#this was really fun I got to revisit some fics I haven't thought about in a while

[blueskiesandstarrynights]

ao3 author ask game !!

tagged by @starstruckodysseys !!

total number of ao3 works: 16

total ao3 word count: 71,918

fandoms i’ve written for: dimension 20, 911, jatp, hatchetfield, Beetlejuice, stranger things

top five fics by kudos:

like a drum my heart never stops beating for you

the journey from locker neighbors to best friends

I'll find you in the next timeline

forever in our debt

The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known (By the Ghost Attached to You)

do i respond to comments?: not usually, which i feel bad about tbh, but. you know how it is. i do genuinely appreciate each and every one and i reread them constantly, if that means anything <3

what has the most angst ridden ending?: uhhhh probably forever in our debt, and even then idk if I'd count it bc it's also vaguely optimistic in a 'we'll get through this together' kinda thing. I love me some good angst but I hate leaving the characters in a bad place, so, uh, ig the real answer is my unfinished wips 😬😬

what has the happiest ending?: augh like I said earlier it's hard to say bc I like to end all my fics on some form of a happy ending. i suppose the journey from locker neighbors to best friends is the least angst ridden and leaves off on the happiest note, though I feel bad I've only been noting my fics that are in my top 5, I have other fics of mine I like lol

have i received hate?: not that i’m aware of!

do i write smut? if so, what kind?: nah I'm too ace for that sorry

do i write crossovers?: not yet, but I do have a leverage/librarians crossover that's been sitting in my wips for forever, and at some point I think it'd be very fun to write a quangle style fic

have i ever had a fic stolen?: not that i’m aware of!

have i ever had a fic translated?: nope

have i ever co-written a fic?: yea! my one Beetlejuice fic Lydia Gets Vehicularly Manslaughtered I wrote with @wizisbored. its only got the one chapter and I feel bad about it every day, but it's quite a fun and gory chapter 🫡🫡

a WIP i’ll never finish?: fuuuucckkk i really hate to say there are wips I wont finish, there's a reason I don't write many mulitchaps, AND a reason why I made The Legendary Undeaths of the Photosynthekids a one shot in a series, making it a self contained story while also leaving room to write more in that world. i feel really bad for saying this, but prob my jatp wips. i love them both dearly and would love to finish them one day but I haven't thought about jatp in a hot sec, and don't know if I see myself revisiting the series enough to want to finish a wip. i could change my mind one day, but alas, here we are.

writing strengths: uhhhh idk ive been complimented on my descriptions which is nice

writing weaknesses: a weird mash of dialogue and characterization. at the very least it's smth I worry about a lot bc its a deal breaker for me as a reader.

do i like foreign language dialogue?: i mean. as a concept yes? i don’t write it bc I speak a singular language, so.

first fandom i wrote for: first fandom ever was I think a very crappy avengers/pjo crossover I wrote in a notebook I still have lol. first fandom on ao3 was I believe hatchetfield and jatp since I dumped all my fics from tumblr onto a03 once I decided to actually get an account.

favorite fic i’ve written: ooo ok let's see I really like The Legendary Undeaths of the Photosynthekids, my undead (ish) bad kids au and I had a lot of fun with it, plus like I said I'm cooking more in this au. i also like my stobin fics, idk what was in the brain sauce when I wrote those, but smth definitely possessed me to write some good stuff lmao

tagging @brionysea @awigglycultist @thedragonemperess @lucy-frostblades and anyone else who wants to!!!

[cainightfics]

instead of answering all the asks individually, im just going to address the main question in one post...

where have i been? am i coming back?

tldr: 1) lots of places 2) yes

to answer in greater detail, it rly all begins with the night i made the horrible decision to hit submit on my application to grad school: december 15 2022. now i would not say grad school in itself has been horrible. my last life update in 2023 i was super broke and not doing well-- since then ive gotten scholarships, funding, and job opportunities, so contrary to most people's experience with grad school ive actually appreciated a (mostly) very financially stable existence here. i am just, to put it bluntly, tired. over the past 2 years, due to both my education and the general state of the world, ive had very little will to write fic. ive spent much of my time producing academic work or writing fiction elsewhere. i burned out bad writing my graduating honours thesis in 2023 and have been bombarded with similarly draining long term projects since. i became a semi-notable scholar in my micro-field and have been at conferences all around the world, on projects funded by the government, teaching classes etc but im ready for it to be over. im glad to have had the experience, but when i graduate in a couple months, i won't miss the mental exhaustion. im the type of person that values my freedom too much for all that.

aside from that, ive had 10 jobs in the last 2 years and been doing tons of random shit lol. i learned pretty early on into grad school that despite my success here, academia is really not my thing, so to deal with my disillusionment i started just doing whatever the fuck on weekends. why am i disillusioned? because there is systemic rot that becomes increasingly ridiculous and hypocritical the further up you get, most things you do are either pointless or happen on such a slow timeline they are rendered pointless through the slog, and because it's basically a pyramid scheme.

