve seen each other since he visited her island when he was 11.) A mutual attraction/curiosity upon their reunion leads to a one-night-turned-two stay in a fancy hotel, a jewelry store heist that results in Nami leaving her unfulfilling career behind to join his pirate crew, and an unexpected addition to their lives. Following Law’s appointment as a Shichibukai, the two head back to her home in the East until baby Cora-chan makes her appearance. She’s later left in the care of Nojiko and Bellemere while the two travel to Punk Hazard. After the run-in with the Straw Hats, Nami still ends up joining as their navigator and the two, although married, sail on in pursuit of their individual goals.

♡ Tangerine Trysts: A spin-off of a spin-off; another take on Heartverse in which Law and Nami's initial background (meeting as kids, Bellemere living, Nami becoming a marine) stays the same but Law and Nami run into each other on Sabaody, again at Marineford, and carry on an relationship of sorts while she remains a marine. || Ships: LawNa ♡

♡ Currently Untitled Godverse: AU built with @climatact based on a shared appreciation for the tale of Hades & Persephone, ft. Law as the god of the Underworld and Nami as a mortal living in some of the hardest times the mortal realm has ever seen. Tagged: ♡ // godverse tbt ; || Ships: LawNa ♡

♡ Godverse Spin-off: the “closer to the actual tale of Hades and Persephone but still not quite” take. In which a god takes a liking to the pretty mortal woman he met when business brought him to the mortal realm. || Ships: LawNa

Working On (or would like to explore): a BSD verse, maaaaybe a Demon Slayer verse!

Haven't worked out the details yet but I'd love to explore a "Cora-san lived" AU where Law did not hand over Rosinante's message to THE ONE marine he should not have. (FU Vergo.)

Have also been toying with something where Law, possibly in a modern verse or maybe some fantasy/non-OP setting, actually dabbles in trading hearts for a business; i.e. he'll grant a wish but the price is your heart.

Law Wishlist / Ship Stuff:

Opportunities for him to treat/tend to people - scenarios where even if it's not someone he particularly likes, they need advice or medical attention and he's the only one around to provide it.

Middle of the night interactions since Law's sleeping patterns are abysmal. One or both muses waking up from a nightmare? Lots on their mind? Enjoying the quiet?

As much as I love angst and drama and traumatized characters, Law could use some happy times, so I'm always up for exploring what-ifs where any of his lost loved ones survived.

Ships: My favorite Law ship is Law x Nami. I'm always down to write it, but will not force it on any Namis of course. Other ships I'm intrigued by include Law x Zoro, Law x Robin, and Law x Luffy (I generally see Luffy as an aro/ace icon BUT this is literally the only ship I see potential for for him). However, just because something isn't listed here doesn't mean I won't entertain it. I'm basically shipping trash, although I tend not to to ship him with any of his crewmates and will not ship him with Mingo or Cora-san.

Mandatory disclaimer that I love, love, love AUs - if you'd ever be interested in working on one together, whether it's based on a canon-divergent 'what if?' or an entirely new world/story, SHOUT AT ME ABOUT IT. I also love finding ways to interact in each other's verses, so if you have a verses page I'll definitely check it out -- and if you're interested at all in hopping into one of mine, just let me know!

Have an idea for your verse you want to play out? Tell me about it!

[theleakypen]

Fic Writer Interview Game

Thank you for the tag (almost 2 years ago) @gusu-emilu!

I am tagging literally anybody who sees this and wants to play :D

name: Puck

fandoms: multifandom! although Untamed/MDZS continues to be my main

two-shots: I never understand this question but it looks like it means to rec your own two-chapter fics so here we go: Stories More Beautiful Than Answers (CQL, Mianmian gets to meet Jin Ling post-canon) and Rhûnlanders (I published it as a series of 2 separate fics, but it's basically 1 thing: Songxiao in Middle Earth - Xiao Xingchen is an Elf and Song Zichen is a Man, both from Rhûnland so they're still Asian)

most popular multi-chapter fic: Obviously Yunmeng In-Laws (my and @iamwestiec's CQL modern AU groupchat fic which had bafflingly runaway success) has to be the answer to this. But if we're only going by ones written solely by me, it's But, After All, I Am A Wen (incomplete Wen Qing canon divergence wherein she actually takes and uses the comb Jiang Cheng gave her to commit treason and save her family's lives)

actual worst part of writing: having the fucking brain space to fucking write, fuck. it's been really hard bc i have so many other obligations and they eat my brain so even if i have ideas i can't get them to turn into prose :(

how you choose your titles: in order of likelihood: first, quote from the fic itself; joint second place, something kinda descriptive of the fic or lines from a poem or song

do you outline? not generally. I did outline my multichapter Wen Qing fic bc it's so much more ambitious than anything else i've ever worked on and I occasionally do something resembling in an outline in the doc of my one shots when i know what happens in the sections but don't have the prose yet; it's usually, like, a series of bracketed statements.

