#my first fics on ao3 were for SC

[housewifebuck]

I kinda did want all that info but didn't know how to word it correctly. So thank you for sharing.

Ur SO welcome <3

[trulybetty]

Sequins | Joel Miller x f!Reader

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader (no use of Y/N) + no outbreak AU Reader: no physical descriptions, reader wears a dress Word Count: 3,195 Warnings: 18+, smutty mc smut smut, alcohol, nightclubs, drunken behaviour, public sexual acts, Joel Miller comes with his own warnings. Summary: On a night out with friends, you run into a broad-shouldered stranger and there's no denying that there's an immediate attraction between the two of you. AO3: Linked

A/N: everyone and all, this fic is based on the post that launched a thousand thots and we can all thank @wildemaven for all of this as she inspired the whole thing.

Sequins.

The club was loud, the lights were bright, the drinks were way too expensive and you had lost sight of your friends on your way back from the bar.

Just as you were contemplating retreating to a quieter corner of the club to check your phone, you collided with a pair of broad shoulders.

“Whoa there,” the stranger said, steadying you by the arm. “You alright there darlin'?”

His voice was a deep Texas drawl and for a brief second, the noise of the club seemed less loud as you got lost in his dark brown eyes. They were weary but kind, a stark contrast to the rowdy atmosphere surrounding you.

“Yeah, I'm fine, thanks,” you replied, adjusting your dress, cursing as several of the sequins dropped to the floor with the tug you gave it from where it'd rode up on your thighs. You clutched your drink a little tighter too, not wanting to lose the contents of the twelve-dollar highball you hadn't even had a chance to sip at yet. “Just lost my bearings for a second.”

He looked as out of place as you felt, clad in a button-up plaid green shirt and jeans, clearly uncomfortable amidst the flashing lights and thumping bass. It was endearing, in a way. With a little smile tugging at your lips, and the alcohol emboldening you, you decided to take a chance.

“You look a bit out of your element,” you winked, “First time in a place like this?”

He chuckled as he raised a curious eyebrow, “Is it that obvious ma’am?”

“A little bit,” you said playfully as you wrapped your lips around the thin cocktail straw of your drink. “But it's charming. So, what brings you here?” you asked, leaning in closer so he could hear you over the music, gesturing at the crowded dance floor.

He chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and shrugged. “My brother's bachelor party, so I couldn't exactly say no,” he said, nodding toward a group of rowdy men holding up the bar at the other end of the room. “I'm the best man, so I had to come along and make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid.”

He glanced back at you, and the corner of his mouth curled up in a mischievous smirk. “What about you darlin'? You with anyone tonight?”

“Just some friends,” you replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “We're here for a bachelorette party, seems like the place to be for pre-wedding celebrations tonight.”

His eyebrows raised in question, his gaze flickering to your left hand. “So is it safe to assume you're not the bride?”

You couldn't help the laugh that escaped your lips at his brazen assumption, the sound ringing out above the music.

Shaking your head, you had a smile still tugging at the corners of your mouth. “No, I'm the maid of honour,” you said, “I was supposed to be on duty, but I guess I failed because I can't find the bride.” Your gaze swept around for any sign of your group of friends but they were nowhere to be found.

Joel smiled, and for a brief second, the heavy bass and flashing lights seemed to disappear. “Well, if you’re failing your duties, I guess that makes two of us.”

You took a sip of your drink, the alcohol warming your throat, and looked Joel up and down. There was a rugged sincerity about him, a sense of grit that you found intriguing.

“So, you got a name cowboy?”

He laughed quietly as he shook his head, “Joel,” he answered, and you found the gesture of him almost offering his hand for a handshake endearing before he scratched the back of his neck nervously, “And who might you be sweetheart?” he asked.

You gave him your name before your tongue found the straw of your drink again and took a short sip. You could feel his gaze land on your lips as you sipped.

“Pretty name for a pretty face.”

You felt your cheeks heat at the compliment. His eyes were still fixed on your mouth and you couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious. You shifted your weight from one foot to another, suddenly feeling a little awkward under Joel's gaze. His eyes flicked up to meet yours and you saw a glint of amusement there, like he knew exactly what was going through your mind.

“So, your girlfriend let you out for the night?”

He released a low chuckle from deep within his chest. “No girlfriend to speak of,” he answered with a shake of his head.

“How about a wife then?” you inquired, your eyes twinkling with curiosity.

He shook his head again. “Nope. Flying solo these days.”

You eyed him with interest, studying every detail-from the sparkle in his eyes to the subtle wrinkles around them. You hummed thoughtfully before replying, “Interesting.”

You couldn't help but feel a spark of attraction towards him. There was something about his demeanour that made your heart race. Maybe it was the way he looked at you, or the way his voice sent shivers down your spine. Whatever it was, you couldn't deny that there was chemistry between the two of you.

“Interesting, you say?” Joel leaned in, a coy grin on his face. “What's so interesting about a single guy at a bachelor party?”

You matched his posture, leaning in just close enough to make the tension palpable. “Well, a guy like you, good-looking, charming, single. It's either a mystery or a tragedy.”

Joel's eyes sparkled with amusement. “You think I'm charming, huh? Well, let's call it a mystery for now.”

You smiled. “A mystery it is, then.”

The two of you stood there for a moment, on the edge of the crowded venue, caught in a mix of smoky air, flashing lights, and electric vibes, sharing a sort of silent agreement that this meeting, this connection, was something more.

“So,” Joel hesitated, clearly trying to phrase his next question carefully. He cleared his throat, a little awkward as he tried to navigate the terrain of flirtation. “If you're here, not being the bride and all, and I'm here, not being the groom, would it be too presumptuous of me to assume that you're...uh, not seeing anyone?”

His roundabout way of asking made you laugh. It was a little clumsy but endearing in its awkwardness. His flirting skills were obviously rusty, but it just made him more appealing.

“No husband, no boyfriend. Free as a bird,” you replied, giving him a reassuring smile.

He gave a half smile as he crossed his arms over his chest, the stretch of the shirt over his biceps and shoulders caused you to involuntarily lick your lips. A move that wasn't missed on him as he smirked to himself as he shifted in his stance.

“You look like you'd rather be anywhere but here,” you observed.

He looked at you, his eyes sincere. “Well, I wouldn't say 'anywhere.' I've enjoyed bumping into you, for one.”

It was evident now that there was attraction between the two of you. You could feel the electricity in the air around you, and it made your heart flutter in anticipation. The light from the club's strobe lights bounced off of your sequined dress, highlighting every curve of your body. His gaze seemed to linger on each one of them, causing a warmth to spread through you.

He stepped forward, closing the gap between you both and stopped when his body was mere inches away from yours. His gaze lifted up to meet yours, and you swore that you could see a sparkle of desire deep within his eyes.

Your fingers trailed up his bare forearm, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Even in the dim light of the club, you could make out the definition of the muscle that flexed under your fingertips. Your fingers ran back down and you outlined the watch at his wrist, the large dial secured with a green canvas strap. Pausing for a moment you looked up at him from under your lashes and you could see from the laboured rise and fall of his chest that he was feeling whatever it was between you two also.

You paused, lifting your gaze from Joel to scan the fringes of the dance floor, checking if anyone was watching or if you were at risk of being 'caught'. The crowd seemed too engrossed in their own worlds, dancing and laughing, oblivious to the electric connection you were sharing with Joel at the edge of the dance floor.

Without breaking eye contact, and in a move that surprised even you, you took his hand by the wrist and brought it to the hem of your dress, and under. He raised an eyebrow in a silent ask of permission, your response was to move his hand higher up your thigh. He didn’t need any further encouragement. His fingers, while calloused from manual labour moved deftly to push aside your underwear. His fingers curled into his palm, he let his knuckles run down the length of you, and you couldn’t help the gasp that bubbled up from your throat as they made their way back up, your hands still wrapped around his forearm. 

Joel's lips curved into a grin as he watched your reaction. He glanced around surreptitiously, then leaned in closer, his breath hot against your ear. “Is this what you want, darlin'?” he murmured, his voice low and husky.

You barely managed a nod, the closeness of him in combination of his fingers unfurling into you while the thrill of intimacy in a public setting tinged by the alcohol on your tongue was intoxicating. 

His body moved even closer to yours, your drink balancing precariously on your upturned palm as his other hand snaked past your hip to your ass, your dress riding up slightly in the process. He kept his hand in place, his thumb gently ghosting your clit with steady pressure and his index finger and middle finger parted and slowly slipped inside of you. You let out a soft moan as your body adjusted to his fingers, and your grip around his forearm loosened.

He leaned in, his lips travelling down your neck. You felt a shiver run through your body as his teeth grazed over the exposed skin, each kiss sending shockwaves of pleasure through you. He dropped kisses to your exposed neck, his lips tracing a line up to your ear. He whispered something inaudible, the words barely discernible over the music blaring from the speakers. 

Your one arm wrapped around his neck while your free hand found its way to his broad shoulder,w you held on for dear life as he continued to drop soft kisses along your collarbone. Your nails dug in as his fingers somehow managed to move deeper. His thumb increased its pressure as his fingers curled inside of you, coaxing out the sensation that had been building inside of you since the second you'd bumped into him.

The thrill of being caught heightened every sense and quickly was building a delicious tension between your hips and you let out a sigh that was drowned out by the thumping beat of the music. He pulled away slightly, looking at you with a mischievous glint in his eye before leaning back in to finally put his lips to yours, his fingers never once losing their steady pace as you hungrily returned his kiss.

As soon as he broke the kiss to catch his breath, your lips never left his. Your tongue invaded his mouth, tasting the alcohol on his tongue from the drink he'd finished earlier, before your teeth clenched into his bottom lip. He let out a soft moan as you bit down, your fingernails now scraping against the back of his neck.

A moan escaped your lips as he quickened his pace, the perfect timing catching you right at the edge of your climax. His grip on your waist tightened and he pulled you towards him. His free hand rubbed the small of your back in a soothing circle, trying to calm your uncontrollable trembling.

You could feel the jagged hiss of his breath against your ear as he pulled away just enough to whisper “Let it go, darlin’.”

You pressed against him, your nails digging into his shoulder as you came hard on his fingers.

“Joel...” you managed to whimper out as you clung to him.