beyond the structural issues, a lot of people here are... kind of dumb. or maybe not dumb, but disappointing. i haven't made any friends here. that's definitely partially my fault, but also, i just don't find a lot of these people super inspiring or interesting or fun. i think im kind of the crazy person of my program lol. as some of you may know from my previous ask replies i have a very pessimistic and doomer mentality... and something about the insularity and toxic optimism of many ppl in academia bothers me. also you know when you can tell someone has never had the formative experience of working in customer service and being screamed at, assaulted, or threatened by a customer? and so without that formative experience they are annoyingly fresh and naive and innocent and nervous about everything and haven't been beaten down by life in a way that's made them more chill and empathetic? imagine that but it's every person in the room because you are at an elite school known for nepotism and everyone there grew up rich. yeah.

so onto the random shit ive been doing. ill just include the highlights

- found and raised a baby raven

- lived in the woods and survived off shoplifting and fishing for a portion of the winter

- became a cowboy for a bit

- harvested weed for two days, never got paid

- also randomly worked on a pirate ship for like 4 hrs

- went to mexico with 100usd

- went to nyc and visited e corp and elliots house and realized for myself how much elliots commute in-show doesn't make sense lol

- got a job at a maid cafe bc i thought it would be funny and they guilted me into working there for a full month

- very nearly got arrested while trying to ride the rails, had to hide in a cold metal rail car for 2 hrs in the middle of nowhere while i was literally hunted down

- for a while got very into the idea of becoming a hermit and living in a cave (may still revisit this in some way)

those are kind of the highlights! and the whole time i was plagued by the thought that i needed to go back to ao3 and finish what i started....

on a serious note, ive realized over the past 2 years that im not really built for a stable life. its not that i look down on it per say, i just can't do it. im incompatible with the life we are "supposed" to live according to the current cultural hegemony. what i enjoy is reading for fun, writing for fun, exploring, investigating, solving puzzles. when i feel stifled and overwhelmed, i can't focus on that. i do think the experience of grad school has helped me grow, but the development is almost negative-- that was my shot at taking a normal trajectory, or at trying to find validation and solace in a traditional setting. i realized the feedback and sort of affective dialectic of interacting with you, of writing and having my work read by an audience who shares the same interests as me, is far more fulfilling than what ive been doing. im really looking into trying to pursue a life where i can be somewhat self sufficient and have lots of time (and not just time, mental energy!!) for creative stuff. i have become increasingly pessimistic about our collective future and about The State Of Things, but at the same time, ive found existential freedom in giving up on the life everyone tells me i should be living

so anyways. if u feel inclined, i'd like to know what you've been up to as well!!

[bluntblade]

Fanfic writer interview

Why thank you @sinvulkt for nudging this microphone towards me :D

what fandoms do you write in? The overwhelming majority is Star Wars (most of that Sequels, but a growing amount of High Republic), Horizon, Horus Heresy and a couple of Arcane fics too.

how many words have you published in 2024? I'm not quite sure I've got the total, but from what I'm sure I posted this year, 58265.

what is your greatest achievement this year? I think I managed to take my writing to some heavier places than I normally manage with the Arcane writing, so that might be it. That, or probably the best lightsaber duel I've penned.

what are your top three fics you've written this year? Well, speaking of Arcane writing and lightsaber duels:

🪽 If You Tell Me That You're Sure, and You Can't Wait Any More (Arcane) I dumped a lot of thoughts and feelings into the space between the show's finale and epilogue. I'm particularly touched that people have taken Caitlyn's Secret Diary to their hearts.

🪽 Bladework, Hubris and Hard-earned Wisdom (Star Wars Prequels) — Being reunited with AotC Anakin can often be, ah, a test for me, but I came away from the novelisation of Episode II with thoughts about how Anakin might come to embrace a new style of combat (as Matt Stover gets into in the Episode III novelisation). I wanted to humble him but not humiliate him (and certainly not to stray into "OC owns protagonist" territory, even if in context Anakin is stepping to a Knight who's got several years on him). This then turned into an exploration of him through lightsaber combat, and I genuinely think it's some of the best duelling I've ever written.

🪽 Warmth on a Cold Moon (Star Wars: The High Republic, Phase 2)— Matthea Cathley! Enya Keen! A chance to indulge in my history headcanons surrounding Jedha and help launch a new ship! Somewhere in between my revisits to Catalyst and Path of Vengeance, I decided that Matty and Enya would be adorable together, and this turned into a tour of Jedha City which also let me ramble on with some in-universe history ideas.

what was your biggest pit of despair moment? Fretting about whether I'll ever fashion my Horizon WIPs into something workable. But I will get there one day, I swear it.

what have you learned? I don't feel like I've learned any wholly new things, except maybe figuring out how to write a sex scene which can be a full scene whilst not being explicit, but I think my overall craft has kept coming along.

did you beta any fics? any faves you want to shout out? I haven't really managed to this year, unfortunately. It's been a busy year.

what three fics have you read this year that you love? Oooh...

wipe you clean with dirty hands (Arcane) by @foibles-fables

It's a genuinely quite frightening sense of comparison to realise that Foibs is writing the same base scenario as you (in this case, Cait and Vi in the aftermath of the Arcane finale's climax). This is typically insightful, touching and just a pleasure to read overall.

celebration of you (Arcane) by @meg-noel-art (Say_Anything)

Domestic CaitVi with two adorable little Kirramunchkins, which deftly balances wit, sweetness and melancholy.

