#not sure if i should post it on ao3 thinking emoji

[thelucyverse]

Keep fandoms alive, comment on more fanfics!

The do‘s and don’ts of fic reviews

Because a friend told me she never knows what to write and then never comments, but wants to learn how to do better, I thought I’d compile a list, and maybe it will help someone else as well!

As always, this is unofficial and just from my personal experience writing and reading fic, and talking with other fic authors.

My posts on beta reading | ao3 bookmarks

What to comment

Honestly, authors love friendly comments, no matter how small. Here are some ideas for short comments you can write to pretty much any fic you enjoyed:

I loved it!

Great fic!

Thanks for writing this!

Thanks for sharing your fic with the fandom :)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 10/10 perfection

So happy I found this!

Reading this made my day

I had fun reading this

You’re a great writer!

Love your writing style

<3<3<3

Amazing!

Kudos!

If you want to write something a bit longer, you can for example

Tell the author where you have been reading the fic or what you were doing while reading it

Tell the author what you should have been doing instead of reading fanfic (and that it was worth it to read the fic)

Copy a passage (or several) from the fic you particularly enjoyed

Did the author write a note at the end or beginning of the fic? Maybe even ask a question? Sometimes you can reply to author’s notes in your comment

How did the fic make you feel? Happy, made you cry, made you laugh, made you jealous of a character, or made you want to punch an antagonistic character’s nose in? Write it in the comment!

Is it your first fic in a fandom or with a ship? Your favorite fic in a fandom, or with a specific character? Did you read it in one go? Did you savour it slowly reading over days or weeks? Have you enjoyed every update of a multi-chapter? Do you wish you could read it again for the first time? Write anything you want to let the author know about your reading experience!

Is there a character you particularly enjoyed in that fic/chapter? Tell the author you think they wrote xy character really well!

You can always start or finish your comment with one of the suggestions from the short comments to make sure the author knows you liked it :)

If you really don’t know what to write, or are reading fic in a language not your own (though authors usually don’t mind you commenting in your native language) and aren’t comfortable commenting in either language, you can also leave emojis as comments, for example variations of:

for any fics:❤️💕💜💗💞💓💖💟🤩😍🥰

for humor fics: 😂😆🤣🤪💯

for shippy fics/getting together: 🎉💖🥳💋💘💏👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨💑👩‍❤️‍👩👨‍❤️‍👨🫶

for angst or hurt no comort: 🥹😭🤯😱🫣😢💔❣️❤️‍🩹🖤 maybe still include a ❤️heart in there so the author can be sure you still liked it!

for smut/pwp: ❤️‍🔥💯🫣😋🤩🥵😈🤯🫦

There are even some stickers you can comment by copying the html! A few tumblr posts with stickers to copy can be found here & here!

Don’ts

There isn’t much you can do wrong when writing comments on fic, but there are a few things you should keep in mind:

don’t criticize (unless negative critics/what they can do better has been specifically asked for by the author, and then stick to the kind of criticism asked for, and best try to include something positive too to soften the blow)

don’t demand more/ask for updates - you can tell the author you’d read it if they wrote more, but don’t put pressure on them, you don’t know what’s happening in their lives right now and for what reason new entries might have slowed down, and they don’t owe you regular or any updates!

don’t tell them what to write (unless the author is taking prompts, and in most cases the comment section is not the right place for prompts, check what the author specified)

Remember: Fan fiction are free, from fans for fans, so etiquette is a bit different than in the Amazon reviews of books you paid good money for! Fic authors don’t have to cater to you, just enjoy that there are fics shared with the fandom :) If you don’t like something, or don’t like a part of something, either close the tab or quietly ignore the issue and just enjoy the parts you do like.

And in general, to end this on a positive note:

Yes, you can comment on older fanfics!

Yes, comment on several fics in a row if you’re reading through fics by one author!

Yes, comment on as many chapters of the same fic as you like!

Yes, you can make art for the fic and tell the author about it!

Yes, absolutely tell the author if you’re still thinking about a fic hours/days/years… after reading it!

Yes, send authors asks on tumblr/other sites talking about how you love their fics, if they link these sites in the author’s notes! (But also comment on Ao3)

Yes, you can comment/review even if you don’t have an account (at least on Ao3 and ffnet)!

Yes, please let the author know if you’re reading a fic for a second time, even if you just write ‘re-read kudos!’

The best comments are also written directly on the site the fanfiction got posted on (so usually ao3/ffnet and not tumblr/discord), both because it makes the note count higher, and because then the comment won’t quickly get buried under unrelated messages or posts.

If you want to leave long comments about different parts of a fic or chapter, you can also make use of the floating Ao3 comment box! It allows you to type your comment while you're still reading, without having to leave the page!

Some more kinds of comments on another post

[ramshacklefey]

....writing my dissertation would be a lot easier if I had a Discord server full of people who were all constantly chattering with me about the subject and swapping ideas and we all cheered and keysmashed with delight whenever one of us finished a new paper and left nice comments.

I think academics should do more of that for each other. Like. Sure you have a beta reader or two and they help you edit, but then you have a big group of academia friends and you post your new paper on academia ao3, and everyone goes wild about it. I think my academic work deserves heart reactions and sobbing emoji.

[angel-in-shibari]

god, okay

so I'm in this discord server that's for a bunch of ao3 authors who mainly write kink and stuff. for some reason, the owner made me a mod for that server. I didn't have an interview with her or anything, she kinda just told me "you're a mod now". and idk, I think it's been really weird for me.

so there's a rule that chats stay in one channel and images and videos go in other channels, just to keep conversations separate. and of course in the media channels, people will chat in response to the media. but there's not supposed to be full on conversations in the media channels. and I try to enforce that rule but I don't know what counts as a conversation. like, five messages back and forth? ten? a different mod said two full pages is her limit, but that means different things depending on your screen size.

and then just today, I had a different situation. so I posted something I found hot in the nsfw media channel. I will admit, it was pretty heavy and definitely not for everyone. but I didn't think it needed a spoiler tag. so when someone posted a barfing emoji, I was like "oh yeah, haha, I guess my kinks are a bit intense even in this very heavily porn-centric server *nervously laughs*" but the person who posted the barf emoji said it as a joke I think? I'm not entirely sure. so anyways, a few minutes go by, and the owner comes and she times the barfer out for 24 hours for kink shaming. and like, I know that kink shaming is against the rules. I should have said something. but I felt like then I'd be abusing my power as a mod.

idk. the owner is a super close friend of mine, and she trusted me and made me a mod. so I feel like I kinda of owe it to her to try. but I'm constantly worried I might say something that'll piss people off or accidentally kick someone for something really minor that isn't a huge deal.

and then the owner will complain about things in the private mod channel, like how certain people will piss her off but not technically break any rules and how she just doesn't like some people. and I'm worried that if I'm not a mod, she would say the same about me behind my back. but she doesn't ever ban or kick the people she doesn't like. and I'm too nervous to do it for her. sometimes I wish she'd just run the server like an absolute dictator and sorta use me to enact her will. because then at least we'd still be friends. but she'd probably piss off a lot of people who read her stories. so she'd never actually do that.

idk. being a mod is stressful.

[teaberrii]

Chapter Fifteen: The Forum

Alhaitham has the looks and the smarts. He will also be the stand-in CEO for his grandfather's company for a year.

But, he's been mysteriously cursed to turn into a cat every night since his eighteenth birthday… until he meets you, an employee at his grandfather's company, who rescues him as a cat and changes him back with one kiss.

Alhaitham/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on AO3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

When your alarm goes off that morning, Alhaitham and Childe are the first to pop into your mind. Did Childe turn back? Is he okay? Did Alhaitham learn anything new about the curse? You've just finished getting dressed when you hear a loud knock at your door. Once you open it, you see Childe and Alhaitham. Childe's wearing Alhaitham's clothes and seeing him in an aesthetic different from his usual colourful style is a little strange. Alhaitham, on the other hand, looks fine as always.

“Mornin', Ms. Cat Collector."

“Very funny,” you deadpan, letting the men inside. Then, you and Childe give each other a quick hug. “Glad you’re back.”

“Well, I was under good care.”

You look from Childe to your boyfriend. Then, with a slight smile, you say, “I guess you two bonded last night.”

Childe puts a hand over his heart. “It was an emotional moment."

“I told him everything we know so far,” Alhaitham says in his usual calm voice.

You nod and turn to Childe. “Did you talk to Lumine?”

“I sent her a text this morning."

“So… what happened yesterday night?”

“Beats me.” Childe sighs. “I told your CEO boyfriend I was talking with my mom when it happened.”

You glance at Alhaitham, who subtly shakes his head. Guess he didn’t find out what the conversation was about.

“...DId you call your mom back?” you ask. “She called you multiple times yesterday night, didn’t she?”

“It’s nothing important,” Childe says, not looking at you. “Don’t worry about it.” Then, in a cheerier tone, “So, shall we head to work?”

You raise a brow. “Someone's eager.”

“Well, it’s not every day you get a ride with the CEO.”

A short while later, you, Alhaitham, and Childe are in the lobby and are joined by Alhaitham's secretary. As you make your way to the car, you can't ignore this feeling that you're being watched. You stop and turn around, but there's no one in sight.

“Is something wrong?” Alhaitham asks.

"...I think we were being watched." Then, as Alhaitham subtly looks around, you say, "Maybe I'm imagining things."

“Hey!” Childe calls from the car. “What’s the holdup?”

Alhaitham follows you toward the car, occasionally looking over his shoulder. Yet, he sees nothing out of the ordinary.

◆◆◆

Lumine is finishing her design assignment when Childe's message from this morning comes back to haunt her: Sorry, Lulu. I was caught up with something yesterday.

She'd asked if everything was fine. When the only reply she got was a smiley emoji and a thumbs-up, she didn't reply. It's not like he told her what was happening, so she has nothing to say. Lumine remembers what you told her over the phone yesterday night. Childe wouldn't treat someone he's interested in the same as everyone else. Well, Lumine doesn't feel any different from everyone else. She doesn't feel that much different from… you.

Over the years, she'd seen how close you and Childe got. She was sure that Childe had a crush on you, but he would deny it every time she'd asked. While that doesn't matter anymore, Lumine wonders why Childe bothers still hanging out with her when he's already in the workforce. She's a poor graduate student working part-time. There are so many sophisticated women out there.

“Should I be surprised you’re still reading in the same spot where we first met, Lumine?”

She quickly turns around at the familiar male voice. “Kaeya?” Her senior smiles at her, and she smiles back. “What in the world are you doing here?”

Kaeya was in his last year when Lumine entered her first year of graduate school, and they met in this campus library. They both wanted the same book, and he eventually let her have it first.

“I’m here for a seminar.” Kaeya sits in front of her. “I thought of texting you, but why not a surprise visit instead?”

“And what if you didn’t find me?”

“I took a chance. And, I guess luck is on my side today.” Lumine starts putting away her laptop when Kaeya asks, “Are you free right now? I’d like to treat you to coffee.”

Lumine smiles and nods. At least it’ll take her mind off of Childe.

Kaeya takes Lumine to a nearby campus coffee shop, the place where they once had a group study session with mutual friends. Despite Lumine's insistence, Kaeya still paid for their drinks. 

"I'm your senior," Kaeya laughs. "I should be treating you, not the other way around."

Once they sit across from each other with their drinks, he says, "This place brings back memories."

“Don’t tell me you miss the poor student life.”

Kaeya shrugs. “Being a student has its pros and cons.”

Lumine sips her drink. “I think it has more cons right now.”

“Something bothering you, little junior?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well… you don’t look too happy. Call it a hunch, but it seems something’s on your mind.”

Lumine has never opened up to Kaeya about her personal problems. Sure, she sought him out when she was having trouble academically. But she isn’t sure if she wants to open up to him about… boy problems and maybe even her insecurities.

“I’m always happy to lend an ear, Lumine,” Kaeya continues. “Whatever it may be, as long as you’re comfortable talking about it.”

Well, maybe it won't hurt to get a guy’s perspective.

However, just before she can say anything, her phone buzzes. She quickly looks at it and sees a message from Childe: We had Takoyaki at the office today. Reminded me of the ones we had together a few nights ago. Want me to save you some and drop it off for you?

Unbeknownst to Lumine, Kaeya glances from her and then to her phone. He can't see the message, but he takes a guess. “...Is it a guy?”

Lumine quickly looks up and slips her phone inside her pocket. "...He's my sister's friend. And mine too. But I guess I've been getting some mixed signals from him. It's been kinda bothering me since I'm not sure what to think about it."

“Do you like this guy?”

“...I don’t know. But when I’m with him, it feels like it’s going in that direction, and I’m not sure what I really want.”