ideas you probably won't get around to, but wouldn't it be nice? oh god so many lmao. i have an entire channel in my writing discord that is just these ideas. One idea I have is a Songxiao no eye transfer AU because BSSR doesn't open the mountain back up to XXC and how they have to deal with that. Also I have yet to write any Witcher fic but I've been playing Witcher 3 and I really wanna write a Vesemir POV fic that's 5+1 "5 times Geralt sent some random-ass stranger to Kaer Morhen and 1 time he came home" inspired by all the times in Witcher 3 when you can help someone and then be like "Oh yeah you'd be welcome at Kaer Morhen"

spicy tangential opinion: not that spicy but i wish more people would comment, especially on the smaller/less popular fics. i see your kudos! it makes me happy! but i'd love to know your thoughts if you have any!

callouts @ me: none of my self-callouts are writing-related, it's all just - clean your room, go the fuck to sleep, you're not a teenager any more and your body hurts less when you do basic life maintenance tasks. (honestly i'd probably also write better/more if i did basic life maintenance tasks so it counts lol)

best writing traits: Westie once said I'm good at making soft things hurt and I hold that compliment close to my heart <3

[elsiebrayisgay]

20 questions for fic writers

thank you @purlturtle for the tag; i'm honored to be thought of! The questions!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

just one right now but i think it's extremely good! i worked very hard for a long time on it. more of these queer feelings (https://archiveofourown.org/works/43759465/chapters/110039971) is a college AU of phyrexian praetors sheoldred and elesh norn! i also have a second that is very soon to be posted once beta is finished!

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

currently 25,912 and yes i do know off the top of my head :3

3. What fandoms do you write for?

i don't know if i'll write more magic: the gathering but i would like to; beyond that baldur's gate 3 has had a huge impact on me in basically every creative work i do and i keep going back to it!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

there is only just the one i've posted but i will take the opportunity to talk more about more of these queer feelings! it spawned from my girlfriend and i talking about phyrexian high school/college AUs and the fact that magic doesn't have a lot of canon disabled characters; i thought (in my opinion) sheoldred would not be able-bodied in a human au and it is essentially an exploration of two characters who are brutal and terrifying but who get to learn vulnerability if they are just normal humans on earth.

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

i used to let my girlfriend and co-writer do all of this to remain aloof and cool but i've decided that everyone is cringe in the end and so every commenter will receive all my undying gratitude (as long as it keeps being a reasonable number.)

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

i think my current WIP, which is shadowzel ballet academy AU has a lot more potential for an angsty ending; shadowheart is pretty set from the start to be on a very limited clock to keep being able to dance and probably will not have any prospects to by the time it ends but i think negotiating the gap between expectations for the future and what reality brings you still has a lot of potential for growth and learning and self-acceptance so it's probably not going to be super brutal if i'm being honest. i like to give queer girls at least happy-ish endings if i can.

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

in the middle of writing more of these queer feelings i decided i wanted the very end to be sheoldred and elesh norn, now happily girlfriends, saying they love each other but specifically because i want anyone who feels they relate to either character to know that they are loved and cherished if not immediately then at least through me, through the act of love of sharing parts of myself through my writing. the ending of that fic is about solidarity and love for queer women and disabled women and ND & mentally ill women. absolutely the most earnest happy ending i've ever written.

8. Do you get hate on fic?

i never have and hopefully never will but know this: if being a shadowzel blog means i am a karheart anti, i will take up arms in defense of what i believe is good and right.

9. Do you write smut?

haven't yet, probably won't, nothing against it, just isn't for me i don't think, for a number of reasons.

10. Do you write crossovers?

i find that a lot of my inspiration to write fic is in the intersection of a piece of media and the au i want to write. i don't know if college aus count as crossovers but while i haven't written anything including many media franchises, i think there is a transformation and a fitting-together of pieces that feels very similar in my great enthusiasm for a modern/period earth AU, which has been a lot of what i've written.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no but i would be kind of honored, honestly. if what i've written is so good that someone else tries to put their name on it, i'm flattered! (uh but please don't though it's still probably bad ;-; my girlfriend said she would beat you up if you stole my writing.)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

oh lord no, but the above answer times a thousand. if someone was to go to that effort i feel like i'd need to send them a special gift basket with seasonal fruits and everything.