Delineation (Horizon: Zero Dawn/The Frozen Wilds) by @tjerra14

I've been neglecting Ikrie shamefully, so thank goodness that Tjerra is fighting the good fight. This story carves out a fascinating chapter of past for Ikrie, and Tjerra remains the best in the business at making you feel the cold of Ban-Ur and the Cut.

what ideas are percolating for next year? Ryloth Besieged is getting completed, damnit. My project of a Kylo longfic set between The Last Jedi and my Episode IX continues to take form (I'm excited about the antagonist I'm building), and I've got some sad thoughts working away at me about Caitlyn losing Jayce.

who do you want to thank? @deusexvalerate for both gifting me an Enya/Matty fic and giving me the nudge to write them too, not to mention opening my eyes to how much fun writing Lyssa/Ru-Ru could be. And of course, my tireless beta-readers Nomus and Kelborn. Heroes.

tagging: well, the fine people I've tagged above, but also @mehoymalloy and @rileydrawesandwrites

[czargasm]

Chelsey czargasm's Fics of 2024

Stealing this from my beloved @scoops404 because it seems fun and because I easily spent 50+ hours betaing for her this year, so I earned it. Go check out her fic roundup if you're looking for some great DNF to read.

The premise: every fic I wrote in 2024 from my personal least favorite to my personal favorite. I included all pairings, which this year were DNF, ANF, and dip&pip. The fic I co-wrote with @alittledizzy, in sickness and in health, isn't included, but you should go check it out if you want some beautiful Dan and Phil medical hurt/comfort in a tour setting.

Overall stats: 13 fics (including the cowritten one); 186,737 words.

The Glow Squid Hunter - T - 19,260 - This was written for the Fairytales from the SMP collab and is a retelling of the Scottish folktale "The Seal Catcher" with Dream as the titular hunter and George as a glow squid shapeshifter (my first and only "minecraft setting" to date). I really struggled writing this one, which is what puts it at the bottom of my list. This fic taught me that less is more with outlining and that I operate best as a discovery writer, which is incredibly important to know.

Swipe Right - E - 9,848 - A one shot inspired by a tweet. DNF meet on a dating app and get together, but with a few twists along the way. It does what it says on the tin. A fun fic, but ultimately not my favorite.

I Like The Way You Look In My Things - E - 3,926 - Written in one day over two sittings, with a break for an existential crisis in between. Inspired by the bracelet George was wearing on his birthday stream. Basically pwp, but nothing wrong with that.

without consequence - E - 5,563 - A summer bingo fic—this one centered around DNF giving each other a hall pass but ultimately deciding they belong to just each other. There's not much to say about this one except that it was fun to write and gave me the opportunity to revisit the ANF dynamic, which is something I love.

The Waiting Game - E - 10,783 - My own take on the "how DNF finally got together" trope, following the development of their romantic relationship from discord chats through twitch con, Antarctica, Christmas, and finally getting together during a very special week in Jan 2023. The highlight for this really is the bathtub scene, which is so romantic it actually makes my chest hurt.

staring at the sun - E - 2,956 - The summer bingo fics really pushed me outside my normal type of writing, as best shown here. PWP but with a whole mess of stuff added in. My shortest fic of the year, but it accomplishes a lot in just a few words. DNF from the perspective of awesamdude in the cuck chair, complete with edging, mild bondage, and soft-dom Dream.

A Voice in the Dark - E - 18,297 - This is a fic that was more fun in concept than it was in writing. It's ultimately really good fic with a lot of fun tropes snuck in there -- secret identity, falling in love with someone based on their voice, they were roommates.

here kitty, kitty - T - 8,265 words - George makes the wrong witch angry and gets transformed into a cat; cat lover Dream saves the day. This was another summer bingo fic and when I came up with the idea, I thought it would be a crackfic. Instead, it ended up being silly but incredibly sweet and heartfelt and inspired some of my favorite fan art ever.

This Would Never Happen on the Hallmark Channel - E - 18,909 - Probably recency bias, but this one was SO MUCH FUN to write. My last fic of the year too, so if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for? Dream writes Hallmark Channel movies and George is starring in his most recent one. Strangers become friends with benefits become lovers, all while trying to keep things on the downlow so Mr Hallmark doesn't find out. Guys, it's so fun and so good, I promise!!

Holding On For Just Tonight - E (4,207 words) - my first ever phanfic. I almost trashed this so many times because I wasn't confident in writing Dan and Phil's voices, but it ultimately turned out really good and I'm pretty proud of it. Definitely looking forward to exploring this dynamic more in 2025.

Our Own Terrible Way - E - 34,290 - This is probably the most popular fic I ever published and most of my regular readers (not all, but many!) found me through this one. George and Austin start a FWB situation that ultimately ends with George and Dream finally getting together. I loved writing it, I love rereading it, I love talking about it. It made me fall in love with Austin as a character and ANF as a pairing, and I always want to do more with them.

Every Mountain Tells A Story - E - 43,072 - Literally no one should be surprised. This isn't just my favorite fic of the year--it's my favorite thing I've ever written. I got to combine two of my very best hyperfixations into one fic: DNF and high altitude mountaineering disasters. It's not my most popular fic sadly (I think it should be), but the people who read it LOVED IT and they've been very devoted to it since. I still regularly get asks and comments about it, and I never get tired of talking about it.

