#the last one was a drabble that i posted in april and ended up deleting

[antiquarianandunusual]

Duck the Halls Week One: And a “Bah, Humbug” to You Too!

Duck the Halls Masterpost

Read it on AO3!

Synopsis:  The annual Duckburg Christmas Decorating Competition is on the horizon, and Flintheart Glomgold has weaponized it to make a mockery of Scrooge. The millionaire miser, never one for the Christmas spirit, recruits very merry nephew Donald to help him figure out the ins and outs of the holiday.

The only problem is, Glomgold has the same idea, and his bribe, however small, is looking mighty tempting for the upcoming season. Looks like Donald has his work cut out for him!

Fandom: Disney Duck Comics/DuckTales (I took inspiration for the characterizations from both medias! Glomgold, however, is entirely DT87.)

A/N: I came very close to not getting this posted on time because this ended up being so much longer than I originally intended it to be. :_D

Scrooge McDuck had never been much of a Christmas man, or if he had been he certainly had an odd way of expressing it. Chasing carolers away with a tight fist (both literal and metaphorical), frustratedly changing the radio station in flight from perky holiday tunes, and displaying outward disdain for any season’s greetings before December 1st were just a few of the ways he proudly demonstrated his complicated views of the holiday. He didn’t hate it entirely, of course, but Scrooge was notorious for his jaded resentment of certain festivities ad although his family fought tooth and nail to lighten him up, he was also known for being stubbornly set in his ways. Most McDuck Industries celebrations came to pass via merry nephews and mirthful employees, and only then because he weathered the jollity for his loved ones.

So, imagine Donald Duck’s surprised when he pulled into the driveway of McDuck Manor, already humming Jingle Bells in his favorite snowman sweater, to find the mansion dripping with winter cheer on the first of November. The gutters were lined with icicle lights, twinkling even in the midday sun, and the roof had traditional holiday lights trickling down it; the strands were alternating between neon greens and brilliant reds. A winding row of abnormally large, plastic candy canes stuck out from the grass along the driveway’s path. Maybe not extravagant to the average eye, but for McDuck? It was simply a winter wonderland.

Donald hadn’t even begun to think about picking his jaw up off the ground before Scrooge appeared in the manor’s doorway like a disgruntled Santa Claus with his red coat and unkempt whiskers. He was scowling, and the dark circles under his eyes quickly betrayed his lack of sleep. “Nephew!” he barked, taping his cane on the steps.

Normally, Donald would never have let dear Uncle Scrooge regard him in such a way, but he was reeling to the point that rather than reciprocating, he obediently exited the car and stumbled towards the door. “Uncle Scrooge, wh-”

“Ssshh!” Scrooge tugged him by the sleeve and fully into the house. The only light in the main hallway after Scrooge slammed the door behind them spilled through window curtains, creating an eerie, conspiratorial air. Even more suspiciously, he rushed to press one eye to the peephole. “He might hear you!”

“Who, Uncle Scrooge?”

Only tentatively certain the coast was clear, Scrooge tilted back slightly and side-eyed Donald. “Glomgold! That no-good, low-down-”

“Slow down!” Donald hollered. “What’d he do this time?”

“Nothing incriminating- yet.” Scrooge shoulder-checked his nephew and stormed towards the dining room, the taps of his cane echoing ominously throughout the hallway. Donald nervously gulped, yet still followed, and when Scrooge haphazardly gestured towards a chair, he took it, no questions asked. The autumn sunlight blasted through the window on the far side of the cavernous room, which cast Scrooge in a pale, almost ghastly light as he took the seat across from Donald; the light’s reflection on his spectacles rendered his expression nearly unreadable, save for his tight, almost morbid frown. Shadows falling over him accented every ruffled feather and line on his weathered face. “As you know,” he started, “Flintheart Glomgold and I have been rivals for many a year.”

No kidding, Donald thought. He opted to keep it to himself.

“Of course, no matter how small the battle, I pride myself on besting him each time because it shows the world that liars, cheaters, and stealers will always be at the bottom of the barrel. Now, I refuse to stoop to his level, that’s not what I’m getting at. But I know when there’s a fight I cannae weather on my own.” He rose from his seat to cross the threshold and gaze out the window. “You noticed the decorations outside, correct?”

“Well, they’re kind of hard to miss on your front lawn, Uncle Scrooge.”

Scrooge elected to ignore this. “The annual Duckburg Christmas Decorating Competition is on the horizon and Glomgold has plans to enter it.”

“... So?”

“So, he’s taking it as an opportunity to humiliate me!” He sighed and sank into a different chair at the head of the table, massaging his temples. “He announced it on the news last night and called me out by name for ‘not having a merry bone in my body’, as if I don’t know for a fact that the cheat hired a decorator to do the work for him.”

“... But he’s right.”

“That’s beside the point, lad! I’ve never let anyone drag my name through the mud and I certainly don’t plan on starting with Flintheart Glomgold. Regardless, I can’t in good conscious let him take the win away from someone who deserves it.”

With a smirk, Donald reclined in his seat and kicked his feet up onto the table. “You want the $50 prize, don’t you?”

Scrooge swiped his legs back down. Underneath his feathers, he was beaming red. “It’s a perk, yes, but ultimately beside the point.”

Donald readjusted his sailor hat, which had fallen over his beak. “Alright. I’ll bite. What’s this got to do with me?” he grumbled.

“You said it yourself, Glomgold was right. What you see outside is about as far as I got before I hit a roadblock. If I’m going to win, I’ll need the help of someone who knows his way around Christmas.”

“Really? I thought you wanted to come by it honestly.”

“Well, clearly, I’m going to do the work, too! All I need is someone to put me in the right direction.”

“And what do I get out of it?”

“You get the knowledge that you helped your dear, old uncle. Consider it your good deed of the season.” Donald also received a hearty pat on the shoulder, and he sank under Scrooge’s hand with a squawking exhale.

“I don’t get a choice, do I?”

“Not if you want an inheritance.”

“You know, I hate that you can use that against me! Your own nephew!” He whirled around on Scrooge, who was grinning wryly.

“10 A.M. sharp. And don’t be late!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Of course, bright and early the next morning, an exhausted Donald was pushing along a cart- obviously, the only one in the store with a broken wheel- down the narrow aisles of the bargain store. He knew he could do a lot with a little and had for as long as he’d had his own house, but he had a bone to pick with Scrooge’s impressive home and characteristically minute budget. At least, he reminded himself, it wasn’t coming out of his own pocket. That was a Christmas miracle he wouldn’t turn his beak up at.

Already stocked in the cart were boxes of more lights with colors of all sorts; tinsel snowmen and Santas with stakes to go into the lawn; rich, green, plastic garland for the front of the roof and door; and all manner of quirky signs that said things like, “Santa stop here”. Donald could already vividly imagine Scrooge’s disdain, a thought that gave him the utmost satisfaction; the miser had demanded a Donald Duck Christmas, so he was going to get one. All that remained on his list was a wreath for the front door. Put it all together and you wouldn’t necessarily have a lavish set of decor, but a charming one, nonetheless.

He continued scouring the aisles, which were looking barer and barer as he shifted towards the back of the store. It appeared that they had moved most of the stock up front in wait for new inventory, which was no significant deal, but the idea that his original plan wouldn’t come to fruition already had him agitated. And he certainly wasn’t about to scramble around Duckburg for it.

It was the next to last aisle, with a flickering- yet still heavenly- fluorescent light above it was his saving grace. The wreath was absolutely hideous; it was made of peppermint-colored tinsel, glittery green ribbon wrapped around it in a way that culminated in the most endearing little bow. A total eyesore, Donald knew it was the most perfect of outcomes. He reached for it on instinct and would have had it had someone not careened head-first into his cart with theirs. The buggy he was steering violently jolted back and the handlebar went into his stomach with such force that he immediately doubled over. Little else mattered as he worked to suppress the sudden, overwhelming nauseous feeling, but he caught a glimpse of the light reflecting off of his coveted wreath as it was held high in triumph.

“Nice try, Duck!” a glib, Scottish voice proclaimed. “That’ll teach you to play errand boy for old Scroogey.”

Donald would have recognized that voice anywhere. “Glomgold?!” he sputtered. He pried his eyes upward and sure enough, there stood the richest duck in the world, who looked immensely out of place in suburban Duckburg. He looked as mean as ever with his brow furrowed over beady eyes and his beak contorted into a wry grimace.

“The old skinflint couldnae be bothered to do his own dirty work, eh?” Glomgold cackled. He tossed the wreath into his almost empty cart. “How honest of him.”

Donald was quickly possessed with the need to defend his uncle; Scrooge got on his nerves, but when it counted, he was still family. Now mostly recovered, Donald rose to his full height. “Tough talk for a guy who has to pay for someone to do his for him. At least ScACK-”

Glomgold’s breath was hot on his face, the collar of his shirt balled in the smaller man’s fist. His feet had left the ground and his torso was hovering just slightly over his buggy. “How did you know about that?!” Glomgold hissed.

“Word travels fast in Duckburg?” Donald choked.

“Bah!” Glomgold shoved Donald backwards. “Doesnae matter. I’ve got more important things to worry about.”

Rubbing his neck, Donald gave Glomgold a nasty look. “Where is your decorator, anyway? Shouldn’t they be doing this kind of work?”

“That’s my personal business and no one else’s!” For a moment, Glomgold’s eyes went wide with embarrassment, but after a moment, he recovered with a scowl. He spat a covering scoff and swiftly moved to back out of the opposite end of the aisle. His face might have been red, although Donald wouldn’t have known; the world’s second-most miser diligently kept his head down.

That is, until an idea struck him. He jolted back up and suddenly gave a mildly alarmed Donald a once-over, landing first on the buggy of seasonal goods and then on his snowflake-patterned sweatshirt. He took a deep breath, swallowed his pride, and approached again, this time careful not to slam into the other’s cart. “How would you like to help an old man out this Christmastime?”

“No, thanks.” There was an apparent edge to Donald’s voice. “Helping Uncle Scrooge is going to give me enough trouble.”

“What if I paid you?”

That caught Donald’s attention. His eyes narrowed, yet the extra layer of suspicion did little to mask the evident excitement. “How much?”