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

yes! more of these queer feelings was co-written from the very beginning with my now-girlfriend, and though i think we probably would have ended up together anyway by knowing each other, i don't think the writing process did anything at all to dissuade us from our mutual romantic interest.

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

before bg3 i don't know if i would have had an answer, maybe like mailee or katara/yue or something but i didn't have particular ships i was super into. that being said, shadowzel has hit me full force and even when it isn't being nominated for goty those ladies are still going to be living rent-free in my head.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

i've been messing around with some wolfic (FFXIV player character, for those unaware) that is probably either just for me or only to inform my roleplay in that game; i have a document but it's probably never getting posted anywhere. still, i think about it and add things sometimes.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think images and ideas or concepts are my strong suit. i'll have ideas for characters or a scene or a description of something, and try to develop my writing around what i feel is a strong central idea.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

actual narrative structure and more traditional prose fiction skills are not where i developed my writing skills. my english literature education focused largely on poetry, and my extracurricular writing was almost all text-RP so there's a lot of stuff i haven't practiced.

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

i am a mostly monolingual american and while i have retained some french from speaking it at home with family and from school, it's conversational and jokes at best. that being said if i can get a « qui me frappe avec ce poisson ? » in anywhere i will absolutely try.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

i don't want to talk about the atla OCs RP beyond "those happened, and for a lot of other fandoms as well" but more of these queer feelings was the first time i gave anything a serious go with the intention to produce something good enough i'd be proud to post it.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

i'm going to copy john darnielle and say of course i'm always the most invested in the new thing when i have something new i'm working on, so most of the thoughts i'm having are about hoping other people like shadowzel ballet AU because i'm proud of it, but queer feelings will always have a place in my heart. maybe it's trite but i think i've done a good job with the writing i've put serious effort into; i hope any readers think the same.

[onewingedsparrow]

For the WIP thing:

The Sound of My Spark (because it sounds like it might go with a personal headcanon/story idea of mine)

Shadowzoned (no explanation needed 😉)

Cortado (because it happens to be the title of a song I really like)

Operation Bumblebee Sketch (because it’s ‘Bee, and I’m hoping to get a glimpse. Lol)

I decided to ask about a few since there were so many that sounded interesting to me. 😄

Hi Nova! <3 Thanks for the ask! All righty, lol I love all this curiosity! Also, coincidentally (or not?) half of these happen to be about TFP Soundwave, so your instincts are spot on ;) This post got kinda long, but I know you won't mind. From the top:

"The Sound of My Spark" is an interesting case. It originally started out as a pre-canon one-shot exploring how TFP Soundwave met his Minicons. (Likely canon-divergent, since I still haven't read the Aligned novels. At the time I started writing (over a year ago), I didn't know Soundwave's canonical origin story, and just wanted to explore him being a gladiator in the Pits, alongside Megatron.)

