#somewhereapart writes

[somewhereapart]

Twist (Steggy, Ch 1/2, Rated M)

Hiiiii @rachlovesligers -- It's me, your @steggyfanevents Secret Santa! I apologize for the delay on your holiday gift, the elves refused to work the holidays (I worked most of the holidays lol), so they're still hard at work on chapter 2. But I didn't want to leave you hanging for too long, so here's part one of two to tide you over. I promise there will be a happy ending...or two.

When Peggy gets injured in enemy territory, the Howlies are forced to abandon their plans and hunker down for a night. Fortunately, they manage to find a place with actual beds—a luxury she and Steve have yet to enjoy together.

She’d been worried about Nazis. About Hydra. About meeting the wrong end of a bullet, or being buried under the rubble of a blast. The absolute last thing Peggy Carter had been worried about was Mother bloody Nature.

And yet.

.::.

Steve hears it immediately.

It’s dark—the frigid midnight is nearly moonless, something they’re hoping to use to their advantage as they creep through occupied territory. There’s barely enough light for the average person to see five feet ahead—but luckily for them, he’s no longer average. Steve can see plenty, and Dernier can see Steve, and Jones can see him, and Peggy can see Jones, and Morita can see her, and on it goes.

The woods they’re walking through are dense and wild, a maze of evergreens that make everything smell like Christmas and do a good job of hiding both them and the enemy. The plan had been a long, quiet walk through the winter dark, nothing but the sound of boots crunching snowy underbrush, and owls hooting in the trees. He can hear more than that, though. He can hear the occasional rattle of Monty’s cough (he really oughta lay off the smokes), the heavy whoosh of Dugan’s breath.

He can’t hear Buck bringing up the rear, but he’s sure of him nonetheless. Can feel him, sense him.

The woods are empty, and all is well.

Until it isn’t.

He hears it immediately: the sharp gasp and the rustling thump, and right after it, Peggy’s quiet “Ah!”

He freezes, and whispers into the dark, “Peg?”

(He hears Bucky, then. Hears the shift of his rifle swinging around to the front of his body, hears a twig snap under his boot as he turns this way and that, searching the trees around them for an unnoticed threat.)

When Steve turns, he can see Peggy—the dark shape of her crumpled on the forest floor (sitting, he thinks, at least she’s sitting up), Morita bent over her with a hand on her shoulder.

Steve’s stomach swoops down into his shoes.

(Continue on Ao3)

[dancingbycandlelight]

“I can’t tell him.”

“Why not?”

“I just,” Trent hesitated, glancing across the room towards, Ted - currently deep in conversation with Beard. Now the speeches were over he looked more relaxed again, an ease in his posture that was noticeable even from a distance. As if he could feel eyes on him Ted glanced up, his smile widening as he spotted Trent and Keeley against the wall. He raised his hand and Trent nodded, dimly aware of Keeley waving beside him, her rings catching the light.

Keeley spoke without looking away from Ted. “You just what? Might actually be happy?”

~ here we have trent crimm with a crush: not quite in denial but certainly not ready to talk about it (yet)

[somuchwhatever]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Got tagged by @somewhereapart, and I figured y'all may be sick of seeing me just post fic so here ya go.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

88

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

305,612

3. What fandoms do you write for?

AO3 tells me I've written for Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, General Hospital, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: OC, Lie To Me, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate SG-1, and The West Wing. And I honestly can't think of any others outside of just ficlets I've tossed into the wild over the years.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Flinktober 2022 (EO, SVU/OC)

i remember skies (EO, SVU/OC)

gala (EO, SVU/OC)

bizarre love triangle (EO, SVU/OC)

Chautauqua (EO, SVU/OC)

I did not include one that was cowritten with a bunch of other people because I will always assume the kudos are for them.