“One hundred. Not a penny over.”

The duck would have been lying if he said his heart hadn’t skipped a beat. $100 would never solve all of his problems, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt anything; there were dozens of ways he could use the extra cash. Presents, groceries, bills... Scrooge would never let him live it down, but he was always complaining about Donald not working hard enough to earn his keep...

Who said Scrooge had to find out, anyway?

“Pay me up front and we have a deal.”

Glomgold frowned. “And why exactly should I trust McDuck’s nephew to keep his word?”

“Why should I trust my uncle’s nemesis to actually pay me what I’m owed?”

“Hmm... Touché. Fine. Be at my mansion by 2 o’clock this evening- no later! You’ll get your money when you show up. My old decorator, erm... left behind most of his decorations, so all you need to do is handle putting them up.” Glomgold backed away, this time for real, and as he rounded the corner, hollered, “Remember- 2 o’clock!”

Once he vanished, Donald sighed. This was going to be a very long day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Task one was getting McDuck Manor in tip-top shape in just under four hours, and Scrooge was already making things difficult.

If you had ever even heard of Scrooge McDuck, you were well aware that his stubbornness was unparalleled. To phrase it nicely, he was a particular man who knew precisely what he wanted, and when that vision was compromised, he quickly became testy. This was discernible from the moment Donald had begun unloading the car when he approached, at least appearing slightly more rested this time. However, a good night’s rest did little to prevent him from being ornery; all it took was a sideways glance for Donald to gauge what kind of day it was going to be.

Knowing this, Donald made the executive decision to tackle the worst of it first: the garland. Should tensions have escalated, he wanted to have solid ground beneath his feet by the time it happened; although Scrooge wasn’t particularly malicious these days, his loving nephew still didn’t entirely trust him not to “accidentally” send him over the roof’s edge. So, the dynamic duo took Donald’s old toolbox, Scrooge’s rickety ladder, and some semblance of team spirit up and to the top of the manor.

Everything started off with enough niceties. They began by temporarily removing the icicle lights that were already up, which they would reinstall over the garland. Scrooge’s habit of micromanaging manifested only in claiming the brunt of the work while Donald collected nails and wrapped the lights up neatly. They small-talked about how school was going for the nephews (surprisingly well; Donald didn’t have to tell them to do their homework as much, anymore), how Daisy was faring (as high-strung as ever), and how McDuck Industries stocks were looking (still worth trillions despite certain efforts). It was rather pleasant for a time until they actually moved on to the main part of the job.

Scrooge started on the left side of the roof and Donald on the right. The garland was just long enough to cover the length of the front of the roof, which they both concurred was all they really needed. But it was pulled taut with little give; it was only a matter of time before someone got caught on it or adjusted it just slightly too far. This person, of course, just so happened to be Donald, not even realizing he was tugging on it.

“Watch it, lad!”

“What do you mean, ‘watch it’?!”

“I mean what I said!” Scrooge gestured frantically. “You’re yanking on the blasted thing! It’ll go all uneven!”

Donald grumbled something slightly foul under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, Uncle Scrooge!”

For a long moment, Scrooge glowered at Donald. Upon realizing his nephew wasn’t going to remove his gaze from his hammering, he pulled on his end of the garland. This ripped it out of Donald’s hand and sent half of it fluttering to the ground below.

Donald rolled his eyes and with a sigh, marched over to Scrooge’s side to reel the rest of the garland back up. “Really, Scrooge?”

“No clue what you’re talking about, Donald.”

And so, the games began.

The garland installation continued exactly as it began, in a passive-aggressive back-and-forth, a quiet battle of seeing who would lose their temper first. When this was done and the two of them were red-faced from pulling against one another, the replacement of the lighting kept the legacy going. These strands were just a little bit longer than the garland, so engaging in physical combat wasn’t much of an option, but they substituted tiny, antagonistic remarks and conveniently timed sighs with the sole intention of driving the other mad. No one lost it entirely, although headway was certainly made.

Afterward, they shifted to the lights Donald had just purchased, which he proposed they wrap around the driveway candy canes to create a humble chain of light along the path. This seemed to please Scrooge well enough, so Donald moved to open the boxes and dumped the strings out into his hand.

Every box was tangled into a catastrophic ball. Scrooge’s sneer quickly returned, yet he extended a helpful hand. “Let me take care of that,” he offered. “You just worry about the signposts.”

Conceding, Donald forked over the strand he was working on and snatched the bags with the signs and tinsel figures in them. He could already hear Scrooge quietly cursing as he fumbled with the lights. As he selected a tattered mallet from the toolbox, Donald opted to ignore it.

In the bags, there were currently six signs with various sayings and four of the adorable figures. An even total of ten meant five on either side of the lawn; they could be staggered, too, creating a sense of chaotic order. The image of it alone made Donald wish they had more of a front yard at the Duck household; most of their decor was confined to the porch and inside the house, which was fine, but he occupied his mind as he hammered away with thoughts of what he could do if he had as much space as Scrooge did. Inflatables were his favorite of the ideas.

“Oy!” hollered Scrooge, breaking him out of his trance. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m putting the signs up like you asked!”

“Not like that, you’re not! They’re too neat. Try mixing them up a wee bit.”

Mixing them up? Donald mouthed incredulously, though he still began pulling the stakes from the grass. He assumed Scrooge meant less orderly and more random, although he didn’t think they were particularly “neat” to begin with. Either way, he resigned himself to Scrooge’s bossiness just for the sake of getting it done; the best he could do was try for a general idea of what his uncle wanted. He had barely begun moving a red, green, and gold sign that read “Jingle all the way” before he was snapped at once more.

“A little to the right, lad! Now, just a tad back. No, the other way! The way you’re facing! Right, right, there you are!”

Donald hammered the signpost into the ground and as soon as he was finished, marched over to Scrooge. He took the half-detangled lights from his hand and replaced them with the mallet.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” quipped Scrooge.

Since Scrooge had already powered through most of them with surprising alacrity, the lights were quick work and fairly straightforward. And with McDuck occupied at either side of the property, there was no reason for the two of them to be bickering with one another. Once left to their own devices, they even glanced at one another occasionally to make sure everything was alright, offering reassuring nods and maybe even affirming smiles. When Scrooge was done with the signs, he wordlessly took a light strand and got started on the candy canes opposite Donald. Their tasks were completed much faster as they operated in silence.

Finally, both of them stepped back to admire their handiwork. By no means was it fancy or even really above average, but no one would believe they were passing Scrooge McDuck’s house. With its homespun Duck touch, the mansion looked cozier than ever. Donald couldn’t help but take pride in what they accomplished, and neither could Scrooge, who gave him a well-meaning smack on the shoulder.

“Would you look at that! Not half bad, lad.”

Donald beamed. “Thanks, Uncle Scrooge.”

“But I cannae help but wonder if there’s something missing.” He pointed thoughtfully at the door. “What about hanging something there? A wreath, maybe?”

Donald inhaled sharply- he had just about forgotten. “I tried to find one while I was out,” he threw out as he pulled out his watch. “They were all out, so I’ll have to look again when they restock.”

It was only 12:35. A sigh of relief escaped his beak; he was way ahead of schedule.

“You’ve got somewhere to be?” He looked back up at Scrooge and noticed the billionaire’s eyebrow was raised. A bead of sweat fell down the side of Donald’s face.

“Oh, uh... I’m... just working an odd job downtown. To make some extra money for the holidays.” It wasn’t entirely a lie- simply a paraphrased version of what was really happening. Right?

The response began as a small hum of what seemed to be understanding and a slight nod. Scrooge audibly exhaled and for a moment, Donald wondered if he might have been disappointed. “Alright then, lad. You best be going, then. Don’t want to be late, do we?”

“Of course not, Uncle Scrooge.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Donald had meagerly hoped that Glomgold would be thrilled that he was there not only on time but over an hour early. He was, in fact, the opposite. He was already shouting about Donald’s audacity for showing up at his door without warning and how when he gave a time, he meant it. At least he kept his word about the payment.

Glomgold hadn’t even bothered to get the decorations ready or have one of his many staff members take care of it; everything was piled up in the main hall and looked to have been there for several days. There were boxes that had toppled over and not been picked up, ornaments that had rolled out of the fray and across the floor, and some containers that had dents in them from where they had seemingly been kicked. It was already apparent that this was going to be a much bigger job than he had just done for Scrooge and longer, too, because there was no way he was going to coax an already bilious Flintheart into helping him.

He didn’t even have any place to start. There were no decorations already up, and when he asked what was wanted, Glomgold offered little more than a “figure it out” before retreating into his study. Donald didn’t entirely mind being given creative liberty, yet he had a feeling deep in his heart that he didn’t have nearly as much freedom as he was being led to believe. Either way, his only choice was to swallow his pride and get to work.

The rest of the afternoon and into the evening was one of the worst work experiences he had ever had the displeasure of having- and he had had many a rotten one. He arrived at around 12:45 and ended up at the manor until approximately 8 p.m. In that time, he redid the decorations he had worked so hard on a grand total of three times.

It wasn’t the workload or the time it took that bothered him, but rather the lack of respect on the part of his temporary employer. Whenever Glomgold broke away from his study to check in, it was always to nitpick, to berate, to demand he do it again, do better, with no other instruction. He would slam the door when going back indoors, which almost always knocked decorations of some kind down; there was one time when the ladder Donald was using shook and almost fell to the ground, the only saving grace being that the duck was quick to catch onto the gutters for stability. That was the third time he had done it, and the time that helped Donald realize it was intentional.

Scrooge was obnoxiously discrete, but by the second time Glomgold had demanded he take everything down and start completely from scratch, he desperately missed his uncle’s criticisms.

By the time 8 o’clock had finally come around, Glomgold seemed absolutely indifferent about the grueling work Donald had diligently put into this round of decorating. As he worked, the worn decorator came up with the most intense, inspiring speech he could in the event that he was told to do it again. He was actually rather disappointed that he wasn’t and what somehow made it even worse was that Glomgold didn’t even say he liked it. He just told Donald his job was done, and he could go home.