[bonesandthebees]

haven't heard from me in a split second whoa :0

anygays i was going about my hyperfixation-brain filled day as one does when i thought of a question i wanted to ask you, seeing as recently you commented on how you missed your old stories

do you ever plan to revisit those universes? write in them again, or even just reveal something about them that we didn't know beforehand?

/genq /gencuri, not just because i'd kill for more clinic or world forgetting content lmaoooo

- 💫

heyyyyy I'm gonna ramble a bit about ideas here hope you don't mind

while I said I don't plan on fully rewriting any of my old stories like world forgetting, I'm definitely not opposed to writing more one shots in the universe. however, I'm trying to think of what in world forgetting's universe I'd be interested in writing. the only scene outside the main fic I ever really wanted to write was the crimeboys fight scene that led to tommy getting kidnapped by dream before the start of the fic, which I've already written and posted. I know people would probably want to see more from after the story ends but I really like leaving it up to reader's imaginations how things play out after the final chapter. I also don't feel like writing a proper prequel about how tommy joined the syndicate in the first place or anything. my interest primarily lies in the main storyline itself.

that really only leaves me with two options: rewriting chapters or filling in 'missing/deleted' scenes. I actually like the sound of both of those, although I don't know if I can think of any 'missing' scenes in the fic. like, there were definitely scenes I cut out, but the information conveyed in them either got brought up or changed later on making them non-canon to the story itself.

I do like the idea of rewriting an individual chapter. if I were to choose a chapter to rewrite I already know it would probably be ch 12. that was probably one of my favorite chapters in the entire story in terms of the plot events and how it's a huge turning point for tommy's mental state, but I definitely feel like I could've executed it better. maybe I'll do an experiment sometime and see if I can rewrite it. could be fun.

I also like the idea of possibly exploring a tiny bit of an au for WF (of my own au lol). I knew very early on I wanted most of the story to focus on tommy's strained relationships with sbi as he slowly regains his memories and their own shifting perspectives of the person they knew vs the person he is now, so it wouldn't have worked out to do it this way. but a part of me always wondered how things would've gone if wilbur hadn't removed tommy's lucid mask right after they kidnapped him from dream. what if they let him keep it on? what if sbi didn't find out he was their tommy right off the bat? how would that have changed the way tommy regained his memories? I feel like that could easily spin into something way bigger than I'd want to work on, but it's definitely an idea in the back of my head lol

anyway, tdlr; there's a few things I could do to write more in WF's universe and I might do that at some point, but no promise. as far as clinic goes, I feel like I've already said most of what I want to say with that world with all the side one shots I've already written for it.

[johaerys-writes]

[20 Question Fic Writer Tag]

tagged by @baejax-the-great thank you!

How many works do you have on AO3? As of now, 47.

What is your AO3 word count? 1,084,458

What fandoms do you write for? Currently neck-deep in my Patrochilles (Iliad/TSOA/Hades) obsession. But I've also written for Dragon Age (Pavelyan), Voltron (Sheith) and Castlevania (Trephacard, Lenector).

What are your top five fics by kudos? High-Flying Birds, Like Friends Do, Winter's Fruit, Jasmine and Yarrow, Where Blood Roses Bloom.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I love responding to comments!! Even if it's just to say Thank you. I absolutely love rambling in my replies and getting into discussions about lore or characters' motivations and such. This is the fanfic experience at its best for me.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Honestly I'm not great with angsty endings haha. Even if the fic as a whole is very angsty, the ending tends to be happy. I think the fics with the saddest ending are Loyal To The End and The Wound That Never Heals, both Hector/Carmilla (Castlevania). Some people have told me they found the ending of At The Water's Edge quite bittersweet.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Now we're talking haha. Of my most recent ones, Twin Flames has a very sweet ending. Fall Into Your Tide also has a super hopeful ending, and another favourite is A Place To Be. I'm all about that comfort after the hurt babey.

Do you get hate on fics? I think I've only ever got hate once or twice? As far as I remember. I honestly couldn't care less about it, I forget it as soon as it happens lol.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yessir. Not exactly sure what kind? Are there different kinds? I would say that my favourite to write is angsty smut with lots of complicated feelings. And also I do like sprinkling some kink here and there whenever I feel like it.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I've only ever written one crossover and I still love the fuck out of it, it's a Witcher/Dragon Age one with my OC Tristan Trevelyan and Dorian Pavus and it was sooooo fun to write oh my god. I would love to revisit that universe ngl!!

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of? Depends on what we mean by stealing. I have had parts of fics of mine lifted and used in other fanworks without credit, it wasn't great but it's been a little while since then and I haven't noticed anything else (not that I've gone looking though).

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! A super lovely person has been translating High-Flying Birds into Vietnamese.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before? Yes! I've cowritten several fics with friends and it's always so nice, I love working with other people.

What's your all-time favourite ship? Oof that's a tough question. If we go by number of fics written, it would have to be Patrochilles. If we go by number of words written, it would have to be Pavelyan (almost 450k 💀). If we go by number of fics I've read and bookmarked, it would have to be Sheith. So idk if I can give a straight and clear answer lol.

