#maybe a wip game if i think people will engage

[bittersweet-skylines]

abandoning my steddie slow burn vampire au once again to start a brand new fic, maybe someday one of my five wips will actually be published <3

[osarina]

ᡣ𐭩 WICKED LOVE WILL LEAVE ME BLIND

FEATURING: dazai osamu

SUMMARY: dangerous games are played between you and dazai during one of the most important events of the year for the japanese underworld. you're never this risky, not when your reputation is on the line, but fuck being near him just seems draw out all of the worst in you.

(wordcount: 4.5k; ņsfw; fem!reader; port mafia member!reader, jealous!dazai, possessive!dazai, public sex, spitting, unprotected sex, gagging dazai w/your panties, switch!dazai, switch!reader. lmk if anything is missing!)

AUTHOR'S NOTES: WOOWWWWWWW u all can thank tumblr user mioblobby for this one, she sent in an ask 3 days ago and this consumed me so badly that i dropped all of my wips to write this. anyway, enjoy dazai & pmreader being absolute FREAKS in public

His gaze hasn’t left you once all night. You can feel it dark and heavy from where he’s leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the room, black coat hanging around his shoulders and a cold, unapproachable expression on his face, looking every bit the wraith people claim him to be. 

Chuuya is off somewhere to your side, smooth talking two of Mishima’s daughters, surely planning to end the night in one of their beds to get those loose lips moving about the meeting that their father had with Cao Xueqin of the Red Chamber two weeks ago, something he’s been unnervingly tight lipped about when Mori pried. 

You’re entertaining two of the younger members of Mishima’s upper echelon, Abe Kimifusa and Ibuse Masuji—they can’t be much older than you, early twenties max, and they’re delighted by the attention you’re giving them. Ibuse is half hanging off your shoulders, arm wrapped around you, too many drinks in as he leans in close and laughs at some comment Abe makes about one of their fellow executives. You smile idly as you listen, resting against him as you take in their words, trying to pretend to be engaged with the conversation to not give away how you’re hyper-focused on a certain black-haired executive in the distance. 

Usually, he would join you and Chuuya in your attempts to gather some easy intel on the Sun and Steel—that’s what he’s done the past year and a half, at least, targeting some of the older members of Mishima’s upper echelon who would sell half of their organs and their soul for a night with the untouchable Demon Prodigy. The thought leaves a bitter taste in your mouth now, knowing what he told you, but you still can’t help but be a little surprised that he’s not even trying to put up a facade of charm and wit, rather spending his time skulking in the shadows watching you, especially when his usual targets are so blatantly staring at him, waiting for him to make a move.

You think it’s hypocritical the way you’re so pleased over the fact that he’s not entertaining anyone tonight, because the thought of him letting any of those men drape themselves all over him like Ibuse currently is with you leaves a very sour taste in your mouth.

You also think that’s why you’re letting Ibuse take it as far as he has—to see Dazai get wound up about it. You don’t typically let people get touchy with you unless you plan on taking them to bed, and you have absolutely no intention of fucking Ibuse Masuji. He’s pretty enough with dark hair and a nice smile, but too stupid for your taste—maybe that’s a good thing though, if he’s already so loose-lipped now with only a few drinks in him, you can’t imagine how much he’d let slip in a post-orgasm induced haze.

You start to reconsider your decision on Ibuse, looking up at him contemplatively as he makes a snide comment about Kamatsu Sakyo—an older executive of the Sun and Steel, one of the ones you know have spent a night, or more, with Dazai, so your smile is a bit more genuine when you hear the way Ibuse drags him for being incompetent and useless.

“The older generation has to go,” Ibuse hisses, shaking his head as his arm tightens around you, leaning back against the wall. “They’re running us into the fucking ground. That fucker Kamatsu wants us to take that deal from the Red Chamber-”

“Masuji,” Abe warns, giving you a careful look, not as drunk as his companion. You raise your eyebrows at the comment from Ibuse, looking at him questioningly.

Ibuse waves off Abe haphazardly. “The Port Mafia did it right,” he says bluntly, taking another sip of his drink. “Wiped out the whole old regime after the previous boss died. That’s what the Boss should’ve done when he took over from his father. All of these old fucks need to drop dead.”

“The meeting with Xueqin went that poorly?” you ask casually, sure to keep the interest out of your tone as you look up at Ibuse.

“Don’t even get me started,” Ibuse scoffs. “That fucker wants-”

You’re careful to keep the irritation off your face when you hear the telltale sound of Mishima preparing to give his annual ‘thank you, fruitful alliances ahead!’ speech that always bores you to tears. Next to you, Ibuse sighs and pulls his arm off of you, pushing off the wall.

“We’ve gotta go up there with him. I’ll find you later?” he asks you, eyes a bit too hopeful, voice eager as he waits for your response.

“Definitely,” you say—the things you do for information.

With most of the attendees of the ball distracted by Mishima’s speech, you slip away to make your way over to the far corner where Dazai is waiting. Still, he tracks you—from the moment you make your subtle escape from the crowd until you’re standing right in front of him in the shadows where he’s lingering, his gaze remains trained on you, intense in a way that lets you know that he’s unhappy, if the way his jaw is tight didn’t.

“You’ve been having fun tonight,” he drawls, voice low as he looks down at you, arms folded across his chest.

“Is that what it seemed like?” you say lightly, taking a step closer, casting one last glance behind you to ensure that all eyes are pinned on Mishima before hooking your fingers into his belt loops to tug him closer to you. “At least I’m doing my job properly then.”

“It’s your job to let Mishima’s whore of an executive drape himself all over you?” Dazai tilts his head to the side, one hand sliding behind you to close the small distance between the two of you, leaving your chest pressed to his.

No, you let that drag on just because you could tell how irate Dazai was becoming over it, but Dazai doesn’t have to know that. So instead, you play coy.

“I have appearances to keep up,” you say, tilting your head up with a simpering smile, enjoying the way his gaze immediately darts down to your lips, lingering there before he has to forcibly drag it back up to your eyes. “You know that.”

“Yeah?” Dazai hums, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. His gaze drifts above you. “Maybe I should be making more of an effort with appearances then, Kamatsu has had his eye on me all night.”

Your eye doesn’t twitch at his words, but your grip on his belt loops tightens. “You don’t want to play that game with me, Dazai,” you warn, keeping your voice deceptively mild.

“And why is that?” Dazai drawls, looking too smug for your liking as he looks down at you as if realizing how much his threat bothered you.

“Because I’ll win,” you say easily, fingers slipping from his belt loops to slide your hands up and down his sides before settling them on his slim hips, relishing in the way his lashes flutter at your touch. “You know that. It’s unlike you to pick losing battles.”

“I won’t lose,” Dazai says with a scoff, and you walk him backward until the back of his knees hit a chair, guiding him back to sit down in it as Mishima finally starts a long-winded speech that’s going to last at least twenty or thirty minutes.

You give Dazai another teasing smile as you stand in front of where he’s sitting, lifting your hand to his chin, tilting his face up toward you. You lean down, lips brushing his as you murmur, “You already have.”

“Have I?” Dazai asks, amused. He unconsciously leans forward to capture his lips with yours but you shift just out of reach before he can, raising your eyebrows pointedly at the annoyed look he gives you.

You make quick work of undoing his tie, slipping it from his neck before wrapping it loosely around your wrist, hyper aware of the way his gaze is trained sharply on your face, studying your every move. You bring your other hand back up to his face, cupping his cheek gently, and your breath catches as he leans into your touch, eye lidded as he looks up atwith you. He tilts his head to the side to press his lips against your palm, keeping eye contact as he lifts his hand to cover yours, shifting it so he can graze his lips against the pulse point on your wrist.

“You have,” you agree, grateful that your voice isn’t as breathless as you feel from the combined intensity of his gaze and his lips on your skin.

“How so?” Dazai looks entirely too smug, probably can feel the way your pulse is racing under his touch, and you itch to wipe the smugness right off of his face.

“I’m meeting Ibuse after this speech,” you tell him, now entirely too smug yourself as Dazai expression drops and goes icy, fingers stiffening from where his hand is still pressed over yours. “Need to get him to spill about the meeting with the Red Chamber, he already started getting into it before. If I get him alone, we’ll know everything we need.”