“I’m just speculating… but maybe both of you are unsure.”

“You think?" Lumine asks. "But, I thought that if a guy likes a girl, it’s rare they would be aloof about it.”

“That’s true. What I just said was thinking from a positive side. You could also think that this guy is keeping his options open.”

Childe wouldn’t do that. Would he?

“How well would you say you know this guy?” Kaeya continues.

“We pretty much grew up together. But he knew my sister first.”

“Ah…”

“But she’s with someone now."

"Could it be that you're unsure because you don't know how he feels? If this guy confessed to you, what would you say?"

As soon as Kaeya sees a faint but visible blush on Lumine's cheeks, he has the answer he needs. But, regardless, he waits for her answer.

“That’s way too sudden. I… I would need time to think about it!”

To her surprise, Kaeya smiles. "Listen, I'm hosting a beach party next weekend. So why don't you come down and have a little fun? Diluc will be running the bar, and you'll see some other friends."

Kaeya pulls out his phone. Soon, Lumine hears her phone buzz. This time, it's a message from Kaeya. He sent her a bright, colourful poster of the evening beach party.

“Bring your sister and Aether along, too.”

A party, huh?

◆◆◆

That afternoon, Alhaitham is pacing around his office with his phone in his hand. His wireless earphones are snug in his ears.

“What do you mean you’re not going to have a say in the company’s next project?” his grandfather asks.

It’s almost time for the leadership team to review the idea submissions for the company’s next big film project. Alhaitham is supposed to be a part of it, but he decided to drop out.

“Ah… is it because she is participating?”

The last thing Alhaitham wants you to think is that he's favouring you because of the relationship. Besides, it's not like your relationship will remain a secret forever. Rumours would spiral out of control if you got chosen and people found out he was part of the judging panel. Alhaitham knows no one can control what other people say, so don't give them a chance to say something you don't want them to.

"Yes. It would put both of us in an uncomfortable and awkward position if people found out that I was on the team that decided the next project."

His grandfather sighs. “That’s true. I suppose people will look back and say you were favouring her if she got chosen.”

“I don't want to give her a hard time.”

“Well, I understand. It’s a logical reason. But, I guess that would mean you’re seeing her with the intention of marrying her.”

“Is that all you can think of?” Alhaitham deadpans. “Marriage?”

“Is it wrong of me to want a grandbaby?”

No. But Alhaitham also has an agenda of his own. “I’m seeing her with the intent of taking this relationship seriously. If we do get married, we’ll let it happen naturally.”

After getting off the phone with his grandfather, Alhaitham heads out of his office and takes the elevator to the lobby. Once he does, he sees Childe, Ayato, Thoma, and a small camera crew. Ayato must've been here for a project. As soon as the men see each other, Ayato waves him over.

“What a nice surprise,” Ayato says.

Once the camera team leaves, Childe says, "Well, the cat crew's all here."

“...I guess you told him everything,” Alhaitham says to Childe.

"Not quite," Ayato says, looking at Childe. "Frankly, I'm still interested in the conversation between you and your mother. That could be the key to why you changed."

Childe crosses his arms. “Since both of you think that’s so important, long story short, my parents are moving back to Snezhnaya. I’m not going with them. If that’s all it takes for someone to turn into a cat, we're all screwed.”

“Oh, wow. What’s everyone doing here?” You’ve just walked into the building with a cup of coffee. “Secret meeting?” you joke.

Alhaitham swears he sees something move out of the corner of his eye. When he looks in that direction, nothing seems out of place. Maybe he imagined it, but then he remembers you mentioning the feeling of being watched this morning.

“Something like that,” Ayato says, playing along. “The Strays are thinking of their next move on what to do with the curse.”

"Didn't think you'd come up with our band name that quickly," Childe says. He nudges Alhaitham. "But this guy ain't a stray. I guess you can say he's already adopted."

Alhaitham looks at him. “I guess I’m the secret member.”

Ayato laughs. "I never expected you to play along, Alhaitham. I guess you have a sense of humour behind your icy facade, after all."

Childe snickers. “He’s definitely a tsundere.”

“Sounds like someone watches too much animation," Alhaitham says.

“What? I’m a proud geek,” Childe huffs.

“Seems like The Strays have good chemistry,” you say, looking at the three bickering men in front of you. “That’s a good sign.”

“Ayato, we should go,” Thoma says. “You have a schedule coming up.”

“Right.” Then, Ayato smiles at the group. “Well, if you’ll excuse me.”

Thoma walks beside Ayato as they leave the building and asks, "It seems like you're getting along well with them."

“I would say so. All of us have a common goal, after all.”

“...But, regarding her, are you… okay?”

Ayato glances at his friend. “...Are you asking if I’m okay being around her?”

Thoma nods. "To be honest, I wanted to ask her to stay away. I was afraid she would bring up bad memories."

Ayato admits there's still a sense of… nostalgia when he looks at you. But you're not her. Besides, he knows he cannot live in the past forever. He needs to move on.

“There’s no need for her to stay away,” Ayato says calmly. Before he gets in the car, he looks Thoma in the eyes. “She is a friend.”

Thoma gives him a small smile and nods.

Back in the building, you and Childe part ways with Alhaitham. However, it doesn’t take long for you to receive a text from him.

Catman: If you sense anything strange, call me.

Anything strange? You suddenly remember the feeling you got this morning. Did Alhaitham sense it just now? After you hit a reply, you notice an uncharacteristically serious expression on Childe’s face. He’s staring at his phone.

“Hey,” you say. He looks at you. “Everything okay?”

Childe slides his phone into his pocket. “Do you know someone named Kaeya?”

It takes you a moment, but the name finally rings a bell. “Oh, yeah. He’s Lumine’s senior. Why?”

“...He invited her to a beach party. She also said that he invited you and Aether, too.”

“And is that something to be all down in the dumps for?” You chuckle. “Hang on a minute… are you… are you jealous, Childe?”

The elevator doors open, and you and Childe step inside just as he points to himself. “Me? Jealous?" He presses for yours and his floor. "I’m not that petty." The doors close. "I’m not your CEO boyfriend who didn’t want his girlfriend to hug a cute, innocent cat.”

You smile. “Well, someone’s defensive.”

After a moment of silence, Childe sighs softly. "Who is this Kaeya guy anyway? I’ve never heard of him, and I’ve been friends with you and Lulu for years.”

"I only met him a few times, so I don't know much about him. But from what I remember, he's a fun guy. He tutored Lumine at one point."

“He tutored her?”

You glance at him. “Yeah… They had a few private sessions.”

“Private sessions?” Childe quickly clears his throat. “Are… are you going to go?”

"A beach party does sound fun. Why don’t you go with Lumine?”

“...It’s an evening party.”

“...Ah.”

A pause.

“Do you think I should tell her? About… the situation, I mean. I don’t want to tell her because I don’t want to risk the secret getting out. I know Lumine can keep a secret, but I'm afraid it might accidentally slip out, you know.”

“Answer me honestly, Childe. Do you like her?”

Childe likes being with Lumine. He enjoys her company just as much as yours. He also likes teasing and messing around with her. However, Childe has never heard Lumine talk about other guys besides Aether, so this is a foreign feeling. But maybe he's bothered by Kaeya's intentions; maybe Childe just wants to look out for her. Whatever it is, Childe admits he feels a little annoyed by Kaeya. Does this mean he likes Lumine in a different way than he likes you?

"If you like her, you should tell her. Or else she will get the wrong idea, and then it'll be too late. I don’t think you want to be a part of The Strays forever.”

The elevator doors open on Childe’s floor.

Childe smiles. “Who knows? Maybe I’m going to be the Professional Bachelor now.”

“Oh, I doubt that.”

Childe gives you a wave and steps out. Then, the doors slide shut.

◆◆◆

It's almost time to get off work, and you've been feeling accomplished for what you've done. Your team proposal for the company's project is almost complete. It just needs some finishing touches. You're heading to the lounge to get snacks when you see some employees coming down from the opposite hall. You happen to overhear their conversation.

“Yeah… it’s scary. There’s apparently some people from our company on that forum.”

Forum? What forum?

“Do you think it’s run by some noisy tabloid reporter?”

“I don’t know… but some of the rumours on there turned out to be true!”

Their conversation is now out of their earshot, and you feel a little uneasy. That’s when you hear Alhaitham say your name. 

“What brings you here?” you ask, smiling.

“I had a meeting.” He hands you an expensive drink and a snack you recognize from one of those high-end bakeries. Then, he gives you a soft smile. “I thought you might like this on one of your breaks.”

You take it from him. “Why thank you, Mr. CEO. You read my mind.” Then, you say jokingly, “I don’t have to give anything in return, right?”

Alhaitham slides a hand inside his pocket. He has a slightly mischievous smile as he quietly says, "Your love is all I need."

You pretend to gag. “Cliché.” But then, with a smile, you say just as quietly, “I would gladly give you all my love in the world, Mr. CEO.”

Alhaitham is clearly not expecting this flirtatious response, and a faint but visible blush appears on his cheeks. He quickly composes himself, however. Then, his expression turns serious. “The text I sent you earlier today.”

“Ah, right… did something happen?”

“...I thought I saw something. I wouldn’t have thought much of it, but I remembered you told me you felt like you were being watched this morning.”

“...I really hope it’s nothing.” A slight pause. “I overheard something about a forum… apparently there’s some information about people from the company?”

“I’m aware. The most recent incident is what brought it to the leadership’s attention.”

“...What happened?”

“There was a statement that a company employee was stealing funds for illegal activities.”

Your eyes widen. “...Did they have evidence?”

“There was. So, we’re looking into it.”

“Putting it positively, it sounds like this person did the company a favour.”

“It does sound like they did a good deed,” Alhaitham says. “If only there weren’t other information on that site.”

“That doesn’t sound good….”

"We had the security team look into this site, and information, including the private lives of employees, have been leaked. Employees at this company aren't the only ones being targeted."

You raise a brow. “It would be too much for one person. Sounds like it's a group effort. But what are they trying to accomplish? Employees aren’t celebrities.”

“...That’s a good question. But whatever their motives are… not all of them are with good intentions.” Alhaitham almost takes your hand but stops himself in time. “So… be careful.”

You nod. “You as well.”

◆◆◆

“Have you thought about what you want to do after graduation, Lumine?”

Lumine came to seek her professor's help for an assignment that evening when her professor brought up an unexpected question. Well, maybe it isn't that unexpected, considering she's in her last semester. So, it's definitely time she starts thinking about her future plans.

"Sort of… I'm interested in making character designs for games and stuff. So it's a little different than what I'm doing now."

Her professor takes out a colourful poster from her drawer. “Well, you’re in luck. The university’s participating in a regional design competition where your work will be evaluated by renowned companies looking to hire. It’s the latest initiative to help graduates get jobs.”

“A competition?”

“Are you interested?”

Lumine looks down at the poster. She is. But… what if she's not good enough? While she doesn't think she's bad at what she does, she definitely doesn't think she's amazing like her classmates. Lumine describes herself as average. Just talented enough to get by or at least… survive.

"You don't have to answer now," her professor says. "But let me know by the end of the week if you're interested."

Lumine nods and puts the poster and her assignment into her bag.

As she heads for the bus stop, she glances at her phone. Aether had already said he was going to the party. You've also agreed. The only person who hasn't said anything is Childe. It's strange, she thinks. She thought he would jump at the opportunity to attend a party. She never thought he would be silent.

Just as she gets to the bus stop, her phone buzzes, and her heart suddenly beats a little faster. But one look at her phone and her jitteriness turn into an entirely different feeling.

Isn’t this your sister?

It's a text from one of her classmates. When Lumine opens the message, she sees a screenshot of two women. Lumine has to look closely to see which one you are, as you and the other women look like twins.

She looks SO much like Ayato’s ex. Omg.

Ayato’s…ex? Before Lumine can even question or process what’s happening, she sees another message.

Is she dating Ayato?

And then comes another photo. Lumine wasn't there, but she's sure this is taken at the Awards Night with how everyone's dressed and the venue. But this time, it's you and Ayato, with him holding your hand and you looking back.

What is going on?