Your breath hitched and before you knew it, a wave crashed through your body, carrying with it sensations unlike the ones before. Your nails dug into Joel's shoulder as waves of pleasure coursed through every nerve-ending in your body until eventually they subsided and all that was left was the warmth radiating from between your thighs and Joel's softly whispered words in your ear telling you how beautiful you were.

You collapsed against him, completely spent your body still quivering around him he held you steady, never once taking his hands away.

He glanced around to see if anyone had caught sight of your public display, and thankfully no one had. “You okay there sweetheart?” he said breathlessly, his hand still in place, sliding in and out of you slowly and teasing as you tried to regain some composure.

He looked at you with a soft smile, your free fingers now playing with the curls at the nape of his neck. The bass was now shaking the floor, its vibrations now mixed with the buzz of your orgasm.

He smiled as he slowly pulled his hand away, his fingers slipping from your body creating a shiver to run through you. He leaned in closer and softly grazed his lips against yours before pulling away.

“That was…” your voice trailed off as your tongue stumbled trying to find words, your voice barely audible over the music.

Joel’s lips curved into a mischievous smile, just on the edge of uttering a response, when a lurching figure ambled up and draped their arms across his shoulder.

“Hey! There you are! Brother–” the slurred voice that came from the man who had stumbled into Joel. Based on the striking resemblance it could only be his brother whose bachelor party he'd mentioned it was. Joel quickly let go of your hand to suddenly catch him as he stumbled, shouldering the weight of his younger brother - the only thing now that was keeping him standing, “I think I want to go find Maria.” Tommy hiccuped, unaware of the spell he had just broken.

Joel's face flushed crimson and he looked at you apologetically, “I think it's time to get you home, Tommy.”

You took a step back, understanding the need for him to take care of his brother and trying not to make things awkward.

“Maybe I could give you my number? Maybe we can catch up when your hands aren't so full?” You gestured towards Tommy, whose eyes were glassy as tried to remain upright.

He frowned slightly before understanding crossed over his features and a grin appeared on his face, “Well, a gentleman could never say no to a lady such as yourself.”

He handed over his phone, managing to retrieve it from his back pocket while still holding Tommy, who was currently singing the praises of his fiancée in a tipsy monologue. You quickly tapped your way through the phone, pausing only to smile at the background.

“Alright, you're all set,” you said, handing him back his phone with a smile before you busied yourself with your own briefly.

“Was that your number I just got a notification for?” he asked, pocketing the phone.

You smirked and said, “Why don’t you check it out when you get home? It's more of a surprise that way.”

He chuckled, before ushering his brother out the door. He paused and looked back at you, mouthing 'bye' as he put his arm around Tommy's waist and started walking away.

You watched them go, your eyes lingering on Joel's figure until they disappeared into the crowd. You blew out a long breath, feeling your heart thump in your chest from the adrenaline rush of what had just taken place. Your body still felt tingly from where his fingers had been moments ago and you allowed yourself to bask in it for a few more seconds before shaking off the trance-like state, and heading out to find your friends who had been blowing up your phone wondering where you were.

As you tucked yourself into bed, your phone buzzed with a new message. Opening it, you found a text from Joel.

Hey darlin', get home safe?

Smiling, you tapped out a reply, Yes, thank you for asking. How about you, cowboy?

Just got home. Tonight was something. Glad we met.

Feeling your heart swell with affection, you set your phone down on the bedside table. Squeezing your thighs together it was almost as if you could feel his fingers lingering there still. You didn't know how long you'd been lost in your thoughts when they were interrupted by a dip in the bed behind you.

A warm arm wrapping around your waist pulled you against their chest, the bristle of a beard that refused to grow nuzzled into the space between your shoulder and neck. 

“There’s sequins all over this damn house.”

“My dress.” You murmured half as asleep as you leaned back into the embrace as kisses ghosted the underside of your jaw. “They just kept falling off.”

“Did you have a good night?”

“Mm, I did. It was... unexpected,” you responded, feeling the gentle press of his lips against your skin as he chuckled softly. “How about you?”

His arm tightened around you for a moment, pulling you even closer to him. “Well, I met this incredibly beautiful woman at some club, and it turns out she's already my wife. So, I'd say it's a win.”

You laughed quietly at that, loving how he could still make your heart race even after years of marriage. “You're incorrigible,” you said, placing your hand over his where it rested on your waist.

Joel chuckled softly into your hair, his warm breath sending a shiver down your spine despite the coziness of your surroundings, “In the best way, I hope,” Joel murmured, his breath warm against your neck.

“The very best way,” you confirmed, feeling your eyelids grow heavy as you nestled into the warmth of his embrace. You were both right where you belonged, and despite the evening's antics, that thought filled you with a profound sense of peace.

You smiled, turning your head slightly to catch his eyes in the dim light filtering through the curtains. “And how's Tommy? Did he make it to bed alright?”

Joel sighed, “Ah, well he definitely had one too many, gettin’ him into bed was like wrestlin' a bear, but he's sleeping it off. Thanks again for ordering that Uber darlin', I wouldn't have had a clue. Thought he was going to kick us out at one point, Tommy hollerin' about how much he'd drank.”

You both fell into a comfortable silence, absorbing the feel of each other, the simple joy of being close after a night that had, at first, seemed destined to keep you apart.

As you began to drift off, Joel kissed the back of your head, whispering softly, “I love you, sweetheart.”

A contented smile tugged at your lips. “I love you too, Joel.”

[kiwiana-writes]

20 question for fic writers

Thanks @stereopticons and @welcometololaland for the tags, even if it is distracting me from hockey lmaooooo

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

221. No, that's not a typo.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

729,286! However there's a few collabs in there, per my spreadsheet where I obsessively track these things my *personal* wordcount for works on AO3 is 600,080 (so I guess I crossed 600k with this morning's kinktober! That's fun.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now it's Red, White & Royal Blue. I still have my toes in Schitt's Creek, and I've written for Happiest Season and The Last of Us on AO3 as well.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest) [Red, White, & Royal Blue] - the actor AU, aka MJ Nerds Out About Shakespeare For 65,000 Words. And y'all love it, apparently 😅

We always walked a very thin line [Happiest Season] - It remains forever fascinating to me that my rage-fuelled fuck-that-ending thing I smashed out in like 3 hours after watching that film is still the most-kudosed work in the entire fandom. I guess other people shared my annoyance lol.

We were supposed to find this [Red, White, & Royal Blue] - The soulmates/solemates fic and my first fic in this fandom??? That somehow blew all my SC fics out of the water kudos-wise??? Go figure lmao.

Meet me out at the end of my rope [Schitt's Creek] - angstapalooza, my beloved.

When you care enough to send the very best [Schitt's Creek] - this being in the top five (and my second-highest SC fic) is eternally fascinating to me. A fully epistolary fic with Patrick as a greeting card writer for Hallmark?? I mean sure, it's a cute concept, but this is another one of those 'wrote it in an afternoon and y'all love it apparently' fics.

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

Absolutely! Sometimes I feel bad that my responses aren't always, like, enough. But I massively appreciate people taking the time to comment so I'm always gonna respond!

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

Probably the one that ends with MCD lmaooooo

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

Most everything I write has a happy ending, but it's probably the RWRB Actor AU? Both the end of the main story and the epilogue end on massive joy

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yeah. Particularly kink stuff (please be cool on tomorrow's y'all) but also some massively panphobic bullshit on some Schitt's Creek fics. And one or two people who have beef with me lmao. I'm liberal with my use of the 'delete comment' button haha.

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

It's been said about me that I might write a bit of smut from time to time, yes. (Though, contrary to my reputation, especially in SC, E-rated is actually only 37% of my total works.) The filthy-yet-tender kind. The let's-examine-where-kinks-come-from kind. The sex-positive kind. The let-people-be-horny-freaks kind.

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

I haven't, but I would if the right idea presented itself!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of...

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of...

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

Yes! My partner in crime @ships-to-sail and I have co-written two uhhhhhh somewhat tonally different fics: The afterlife fic that was a huge treatise on grief and how the people in our lives shape us, and the one where Patrick is a snowman who comes to life complete with sparkly Twilight dildo dick. Something something range.

The Jake/Rachel series has each individual fic as a solo write, but the series is an internally consistent collaboration with @sarahlevys

And there have been a few projects where I've written a section or a chapter as part of a larger collaborative work: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Don't have one. I love a whole bunch for a whole bunch of different reasons.

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

Technically I guess the series is a WIP, but I honestly don't know if I'll ever get to the end of the show for kink!verse. (Never say never 😭 but right now I can't see it happening.)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Fuck off stop making me be nice about myself.

Um, character voice? Both dialogue and narration. I think I'm good at getting a handle on the way characters speak and think, and when I'm on my epistolary bullshit I tend to put a lot of thought into how they text etc as well (for fandoms where we don't see that in canon haha).

Also I'm apparently really good at making readers feel their feelings. Love y'all ❤️

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot lol. I've said it before and I'll say it again, there's a reason y'all keep seeing me thank @ships-to-sail for the outline on anything with any substance.

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

Not opposed to it, but have a horror of google translate fail. So beyond, like, a word here or there, I wouldn't do it unless I could reach out to a fluent speaker and make sure it's right. My second language is functionally useless to me in a fandom context lol.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

HP. Fuck JKR for tainting all my memories of that time.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Hey remember my answer to #1? That makes this mean.

I have a different answer every time. Been a bit dysphoric lately so today I'm gonna say it's nonbinary Alexis Rose lol.

Tried to skip people I'd seen have done it or been tagged already but was probably unsuccessful, sorry if some of y'all are feeling spammed: @affectionatelyrs @celeritas2997  @daisymae-12 @happiness-of-the-pursuit @heartitinthesilence @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @hypnostheory @inexplicablymine @myheartalivewrites @sherryvalli @smc-27 @tintagel-or-cockleshells and anyone who wants to play ❤️

[swearphil]

hi renee, do you still read schitts creek fanfic? do you have any recs? :)

anon, I love the timing of getting this ask on monday and then ao3 was down and I thought it would be awhile until I could effectively answer this ask but ao3 is back! yay!!! and then it took me three days to answer this because I couldn't make decisions!

yes, I still read schitt's creek fanfic! when I started compiling a list for this ask, I was going to do 10 fics but I've decided to rec 20: 10 multi-chapter fics and 10 one shots/single chapter fics. this way I get to include more fics and hopefully you find something you'd like to read! I also recommend checking out my sc fic recs tag and I also have this my recs tag where I made recs for the @farm-witches-fic-recs this or that challenge! I also recommend the witches' posts for more recs!

here are 20 fics from 20 authors but please know there are so many incredible authors in this fandom and I love them all and I hate that I can't include all of them!!!