“Go ahead,” Dazai sounds deceptively calm, you’d almost believe he didn’t care if the look in his eye didn’t betray him, cold and promising bloodshed. “I’ll kill him.”

“You’ll start a war,” you say absently, the tips of your fingers brushing through his dark hair.

“I don’t care,” Dazai replies, and you know that he’s serious—it should worry you, he could throw all of your work with the Sun and Steel out the window in a split second, but instead you only find yourself giddy, tongue pressing behind your teeth and a smile curving at your lips as you look down at him.

“Careful, Dazai,” you breathe out, “almost sounds like you care.”

He does care, you know that and he knows that, but he refuses to admit it out loud. Refuses to put a label on anything between the two of you. You think it’s his way of maintaining some semblance of control over things; he thinks that if he actually admits what’s going on between the two of you, it’ll be a loss of control over himself that he can’t afford. 

As if threatening to start a gang war with the Mafia’s most important ally because you’re planning to sleep with someone for vital information isn’t a loss of control in itself. 

You also think it might have to do with the broken gasps he’d let out over the phone during the assassination plot on you a few weeks ago, when he thought that he’d miscalculated and they called his bluff, that they were going to get to you and no one was going to be able to get there in time to protect you. 

“Everything I never want to lose is always lost the moment I obtain it.”

You wonder, maybe, if he thinks that not making things official with you is his way of protecting both you and himself. 

But it’s fucking frustrating. It’s frustrating dealing with his hot and cold—days where he’s so clearly enamored with you, spending hours laid up with you admiring you while you do work, looking at you with eyes that should only be reserved for long time lovers, and then there are days where he can hardly bring himself to look at you, avoiding you at every given chance, cold and aloof. It’s frustrating, and it’s exhausting, you just want to be with him.

His eye darkens, jaw clicking at your words, but he doesn’t respond other than that.

You’re not sure what exactly compels you to take another step forward, you watch as his gaze tracks down to the low cut of your dress, as he shifts in his seat, legs spread, clearly withholding the urge to adjust himself in his pants. A dangerous thought crosses your mind, one that you know you should toss away because of where you are, how many people are just on the other side of the room, but you find your body moving before you can stop yourself.

You watch him inhale, gaze tracking down to where your hand has slipped into the high slit of your dress, casting one last look over your shoulder to make sure the two of you are at an angle that no one would be able to easily see you before pulling down your thin black panties—the ones you know he loves and wore just to see the way the pupil of his visible eye becomes blown wide at the sight of them, breath hitching.

You shift closer to him, balling them into your fist, one hand sliding behind the back of his head, fingers entwined with his dark hair as you tilt his head back, eyes tracing the exhilaration on his face as he looks up at you, realizing what you’re going to do, where you’re going to do it.

“You’re crazy,” he breathes out. The words are reverent, he speaks them in the same way you imagine he would tell you he loves you, it makes your breath catch. “Here? What're you gonna do if one of them looks over and sees you stuffed with my cock, hm? How're you gonna explain why you're full of cum when you go meet that clown?”

“You talk too much,” you note, stepping forward. “Open up.”

Dazai’s lips part instinctively, but before you stuff his mouth with your panties, you lean over him, fingers hooking around his bottom lip as you force his mouth a little wider, watching as his breath hitches and his lashes flutter when you spit right into his open mouth, swallowing it immediately. 

Your lips curl up as you lift the hand holding your panties, taking in an unsteady breath as he lets you push your panties between his lips; he lets out a muffled groan around them, eyes sliding shut as if savoring the taste of them. You shift your dress around slightly so you can comfortably straddle his thighs. His hands immediately fly to your waist, but you click your tongue lightly, pushing them off and sliding his tie around his wrists once you’ve got them behind his back.

He tilts his head to the side, giving you a heavy, judgmental look. He doesn’t even have to speak to know what he’s thinking: “You really think this is going to stop me?”

You give him a sweet smile, leaning in to graze your lips against his jaw, feeling the shaky breath he lets out around your panties. “If you free yourself from them,” you murmur, lips brushing his ear as you speak, “I’ll stop.”

You don’t wait for his reaction, directing your attention down toward his slacks, loosening his belt and unbuttoning his pants. You ease his cock out of his briefs, weight heavy in your hand, tip flushed pink and leaky. You give it an experimental pump, using his own precum as lube, and watch as he tilts his head back, giving a full body shudder.

“You’re so easy to rile up,” you sigh softly, shifting forward so that his cock slides between your slick folds, you press your lips to the underside of his jaw to smother the moan you almost let out when his tip catches on your clit. “I love it.”

You know he’s trying to shoot you a withering look, but the effects of it are severely diminished with how his face is flushed pink and his eyes are unfocused. You give him another saccharine smile, and that’s the only warning he gets before you’re sinking down on his cock. 

You can feel every inch of him stretching you open, filling you up until the tip of his cock is nudging right up against your cervix. It takes all of your self control to bite back the loud gasp that nearly rips from your lips, not wanting to have to bury your face in the crook of his neck just yet, watching as he lets out a choked noise that’s loud even with your panties stuffed in his mouth, eyes rolling to the back of his head.

“Careful,” you warn, leaning in to drag your lips up his neck to the corner of his lips. You lift one of your hands to hold the back of his head again, gripping his hair as you force him to look at you again, fingers tugging hard at his hair. His gaze is unfocused, lips parting as he heaves around your panties, throat spasming—he looks fucking divine, and for a moment, you regret doing this here because you might have to kill someone if they see him when he’s looking like this. “You don’t want them to see you like this, yeah?”

You can hear the whine that builds in the back of his throat, trying to rock his hips up into yours. The sloppy sound of his cock driving into your cunt is too loud—Mishima is still speaking loudly, drowning out any noise that could possibly be coming from your secluded corner, but it’s so risky, you almost don’t know what’s gotten into you. If anyone happens to wander over this way…

“God, what do you do to me?” you gasp, leaning in so you can graze your teeth against his neck, threatening to bite down. 

You’re never this reckless—not when it’s your reputation on the line, you’ve spent years honing it into the weapon it’s become, and here you are risking it all just because Dazai Osamu decided to give you bedroom eyes during one of the most important events the Port Mafia attends. Fuck, he drives you insane.

His head lolls forward, forehead resting against the side of yours, lips brushing your ear. You can feel his heavy pants, each one catching over a moan muffled by your panties. You rock your hips back and forth quickly, each drag of his cock against your walls making you hot and lightheaded. Whether it’s just from the sheer pleasure of it all—the way the tip of his cock pressees right into that sensitive spot deep inside of you, the way he’s so quickly coming undone beneath you, body trembling and drool pooling at the corner of his lips around your panties—or if it’s because of the way anyone could wander over in this direction, catch you fucking Dazai so brazenly when there’s a crowd of one hundred and fifty, two hundred of the most important people in the Japanese underworld just on the far side of the room, you don’t know, but heat pools in your abdomen so quickly that it’s almost impossible to control. 

You can feel his breath ragged, his body tense, each roll of your hips against his has Dazai falling apart, and you can feel the telltale sign of his cock twitching inside of you, signaling that he’s about to finish. You tug his hair, pulling his head back from where it's fallen against you, and you lift your other hand quickly up to his lips, pushing them inside of his mouth to hook your fingers around your panties, pulling them out of his mouth.

Instantly, Dazai is pushing himself forward to press his lips against yours, freeing himself of his own tie so his hands can fly to your waist. You let out a low moan into his mouth as he pushes his tongue into yours, one hand sliding from your waist to your back, keeping your body flush to his as he grinds you down on his cock hard.

“Fuck,” Dazai groans into your mouth, voice choked. You can see the way he can hardly keep his gaze steady, the way he’s gripping your dress to try to keep himself grounded. “I-ah, shit-I’m close. I’m-”

You lean in to swallow his moan, kissing him hard as his eyes roll to the back of his head, hips stuttering as he spills his cum deep inside of you. Your breath catches at the feeling of his cum filling you up, warm, heavy, so much of it that you can feel it dribbling out from where his cock is still stuffed deep inside of you; it’s the last thing you need to push you over the edge, mind blank and jaw falling slack as your body shudders in his arms.

Black dots spot your vision, your nails dragging down his black coat, your whole body consumed with pleasure—it hits you so hard that you think maybe you might’ve passed out for a split second. The feeling of your release sends a shockwave through Dazai, you can feel the way his body spasms and jerks when your walls suddenly tighten around his sensitive cock.