Chapter Sixteen

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn @seirenspinel @sakiimeo @ash-in-lavender @ceylestia @forsh4dow @deathkat657 @kalpie @elernity @sentieence @chichibleeps @sunsethw4 @hjjks @tanspostsblog @nqctre @just-simping-over-genshin @uchihaeirin @vynbin @ayanokomu @dksfl920 @alatus1808 @itztaki @thetwinkims @imkaaayy @angeilix @starlighttotheleft @letthewindlead @thelonelyarchon

[pavlovianfuckery]

here's my number so call me, zombie

MASTERLIST

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, and sometimes what you gotta do is cock your brain like a splatoon gun and fire it at a poor innocent word document, you know how it is.

linky for those more AO3-ly inclined: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57292951

2.8k of phone sexing under the cut

You're not going to call him. It's only been a few days, and you're not calling. Taking another sip of wine you drum your fingers on the tabletop. There's been a crawling feeling under your skin all day, worsening as the evening drags on. The day has been constantly interrupted by flashes of memory, and you can't get him out of your head. It makes you feel like some sort of addict, and you're not sure if you like that.

"Goddamnit." You sigh and tap out a quick text, fortifying yourself with another swallow of wine before hitting send.

You forgot something at my place, you gonna come get it?

Rather than wait by the phone like a lovestruck teenager you turn on the TV, hoping to distract yourself. It's not entirely successful but it doesn't matter, because it's only a few minutes until your phone chimes. The hopeful flutter in your chest gets stamped down pretty quick when you check it, though.

Busy

That's not exactly the kind of response you'd been hoping for. You frown, then tap out a quick response, keeping it short and to the point.

Shame. Miss you. Thinking about you

Then you finally put the phone down and walk away. Rather than sulking for the rest of the night you decide to put the restless energy to better use, starting with the dishes. It feels a bit better to be productive, even if it's not how you really wanted to spend your evening. Turns out that being a little bit pissed off and frustrated has its uses because before you know it, almost two hours have passed and your little apartment is looking noticeably tidier. After having a quick shower and changing into an oversized old t-shirt, an evening of bad TV and spicy snacks doesn't sound so bad. Maybe not great, but you don't exactly feel like going out. As you flip through the channels the phone chimes and for a second you think about ignoring it, but you're not feeling quite that petty.

Still miss me?

You roll your eyes as you type. In some ways, he's so predictable. It's kind of cute how he's always so hungry for it, wanting to be wanted though he'd never admit it if you asked.

Yeah

Then he's calling, the letter B accompanied by a skull emoji and an eggplant emoji flashing on the screen. You should probably change that at some point, actually. There's loud music and the chatter of a crowd in the background, before the closing of a heavy door cuts it all off.

"So, what were you thinking about?" It's different, hearing his voice over the phone. After days of nothing, it's like having his mouth pressed right up against your ear and you can't quite hold back a shiver.

"Maybe..." You bite your lip, hoping that it doesn't sound quite as eager as it probably does, "you could come here and I'll show you?"

"Tempting offer," he sighs and you can hear the creak of a chair as he sits down. You guess that he's probably in the office at the Scratching Post. "Haven't got that kind of time right now, though."

"Still busy?" You try to keep the disappointment out of your voice, maybe not entirely successfully.

"Mm. Can't come over tonight," his voice drops a fraction lower as he draws the next few words out, making them all but drip with innuendo, "could still have some fun if you wanted to, though."

That's a bit out of left field. Other than the occasional nude you haven't bothered with anything like phone sex in years and years, preferring to wait for the real thing. But lately, patience has been in short supply and at this point you'll take what you can get.

"Mr. DeBeers," you gasp, scandalized. "Are you going to ask me what I'm wearing, next?"

"Actually, I was going to tell you to take it off and send me a picture," he drawls, and you can hear the chair creak again as he leans back, "but if you want to tell me, I don't mind." You hadn't been expecting him to play coy about it but the flippant way he says it still takes you a bit by surprise, sending a hot trickle of want to pool between your thighs.

"Alright, hold on," you giggle, putting the phone down and pulling the soft t-shirt over your head. For a second you consider trying to strike some sort of pose but in the end, you simply lay back on the couch and snap a quick photo of your body, quickly sending it before you have time to get self-conscious about it. "You get it?"

"Mm-hm." For a moment all you can hear is rustling fabric and the chair creaking again, then he's back, voice a little breathy. "Your tits are so damn perfect."

"You say the sweetest things." Empty flattery or not, hearing the want in his voice still affects you, making your stomach twist.

"You going to tell me what you were thinking about?" His tone is all tease, making your cheeks heat up.

"Sure you want to hear? It's not exactly coherent." you sigh, shrugging despite knowing that he can't see it, "It's like I can't get anything done lately without getting hit with these random thoughts, I swear everything about you is a fucking distraction."

"Sounds serious." You can hear the grin in his voice, "You should tell me all about it."

"Okay. I was thinking about...the way you taste. The noise you make when you hit the back of my throat" Hearing how his breath catches makes your mouth go a bit dry as you continue, "that I can't get enough of your hands, that I want to try and take even more next time."

"What else?" His breath grows heavier in your ear, making you ache.

"How good it feels to have your cock inside of me after you've made me beg for it." That gets you a low moan, making you throb. "You sound so damn good right now. Are you touching yourself?"

"Yeah." There's not even a hint of shame in his voice, low and smooth like honey in your ear.

"Fuck." You bite your lip, squirming in your seat. "Can I see?"

There's more rustling as he moves the phone and then you can hear the slick sound as he slowly strokes himself. A few moments later your phone chimes. The clip itself doesn't have any sound so you turn the speaker on while you watch, his heavy breaths loud in the small room as you turn the volume of the call up a bit.

"Oh..." A desperate little whine escapes before you can stop it. He's just popped his jeans open and pulled his cock out through his boxers, lazily stroking it. You've never really seen him jerk off before and you hungrily devour every movement, from the way he grips it to the little twist that he does at the end. He's wet, precome nearly starting to dribble and when he catches it on his fingers and spreads it over the flushed tip, teasing his slit, you can't hold back a moan.

"You're so good to me, so good..." With the way his legs spread you'd fit so perfectly between them and it almost makes you gag with need, base and primal. "I could watch you and probably come just from that I think."

"I was thinking about you too," he pants, "and the things I'm going to do to you."

"Really?" You turn the speaker back off, pressing the phone to your ear as you lean back on the couch. Giving in just a little you tease your nipples, every twist and pinch sending a shock of pleasure to your core. "You going to tell?"

"Was thinking that," his voice is low and a bit ragged at the edges as he sighs, "it's a shame that I haven't bent you over this desk yet." You can hear his breath hitching and the rustle of his clothes as he gives himself a few tugs, a bit rougher this time. "Want to fuck you like that until you cry."

"God, if you had any idea how much I want that, want you right now," you frown, worrying your lip with your teeth, "it actually hurts a little."

"Yeah?" There's a few shaky breaths and then, "You going to touch yourself?"

"I will, in a bit." You sigh, savouring the sweet ache between your legs. "I like this, though. Like hurting for you." If the choked little noise he makes is any indication that seems to have hit a nerve, and it gives you an idea. "Give me a minute? I want to show you."

"...Alright."

Starting the camera up, you record a quick clip for him. Your cunt feels heavy as you spread yourself open, making sure to show the wetness clinging to your fingers as you clench a few times for the camera. Pulling your lips back a bit more you stroke the tip of a finger over the clit, hoping that he'll be able to see how swollen you are, how needy. A few quick taps later and the clip is sent.

"That's you, that's all for you, from just listening to you and watching you jerk off for ten seconds." You pause, listening to his heavy breathing for a few seconds before continuing, "I'm not sure if you can even tell, but my clit is literally hard right now."

"Hold on, let me..." you hear him go still as he watches the clip, swearing under his breath when it ends. "You should touch yourself," he groans, "I want you to."

"Okay, just give me a minute," Your legs are a bit unsteady as you make your way to the bed. "Just have to move, I was on the couch and..." you trail off as you lay down.

"And?"

"And I'm probably going to make a mess," you moan, squeezing your thighs together in anticipation, "I can tell."

"Fuck," he grits out, "I want to be inside you right now." He lets out a long shaking breath and then, "You should, hah, should get your toy out and fuck yourself for me." The words wind the tension tighter in your belly, making you tremble.

"I'm probably going to come really quick if I do that..." Everything feels so good right now, you're not sure if you want it to end just yet.

"You think I won't?" The words come out in short little bursts, his voice so perfectly lovely and filthy as it frays at the edges.

The lid of the box almost rattles in your hands as you dig through it until you find what you're looking for. Laying back on the bed, your heart is pounding, blood rushing and roaring in your ears until you almost feel alive. The toy is a bit too rigid and not quite right but it's better than nothing, and as you start sliding it in you can't quite hold back a whimper.

"That's it," You can hear him speed up a bit as he moans in your ear, "fuck, you sound good." His every gasp and shaky breath fans the flame inside you higher and higher until it feels as if you might combust.

"I wish you were here," you whine in frustration as you thrust the toy, angling it to hit your g-spot, "I want you, not this..." Trapping the phone between your ear and shoulder, you stroke your neglected clit. After being untouched for so long it feels almost too intense, as if every nerve is completely exposed and throwing off sparks as you rub yourself.

"I'll make it up to you," he pants, voice sliding just a fraction higher, "fuck you through the fucking mattress if you want me to."

You try to hold off, going slower and just listening to him, but it doesn't really help. There's a fleeting thought that you should probably put a towel down but then it's almost too late, the edge just a few moments away, sharp and urgent and begging you to go over it.

"I'm so close," you whimper, almost frantic as you try to be still and just hold yourself right there. "Can I come? Please tell me, I want you to tell me..."

"I fucking want you to," he moans, low and breathy and uneven and exactly what you need to push you over the edge. As you come with a choked sob, the world shrinks until all you're aware of is your walls fluttering around the toy as you gush, and him moaning encouragement in your ear. It's intense and you really should have put a towel down, but the only thing you can think about is how you wish he was there, filling you.

"Fuck, love, do you have any idea," you gasp as you fuck yourself through the aftershocks, drawing your release out for as long as possible. "What you do to me, what you just made me do..." He only moans in response and he must be so close, sounding so good that you could almost go again. As you fuck yourself a little harder you know that he can hear how wet he's made you, how sloppy the thrusts are now. You can hear the chair creak in protest as he tenses up, breath hitching, and you wish that you could see it when he finally comes because the strangled noise as he spills makes your mouth water. Rather than try to come again you melt into the covers, letting the pleasure ebb away as you listen to him come down.

"I still miss you," you mumble, not caring if it sounds sappy. Actually, you're damn well allowed to be a bit sappy about someone you're fucking. "You made me make a mess, so I hope you're happy now." You sigh and remove the toy, rolling away from the wet spot on top of the sheets.

"Mm. Me, too," he murmurs.

"Which part?" You stretch out on top of the covers, too tired to do any cleanup just yet.

"Both." It could be a slip of the tongue, but your treacherous heart twitches in your chest anyway. Rather than dwell on it, you reach for the first words that come to mind.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours?" It's childish, you know it is, but you're too fucked out to care as you snap a quick photo of the impressive wet spot you left behind.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a bit of a pervert?"

"Maybe," you giggle, resting your head on the pillow and barely suppressing a yawn. "I want to see, though. Can I?" There's more rustling as he moves the phone away, snapping a quick photo for you. That he does it at all send a little thrill through you, despite being tired and a bit sore.

"This what you wanted?" He's clearly made an attempt to limit the mess because he's caught most of it in his hand, but not all of it. There are a few stray drips of come on his jeans, denim darkening as it sucks the moisture up.

"Mm-hm, that's hot. I think I have more to clean up, though." You feel a bit silly sending your photo in return, but only a little bit. "You're a fucking menace. I hope you're proud of yourself because I have to change my damn sheets now."

"That sounds like a compliment to me." You can hear him tap the phone and let out a huff of breath as he looks at the picture you sent. "Looks like it, too."

"It is!" You grin, wishing you could see his face right now. "Don't think anyone has ever made me come that hard without even being in the same room before."

"Much as I enjoy you singing my praises, doll, I've got to go," he sighs, and you can hear him rifling around the desk. "I probably have about two minutes before Don E starts breaking down my office door, so..."

"I kind of forgot that you're at work," you wince, "Sorry."

"Don't be." He goes quiet for a moment before ending the call. For a minute you just lay there rolling his every word around in your head, not sure what you're hoping to find. The phone is still in your hand so you go into the contacts, trying not to think too hard as you erase the emojis and replace them with his actual name. It's stupid and sentimental but you've already failed to keep your distance in so many ways, so what's one more? You're allowed to have his name in your phone, it doesn't have to mean anything. You repeat it like a mantra as you start stripping the bed.

[ragnarokhound]

the what time stamp from sit, stay, speak 👀👀 i ate that fic up i need to know all extras about it

fjsldkajf Ok. When I wrote those tags this timestamp was PURELY HYPOTHETICAL. BUT WHELP.

Cross-posting it to AO3 too lmao

“Wait, wait, wait. I can’t be hearing this right. You were a dog? For a week?”