Donald’s exhaustion became fully palpable when he sank into the driver’s seat of his car. Each and every muscle he had used begged for rest and he could barely keep his eyes open and focused on the road. He didn’t even remember most of the ride home.

He more fell into the doorway than stepped. The triplet nephews were already in bed by now, but he could see the living room light on where Daisy, who was keeping an eye on them, was still awake. “Daisy, I’m home,” he half-whispered as he shuffled towards the quiet sounds of the television.

He heard the voice before he saw the face. “How was your workday, lad?”

A jolt of energy sparked through Donald’s body. He looked up and there was Scrooge on the couch, arms crossed like a parent waiting for a teenager that was out past curfew. “Uncle Scrooge? Where’s Daisy?”

“Oh, I sent her home. You said it yourself, she’s just been working so hard lately, I figured she’d want a break. Besides, I want to have a little chat.” Scrooge patted the seat on the couch next to him. Very carefully, Donald approached and sat down. “How was old Flinty?”

“How did you-?!”

Scrooge scrunched his face up in morbid glee. “‘Word travels fast in Duckburg.’” He half-sighed, half-chuckled. “After you left, a certain someone left a voicemail on my answering machine. Oh, that mountebank was just dying to tell me that he got my nephew to work for him. Real proud of himself. I didn’t even make it through the whole message, I was so angry with you. I almost marched down there myself and dragged you back home!”

“... But...?”

“Well, Duckworth heard through the grapevine that his decorator had quit after a series of disagreements. A whole lot of foul behavior out of that man.”

“It’s because he’s awful!” Donald finally snapped.

“Which is exactly why I restrained myself.” He leaned in and firmly gripped Donald’s shoulder. “Learned your lesson, did you?”

Donald festered in it for a moment.

“‘Yes, Uncle Scrooge. I’m right sorry I worked with your arch-nemesis, Uncle Scrooge!’”

“Oh, fine! I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry! Now, can I go to bed? I’m beat.”

“Just one more thing.” Grinning, Scrooge held out his hand. “Give me half of what he paid you.”

“What? No way!”

“Och, well now I’m never going to forget the sting of your betrayal-”

“Shush up, you old geezer, here!” Donald slapped fifty out of the hundred into Scrooge’s hand. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

“Aye, we’ve all got something to be ashamed of. Now, you best be getting upstairs. I overheard the bairns planning to pull out your decorations tomorrow morning.”

Donald buried his face into one of the couch’s pillows, Scrooge’s cackles echoing in his ears.

[maislovebot]

200 followers event m.list/rules!

Thank you so much for 200 followers!! Feel free to leave a request for it if you want:)

Rules for event:!

• only bsd characters may be submitted!

• no angst requests unless it has a happy ending (this is supposed to be a happy event, isn’t it?)!

• the characters can be of any characters included on my main bsd m.list!

• if you have any more questions just send in an ask!

• the event will close either a) once all slots are filled, or b) at the end of april, whichever comes first!

• specific rules are listed in each event section!

• if you want to be tagged for every request, comment under this post! If you only wanna be tagged for specific things, do the same thing but just specify!

Drabbles (0/5 slots filled)!:

• this section will have 5 drabbles requested to me!!

• drabbles range from 0.3k-0.9k words!

• you can repeat characters!

1. DAZAI & FYODOR: x gn reader fluff!

2.

3.

4.

5.

Oneshots (3/3 slots filled)!:

• this section will have three oneshots requested to me!

• oneshots range from 1k-6k words!

• no repeat characters!

1. FYODOR & NIKOLAI: x reader fluff!

2. ATSUSHI: x reader fluff & smut!

3. SIGMA: x reader fluff & smut!

ABCs (2/10 slots filled)!:

• the link for the template I use is here!

• you can request sfw or nsfw abcs for a character, or a mixture of both!

• you can only request up to 5 letters!

• you can repeat characters as long as the requests have different letters from the other ones

1. SIGMA: letters A, D, K, T {nsfw alphabet}!

2. KUNIKIDA & AKUTAGAWA: letters C, D, K, U, Y {nsfw alphabet}

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Rewrite (1/1 slots filled)!:

• last but certainly not least, I’ll be rewriting the first fic I ever posted on here!!

• I’ll be rewriting my fic titled “‘cause you know what a girl like me really needs right now?” Because it’s the first fic I ever posted on here, and for lack of the better word, it was..bad. It was the first smut I ever wrote and I had no clue what I was doing! I was also only on season 2 of bsd when I wrote it so Dazai is atrociously out of character..

• I was tempted to just delete the fic, but I figured instead of being embarrassed about it I should use it as a way to show my improvement! Which is exactly what I’m doing! Look forward to that:)

1. DAZAI: ‘Cause you know what a girl like me really needs right now? {rewrite}!

Again, thank you so much for 200 followers!! I can’t even put it into words how much I appreciate each and every one of you:(

[petrichor-han]

content creator year in review (tag game)

thank you for tagging me toffee @neo-shitty, it’s much appreciated!! i really loved doing this one :)

first creation & most recent creation:

my first work of 2022 was poisoned fangs (jan. 21) and my most recent one was star sweeper (sept. 14) i also released a small timestamp after star sweeper but i might delete it since it’s quite personal, so i won’t include it here.

i also wanted to post a new hyunjin fic before the year ended but since my tags up and fucking died it’ll probably be uploaded in january—or whenever my tags start working again.

one of your favorite creations:

my favorite creation from 2022 is probably twenty-three suns! i originally expected it to be a short little drabble but it snowballed into a one shot and i’m not complaining at all. i liked the concept, the execution, and how effortless it felt to write it. i didn’t put any expectations on myself and just wrote and it felt so freeing! it also got a lot of wonderful feedback which i appreciate 🤍

a creation you’re really proud of:

honestly i’m pretty proud of everything i put out this year, whether it was because of the word count, the characterization, the world building, etc. but if i had to choose one i’d probably say the kinds of love collection i wrote for valentine’s day because not only did i complete it quickly, there’s a lot of variety there and it was the first time i ever wrote for any of the enhypen members.

a creation that took you forever:

this one definitely has to be blood is thicker than water because i started brainstorming for it in like… october 2021 and it was published in april 2022. so it took me about seven months 🫣 but to be FAIR i just didn’t write for like five months and wrote a majority of it in march and april. anyways, it took a really long time but i’m glad it turned out the way it did!

the creation that received the most notes:

surprise… it’s blood is thicker than water again. i’m honestly surprised at how well this one did considering it was a) a longer fic and b) not fluffy at all and like. kind of gory and fucked up. but i’m really glad that it got the attention it did because it made those months so so worth it!

a creation that you think deserves more notes:

probably star sweeper (again) just because i’m satisfied with my note counts for the most part. however i do wish that perfect blue got more feedback, not just notes alone. i’d much rather have more feedback than more notes overall that are mainly made up of likes.

a new fandom you joined & a creation you made for it

i became a carat so thank you to rose @hyucks-rose for trying to introduce me to them in 2021 but it was hai cheng that was the final push and i caved. and it’s SO worth it because i love these 13 men with all my heart and soul now.

i wrote a love that lasts for s.coups and i’m like 25% done with a really long fic for minghao that’s inspired by hai cheng. but it’s been collecting dust because i have so many other wip’s 💔 maybe 2023 will be the year i finish it LMFAO

a creation you made that breaks your heart:

none of my fics really “break my heart” but i purposely made perfect blue really sad, and i do feel pity for the characters since i’m the one that put them in those fucked up situations 🫣

a “simple” creation you really love:

i have two here BUT late bloomer and between the clouds are some of my favorite shorter fics i’ve written. i concentrated a lot on emotions and trying to convey those through a small amount of words and i really love how they turned out. i usually don’t like my shorter fics because i always want to establish more and make them more fleshed out but i think these were both fairly decent.

oh also i liked this timestamp i wrote for soobin because i tried a new style with no dialogue and i liked how it turned out a lot!

a creation that was inspired by another one:

my new hyunjin fic was inspired by a few android fics i’ve read on here! i always link the media i was inspired by in my author’s notes. :>

a favorite creation created by someone else:

definitely gotta be for reasons wretched & divine by @noramoons. i’m really bad at keeping up with multi-chaptered fics and still have a few parts to catch up on but this seriously got me through last school year when i wanted to die every day because of senioritis 🙏

favorite content creators from the year:

oh god there’s SO MANY but here’s some!!

@noramoons @decembermoonskz @redsaurrce @neo-shitty @ballelino @bruh-changbin @hyucks-rose @sulfurcosmos @planetdream @tyungun @agustdiv1ne @aura-mp3 @spilledtee @dreamescapeswriting @sweetiehyuka @fallinforgyu @moonhoures @junkissed @strawberryya @lixesque @lix-ables @crowhyun @nightlychans @bangchanswolfpelt @muselin @jl-micasea-fics @penny-quinn @puphee @hobateas @summerrainwinterbreeze @heenuna @starry-paris @soobisms @hyukxs @mischiefsmind (writers)

@chanstopher @jinniebit @woozi @minghao-s @agibbangs @babychicklix @foxinys @lazypunch @lawleighette @noisyspiritart @dalkyeom (gif-makers and artists)

and honorable mentions to my faves who deactivated sometime this year mint @/hynjnhwng, camille @/orpheyeaux, and viv @/vivvys & @/heenotes. i’ll never forget how talented, kind, and lovely you all are 🤍

tagging everyone i mentioned here but absolutely no pressure to do this game at all. also tagging anyone else that wants to do it but wasn’t explicitly tagged and named. 🤍

[isolaradiale]

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It was the last communication left by Ofiuco before she went dark at the end of the day on April 14th. The Stars scrambled to locate her, but not only was her signal missing but they were not able to find her with any camera in the city. Their only clue was the foreign signal that she had been previously intercepting. Given the amount of enemies the Stars had accrued, it was imperative that they locate her. In the wrong hands she could become little more than a weapon. If the assailants were competent, she could level all of Spirale.

This, however, was the least of their worries.

Less than a day after Ofiuco disappeared, a single, different, existence spawned within the city. It was an anomaly. It didn’t belong. By the end of Thursday it had multiplied by ten. Then, at midnight, there was a broadcast. 

Every screen in the city lit up with the image.