What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will? God I really do want to finish A World With You and I do think I will do it eventually, it's just that I know there's a LOT of it left and it's often really daunting. I also want to finish Where Blood Roses Bloom but, again, the plan I have in mind is kind of ambitious and it will take me a while to get there. Also, Blood Roses In The Snow is one I want to get back to, and that one would be easier to finish since there's only like a couple chapters left.

What are your writing strengths? Probably imagery, introspection, and I've also been told I write good action scenes!

What are your writing weaknesses? Dialogue, probably. It stresses me out the most haha. I also used to be able to write complex plots but it's gotten quite hard lately, idk why :(

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I don't love it. I'm fine with a word here and there or even a phrase, as long as it's been sort of explained before or it's one that's widely recognised. I just feel like having a big chunk of untranslated dialogue in the middle of a story breaks immersion and I try to avoid it whenever I can.

First fandom you wrote for? Dragon Age, specifically Inquisition.

Favourite fic you've ever written? Noooo you can't make me choose, don't make me choose 😭 Damn that's tough. Twin Flames is still a huge favourite. A Place To Be is one I often come back to and I'm super proud of how it turned out. A World With You is the first fic I ever posted and the longest, I have spent so much time with it and it has a special place in my heart. And this might be cheating because it's my current fixation, but I feel like you're a walking disaster, and yet— is some of my best writing yet, I'm very fond of it.

Tagging forth to: @elveny @pikapeppa @mary-aries @darlingpoppet @pinkfadespirit @sketchass @starlightvld @petrowriting @in-arlathan @figsandphiltatos @heypax and anyone else who'd like to do this! (Also, if you don't want to be tagged for these memes let me know!)

[clonerightsenthusiast]

1, 2, 29 and 30 for the fic asks?

1 I answered here! Short answer: 7.

2. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year?

I wrote a fic about kissing! Me! The kissing was the whole point of the fic! That's not something I do! It was fun tho and. well. when the rarepair compels you enough eventually you gotta just buckle down and write them making out yourself.

Also, not so much in a fic, but I've always shied away from challenges of any sort bc I'm a big scaredy cat afraid of failure, but when the philly pies discord set up a low stakes alternative to NaNoWriMo I jumped on it and gave myself the challenge to finish my big fic by writing 500 words every day in November. I had a spreadsheet and everything. That's not exactly what happened (I think I missed... two days?), and it was more like some days writing 100 words and other days writing 2,000. But I finished ahead of schedule! I actually both finished it, got it beta'd, edited and posted 7/8 chapters by the end of the month. And I definitely would've taken like. three+ months to finish it if I'd done what I normally do, i.e. just writing whenever I really feel like it. When I really want something done, it's a strategy I'll definitely be revisiting.

29. What's left on your to-do list for 2024?

I would love to finish my second LHC side story, fool me twice. It was an idea that I thought would be interesting and then as I started writing realized was actually twice as interesting. I got stuck on a silly detail but I think I've worked it out and just haven't put the words to page yet. But also lately my thoughts have been consumed by working out the plot and worldbuilding for a different new big AU fic. Finishing that outline would also be great lol.

of course it's night of the nocturne on flight rising for the rest of the year so ill probably accomplish zero writing

30. What would you like to write next year?

ohhhh boy. several things. there are like two or three more LHC side stories besides the one I have half written that I would like to make real. one of them forces me to reckon with the one glaring plothole at the center of the whole thing that nobody's called me on yet LMAO. which. it would give me a chance to explain it in a way i couldnt in the main story, but would also inevitably draw attention to it. so we'll see if that one happens.

and then there's the hermitcraft decked out 2 au that has consumed my thoughts for the past couple days. genuinely considering doing my own mini nanopiemo in january just to write that thing. i need it out of me.

and. well. the spider-man clone bro road trip fic i wrote a chapter of last year and never continued is always sitting in the back of my head making sad faces at me. it'd be cool to even just add a couple words to that one and keep the dream alive.

[dashielldeveron]

sleep over asks!1!!

kiss, marry, kill - soulmate troupe shinsou, aizawa or mystery last route guy

out of all the troupes you’ve written which of the soulmate signifiers would you most like to have in irl?

has there ever been a character that you’ve had an idea for a soulmate troupe but haven’t wanted to write for them?

if you end up doing little vignettes who’s route are you looking forward to updating/revisiting the most?

which chapter is most similar to upcoming mystery guys chapter?

AAAAAAAA I’m dying to know if my speculation is correct, ur killing me with anticipation!! Also I got stupid times wrong and I’ll literally be at stupid work when the chap is posted!!! IM DEAD 😭😭😭 but at least I’ll have a big 60k word fic to read when I come back. Girl I’m going to be soooooooooooooo annoying once I read it ur going to know all my thoughts on the masterpiece that it is. Maybe a can start reading at work if I rlly can’t wait . Boss makes dollar, i make dime, i read fanfic on company time

kiss, marry, kill: ohhhh, i hate this. i wish you had asked me after the canon versions of these characters; it'd be easier. oof oof oof okay. soulmate-trope!version of secret character is probably the best kisser...god i can't believe i'm saying this. i can't believe i'm saying this. but GOD i think i'd have to marry aizawa bc of how safe, extremely secure, and cared for we could feel with him, how it feels like he's got everything under control........and i can't believe this, but i'm saying i'd kill my current favourite character in the whole franchise. jesus. jesus christ. oh my god. shinsou i'm so sorry. do you still want me

which soulmate bond i'd want: not the bakugou-pain bond, bc i don't get into physical alterations with anyone. names or first words aren't too fun but are very safe. i have a lot of tummy issues, so i wouldn't want to share that pain with anyone. i really like the idea of aizawa's, esp. the pink marks, but shifting while driving could be deadly--same with dabi's bond. honestly lol i think i like thinking about aizawa's the most, but in reality i'd like the one with tomura, because then we'd always be able to find everything.