Tim sighs. He looks over at Dick before returning to the surveillance clips he’s sorting through.

“Yes.”

“And Jason didn’t know.”

“No.”

“Jason took care of you. For a whole week. Thinking you were just a normal dog. Jason.”

“Yes, Dick,” Tim says, long-suffering. 

And how long he has suffered.

Ever since Babs let it slip to Dick that Tim had been AWOL for a week and could use some help getting his cases in order, he’s been subjected to grilling from everyone. Even Cass texted him, demanding he spill it all. (She sent a single dog emoji, followed by an eyes emoji. Her methods of interrogation are as effective as they are inscrutable.) He’s had to explain the entire thing at least four times now, and it always comes back to the same ribbing questions.

“Wait. So does that mean— you actually ate dog food?” He stares at Tim with wide eyes, equal parts aghast and intrigued.

Tim wishes he were surprised.

“What— yes, Dick, I was a dog. Jason bought dog food and wouldn’t really feed me other stuff. So I ate dog food.”

“What did it taste like?”

“I don’t— like it smells? I don’t know, Dick, dogs have less oral sensory receptors than humans do. It was food. I was hungry. I ate it. It didn’t smell as good as the eggs or bacon did, but—”

“Todd fed you bacon,” Damian interrupts, eyes narrowing. 

Tim glances at him, not sure what to do about the weird note in his voice. 

It’s the first thing Damian’s said about the whole affair other than to roll his eyes and mutter a scathing ‘typical’ under his breath. He couldn’t have projected ‘I don’t care about your incompetencies’  any harder; but he also didn’t leave the room when Dick finally cornered Tim into explaining it all in detail.

And he’s here in the first place, in Tim’s Nest, helping with the mess. So.

“...Yes? A few times.”

Damian’s face twists into a dark scowl. “Tch. Idiot. There’s far too much salt in bacon, was he trying to kill you?”

Tim stares.

“Humans can eat a much wider range of foods than many animals,” Damian sniffs. “Most of what we eat should either be considered a treat or not eaten at all. This is basic. A child would know this.”

Tim doesn’t say anything about getting this unprompted lecture from a teenager.

“If Todd couldn’t be bothered to do even a basic internet search, I loathe to think of that man ever owning a real dog.”

“Who’s getting a real dog?”

Jason comes clomping down the stairs from the apartment with a grocery bag in hand. Tim’s heart does something he didn’t tell it to when he comes into view, holding a pack of Tim’s favorite energy drinks tucked under his arm. Jason doesn’t even drink those. He says they taste like death and chemicals, and he should know. Tim might swoon.

“No one,” Tim says at the same time as Damian says, “Not you.”

Jason frowns. “I could get a real dog, why can’t I get a real dog?”

Damian immediately rounds on Jason. “Please. You’re lucky it was Drake you were caring for and not an actual animal. You would have killed it!”

Jason scoffs as he crosses the walkway to lean casually against Tim’s computer desk. “Oh, come on. No way I would have killed it. Dogs are bouncier than that.”

Damian sputters, before launching into a tirade about proper animal care. Jason smiles serenely, always ready to wind up Damian as Dick looks on, partly amused and partly concerned, and Tim tries to bite down on his snickering. 

Jason sets down the six pack and pulls one off, handing it to Tim. Their fingers brush over the cool, wet metal, and Jason winks at him. Tim nearly fumbles the can.

“Maybe I should get a dog,” Jason muses, interrupting Damian’s rant before he can get started on the importance of socializing. He slants a grin at Tim. “What do you think, Timmy? How would you rate the Jason Todd experience?”

Tim’s thoughts go briefly X-rated before he gets ahold of himself. 

“Zero out of ten,” he says flatly, cracking the tab on his drink. “Would not recommend.”

Jason’s grin turns sharp. It's an expression that clearly says 'that's not what you were saying last night'.

“Oh?”

Tim makes a face at him around the can as he takes a swig. He hopes Jason reads it as ‘shut the fuck up, Dick and Damian are right here’ and not a challenge to see how far he can push it.

Thankfully he’s saved by Dick. First Robin, best Robin.

“You here to help out too?” Dick asks, clearly excited at the idea and trying not to show it, in fear of scaring Jason off.

“Nah,” Jason says, not unkindly. “Just swingin’ by. I had a suspicion that Timbit’s fridge would be about as empty as the last time I saw it.”

Tim squints at his screen, thinking back to lunch and trying to remember if he can defend himself honestly, but he’s pretty sure he just ate a snack bar from the pantry. He doesn’t think he’s so much as looked in the fridge since the morning he turned back into a human. He’d watched Jason make them breakfast from his place seated on the counter; Jason nearly burned the bacon, then blamed Tim for being…distracting.

(He maintains that the spell simply wore off after seven days. Significant numbers are also a thing in magic. Or was it nine days? It doesn’t matter. It was not true love’s kiss. Jason kissed him on the head the night before he changed back, but that doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t.)

Anyway.

Dick and Jason are chatting idly while Damian sulks in his corner. They seem to be comparing notes on Tim— and Damian’s— bad habits, but at least they’ve stopped asking him about the dog thing. Jason’s timing couldn’t have been better.

Gratitude for Jason swells in his chest. Tim watches him with a growing flutter in his stomach, and when Jason glances his way, caught, he smiles at Tim. It’s soft, conspiring. It rivals the moon.

“Alright,” Jason announces. “It’s about time I headed off.” From his corner, Damian grumbles something that sounds like ‘finally’.

“Thanks for coming by, Jay,” Dick says, clasping his arm. “Always good to see you.”

Jason ducks his head. “Yeah, yeah.”

He turns to Tim. “Try not to die of starvation while I’m gone, princess,” Jason says, ruffling Tim’s hair with a heavy hand.

Tim’s cheeks pink up. Princess? He’s about to— protest, surely, but Jason leans down over his chair, leaning in close.

“I’ll see you later?” He asks quietly, looking hopeful, his hand still warm on Tim’s neck. Tim can’t help how shy his answering smile is. In his periphery, Dick’s eyebrows shoot way up, and the tips of Tim’s ears go red-hot.

“Y-Yeah,” he says, super smoothly. “I’ll be here.”

“Good.”

All hope of playing it off to Dick and Damian goes right out the window when Jason leans in and pecks his mouth with a short kiss. And then a not so short kiss. 

Tim untangles his fingers from the lapels of Jason’s jacket reluctantly, opening his eyes in time to see Jason’s pink face and self-satisfied smirk before he’s turning around and hustling back up the stairs to the apartment. Presumably he’s putting the groceries away before going on his own patrol. Dick and Damian stare after him.

Tim can’t even be mad at Jason for dropping that little bomb and then escaping. He’d have done the same if their positions were reversed.

Of course, the second Jason disappears, Dick and Damian whip their heads around to look at Tim with big-eyed stares, one maliciously gleeful, one truly disgusted. Then they start talking over each other. Loudly.

“Timothy Drake-Wayne, explain yourself immediately—”

“I need bleach for my eyes, Drake—” 

Okay. He can be a little mad.

[myheartalivewrites]

20 questions for fic writers

Thanks for tagging me @bitbybitwrites @kiwiana-writes @cha-melodius I continue to be emotionally withholding from my WIPs so this was a fun little distraction.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

15 and I realised tomorrow is the anniversary of the first fic I ever posted! Might do a little celebration post about it.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

259,263!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Red, White & Royal Blue ❤️🤍💙

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Confirming the mad recency bias in RWRB fics, they are all my most recent fics, all published from August onwards with the exception of the last one, hospital cupboard hook-up fic my beloved:

Deep Blue

In His Wildest Dreams

Just Like That.

Oxford Days

Tumbled Down and Tangled Up

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

Yes! Comments are the best thing about ao3 and pretty much the only reason to post my stuff online! I feel boring sometimes, like I'm replying the same thing over and over, but it is SO true that every single comment means so much to me and I hope commenters know that

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

I don't do unhappy endings. The closest I've come to not a HEA is Don't Wanna Be A Fool For You which is still a happy ending lol, but I didn't go into the future and left them only JUST beginning to recover from all the angst

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

Oh, tricky to decide this. I'm gonna go with Down By The Water, simply because I go deep, DEEP into their happily ever after in the epilogue (it is 12k of a 63k fic which should give you an idea of just HOW deep), even though it’s still quite… yearn-y.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, though I did get some intense emotional responses to a few chapters of Deep Blue, which... well, they were supposed to hurt, but it was A LOT. Never have I used the 😬 emoji that much.

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

Hah, yes. A lot of it. All but one of my fics are E and even that one has got a smutty end scene I didn't publish and might post around the holidays. A Christmas treat for a Christmas fic! I'm not sure what 'what kind' is really supposed to mean here, so: very explicit but always emotionally relevant to the story, and particular in long fics I like to use the, ahem, smut progression to show how their feelings and the relationship is deepening.

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

No

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know 😬 Only tumblr posts 🙄

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Oooh, someone asked me if they could translate Deep Blue to Spanish, so I'm excited to see that (but it is 76k so it might be a while)! That would be my first though.

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

No

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oh, firstprince, no doubt. Alex and Henry have my heart.

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

I absolutely REFUSE to say I won't finish something. I plan to finish all my WIPs.

16. What are your writing strengths?

This is hard to answer, but I think I'm good at building tension, both in the overall story developments, but also within paragraphs and scenes, playing with sentence length etc. At the very least I like how I do that!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Yikes, pulling no punches. Sometimes I get bored of writing all the 'getting to know you' dialogue, and get fed up of writing banter. It’s the kind of thing that tends to get me blocked on a WIP. I find it quite hard, possibly because Alex and Henry banter so much it feels like it's all been done before. Oh, here’s Star Wars! Oh, your dog’s name is stupid! Etc etc.

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

Love it. I have one WIP currently which has some French dialogue, and my French is middling at best, so I'm going to have to ask for help with it, but I'm not there yet.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

RWRB ❤️

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION. I reserve the right to change this answer, but right now it's Down By The Water, I literally fell asleep last night wishing I had time to go reread it.

Phew, that was a lot! No pressure tagging a few friends who might want to play: @indomitable-love @historicallysam @14carrotghoul @cultofsappho @celaestis1 @suseagull04 @heybuddy-drabbles but open tag if you too wan to join!

[helloliriels]

Sleepless in London (Pt.8)

Read it on AO3 (still catching up to AO3 before I post the next new chapter Tuesdays/Thursdays)

.

The vibe in the clinic had shifted the next day.

John felt it.

Stepping out of the downpour and into the waiting room lobby, John brushed the moisture off his shoulders and ruffled his hair … looking up, only to see three of the receptionists tittering and whispering in a highly conspiratorial mode, as they watched him … keenly.

“Hi, Wendy, Carla, Sam.” 

He nodded, trying for casual in his greeting … but couldn’t help the knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

He walked a bit faster to his small office and quickly shut the door.

He needed to breathe.

.

Coffee with Sarah had been nice? Somewhat uneventful, the morning before. She smiled a lot. John had to get used to allowing himself to smile. And even allowed himself to laugh … a carefree chuckle that slipped out. 

He eyed her shyly after he stopped. Feeling oddly self-conscious.

She wasn’t even looking. 

She was watching a pedestrian street dancing across the way … oblivious … that his world was shifting. Taking this enormous step into the dating world again … She was younger. Pretty. Her hair long had just a hint of red in the sunlight … Strawberry-blonde. That’s what his mom used to call it. Harry’s hair was the same color. 

They had walked back to the clinic together. 

.

After thinking about it all afternoon, he had decided - he might shake himself out of his comfort zone further … and even ask her if she’d like to try dinner sometime? Possibly a walk in the park? Tomorrow evening? He didn’t figure it would go anywhere. And he wasn’t sure that he wanted it to.

Sarah had escalated it to Netflix and Chill at her place … And John suddenly realised that … perhaps that wasn’t so bad? … perhaps … it would go somewhere … ? Should he really be afraid of that?

But now that everyone at the clinic knew that John was coming over to her place … that was … well. That was different.

.

A recently widowed man … after ONE coffee meeting with an acquaintance … accepting an invite over to her place … 

Jesus. He was an idiot!

.

He made it through the day somehow.

Acknowledging anyone who interacted with him, but only just. Ears beet red. 

He could hear their whispers.

He wished he had a jacket on, so he could flip up his collar, and avoid them completely! 

He didn’t know if they ALL knew about the date? Or if they’d somehow finally discovered the radio program? But either way … he felt it wasn’t good.

Practically sprinting from the office after his shift, he heard the ping. And peeked at the message:

.

. SARAH M  6:35 PM 

. You still on for tonight?