Ten robed figures standing in a dark room. Their message was clear:

ADDRESSING ISOLA RADIALE. WE ARE AGENTS OF NULL. WE HAVE SEIZED THIS CITY’S DEFENSE DROID AND DEMAND THAT THE REIGNING LEADERS OF THIS CITY, THOSE REFERRED TO AS “THE ISLAND STARS”, TURN THEMSELVES IN FOR ARREST IMMEDIATELY. DESMOND VENIER, ELEINE VENIER, SEIRAS WALKER, RENAE ADISA AND FELICITY BOURNE; YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THIS SEVEN DAY PERIOD BEFORE WE DESTROY YOUR CITY AND TAKE YOU BY FORCE. 

CITIZENS THAT HELP US WILL BE GRANTED FREEDOM FROM THEIR CONSTRAINTS AND SERVITUDE. THOSE WHO OPPOSE US WILL BE EXTERMINATED. THIS DROID WILL BE OUR VESSEL UNTIL THE CRIMINALS ARE APPREHENDED. ANY CAPTIVE LOOKING TO FURTHER OUR CAUSE MAY REACH OUT TO ONE OF WE, THE AGENTS, AND A PORTION OF THEIR STRENGTH WILL BE RETURNED TO THEM FOR THE COMING CONFLICT. WE DARE "THE STARS" TO DEFY US.

The screen went blank as unrest spread across the city. The Stars, however, were not so quick to accept this threat. It took a few minutes for them to scramble to respond, but screens quickly came abuzz once more with the signal wrestled back from the GPU. This time, a man with white hair and blue eyes appeared on the screen. He sat dressed neatly in an old-styled formal clothing--given the short notice, it’s clear that it was his typical attire. When he spoke, he sounded much more calm than he felt.

“Attention citizens. It’s rare that we address you as such, but this circumstance is rather dire. I am Alathfar of the Island Stars. The infiltration of Spirale by the agents of NULL poses a serious threat not only to those of us overseeing this island, but also to the inhabitants both natural and otherworldly. They will not offer you freedom--only erasure.”

There was a pause, the sound of shuffling and frantic typing audible from the background. He took only a moment before continuing.

“There’s a lot we have to do, but the most important is taking back Ofiuco. In order for us to retrieve her, the network must be temporarily taken offline. Manually. Unfortunately, we can’t do this alone. For that end, we’ve created access points--holes--to reach the network’s cables that reside under the city. We need any citizen willing and able to go sever them using any means. The locations of these access points will appear on your phone’s map of the city.”

He took a breathe, then, and closed his eyes. When they reopened, they were full of determination.

“We will take back our city, but we need your help to do so. With Ofiuco able to override our commands, we’re unable to maintain any serious advantages, but once she’s been freed we’ll be able to offer a reward to any who assist in driving NULL out. Together, let’s make quick work of this.”

The broadcast flicks off as Alathfar’s explanation and plea for help rings throughout the city. All the citizens needed to do was sever wires across the island, but... would it really be that easy? 

Not if NULL had anything to say about it. 

Almost as if on cue--almost as if the agents had been waiting for the scientist’s cute cry for help, their pathetic defiance, to end--a loud explosion sounded from somewhere in the city. 

Ofiuco emerged.

Her expression was blank. Her eyes glowing an ominous crimson red. A low rumbling echo coursed throughout the city as storm clouds began to form and shift. As gravity began to fluctuate. And as the earth began to move.

It would definitely not be as easy as just cutting some cords. 

INFORMATION

Welcome to our new story event, SECURITY BREACH! As you can surely tell this will be one of the heavier events we’ve had in a while.

Ofiuco has been hacked by the mysterious NULL unit of the equally mysterious GPU. They demand the arrest of the Island Stars in exchange for the freedom of the city dwellers.

However the Stars have offered a counterpoint: the GPU’s definition of ‘freedom’ is in fact erasing the town and all of the people within altogether. They make a plea to help regain Ofiuco from the enemy control.

How this is done is through a forced reboot of the network that Ofiuco exists on. Many wires run beneath the city encased in steel tubing that are part of this network. They are typically protected by a barrier that prevents interference, but the Stars have disabled this barrier so they can be breached and cut. Disabling every line this way will force Ofiuco to shut down, and she can be retrieved. While these cords are usually buried so deep that they cannot be accessed, large holes leading down to the exposed tubing will open and close at random throughout the city at midnight each day. Once the cords in an area are cut, the phone service/internet/power in that area will go out--but this is optional flavor to include in your writing only if you’d like, since it’s near impossible to keep track of.

Exposed tubing will be marked on your phone’s map application, locations always current. Characters allied with GPU may be guarding them, but there are also monsters from NULL’s division that will manifest. They are like weak shades that appear in large numbers, each wielding a variety of elemental magic attacks (think standard RPG spells).

In the meantime NULL has their own agents at work to make this task more difficult. If a character buys into the GPU’s claims and trusts them over the Stars, they can have their powers temporarily restored through Ofiuco’s connection provided the character uses those powers to either stir chaos or prevent those attempting to sever the wires from doing so. At the first sign anyone given this gift might be turning against NULL, they will have these abilities revoked and will be targeted for elimination. Unfortunately, the Stars can not offer this same boon to those trying to sever the cords, as Ofiuco would immediately override their authority.

You’re free to give abilities to yourself if your muse would work with GPU, but you cannot unlock any abilities that fall under tiers 1-7 on the vsbattlewiki tiering system. You can, however, nerf existing abilities to fall under tiers 8 and up. If you have any questions about this please send it to the masterlist! 

Ofiuco, now a mindless hand of the GPU, will travel throughout the city over the course of part 1 of the event. She will be altering the weather and safety conditions in each ward periodically to cause chaos and inhibit the efforts of those looking to free her. We will post a Disaster Report detailing these effects every two days, with the first coming an hour after this event post goes up.

FAQ

HOW LONG WILL PART 1 RUN FOR? Part 2 will begin at midnight EST on April 24th. However you will be able to start new part 1 threads throughout the entirety of part 2!

DO I NEED TO PARTICIPATE IN BOTH PARTS OF THE EVENT TO EARN CREDIT FOR RANKING UP? No! You only need to participate in one part to earn rank up credit. You don’t need to hunt for the wires or impede anyone’s progress by siding with the GPU either, you could interact with others during the other parts of the crisis or even just do a drabble with your muse finding safety if you find things to intense.

IS THERE AN EVENT REWARD? Yes! However you will be required to contribute 500 words to part 1, and then again to part 2 to qualify. The word count doesn’t need to be a single interaction and can be spread across multiples if preferred! It also doesn’t matter which side, if any, your muse is on during the event. While we haven’t decided on the reward entirely yet, it’s likely to be an ability or weapon unlock.

CAN WE INTERACT WITH THE AGENTS? Not directly unfortunately, although you can contact them via a special text number in your phone just to request abilities if you wish to support them. For reference you might see them out and about on the field observing, but they cannot be interacted with or harmed.

CAN WE INTERACT WITH OFIUCO? No! You might be able to catch glimpses of her and her glowing red eyes, but you cannot speak to or hurt her.

MY CHARACTER IS FULLY UNLOCKED AND, IN LESS THAN A FEW WORDS, OP. SHOULD I EXPECT ANY TEMPORARY NERFS FOR THE EVENT DURATION? There are only special instances where this might be the case. Conceptual powers that would make this too easy for either side have been sealed by the GPU, so anything that might be able to instantly delete people or places without room for a struggle are off limits. If you’re not sure about a power you have already unlocked, feel free to send a question to the masterlist!

DOESN’T THIS FAVOR VILLAINS THAT MIGHT WANT TO SIDE WITH THE GPU TOO MUCH? Yes, and that’s intentional! Our events are usually geared towards giving heroes a chance to shine, and so for part 1 we’re trying to subvert that. Part 2, however? ;)

WILL ANY DAMAGE DONE TO THE CITY DURING THIS EVENT BE PERMANENT? It’s possible! However we’ll make sure it does not affect any character owned businesses after the fact and will be fixed, though they might sustain damages during. Normally the city structures rebuild themselves anyways, but the GPU has disabled this feature through Ofiuco. 

WHAT DOES GPU STAND FOR? ;)

CAN WE ACCESS THE BRANCHES DURING PART 1? The branches have currently been consumed by the mist that usually forms a perimeter around the island. That means leaving the city is impossible for the time being, and anyone who was in the branches before the event began will be teleported into the city.

[fleetofshippyships-archive]

WIP Meme

Tagged by @belleslettres-love, thanks hun =D

Rules: post the first line of your wip and tag as many people as words.

And since they did a paragraph instead of a sentence...👀 y’all know how I love to overshare while working on stuff, and I’m working on multiple things at once, most of which are different parts of my mdzs mer!au series...

1. 

This is kind of...my current main wip is actually combining 4 finished oneshots/drabbles into one piece and adding transitions and filler scenes to make it flow as best I can and make it a more coherent multi-chapter piece (who am I kidding though, I’ll end up probably doubling the overall word count in new added scenes), here’s the first paragraph of that:

The sound of cricket song fills Wei Wuxian’s ears, the clear, starry sky is filling his vision, and Lan Zhan’s hair is like silk against his fingers. It’s probably the most peaceful and content he’s ever felt. A moment he wishes could go on and on, endlessly.

But, since that was already technically finished as a standalone piece before I started combining these pieces, then the more correct ‘first line/s’ of this wip would be the new scene (which I’m still working on) I wrote to connect that first piece to the second one.

In which case:

Wei Wuxian stared at the ceiling for some time, his reaching hand long fallen back onto the bed. Another dream of seeing Lan Zhan again. Like all the others, it had felt so real. He had stopped visiting that pier in the hopes of seeing Lan Zhan again, but his mind kept sending him back there, night after night.

Still driving myself nuts over the tense change and transitioning it, but...present works really well for that initial dream sequence and I don’t want to re-write it XD wouldn’t be an issue if the first moments of waking weren’t also in present tense, making the transition super awkward, but I refuse to change them because it’s so beautiful and sad, I can’t mess with that 🤷‍♂️ I’ll just probably smack a chapter break between the two and torment my poor readers by leaving it on those sad lines for a few days before uploading the next chapter 😅

Oh man, though, if this was a ‘last line’ of your wip meme, y’all readers of my mer!au would lose your shit, I still squeal and flail whenever I look at the last lines of the last part that’s going into this multi-chapter set XD 

2.