Multi-Chapter Fics

On the Outside Looking Through by @smblmn

A pride & prejudice AU

Red White and Blue Jays by @grapehyasynth

Red White and Royal Blue AU. David Rose, First Son of the United States, hates Patrick Brewer, First Son of Canada. That gets him into some trouble - and then a lot of trouble. (I mean we're about to get the movie sooooooooo)

my heart was broke, my head was sore by @blueink3

The morning after Grad Night goes somewhat differently when Patrick gets a call from home.

Crossing Out the Good Years by @nontoxic-writes

One thing, David didn’t do one thing, and moved them to New York and let their marriage fall apart. But that wasn't supposed to happen. So Fate intervenes. aka the divorce-ish fic

The Rosebud Diamond by @vivianblakesunrisebay

Patrick is a detective. David is his mysterious client. There’s a priceless diamond, a masquerade ball, murder, thievery, blackmail, secrets, betrayal, gangsters, smoking, whiskey, and angst galore. (And a happy ending.) It’s a film noir AU.

you never shined so brightly by @rosedavid

A La La Land AU in which Patrick is the aspiring actor and David is the struggling musician.

Home at Last by @januarium

When Stevie Budd took on the role of Sally Bowles she could never have known how much she would gain from it. From the prompt: An alternate universe where Ted does not choose Alexis at the end of Season Four and Stevie and Alexis get close during Cabaret rehearsals

You Happened by @lilythesilly

David Rose is many things: talented, creative, fashion-forward, well read—the list can go on, but at the very top of that list is Extremely Rich. So he doesn’t understand why his father is making him work at Rose Video—or why Patrick Brewer, a boy he's had virtually no interaction with since they were twelve, is suddenly always around. An enemies-to-coworkers-to-friends-to-lovers high school au.

Pull The Shot. Steam The Milk. Repeat. by @treluna4

Right at the beginning of David’s junior year of college, his dad’s business partner literally took the money and ran, and the Roses were left with nothing...He moved in with his friend Stevie and got a job at the Schitt Family Coffee Roasters south campus location. David was less than thrilled by this job prospect, but no one else was hiring and rent was a thing now, so he gathered what little self-respect he had left and prepared to meet his new manager, Patrick. But as it turned out, David had met him once before. Under very, very different circumstances. Or; the hookup-to-friends-to-lovers college coffee shop AU that no one asked for.

How Easy It Could Be by @maxbegone

A story about sweet caffeine, starting new, and falling in love slowly.

Single Chapter Fics

life ain't passing you by by @dinnfameron

Stevie has breakfast at the cottage before a business trip. David and Patrick have some thoughts regarding her feelings for her new coworker.

like glass from sandy ground by @middyblue

Five times Alexis ran from grief, and one time she didn't.

Pretty Follies by @treepyful

Alexis and Twyla team up to play matchmaker for Stevie and Ruth. Unfortunately, the course of true love never did run smooth.

I INDEX/MATCH You by @sarahlevys

Ruth maintains a lot of spreadsheets. Some of them feature Stevie.

are there still beautiful things? by @mymariahcarey

“Look what I got Stevie!” Twyla calls as she runs through the waist-high grass towards the line of trees where Stevie’s waiting for her. By the time Twyla reaches her, her cheeks pink and her breath labored, her french braids are coming undone and there’s a twig stuck in one of them. Or, Stevie and Twyla were childhood best friends.

falling into place like dominos by @petalwritesx

David and Patrick hold a second housewarming party, this time at their newly-renovated cottage. For old times' sake, they decide to play spin the bottle. Meanwhile, Stevie has been wrestling with her feelings for Alexis since she left for New York... and it never occurred to her that those feelings could flow both ways.

you light me up like starlight by @stereopticons

Patrick and his indie band head back to their hometown to perform for the annual holiday charity concert, and David tags along, even though they are still keeping their relationship a secret.

Live By Love Though The Stars Walk Backwards by @chelle-68

Stevie returns from a work trip to discover an exhausted Patrick who has trouble sleeping without David, who has been in LA visiting his family. Stevie's offer to spend the night to keep Patrick company, hoping it will help him sleep, turns into a night of heartfelt conversation about love, friendship, fate, and taking chances.

One Single Thread of Gold by @swiftlythebest

Patrick has a baseball viewing party, and David has a lot of feelings.

as we dream by the fire by @blackandwhiteandrose

The fire is just the right amount of warm -- enough to keep David toasty but not sweaty -- so he can enjoy lying against his husband’s chest, happy and content in his embrace. Patrick brings a hand up, slipping his fingers through David’s hair. “This is a great way to spend an evening,” he says, his voice soft. “We should do this more often.”

[amplifyme]

MN 1068 - 06

The X-Files. MSR. Season 5. Rated: Teen and up. WC: 1387. Read on AO3.

Tagging @today-in-fic​

He’d said as he dropped a kiss on her brow: “I’m gonna grab a shower. My wallet’s on the coffee table if I’m not out before the food gets here.”

He wasn’t. So she answered the door and paid the kid, tipping him more generously than she knew Mulder would’ve. She gathered forks and paper towels and made it through the doorway into the living room before she lost her grip on his wallet. It fell open at her feet, spilling out the bills she’d haphazardly stuffed back into it. She emptied her hands and squatted to retrieve it.

It was the sharp corner, shoved into the folds of money and poking under her fingernail, that drew her attention. "Ouch!" Without thought she pulled the culprit free and held up a piece of yellow legal pad, a little more than two-thirds the size of a business card, and thickly laminated. She flipped it over and read what was there, scrawled diagonally across the printed lines of the paper in what she recognized was Mulder’s hand.

MN 1068 - 06

She was still frowning at it when he stepped out of the bedroom. He was in his usual post-shower state: almost dry and almost dressed. Loose running shorts, a sleeveless tee, and damp porcupine hair; his normal attire for a night in. He noticed the food first, rubbing his hands together in pleasure.

“Excellent. I’m starving! What’ve you got there, Sc -?” His lips clamped shut when he saw what she held, and his eyes darted to hers.

She experienced the briefest moment of embarrassment. But she hadn’t done anything wrong, not really. Besides, there were far fewer secrets between them these days. And if he trusted her enough with his wallet – which he’d done countless times before – then he also trusted her with whatever it contained.

Scully stood and offered him the stiff scrap of paper. “What’s this?” she chirped.

He had to open his mouth twice before he could get a word out. A tiny alarm chimed quietly in a corner of her brain. “It’s… it’s nothing. A keepsake. Nothing.” He took the preserved scrap of paper and his wallet from her and settled into his corner of the couch. He quickly tucked everything back in and laid it in the center of the coffee table. “Let’s eat.”

He would never be a completely open book. She would never be able to adequately plumb the depths of his unending mysteries. And she kind of liked it that way. But Scully knew avoidance when she saw it. Hunger won out over curiosity, though, and she took the offered food from his hand without saying anything. Soon the living room was scented with Garlic Chicken and Moo Shu pork as they ate in comfortable silence. The tank in the corner gurgled away and Mulder’s thumb pulsed on the remote until he settled on a nature documentary. The volume went up a little. They traded containers for a while and then switched back to their originals.

She waited until the smiling, happy, slightly desperate on-air staff of the local public broadcasting station launched into their spiel for funding before she turned to him.

“You don’t want to tell me?”

He looked over at her, scratching behind his ear with one hand, the other with a fork stuck out like a weapon between his fingers. “I did tell you, it’s nothing.” A smile that verged on bashful crossed his face and then was gone in an instant. “It’s stupid. You’ll laugh at me.”

“Mulder, I do that all the time anyway. Sometimes I think you encourage it. You get off on finding new ways to make me break out in incredulous laughter.”

His head bobbed. “True enough,” he conceded. “You know me well, Scully.”

“Maybe not.”

They traded a long look, and she tried not to seem too nosy. The recent addition of sexual intimacy to their relationship didn’t mean they had to share everything, did it? After all, they were still allowed some privacy.

“It’s gonna make you nuts if I don’t tell you, isn’t it?”

“No, not at all.” She shifted her attention back to the TV. “Okay, yes, it is,” she conceded after a minute, chin lifted proudly in defiance. “But then making me nuts is also something you delight in doing.”

“It’s… stupid,” he repeated after a minute, jamming his fork into the Moo Shu Pork and transferring the contents onto a thin pancake. He folded it closed and shoved most of it in his mouth.

She spent another minute trying to look engrossed in the episode of Masterpiece Theater that’d just started. “It’s fine, Mulder” she said. “You don’t have to tell me.”

He swallowed a bite just in time to bark a laugh and tossed the empty tail end of his pancake into the container of pork. “Of course I do. If I hope to have a moment of peace tonight. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“Well, I could just go home, if that’s the way you feel about it,” she teased.

Not surprisingly, he chose that moment to tackle her and push her flat on the couch. He loomed over her, wearing the shit-eating grin she treasured but would never dare admit to. He levered down enough to give her a long, hoisin flavored kiss and then tucked his nose into the notch of her jaw. “You promise not to laugh?”

There he was, being bashful again. And it was so not like him. Mulder was brash, confident, practically impossible to embarrass. Hesitant occasionally. Even vulnerable sometimes. But he sounded just like a shy twelve-year-old boy. Remember, she admonished herself, that’s who he is, too. Whatever this was, it mattered to him.

She wove her fingers into the short hair at the nape of his neck. “I promise.”

“It was on the card I found in the filing system at the DOD.” He lifted his head and looked at her with soft, mossy eyes. “Your card, and it was printed in red in the upper right corner. MN 1068 - 06. It corresponded with the vial I found in the basement of the Pentagon. The one containing the chip that saved your life.”

“Mulder, we don’t know that for a fact.”

“I do. You believe in your brand of miracle, and I’ll believe in mine.” He cocked his head and offered a lop-sided smile. “All that matters is that we got one.”

She sat up, pushing back to gain a little bit of distance so she wouldn’t be distracted and miss the rest of his story. Mulder hovered close, his hand sweeping up and down her arm, cupping the curve of her jaw before sliding away.