“God,” Dazai breathes out against your lips, eyes glazed over as the two of you come down from your high, an expression so adoring on his face that you think for a moment, you might be imagining it. “You’re so…”

He doesn’t finish his sentence, leaves it to your imagination, and you want to press, but you don’t have the chance because you’re slapped hard with reality when you hear Mishima’s speech coming to an end, eyes widening. Your legs are shaky as you push off of him, hissing at the feeling of his softening cock slipping out of your cunt—you almost snort when you see how Dazai twitches and winces at the sudden movement, still sensitive.

“Clean yourself up,” you tell him sharply, straightening your dress and fixing your hair, trying to catch sight of yourself in the reflection of a nearby glass, watching from the corner of your eye as Dazai stuffs himself back in his pants, wiping your cum off of his expensive black slacks before sucking it right off of his fingers. He grabs his tie from where he’d let it fall to the ground, and then your panties, winking at you before he stuffs them in the pocket of his jacket. 

His gaze lifts to you as he rises to his feet, drifting lazily over your form, lingering on the way your skin glows with a soft sheen of sweat, the loose strands of hair that cling to your forehead—something you hope you can play off considering the air condition in the ballroom isn’t on. Then his gaze settles down on the lower half of your body, lips curling up into a slow smirk.

He takes a few steps closer to you, holding his tie out to you. “Re-tie it?” he hums, and you roll your eyes because you know he can do it himself and you know he has some sort of ulterior motive right now, but you take it from him regardless.

You quickly slide the tie around his neck, trying to tie it quickly before anyone catches sight of the two of you, but with you so focused on getting this done, you miss the way his hand sneaks forward until you feel it slip into the slit of your dress. 

“Dazai,” you warn, keeping your voice low, but your breath catches when you feel him gather up all of the cum that had dribbled out of your cunt, head falling against his shoulder as you try to force yourself not to react when he uses two fingers to stuff it right back inside of you.

You can feel the wicked grin against your ear as he leans down to tug your earlobe gently. “Good luck explaining this to Ibuse.”

Then he steps away, dark eye glittering dangerously as he looks down at you.

“I’ll find you later,” he says before turning to walk away.

You’re not sure if it’s a threat or a promise and you don’t have time to make a snide comment asking, because you hear Ibuse approaching you from behind, giddy and excited until he catches sight of Dazai’s infamous black coat retreating, swallowing thickly and eyes flickering nervously between the two of you—a common reaction to the executive’s presence, knowing how dangerous and unpredictable he can be.

You wonder if Dazai would make Ibuse half as nervous and uncomfortable if he’d known he just spent the last fifteen minutes with your panties stuffed in his mouth and his hands tied behind his back, whining and whimpering, muffling all of his sounds so people didn’t overhear the two of you. But you dismiss that thought—that’s knowledge for you to keep to yourself, you don’t like sharing.

“Let’s get out of here?” you hum, drawing him out of his thoughts before he can spiral.

He lights back up again, but you can tell he’s still nervous from Dazai’s brief appearance. “Yeah, c’mon.”

Two hours later, you wander out of one of the back rooms in Mishima’s mansion, intent on getting back to headquarters. You don’t get more than two feet before you feel a hand wrap around your wrist, tugging you backward hard until your back meets a familiar chest.

Your heartbeat stills from the brief bout of erraticness when you felt someone grab you, relaxing back into Dazai, tilting your head back and to the side to look up at him as he holds your hips, keeping you flush to him.

“Did you fuck him?” Dazai asks, voice low and expression unreadable.

You have half a mind to say yes, just to see what Dazai plans to do if you did. He can’t kill Ibuse, not even he is reckless enough to start a war with the Sun and Steel right now, but you don’t think you want to risk it.

“Didn’t have to,” you say honestly. “He was babbling out everything I wanted to know before the doors even closed.”

Dazai searches your face for a moment as if trying to decide if you’re being truthful, when he does, one of his hands slips off your waist into his coat, and you hear the familiar sound of Dazai flipping the safety of his gun back on.

“Dazai,” you snap. “You can’t just-”

“I can do whatever I want,” Dazai interrupts you with the type of confidence that lets you know he had every intention of putting a bullet through Ibuse’s head if you fucked him, regardless of the consequences. The thought of that alone makes your blood run hot, pupils dilating as you look up at him; Dazai’s lips curve up slowly as if he knows just what’s going on in your head. He looks behind you curiously before focusing back down on you asking: “Is he passed out in there?”

“Mhm,” you agree, watching him curiously as you try to figure out what he might be thinking. “Drank too much.”

“Good,” Dazai murmurs, walking you right back into the room you’d come out of, a sharp smile on his face. He closes the door behind the two of you, gaze flickering over to where Ibuse is unconscious on the couch before he backs you up until your knees hit the corner of the bed, pushing you back onto it. “Let’s see if we can wake him up then.”

[caraphernellie]

wip !! here's a moodboard <3

fake happy // e.w.

ellie williams is a freak, and that's just a fact. others deemed that she is not to be trusted from the moment she was born. in a world where everything is real and raw, it's hard to lie. but ellie doesn't quite fit into the category of 'real and raw.'

everybody's moods are displayed above their heads like little emoticons - there's no fake, there's no lies, there's simply emotion. except for ellie. nobody could figure out why ellie's feelings were not displayed. she'd been seen by every doctor, every specialist, every psychiatrist, and psychologist, and none of them knew what could cause this. and so an assumption was made that she doesn't feel anything.

nobody knows how she feels at any given moment, and in a world where people are spoiled with honesty, nobody wants to believe ellie isn't dishonest. nobody wants to be played by her.

somehow surviving life up to college without ever even having a friend, ellie's accepted that she's in for a lonely life. the only person she has is joel, and well, even he can be misunderstanding at times.

and ellie's sure her professor must hate her, because he partnered her for a project with the one girl who is always happy, without fail. the girl whose mood above her head is always, always, always a yellow smiley face. ellie would even say she's jealous, that she hates you, but she can't help but feel herself smiling whenever you're around. you're like a ray of sunshine. if sunshine knew how to lie.

ok ok ok so. i feel a little bit crazy and like nobody is going to like this fic but i kind of want to write it. this is just me posting to see if anyone actually would read it 😭 not like that would motivate/demotivate me but idk. im curious paramore inspired fics first of all, the best ones. secondly, i feel like maybe years ago i read a fic with a similar premise which inspired this but it's also mainly inspired by the music video for fake happy by paramore. and also, i always write fics about reader having the 'i can fix her' mentality for ellie so this time it's ellie saying 'i can fix her' about reader. this one would be for my fellow sad/anxious girlies who love big hurt/comfort vibes. it would be an angsty ride but not without lots of comfort :D two people who are very sad falling in love and helping each other with their issues? i think yes. this fic would be very? angst and hurt/comfort and some fluff idk if there'd be smut ... anyway this was more a way for me to brainstorm for the idea (by making the moodboard and blurb) i have yet to do literally any plotting or writing for it..

from the river to the sea, palestine will be free 🇵🇸 i stand with palestine, and for that reason, i require everyone on my blog to keep themselves educated and participating in the fight for palestine's freedom. here are some links to educate yourself- 1, 2, 3. the last of us part 2 in particular is a game with zionist background. do not support neil druckmann by buying any of the games and please continue to engage in your media with critical analysis!! stay educated. !!! i urge you to participate in the global strike for palestine from february 18th - 25th !!!

[kiwiana-writes]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks @cha-melodius and @three-drink-amy for the tags! And… look. I want it on record that this is all railmedaddy’s fault, okay? OC POV/Outsider POV you terrify me but here we are.

(Okay, MAYBE I was the one who sent a voice note talking about the fact that while I understand why CMQ didn’t include it in the book given it was still in the future when they wrote and published, in a covid-free 2020 the Tokyo Olympics should have happened during the timeframe of the book, somewhere around LA/pre-Lakehouse; and that the Paris Olympics aren’t mentioned but would be, per the timeline in the bonus chapter, around/right before they get engaged; and that’s INTERESTING, three Olympics covering their rivals - FWB - lovers arc. But what I’m actually writing? THAT is Rae’s fault, hands down.)

Rio de Janeiro, 2016

Ari Katene never realised how many famous people go to the Olympics.