Lan Xichen turned his face into the breeze. It ruffled his hair a little, what few strands weren’t smoothly pressed back, at least. It was still an almost uncomfortable sight, how similar their features were.

👀👀

3.

Wei Wuxian waited until Jiang Cheng was out of sight, and then his shoulders slumped. He lifted his hands to cover his face and inhaled slowly. He could barely contain himself, remembering Jiang Cheng caring for him like a younger brother, or maybe even a son. After the suspicion had passed, at least, but even then, he had been kinder to Wei Wuxian than he would have expected.

I went and started a mini-follow up to my 27k de-aged wwx fic that I may or may not have finished and may or may not still end up deleting, which was itself an alternate of an unposted oneshot focusing on lwj and lxc’s part of this same story and which I may or may not end up deleteting since I didn’t like it and that’s why I went and wrote jc and wwx’s side...sometimes it just be like that 🤷‍♀️ and god i want to write jin ling’s pov of the whole fucking thing too but yikes NO i need to stop

4.

Kasen turned from the sheets he had just hung to dry, just for a moment, to see if Ookurikara’s distasteful state continued. He was resolved to say something if it did. There was only so much he could stand, and there was established etiquette for such things.

Whoops, also started a Kurikasen soulmate au cos I was throwing soulmate headcanons around with someone at like 2 in the morning and that’s a surefire recipe to get me writing (and in fact that’s how I started writing kurikasen in the first place, we were talking about them and I went onto ao3 and saw there 3 fics about them, went and was like OMG WHY to them, starting headcanoning with them and then hey next thing I knew I’d written 2 drabbles and it was 3am). But then while I started writing it we kept talking about it...so I sort of plotted the whole thing out and now my interest in writing it has plummeted so I’ll probably never finish it...but I’ve still been tinkering with it anyway...

5.

“Pick herbs?”

“Yes. Herbs, mushrooms, anything. Just send him out of the castle for a day or two. If he stays a moment longer he’s going to cause an incident and—” Arthur stopped speaking abruptly.

Gaius raised both his eyebrows. “You are the prince, your highness. If you wish him to be gone for a time, why not order him yourself?”

“Oh, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about my useless servant, it’s that the only person he will actually listen to is you, Gaius,” Arthur said, sounding uncharacteristically bitter.

Sooo, @april-thelightfury115 I haven’t forgotten I owe you a merthur fic, and this isn’t technically the start of it, but it’s the start of the doc it’s in, I’m sort of writing bits of it out of order as they come to me. I haven’t written Merthur for so long and I don’t usually write with such a clear idea outline in my head so...we’ll see XD but I’m trying =)

ANYWAY

There’s a couple more small things here and there, I’ve been having such a hard time maintaining focus so I’ve just been hopping around my wips doing a little here and there, but let’s leave it with those 5 main things =)

And, I dunno who to tag @rockmarina and @sarah-yyy come to mind...anyone who wants to be tagged in things like this leave a reply and I’ll note it down somewhere for future reference, I really can’t rely on my memory to recall who I know that writes, and the writers I’ve been talking to lately are all on discord or twitter...and I’m never sure if I should tag all the HP writers I know when I do these and they’re not about HP anymore 😅

[featherxquill]

Fics Wot I Wrote in 2019 (and the 2010s in general!)

So it’s the end of a decade, and I wrote some fic this year! I am going to do the usual list, but I thought I might modify the end-of-year meme into an end-of-decade meme, and have a bit of a look back at the fandoms I’ve written in and the fics I wrote throughout the 2010s, because it’s certainly been a more diverse decade than the last!

So, here is the list of Stuff From This Year:

January 28: The Witch of South Kensington - The Infinite Bad - G - Cornelia and Sebastian and a weird, well, infinitely bad sort of domesticity

April 7: to beckon me in languages i’ve never learned - James Bond - Bond/M - E - M decides what bendings of her will she’s willing to forgive

October 18: If Not Me - Arc of a Scythe - Curie/Faraday - T - Faraday fishes Curie out of the water, and they make the long road-trip back to Conclave together

It’s been a bit of a transition year for me, but look! I have been writing! And there’s one more fic I have completed this year but not yet posted, and it’s a long bastard, so I am quite happy with myself.

And here is the little meme thing, though I’ve modified it a bit to reflect on the decade, because I thought that might be fun.

Fandoms I have written in during the 2010s: Harry Potter, Sanctuary, Scott & Bailey, The Infinite Bad, James Bond, Arc of a Scythe. There are few other things I wrote for Yuletides past, too, but I wouldn’t specifically call that participation in those fandoms, so I’ve left them off.

First fic of the decade: An Interesting and Difficut Woman (HP, Muriel/Ollivander, E)

Last fic of the decade: If Not Me (linked above) or, really, the unpublished monster-fic that is now awaiting beta

Longest fic of the decade: One Time Thing (S&B, Gill/Julie, E). This is my longest fic of all-time, actually, and will remain so even when I publish my new thing. 50K. How did I even. I had a full-time job in 2015, though I do remember starting it before that job happened.

Shortest fic of the decade: Was a Yuletide treat drabble thing about Robot Unicorn Attack, but I’m going to go with a thing I am actually still pretty proud of, Burning, which is 173 words of slightly dark Albus/Minerva, that it turns out I’m glad I posted to ao3, because the LJ comm it was originally written in a comment on has now been deleted and purged.

Something I learned while writing in the 2010s: That I am capable of moving on to new fandoms, though probably not being truly multi-fandom. I have learned that I am serially monogamous, fannishly. Apart from Yuletides past, which have always been a bit of a holiday deviation, I rarely go back to back to writing in a fandom once a new one takes hold of me, something that sometimes makes me sad, but the muse wants what it wants, I guess. I think I move on when I am ready to. I started the decade still firmly in HP, where I had been since roughly 2003, and by now I have cycled through several new interests, which can be happy or melancoly depending on the way I look at it (I am generally not sad to move on to new ideas, but I am sometimes sad that moving to new fandoms sometimes means losing touch with friends from old ones).

Something I’m surprised about when I look back at my fic over the decade: That I can look back at my first fic of the decade, and really most things I have written in the past ten years, and still be damn proud of them. I think part of it is age and maturity, but an even larger part of it is that in about 2008 I started regularly using a BETA, and ever since, I can look back at the things I have written and be proud rather than cringing. Seriously, a good beta is worth her weight in gold, and I have known a few. Hold onto your betas, peeps, and if you don’t have one, GET ONE. Your future self will thank you.

Something that I miss: The comment culture of LJ, and the general tight-knit-ness of my little corner of fandom there. Fandom is now definitely a diaspora, and I have made many wonderful connections in the years since I moved to tumblr/twitter, but god do I miss the comment culture of things like LJ fic exchanges in particular. That might also in part be me missing being a part of a fandom that was LARGE even within its niches. But the muse wants what it wants, lol.

Something that makes me happy: The friends that I have made in my fandoms of the decade - shit, I mean, @incandescent-justice and @girlonabridge and @aubrys and @little-brisk all became proper Real Life Friends of mine when I lived on their continent, and @picardcrusher and @sapphoshands and @moocowmoocow thanks for also screaming about lady detectives with me. And I am so, so pleased that being into Sanctuary helped me meet @troiings and audio drama fandom put me in touch with @lothiriel84 and @mifhortunach and just. yeah. There are probably more people I’m going to feel bad about forgetting but like, FADOM FAMS it means so much to me!

Strongest memories of writing from the decade: Writing ‘Scenes From a Very Special Friendship’ in a notebook in 2011 while on holiday attending DiaCon Alley in the UK, teasing it to the person I was writing it for and talking about it with @kiwi-collideoscope. Writing ‘A Sexual Awakening in Five Acts’ in the breaks at my retail job, sometimes skiving and taking hella long breaks on the steps outside the store and sometimes writing smut in the breakroom while trying to keep a straight face - I think that was the first fic I really wrote large chunks of on my phone, a practise that I have continued, and continues to make me happy. Writing a scene of ‘Be Here, By Me’ in which Julie Dodson smokes a cigarette with the sun on her face while doing exactly the same thing myself. Sitting in the restauarant/bar of my hotel in Berlin with my evening cup of tea (because German hotels don’t have a kettle in the room? idek) writing ‘Warrirors’, which was my first Infinite Bad fic, and the first fic I had written in two years. Starting to write ‘Tethers’ in the taxi in Manila on my way to the airport after my stopover on my way home to Sydney in 2018.

Something I wish I’d written: I wish I’d been able to get on the Berena train, fanfic-wise, but it was such a wild explosion that I couldn’t keep up with it, and the fact that canon never stopped really threw me, too. I really wish I’d managed to write that fucking Yuletide assignment in 2016, though, because none of the NYR prompts have grabbed me since.

Where I think the 2020s will take me: i honestly have no idea, but it might be fun to speculate for the future. Into new fandoms, I think is a safe bet - probably fandoms with Awesome Ladies. I hope this Arc of a Scythe thing can carry me a bit further, but after that, who knows? At the start of the decade, I had no idea that Scott & Bailey existed, or that I would fall for Sanctuary as hard as I did. I had no idea a wild and crazy RPG podcast would be the thing to pull me out of a two-year dry spell, or that I would finish a fic that had been sitting in my WIPs for two years (that’s ‘to beckon me’, btw, thanks, @tayryn, for helping me do a thing I never thought possible and take something OFF the backburner!). But yeah, whatever my 2020s fannish journey holds, I bet it has Awesome Ladies in it - particularly older ones.

[mia-cooper]

2018: Fanfic Year in Review (Part 1)

Listing my favourite fic I've posted each month this year. (You’ll note there are only 9 fics on this list, for reasons I’ll explain below.)

Coming soon: another post where I'll pick my favourite fics posted by other writers in each month of the year, which will (hopefully) help other writers feel good and (also hopefully) give readers something new to enjoy, or remind them to revisit a favourite. (This one will be hard because of all the quality fic that’s been posted this year, but I’ll do my best!)