“I jotted it down as soon as I got back to the Gunmen’s. I didn’t want to take the chance I’d forget. That ID number? It saved your life. So I carry it with me. As a reminder.” He scrubbed his face with both hands before turning back to her. “I wanted to keep the vial,” he chuckled under his breath. “I was going to do something with it, I don’t know. But I never got it back and didn’t think to ask until it was too late. Too much going on at the time. So… now you know.”

He gave her a long look from the corner of his eye and then slowly sank back against her, like a felled tree. She squirmed and shifted until she was on her back again, and gathered him in her arms, nuzzled him like the overgrown puppy he sometimes resembled.

He said, a few tranquil moments later, “Thanks for not laughing at me, Scully.”

“You’re welcome.” She dropped a kiss on the crown of his head and told him matter-of-factly, “I love you, Mulder.”

He wriggled against her and unhurriedly began rooting at her breasts with his glorious nose. His warm, humid breath played against nipples grown suddenly hard with a rush of anticipation and desire.

“Prove it,” he murmured, and gently closed his teeth on the peak of her left breast, dampening the fabric of her shirt and the bra beneath.

She shoved him away and took to her feet, holding out a hand in invitation. Then she led him to his bed and gave him all the proof he’d ever need.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

I want more than anything to write something angsty enough to rip your heart out. But the muse is demanding fluff lately, something she used to avoid at all costs. Despite any protests I might make, she usually gets her way.

Until next time…

[smallumbrella369]

Fic Writing Review

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

Thanks for tagging me @flowertrigger .💐

Life was stupidly lifey in 2023. I literally posted one fic this year. So I’m only vaguely complying with the rules here.  

Words and Fics

Total Word count: 158,583

Fandom: Schitt's Creek (forever my heart)

First fic posted: Music Moves Him

Last fic posted: David Rose: Style Consultant

Shortest fic: Quick and Dirty (498 words)

Longest fic: My heart is like paper (yours is like a flame) (56,156)

Random acts of posting

For about 5 minutes, I considered getting into recording podfics. The process is a lot more complicated than my brain wanted to engage with, so here’s my one and only recording. Just 263 words in under 2 minutes. All credit goes to Missgeevious. (@missgeevious)

Freckles

Fandom Fic Events 

In October 2020 I wrote Stranded for the SC Trick or Treat Collection

In March 2021 I wrote BDE (Big Dick Energy ) for My Eyes Are Up Here

Both of these events were great fun to participate in and yielded excellent stories from everyone. Go check them out! 

Projects for 2024

This is my list of my wips that I’d like to compete.

Fake boyfriend 

The fic /fic: An epistolary

bookstore/5+1- a new idea (because why not add to the list?)

Joshua Tree- AU-  An unfinished! 60K monstrosity that should probably be 45K tops, but has gotten way out of hand and way in my head and may never see the light of day. So… there’s that. 

@missgeevious @mostlyinthemorning @delilah-mcmuffin @madlori

@apothecarose @apothecarypants @five678patty @jesuisici33 @ramonaflow @jamilas-pen @chelle-68

Anyone who'd like to play, please do. I'm so bad at tagging people!!

[innamorament0]

20 questions game

Thank you, @luthordamnvers, for the tag <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

At this moment 9, though most of them are on hold and 1 is an art

2. What’s your total AO3 words count?

206 916 at the moment

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Exclusively Supercorp with a dash of Dansen, Brainia and Rojarias as side pairings. No other pair had this much grip over me, so I would start writing fics for them. =D

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

how to interrupt the spellcasting (Explicit, smut 1 shot) When you move, I'm moved (Explicit, Ice Dance AU, non-trad a/b/o, multichapter, ongoing) Cold never bothered me anyway (Explicit, smut 1 shot) When those walls come tumbling down (Mature (for now) post-season 6 canon compliant, my first work that I intend to rewrite because it's a mess) I hope you're the end of my story (Mature (for now) Cowboy Kara AU, non-trad a/b/o, on hold now, but I will finish it!)

yeah.... people like smut XD

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

I always reply! It may take me a day or two especially when I am busy at work but I read them and try to answer something more or less meaningful <3

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

I am terrible at writing angst and all my fics ends well because I am a fluff-loving bitch =D

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

All of them have happy endings, but I think, the most satisfying is in I slithered here from Eden . Or I am just biased. But it's most domestic and hopeful.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Got some nasty comments, from some famous haters in a SC fandom

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

oh yes, that's my speciality XD Most of my fic contains explicit smut.

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

Nope, not yet but I never say never!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so? I am not so popular too

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not officially, no, but I ran fics through the translator to read it many years ago when my English was worse.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Not in the full meaning of this word, but I count my Beta as my co-writer because he does a lot of work to make it readable, because English is not my native language and the raw text is... terrifying not gonna lie.

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

Supercorp, I think they overshade all my previous favourite ships. But I can't say I love my other ships less, so <3 you Xena/Gabrielle, Sylvaina and Pharmercy!

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

I want to finish all my WIP's, I had a writing draught for a year because of an illness and now coming back to it and focusing on one/two at a time with the occasional 1-shot in the middle

16. What are your writing strengths?

I guess I am good at writing adventures ( thus I focus on action-heavy AU's) and smut. To be honest I needed to write smut first but I try not to seem too thirsty XD

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Angst. Idk, I just don't have a mental capacity for it I guess

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

If we dismiss the fact that English is not my first or even second language, yes, I thought that when I will write Red Daughter I would write her dialogue in Russian ( which is another language I freely speak)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I never wrote for fandoms before, so my first texts were about my OC's

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

I would say that it is From Eden . First of all it is full of action and I love writing combat scenes and adventures, second of all it was for SCBB and I never participated in anything like that so it added to the fun. And last - it is my only finished long work so I am kinda sorta proud of it =D

I think all writers I know are already tagged so I spread it to anyone who wants to fill it up! <3

[distractivate]

Trivia (Wednes)day

Creators: give a “behind the scenes” look at one of your works. This could be things that got removed or changed, the origins of ideas/details, whatever you like!

Thanks to @smblmn​ for tagging me!

When I had a lot more free time than I do now, I often created digital models of the locations where my fics were set (AUs or outside of SC). My background is in design, so this activity was not totally out there for my interests, if still a bit unhinged lol. Making the model usually helps me percolate and develop details that find their way into the story. Making a model of the Rose Video store for The Last Rose Video gave me the idea that David would turn the adult video room into the community room that was a huge part of boosting the store's success. In Blackbird, Fly, the model of the bunker gave me the idea for David to use the service ramp as his own kind of meditation walk, which ended up opening the fic.

Normally the models aren't that pretty to look at, but I was really stuck on Good Winter, and I spent a lot of time avoiding writing modeling the Brewer Family fishing cabin and thinking about what objects Patrick could discover and ruminate about. It helped me brainstorm how those objects would tell the story of his emotional state, his family history, and his relationship with Rachel. I worked back and forth, from model to fic draft to model, adding details to both.

I vividly remember writing the excerpt below about Marcy and her dishes, which came to me so clearly while laying out the kitchen in the model.

Patrick nods and ponders that as he sits down next to him with their cups of tea. That’s maybe what he’s doing here. Finally.

“Are these antique?” David asks, studying the delicate blue floral pattern on the soft white china.

“I assume. They were my grandmother’s.”

“They’re fancy,” he says appreciatively, taking another sip.

His dad didn’t even question it when his mom unpacked the box of china that first summer after her mother died. He just turned fond and kissed the top of her head, and they spent summers eating fried fish on the same fine china she’d used for big family dinners since she was a girl. They’re so out of place here at the end of a very long road from nowhere to nowhere, but he loves them, loves the way his mother said yes to wilderness and no to being wild about it.

After his week here, he can see she was always doing that, adding touches to the cabin to soften it. His dad complained once about how fishing cabins were supposed to be rough, but just once. Patrick suspects he actually loves it.

The will to bend places to suit, instead of the other way around, is something he admires about David, too. Sometimes Patrick complains about how quickly they go through candles, but he loves walking into the bedroom, the Cedar and Suede reminding him of home and work and partnership in every sense of the word.

Anyway this is my one surefire way to kick writer's block, and I miss having more time to work this way.

Tagging @likerealpeopledo-on-ao3 @olive2read @icmezzo and anyone else who wants to join.

[callmelittlesunshinefics]

[Someone to Try New Things With] - Part 1

Adrian Chase/Reader

Word Count: 3K

Warnings: Cursing, drug use, universe-similar language/subject matter, will add as needed as things might get smutty.

AN: This has been sitting in my drafts for days now with me putting off posting. No Y/N, but the reader is loosely based off of the same as my AO3 fic. This is still a baby of an idea and more of a drabble to length is tbd :)

Covered in blood and speeding down the highway, everyone was having a much better time than they probably should. You chalked it up to the adrenaline, the euphoria at somehow still being alive despite a literal gorilla swinging you around like its toy doll. Everyone was celebrating the win, exposing and wounding a deep rooted butterfly operation right under their noses, and yet, you couldn’t help but find yourself dwelling on the opposite. The obvious fact that this plant supplied so much of the alien food source that it could only mean an invasion on the scale of which you hadn’t fully even grasped yet. 

But hey, nothing getting a little less than sober couldn’t fix. 

Harcourt nudged your shoulder, pulling you out of your own head, “If even I’m sporting a hint of a smile, how is it you’re not?” She eyed you suspiciously. 

Emilia had known you the longest of the team, and had actually been the person who made the call to recruit you. You were…an exception to the government to say the absolute least. To put it simply, this universe wasn’t your first home, but you did find yourself here and even found family, and abilities you never knew you had in your other life. 

Amanda Waller was aware of your arrival immediately, though once she saw who had found you first, even she knew she couldn’t intervene with her usual force. The best she could do was invite you and your…’uncle’, Lucifer Morningstar, to brunch while she was ‘conveniently passing through’ L.A. Explain who she was, what she did, and ask if she could ever call on them for help. 

She did, and once or twice you agreed. It soon became obvious that you were more likely to agree if Emilia were on the case as well, and the two of you became friends with a quickness that surprised you both. She knew your entire past, in both worlds, and in return you were one of the only people who knew hers. Probably as close as you would come to having a sister. 