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

As often as possible. If someone takes the time to comment, I want them to know that i care enough to acknowledge and thank them for that kindness and effort. Especially when I write mostly for a fandom where I've seen people specifically state that they will read works but NOT comment on them as some sort of punishment for whatever random/imaginary fandom sins the writer whose free content they are enjoying has committed. That's just dumb and unkind, so I make the effort to let people know their comments are appreciated, even if it takes weeks to circle back.

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

Hmmm. There are several chapters in the first flink posting that would qualify, but I'm going to go with my largest Sam/Jack (SG-1) fic, Gravity Sings. It's hard to pretend it's not angsty when you've literally killed off half the planet.

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

Hmm. Not really sure. I'm a sucker for fluffy endings, so I tend to write them quite a bit. Maybe waltz or Chautauqua?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Occasionally, but I shut it down quickly. If you come up in someone's space where someone is providing you free entertainment and be rude? Don't expect a pass from me about it. The scroll bar isn't difficult to use, and neither is the back button. I use it frequently on poorly-written works or things that may be well-written but just aren't my thing. What I don't do is sling entitlement issues around demanding things be written to my satisfaction (unless you employ my beta services, in which case, you asked for it!). :D

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

I never really did prior to the first flink experiment, and I created that experiment purely to practice writing smut. Well, I take that back. @rgrdsalxndra would be the first to remind me I'd often cockblock Elliot and Olivia by having them dream-smutting without real-life release. But I started that project with the express purpose of getting better and more comfortable with writing smut, so I'm making that the hinge point.

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

Because SVU and OC are different shows, I write them regularly. But if you mean out-of-universe crossovers, I've only really written one, R.E.M. (SGA, BSG, Buffy). It was based on a prompt from an LJ friend, "Elizabeth Weir, Kara Thrace, and Buffy Summers walk into a bar..."

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware. There are much better people out there to steal from. Also, I always assume if something is similar to what I've written, it's because fandom truly does become a hivemind at some point. Nothing new under the sun and all.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware. If I had to guess, I'd say Gravity Sings would be the most likely candidate since SG-1 fandom is probably the most global and that fic has been around much longer than any other likely candidates.

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

Wrote Wet Dream with much better smut writers than myself in a group chat, and a bunch of us in SG-1 fandom way back in the day once built an SG-1 AU loosely based on The Big Bang Theory called The House That Jack Built, and I have several entries in that little universe.

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

How does anyone pick this??? I love them all for different reasons. I will say EO has a grip on me nobody else ever has, but then they have that 25 year slow burn that is just absolutely and sickly delicious.

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

Glazed and Fired (SGA) was originally the first part of a 5 Things fic that got away from me, and I had always intended to go back and finish it but eventually just put it away for good. I fully intend to finish my others (Skies, I'm looking at you).

16. What are your writing strengths?

Grammar. Economy of language (this is also sometimes a weakness). Getting into the head of characters who are typically very closed off.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel my writing is way too mechanical. I'm also still not comfortable writing smut. I always walk around with a sense of imposter syndrome with my writing.

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

I'm literally one class shy of a degree in French, and I had to write many upper level term papers in that language, but let me assure you I have zero plans to ever write in another language. I sincerely applaud those of you who do.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Stargate SG-1

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

Geez. It probably changes regularly, and I'm hesitant to say because my faves are never anyone else's. all i ever wanted (a rather dark Elliot-centric fic) holds a very dear spot in my heart just because of how my muse just grabbed a keyboard and churned it out. This is not a popular opinion, and hardly anyone read it, but I still love it a lot. And just because it was the first fic I wrote that was widely recc'd, I have a soft spot for Things Not Dreamed (SG-1), a Sam & Jack & Daniel fic written from Daniel's POV.

tagging in a no-pressure way (and sorry for any double tags):

@morethanwords229, @whatbecomesofyou, @samwrites99, @rgrdsalxndra, @shut-upjohn, and anyone else who wants to do it!

[goodthingscomeinthrees]

20 questions for fic writers:

ty for the tag, @somewhereapart 🥰

this is very long, so answers go under the cut!!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

62 as epigraphs

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

i do not actually know! i wrote single chapters in a fic collection years ago, so that messes with my stats and i don't know how long what i wrote was anymore, so i can't do the math. but 2023 was 54,372 words, and 2022 was 113,431!