All I ask from you is if there’s a fic you enjoy/ed on either list, mine or someone else’s, please give it a kudos or comment, especially if you haven’t done so already. ♥

My 2018 Fic Review Roundup

January – Queen of Swords (T)

ST:DSC, ST:MU | Mirror Burnham x Mirror Lorca, Mirror Georgiou x Mirror Lorca

Okay, so I didn’t have a whole lot of choice for this month because this was the only fic I wrote. Nonetheless, I don’t hate it. I’m grateful to Discovery for exciting my spleen over the Mirror Universe status of Gabriel Lorca (about which I am still, and will forever be, bitter) as it was the only thing that inspired me to write about anything during my post-Christmas mental wasteland.

It’s about Mirror Michael Burnham’s competitive, twisted affair with Mirror Lorca, but it’s really more about the toxic relationship between Burnham and her foster mother, Emperor Georgiou. It’s about escaping abuse and trying to find a new, better way, but not having the tools to do so. It’s about being caught between loyalties and being unable to choose. And there are some heavy Macbeth references in there, but I see Michael more in the role of Hamlet, though her fate at the end of the story is ambiguous.

February – Open Hand (M)

ST:VOY | Janeway x Chakotay

This was another dry month for the muse, so again, I had only one choice for Fic of the Month, and it was one I’d never planned on writing. @writtenndust commented in a discord chat about the role played by Janeway’s and Chakotay’s hands in a number of episodes throughout the show (these are the things we shippers analyse in crazy detail), and I suddenly couldn’t stop thinking about hand-clasping being the most contact we saw in canon between these two and how many opportunities were missed, and then I climbed inside Janeway’s head as she was debriefed post-homecoming and she got very introspective about it.

I really like this fic. I like its melancholy feel, Janeway’s self-understanding and her calm acceptance that sometimes you don’t get the fairytale ending. And I like that we do get the fairytale after all.

March – Warmth and Colour (T)

ST:TNG | Guinan x Lwaxana Troi

Once again, the only fic I published all month (are we sensing a pattern here?) This one was for @gluecookie for the Trek Rarepair Swap, and I don’t mind admitting that it took forever to get into. I absolutely love both of these characters but I’d never thought about shipping them before, and I couldn’t word for some reason, and the more I tried to find the right angle the more twisted up I got. In the end, though I’d wanted to give my recipient something meatier, I ended up with a pretty light story full of banter and a couple of slightly more serious personal revelations.

The most amazing thing about this story? My recipient not only loved it, they gifted me back with fanart they drew themselves. This is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a fanfic writer! (Incidentally, I’ve been lucky enough to have been gifted a soundtrack for The Bitter End by @cheile and a moodboard for Laced and Bound by @supernovacoffee and I couldn’t be happier about it.) And I’m actually planning a sequel to Warmth and Colour, hopefully sometime early in 2019.

April – Displaced (T)

ST:TNG, ST:DSC, ST:MU | Lorca x Garrett

What do you know, I have two fics and two drabbles to choose from this month!

This is one of the weirder fics I’ve written. It not only involves an impossible pairing (Rachel Garrett is from a different century to Gabriel Lorca), it’s set on an alternate plane of existence: both of them are dead, and they meet in some kind of limbo or spiritual waiting room. Each of them has one last chance to connect with another human being, but then each gets to make the choice between life and death.

This story is also an attempt to explain what happened to Prime Lorca, and it’s not a happy ending; there’s a sequel, In the Wrong Light, that’s a whole lot darker than this fic.

May – Abandoned (M)

ST:VOY | Janeway x Torres

Wow, May was a great month for writing – I bashed out 10 fics in 3 fandoms at a total of over 25,000 words! This was mainly thanks to the inspiring prompt memes on tumblr – a kiss + a ship and six sexy words – and consequently, most of these works veered on the nsfw side. (I have a stack more prompts to write to in 2019, as well.)

As for a favourite? I’m going to have to go with Abandoned. It’s set during Year of Hell, one of my all-time favourite Voyager episodes, and it’s hurt/comfort and angst, and it’s about love that’s unspoken and complicated but no less real for it. And I like B’Elanna being the strong one for the captain, because in canon we only really get to see Janeway being strong for her.

June – To Those Who Wait (M)

ST:VOY | Sekaya x Phoebe Janeway

This is actually a work in progress – I’ve planned another three chapters – and it fits into a larger universe of loosely-connected stories that @jhelenoftrek and I have been blathering about for over a year now and we are definitely going to get started on the series that brings them all together in 2019, aren’t we Helen?

Anyway, I’m fond of this story. It was a birthday present for Helen in which I tried to combine a number of her favourite things because she’s one of my favourite people, and it’s the only Sekaya x Phoebe Janeway story on AO3, which is kind of cool. And Phoebe is sexy and angry and mouthy, and Sekaya is gorgeous and lonely and rebellious, and Mark is weird and self-aware and ridiculously in love with Kathryn, who’s damaged and brave and brittle, and Chakotay is confident and sarcastic and big-brotherly and has no idea of the tragedy that’s in store for him and his sister.

And J/C pass like ships in the night long before they meet in canon, and their siblings have a passionate, tempestuous one-night-stand which (spoiler alert) isn’t going to fit the one-night-stand category in the end.

July – Trigger (E)

ST:VOY | Janeway x Chakotay

Another fic prompted by tumblr memes, and one I’d been wanting to write for quite a while. It’s not my only Equinox-inspired fic (another of my favourite episodes) and probably won’t be my last. I wanted to explore Janeway’s loss of control in this one – her anger and bitterness and rage, and the way she takes them out on the people she loves – and I wanted more of Chakotay supporting her publicly but in private, not backing down one whit.

And I wanted really hot sex. Hopefully I achieved that.

(August and September are fic-free because I was posting The Epic. I’ll come back to that one.)

October – Nothing Like a Dame (T)

ST:VOY | Paris x Torres

Ah, fictober, how I loved you. For those who don’t already know, I decided to embark on fictober at approximately 8pm on September 30, despite having a thousand other things I should have been committing to. Just to make it trickier, I also decided I would write a missing-scene ficlet to every single daily prompt, and I’d keep it canon-consistent and in order of episode airing. As you can imagine, this was quite a challenge, and resulted in me producing almost 29,000 words in a single month.

Of these 31 ficlets, I think this one is my favourite. The two protagonists aren’t even really main characters on the show – they’re mindwiped alter egos in a World War II holodeck program – but they’re still relatable both to the show’s characters and to the world today. What ‘Brigitte’ experiences as a collaborateur horizontale is the kind of thing women go through in every war, and what ‘Bobby’ learns from her is a lesson a lot of men in power today could stand to learn.

It’s also given me an idea for a Killing Game-based fic series, so stay tuned for that, sometime in 2027, probably.

(November is fic-free because I hate the only fic I posted that month so much I deleted it from AO3)

December – Desperate Measures (E)

ST:VOY | Janeway x Chakotay, Janeway x other male, Chakotay x Seven, Kim x Seven

I mean, I had to include The Epic. And strictly speaking I’ve been writing it for well over a year, but it counts. At over 70,000 words so far – my longest fic to date – it absobloodylutely counts.

This is an Endgame-fixing post-DQ action adventure featuring angst, romance, conspiracy, drama and smut. Perfect for the holiday season, right? (And no promises, but I’ll do my level best to finish it before the end of January!)

______

Coming soon: My favourite fics by other people for every month of 2018

Happy reading (and reviewing)!

[ziamfanfiction]

this week’s ziam ao3 feed

Hey y’all! welcome to the ao3 feed, this week we had some good updated works and new fics so go read them and remember to leave kudos and comments! Stay tune for next sunday for a new edition of the ao3 feed! :*

fics updated/posted from April 16th to the 22nd

A Growing Dysfunctional Family by the_less_i_know (wip)

I don't really know how to summarize this... but at its most basic the story is set in a world where humans and supernatural beings exist, except that humans of course are unaware of the supernatural world. It's a messy story where Liam and Zayn fall in love, but it's not solely focused on their relationship. This means that if you're just expecting to read about ziam only, then this story probably isn't for you. This story is not just about romantic love, but about friendship and family love too. It starts out with Normani, Zayn, and Louis, who kind of set the tone of the story and it all develops from there. Dinah is 27, Louis is 26, Zayn is 25, and Normani is 20. Liam and Niall are 23. Ally, Harry, and Lauren don't have any concrete ages so yeah.

Beauty Of Life by Larry_tattoos (wip)

"Look who we have here, the nerd of the school", I didn't need to turn around to see the face of the person mocking me cause i already knew him by just hearing his voice.

I wasn't even a nerd, the fact that i top my math class doesn't make me a nerd, I don't wear glasses, i don't wear funny looking shoes, i don't wear braces, i don't wear acne with pants up to my waist but in Zayn Malik's eyes i'm one.

I pretend to arrange my books in my satchel just not to have an eye contact with him, the truth was he terrified me. I could not imagine a day that i would not shiver just hearing his name.

"Wha- what do you wa- nt?", Him and his arrogant friends saw me struggle to form the words and i could hear them giggle.

Or

Being bullied by the love of his life is not the worst pain for Liam, the worst pain is he has no way of erasing the love he feels.

So he let's destiny take his course until its gets too much and he is caught between letting the love go or holding onto it.

But what happens when the love of his life aka his bully starts to care?

Twelve Fic Outtakes/Deleted Scenes by watyonameisgurl (wip)

Pretty much exactly what the title says and what I've hinted at in numerous end notes of the main fic for like forever - a collection of outtakes/deleted scenes (and possibly even some eventual alternate scenarios if I feel up to exploring that) from the Twelve fic verse

[DO NOT READ if you haven't finished the first fic in the verse yet]

Part 3 of Twelve Verse

Intoxicate Me, Mesmerize Me, Obliterate Me by eternallyunleashed (wip)

There was a certain heat obtained from rebellion that even the actual throes of heat never sparked. Keeping up an image of perfection; being the good kid, the perfect son to the Mayor and Chief of Police, the city of Lincoln’s sweetheart omega, it was all taxing to Zayn. Walking the thin line of danger was exhilarating. Was it coincidental that this danger happened to be an attraction to a certain alpha who was none other than the leader of the South Side Vipers gang, who seemed to despise him and the part of town he came from? Probably not. But when had anything ever stopped Zayn?