Pretty fucking stupid, when he thinks about it. Of course they do. But when he was little, the Olympics was just the thing his family crowded around the TV to watch once every four years, muttering about timezones as they did so; when he got a bit older and started taking diving seriously, when he started getting noticed and his coach started talking about the Commonwealth Games as a real possibility, the Olympics became a goal. He was no longer thinking about who may or may not be there, but on how he could be there.

And here he is. Representing his country on the biggest stage there is—even if it is in a sport Aotearoa has never actually medalled in. But it doesn’t seem to matter that no one’s expecting him to place; there are celebrities everywhere, and they’re all keen to chat with an Olympian. Any Olympian.

Which Ari is, now. Fucking wild.

He’s been trying to stay in the zone for the most part, ahead of the finals later today, but he can’t resist taking the chance to grab a selfie with Alex and June Claremont-Diaz. He hasn’t been paying a whole lot of attention so the circus that is the US election campaign, especially given his full-on training schedule all year, but even he’s aware of who the nominees are—and that if America actually elects Ellen Claremont instead of fucking it up, that selfie is going to be a pretty big brag in a few months.

Tagging @agame-writes @affectionatelyrs @anincompletelist @blueeyedgrlwrites @cactusdragon517

@celeritas2997 @clottedcreamfudge @cricketnationrise @dumbpeachjuice @everwitch-magiks

@firenati0n @getmehighonmagic @happiness-of-the-pursuit @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @indestructibleheart

@inexplicablymine @junebugclaremontdiaz @larkral @leaves-of-laurelin @lilythesilly

@littlemisskittentoes @lizzie-bennetdarcy @myheartalivewrites @ninzied @nocoastposts

@nontoxic-writes @notspecialbabe @orchidscript @piratefalls @porcelainmortal

@read-and-write- @rmd-writes @sherryvalli @ships-to-sail @sparklepocalypse

@stereopticons @thesleepyskipper @thinkof-england

@tintagel-or-cockleshells @welcometololaland @whimsymanaged and, as always, anyone who wants to play! (If you take the open tag please tag me so I can see!!)

[suzukiblu]

WIP WEDNESDAY GAME

Taken from @kedreeva.

It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can’t share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

file names:

the one where Kon's soulmark isn't fake

feral Kon and liger pups

Krypton lives and Kara did not sign up for this

you're a real Katch, girl

Tim + clonecest

snippet from “the one where Kon's soulmark isn't fake”:

Anyway, then Steel catches them, so that's pretty helpful. 

"Thanks, man," Superboy manages past the painful kryptonite-induced weakness and nausea, and Steel sets them both down all nice and neat on the sidewalk. 

"Any time, kid," he says as he breaks the bolted-in kryptonite off Lois Lane's chest with an armored hand, then tears off into the sky with it, presumably to deal with a certain delusional idiot. Superboy figures he'll leave him to it and just make sure the pretty lady is okay, given the active involvement of kryptonite in the whole situation. 

He looks at Lois Lane and opens his mouth to ask if she's alright, and she shrugs out of the broken straps that are all that's left of the bomb harness now that Steel's gotten at it. 

The front of her blouse is torn right over her heart, and Superboy can see the bright blue swirl of her soulmark through the damage. 

It really pops, he thinks distantly. 

"You're staring, kid," Lois Lane says dubiously, putting a hand over her exposed mark, and Superboy jolts in mortification. 

"Sorry!" he blurts, looking away quick. Well–now he knows who's on the other end of Superman's soulmark, he guesses. And it's not like it's a surprise who it is. A lot of people have suspected that Lois Lane and Superman are soulmates, after all, especially since he died and everyone found out he definitely had one. 

Though the confirmation of that fact does kinda make Superboy wonder what's going on with Clark Kent, now. He thought he and Lois Lane were engaged or something. Or like–maybe they're married by now? He doesn't actually know. He doesn't, like, make a habit of keeping up on the relationship status of random Daily Planet reporters. 

Although he guesses Lois Lane doesn't count as "random", considering. 

"Sorry," he mutters again. "I won't, like–tell. Obviously. I mean it's not–like, obviously you'd be Superman's soulmate but I won't actually–" 

"It's not Superman," Lois Lane says shortly, still covering her chest kind of . . . protectively, maybe? And Superboy . . . frowns. 

"What?" he says.

[ominous-feychild]

😱⚠️ CLICKBAIT WIP GAME???⚠️😱

I've pushed this off for a bit even though I've really liked the idea because of CONSTANT DISASTERS??? in my life!!!, but I'm here now!!! 😂

Thanks for tagging me, @the-letterbox-archives (X) and @the-golden-comet (X)!

The Arcane Rifts:

DISABLED kid RUNS CIRCLES!!! around the cops!!!

SELLING MY SOUL to the DEVIL lol

Making my new BFF SELL HIS SOUL to the devil too lol. I had to, so HE DOES TOO!!! Will he accept??? TUNE IN AND FIND OUT!!!

Devil's errand-boy makes A GIVEAWAY!!!!!! (not clickbait) (This time, when Tazin points the camera at him, Adilzhan promptly yanks it from his hands and shatters it like a foam cup.)

HUNTING DOWN the MONSTER that MADE ME LOOK BAD??? /srs

TOP 10 REASONS why you should NEVER live in Kavo. The sixth may SURPRISE you!

LIVE ROBBERY!!! ROBBING the LOCAL GANGS on LIVESTREAM!!! (not clickbait!!!)

ACCIDENTALLY getting CAUGHT ROBBING people???

ACCIDENTALLY discovering a GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY!?!? (not clickbait)

purposely EXPOSING a GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY; starting a REVOLUTION; CLICK THE LINK IN THE DESCRIPTION to sign a PETITION and JOIN OUR EFFORTS rn!!! (NOT CLICKBAIT) (Gene aggressively yanks the phone from Tazin's hands and deletes everything Tazin just set up before they can get tracked down through it)

I am just now realizing how much of a menace Tazin would be with an internet connection... 🤣

Sun and Shadow:

SURVIVING THE IMPOSSIBLE! (not clickbait)

I GOT FRAMED FOR A TERRORIST ATTACK!?!?! (not clickbait)

Getting ENGAGED because my fucking dad thinks it's a better idea than being part of my life!!! (not clickbait)

I'M GETTING ENGAGED TO ANOTHER WOMAN??? HOW DID HE EVEN KNOW I'M BI???

Getting engaged to a princess soon, lol

SOREN ULA'S DAUGHTER CAUGHT ATTACKING FENASTRA MANOR IN BROAD DAYLIGHT??? GALA GONE WRONG!!! 😱😱

Ula heiress WANTED for ATTACKING Lynsmouth's NOBILITY??? 🙊 😱 GUILTY or innocent?? FIND OUT the FACTS!!! 🤯

KIDNAPPED by MY OWN FIANCÉE???

my FIANCÉE'S DAD is CONVINCED of my GUILT???

consulting with the creepy detective because I have literally no other choice lol (crying rn; live on stream)

THE DETECTIVE'S office BLEW UP???

I KEEP GETTING FRAMED for things BLOWING UP!?!?

SAVED by a MONSTER???

oh Levebolg it's the detective's kid, they're LITERALLY CURSED, he sent them to HELP me, and they DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING! i'm so fucked. (not clickbait)

using MY DAD'S CONNECTION with THE LOCAL MAFIA to become ROOMATES with the MOB BOSS?

CREEPY CULT planning A RITUAL during the ECLIPSE??? (NOT CLICKBAIT!!!)

The Ember Masquerade:

SHAPESHIFTING ⚠️😱 CRIMINALS ⚠️😱 STEALING YOUR IDENTITY!?!?!? MORE LIKELY THAN YOU THINK!!!!! 😱😱😱

Best part? That's something I'd already made. 🤣 😱

Seriously, though, I had a lot of fun with this! And my mind is still kinda in clickbait mode, haha.

Maybe I'll eventually (def not rn /gen) work on making another one of these for RFtA and/or adding more for one of these three? Idk, haha!