huh! i wouldn't say there are other characters i could see a route for and didn't want to write. heck, i was gonna stop the series with shinsou, and because i got ideas, we have three extra routes. there is a type of soulmate bond that i was entertaining the idea of but haven't utilised--i was considering making reader and love interest suddenly have ABO statuses. and like. they are the only people in the world with ABO statuses. i was thinking about the shame around being biologically fated to be extremely sexual--in a way that's perverse to the rest of the world--and have them have to sneak around and try to suppress their new urges, and stuff--because it would be a world where 1) they didn't grow up with ABO stuff, so it's like a horrible second puberty with no answers anywhere, and 2) it's worse bc no one but each other can relate to what they're going through. and then some sexy, sexy doubts about whether or not they actually are soulmates, because wouldn't they be acting this way around any other alpha/omega?? (no 💚) and i figured while i think that's a fun setup, i think it could still stand by itself in a separate fic, with, perhaps, a pair of late bloomers dealing with ABO stuff for the first time.

re: vignettes. i already have the ideas for touya's vignette; he's what inspired me to write little epilogues. i don't have ideas for shinsou/reader's vignette yet, but i think i like writing their dynamic the most, because they pay so much attention to each other and try to do the best they can to care for each other. and that's interesting to me, because they still manage to misunderstand each other.

oh dear GOD i don't think there's direct comparisons with this route and previous routes. it's meant to be very different from the others. uh. i think, maybe, the most callbacks are to tomura's route, mostly bc i want to Establish that He Is Doing Okay. and for nasty evil foreshadowing reasons in tomura's route 😈

at work??? you can totally sneak a peak 👀👀👀👀👀 lololol i'm VERY exxcited to be annoying about it with you :) i've been plagued with these ideas for months; i'd love to see if they Change people's perspectives on this character in the way i changed :)

aghhghgh thanks so much for your questions!!! wonderful things to think about; i'm still so horrified i'd kill shinsou in this situation

[sentientcave]

WIP WEDNESDAY - 141 Paranormal Investigators

BEST TIME OF THE YEAR EVERY WEEK. WIP WEDNESDAY BAYBEE Had this silly idea for a fic where the lads are like, youtube ghost/monster hunters who get accidentally stranded in a weird American town. I haven't been working on it very much because I really want to get Impound done next but this is such a fun concept I really want to revisit it soon.

I have a lot more plotted out for it than I do for Impound but I'm not really a planner so who knows what I'll keep and what I'll toss. But feel free to ask me about it if you've got questions! I went on about this with everyone's favourite black cat, Morg, for like a full afternoon so I have a lot to say.

“— And while we didn’t find any sign of hauntings in this forgotten corner of Washington state, we did get to see some truly facinating peices of America’s history during the Gold Rush.” “Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to like and subscribe, and follow us here and here for more updates on our Great American Roadtrip!”

“Not bad, Si,” Gaz said, closing the laptop with a satisfied snap. “Once we get to the motel we can upload it.” “Do ye always have to use such unflatterin’ shots of me?” Johnny asked, pouting a little in the backseat next to Gaz. “I didnae do all that much yellin’, but from tha’ ye’d think it was all I was ever doin’.” “I’m jus’ givin’ the people what they want, Johnny,” Simon said, eyes laughing. “And it’s you wet, shirtless, scratched up and screamin’ bloody murder.” “I wasnae screamin’,” Johnny protested, running a hand over his shaggy mohawk. “I was just expressin’ myself.” “Loudly,” Gaz added, helpful as ever. “And in a very high frequency.” “Awa’ an’ bile yer heid, ye fuckin’ roaster. I wasnae screamin’.” “Sounded like screamin’ to me,” Price said, giving the two younger men in the backseat a stern look through the rearview mirror. “Now settle down. I’m not listenin’ to six more hours of this.” “Might be more’n tha’,” Johnny said, leaning forward, hooking a brawny arm over Simon’s shoulder, blue eyes scouting the valley below as they crested another bump in the road. “Traffic ahead. S’never a good sign when there’s vehicles lined up in the mountains.” “Bloody hell,” Price grumbled. “Why’s this country got to be so fuckin’ big?” “Where’s that bloody map?” Simon asked, yanking the glove box open. “Maybe there’s a way around.” “Might no’ be a good idea,” Johnny said uneasily. “We could get lost easy.” “You want to sit in fuckin’ inchin’ traffic for twelve hours?” Simon asked. “There’s a road off here—” He held up the map and jabbed his finger on a side road off the main highway. “Just before that bloody mess. It’ll be on the left— Take us up and around, looks like.” “Why is no one else takin’ it then?” Johnny asked, voice gaining the extra burr it always did preceding an increase in volume. He wasn’t shouting yet, but all three of the others knew the signs to look out for. “No one uses physical maps anymore,” Gaz said soothingly. “Maybe it got unlisted. Private road? If someone stops us we can always turn around.” “I’m takin’ it,” Price grunted, turning off of the paved asphalt road and onto the narrower gravel one. “I’d rather be movin’, at least. If I wanted to sit in traffic I’d drive around London.” “Oh suit yerselves.” Johnny pushed himself back into his seat and crossed his arms. “Don’t listen to the fella that actually grew up around anythin’ bigger than a hill. Noo, wouldnae wan’ ta do tha’.” “Relax, Soap.” Price used his stern teaching voice, the one that could command a rowdy hall of college students (most of whom only took his class because they thought it would be an easy credit) to be quiet and pay attention. “If we get lost you’ll get to gloat about bein’ right, how about that?” “Rather no’ get lost, but Ah suppose it’ll do.”