.

John hesitated, half a second … before replying:

.

. JOHN W  6:37 PM 

. Trouble finding a sitter.

.

Then added:

.

. JOHN W  6:38 PM

. Hate to cancel on you. Owe you another coffee, sometime?

.

He placed a little emoji smile with a perspiration drop at the end of his message, and felt pretty good about having handled his smooth escape … 

When he felt the next message ping in his pocket:

.

. SARAH M   6:43 PM 

. I have the perfect sitter! 

. She’s available tonight!

.

Sarah instantly sent him a name and number to a complete stranger.

Shit. He hadn’t avoided anything!

John began drafting a prompt reply:

.

. JOHN W   6:45 PM

. Do you know her well?

. Do you trust her?

. Do I know her?  

.

As he typed, he was second guessing the whole proposition!

He shouldn’t have invited her for dinner. He should NOT have said yes to her place! And most of all …  he couldn’t put Rosie in just anyone’s care!!!

Sarah’s reply made him stop spinning:

.

. SARAH W   6:51 PM

. Front desk? Five months now?? :)

. You know Sam?

.

Oh. Right. Samantha.

She had been one of the tittering few this morning … 

Damn it. He really had no excuse that would not look incredibly insulting to either … or both of them, now.

.

. JOHN W   6:55 PM

. Thanks. I’ll Give her a call.

.

(Story continues beneath the cut ...)

John arrived nervously at Sarah’s place. 

Rosie had been left, happily settled in with Sam at their flat. And despite his misgivings at the nose ring and hoodie that took him momentarily by surprise … She was a very competent - and he recalled, organised  - adult. The other ladies in the office followed her filing system, or else.

He had only just managed to stash away all of the letters, before she arrived. And now he stood … 

Staring up at Sarah’s building … 

It took a moment to ground himself. A deep breath in.

This wasn’t a big deal.

It was just dinner,

.              A movie …

.

Two hours. 

That’s all he was allowing himself. He would make an excuse to go home in two hours, either way.

He psyched himself up … 

. … and pressed the buzzer.

.

Sarah was popping open a bottle of red. They had just shared an amazing spaghetti bolognese and Sarah was going on and on about something or other, when she startled him back to her attention.

.        “I was waiting for you to ask me out,” she said, blithely, “I wanted you to ask me out - and I thought you never would!”

Her smile was too big. It made John’s heart hurt. She wanted him to be enjoying himself.

He smiled, blinking. 

She thought he never would …? 

She was right, of course. What was he doing?

This wasn’t fair to her.

.        “Sarah … I-” he started,

But she was laughing and pouring another glass of wine for him,

.        “And then you did!”  she raised her glass to toast and clinked.

.

They binge watched some episodes of 'The Office' and laughed at the resemblance of John to the Tim character. Sarah fell asleep on his shoulder after a few more glasses. Never once asking John about his life or his child … or anything real.

He sighed.

She was nice.

She was young.

Too young, probably … There would be no shared experiences, no understanding of the shell shock and the grievous wounds of war … No understanding of the occasional drive John had to do something reckless … something dangerous … not that the life of a GP would ever bring that side of him to life again.

He suddenly felt very old.

.

When he woke her to say goodbye, she invited him to stay, tugging on his arm. Her dress was tight. Hugging her hips and breasts. Showing off her lovely features. Her hair was messy and soft, and oh-so-feminine … and her room was so close …

But he thanked her politely and managed to head on his way home, like a gentleman.

Thinking … 

.           Maybe he would feel less guilty, if he went out with someone not at work?

.           Maybe he would wander around for a while and clear his head.

Still catching up to Ao3 before I post the next chapter! (Ohmygod, this takes forever to edit and post on Tumblr!!!) 🤣 I need moar coffee ☕️

@johnlocky @fluffbyday-smutbynight @chinike @rhasima @mydogwatson @kettykika78 @mxster-jocale @cupidford @meetinginsamarra @peageetibbs @calaisreno @7-percent @john-smiths-jawline @anyway-kindness @swissmissing @inevitably-johnlocked @totallysilvergirl @kittenmadnessandtea @topsyturvy-turtely @safedistancefrombeingsmart @colourfulwatson @holmesianlove @kabubsmagga @peanitbear @copperplatebeech @tiverrr @pocketwatchofmycroft @mutedsilence @2smach @loki-lock @daltongraham @amyreadsandstresses @raina-at @discordantwords @gregorovitchworld @bluebellofbakerstreet @sarahthecoat @reveling-in-mayhem @masterofhounds @missdeliadili @mysterythecat @iamjustreading @midgemao @ileenhaddockhawkins @storytellingdreamer @fuckcannibals @cortinita @a-clithridiate-in-my-heart @salmonsown @angelinlibrary charlies-storybook starrla89 quickslvxr janiesprings janetm74 tinchensblog myriath iwlyanmw youcouldcallmegus lilithcroft dragonnan stellacartography

[black-occamy]

It is a good time to panic!

Written for @goodgodfathersiriusblack Fest - however please note that in this AU wizards are not pretending to follow any form of christianity. Also, in this AU everybody lives HAPPILY, because I said so. To learn more about Fey-parents check this post. 2.2k words, rated T, Occamy-verse AU

He needed to hide. Now.

Harry burst into the Quidditch changing room, breathing heavily. Quick look around ensured that no one was in. He nearly threw the Firebolt onto the rack and stopped. It was too recognisable. If he left it here, anyone would know where he was hiding.

It took him just a moment of hesitation and a sound of voices from the outside to reach a decision. Holding the broom close to his chest, he squeezed inside of the storage locker and quickly shut the door.

The voices grew nearer. He peeked through the cracks in the locker door, but no one was entering the changing room. Harry took a deep breath in and out through his nose. Then, with a bit of difficulty, he slid his hand into the pocket of his robe and fished out his smartphone.

Four PM. Sirius should be alone at home at this time. He bit his lip and selected “Padfoot” on OwlChat. (Read more on AO3 or below)

“Need help”

The message made a whooshing sound and Harry quickly muted his phone. He stared at the screen for a couple minutes, trying to ignore Ron’s voice that was quite clearly calling his name. He almost jumped when the three dots appeared on the bottom of the screen.

“What’s up?”

He started typing, but Sirius on the other end of the chat was faster.

“U ok?”

“Where R U?”

“B there in 5?”

Harry groaned inwardly. He probably shouldn’t have started with a call for help. He added quickly:

“Need advice”

The dots seemed to hesitate for a second.

“🤙 or 🔮?”

Harry grinned. Crystal ball emoji was Sirius' go-to sign for talking through their enchanted mirrors.

“Cannot talk, kinda hiding rn”

“🤫 spell?”

It was a nice way for Sirius to suggest Muffliato without actually typing the word in the chatbox, Harry thought. They’ve discovered a while ago that whenever his Fey-father actually spelled a spell, their phones would simultaneously restart. Even Auntie Gem didn’t have that effect on electronics.

“🤙 1 sec”

Ron’s voice seemed to move further away now. Harry peeked again around the empty changing room and whispered the incantation. A soft murmur of the magical energy filled the locker and hung in the air like a buzzing of tiny, invisible wings.

He rested his back against the back of the closet and held the phone in front of him, selecting a video call. Sirius’ face came up on the screen almost instantly.

“Harry! Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes, sorry,” he whispered. “Kinda. I mean, I’m not in any danger, if that’s what you’re asking.”

His Fey-father’s eyes measured him up and down through the screen.

“You sure? Where are you?”

“Uhm… Quidditch changing room.”

“Inside a locker?”

Harry hesitated for a second. “Yeah… how did you…?”

“Long story,” Sirius chuckled and his grey eyes lit up a little. “You’re not the first one to hide in those, believe me.”

Somehow he wouldn’t think to doubt Padfoot about a thing like this.

“So, what do you need, kiddo?”

Harry bit his lip. For a moment he considered saying something along the lines of ‘nothing really, all is fine’, but decided against it. Sirius waited, concern written all over his face. Well, nowhere to fall but in.

“When did you realise…?” Harry began and stopped, looking for the right words.

“Realise what?”

“Uh… well…” He felt his cheeks reddening. “Um… that you fancied guys and girls the same?”

Sirius stared at him for a second or two, before a grin spread across his face. “That I was bisexual?”

“Uhh, that’s the term, yeah?” The reddening was reaching his ears now.

“Wow, I… didn’t expect that kind of question, lemme think…” Sirius knitted his brows but Harry knew his expressions well enough by now to realise his Fey-father didn’t need the time to consider the answer. Red-hot sensation creeped onto his neck. “That would have been around sixth grade, give or take.”

“Sixth???” Harry stifled a horrified yelp.

“You okay there, kiddo?”

“That’s… that’s longer than I… I can’t wait that long, Sirius!”

“Hold on, hold on,” the screen shook for a moment and Harry realised that his Fey-father shifted his position in the armchair he was seated in to hold the phone more on the face level. “What do you mean, wait that long? What…?”

“The ball is next month!”

“Ball…?”

“I didn’t ask anyone yet, because I don’t know who to ask, and if I don’t know who I like, I will just make an idiot of myself…”

“Harry…”

“Sixth grade! What do I do until then? What did you do? How would I know if…”

“Just hold on a second, kid…”

“I can’t! I didn’t ask anyone, what if I end up without a date? What if I end up with the wrong date? What if they hate me? Or worse - what if they like me and I figure that ‘nah, I’m not into that gender’ later?” Harry nearly screamed the last part, before he remembered where he was. On his phone’s screen Sirius was waiting, a grin not leaving his lips.

“Ready to chat now?”

“It’s not funny, Sirius!” he growled and his Fey-father’s face straightened up.

“I know, kiddo. I’m not laughing at you, you just… caught me a bit by surprise, you know?”

Harry opened his mouth, but instead of saying more he just sighed. For a short while he and Sirius looked at each other through the screens. His Fey-father cleared his throat.

“Let’s start with what made you call me, okay?”

“I almost asked someone out,” he admitted glumly. “Nearly said it, but then I kinda panicked and ran here.”

“Okay, that’s something. Wanna tell me who that is?”

Harry shook his head.

“That’s fine, sure, sure… Bloke or gal?”

“Bloke,” Harry whispered under his breath and Sirius nodded.

“You like him?”

“I don’t know, Sirius, that’s the point!”

“Well, how does he make you feel, then?”

Harry hesitated. There were surely enough emotions he had and stupid feelings he felt, but even now, naming them was a struggle. “Messed up?,” he tried and Sirius grinned again.

“But in a ‘I wanna kill him one of these days’ kinda way or more ‘if we don’t have classes together soon I’m gonna die’ way?”

“Uhm…”

“It’s okay if it’s both, you know.”

“Why does it have to be so complicated?” Harry complained and his Fey-father shrugged.

“Because that’s emotions and we’re humans, Harry. That’s just how it is. You can be sure that this bloke of yours is messing his head about this thing just like you are now.”

“I doubt it and it’s barely helpful…”

“Well…”

A door on Sirius’ side of the call creaked open and Harry recognised Gemma’s voice in the distance.

“Oh, you’re on a call…?”

“Yep.”

Sirius’ hand covered the camera and the screen and Harry felt a sudden wave of gratefulness towards him. He still coughed out loud, “Uh, hi, Auntie Gem!”

“Harry?” Sirius stood up and turned the camera so that her face appeared in the view. She smiled at him with that small, reserved grin that he already found familiar. “Everything all right at school?”

“Yeah, yeah, all fine,” Harry noticed that Sirius’ head turned a little towards Gemma’s hair and his face softened for a moment. “Uhm…”

“We’ll continue that in the study, Gems, if you need the bedroom.”

“Yes, a change of clothes would be nice,” she moved away a little and pecked a small kiss on Sirius’ jaw for which - Harry knew - she had to rise to her tiptoes. “Run along then, boys.”

The view from the camera swirled. Sirius’ face came back after a moment as he walked down the corridor.

“You still there, kiddo?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Where were we…”

“This whole thing being bloody complicated.”

His Fey-father chuckled. There was a creak of a door opening to another room. “Oh, occupied?”

“I was just finishing, Pads,” this time it was Lupin’s voice and Sirius’ hand again covered the phone. “Did I hear Gemma coming home?”

“You sure did.”

“Who’s on the phone then?”

“Hello, Uncle Remus,” Harry said out loud and stifled a small sigh. He wondered why he had even considered Sirius would be alone at Grimmauld Place.

“Harry! Is everything okay?” The camera was now showing faces of both men, Sirius’ arm wrapped around Lupin’s. Harry nodded.

“Yes, yes, all fine…”

“Very well then. Sirius, it’s your turn to cook today, by the way.”

“Again?”