Tagging (either as part of taglist or for you to join, no pressure!): @honeybewrites @illarian-rambling @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @urnumber1star

@mysticstarlightduck @paeliae-occasionally @darkandstormydolls @huewrite

[thelonelyshore-if]

Is coy flirtation the only way to raise romance with the ROs or are we able to do so by raising their approval in general? Mainly asking because my current MC is a very pragmatic woman who wouldn't be the one immediately engaging in flirting because 1. She feels like she's going a bit crazy atm since she doesn't believe in supernatural stuff and is trying to deny everything 2. She's still absolutely confused as to where willow is.

So far I've been avoiding flirting options in favor of her being polite to strangers but slightly detached. Very tired.

I know sometimes people add in oblivious routes or ones where the mc is the more withdrawn one in the romance so I figured I'd ask. If there's not that's fine I just wanted to know my options! Thanks for your hard work.

Currently, the most direct way to raise romance is to flirt or to pick options that indicate interest. Though, to be honest, there aren't many of those at the moment!

Once chapter 2 rolls around there will be more opportunities for romance (especially considering that the MC is currently kind of Going Through It and also just met everyone), and those opportunities will be more varied.

Also, I think I'll use this ask as a bit of an opportunity to go into my plans for the romance system, because it's something I'm super excited to get into. Apologies in advance for the amount I'm about to write.

Explanation of planned systems beneath the cut <3

Currently I'm planning on using a system with three different parts.

The first part is interest, which is a base indicator that the MC is interested in a RO (or multiple ROs) romantically/sexually. These will be options that straight up say things like 'I think (RO) is cute'. Once interest is toggled on, the RO(s) are able to develop a crush and/or pursue the MC of their own accord. Interest being on will also activate certain flavor text.

The second part is flirting, which directly raises the romance variable. These are things like flirtatious dialogue, grabbing a RO's hand, acting flustered around them--that sort of thing. Actions that are observable by the other character(s). Flirting doesn't automatically turn on interest, but since it raises the romance stat it means that you can flirt with a character/choose romantic options throughout the game and, once interest is on, you can have built a bond.

I plan to have different flavors of flirting. At this point I think I'll mostly stick with the typical shy/direct options, though we'll see. I might get a little silly with it.

Finally, there's approval, which is your character's general relationship stat with each RO (as well as Willow and a few other npcs). Approval can be gained whenever the MC does something the character likes or generally builds the relationship. Tbh I'm a little iffy on sticking with 'approval' as the term, because I don't want to write characters who only like the MC if they agree with everything they do, but it's the only word coming to mind atm lol.

All this to say, I hope that with this system you can have characters like your MC, who are maybe a little more oblivious or withdrawn, who can mark interest in a RO and have the RO be more forward (raising the romance bar that way). Plus having more subtle 'flirt' options that also raise romance without being super direct flirting.

I'm so sorry to have taken your ask and run with it, but I hope this explains the vibes I'm going for a bit!! The system still needs to be actually implemented, so take it with the usual caveat that this is a WIP and these are just my current plans, but it's ideally what I'd like to do!

[londonhalcyon]

Fic Writer Interview (20 Questions)

This tag game passed by twice, once in January (because apparently this post has been sitting in my drafts that long) and again several months later, so forgive me for not remembering who to tag! These questions seem fun, so if anyone wants to join, feel free to say I tagged you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

20 at the moment, with plenty more WIPs.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

480,895 words and counting.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Not counting TMW bonus content, the top 5 are:

The Mad Witch (758 kudos)

"The Scarlett Cauldron" (77 kudos)

"Fear Itself" (76 kudos)

"The Most Powerful Witch" (72 kudos)

"Piper's Best Worst Day" (57 kudos)

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

I try to! I love engaging with my readers and other members of the fandom. Every comment always makes my whole day. Life gets busy sometimes, so I don't always have the time to respond to every single one, but I definitely see and appreciate all of them!

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

Usually my fics have fairly hopeful endings, but "3 Years Ago," a pre-canon Murdered: Soul Suspect fic might fit the bill. Sometime in the future, it has the potential to be topped by "Will of the People," a Fallout 4 WIP that revolves around the Diamond City anti-ghoul riots.

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

My Secret Santa fics, "It's Not the Fall" and "Flawed Phials," definitely have the fluffiest endings!

7. Do you write crossovers?

Nope!

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I get rude or condescending comments on occasion from people who don't know how to hit the back button and/or are unfamiliar with fandom etiquette, though nothing actively malicious. The one time I received a transphobic/homophobic message in response to TMW it was private (if it was public, I would have deleted it; I don't give a platform to that kind of thing at all), and honestly I hope that person is in a better place now because they really didn't seem okay at the time. I'm fortunate that the vast majority of my readers and mutuals are such wonderfully amazing and kind people.

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

Yes, BUT, before you get too excited, not in The Mad Witch. Smut is by definition graphic, and TMW has a Teen rating that shall remain unchanged.

The smut scenes I've drafted so far (F/F and F/M) are for my Rosemary Reaper series (post-canon Fallout 4 WIP). Those fics will all be rated Mature, so while not overly explicit, they'll definitely be spicier than TMW. Maybe I'll share a snippet sometime if there's any demand for it.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of?? I have long since deleted my Wattpad account, so my fics should only be on AO3. If anyone ever finds one of my fics elsewhere in the wild, please let me know.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not, which is probably for the best. I would like to make some heavy edits to the beginning of TMW when I'm done with it.

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

Not a fic, though I have co-written a short fantasy story with a friend, with him writing for one POV character and me for another. We agreed on major actions and story beats, but we each kept a major secret that we didn't reveal until after we had written our individual parts. It was a lot of fun (though we were both painfully unskilled at the time).

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

I don't know if I really have one. I have ships I enjoy and characters I like to pair with OCs, though nothing I feel properly obsessive over. This might be a consequence of primarily writing for video game fandoms. But I do have my default game romances: Merula in HPHM, Piper in Fallout 4, Marcurio in Skyrim, etc. I'm also a sucker for unrequited love interests, like Serana in Skyrim and Aveline in Dragon Age 2. The ANGST.

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

I never want to say never because I'm currently 83,435 words into the last fic I said I would never write. But there are two fics that I'm almost certain I will never finish, which I'm kind of sad about: my post-canon Murdered: Soul Suspect longfic, A Certain Darkness, and my RWBY OC team longfic, DSRT.

I made it just shy of 200,000 words into A Certain Darkness before I had to drop it. My writing skills ended up surpassing the progress I had made, and by the time I realized how many characters, relationships, and plot points were just straight up bad, I had written myself into a corner. I do love Joy and Angel so much, a medium/ghost duo with way more homoerotic tension than my closeted teenage self ever intended. Maybe one day I'll gut the story, drop the characters into a different setting, and make it something original. One day.

DSRT ran into a similar problem, though fortunately I only ever wrote the first few chapters. I could probably reattempt it if I really wanted, but with the overwhelming number of WIPs I already have, it's hard to imagine finding the time. I do miss my team of teenage idiots: Dustin, Saul, Rosemary, and Talos. It was supposed to have a really tragic ending too, which I don't often get to write.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I often receive compliments on how human I make my characters feel, which is the highest honor anyone could give. I've been told my dialogue frequently flows smoothly too.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Conciseness. Why is this post so long omg.

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

Do it carefully and with necessity. Maybe a character is bilingual and blends languages, so it's part of their characterization. Maybe a password or spell needs to be said in another language because it's old or pretentious. It can work, but it can also be easy to mess up. I personally avoid writing dialogue in languages I don't have a good grasp of, or I try to consult other people if I do (not Google Translate, which sucks).

There's also the matter of if the POV character even understands the language being spoken. If they don't, then I don't write the language out (unless it's a phrase the character is going to learn later on). In these instances, it makes more sense to write something like, "The man muttered a phrase in a language she didn't recognize," or "She fired off something in Spanish, the words too quick to catch."

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars the Clone Wars, baby! I was like ten or eleven. Never published, but my worldbuilding for that longfic (a saga, more like) was insanely elaborate. Alas, another story for the WIP graveyard.

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

Eventually, I want to get back to my Skyrim WIP, which includes a main Dragonborn/Marcurio ship. Maybe even with a little Dragonborn/Serana infidelity on the side (which Marcurio absolutely does not deserve, the poor guy).

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

I mean, I have to say The Mad Witch, don't I? That fic is where my community is, where every time I post a chapter I have a ton of people who get excited about it with me. It is the story I think about constantly, that I have spent literal years writing and daydreaming about. No matter what I've written before or will write since, this will be the defining fic in my journey as a writer.