“Just trying to wrap my head around the day I guess. Or,” you coughed, making a show of raising your voice even above the music, “OR trying to figure out if anyone wants to partake in some legal drugs and alcohol this evening because what the fuck just happened??”

The group collectively cheered and you smirked at Emilia, as if to prove everything were fine. She rolled her eyes at your blatant attempt to throw her off. 

Leota slid over, joining the huddle as soon as she saw the dreaded Harcourt eye roll. 

“Is it the dancing? Are you totally questioning your sexual taste over that dancing?” 

“OH MY GOD” you whisper yelled, channeling David a-la Schitt’s Creek. 

Adebayo laughed, “What? You’re the only one sitting here looking miserable after getting out of there in one piece, and since she couldn’t get you to crack I figured you were regretting your crush on-“ 

“I know what you’re-“ you cut her and yourself off, closing your eyes and stopping. 

Emilia doesn’t know where to start with her prying, and Leota had to go to straight to the one thing she didn’t want to talk about in such a close knit space. She wanted to talk about your hopelessly ridiculous crush on Adrian Chase. 

You fell pretty hard and pretty fast for someone who made absolutely no fucking sense. Emilia couldn’t make heads or tails of it. She was mortified. Not quite disgusted, she wasn’t blind, but she never believed in the ‘love at first sight’ thing. And neither did you, which only made how you felt, and how deeply you felt it, all the more confusing. 

You decided to fess up to your actual feelings before they could make any more guesses, “Honestly the scale of this thing is just weighing on me. Didn’t hit me until we saw the size of this operation, ya know?” 

They both looked momentarily deflated, but quickly bounced back shrugging, with Emilia shaking her head at you. 

“Okay see, you have to enjoy the moment.” Leota forced your shoulders down urging you to relax and speaking louder now, “I think we’re gonna do exactly what you said.”  

Economos snorted from the driver’s seat, “Drugs and alcohol?”

“Fuck yeah, I’m in.” From Chris, obviously. 

You hadn’t even realized the guys had tuned into the conversation once Leota spoke up. Economos shrugged like he was in but didn’t care, though you could tell he was excited. The only one still thinking was Adrian, and you looked at him waiting for an answer. Chris spoke up instead. 

“Dude, stop being weird about weed and just come, it’s legal, you gotta let it go and probably try it so you don’t keep being so fucking-“ 

“Alright, alright!” Adrian interrupted before Chris could keep going, he didn’t want to hear the rest of it. He looked at you.

“I’m coming but we need snacks. Come to 7-11 with me when we get back?” 

You smirked, “Adrian, I would love to.” 

He glared at you, “Are you being sarcastic?” 

“She’s not,” Harcourt said, “You two head out when we get back and I’ll text you a list.” 

The rest of the ride was spent with everyone shouting out snacks and drinks they like, don’t like, don’t like but might like while stoned, and it went on and on until John and Chris were fighting about Combos and there wasn’t anything resembling a list. You leaned into Adrian’s side, watching everything unfold.

“I think we have to make a run for it and just buy everything in 7-11.” She stage whispered near him and he smirked. 

“Yeah, there’s no way we can afford everything in 7-11.” 

You laughed in response and held up a wallet that was clearly not your own. You let it fall open for Adrian to see that you had picked Emilia’s pocket while she was trying to end the Great Combo Debate.

“You know that’s a crime.” He raised his eyebrows at you, you knew Adrian well enough to know that while he sounded like he was joking, he completely wasn’t.

“Actually it’s not,” you pulled out a generic looking credit card Adrian had never seen before, “Em has a card that gets comp’d by the job. And since this is a team event after nearly getting shredded by a gorilla, I think Waller can bankroll us tonight.” 

“In that case I’m gonna need two bags of each Skittles flavor just for me-” 

He went on, but you just bounced on your heels waiting for John to park. Everyone had a part; Chris and John were heading out to find a dealer Chris knew for some last minute party favors, Harcourt and Adebayo were on alcohol and set up duty, grabbing speakers from a dusty room in the back and throwing on a playlist.

You and Adrian were on your way to 7-11 when you realized that the ride had been unusually quiet. You weren’t totally sure what you were to Adrian, but you knew that he never had any shortage of things to say or questions to ask you. As soon as you had joined the team and they had been given a (loose) background of why you joined the team, Adrian had had an endless stream of questions for you. The team had given him a hard time about it, but you assured them you didn’t mind, not adding how adorable you found it. 

“What’s on your mind, Ade?” 

It struck you not for the first time that it was a good thing Vigilante’s mask was so concealing because you could read every thought that passed Adrian’s mind. He clearly weighed whether or not to tell the truth or make something up, you could see the moment he decided on the truth, and the moment that he braced himself play out in succession.

“I’m thinking about smoking with you guys to stop being annoying like Chris said, but it’s probably so gross and I’m gonna choke and then he’s just gonna make fun of me more and think I’m a lame best friend so then Adebayo is gonna be second under Eagley and third may as well not even count as a best friend.”

Everything was said in one running sentence and he kept his eyes straight ahead, but you could tell how worried he actually was about this. 

“Okay.” You took a deep breath-

“It’s fine, I was being stupid.”

“No, you’re not, let’s just talk it out. Seriously.” You looked right at him and he nodded. Pulling into the 7-11 parking lot, he parked and threw his seat belt off, turning to you and waiting. 

“First of all Ade, don’t smoke because of Chris. He’s just messing with you and once he starts partying he’ll forget he even said it.” 

Adrian nodded begrudgingly.

“Second, the only reason you should try tonight would be if you want to try it for yourself while you’re with friends who’ll look out for you in case it doesn’t go well. For all of his jokes I know Chris would look out for you if it actually came down to it. He’d make fun of you first, but he’d help.” You smirked at him, shrugging. 

Adrian took a deep breath and released it, immediately feeling lighter, but also a little scared. He told you it was Chris he was worried about, totally. It was, anyway, but then you sat there and walked through everything he said, one step at a time, in a way no one else ever does and he was able to make sense of things so the problem just…goes away? Crazy.

“I know you said I should only do it if I want to, but I wanna know if you think I should do it?” He asked you so genuinely, like it was a matter of life and death.

“Okay, how about this. I’ll try to explain what I like about it, and you can think about if you’d like that too and want to try.” He nodded and you took that as your sign to keep going, “I mean you know me Ade, I get anxiety about things I don’t even know if I should have anxiety about yet. Not to mention all the shit I’d much rather forget. I’m not saying smoking makes any of that go away, but it definitely puts me in a headspace where for a little while it doesn’t feel as heavy. It feels like I can really breath, and all of the good things just feel better too. It’s not like that for everyone, and it takes some getting used to, but that’s what I like about it.” 

You meandered towards the end of that sentence, suddenly feeling self conscious over how intently Adrian was staring at you and listening to your every word. He thought about what you said before very seriously stating, “Okay, I’m definitely a maybe.” and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Let’s head in, gonna take a while to grab one of everything.” You joked, exiting the car with Adrian catching up to you. 

By the time you made it back to base Adrian wouldn’t let you help carry anything and asked you to send Chris and John out instead. He did, however, take the time to clarify that he wasn’t being sexist, he just knew you had carried enough out of 7-11 and Harcourt and Adebayo probably needed a break from their bickering.

He was way more aware than people gave him credit for, you decided making your way into the building.

“That was a pretty clean swipe but I’m gonna need my wallet back now.” Emilia help her hand out expectantly, smirking.

“‘Clean’ come on, you know you didn’t even notice, you can say so.” You rolled your eyes and passed the wallet back, leaving the receipt tucked in for her expense report. You looked around and laughed, “Do you think you guys got enough beer?” There were cases all over of several different types.

Leota shrugged, “Everyone likes something different and it’s not like we’re not gonna use it.” 

“That’s true, I just know once I smoke I’m going to start tossing those like I’m Stone Cold Steve Austin and no one will be able to talk sense into me.” 

The guys all came in dropping bags from 7-11 just in time to catch your last remark and Chris immediately agreed.

“FUCK YEAH WE HAVE TO-”

“OUTSIDE!” Emilia interrupted, “If you must be children, do. it. out. side.” 

“Yes, mom.” You rolled your eyes, quickly shaking your head at Chris and shooting him a warning glare from adding on to your statement. You could easily see him calling Emilia ‘mommy’ and getting this whole night canceled for everyone. 

“Need any help?” You turned to John who you were surprised to see getting a bong set up. Not exactly what you were expecting for a black ops team, but hey, who were you to judge. Lucifer used some surprising pieces too, after all. 

“Nah, pretty straightforward over here, but everyone agreed you’ll be getting first dibs.”

“Aw, thanks.” You weren’t all that surprised. As Emilia said, you not joining in the celebration was an odd sight, and not just to her. There was a silent agreement that you needed the nudge.

Everyone settled onto the floor surprisingly naturally. Once the adrenaline started fading a little and they had found their favorite snacks, the group found themselves casually arranged in a circle on the ground, throwing things at each other and debating the music choices. 

A loose order was formed once you decided to light the bong, with Adrian observing as the rest of the group (excluding Emilia) passed the herb around. After Chris lit more than he could handle you jumped in to help, pulling the bowl and laughing along with Chris. 

“So is there a way for like,” he nudged his glasses up his face and shrugged, “you can start it for me and I can just ya know, do that part at the end?” 

“Is he talking about a shotgun?” Economos foolishly asked while Chris burst into a grin. You looked to the two women for help, neither seeing any reason for your panic. 

“Why yes there IS a way to do that, and I’m sure Angel Cakes would be happy to help you out with it.” Chris eagerly nodded at you, making sure to drop the nickname he knew you couldn’t stand. 

“Chris don’t be ridiculous, we all know you two are close enough to do it.” Leota jumped in, ready to save you from your already weakening self control. 

“Well sure but he didn’t ask me he asked her, and probably cause he knows I might laugh right in his mouth and that would be-“ 

“Okay, enough, yeah, fuck it-“ you cut everyone off, getting a bit louder with each work, “I’m gonna shot gun Ade’s first hit, but everyone’s taking a shot first.” 

The group gave a salute and followed orders, proving that there were at least some things they could agree on as a team. 

“So what exactly does shotgun even mean for this, it’s not like shotgunning a beer otherwise why would you or Chris have to do it…?” Adrian was asking the questions to the group, but specifically you while you grabbed your lighter from Chris and motioned for Adrian to slow down. 