Within You Without You by PersephoneJones (wip)

Liam started to swipe up to unlock his phone, and then paused, thumb hovering over the screen. He’d been angry at Zayn for a very long time. Probably still was, to be honest. It wasn’t even about him leaving the band. It was that Zayn hadn’t just walked away from his job. He’d walked away from their friendship. Five years of togetherness and camaraderie, and what Liam (and just about everyone else) had thought was a special bond.

Or, the one where Zayn dipped out, sank the Ziam ship, and didn't even bother to call. Can Liam forgive him? Does he want to? And just why have the two of them always been so cuddly with each other, anyway?

dRuNk/Like I Would/Let Me/Dusk Till Dawn by watyonameisgurl

“Happy birthday, I guess,” Zayn says, trying and failing to keep the bitterness out of his voice at the fact that this is his third call and Liam still hasn’t answered. At the fact that he’s with her. At a party that Zayn wasn’t invited to...

Or: A series of drabbles based on the themes of the aforementioned songs…basically my headcanons for the moments that inspired these songs (these aren’t songfics though)

Two Point 0 by watyonameisgurl (wip)

“Because healing is messy and ugly and slow and doesn’t just happen in a progressive line. Sometimes...sometimes it’s gonna feel like you’re going backwards or sideways or every direction but forward, and you might not ever feel the same as you were, you might always be different from the person you used to be, but sometimes that’s okay...”

Zayn looks out at the sea of faces staring back at him, fights down the anxiety still threatening to overwhelm him even though he’s almost through now. He’d known this wouldn’t be easy, but there’s so many of them, looking to him. And seeing all of them here, now, in front him—even if it still isn’t all of them—is a bit overwhelming. As he looks around though he catches sight of Liam in the sea of faces, smiling proudly, and that’s all it takes. He can already feel himself relaxing, powering through the last of what he wants and needs to say. Counting down the moments until he’s back by Liam’s side again, safe and sound and that’s what gets him through.

[Or: Zayn keeps healing, Liam does too. But it’s not easy when there are so many forces still so determined not to let them. And fighting them alone is one thing. But the problem is it’s not just Zayn's fight anymore.]

Part 2 of Twelve Verse

All the different kinds of flowers by Androgyne, ZoeRavenclaw28 (wip)

When Liam, the future Tsars right-hand man, meets Zayn, the son of an Emir, his world turns upside-down.

A story about late-night chess games, scents, herbs, and so so many flowers.

Part 2 of All The Different Kinds Of Flowers

Baby I'll Never Leave You (If You Keep Holding Me This Way) by CrazyMofos (wip)

It was 2015 I am Liam

The King Of Queens by LHSHIP (wip)

Zayn was just like every other fangirl, except he was a boy. To be exact, the only boy in a girls’ only world, the Liam Payne fandom. His internet friends - all girls of course - thought he should be referred to as "The King Of Queens" apparently being the only boy who openly drooled over singer Liam Payne. And he liked it, not only because it was his dad’s favorite TV show but also because he'd always called all of his girls “queens” to make them feel special.

So yes, he was one of those totally obsessed fans who basically spent all of their time on Twitter because of a super famous and successful celebrity who didn’t even know about their existence. And sometimes Zayn had to deal with his real life and real problems such as the upcoming class reunion and a missing date.

And maybe he was a just a tiny little bit of in love with Liam Payne...

Half Of The Stories by CamelotHarris (wip)

'Half Of The Stories'from Louis' Just Like You. These stories are about after Zayn left One Direction, five boys' life and what will they think of something about themselves . In the story there are part of the content is real. And will repeat some events about them . Now they are going through a lot of things, so I don't know when to end it.

iT's YoU by SpookyFaces (wip)

Popular, handsome and athletic Liam Payne has nothing in common with Zayn Malik, the bad-boy of the school, who wears leather jackets, combat boots and spends his lunch breaks with a cigarette and a sketchbook in his hands. There is something mysterious, something strange about him. Rumors say the half of his family has tragically died a few years ago. And there is something tragic about him. The way he walks alone in the hallways, the way he barely talks to anyone, except his stupid, curly friend.

Liam hates him. He hates his honey-colored eyes, his stupidly long eyelashes, his unbelievably long fingers, his raven-black hair and mesmerizing lips.

Yeah, he obviously hates him.

"Obviously" - Louis agrees, wiggling his eyebrows.

I remember every look upon your face by cpiklor (wip)

Zayn thought his summer break was going to be his most boring one yet - his new job was working him to levels he'd never experienced prior, which meant he rarely had free time away from the greasy deli kitchen to mentally prepare himself for his upcoming second year in college.

Until the deli got a new employee. Liam.

Liam was one of the hardest-working employees in the grocery store, Zayn could tell already. He listened intently to every instruction he was given, and nearly perfected everything - whether it be breading chicken, slicing cheese, or just chatting up the customers during lulls.

Liam was beautiful in every sense of the word - golden-brown hair with deep brown eyes, tall, slim, and fuck, he was toned. His biceps were noticeable even through their chunky cloth work shirts. He was ridiculously kind and hilarious, too. Everything made him laugh, and Zayn had yet to witness him in a bad mood.

The complete opposite of Liam, Zayn was broody and shy, with black hair, olive and a love for quiet spaces. He had a killer bitch face, which made him less approachable, and no wonder Liam wasn't sure about him. He could do better than someone like Zayn.

Zayn was fucked.

Beyond Words by StoryAnonGuy33 (wip)

"Some things are beyond words" Liam added lightly, Zayn laying back down on Liam's chest. "They are, aren't they?" He commented back, Liam smiling and kissing the top of his head. "You bet babe"

Or when Liam and Zayn attend the same college and with budding and cemented feelings between the two, will things turn out the way they want?

[purrincess-chat]

This is my last week of classes for undergrad, and I have several things to do before this week is over, so I apologize if I’m quiet. I think I’m going to wait until after my finals to continue Adrinette April, but as I’ve stated, May is going to be catch-up month for me! I’m going to have tons of time after graduating to chill and write, so I’m hoping to work on and finish the following:

Fluff Month: Love Square Edition

How to Catch a Ladybug

Rare Pair March

Adrinette April

*possibly: The Girl Under the Mask (unlikely by the end of May, but hopefully by the end of June)

Also! I plan to participate in Myvan May, and I’m going to do a combined chapter fic like I’ve done for Adrinette April. I think I’ve said before, but in the future for events that are centered around a single ship for the month or the week or something, I’ll try to combine prompts into a chapter fic that tells a single story as opposed to several unrelated or loosely related drabbles. But for things like RPM or Fluff Month I’ll do prompts individually or I may combine some for one ship. I just want to mix it up, and do it in a way that you guys enjoy and that doesn’t break my back, ya know? I’m also going to clean out my asks in May too, so those of you who have been patiently waiting for me to answer your asks, I haven’t forgotten you, I pinky promise.

In June I will be on vacation for about a week, so I’ll likely not be posting then because my energy will be focused on running Lukadrien June which I will be participating in, and ya know vacaying. June is going to be my runoff month, so if I don’t finish it in May, I’ll aim for June.

Then! Starting in July, I am going to be hopefully reposting a rewritten Lady du Coeur (it’s finally coming back from the war guys). Idk how I’m gonna go about that yet if I want to delete the fic entirely and start posting brand new, or just delete chapters and start posting again from chapter 1 or if I just want to replace all of the text in old chapters as I go. I dunno. I’ll figure it out. 

I’ll also be continuing Lady Luck in July and hopefully paying more attention to it. I’ll be continuing Moves Like Jagged, and hopefully also starting something new. I don’t know what yet, but it’s gonna be something. Maybe I’ll hold another idea poll. Anyway, that’s just a little life update so to speak. We shall see what the future has in store, and thanks as always for being patient with my bullshit and following my content. <3

[jadeile-writes]

Fanfic Progress Update 109

Hi. I can’t believe there’s less than a week of March left; I don’t want April to come, because of reasons. Stay tuned for a spoilery glimpse into the next chapter of Adventure Gone Mini at the end of the  post.

Current WIPs:

Adventure gone Mini

Fandom: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / The Minish Cap

Summary: Sidon is given his very own Sheikah Slate, the first replica Purah has managed to make, and sets out to travel with Link with the intention of registering warp points for convenient travel in the future. However, when a malfunction shrinks them down to the size of bugs, and they meet little people called the Minish, they have to change their plans from “fun adventuring” to “getting out of this mess”. Not that those two have to exclude one another. Link/Sidon.

Progress: Chapter 49 is the current latest chapter and was posted on 3rd of March. Chapter 50 is 3/4ths done, and the scheduled posting date is 31st of March. Apologies for the delay; I tried to finish the chapter on Tuesday, but writing just felt like a slog and was completely uninspired, and after giving up and mulling it over for a couple of days, I figured out why: I hated what I had written on the latter half of the chapter and my brain was preventing me from continuing the disaster. I had to delete and rewrite it during my writing hour, and now I’m happy with it again, but still missing the last fourth of the chapter. I shall get it done for next Wednesday tho, now that I’m on the right track again.

I post a new chapter every three weeks on Wednesdays, except when I don’t manage to and move it by a week. These updates always include a sneak-peek for the next chapter, slowly getting longer over  the three weeks waiting period.

—–

Hah! Our afterlife is the most hilarious bushwa, dearest

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Summary: This is not a stand-alone story! This is a oneshot/drabble collection in the universe as “Shit, the Radio Demon is a part of my afterlife”. Read the main story before bothering with this one.

I decided to give my readers a chance to throw Radiohusk prompts at me, and had the Afterlife-verse as an option to set the stories in. Everyone liked that, so this fic is now a thing. Enjoy the extra mischief from these two dorks!