That, and I have a special fondness for "Case by Case." I just think it's neat.

[gay-flyboys]

First Line Analysis

Okay, @read-and-write- tagged me in this while at work, but this is so fun.

RULES: post the first lines of your last 10 fics/chapters posted on AO3 (if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics) and try to draw some conclusions.

I went with only fics, not chapters, because otherwise it would be wholly dominated by two fics and that's not fun. Though I am curious what it would look like if I broke it down by chapter.

(This is maybe the widest variety of fandoms that could have happened, so I've labeled for ease of... something)

(Life In Full Bloom) (RWRB) "It’s 2024, and one person knows they’re engaged—a tattoo artist who spent the better part of two hours signing NDAs and etching delicate ink into the fragile skin of Henry and Alex’s hands, right where newly minted gold rings would sit."

(Hair Twined With Flowers) (RWRB) "Mud, fun fact, was a remarkably slippery substance after the first rain of the practice season."

(Tornt) (Fantasy High/Garfield) "Honestly, he doesn’t even know how he ended up in this situation."

(True Colors Shine In Darkness and in Secrecy) (RWRB) "10:54 PM, his phone says."

(Oxidation) (RWRB) "It’s in times such as these that Alex is catapulted back to his junior year of high school, studying Hamlet in his early morning English class."

(Still Singin' Here Above the Ground) (RWRB) "As long as Henry can remember back, he’s always been a watcher."

(His Greatest Fears and Wringing Hands (The Loudest Silence)) (Spiderman: ATSV) "'No. No, no no nono, Peter-'” Miguel’s voice can’t reach far enough."

(Across the Rubicon) (JATP) "When Bobby was asked by his teachers about his plans for the summer after graduating high school, he had bragged about the summer tour that Sunset Curve had managed to make happen."

(Sun Bleach) (The Hunger Games) "Despite his reputation and the several drinks he’s downed by lunch, Haymitch would say that he’s a rather perceptive guy."

(The Devil Took Your Breath Away) (Top Gun (Movies)) "The first thing he hears is from the mouth of his soon-to-be best friend."

Analysis!

Only two of these begin with dialogue. This is a thing I think I'm aware of, but not something I consciously think of as something I do.

Similarly, only one of these is less than 10 words. I be yapping. Love me some commas and dashes.

I apparently only write from the POV of masc characters (not surprising, I almost only write MM fics), and it's hit or miss if I tell you who is speaking immediately.

One of these was mostly written by one of my beta readers (i think i edited it a little) and to ME it sticks out, but I'm curious if anyone else can find it.

I feel like, despite my best efforts to encompass the fic in one sentence, I end up being really fucking cryptic all the time.

No Pressure Tags!

@littlemisskittentoes @inexplicablymine @happiness-of-the-pursuit @firenati0n @gayrootvegetable

@anincompletelist @msmarvelouswinchester @songliili @affectionatelyrs @rockyroadkylers

---

Did you make it this far? Sick. Have the first few lines from current Wips. No, i won't say what they're from

"Despite being surrounded by nearly his entire family, Henry has never felt so alone."

"The settee really isn’t made for two people to lounge on, and yet, Alex and Henry manage."

"As Alex turns off the shower, he realizes just how little the fan in his hotel room is doing to prevent condensation from building up."

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Sunny, my friend, for the WIP game,I dont think I've heard anything about "Beneath the Oak tree" and ngl, I love the name and the symoblosm of it. (Also, im still so excited for "A mother's curse btw) 😍

Hello Goo! How have you been? First off, I'm so glad you're still excited about A Mother's Curse. We'll have the rest of the company meeting Wolf!Bilbo in this next chapter and things are bound to get interesting. 👀

As for Beneath the Oak Tree, this is my birthday present to everyone! It will be out on July 19th. Basically it's a three-shot that follows Bilbo and Thorin as they go from childhood friends to young lovers separated when Thorin goes off to fight in Khazad-dum to young adults. (Dwarves and hobbits age the same in this fic. 😆) I've been planning this one since last year, and I can't wait to reveal it! Here's a sneak peek:

“And where is our dear Thorin?” She remarked, scanning the field. Bilbo’s self-pity rushed back as he furrowed his brows and shoved a turnover in his mouth. “Ah, there he is, talking to your father.” Bilbo nearly choked in his rush to follow his grandmother’s gaze. Sure enough, Thorin and Bungo stood over to the side to have a private conversation. Bilbo could only see the back of his father’s head, but Thorin’s expression was serious as he nodded to whatever Bungo said before speaking again.  “It’s like I can already hear the wedding bells.” Grandma Addy mused. Bilbo immediately shook his head. “Ma and Pa said we weren’t allowed to broach the subject until we came of age.” “Perhaps Thorin has decided he’d rather not wait that long.” Bilbo could feel his heart racing in his chest as his belly did a small swoop. Could that be what this was about? Why Thorin had been acting odd? He was going to give Bilbo an engagement bead? There was a part of Bilbo that balked at the idea. It was too soon. They were too young. Yet, another, perhaps more Tookish part of him, longed for the adventure. Bilbo could move to Ered Luin, live in the mountains. They would come back down to the Shire on holidays to visit his family. Maybe they even travel for a bit. Bilbo knew Thorin had to travel for his work as a blacksmith. Perhaps Bilbo could go with him. There was so much to think about!  Before Bilbo quite knew what he was doing, his feet had already begun to take him closer to the quiet conversation had between his father and his future fiancé.  “Thorin, you’re but a lad yourself!” Bungo protested. “It is the way of my people. I don’t ask for you to understand, just that I have your blessing where Bilbo is concerned.” Thorin remarked, not unkindly. Bungo shifted on his feet. “I don’t necessarily like it, but I know I certainly can’t stop you either. It will be difficult for Bilbo, and in that regard there is a part of me that wants to deny you.” Thorin’s face fell, and Bilbo could feel himself puff up, ready to defend them to his father. “But he’s very fond of you, as is Bella and I…yes, of course. You have my blessing. When are you going to tell him?” “I was thinking later tonight. I don’t want to spoil the evening for him.” “Yes, I can understand that.” Bungo huffed. The older hobbit shifted on his feet for a moment before he reached up and hugged Thorin. He whispered something in his ear that was too quiet for Bilbo to make out, but clearly affected Thorin as he feared the dwarf may cry. He nodded his head, thanking Bungo when he looked over his shoulder to spy Bilbo. His eyes went wide, and his mouth dropped open. Bungo noticed Thorin’s expression, and turned around only to scowl at Bilbo standing there.

Ask me about my WIP list.

[sessakag]

Fanfic Game!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

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

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

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

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you wrote smut?

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

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

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

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

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

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

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

My answers!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

18

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,595,711

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

(1,132 Kudos) Secrets of the Hidden Leaf, (801 Kudos) Monster, (610 Kudos) NaruHina Month Collection 2022, (538 Kudos) Prey, and (292 Kudos) Butterfly 💕

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

Yes I do 💕There's a lot of reasons, but the two most important are 1) They keep me writing and make me really happy and I can't not reply. I love connecting with others through my stories, and that's really my biggest draw to posting publicly, the human connection and fun conversations that spawn from engaging💕2) very few people, compared to how many actually read your fic, leave comments, which can be really disappointing and discouraging for a writer, even for me and I've been writing for years. So for the people that do take the time out to say something, I have to let them know how much I appreciate them making that effort 💖

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

I think it's a tie between A Night of Firsts and Flipping the Script? Maybe Eternal should be in here too? Fuck Around And Find Out-Literally ends pretty angsty too🤔 I've written a lot of stories, and it's hard to pick which one 😅

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

This is another hard one to pick, I have so many that end happy (though technically they all have a happy ending) ummm, another tie I think? Surprise! and Spellbound, ummm, maybe A Day In The Life of the Uzumaki Family too.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yep, not a lot thankfully, but it pops up.

9. Do you write smut?

I rarely write anything but smut 🤭I'm a proud smut writer!

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

No, never.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, twice.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes. Butterfly translated into Português brasileiro by the amazing kilandra327! You can find it here Borboleta 🦋

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

Yep!