3. what fandoms do you write for?

currently: the gilded age, technically still svu but uh, let's not talk about that one fic i fully abandoned (at least until that question comes up lolol).

past lives: madam secretary, the west wing, the newsroom, scrubs, sound of music (i'm as confused as you are, don't worry), the good wife, grey's, stranger things, bones, fleabag.

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

as epigraphs:

the stillness of remembering, svu the legend of how you disappeared, svu come and untangle me (one of these days), svu let it all unfurl, into broken remnants, svu rather be sad with you (than anywhere away from you), svu

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

i do! i like the concept of having a conversation with readers (though i rarely get into an actual multi-comment convo). also i'm very type-a and pro-inbox zero, so i clear it out in batches to do replies.

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

for you i'd bleed myself dry, for the good wife. it's a post-5.16 fix-it fakeout, and every comment on it is just yelling at me hahaha

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

i think most of mine have a happy ending, even if it's not a true hea. my friend and i coined the term "milk and cookies ending," because even if we throw angst at you, we will give you your milk and cookies as a treat lol

8. do you get hate on fics?

thankfully, no.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

incredibly rarely, and if so, very vaguely and (if you ask anyone who knows me), fairly "limb-free."

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

i've written exactly one (1), imagining what a friendship between cam saroyan from bones and olivia benson from svu would look like!

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

sort of. i never called them out on it, so i shan't be doing that here.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

nope!

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

yep! for two fandoms. for one, we split up the povs and alternated, which was very fun. for the other one, i (see the answer to 9. lol) handed off the smut.

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

elizabeth/henry from madam secretary was my first real ship and the first fandom i ever participated in and wrote fic for, so they're the ride-or-dies forever.

15. what's the wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

looking at you, eo talks about god fic.

16. what are your writing strengths?

clarity and economy of words? i think? if you know me irl, this makes sense considering my day job. also, keeping things in-character, when it comes to dialogue and internal monologue.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

getting away from vignette structure, writing plot. i hate plot. i suck at plot.

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

hoo boy, as a bilingual person (german and english) i have very strong feelings about this, but generally: okay if done incredibly sparingly, and in a way that sounds natural. harder to pull off than you'd think!

19. first fandom you wrote for?

madam secretary.

20. favourite fic you've ever written?

tell you my sins, and you can sharpen your knife, svu.

tagging: @sinkingsidewalks, @idontneedtobeforgiven, @idoltina, @msharmonycobel, @soshedances18, @sam-loves-seb, @rahleeyah, @morethanwords229 and whoever else wants to do this!

[suseagull04]

Thanks for tagging me, @heybuddy-drabbles and @read-and-write- !

Name: Morgan

Sign: Capricorn

Time: 5:57 pm

Favorite band/artist: Queen, backstreet Boys, NSYNC, the Eagles, Train...

Last movie: Sleepy Hollow

Last show: Loki season 2 episode 1!

When I created this blog: when Tumblr in my only fandom at the time was dead- 2019

Other blogs: @100wednesday where I run a multifandom drabble challenge every Wednesday! Originally @somewhereapart had the idea, then @behindthelabels took over before she passed the torch to me!

Do I get asks: whenever there's an ask game going around, but feel free to ask me anything whenever!

Average hours of sleep: a little more than 6 (ish)

Instruments: does singing count? Because that's what I've done longest/most consistently... I've known how to play piano for just as long though, and I can play clarinet and the recorder a little!

What I'm wearing: gym shorts and a T-shirt from when my friends' band played at an open mic night!

Dream job: it might not have originally been it, but I'm living it now- assistant manager at a library! Would love to be a writer too, but my ideas aren't original enough to do that professionally...