“I’m gonna light the bowl, take a deep breath, and hold all the smoke in my mouth.” He nodded for you to continue, “I’m going to turn to you and blow all the smoke into your mouth, so make sure you take a nice deep breath. Hold it for a while, and don’t let anyone be a bitch if you cough.” 

“Economos, this is what you thought I was asking for??” 

“Well you seem like you’re into some kinky shit so sure!” 

“I mean yeah but not with you!” Adrian caught himself and turned back to you “With him that is, not saying yes with you but not no either because any answer is inappropriate so-“ 

“Adrian,” you stopped him, “We’re here now. Just take a deep breath when I tell you, okay?” 

He nodded and you lit the bowl, saying a quick prayer that this wasn’t going to be the metaphorical rubber band snap that sent you crossing the lines of appropriate workplace boundaries with an off-the-books-anyway assassin. 

You went on as if everything were completely normal. As if Adrian weren’t watching your lips with the intense concentration usually reserved for something else entirely, deadly in a different sense. You pulled the bowl from the slider and grabbed Adrian’s chin, gesturing him to tilt and open his mouth, which he did surprisingly quickly. 

The first thing he noticed was that he did faintly taste your cherry soda, something he told himself wouldn’t happen, because surely the only taste he would be able to notice would be the weed he told himself he’d never try. It almost felt welcoming in a way he didn’t expect, it tasted familiar, and tasted like you, something he had been so curious about that he felt instantly calmed. Until he remembered the smoke in his lungs and urgently started coughing, smoke pluming out quickly. Expecting everyone to be laughing, he was pleasantly surprised to look up to see the team cheering, Chris coming over to clap him on the back.

Turned out to be exactly like you said, Adrian realized everything felt a little lighter. Problems that seemed insurmountable earlier…kind of seemed manageable now. 

[missluthorwillseeyounow]

20 questions

Tagged by @appropriatelystupid and @rustingcat Thank you! It’s been a while, but I finally found the spoons to do something like this:

1. How many works do you have on AO3?      I have 25 fics right now.

2. What’s your total AO3 words count?     I hadn’t actually counted it until now lol. The total is 197,120, which means I’m like a few thousand short of 200k. Not bad.

3. What fandoms do you write for?     Right now, I’m writing for Supercorp, but I’ve also published fics for BBC Sherlock, Castle, and Final Fantasy VII and VIII. I’ve written unpublished for Casino Royale, LOTR, The Mummy, and (in my youth) HP.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. mix the magic work of love (we’ll breed deep trust between us) 2. come to my window (i’ll keep it open for you) 3. under the crimson skies (the sun will kiss the night) 4. Wed By Candlelight (The Portrait of the Secret Bride) 5. May You Always be Satisfied

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to, and I always want to. Like, I read every comment with a smile in my heart, and each one makes my day. Unfortunately, I have terrible anxiety about it, and by the time I get over it, I feel like it’s way too late to reply, and I’m just being rude. Just know that if you’ve ever left any comment or tag or even a like on any of my fics, I love and appreciate you!

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Hmm, I don’t think I’ve COMPLETED a fic with an angsty ending. I have loads of angst in my fics, but not all of them end up angsty. I do have an open-ended SC fic that’s pretty angsty (The Cruelty of Illusion), and I wrote a very angsty one-shot for another fandom that was me using a character death to sort of parse out my grief over my mother’s death a bit (Real).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Oddly enough, for someone who’s a slut for angst, my endings mostly end up being happy, or at least resolved. The schmaltziest ending I ever wrote I think was for the FFVII fandom, the first fic I ever wrote. It was on FF Net, and I have no idea what happened to it lol.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I got a bit of hate for one of my fics where I put Lena and James together, and some person seemed to take offense that they were together (but oddly enough they weren’t offended that Kara and Lex were actually married in this fic, which I think is more puke-worthy). Nope, they just hated on James, and they took my defense of him as me not being able to take criticism of my work. Oh well, you can’t win everybody, and if that kind of reader is what you get, I’d rather not.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I have dabbled in smut in several fics, yes. It’s not my forte, and most of the stuff in my fics is pretty vanilla, so the boring kind, I guess lol.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Yes, yes, YESSSSSS! Crossovers and AUs are my jam!!! I literally cannot count how many crossovers I’ve done, and I’ve had some random ones. I’ve literally mashed BBC Sherlock, Inception, Elementary and Supergirl into an AU, with a few characters from other fandoms sprinkled in (Red II, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vampire Knight, etc).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not fics, but I’ve had gifs from a previous fandom stolen.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated before? I’ve had at least one fic translated into Russian (I think it might be 2, but I can’t remember what the other one is). They gave me the link, but it’s in Russian and I guess I never checked.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before? Oh, yes! I’ve cowritten 2 fics with a couple of friends for previous fandoms. One was for FFVII, and it was a Word doc we passed back and forth over e-mail, if you can believe it. Like this was back when I had a yahoo account (but I got locked out, and all of our exchanges got lost. A tragedy). The other one was actually for a couple of OCs that my friend and I made up as an offshoot from our BBC Sherlock fandom. There were 3 of us in the chat, but 2 of us did most of the writing. Neither fics are posted or complete.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Oh, that’s a tough one. I think Supercorp might win the top spot by a small margin. My number 2 ship might get a lot of hate and it’s problematic AF, but I still hold it dear to my heart. It got me through a lot of tough times.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Oh, God, there’s way too many. Of my posted fics, I think the one I want to finish most is my Supercorp Frozen AU. Of my unposted fics, I think the one I want to finish is a Supercorp one based on a Jim Carey movie. Ooh, also my unabridged SC Theme Park AU. And my Matrix AU. Too many damn AUs.

16. What are your writing strengths? Making AUs, lol. I know because any piece of media I watch or read gets turned into an AU. Now, whether it should be turned into an AU is a different story. And, I don’t know, an expanding vocabulary, I guess.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Actual writing lol. Finishing anything, ugh. Also comedic writing, I guess. That’s hard, I’m not funny.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I always like writing in the language that the characters are speaking. I feel like it adds a sense of authenticity to the conversation and makes it feel more organic. However, if it’s a real language spoken by real people, I always try to make sure that what I’m writing is accurate, contextual and respectful. Also, if it’s entire paragraphs, I tend to stick to English, because it’s more likely to have more translation errors with blocks of text.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Really wrote for: Casino Royale (teenage me had a crush on Eva Green). Posted: Final Fantasy VII

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written? Oof, another hard one. I love all my fics, they’re my children. But if I had to...For Supercorp, my favorites would be the Horny Witch fic, and the Corpse Bride fic (under the crimson skies would make it, because I loved thinking up that fic, but unfortunately, I really did not enjoy writing it). For Adlock, my favorites are Her Morning Elegance, Beautiful Children, Dinner and a Bath (still the single biggest plot twist I’ve ever written lol), and A Midnight Spell in New Orleans (this one’s close to my heart cos I love NOLA)

Tagging @ekingston @thelastandonlyunicorn @coffeeshib @spicycheeser @the-queen-of-the-light and anyone who wants to try! No pressure though :)

[anghraine]

Another grab-bag of answers to fic questions I've gotten! This one's the P&P fic edition:

First Impressions & Love, Pride & Delicacy:

1— In First Impressions, why is Catherine willing to go to so much trouble to interfere, as a woman, with Bingley's marriage to Jane?

A: This is one of the creakiest elements of the story, but it's a mixture of really wanting him to marry Georgiana and having Emma-like managing tendencies in general.

2— Is Catherine really in love with Hal in that fic, or does she just want to keep her property?

She's in love with him. She has to marry someone, but she had plenty of other, more suitable-on-paper options about who it might be.

3— The proposal seemed kind of forced. Wouldn't it have been more natural to have Catherine do something different?

Yeah, probably. I wanted to re-tell P&P with that fic, though, not to detour very far into what-if territory—that's what Love, Pride & Delicacy is for. (Over ten years later. Anyway.)

4— Why does Elizabeth still believe Wickham in LP&D?

I thought about which way to go on this, but at the end of the day, I don't think Elizabeth was only fooled by Wickham because of Darcy—I think she was genuinely attracted to Wickham and susceptible to flattery from most quarters. So I concluded that she'd have a few more trickles of doubt (she thinks he's a bit of a drama queen), but she still does buy into his allure and powerfully resents Catherine.

Season of Courtship:

1— Are you the one who wrote Season of Courtship?

Yes, a very long time ago.

2— Why is Darcy blond in that fic? Isn't the character supposed to be dark-haired?

I did it for shits and giggles, and no, he's not.

Adaptations and stereotypes have convinced a lot of people that he's dark-haired, but his hair color is never mentioned in P&P (nor is anyone else's). I wrote him as blond to push back against the sheer force of the fanon and amuse myself.

In reality, I imagine him with black hair and dark blue eyes.

3— Is he a virgin in that fic?

Not quite, though I've seen people say he (the specific Darcy of Season of Courtship) is.

4— Why do some of the names/titles keep changing in different chapters?

You must be looking at an older version. I kept changing my mind about which I wanted to use, and revising chapters was a pain at ff.net and DWG, so I just didn't. Later versions like the one at AO3 should be consistent.

5— Did you change some things about the Fitzwilliam section? I could swear there used to be different characters...

I did (though that was also a very long time ago now!). For awhile, I always used the same cast of OCs and near-OCs for any of my fics dealing with the Fitzwilliams. But I eventually wanted to distinguish some specific fics dealing with that "edition" of the Fitzwilliams from my other fics, esp canon-compliant ones, so I re-wrote that part of Season of Courtship to be mainly a fusion with Lady Susan. I also tried to dial down the melodrama a bit in the revision.

6— So that whole thing about Mrs Bennet's talk with Elizabeth and not Jane ... she's not actually right, is she?

Maybe, maybe not.

Subsequent Connections:

1— Will you ever continue SC?

Probably not. I have an outline and I had some ideas I was really attached to, but the fundamental premise came from another fic rather than canon, and every version eventually just became an original fic that could as well be about anyone.

2— There were two versions of this one, too, right?

Yes. Partway through the first one, I realized I wanted to split off before the Hunsford proposal rather than afterwards, and do more with some of the relationships and characters, which took quite a bit of overhauling. I prefer the later version by a long ways, but I know quite a few people don't.

3— Are Darcy and Elizabeth really cousins in the fic?