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Naruto/Hinata! NaruHina forever!💕

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

None! I will finish them all, they are all my babies. Idc how long it takes! Leave a laptop by my grave and watch me finish em'! 😤

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

I'm fine with it, especially if it helps immersion!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Inuyasha 🥰

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

Ummmmmmm, I literally can't make a choice, lol. They are all my favorite in different ways. Top 5 though? Prey, Monster, Butterfly, A Cure For Love and Ravenous.

Those are all my answers! Thanks for the ask!

Gonna tag some folks @mrs-messy @bunny-hoodlum @dayseternal-blog @wickermayne @powerful-niya

[hirazuki]

Hi! Re: the WIP folder game, please could you share more about...

Fate/Postscript

lemon balm and salvia, blue, mairon & maedhros

tsukuyomi (curious about this one bc i've also got a scene coming that mentions tsukuyomi-no-mikoto skdjas)

Hii!!

Fate/Postscript is a Fate series (TYPE-MOON) fic that follows the universe of Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night, and veers a little into the El-Melloi II Case Files territory. Not sure how familiar you are with this franchise (always happy to give you more details!), this is basically an OC/Sasaki Kojirō | Assassin story, because my favorite character from this franchise is, once again, a minor side-character with precious few fics to his name and needs some love nevermind that this has been languishing in my drafts since like. 2017, let's ignore that

“At any rate,” he said after a few moments, “I really do recommend that you keep your visiting hours with me late at night.” She looked over her shoulder at him, confused. He pointed to the crowds of people walking up and down the stairs. “It does not do for a young woman to appear to be talking to herself.” She cackled, loudly. “Why should I care what people think? I’m not even from around here. And besides,” she continued, after a few more swings with the sword, “some of us actually sleep at night.” “A pity,” he said, closing one eye. “When there are other things you could be engaging in.”  She spun around again, attempting to take a swing at him. Before she even knew he had moved, Kojirō leapt up, drew his sword and, flicking the tip under her sword’s edge, cleanly disarmed her. Her blade went flying vertically in the air, and he caught it easily. He flipped the edge towards himself, and held it out for her to take. “Come now, allow a man a little harmless flirting.” She snorted, amused, as she took back her sword from his outstretched hand. “There is nothing harmless about you.” “Maybe so,” he conceded as he sat back down. “But I am bored, and you are the only one I converse with.”

lemon balm and salvia, blue, mairon & maedhros ... ahaha *hides face in shame* This is a tumblr writing prompt that @celebbun sent me... over a year ago... *weeps* T_T

First Age, 465 He's bleeding out. How will he go back to Angband, in such a state and with such news? Himring... Himring is not far. Closer than Angband. Perhaps... perhaps he could -- He shakes his head free of the delusion a moment later. He cannot. Even were Fëanor's eldest inclined to humor his plea after everything, his own loyalty and sense of duty will not allow him. He curls up tighter, further into the dark tree hollow, and closes his eyes and falls into fitful sleep, to thoughts of red hair and white fire.

Tsukuyomi is a Naruto fic! (this probably won't be its final title). Again, not sure how much you know about this series, but basically at one point, almost all characters are put under a virtually unbreakable illusion (the name of this technique is Infinite Tsukuyomi, hence the name of the WIP) where they are trapped in their own dreams, and they experience their perfect world as though it was their reality. We get to see a good number of these dreams, and they give us a really neat window into the supporting cast, for instance, with whom we don't necessarily spend too much time with in the main story, getting to see their hopes/fears/what makes them tick, etc. We don't see everyone's obviously, and Orochimaru's (one of my faves) tsukuyomi dream is skipped over, so this would be my take on what his ideal world would look like. I've got some ideas jotted down as to what it would include, but don't have anything actually written down yet ^^

[redshift-corridor]

Regarding those low engagement/fandom shifting away from community posts.

Now that I think about it, I didn't even bother linking my last two fics here. Because I was genuinely sick when I posted the first of them and didn't feel like figuring out all the formatting on here because the warnings are kinda important, but still. I could've done it anytime since, but honestly, it feels pointless.

The Ori fic is going seven months without an update now, also for legitimate health and brain-won't-cooperate reasons, but hell if I couldn't put some more effort into getting back into gear. I genuinely still love that story. I want to see it through, even if only to balance the overwhelming amount of of focus on the most popular ships at the expense of everything else. Because I have four subscribers and two regular commenters who are probably actually interested in how things will turn out. But frankly, I'm not even all that sure if they'll still be around after such a long hiatus, and my motivation is shaky already.

I'm still very attached to the game, but I already keep most of my ideas to a very niche Discord group (in an already niche fandom!) that's honestly half the reason why I haven't just dropped my fic yet. It helps remind me that I love my ideas enough to want to finish this for the few people who care.

I have five other WIPs, and I'm determined to finish at least two of them, and maybe it's just the emotional impact of having things I've been feeling for quite a while spelled out so bluntly and I'll change my mind tomorrow, but right now I'm genuinely considering packing it up after those two, more ideas be damned.

I still like them. It just doesn't feel like it's worth writing them anymore.

[aidanchaser]

thank you @rosie-b for the tag <3 This game seems so fun! A lot like the writing game I used to play on twitter.

Rosie gave me the words dream, fold, & heart to find in my WIPs, but unfortunately I don't have dream in anything unpublished yet! Shame, since it's such a good word. So I'm going to have to dip into the reserve word sigh instead, which does mean all 3 of these quotes are going to come from Boulangerella.

sigh

“Allow me—Oh, it’s so old it’s like it’s just falling apart,” Lila sighed and her lower lip jutted out into a believable pout, at least, it might have been believable to everyone else. Marinette, who knew how far Lila had gone to claim the miraculous gift of illusion, did not believe it for a minute.  “I’m so sorry,” Lila continued, “But you are a seamstress, right? You can fix it?”

fold (oh no this one is spoiler-y! you have been warned)

“I steal from a lot of people,” he said. She shoved him backwards. He stumbled, and his legs gave way beneath him. He fell to the floor with a grunt. She folded her arms over her chest and loomed over him. “You’re going to tell me everything, Adrien, or I’m going to transform into Queen Bee and take this ring right to your father.”

and lastly heart! It's used all over Boulangerella, but here's a bit I think is interesting~

Gabriel had expected to sense jealousy and anger when he had donned Hawk Moth’s power. Adrien would propose to Princess Tsurugi, there would be broken hearts, and one of those hearts would surely be strong enough to take on his power and defeat Ladybug. He thought it might be Chloé Bourgeois, who had been engaged to Adrien for so long, or Lila Rossi, who had been fighting so desperately to be chosen. He had not expected the young seamstress’s heartbreak to surge through him. The muddled cocktail of anger, embarrassment, and indignation was tantalizing. It was still early in the night, but maybe this would be what he needed. Maybe he didn’t need to wait for Adrien to propose after all.

I feel like everyone who I would tag has already done this or been tagged. If you're interested, @astargatelover, @ageofzero, @flightfoot, @sunshinemarauder, @kay-elle-cee - your 3 words are poison, care, & trust (reserve words are fire, doubt, & game)

[erythromanc3r]

Annual writing self-evaluation

I was tagged by @pipergirl17 (and I'm so glad she did - thank you, friend!)

1. List of works published this year (in no particular order):

Better Living Through Chemistry

Among the Willows

It ain't fiction, just a natural fact

kiss me where you bruise me

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

I'm proud of all my children but I'm most proud of myself for writing Among the Willows because it really did start as just vibes and it ended up being a lovely little vignette of a moment in time that I put a lot of research and love into. Honorable mention to Better Living Through Chemistry because it was my first PWP and I personally thought it was a unique and fun take on sex pollen.

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

[buzzer noise] I am proud of ALL my children!!!!

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

I loved this exchange at the tail-end of kiss me where you bruise me because it was a good exercise in writing some post-coital awkwardness between two people who don't know each other all that well while still acknowledging that there's the potential for something more there. And I needed Eddie to take any opportunity to be a little softer and sillier bc he desperately wants Chrissy to not see him as mean and scary!

“I’m…good,” he says, throwing his palms up and flattening his lips into a tight, awkward smile. He’s looking for his right sock — she knows it’s on the other side of the mattress. Chrissy doesn’t know if it’s rude or not to grab it, worried Eddie might think she’s pushing him out when she’s not quite sure where she’d prefer he be. The red light of the alarm clock on the bedside table burns a bright 1:37 into the dark when she asks another question, maybe just to cut through the awkward silence. “Are you okay to drive home? It’s late.” (Where is home for Eddie Munson, anyway?) He smiles to himself a little before he answers her. “Nah. I’m a bit of a nocturnal creature, actually.” He throws two hands up, fingers curled out like he’s doing a vampire pose during a game of charades. “Still got a couple hours left in me.”