Tagging @14carrotghoul @daisymae-12 @celeritas2997 @welcometololaland @gwiazdziarka and @raysletters

[audreysl0ve]

From @somewhereapart’s writing challenge, here’s 100 words of OQ, this was very hard, and i now have two AUs over 500 words which i definitely don’t need considering i have too many WIPs as it is. :)

————————————

“Are you marrying dad?” Roland asks innocently and completely without warning. Regina is watching while his father works late. She isn’t prepared for such questions.

Her heart knocks hard as she sweeps her hands through Roland’s curls.

“That’s a very grown-up question for such a little boy.”

“If you don’t marry him, do you keep it?”

Before she can ask what he means, Roland pulls a little black box from the credenza.

“It’s the prettiest ring!”

Robin comes home, interrupting the moment, briefcases crashing down, jaw dropping open.

Tears blur her sight as she meets Robin’s eyes and nods.

“Yes.”

[doctorhelena]

Wednesday 100 Writing Challenge

Week 1 (PeggyNat)

Thanks to @somewhereapart for issuing this any ship, any fandom, old-school drabble writing challenge! You can find the details here.

—

"Kiss me," said Natasha. Peggy, having already had the same idea, immediately leaned down. The angle caused the few locks of hair escaping her baseball cap to partially obscure their features, and besides, public displays of affection made people - hopefully including Rumlow - very uncomfortable.

Natasha's lips were warm and clever, dangerously easy to get lost in - and not since Steve had a kiss felt so overwhelmingly, startlingly electric with possibility.

"Good God."

Natasha blinked. "You've done that before."

"Of course I have. I started as a spy, Widow."

The corner of Natasha's mouth twitched. "Not quite what I meant, Carter."

[lyricalviolet]

I am completely stuck in my writing.

It's like i have too many ideas and can't dial in and write a single chapter start to finish. I currently have the next chapter of "Sun" in progress, along with something at least ten chapters later in the piece, AND I'm writing things for Parts Three and Four.

Any of my fellow writers out there have any suggestions on how to...you know, write one thing and finish it?

@somewhereapart @alethialia @elen-aranel @lettersfromtitan @orlissa @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels @extasiswings @no-c-riously

[believingispowerfulmagic]

OUATtober2023 Day 13: Fanfic Tribute (Bonus Prompt G)

It was supposed to be Fanfic Friday but real life got in the way. But it doesn't matter - any time is a good time to highlight some of my favorite Outlaw Queen fics. I hope you will go and give them some love!

Finished:

Baker's Dozen by @somewhereapart

Summary: He comes in every day at 8:15, orders the same thing, and flirts with the girl behind the counter. Regina watches him from the kitchen of her bakery -- appreciates, but doesn't approach. But as fall turns into winter, things begin to change. 13 weeks of modern AU Outlaw Queen, set in New York City.

This was one of the first ongoing and AU fics I read for Outlaw Queen. And it gave me the confidence to post my own story.

Happiness Can't Be Arranged by @gray-autumn-sky

Summary: Set during the Regency Period, Henry and Cora arrange a marriage for their daughter in an effort to save their family’s name and estate.

A great story that combined two things I love - Outlaw Queen and historical fiction!

Revival by @audreysl0ve

Summary: Four years after being declared dead, Robin returns home to find his wife engaged to one of his best friends. He struggles to deal with this, while also attempting to reconnect with his two sons.

I've loved this story for a while and I always reread it when I need some angst with a happy ending.

Fire and Ice by ReginaPendragon

Summary: Can old rivals become new partners? In the aftermath of a serious injury, Regina Mills’s dream of going to the Olympics is dashed when her partner leaves her to skate with another girl. Alone and unsure of her future in the sport, Regina resigns herself to finding a new partner. Enter Robin Locksley: talented, handsome, and Regina’s former rival from the junior skating circuit. They meet. They clash. Their coaches think they’re the perfect match. Can these former competitors put aside their differences for a second chance at Olympic glory?

The story is so fun to read and I love Robin and Regina's dynamic in it. And it also helped inspire me to write Better When I'm Dancing.