[brick-a-doodle-do]

For the FICS ask game → 6, 10, 17, & 18

Have a cookie 🍪 :D

6 : are there any fics from others you re-read all the time?

ghghhh honestly no not ALL the time but i do like rereading a lot of cory's little streamer stuff cause there's soooo much to sift through. i think this and this are the ones i run back to the most. if i re-read something it's always on a whim or something that i've read a LONG time ago and want to revisit :D

also for non g/t stuff i listen to passerine a lot because i have the audiobook for it downloaded on spotify. also i like reading the first few chapters of guided evolution every so often cause it's always so fun how tommy handles his new powers djfjfjdb

10 : is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

hhh not really? i mean i guess the amount of notes on my 100+ noted fics are really surprising like i never intended for hush to do so well. usually i can guess the kind of response i can get based off of what kind of fic it is,,,,,

also i didn't expect wilbur chocolate to ever get a full plot. i thought MAYBE 2 chapters at max (after i'd started the first one,, it was supposed to be a funky 3 am idea) but now i am thinking maybe 4+ :D

17 : what's something you've learned about while doing research for a fic?

mmm i think the general answer would always be like wound stuff, like how someone would react to being stabbed in the heart rather than the arm or something,,,

i've learned a little bit about plants asw for some botany au's, superhero stuff for the batman au, and a LOT of superpowers,,, there was asian takeout manipulation on the list and i was like ????

18 : what's one of your favorite lines you've written in a fic?

aha i went looking for one of my fics and found a response to an ask game with the same question! so my answer remains the same

in a haha sense it would be "Wilbur is just a jealous, confused, tired man who doesn't have a real job and uses Spotify as an escape"

anddd in a more serious sense i really like "He had forgotten about Tommy’s piss-poor scheme of letting him bathe in the lie, fermenting it just right until it was inevitable that the betrayal would sting just a little bit more." from shroud you savior

but i haven't really read any of my fics lately so that could change !!

thank you for the ask and the cookies !!!!

ask game !!

[syuga-s]

As long as we are together, even the endless maze is paradise.

w.c 1.8k

pairing. Changkyun x gn!reader

genre. fluff, still dont know how to classify it but it’s my take on relationships in real life(?)

a/n. mention of svt members <3, this takes place on the universe(?) of the fic i have in progress, got excited and went for this lil scenario, i'll always try to make them as gender-neutral as possible, hope you enjoy (• ε •)

You finally had gotten off work. This shift had been unbelievably chaotic and you couldn’t wait any longer to get home. But of course, it’s raining, today of all days.

Adding the fact that Chloe’s been extremely unpleasant today. You’ve been on bad terms for a while now since she found out about you and Vernon.

You clocked out at the same time and she just wanted to get on your nerves. But you were past being this immature, especially when it came to a guy you haven’t seen since you graduated.

"Just go already, Chloe". 

With that, you went to exit the building and that's when you saw Minghao waiting for a cab –in the rain–.

You tried to get Minghao's attention, so he could get inside with you but you both just ended up at the door frame barely safe from the rain. You hugged even though he was soaking.

You didn’t mind because you haven't seen him in years, and you didn't know you missed the way you felt when you were with him. Strangely so, his hug felt like being 17 again. Can’t tell if it’s a good or bad thing.

You made some small talk about the weather and teased him for standing in the rain. “Are you shooting a music video or something?”

He laughed but quickly changed the subject, "I hope you've been good, I haven't seen you in years but you look really happy".

How can he still be this good at reading me? You could only smile to the ground and gave him a side hug. "I've really missed you Hao; hope you’re doing well too". 

Suddenly, his phone started to ring, and you caught a glimpse of the screen before he asked you "Mind if I answer?" Wonwoo was calling him. "Not at all, go ahead!" You told him with a smile.

Not to be nosy but you wanted to hear this conversation. "I've been waiting for you to pick me up for almost an hour dumbass, are you aware that it's fucking RAINING?"

And of course, you couldn't hear the other person on the line, but you knew perfectly he must've been making a hell of an excuse. "Right, yes, I'm still here, no I'm not alone… just hurry I'm freezing". 

Guess it was inevitable that you'll see Wonwoo in a few minutes.