Harry sniggered as Remus’ face disappeared and his steps moved away. Sirius took a seat at the desk, resting the phone against something.

“I swear it’s like I’m cooking every other day for those two,” he complained, rolling his eyes.

“You shouldn’t have made that stew for my birthday, Sirius,” Harry decided to point out, the memory of the dish making his stomach rumble. He realised he hadn't eaten since lunch because of the Quidditch training.

His Fey-father shook his head and sighed, “If only that was it, kiddo. Sorry for all the interruptions. Where were we again?”

Harry hesitated. For a brief moment his mind wandered back to his birthday feast and this time he wasn’t focused on the - unquestionably delicious - vegetable stew. He thought about these three adults that dragged him into their lives without a second of hesitation, whose own connection he had been watching all summer. Granted, at first Remus tried to pretend like there was nothing between him and both Gemma and Sirius. And at first Harry didn’t want to pry - after all, those were adult things he didn’t feel he should be a part of. Soon enough however, the moment the first full moon Sirius as Padfoot went to accompany Remus during his transformation, Aunt Gemma sat him by the kitchen table, and in short and simple words explained what polyamory was and why Lupin was hesitant for them all to reveal it. Harry remembered thinking then how messed up the society was to even care to barge into someone’s private life like that.

“Harry?”

He blinked, looking at his Fey-father again, at the concerned look in those grey eyes that he has already seen so full of joy and love over the summer.

“How did you do that?” He asked finally, thinking of the way Auntie Gem laughed at Sirius’ jokes and how, after all was explained, Remus’ shoulder served his Fey-father as a pillow over summer evenings.

Something glimmered in those grey eyes and Harry knew that without having to explain further he was understood. “Wish I could tell you, kiddo. Dumb luck, I suppose?”

“Well, that’s hardly something I can count on, can I?”

“Hardly, that’s for sure!” Sirius laughed. “Honestly though, Harry, if there was one successful set of guidelines on relationships then no one would ever be alone. I know that’s not the kind of advice you wanted to hear.”

“No kidding…”

“Tell you what,” Sirius leaned closer to the screen, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial hum. “In the end it doesn’t matter at all if you’re bi, gay or straight, or anything in between. There’s no wrong way to love someone. It’s just how you act upon it that can be harmful, either to them or to yourself.”

Harry nodded slowly. There was something new in his Fey-father’s eyes, something much more solemn than he was used to.

“You’re a good kid, Harry. I know that and you should too. Just keep being mindful, both about the bloke you like and yourself, and you’ll be just fine. You’ll see.”

“Or the girl,” Harry added weakly and Sirius chuckled.

“She makes you feel all messed up too?”

“All sorts of messed up, yeah.”

“I know the feeling,” another grin brightened his Fey-father’s face and Harry couldn’t help but smile in return. “It’s all gonna work out in the end, kiddo.”

“That's crap advice, Sirius,” he sighed, rubbing his forehead. Somewhere in his left foot an itch began from being stuck in one position for too long. “But uhm… the other one kinda helps, I think. The being mindful one.”

“Glad to be of help, kiddo. Ready to step out of the closet?”

Harry cast a glance around, “The locker for now.”

“Baby steps,” Sirius grinned and winked at him. “Let me know how it goes later?”

“Sure will. Thank you, Sirius.”

“Any time, Harry.”

***

It was a couple hours later, when Harry was getting ready to go to sleep (after listening through the whole supper to Ron complaining about him ‘running away from the pitch as if it were dragons entering, not the Slytherin team’) that he picked up the phone to see a message from Sirius. It was uncharacteristically long.

"Harry, I talked to Gems and Moony (no deets, so don’t worry) and there’s one more piece of advice we can give you. Be yourself. You want the other person to love you for being you, not someone you pretend to be around them."

He grinned, scrolling further.

"I know I’d be scoffing on that kind of crap advice when I was your age, but trust us on that one, will you? We love you, kiddo. All three of us."

Harry rested his head on the pillow, staring at the OwlChat window on the phone he held above his head for a while. Tomorrow, he decided. 

"Thank you for the advice, pack. You’re the best. Goodnight!"

Tomorrow he will go and invite his crush to a ball.

Thank you for reading!

[lavenoon]

*Breaks through YOUR storage room*

*Pulling an Uno Reverse on you Luce 🤨🤯*

(Anyways. After breaking down Naff’s door and Bean’s window, I come forth breaking down Luce’s trapdoor <333/silly)

*Screams at top of lungs once more*

HEYOOO LUCE AND LAVING NOONING GIRLYPOPS ALIKE ‼️‼️

I am Fandom :) I’m new but I’ve been perceiving Tumblr for the longest time now!

I am making my presence known. I am going, running around, to make sure that my fav content creators in the DCA Tumblr community, are being appreciated 🙌

And I am silly with it!! Very silly!! If you see me going around being annoying with this idc >:)

Fandom Breaks the Tumblr. I am breaking and entering respectfully 🫡

Anyways.

Luce

<333

Wonderful wonderful Luce you

Luce hello hihi hi it’s nice to appreciate you now here/gen

I very much love your comics!! I love your Accidentally Uncover AU!! I love your creativity in all of it!!

Your SI, Aster, is wonderful 💗💗💗

They take care of the caretaker frfr. He is getting comfort as deserved <3

Aster x Clip slowburn 500K+ fanfic when 🤨🤨🤨🤨/big j (Jkjk…unless… 👀)

We love the Menace4Menace. We stan it even :)

They are happy together guys. You should throw a round of applause for them being them with each other 💔💔💔💔😔😔😔/gen

And thank you for very nice in Insta dms!! I appreciate getting to talk with you better there. It’s very much appreciated :D

Anyways you are swag. One of the swaggest of the swag Luce

(My message is a bit short kdbdkeebk but I shall. I shall make up for it!! With Ao3 commentary and now my replies in the tags underneath your posts 😮‍💨)

Farewell. Luce take my hearts, flowers, and more from me

💓💓💓💓💓💕💕💕💕💕‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

*Runs out of your storage room. I gotta go and continue through my hitlist pfffttt*

*Three are done! Now I gotta go to Meep >:)*

[ID: A photo of a grinning man crouching next to and pointing towards a sign edited to say "You're absolutely fantastic, keep it up". It's surrounded by hearts, flowers, sparkles and rainbow emojis. Radial blur is focused on the text. /END ID]

Heya Fandom!! See you made it hehe! <3

Imma get to your messages on insta too still (maybe tomorrow though), but wanted to welcome you here first! Had a long day of visiting my sister and bothering her cats (cat to cat communication), and then whoops, all the cats jumping onto my lap seems to have gotten to me!

Someone's getting bothered during paperwork >:3c

Hope you'll settle in well, I'm about to hop off laptop n wind down for the day! Also don't worry about your message being "short", I think tumblr would shorten this post if you have that feature turned on FGHDJS

Take care, stay hydrated, n welcome to tumblr!! <3

[orange-peony]

20 questions for fic writers!

Thank you @artsyunderstudy for tagging me in this game!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

65 works, one active WIP and several works in the making.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,365,752 (wowsers, I am very verbose)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mainly HP and Carry On, but I used to write in loads of other fandoms back in the days.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Constellations on your skin (drarry, 56k, E) Feather (drarry, 35k, E) New Slang (drarry, 25k, E) Graceless Heart (drarry, 132k, E) The birds and the bees (drarry, 32k, E)

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

I usually do because I like thanking people for their kindness. Receiving a comment usually gives me a spark of joy, so I feel like replying is the least I can do. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with a particular fic, and I end up not replying, but I still read every single comment and cherish even the ones with an emoji.

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

I only write happy endings, sorry.

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

All of them? I've been told that some were sappy, but I genuinely can't say which are happier than others. For me they're all just as they should be.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yes, sometimes. I used to get upset, but now I just reply with an a "write your own fic, then" or delete and move on.

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

Always and the emotional kind (hopefully).

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

I have only written one, and I've deleted it from AO3. It was a snowbaz story set at Hogwarts, so an HP crossover. I had a lot of fun writing it!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Hopefully not!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, only once because I don't usually allow translations of my stories.

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

I have for a fest, and also did it ages ago with friends for fun.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

This question is way too hard! Drarry and snowbaz. Don't make me choose because I can't.

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

I have quite a few that are in the planning stage but are kind of languishing at the moment. I don't want to jinx it, but there's a very angsty malepreg drarry fic that I don't think I have the heart to write (I can't put them through that much drama) and the snowbaz where Baz writes fics, because someone told me it already exists and it has shitloads of kudos, which put me off the idea because my brain went "why bother?".

16. What are your writing strengths?

No idea. Feelings? I pour a lot of them into the mix and somehow people find some kind of resonance.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. I suck so much at describing places and things. Always have, and I do try to describe more, but I just forget to. I'm bad, I know...

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

I've done it, and it was a lot of fun.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Gosh, that was a million years ago. I want to say Lord of the Rings, but I am not sure.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I can't pick one, but I've got my favourite five here:

Broken (Snowbaz, 43K, rated E) - Lady Chatterley's Lover AU, so many feelings. There's star gazing and a Simon with a fever, plus Buckle the dog. Monster (Drarry, 71k, rated E) - my first collab with the wonderful @pato-roldnart. Such an amazing experience! Featuring Veela + werewolf Draco and an extremely touch-starved Harry. Chilly Feet (Drarry, 13k, rated E) - soulmates AU with soulmarks that are not there. Draco knows so many facts and is possibly a little bit on the spectrum in this one. He's one of my very favourite Dracos. On your skin (Snowbaz, 30k, rated E) - tattoo parlour/flowershop AU that I posted before My Rosebud Boy came out, so it felt very special. I love these Simon and Baz an awful lot. Graceless Heart (Drarry, 132k, rated E) - I've recently re-read it and decided that I really like it. I poured an awful lot of myself into this fic, and it still feels quite raw, but I like how it turned out.

Tagging @crazybutgood, @bubble-gumhead, @avenueofesc, @rockingrobin69, @larkral, @facewithoutheart, @martsonmars, @hushed-chorus, @captain-aralias, @cassiaratheslytherpuff, @m0srael, @toast-the-unknowing, @vukovich and anyone who fancies doing this.

[mrs-steve-harrington]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Tagged by @elder-flower <3 Thank you for tagging me! You're awesome and I really enjoyed reading all your answers. I hope that it helped remind you that you ARE a writer (and a good one at that) despite the creative slump at the moment.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

205 (204 are currently visible, one is waiting for an exchange to reveal)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

685,919

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently Stranger Things and The Babysitter and hoping to get back into more Free Guy after taking an anonymous comment a little too personally to the effect of no longer being able to write that fandom without shame

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a place where I feel at home (Stranger Things) (34,455 words) Day Four: Green With Envy (Stranger Things) (2,825 words) it's (not) just food (Stranger Things) (3,016 words) didn't mean to be too much (Stranger Things) (3,663 words) Mystery Spot Misunderstanding (Supernatural) (23,850 words)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! For one, I really do appreciate anyone taking the time to let me know they enjoyed my fic, however they choose to express that (keysmashes, emojis, "I liked this", etc all make me smile). For another, I know a lot of people won't comment at all if they see that the comments don't get replies. Alas, I am human and often forget. Recently I've replied to some comments years after they were left. I should do another replies sprint soon...

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

Probably this one: Trust (Free Guy (2021)) (7,755 words) It's a non-con/abusive relationship fic and the end has Keys sort of realizing just how fucked up everything is and realizing he can't even really remember his old friends' faces and yeah. Angsty!

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

Hmm, I've got quite a few happy endings under my belt despite how difficult they are... Wow this was so hard I had to consult a friend. I have fewer happy endings than originally thought. Going with this one, though! a place where I feel at home (Stranger Things) (34,455 words)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not on them, no, which sort of surprises me considering what I've posted the last year or more. But also I'm blocked by like half of the fandom so I imagine I wouldn't see much of it myself anyway

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

I do! One of my goals a few years ago was to get more comfortable writing it and I like to think I've managed that. I've even joined the smut4smut exchange multiple times now! As for what kind, um... Non-con is where I'm most comfortable, so quite a bit of that. But also surprisingly some totally consensual stuff, too. A lot more m/f these days, which is NOT easy when you are squicked by basically all the words for lady parts but I do my best to work around it. There's a sprinkling of m/m in there as well, though less so recently!

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

I do! Not often, although I think of them a lot. It's not really "crazy", but I think it's a little more out there than my other posted one. can hardly feel the cold with you (1,808 words) It's a Stranger Things/Until Dawn crossover featuring Steve/Mike/Jessica because I hardcore ship Steve/Jessica and Jessica and Mike are soulmates so I couldn't leave him out.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I'm pretty sure my fics ended up on that one... Idk was it a Russian site? Some site was stealing a bunch of fics and I think I found some of mine there

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I can remember!