Yes.

4— Were Darcy and Elizabeth even going to end up together?

Absolutely.

Such Terms of Cordiality:

1— So Mr Bennet and Lady Anne were in love at some point in that fic?

Yes.

2— Why is Lady Anne even alive?

Because I felt like it. In fact, so much of that fic is governed by "because I felt like it" that, like with SC, it just felt too far removed from canon to write as fanfic any more.

3— Was Mr Bennet ever going to come around?

Yes. Elizabeth and Darcy would get married, and be in love, before their canonical character arcs could happen. The actual point of the story was basically to write a forced marriage scenario without the forced marriage. I got derailed by sheer self-indulgence.

tolerably well acquainted:

1— Are you going to continue it?

Yes.

2— Does it ever actually go AU?

No, it's canon-compliant. It started just because I thought it'd be fun to expand on Elizabeth's developing feelings at Pemberley—shock, approval, affection, attraction, etc. I considered it drawerfic originally.

Eventually, I got past the Pemberley section, but by that point I didn't want to wrap things up when her feelings had so far left to go! So I, um, didn't. I probably should have phrased the summary differently, though, because if you don't read the tags it does sound like an AU.

3— Will we ever get a Darcy POV in it?

Probably not. I wrote part of a chapter with a Mrs Gardiner POV and even that felt too far from Elizabeth. It's really her story.

Other:

1— Why do you use "Lady Anne" for Darcy's mother instead of "Mrs Darcy," her married name?

Darcy's mother is "Lady Anne" in canon, not "Mrs Darcy." As the daughter of an earl married to a commoner, she had the prerogative to keep using her courtesy title, and we know did so. For the same reason, her sister is "Lady Catherine" and not "Lady de Bourgh."

The idea that Darcy's mother was known as "Mrs Darcy" actually comes from a casual remark invented in the 1995 P&P, not the novel.

2— Well, okay, but her brother should be "Lord Matlock" instead of "Lord Ravenshaw."

The Fitzwilliam title being "Earl of Matlock" is also from the 1995 P&P.

In the book, Austen never actually gives the title of the Fitzwilliam earldom. Unusually for her, she redacts the title as "Lord —" instead (it's through other details that we even know it's an earldom). I took "Lord Ravenshaw" from Mansfield Park because it amuses me to think Lord — and the theatrically-minded Lord Ravenshaw are the same person.

3— Fine, but her husband's name is George Darcy. Georgiana is George + Anne, so why do you keep giving him other names?

"George Darcy" is not canon. It's commonly assumed that his name was George because his daughter is Georgiana while his godson is George. And it would make sense for them to be common namesakes! But it's still fanon.

Georgiana isn't a mash-up name, incidentally—it's a feminine variant of George that some well-known aristocratic women bore, most famously Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who would be a near neighbor of the Darcys.

4— And Mrs Bennet isn't Fanny?

That's the 1995 P&P again. Her first name is never given in the novel. I headcanon that it's Jane, just because eldest daughters often shared their mothers' names.

[ilovedthestars]

7, 9 and 13 for the Writer Asks? 🥰

(2023 in review writer ask game)

Oooh you've picked SUCH good questions. Thank you! 🥰

7. What character(s) captured your heart?

This was a year of OCs for me!! It's hard to believe, but I started posting Old Unit, Young Unit back in January--I think it's going to turn a year old before i finish it. OldUnit and Niri, and the world I've built around them, has become a major focus for me. It's so cool to think about how they've developed over the course of this year. I have so much of their story left to tell, and I suspect I'll still be telling it this time next year!

I'd also be remiss if i didn't mention Yuma and Crowbar, who were actually created this year and made their first appearance on ao3 (Salvage or Repair) as well. I've been a big fan of "A SecUnit and its Human" duos, but they've never clicked for me as much as Yuma & Crowbar did. Their story went from a seed of an idea to several thousand words in like 24 hours (shoutout to WyvernWolf for helping it along <3) and before I'd even finished Salvage or Repair I was writing follow-up adventures. I've got many more stories to tell about them, too!

9. What fic meant the most to you to write?

Oooh. If we're counting meta, I know what my answer has to be--On System Collapse, Sanctuary Moon, and saving one another, my meta about chapter 8 of SC. I won't talk about it in detail so I don't have to tag this for spoilers, but it was an outpouring of all my strongest emotions about System Collapse that I wrote during & immediately after reading it. Honorable mention to the artist's statement for Ghosts of the Pressy, which was similarly written from the heart.

But okay, this question is about fic. I think it has to be Old Unit, Young Unit again. That's the fic that has kept me up late so many nights this year, the one I've been pushing myself the hardest to finish because I'm dying for other people to get to read the story in my head. And it's the one I've gotten the most encouragement and help on along the way, which I am incredibly grateful for.

13. What fic was the easiest to write?

I'm pretty sure Hints (SC spoilers at the link!) was written in one day, so that probably takes the prize. The sequel to An Unexpected Quarter (which is posted as a chapter 2 but feels like a separate project in my mind, because that fic was originally just a one-shot) was written in about 3 days. Fast is as close to easy as I get--I either pour a fic out of myself in a few hours and clean it up and throw it out into the universe immediately without looking back, or i slowly agonize over drafts of it for months, there's no in-between.

[screadingchallenge]

Behind the Keyboard: Volume 1

This is the first interview in a series with different Schitt’s Creek fanfic authors. The series will last as long as there is interest (from authors) and capacity (from me). If you are an author from the Schitt’s Creek fandom who would like to participate, send a DM to this account.

Each author was given ten questions. The first five questions are the same for every author, the last five will vary. 

Remember, this year’s Reading Challenge begins July 15, so polish up those MFL lists.

Let’s meet our first author:

SweetSirius/ @wordthieve

How many fics have you written?

11 in total, 4 in the Schitt’s Creek fandom.

When did you publish your first fic on AO3?

November 2018

Describe your writing process from “Oh, I have an idea” to pushing publish on AO3. 

Lessee. A lot of the time it starts with a scene in my head, and if it’s a good one I start building around it. If I really like it I start making dot points. In more organised fics, I map out the arc of the whole story, but it often starts with me fleshing out one scene in particular. 

Tell me about your most recent fic? What do you love about it? Is there anything you think you could have done better?

Working Out! The reddit thread it came from was utterly adorable. Someone on the discord suggested a fic could be written, and I thought they were right, so I jumped in without thinking and put my hand up. I loved the idea of fitting it to Patrick and David, and the challenge of thinking hard about how someone might make that realisation without being afraid of it. I liked the idea of structuring it with a songlist full of meaningful lyrics, but YIKES, it took forever. I think my favourite part might be the date. I love a happy ending. *wink*

I always worry about fics after I’ve posted them. And even though this blew out to almost 9K, I wonder if I rushed it, if it feels too laboured. 

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about publishing their fic for the first time?

I’d say the most important thing is that you like what you’ve written. Write it for you. Write what you like to read. Also there are some lovely, lovely people out there, and a lot of them read fics.

Most memorable comment you’ve had on one of your fics?

Oh man. I can’t possibly single one out. Every single comment on You Can Fall (my first SC fic) is lodged in my heart. The early ones that made me sigh with relief. The running comments that followed as I posted each chapter, popping up regularly to let me know what they liked, or just to say AHHHHHH - they really made it such a great connective experience, something we were all doing together. The comments from writers whose fics I loved. The re-readers. I love it when people single out a part they loved. A couple of people even told me it brought them comfort, or solace, or spoke to them - I take so much comfort from this fandom and from fanfics, so this all made me a little (a LOT) lip-wobbly.

What do you do when you get stuck?

I asked a published author this once, and he gave an answer I think about a lot. Think of it like a bunch of logs jammed in a river. There’s no easy way to get things moving again. You just have to tweak and prod and push and pull and move things around until things start to shift. Just keep going.

Myself, I always go back to the character: how would someone like them react realistically in a situation like this. Know your characters well. It’ll save you.

Who is another fic writer you admire and why?

The awful thing about this question is that I know I could list dozens of fics and still forget someone. If you really want a list or a bunch of recs I can provide that, but for now I’ll say that I admire writers who are good at the things I struggle with - those who don’t waste words but still manage to convey huge feelings. I love those whose passion for and knowledge of something is so tangible it leaks out into whatever world they’re building. I love the stories I remember as a sense - colours, music, sexytimes. I admire people who tackle complicated movie/media AUs and tweak them just right to fit the new characters. I love those who are brave - taking painful feelings, or out-there concepts, and making something really beautiful. Those who change my mind about what is my sort of thing.

If you could say one thing to your fellow fic writers, what would it be?

Thank you. That’s the main thing. You have all brought me so much comfort, and humour, and feeling and a feeling of safety that I really needed. Thank you so much.

What’s one question you would like to ask Dan Levy about writing?

ONE!?! Oh god. May I join your staff? Maybe: what do you do if/when you can’t think of an idea? Or: what does your writing space look like?

[smblmn]

Fic Origin Story

Thank you for tagging me @lizzie-bennetdarcy!! 💖😘

What was your first fandom (reading and/or writing)?

I didn't start reading fanfic until like four years ago, I didn't even know what it was. I discovered it on a series of posts on IG about wolfstar (fuck JKR btw). They were just drabbles, but one of the accounts that posted them had a link to AO3 and, well, the rest is history. I moved on from the HP fandom pretty fast though, I never interacted in it. It's a huge fandom and I was very overwhelmed to do anything more than lurk, but then I discovered SKAM, specifically SKAM France and that's the first fandom I was a part of.

I have some wips for that fandom but I never finished any (I just looked it up and the longest is 17k words, I should have def finished it.)

BUT the first time I ever wrote fanfic was many years ago. After reading the Hunger Games' books I thought it would be cool to know Peeta's side of the story so I started writing it. That's my real first approach to fic even though I didn't know what I was doing.

What was the first story you ever wrote (even if it was never posted) and what made you decide to write it?

I've been writing stories since I learned to write. I distinctly remember writing a tale about some mouse-like creatures that lived in my aunt's store when I was about 8. She thought I had seen a mouse for real and almost gave her a heart attack.

If we're talking about fic, the first one I ever finished and posted was 'On the outside looking through' and I only finished and posted it because I was encouraged by some lovely people in this fandom and had the SC Media Fest deadline. I decided to write it because I love Pride & Prejudice and I wanted to read a version of it in a modern setting.