I chose the title because I wanted to find a connection between TFP Soundwave and music (or soundwaves, if you will) that was different from his iterations in, say, Cyberverse or G1, where he literally had a music player built into him. Inspired by Optimus and 'Bee's connection in "The Song Forever Calling," I began to ponder a different scenario: What if individual sparks carried a song of their own? What if each bot's sparkbeat carried a unique musical voice, and Combiners (or Minicons + Soundwave) literally had to stay on beat with each other in order to move together? That's when the fic took off, gaining a very interesting aspect. I chose time signatures for writing Soundwave's POV, based on his emotions during each scene, and matched each word to that beat. It became poetry, in a way <3 It's quite fun to reread, lol. And at THAT point, after writing a certain number of interactions between Soundwave and Laserbeak, Ravage, Frenzy, Rumble, Megatron and more...I realized that the story I really wanted to write about Soundwave wasn't a fic at all. 💜 So, while this WIP has been technically abandoned, I would not call it irrelevant. It has become something greater. I do not know if the musical aspect will remain a key plot point in the newly transformed story, but it certainly runs in the background of the worldbuilding. Now I'm curious about your headcanon / story idea as well! Shadowzoned, my beloved. "Shadowzoned" was the first of my two major RiD-canon-divergent fics. I'm very displeased with how S3 treated Soundwave (I actually refuse to believe that's the same bot as TFP Soundwave. That's gotta be a dude from an AU), but if you discount all of S3 for Soundwave, that means S2's "Portals" was the last thing he got in-universe, and he was kicked right back into the Shadowzone. Poor guy. BUT Soundwave is incredibly intelligent; and even in a ghost dimension, even with his vow of silence intact, even after he DID successfully escape and was thrown back in...he has a plan. An ally. An ally who doesn't even know he's helping Soundwave, because Decepticons have to be crafty when seeking aid from humans. Especially when that human is one Soundwave has a history with. Rafael Esquivel. "Cortado" is a modern coffeeshop AU for the half-elf twins, Vex and Vax. :) The idea is somewhat silly, but it's a coffee AU, so it can get away with it. 😆 Basically, the twins don't know that they're twins, until Vax randomly visits a local café and nearly has a heart attack when he realizes the barista handing him his drink looks identical to him. Meanwhile, Vex is equally shocked, and immediately begins scheming how to figure out what's up with her mysterious doppelganger. In a chaotic, roundabout way, they eventually learn the truth. I haven't written this one in a while, but it's a nice, lighthearted piece to come back to when I need a break from heavier works. The "Operation Bumblebee sketch" is actually one I showed you before! It was my first actual success at capturing TFP Optimus, lol. It's called that because I was redrawing a screenshot from the episode Operation: Bumblebee. I'm glad you brought it up, this is a reminder for myself to finish it and post it soon. Seriously, it could have been done a year or so ago, but I got lost in perfectionism when it came to capturing all the details of the TFP designs 😅 Since that time, I've learned to embrace "finished; not perfect!" far more in my art endeavors, especially when it comes to TFP designs.

Tell you what, I'll tag you when I post it! In the meantime, here's a glimpse for you :D

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Oh my gosh you guys, it finally happened!!! I got my very first negative review of a thing on Ao3!!! I'm genuinely so excited, so let's take a look and see what we can use and what we can safely write off as a difference in taste! (I have removed the name of the commenter to protect their privacy; do NOT go harass this person.)

I woke up to this comment in my Ao3 in my inbox:

So first thing's first: I laughed so hard I cried a little. Because literally WHAT??? This is an Ao3 PSA: If you don't like a fic, you can just leave quietly. It's ok, you have my permission not to announce your departure.

However, we have a comment here, so let's take a look. This is actually pretty polite all things considered. The first line manages my expectations really well through the use of "unfortunately" and "will not continue reading." Like right off the bat I am clear on the commenter's intentions. And I do appreciate clarity, it prevents everyone from guessing. I also honestly appreciate the attempt at reading my story. Like sincerely, thanks for trying it.

The next sentence is also extremely clear, but also quite opaque. This person doesn't like my Penelope and won't root for her. Ok, cool, fair enough. We don't all have to like the same characters. That's the super clear part. As a writer, I'm curious as to why, but since no details are given, I just have to assume it's a difference in taste and move on. And I will give this much props to the commenter: They didn't offer unsolicited advice on how I "should" have written the character. That is really good etiquette, because I did not ask for constructive criticism and they didn't offer that. So well done there!

Now we have a couple of interesting character questions about whether Lady Whistledown means enough to Pen to die for. I think this is purely a disagreement of characterization, because obviously my answer is yes, and obviously their answer is no. And fair enough, we're allowed to interpret characters differently. I think Lady Whistledown is an integral part of Penelope's character, so I wrote it that way. People are welcome to disagree with me and write their versions of Pen differently. I'm not about to change that, so I chalk this up to a matter of different tastes and I'm moving on.

Moving on to those last two sentences, that suggest that Book and Show Penelope does not think Lady Whistledown is important enough to die for. While I don't think we've seen enough of season 3 of Bridgerton yet to really know if this is true of Show Penelope, I agree that it's true of Book Penelope. But here's the thing. Fanfic is vast and varied and can encompass a ton of different things, from modern and coffee shop AUs to slash fics to fix-it fics to in name only fics. Conserving, complying with, or being complicit in the canon is rarely the point of fanfic, and it certainly wasn't my goal.

So ultimately, I think what we have here is a clash in taste and fic preferences, and the amazing thing about the internet is that there are fics for everyone. I genuinely hope this commenter finds some fics that align more to their tastes.

For me as a writer though? What I'm taking away from this comment is a good laugh and the knowledge that academic peer review actually does WONDERS for thickening up one's critical skin, because ten years ago I'd have been a puddle over this wondering what I did wrong.

To all my fanfic girlies (gender neutral) out there, have fun and remember to tell authors when you like and love their work!