Progress: Chapter 28 is the current latest chapter and was posted on 27th of November (-sobs-). Chapter 29 has been started, and the scheduled posting date is a Friday, once I get it written. There will be a sneak-peek on Thursday when I get it done. Still no progress. I want to write at least one more chapter, so I’m not just abruptly marking the fic as finished out of the blue. That’ll have to wait until I get enough motivation to write it, however, because at this fic deserves an inspired, lovingly written last chapter; not one that’s completely forced and bad.

Note to new people who might be looking at this: I’m not taking prompts anymore.

—–  

Other WIPs I’m not currently working on but intend to get back to someday:

PoE Drabbles (Pillars of Eternity)

DC Drabbles (Justice League)

Diaphanous Relations (Forgotten Realms, R.A. Salvatore’s books)

A bunch of Hazbin chapter fics, some started, some just on the idea phase

—–

That’s it for the WIPs! Here’s the promised sneak-peek into Adventure gone Mini (Note: the text may end up slightly different in the fic itself due  to more editing happening before publishing). Enjoy!  

Mini

Steamed beetles were officially Link's favourite food. Him being starved had probably a lot to do with, but he was also certain the cooking in the inn was simply superb and worthy of praise any day. Regardless, he had a full plate of beetle shells with juicy meat within, served with toasted sunflower seeds and a side of mixed flower petal salad dressed with bright yellow sunflower oil. He had a glass of floral wine that wasn't what he'd usually go for, but it was tasty nonetheless. He would bet Zelda would love it.

Sidon had a large bowl of thick shrimp paste on what looked like rice but was too small to actually be it. He, too, had a colourful salad with oil on top on a separate plate, and a glass of something pink-ish. Link had honestly not paid much attention to the waiter's explanation after he received his own food – he had only caught the part about shrimp and had been happy with that knowledge alone. They also had a pitcher of water that Sidon had immediately drank two thirds of before they were even close to receiving their food.

The two of them had sat in awkward silence the entire wait time, as Sidon had evidently been way too grouchy from hunger to feel like having conversations, even with Link. And now? Now they were too busy stuffing their faces to talk and Link honestly preferred it that way, because he needed his hands to shovel food into his mouth. It was only after they were about half done with their plates that Sidon decided to say things other than muffled praises for the food.

"Ahh, I feel alive again", Sidon said after a deep drink from his glass. He smiled at Link, who was beyond ecstatic to see that it was a genuinely happy look now – it was much better than the bleak smiles from the Lost Woods. "I think I'll have seconds as soon as I can catch a waiter. How about you?"

—–  

That’s it this time. See you next Saturday!

Links:

My AO3   My FFnet   My Ko-fi    Radiohusk Discord Group invitation

[kinetic-elaboration]

October 5: Complete Project List

I feel like I should have spent more time this week reading books and fic because my writing has not been going very well. I just feel so…uninspired. None of my projects are really, I don’t know, calling out to me. I don’t know why.

The only thing I’ve really worked on is my Bellarke High School AU, which I still like, though not as much as I used to. At least that’s something.

I don’t think this is actually going to be helpful but because I feel like I need to be organized and my go-to solution for when I lack focus is just to lay out all my projects in front of me and contemplate them, I’m going to go through my entire current writing folder and see if anything jumps out at me and excites me again.

I currently have 28 documents (though fewer than 28 projects because some of those documents are rejected passages or notes, etc.).

In order of appearance:

HAICG: I really do want to work on this again because it’s been so long and I feel guilty. Also because I had such inspiration and passion for it last summer/early fall. But it will probably require re-reading a big chunk of the fic to get into the style of it again and also I’m not really in ST fandom atm so it’s just...tiring to think about.

The autumn fic: You’d think this would be the perfect time to work on this, it being autumn and all (allegedly) but really I feel nothing for it right now. I still rather like the universe and I’ll probably continue to mess around with it in drabbles and so on, but it was originally conceived of as a multi-chapter fic and that’s…not going to happen anytime soon. It’s one of those ideas that feels very real in my head, strongly atmospheric, but when I try to pin down the plot and put any of it into words…I just lose a lot of confidence in it.

The party fic: I worked on this a few days ago, for the first time since summer, and it was a disappointing exercise. For so long I felt like this was still a front-burner project, even though I wasn’t actually writing it like at all, and now I’ve just realized how far my interest in it and inspiration for it has dropped. I don’t know…I guess I’m not so much abandoning it as seeming it with clear eyes. Low priority.

K/S affair: This really shouldn’t be in my current projects folder. I moved it over from my old projects folder a year ago during my last big ST kick with the thought I might actually work on it but I have not. It’s literally 5 sentences long.

K/S Aftermath story: I’ve been telling myself all year that one day I’m “just going to sit down and write this” and yet. Part of what intimidates me is that I actually did start it but I don’t think I like the beginning so I want to start again, but having a rejected opening puts so much pressure on all subsequent openings not to suck as much. So it’s become a mythical, monstrous thing.

Bellarke Beat AU: So I started writing this in the summer of 2016 during my last Beat phase and I really like what I have! But I haven’t touched it in so long… I tried once but I could see too clearly the seams between the two parts. I feel like one day I’ll pick it up and say “I want to finish this” and then it will be my priority project for a little bit and then it will be finished.

Bellarke Long HS AU: Oh gosh I used to think about this universe a lot when I was in law school. I never got any farther than writing some notes, not even a true outline, but I…just can’t call it abandoned. Initially it was going to be this very ambitious two-part thing but I still hold out hope I’ll write the short one-part thing version. Again, it’s an atmospheric fic that I’m not sure I can actually put into words…

Bellarke HS AU: The only thing I’ve gotten real writing done on in the last week. It’s currently at about 6k words and I’m on the last scene. I imagine it will end at about 8k. Probably my biggest priority if only because it’s the easiest thing I have going at the moment.

BFF Fill: The first sentence of notes on this is so pretentious it causes me pain and I’m the one who wrote it. Which doesn’t mean the actual fic will be bad. I hope. I don’t have a BFF deadline for a while so I’m not worried about it but also I don’t want to constantly do things at the last minute. I’m trying to move beyond that. Currently in the planning stages. I have general ideas and I think I need to distill them into a scene-by-scene outline before I can start writing. (It’s not that it’s that long…I don’t think…just semi-complicated in structure.)

Clarke, Sports Nut: I don’t know why this is a separate document. It’s in the same verse as the HS AU and I’m more than half sure it’s going to be a rejected one-shot opening but I’m keeping it around in case I want to expand it into an actual one-shot.

Dollhouse AU Notes/Chapter 1/Rejected Scenes: I still think this would be such a cool fic. BUT. Every time I start it, I hate it and I need to scrap everything I’ve written. I’ve trashed a huge amount of material by my standards and each time I reject something I lose more hope that it will ever be to my liking. Also, if I did write this for real, it would be an insane amount of work. And the audience for it would probably be small. And the truth is that I’m not sure I could put so much into the actual writing of a fic of this length and complexity for an audience of me. I’ll write smaller fics or even novellettes for an audience of me but some things, the return is just too small… so I don’t know.

Jonty Fluff Fic: I’ve had this idea in my head for a long time—I think it’s actually taken off of one of those AU prompts floating around tumblr—and I actually started writing it after 4x11 because I was so sad and this irredeemably fluffy, guilty pleasure, cotton-candy-in-written-word-form story made me feel better. But apparently I haven’t worked on it since July whoops.

Gina Magical Dystopia: I was going to write this two years ago but my opening sucked and then last summer I brought my notes back and tried to outline it but then I kind of abandoned it again. I’m not going to force it but somehow I think a desire to write it will come back to me sometime.

Bellamy/Jasper Fic: I have a lot of guilty pleasures (I probably wouldn’t feel so guilty for everything if this fandom wasn’t what it is but oh well) but this is probably the guiltiest. The original outline is from April 2016 and last summer I spent an afternoon at the coffee shop actually scene-by-scene outlining it, which means it is basically ready to start. I even wrote the introductory scene but then I scrapped it. The tone was okay but the actual substance wasn’t working for me. So I’d have to start all over. And again, audience of one lol, so there’s that. It’s the sort of thing that if it isn’t completely fun to write there is no point in putting effort toward it.

Jonty Dual Timeline: I had such high hopes for this!! And I still want to write it but I’ve become terrified of it. Terrified I’ve lost the tone, terrified I won’t be able to remember the ideas dumbass-past-me didn’t write down, and of course the passage of time makes the fears worse. It’s been months since I touched it. I think I’d need to sit down, re-read the entire thing, write down any thoughts I can salvage, and maybe rough-outline the rest. Then I can return to writing it.

Old prompt list/old prompt fill: Basically the appendix of this folder. By which I mean, it’s vestigial.

Monty S3 (original and edits): I’ve done one complete read-through of this fic and made some fairly big edits, deleting some parts, re-writing them, moving some things around. I feel like, except for the part in the middle where I made the biggest changes, it reads well. I like it. But I won’t post it until I’ve re-read the entire thing again, preferably in one sitting, and given that it’s 12k long I’ll need to devote a decent chunk of time to that. I’d like to say that this fic I’ve been working on for six months is done, so in that sense it’s ‘urgent,’ but on the other hand I don’t think it’s anything most people will notice.

Sleeping Beauty AU: A request but I’m getting kind of into the idea. Unfortunately (?) my ideas for it are getting ambitious and complicated. It could be so cool! Or it could be something that’s actually finished this decade and I’m just hoping these aren’t incompatible goals. Currently in the planning stages.

K/S comparison: Again, a fic I moved to this folder when I was back into Star Trek in Summer ’16 and feeling ambitious. Aaaaand I just looked at the last updated date. It’s from 2010. That’s wild. I am the slowest writer in the world. Or the most stubborn. Or both.

Story Idea Master List: self-explanatory.

K/S and Spock!Prime: Okay this fic is dumb because it’s FINISHED. It’s been finished for years. I found it in my old writing folder, complete, not posted, and I read it and thought it wasn’t horrible but that the beginning was…actually sort of horrible. So I thought I’d re-write that part and then just post it but it’s not working terribly well and increasingly I just feel like…is it worth it? The fic isn’t that good. But it’s not terrible and it is complete so… I don’t know.

…So yeah as expected this just confirmed what I already knew, that I currently lack inspiration or passion for pretty much any project. AWESOME.