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

I started on one with @urisarang but never quite got past the first part. I'd still like to continue that fic someday but it's hard?? And I like to think our Free Guy series of fics set in the same universe should count!

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

It's really hard to say. All time? I don't think I have one. Maybe a Harry Potter ship or two since that's the only fandom I go back to on a regular basis for reading. To write? I guess it's Stoncy. Feels hard to say for sure because I'm really bummed out about the fandom and season 4 and it's made it harder for me to enjoy writing them. But I still love them.

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

More than I could list here. I have so many, I even found one I forgot existed at all the other day. But for this one, I'll say probably the WIP set after Steve and Nancy were stuck in the Entity's Realm (where they are in Dead by Daylight the game). They're home and safe but Steve is isolating himself because he and Nancy were sleeping together while trapped and he "knows" it never meant anything except finding comfort in the familiar so he needs to stay away so Nancy can be with Jonathan and her family. It also features them both having trouble remembering to eat bc eating wasn't necessary while they were trapped in the other universe. I just reread what I've got last night and love it. But I don't think I'll ever figure out how to continue or finish it :(

16. What are your writing strengths?

Introspection. I am most comfortable writing what's going on in someone's head and like to think I'm good at it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue, plot, action, anything that requires thought and/or effort.

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

I don't have an opinion, I guess? I don't write anything where it's come up before.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supernatural!

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Hmm, there are a couple that I really like. Favorite right this minute... Caught between two:

anything (anything) for you (Stranger Things (TV 2016)) (5,373 words)

It's a very self-indulgent stoncy fic where Steve is desperate enough to stay with Nancy that when he proposes that she date them both and she thinks he wants to also date Jonathan, he doesn't correct her. I know I wrote it but man, I love the angst of Steve forcing himself into situations he is super uncomfortable with. Dub-conning himself in a way both Nancy and Jonathan would be very upset about if they knew but for totally different reasons than Steve's convinced himself over.

the devil on my shoulder (The Babysitter (Movies - McG)) (2,740 words)

Years ago, I was determined to write as many words as possible for NaNo. I asked ppl on tumblr to send me prompts to write for them so I would have ideas to work from. This fic came from me taking the chance at tagging my plea with The Babysitter and I'm so glad they sent me the prompt because this might be the fic of mine that I have reread the most maybe aside from the one mentioned above. It started out as a fic where Bee encourages Cole to break the rules to manipulate him into being on her side, but it turned into something a little different than that. I don't know how to put it into words but I just really love it. (Too bad there is not much of a fandom out there for those movies haha)

Tagging: @stevethehousewife @urisarang @tkwritesdumbassassins @readythefanons

[sorcerous-caress]

hope this isn't weird to ask but how long have you been writing and how old are you? did you ever take any courses related to writing or have you been improving through writing as a hobby?

Hey it's not weird at all, I'll happily answer!

I'm 20 years old, and I have been writing non-continuously since I was 12.

My first fic was written with colon punctuation for spoken dialogue instead of quotation marks bc I didn't know what those were at the time. For example:

Bob: nice weather we're having today (he said with a smile)

Bob2: I signed the divorce papers, they're on the counter. (Sighing at the other's stubbornness)

I posted it on wattpad.

Afterwards, I never wrote anything else, but I learned about Ao3 and kept enganging in fandom spaces. At 14, I joined roleplaying group chats, which made me think and write faster to keep the rp going. Eventually, it became one on one rp with another person where we would take our chat history log, freshen it up a bit, then post it as a fic.

By 16, I joined a fandom server with a semi serious writing subcategory in it. People more experienced and much older than me would beta for other's story. It's where I picked up the habit to write drafts in google docs so I can easily share the link for a beta reader to add suggestions to.

I still haven't written another fic by then, not by myself, at least. I got very insecure at the time about my writing and lack of knowledge. Mind you, I joined the server, not knowing what punctuation was. It took several beta readers adding punctuation for me until it finally clicked that I should use it.

It felt like I was an outcast in a way? Sure, everyone treated me just as nicely as others there, but I noticed the little things that added up over time. Like how no one would react or talk about the stories I post, but if someone else shares theirs, then the entire server gushes over it. Or how one time I reacted to my own story with an emoji, only for someone else to mention how it's me who clicked it and I shouldn't do that. It was a very unhealthy environment for a 16-year-old surrounded by 30-20 years old, but I stuck to it because I wanted to improve my writing.

Even if I was ignored, they'd still beta for me as a chance to offer "constructive criticism." Artists can be very petty when a low skilled person joins them.

My skills improved, and I posted my second fic! It was nothing remarkable, but it felt like the first stone into the stairway of improvement, yk? I loved that fic, it was my crowning jewel.

But as a result, I started to hate writing. It was a struggle, I'd spend hours on two sentences while others on the server were bragging about their 50k fics. I hated my own inability to perform better, to write better.

I got sick of reading my own writing from the number of times I'd rewrite it in an attempt to format it better. I couldn't even bare look at other's writing or read fanfics on AO3 because I'd always compare their writing to mine. Break their style down and analyse it in an attempt to spot what I'm doing wrong.

I left the server eventually, abruptly too. It was for the better.

I swore off of writing.

For two years, that was true. I gradually came to reading fanfics again, but just looking at a blank document was enough to get me nauses.

By 18, Aot happened, and the boom in x reader fanfics.

Everything I've written up to this point has been ships. Not once did I consider the idea of an x reader. For a while, I used to scoff at it and label it as cringe, as if the ship fanfics I was reading wasn't cringe either. Elitism, I tell you.

I saw these request blogs and how posting on tumblr seemed less intimidating than AO3. How intimate it felt to have an anon talk to you about your own fic that you wrote for them, to have people discussing your writing and stories with you! And they ask for more!

Sign me tf up.

I started my first writing blog, and I didn't know shit. I learned as I went. The new formatting, the tumblr tag system, creating a masterlist.

How important presentation is in here.

In AO3, your fic has the same chance of being read as any other one. Only your description is there to judge it by. But on tumblr? The shiny bookcover was almost as important as the material inside. In here, you have to market your own fic, present it with a lovely bow on top, add a pretty eyecatching header, and all the right trending tags.

Luckily, it clicked easy for me. I used free domian paintings from past centuries to make my covers, and they stood out amongst the anime cover galore. It was a little pretentious, I admit, but I also was a little pretentious, so it's alright.

I played my cards right, answered requests enthusiastically, and delivered fics at a fast rate. Paid attention to what styles worked best and what genres attracted more attention. At that point, it was a numbers game for me. Play marketing right, and you'll win at capitalism.

It felt very degrading and dirty.

My personal style fazed out, and my fics had a sanitised safe for mass consume feel to it. It was written to appeal to you rather than written out of any real love or passion.

It was soulless garbage.

Not to mention at the time I still used the same unhealthy and needlessly convoluted writing method I learned from that server. Yes I cut ties with them but I still didn't have any other alternative writing method to use.

What's that? Just write however I want? Are you crazy? What like my 12y old self wrote on wattpad? My 18y old self would rather die than actually be true to themselves.

I was extremely insecure and afraid of being labelled as "cringe" I completely ereased any stray stains of personality that managed to trickle their way down into my writing. Not once did I write for myself during that time, and not once did I actually enjoy a single piece I made.

I hated all of them, I couldn't bear to even read the fics I wrote. But I still made more and more to appease the requesters, still forced myself to sit and write each morning for hours on end.

A tight timeline, an exhausting production and no friends or hobbies to fall back into and relax. It was a fucking nightmare.

What ircked me the most was how people would just keep requesting more without a thank you or even a fuck you afterwards. It's like it's a fast food drive-through and I should be grateful for any attention I get.

But I never said a word. I never complained because complaining drives away people and engagement. No, I needed to keep my happy chill imagine and never show any emotion or talk about my struggles in real life or writing.

Instead of realising I hated my writing because of its lack of essence and soul, I convinced myself instead that it's because my skill level is still too low.

So I searched online. I found writing courses I couldn't afford, and neither could I ask my family for money for anything at the time because of personal reasons.

So I put on my pirate hat.

Apparently, people don't bother uploading the scam writing tips courses to pirate websites. That's fair.

Instead, I pirated books from famous authors talking about writing. Read them and tried to apply their methods, ignored my own preferences, and wrote to fit their subjective standards of what good writing is.

I signed up for free trials courses that didn't require a credit card and copied every single file into my hard drive before the trail ended.

I had so much material to study. I watched youtube videos about writing. I really really tried everything I could.

But I still loathed every fucking word I put down on these pages.

And I hated how a general advice in writing was to "follow your heart" what is that supposed to mean? I can't do that. Others do not like my heart, It has been proven many times before so how about you just give me some useful advice instead you useless wrinkled piece of shit book?

.

..

...

You can't force or fake creativity.

You can fake an elegant writing style, you can copy interesting lines from famous books and apply them to your own writing, you can include every trendy word in all the right places.

But you can't fake creativity.

I wished I was 12 again. Writing fics on wattpad, where my style was worse than garbage, and yet I loved it. People loved it.

Because it was garbage with a soul, a garbage that had empty chocolate milk bottles and spilt sprinkles. A garbage that showed personality and where my priorities were. With kids' fingerprints in colourful paint and a toddler's fridge artpiece.

A garbage that mirrored my love for the art.

And I ruined it. I traded it all for stupid punctuation that I didn't even care for.

I was happy.

Like every other probome in my life, I ran away.

I hit my breaking point. The requests were never ending, the studying and writing books were getting more and more pretentious and contradicting themselves. I barely had time to eat, I don't talk to people or go outside.

I do not have the time for anything, I missed having friends.

I left the blog. I stopped writing, it was too anxiety inducing.

I got into videogames again, I enjoyed the text heavy ones. I chose to ignore what that implied.

They were so...beautiful.

And fun!

I made some friends, I was happy for a while.

Then, one of my favourite characters in my video game mentioned missing their parents, how hard the funeral was.

It hit home.

I'm not writing, I convinced myself with a lie, I'm just gonna put down my thoughts on them...in a google document.

See just around 1k words, easy peasy. I AM NOT WRITING. It doesn't count.

But I did write it. Not with any calculated formula or method. I wrote my thoughts like how I hear them in my head and what I felt, what I imagined the character would feel.

Then, I added some dialogue, trimmed the corners, and sprinkled in euphemism.

It was simple and bare, vulnerable.

I posted it. It never got much traction.

But I was happy, I liked it, even loved it and kept rereading it.

I was 19.

I nervously showed it to my friend. They mentioned how much they can't stand reading books or fics because the words overwhelm them courtesy of their ADHD.

But they managed to read mine. Very smoothly.

Because my style, my own personal style that is set to my preference, makes me write in small paragraphs and straightforward. I never linger on details or focus on one thing for too long, I always give breaks and seperate events from each other.

And it clicked for this one person who struggled with reading, a style that will get criticism in any serious writing circle for being too simple or childish.

They liked it.

I hate needless convolution.

I just turned 20 years old, I asked for Baldur's Gate 3 early access as my birthday gift.

I received it, I played it.

I fell in love with its writing.

Then I made this blog, and I promised myself not to follow rabbits into any holes again. To reject the requests I don't want, to write because I love to, because I find it interesting or fun.

To never feel obligated to any thing or person. Only write if I want to, only post it if I want to. And if I don't want to? Then I simply won't.

And yes this blog gets much less attention than my first one but the people in here, the anons and my readers, they interact much more with me and my writing. It feels much better to have a handful of people genuinely excited and curious about your stories than a hundred people who would only leave likes and leave.

I have never touched a writing course or a helpful book since then. I block every writing tips blog, I see. I hate each and every single post about writing tricks and immediately skip past it.

I don't care if I improve anymore. I don't care if people don't read my stuff. I do not care if my style degenerates so much and reverts back to wattpad. All I care about is the fact I love writing and I enjoy it, I plan to keep it this way.

-

It's also funny that I'm writing in English since I when I first started writing at 12 it was in Arabic. My first fic? In Arabic.

And I was willing to go down that road yk. Keep true to my heritage and culture, write in my own beautiful language.

But. I wrote about queer topics and stories. Homophobia is still a massive thing in our society. My story was more infamous and taboo than famous and beloved.

I had so many people coming to my dms to "educate" me about religion and sin. How what I'm doing is wrong and the message I'm spreading is haram.

It was funny at first especially when it was the quran that made me want to write in the first place. Because it's actually a collection of poems! It just loses its rhythm when translated to English. It was so beautifully written, I'd listen to it always as a kid.