5. Share or describe a favorite comment you received:

I'm a big fan of the incoherent flailing but I also really love when people engage with the details of the fic and tell me something they really loved about a particular line or description! I just love and appreciate getting comments in general!

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

November. Something about that month just zapped the energy out of me. This seemed to be a hard time for a lot of us for one reason or another…I propose we move NaNoWriMo to like…March or June or something because November is NOT it.

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I gained a lot of confidence. I stopped obsessing over every line being perfect because I would rather have a finished product that others can enjoy instead of a gorgeous, perfect wip that no one else can read. And now that I’m not chasing validation (both internal and external) the process is way less stressful!

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

I want to be more consistent! I want to explore more outlining methods, write more productively…and I want to be a beacon for other writers who are new to the process because the community aspect is so important.

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

@staceymcgillicuddy is a rockstar of a writer whose work ethic amazes me. @pipergirl17 my angel in the comments your work is gorgeous and you’re so kind. Extra special shoutout to everyone who writes fearlessly and freakishly because we’re all better for it. And everyone who encourages writers to keep going!

11. Anything in your real life show up in your writing this year:

Wouldn’t you like to know? Ummm honestly though nothing super personal but it ain’t fiction came to me over nights of sitting on my couch watching old metal videos on MTV classic and wishing those two kids made it out of Indiana and got a shot at their dreams.

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

The time will pass! Writing is vulnerable and embarrassing but I am more embarrassed by the years I spent not pursuing this hobby and letting all those ideas never leave my brain than by ANYTHING I’ve published.

13. Any new projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

I want to prioritize finishing all my multichapter wips…but I also want to explore more historical AUs.

14. Tag three writers/artists whose answers you’d like to read:

(But only if you want to 👉👈)

@justhere4thevibez, @toodivineforhumanmind, @0nemorestranger

[demdifferentstories-29]

20 Questions Game

Thanks for the tag, @bronzeagepizzeria <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

68!

2. What's your total AO3 words count?

734,052

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, I really only write Doctor Who aside from a handful of other one-offs I've written, but I literally have at least a hundred WIPs/ideas in my drafts.

Fandoms that I have tons of ideas for are Broadchurch and Jessica Jones (TV series), which I hope to get around to publishing. But I have a fair bit of range hiding away haha.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

In descending order:

Broken-Hearted (cross-over with Broadchurch; multi-chapter; completed)

Braids (one-shot)

Desperate Measures (multi-chapter; completed)

Exes and Ohs (one-shot)

A Lesson in Romantic (AU; multi-chapter; completed)

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

Pretty much as soon as I can! I appreciate engagement so much and I want to make that known to commenters. Plus, I love a bit of banter and discussion where prompted - it's a delight!

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

Oooo, boy. Probably Happy Together? Or maybe the first chapter of Sunburn? Violet Hill was also pretty sad. I love me some dark, heavy stories that fuck up my beloved blorbos.

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

Although I haven't updated in it in quite a while, I've written a fair bit of the sequels for the A Lesson in Romance universe, and, boy, have I made those two have a (mostly) happy life together.

In terms of published stories, I think Study Buddies would take the cake or one of the many TentooRose pieces I've done. The former is very classic, high school sweetheart vibes with just enough angst dashed in, and I tend to keep the latter sweet, fluffy and horny.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I received some very intense 'constructive' criticism whilst writing A Lesson in Romance - like I'm talking extremely long paragraphs pretty much deconstructing my writing and questioning my content. I was young at the time, it was my first multi-chapter Doctor Who fic, and the fact that this person also pretty much outright told me how I should write my story pissed me off a bit, so I, in the most polite way possible, asked them to stop reading my story and leaving these comments.

Aside from that? I've really only had one sort of bad comment since then, but I opted to not reply.

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

Oh, you know I do ;) I currently only write F/M; have explored M/M in the past so I'm down to write queer smut if the inspiration ever strikes.

I'm not really a fan of overly kinky stuff that is, say, explicit/specific (e.g. BDSM), but I don't mind stuff that is vaguely/lightly kinky (i.e. I tend to include voyeurism in my stories, but it's generally accidental). I mostly write either very horny or emotional, intimate stuff - I'm a sucker for the feelings associated with the couple.

It honestly depends on what kind of story I'm writing! But as of recent, I've been mostly producing first-time, emotion-heavy smut with a good serving of horniness/wantonness to build up the tension.

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

I've written two - Broken-Hearted and Fobwatched (if you've been waiting for an update, I promise I think of her often... I'll revive her one day). I'd say BH is crazier, as it does entwine itself with the Human Nature storyline from Doctor Who, but Fobwatched has also had some pretty wacky moments!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, and I really hope not! I have, admittedly, been a bit fearful of it in recent months.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, not to my knowledge! But I'm always open to that conversation if people are interested.

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

Back when I wrote band/music fanfiction (please forgive me for my crimes), I had started drafting out a fic with someone, but it never went anywhere and we didn't communicate very well either :,)

However, I have been beta-ing the lovely @quite-right-too's fic Dona Nobis Pacem, which has been a lovely collaboration <3 I'm so proud of Cody's work and highly recommend you read it if you haven't!

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

It would probably be DoctorRose! I've never really been more enthralled with a ship before, and the fact that the special interest is still going strong three years on is a pretty good sign. I also tend to come back to Ellie and Alec from Broadchurch quite often.

In the past, I was a hardcore Reylo fan, and I've always enjoyed random, niche ships within my realm of interests (i.e. Evey and V from V For Vendetta; Jackson and Lisa from Red Eye; an array of ships from my horror movies because I love being delusional).

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

Look, I'm quite stubborn in my belief that, ultimately, I will finish all my drafts, but I can say that the drafts from when I first started writing Doctor Who fanfiction have been quite difficult to work on because my writing has changed so much since then!

There are also maybe a WIP or two that I have written purely for myself and will never publish. I will probably take these to my deathbed lol.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hm, I've always been complimented for character accuracy, which I do think I have down pact - writing characters like Ten and Rose have gradually become more comfortable for me over the years and I feel like I know them quite well by this point, which is really surprising considering I've never done a proper rewatch of the show since finishing it aside from some scenes/particular episodes!

I've also always been very anal about detail in my stories - I love including the most unnecessary shit in my work!! Do you need to know what Rose had for breakfast? No. Are you gonna know anyway? YES!!! I just love making my stories feel as organic and lifelike as possible.

I've been working really hard on scenery recently, which I've been getting compliments on! I have aphantasia, so this is something I've put a lot of energy and focus into as I've come to realise it's pretty important for readers lol.

And, not to brag, but I do think I write some pretty banging smut. It's taken ten or so years of practice, but I got there in the end.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Eh, I feel I'm not super great at coming up with like... proper action/plot. Like I can do circumstances and events quite alright, but coming up with something like... say, escaping from a villain/bad situation, I've always felt pretty shit at accomplishing. However, I always try to improve.

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

I only speak English, so it's a bit daunting! But I just use Google Translate and consult others where possible. And, as Niyati has mentioned in her own post, I recently used her technique of writing from the non-speaker's perspective and it's been a welcome addition to my skills! Shout out, girlie <3

19. First fandom you wrote for?

It would've been 5SOS, but those fics are long gone - I deleted them from Wattpad, and the iPod that the original drafts are on doesn't work, unfortunately.

I also wrote about other bands that I listen to - Asking Alexandria, Of Mice & Men, You Me At Six, Pierce the Veil, and Bring Me The Horizon. I still have most of the drafts, but I deleted all but four of them from the internet lol (the ones that were deleted were unfinished works).

I don't write about these people anymore as I did come to realise, Wait a minute, it's kinda weird and gross to write about these people like this lol (no hate on anyone who does). But I'm always down to chat about my sordid past haha.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I would have to say "Come, gentle night, come" as it's probably the most amount of effort I put into writing. I think it's my best smut and cherish it deeply!

Tagging: @quite-right-too, @deardiary17, @insomniac-101, @metacrisisdoctor