Unfinished fics

Poor Unfortunate Souls by @glindalovesshoes

Summary: Former prisoner Robin Locksley is released on parole and has to do 9 months of community service at "Mist Haven - Asylum for the Insane". As he grows closer with some of the residents, especially a young disturbed woman named Regina, mysterious incidents happen in the castle - Nothing is as it seems and it soon turns out the residents aren't the insane ones after all.

I absolutely love this story and the world it built. I hope you give it a chance even though it's not finished and likely won't be. It's still worth it.

The Holiday by @suseagull04

Summary: Fed up with her ex, Regina books a vacation over the holidays simply hoping to forget him. But will her spontaneous decision lead to love?

I think The Holiday is perfect for Outlaw Queen, especially the Graham and Amanda storyline, and this story proves it. So check it out!

[roboticonography]

Wednesday 100 writing challenge #1 - in sickness and in health

Steve was a terrible patient, but it was clear that Peggy, as usual, had him beat. When she came down with the flu, all of his offers to help were met with some variation on a two-word phrase ending in "off."

When she did grudgingly submit to being tenderly cared for, she did nothing but complain: the soup was too hot, the toast too dry, the cold compress not cold enough, and the bath just plain wrong.

Still, she seemed to be getting better, even if the main indicator of that was her being a colossal pain in the ass.

======

for @somewhereapart's Wednesday 100 writing challenge

[somewhereapart]

i could give you 50 reasons (why i should be the one you choose) (Ch 4/50)

For @steggyfanevents #saturdaystorkclub

The other men draw pictures, too. Caricatures and lewd cartoons, etched onto napkins and passed from hand to surreptitious hand. Someone—she doesn’t know who, because not a single one of them is willing to confess to it—had begun a series of drawings of her. Some of them are stern and hulking. Broad-shouldered and sour-faced, with captions that make her sound like a veritable ball-buster.

Those are the ones she prefers.

The others have her uniform too-tight and too-short (when it isn’t missing pieces altogether), her bosom even more generous than it already is and her bottom almost comically round. The captions on those had made her cheeks flush with fury and her heart race in her chest, although she’d done her level best to act as though they didn’t bother her one bit.

She’d rather they think of her as a shrew than a whore, or better yet—not think of her much at all outside the parameters of her job—but the very last thing she wants them to think of her as is an easy mark. Easily riled, and prone to histrionics.

After one particularly lascivious cartoon is confiscated—this one has her in garters and a brassiere and not much else—Colonel Phillips lines up every single man in contention for Project Rebirth for a dressing down. She hadn’t wanted him to—had insisted that making a fuss over it all would only make things worse—but Phillips wouldn’t hear of it. So she stands there next to him as he barks at a row of men about vulgarity, and common decency, and the foolishness of boys, and respect for those who outrank them. As he vows to discover the perpetrator and send him packing, a mission she’s fairly certain is doomed to fail.

Still, the threat has enough weight to have some of the men shifting on their feet.

Someone even pipes up, finally, bold enough to suggest, “The only one around here who knows what to do with an art pencil is Rogers, sir.”

(Continue on Ao3)

[rahleeyah]

Tagged by @humanveil to post 5 things I can't stop writing about, which was actually sort of difficult to pin down at first but a fun thing to examine so thank you for the tag 💜

Five very specific things I can't stop writing about:

Elliot Stabler's praise kink

Olivia Benson's mouth

Olivia Benson's taste in music; in 1984 she was 16 and in love with a guy who used the girl from Ipanema to woo her and probably still played records bc he was so worldly and grown up (and lame) and said 8 tracks weren't as good bc they weren't as raw and we imprint most on the music we loved we when we were young and she probably grew up listening to a lot of maudlin classical music and Fleetwood Mac and Joni Mitchell and Burton got her into Neil Diamond and then she went to college and was dancing to Whitney Houston and Prince, and her friends played Heart and Bon Jovi in the car and then she went to the academy and she was working all the time and she already knew all her favorite songs. Elliot loves Mellencamp and Springsteen

Olivia Benson with a baby

First times

Five more general things I can't stop writing about:

The agonizing pain of hope; the torture of dreaming of/longing for something while at the same time believing you cannot have it; ripping yourself in half bc you can't stop hoping even when disappointment is certain

Grief.