But then those dms became unbearable and I decided to learn english to join the western fandoms instead. A 12y old just deciding to fuck it and learn a whole new language to write gay fics.

A lot of my struggles in writing at 12-17 was because I was still learning English at the time.

This was fun. Thank you so much for asking this, anon! I had the chance to reminisce about the past.

I made so many mistakes. But I'd rather having made them and reached this point of content with myself than not having made them at all.

[roseandgold137]

Sorry there are so many but i am sooo curious 👀👀👀

For the fanfic writer emoji asks:

😅🤡😈✍️🎢🎶⛔🌞❌🧐🏆📈🦅👀💞🧠(<- for Tim)🤩🤲🎉⌛🤯

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

hmmm none come to mind immediately bc I mean I’m pretty chill with everything I’ve made existing, but I suppose if I were to write Meet the Family again I’d definitely change a few bits that kinda make me :/ now lol

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

“… Janet had money. And Helena’s birthday was soon… though a summer home seemed a bit extreme. Perhaps just a holiday would be enough.”

every so often I think of this line again and realise I’ll never actually live up to it

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

hmmm if nothing else I think I do plan to be lmao

✍ Do you have a beta reader?

not in the slightest everyone is just lucky if I even give it a second look before posting, that’s why I have to constantly go back and fix misspellings bc I never double check 😅

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Definitely Every Good Gold Digger, I mean it has the most going on (pretty sure it makes up over half of my total word count on ao3) and if you actually stop to consider the premise it’s literally two people that never meet in canon going through the most frustrating speed dating slow burn I can create while also being interspersed with random time jumps so I can tell a story that takes place over several years. So I’d say the rest is pretty tame haha

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

Not often actually bc most of my writing actually happens in classes where my background sound is the teacher I should be listening to lol

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

Wire Bird was supposed to get a chapter two but it was frustrating me to no end so I just abandoned it

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

No, just whenever I have the time and motivation I suppose

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

Bad parents Jack and Janet drake my beloathed. I can’t even read it without having a physical reaction like literally I get completely thrown out of the story and just need to like cool off 😭 drake defender til I die

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

I start writing and then the research happens on the go 💪💪 I didn’t even know Brassempouy existed before chapter three of EGGD

🏆 What's your most popular fic? 

Based on hits, Every Good Gold Digger. Based on kudos, Meet the Family. But considering EGGD has far more subscriptions by far and also it’s definitely the one I’m more well known for so I’m going to give it the crown

📈 How many fics do you have?

On ao3, 24, and then there’s another from an ask I’ve been meaning to upload, and then there’s various half-finished wips that may or may not turn into anything lol

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

TECHNICALLY some of them have had outlines but very few of them remain true to them so mostly I make it up so long as I have the main story beats in mind

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

still working on the dick kidnapping one, so far he’s on patrol with Bruce and living his best reckless life. In version one anyways. Version two has him already caught and he is a significantly grumpier teen lmao we’ll see which version wins out

💞 Who's your comfort character?

Probably Tim or Janet I’m very partial to them, though Bart definitely appears as my art blorbo he’s everywhere in my sketchbooks so I suppose the three of them. I’m not very good at narrowing things down

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. (Tim)

Ooooo. You know considering how often I think about him this question should probably be far easier but alas. He’s a total mama’s boy, but that’s basically canon, so I won’t count that. I think he ate crayons as a kid, but that’s not a favourite headcanon. I like to imagine him as an animal lover, because I genuinely can’t really imagine someone not like that, so I suppose that would be my favourite, bc it’s the trait I always give him even if I never say it

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write? 

Tim definitely I never stop thinking about him which makes the whole process very streamlined

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

of course I would

“ “We didn’t do much golf, to be honest,” Jack murmured, dropping his head into his hands suddenly. “Janet. Janny. I made out with Bruce Wayne in the golf range bathrooms.” He peeked at her through his fingers. “Stop laughing at me.” ”

I’m just going to leave you all with that 👍👍

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

When I link it to here and everyone gets excited in the notes 💪💪💪 those first five minutes after posting is like ambrosia to me

⌛ How long does it take you to write a fic, or a chapter?

It varies so widely, some chapters get done in a matter of hours meanwhile I’m on like two weeks for this one lmao

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

I mean before I would have said romance but I actually think I’m doing pretty well at it, so maybe action honestly? My strength is definitely slice of life and fluff so sometimes I feel like my action can feel a bit off pace yknow

Thank you so much for the ask <3 it was very fun going through them all :)

[ryttu3k]

for the ship game:

beckett/sascha

mina/jonathan

nines/lacroix

vykos/holzmann (aka Double Sascha)

[ship it or don't ship it meme]

Well that's a solid 'ship it' for all four. Let's go through 'em!

Beckett/Sascha

What made you ship it?

Literally, this exact passage.

Like yes okay funny haha 'hate fuck it out' and all but this passage is the bit that made me go, "Oh. They're parallels."

What are your favourite things about the ship?

They work so well together. Not just as a character dynamic, but in-universe. Once they stop trying to murder each other, they just click, and Drowning of Rasputin showcases that beautifully. They have shared passions but different approaches that coordinate extremely well, where Sascha gets Beckett to maybe act a little more analytically and Beckett gets Sascha to, um, not turn people inside out.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Super not a fan of the like... pre-Dracon-extraction stuff where it's still extremely unhealthy, like I have seen some ship content that was still very much 'enemies' and not so much 'enemies to lovers'. Like I feel Beckett saw enough in Dracon!Sascha to save their unlife in Constantinople, but I can't see an actual relationship starting until they get through that.

Mina/Jonathan

What made you ship it?

Jonathan went from "I should get this recipe for Mina! :D" to "I would condemn myself to hell for Mina". Mina went from "My fiance wrote to me *dokis*" to "My husband is a goddamn beast *eyes emoji*". They protect each other, they look after each other, and they complement each other. They both have this really cool dichotomy of being both Very Victorian and also Very GNC And Also Sometimes Feral. They're both fantastic characters in how they're written and fantastic people in that I would 100% love to be friends with them. And they love each other and are devoted to each other with the force of a thousand suns and it'd be exceedingly hard not to super love both characters and also not come out of it loving their relationship, too.

tl;dr I took one look at how in love these dorks were and decided I was in love with their love.

What are your favourite things about the ship?

Oh, uh, I think I covered that above tbh XD

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Don't think so! They're not a main ship so I'm not as hooked in to the fandom, though, so I'm not 100% sure what the unpopular opinions are.

Nines/LaCroix

What made you ship it?

Played Bloodlines. Nines was my favourite, LaCroix managed to worm his way into problematic favourite. Peered with interest at some fics on AO3 and realised I had promptly lost my mind and read basically everything on there and then I was just in way too deep.

IIRC it was We Don't Have To Like Each Other To Survive This by @iravaid that made me go, "Fuck it, I ship it."

What are your favourite things about the ship?

They're absolutely brilliant foils. Camarilla Ventrue Prince vs Anarch Brujah street prince. LaCroix has authority on paper but no respect. He's Prince of the city and he's so alone up there in his tower. Nines doesn't want on-paper authority, and so rejects the title of Baron. He wants to be a part of the community, and for the most part, he absolutely is. He has, quite naturally, the respect that LaCroix wants, just not the on-paper power to enact his desires. They each want or need what the other has. If they worked together? Damn, LA's enemies wouldn't stand a goddamn chance.

Ira has a really good post on how they work as foils here.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Mmm not a fan of the non-consensual stuff but that's a disclaimer I have to give for any enemies-to-lovers ship, really XD;;

Vykos/Holzmann

Context: Sascha Holzmann is an OC based on a single sentence in Transylvania Chronicles II of Myca renaming themself after a fallen comrade who died fighting the Camarilla. You can read the bio I wrote for him here; the line from TCII is:

What made you ship it?

That little line from TCII. Myca is a walking clusterfuck of identity issues at that point. For them to take their entire name from someone means they must have been incredibly special to them, and that... stands out a lot. A lot of people must have died in that time. What makes this guy special?

What are your favourite things about the ship?

Rambled a fair bit on how I see them together in the bio/write-up linked above. With the caveat that lmao this is 100% a canon/OC ship... mostly it's the quiet support Sascha gives Myca? Myca has been Dracon!Myca for two and a half centuries at this point and I feel they no longer had much of a sense of identity of their own, and Sascha gave them the space to just... exist for a bit. No prying, no trying to Work Things Through, just being there.

Add on his values and what he stood for, wanting that freedom from manipulation, and I can see Myca seeing Sascha as... almost as an ideal? Someone who is free, who can act on their passions and values, who can advocate for themself as an individual, something Myca feels is no longer possible (based on @solivar's line in this phenomenal write-up: "I could not even pretend to be a self-willed child of Desire when my will was manifestly not nor could it ever again wholly be my own.") So the relationship they have, and taking his name afterwards, is a gesture of, "I'm intentionally and deliberately going to take his name as a way to represent his values, because those are values I want and need for myself."

I don't know, it's just a really interesting little tidbit from TCII that could spawn a whole lot of interesting stuff. The original Sascha had to have been so significant to Myca if they took his name, y'know?

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

lmao no because I made it up entirely.

[shinraholidayparty]

Frequently Asked Questions

Given how new this is, these are mainly an attempt to head off the main questions I think people might have, based on my own experience in fandom as well as what I've seen others doing in their event weeks.  As questions are sent in however, this will be updated!

💡 What is this?

Shinra Holiday Party is an annual Final Fantasy VII event to celebrate the winter holidays with our favorite Shinra Personnel, be it Turks, SOLDIERs, or board members!  We'll post a week's worth of prompts, and you see if any of those prompts inspire a fanwork.

💡 How do the prompts work?

Basically, there's a post that will have the days listed with the prompt for each day.  You do not have to fill all of the prompts to participate, and if you want to post them out of order, please feel free!  However, please note that if you post them out of order, they will be scheduled to be reblogged on the event blog on the "correct" day, just to kind keep things together.

💡 How do I participate?

By posting a work either here on tumblr or to our AO3 collection!  If you're posting here on tumblr, be sure to either use the #shinraholidayparty tag or ping us (@shinraholidayparty) so that you can get reblogged to the event blog.

💡 What kind of work is allowed?

Any kind of work!  Writing, art, graphics, fanmixes, gifsets, and any other kind of fanwork is allowed.

Traced, plagiarized, and AI works are not considered eligible for the event.

💡 Can non-Shinra characters appear in the work?

Of course!  Our Shinra crew doesn't operate in a vacuum after all.  If you would like to include some of the AVALANCHE team or some OCs or honestly, anyone at all, please feel free to do so.

💡 What if I can't make any content?  Is there any way that I can still help?

Absolutely!  It's called "signal-boosting," and it will greatly help the fanworks reach more people!  You can reblog the prompt list post as well as any entries that you see that you enjoy.  Sharing and commenting is loving!

💡 How do I tag sensitive content?

So I'm going to go a little in-depth on this just in case you're new to tagging in general.

If you are posting your fic to the AO3, you should be using the Archive warning labels as appropriate.  These labels are as follows:

Graphic depictions of violence.

Major character death.

Rape/Non-Con

Underage

If you use "Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings," your work will not be reblogged to the event account.

You must also use the Archive's Rating system appropriately, choosing one of the following:

General Audiences

Teen and Up Audiences

Mature

Explicit

Please see the Archive's guides on Ratings and Warnings if you have further questions.  You may also find the Archive's guide on Tag Types or "How to Tag" useful.

In addition to that, it's generally considered polite to tag/warn for any of the following:

Abuse (including Child Abuse / Neglect)

Ageplay / DDLG / DDLB / etc.

Animal Cruelty/Death/Harm

Any AU settings, including Cafe AUs, Omegaverse (or even just A/B/O Dynamics), Modern AU, etc.

BDSM / RACK

Body Horror / Medical Horror

Drug Use

Dubious Consent

Genderbending

Incest

Kinks in general should be tagged so people can find them!

Kinks specifically regarding bodily fluids, such as Bloodplay / Scat / Emetophilia / etc.

Pregnancy

Racism / Transphobia / Homophobia / etc.

Torture (psychological or physical)

Now, it is not required that you use these tags, although if the work is reblogged to the event account, you may see these tags added where appropriate.

💡 Is this event related to the Shinra Holiday event on Twitter in 2020?

Short answer: no.  Long answer: Still no, but this event was heavily inspired by that one.

💡 Why are there lightbulb emojis?

Because it's for the Shinra Electric Company! 💡💡💡 And because I wanted something cute to break up the visual monotony of all the text.

💡 I have a question not addressed here!

By all means, send in an ask!

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