What’s a piece of advice you would give to your younger fic-writing self?

Not to worry that much about small details or about how people will react to your fic. If someone doesn't like what they're reading they'll probably just close the tab and move on and not be a jerk about it. I was terrified of posting anything thinking I would get criticized for it.

What’s an early fandom interaction that stuck with you (be it a nice comment, a friend you made, a fic that got a lot of feedback etc.)?

I'm not lying when I say every comment means the world to me. People have been super kind to me, but I didn't have friends yet in the SC fandom by the time I posted my first fic, so I didn't know what to expect. Then @wordthieve commented on it and left me speechless. I couldn't believe the writer from one of my all time favorite fics (You can fall) would read my fic and much less say that she liked it.

Post a sentence or two from one of your older fics, and a sentence or two from a newer one (if you want).

From 'On the outside looking through'

He sees the moment Patrick realizes David overheard their conversation when his face falls. The atmosphere must be tense enough that Ted leaves them alone, joining Rachel and Alexis. David keeps looking at Patrick in the eyes and this time, Patrick holds his gaze. He’s blushing furiously and, unfortunately, it’s a very good look on him. Because David can’t help being a little shit, he plucks the cocktail umbrella from his jacket and places it inside the neck of Patrick’s beer bottle. “Live a little, Patrick.”

From my last fic 'Until we get there'

David shakes his head and wipes the tears that had started falling the second Patrick looked at him with that gaze that never fails to let him know how much he loves him. “I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Have so much faith in me.”

As always, feel free to ignore. I don't know who's been tagged already @dinnfameron @noahreids @distractivate @blackandwhiteandrose @wordthieve @chelle-68 @rosedavid @apothecarose @jamilas-pen @beaiola @ramonaflow @sspaz1000. Also, feel free to participate if you want!

[ellegamgee]

First Sentence Tag Game

"Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway."

Thank you to my wonderful friend @maxwellshimbo for tagging me in this. Finally getting around to it. 😅

Well, lookee there. I have 11 fics on AO3. I'm just going to skip over the poem/song and post the first line of each of the others. They're split between just two fandoms, Penumbra Podcast: Second Citadel and Inn Between podcast. (Disclaimer: on the slight chance this crosses Hannah's feed: Hannah, please don't read, sorry.)

Not sure what is usually done about multi chapter fics, but I'll take from chapter one of each of those.

Going from earliest to latest, from when the fic was posted (when chapter one was posted for the multi chapter ones).

1: Balancing the Scales (SC)-

"The first indication that Arum had that things were not quite right was that Damien’s voice was not the first one he heard through the portal into the Keep. It was rare that either of his two humans brought anyone with them, for obvious reasons. So, the sound of another voice, though far off, already made Arum stiffen and hiss."

2: Habits in Love (SC)-

"If someone were to ask her, Rilla might brush off any inquiries about her temper. When pressed, however, Rilla would probably admit that she was prone to bouts of angry ranting and yelling, taking out her feelings on those around her. Few, though, could get Rilla to say so. Indeed, it was mostly narrowed down to her two loves, with perhaps a handful of others at most, since these were the people who saw Rilla when these moods took her, and did their best to help her through them."

3: The Wizard (IB)-

"Previously, on Inn Between:

¨The Wizard Orune has been terrorizing our land long enough! Adventurers, heroes, I beg of you to save us!¨

¨What do you know about this wizard, Meltyre?¨

¨So, Velune, er. . . According to what I've heard, his specialty is. . . messing with the mind. Mind-reading, so he always knows what you´re about to do, that sort of thing. He is really full of himself, but it makes sense, because he's also really, really powerful.¨

¨Not as powerful as you. Right, magic man?”

¨Well . . . . ¨"

4: The Comfort (IB)-

Previously, on Inn Between:

“Are you sure there is no other way through, around, whatever? Any other way?

“Do you think I would ask this of them if there was any other way, Fina? We have a small army of giants at our back and the only way that I can find is through here.”

“Velune, we. . . we can help, we will help as much as possible. Do you think. . . Do you think you can. . . .?

“Oh, I. . .I. . . With you all with me, I. . . I can. . . I will. . . try.”

5: His Humans, Their Monster (SC)-

"The Keep was silent and still, and this frightened Arum.

This was definitely not the I’m-not-talking-to-you-until-you-apologize, Arum lack of communication of any sort that Arum had experienced from the Keep a handful of times. (Not since he was a hatchling, mind you, no matter what his humans said.) It was not even the I’m-sick-and-napping, please-let-me-rest quiet Arum had dealt with a few months prior. This was eerily silent, conspicuously still, and had happened too suddenly to be anything but something very wrong."

6: The Faith (IB)-

"Previously, on Inn Between:

“What? What are you- How did you get in here? Wait, I remember you, you’re-”

“All in good time, wizard. Now, good night.”

“No, what- Guards, somebody! Oh-”

“Right then.”

“What’s this? A note?”

“Lord Sterling Whitetower, I have. . . Meltyre, your friend and Court Wizard to the Throne. . . .”

“Oh, gods. . . oh, gods, no.”

“If you wish to see him. . . alive. . . again, meet me at the location shown here. Tell no one. . . and come alone. If you do not, he dies.”

“Cuthbert, help me.”"

7: The Poet's Dilema (SC)-

"One of the things Damien enjoyed most about his loves- and ah, the plurality of that statement, so new, so strange, so exciting- was when they could spend time together, doing nothing much of import, but simply being together. True, there were countless other things- so many that even a poet such as himself would be hard-pressed for the time or words to express them all. But to Damien, this was high on the list, these small moments that he could count on, that he could treasure, that he could practically write an epic in itself about afterward."

8: A Gift of a Ring (But Not Like That) (IB)-

"Meltyre wasn’t sure when the idea grew, from a wistful hope in the back of his mind to an actual plan. The vague thought that later became the idea, that crossed his mind soon, very soon after Sterling first shared his secret. But when he first resolved to do something about it . . . ."

9: Within These Rooms (IB)-

"It was Sterling’s turn to fetch drinks that night at the inn. When he came back to their usual table with their usual fare, he also came with a strange look on his face, brow furrowed and eyes lost in thought."

10: The Proposal (IB)-

"Previously, on Inn Between:

“MeltyredoyouandSterlinglikeeachother?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I do not plan to marry Sterling anytime soon.”

“Aww.”

“You just want to be a flower girl.”

“Yeah.”

“So you aren’t married?”

“We are not.”

“Good, cuz I want to be flower girl.”

“She would never forgive you if you didn’t let her be flower girl.”

“Another May day come and gone.”

“This time, with only the on-purpose explosions.”

“I am glad of that. And glad to be with you, Meltyre.”

“Oh. . . Oh! You, too, Sterling. Love you, too.”"

Even though I am pretty sure I know a bunch of writers on tumblr, I have a hard time remembering names and who is who and whatnot. 😳 So I'm just going to tag this a bit, and also share this in the relevant discards. 😁 Aka the discards for Penumbra: SC and for Inn Between. Anyone else who wants to do this, have fun! 😁

[carolrain]

Fic Origin Story

Thanks for the tag, @mostlyinthemorning!

What was your first fandom (reading and/or writing)?

Schitt’s Creek for both. I was vaguely aware that fanfic existed and had heard about AO3 winning an award, but it didn’t occur to me to look at it until I was starved for more Schitt’s Creek content and tumblr walked me over there and pointed at it.

Although in retrospect, I've realized that I was writing RPF about my friends, classmates, and teachers when I was 13-14. And I think some things I wrote in my twenties qualify as Flannery O’Connor fanfic.

What was the first story you ever wrote (even if it was never posted) and what made you decide to write it?

First story ever? I do not know. I began reading at three (my mother was a reading teacher and decided to bring out the flashcards and see what I could learn) and never looked back. I have poems that I wrote at four, and I moved on to stories as soon as I could manage a pencil.

When I started reading Schitt’s Creek fic, I was struck by the amnesia fics. I have always been interested in memory (dementia runs in my family and my grandmother’s dementia was a big presence during my teenage years) and it’s been a theme of my writing forever. So I read all the SC amnesia fics and started thinking, well, if I were to write about amnesia, I would . . .  I was still turning it over in my head a bit when Houdini posted the Periodic Table of Schitt’s Creek Fanfic. I saw all the writers’ names in the background and felt extremely envious. And I looked at the amnesia trope and thought, wow, there are really so few of those compared to all the others—there is definitely room for one more. So I started writing! And I . . . um, haven’t finished it. Feel free to yell at me.

What’s a piece of advice you would give to your younger fic-writing self?

Perhaps you should start small? Maybe if you’ve never written something more than a couple thousand words and you’re trying something new, you should just get something written and posted before taking on A Project.

But mostly I would tell my much younger writing self to just get some words written, to just keep writing about anything and keep gaining experience, not to get sidetracked by life and lose momentum. I would also say, Lovey, you have ADHD and maybe if you addressed that, this would all be a bit easier.

What’s an early fandom interaction that stuck with you (be it a nice comment, a friend you made, a fic that got a lot of feedback etc.)?

The first fic I commented on was “Fine”—I just felt like I had so much to say about it, so I pushed past my shyness and did it. And @walnuts-and-berries responded and seemed interested in actually talking about it to me! I was so nervous, but it was such a positive and pleasant interaction. So I thought, okay, well, I can do this, I know how to tell people what I like about their writing, and people seem to like to hear it. I felt like I could find a role for myself even though I wasn’t going to write my own fic (yet).

Post a sentence or two from one of your older fics, and a sentence or two from a newer one (if you want).

I don’t know if this is considered older or newer (let’s hope that when I look back in five years I classify it as older). The first complete thing I shared was a drabble on tumblr, but it was only a few months ago.

Patrick sits back and looks up. His husband is striking—dark hair, bright eyes, framed by a cloud.

I am so proud of that “framed by a cloud,” I can’t even tell you. I feel like maybe someone else wrote it and I accidentally stole it. If you want to praise me for it, it’s also on AO3 (and I swear, I’m going to respond to comments now that I have gotten over the shock that people have made them).

If you want hints about my amnesia fic, I have been good about tagging pieces of it here. If you want to yell at me, you can do it wherever you want. I can take it.

Tagging @lizzie-bennetdarcy @statueinthestone @chelle-68 @five678patty @ramonaflow