Home.

The boundlessness of love; that is a person's capacity for loving more than once, a new romantic love not negating an old, the heart's capacity to continually expand to make room for more love of all different kinds

Grace

Tagging: @somewhereapart @jurisprxdent @goodthingscomeinthrees @gabolange

[eoangstlover56]

I’m behind on reading, planned to last night but had to deal with family drama BUT it’s Friday so I should be able to catch up this weekend and review. To all my fellow writers you are amazing and please don’t ever let anyone stop you from writing what you love 😘😘😘

@rahleeyah @turquoiseterrier @yhamh @morethanwords229 @392180wlm @andallthatmishigas @turnthepage11 @goodthingscomeinthrees @unusualcliches @humanveil @somewhereapart @eoxhiphug @floralparanormal @13starbuck42 @charmingly-evil @aineagrey @boxerbriefanon @abfa-fics @anextraordinarymuse and more

[captainjimothycarter]

Wednesday 100 Drabble Challenge Week 1 - Mysterious Objects

Thanks to @somewhereapart for this writing challenge. Details can be found here

--

"What is that?"

Steve stood a foot away from Peggy's desk, watching the mysterious object teeter back and forth slowly.

"I think it's a dragon egg," Peggy said skeptically. "I know how ridiculous that sounds but there's no other explanation."

He watched the egg teeter back and forth, the light reflecting the shimmering green and blue scales, he had no choice but to agree.

His question was cut off at a crackling sound, both watching as the egg started to crackle. A wing burst through the shell and a baby dragon lay on Peggy's desk.

"What now?" Steve asked, dumbfounded.

[behindthelabels]

Wednesday 100 Drabble Challenge Week 1 - Peggy

Joining in on @somewhereapart writing challenge which you can find the details of here

Peggy Carter is many things, but vain is not one of them. Her looks have served her well, but she often wonders how her life would be different if she wasn’t, as her coworkers say, “a knockout.” Would they still assume she slept her way into this position, or would they look at what she can do? She is sick of being seen only as a pretty face. She knows how to use it to her advantage, uses the dumb, innocent act to pull information from unsuspecting men and doesn’t feel a lick of guilt—it’s their fault for underestimating her. 

[postalninja]

🍍?

What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with? In a general sense, I love AUs - they allow you to transform the setting and/or circumstances of canon in order to play with your characters in countless ways. Freedom from the confines of canon is a great way to get inspired! I definitely have some preferences, though.

A lot of my fandoms are fantasy/pseudo-historical, and I generally prefer that they stay in those kind of settings. But an AU from one fantastical/historical setting to another is great! So while I might be less interested in a Modern AU for these fandoms, one where my beloved fantasy characters are instead members of Victorian high society would absolutely be my jam. Conversely, fantasy/historical AUs for any of my fandoms that occur in a modern setting (Hitman, for example) would 100% pique my interest. Mind you, I'm not categorically against Modern AUs (looking at you @somewhereapart with Baker's Dozen/Breaking in) but the writing has to be pretty special for me to deviate from my usual tastes. One category of AU that I tend to avoid, though, are Soulmate AUs. Mind you, I don't think I've actually ever *read* any, so I could absolutely be missing out on some incredible fic... but the concept just seems a bit contrived to me? Like, I want my characters to choose each other, not be slaves to destiny. And all of the trappings of Soulmate AUs like the red string of fate, or matching tattoos, etc. just don't really appeal to me. Weirdly, as a fan of magical and fantastical settings, it somehow feels like a bridge too far away from realism? Which, granted, is kind of dumb. But what can I say, I like what i like. (No shade to anyone who likes that kind of thing, you are valid, you do you bestie!)