You broke up more than three years ago and haven't seen him since then. You’re more than ready to rip the band-aid. You didn't exactly end on bad terms, but maybe some awkwardness is still laying in there. Actually, you haven't thought about him in a while. You started to wonder how has he been all this time.

"I thought you were waiting for a cab Hao!! I can still give you a ride if you want"

"Aw y/n no, don't worry about it, I'm going out with the guys, so I'll have to take you up on that offer another time"

"Alright then, you have to promise me we'll catch up soon, it’s been too long”.

It was as if the world was telling you to wrap it up because you saw a very familiar car approaching the street, and immediately your phone started ringing too.

You saw that it was almost 9:00 P.M. Changkyun hasn't got here? You signaled Minghao that you were going to answer your phone and got inside the building again.

"Hi my baby!!! I'm sorry for running late the guys got me caught up at work BUT I AM ALREADY ON THE WAY I'LL SEE YOU IN LITERALLY TWO MINUTES"

You could hear how worried your boyfriend was and it was so endearing that you couldn't help but laugh at the way he was screaming in the car.

"It's okay baby I ran into someone here at work too, I got distracted and didn't notice the time, but please DRIVE SAFE IT’S RAINING BUT ALSO hurry upppp” You ended up with a pout as if he could see your expression.

"I'm hurrying I swear!!! —YES — your man has arrived at the destination". “Ok, ‘my man’ needs to come get me please” he made you laugh at his words. “I'm here at the door BYE"

With that, you went outside again, and you couldn't have imagined that you would see all these guys in front of you EVER AGAIN. Nor that they would get out of the car just to say hello to you. But maybe that's your mistake cause they have always been friends, still after everything that happened.

So, there they were, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Chan, Jun, and Minghao. All eyes on you, all of them waiting for the other to talk to you first, but everyone noticed how your eyes immediately went to Wonwoo and you both smiled at each other. Jihoon was happy that you made eye contact with him, even though he noticed there was nothing for him behind your eyes.

You were the first one to talk. 

"Hey there you guys, Hao told me you were going out!" You said while looking at Chan. "Yeah, we're headed to the Lucky 94!!"

"Want to join us?" You heard Jun ask, and before you could say no, your knight in shining armor shouted your name. "BABYYYY!!" Yes, your official name is baby, what about it? 

All of you turned to the left side of the street where Changkyun was power walking to you. It came as a surprise to all of them, no one knew you were in a relationship at the moment, but after all these years they should've known, they knew how private you were about your entire life. 

When Changkyun got by your side he just wrapped his hand in yours and flashed all the guys in front of him one of his prettiest smiles. As if he didn't look threatening as fuck.

Your love for him was only growing by the second. "Guys this is my boyfriend Changkyun, unfortunately, I have to deny your offer tonight because we already have plans, but I hope we see each other again soon!”

"It's okay y/n we can plan something another time, you look really good by the way" Wonwoo finally spoke and Changkyun tightened his grip on you.

"Thank you Wonwoo, have fun tonight. It was nice to see all of you" Having said this, your eyes landed on Jihoon, who was now leaning against the car, ready to get away from there.

Maybe at another point in your life, you would've sensed something negative by seeing him in this circumstance. But all you could find inside you was a trace of the love you had for him when you were a teenager. 

You quickly decided that you wouldn’t give him this space in your head. Neither of you deserved to revisit those feelings that you already went through years ago. 

Especially now when you have this wonderful person by your side, it wasn't a coincidence that he got there at this exact moment. Making you appreciate the little things he does for you that say, “I’m here, and I care so deeply about you”. Your life with Changkyun has intertwined so profoundly that everything comes easy with him.

You all said your goodbyes, and you started walking to the parking lot. You got to your boyfriend’s car, but you didn’t get inside just yet, Changkyun stared at you and your eyes told him everything he needed to know. Your boyfriend swiftly wrapped you up in a much-needed hug.

Since he called you, he knew something was going on, he has gotten good at sensing the way you were feeling. In moments like this, you were happy to know that his heart was as invested in you as you were with him. He softly spoke in your ear “Let’s get inside baby, it’s cold as hell in here”.

He opened your door, and you waited for him to get inside. You searched for his embrace once again, his arms made you feel so at home that you were glad he came to get you tonight, and you had to let him know this. “Today was hard,” You said, still clinging to his arms, not minding the incredibly uncomfortable pose you got yourself into just so you could be hugged by your boyfriend for a few more minutes. “Thanks for picking me up tonight”

“You know that I would come for you every day if you just let me, you stubborn baby” You laughed against his chest and gave him a light punch at this arm. “Hey, hey let’s not get violent in here, I’m sensitive,” He told you while laughing and ended up with a tender kiss to the top of your head. 

You don’t know much, but you do know you love him. When he smiles like this, the world seems to fade away with all your problems, and he’s all you can see. Every time he’s singing in the car on your way home, the outside noise doesn’t even exist anymore. All you want to do is grab his face and kiss him, but that would mean he’d stop singing. And when he looks at you with those beautiful brown eyes, when he places his hand on yours, when he lets you rest your head in his chest, and listen to the beat of his heart, just his mere existence makes you believe that you found this little piece of heaven within him.

The love you were always searching for, you found it with him. No one else had been able to make you feel like you were bursting with love, and you always believed that that needed to happen for you to be in a relationship with someone. You always knew that love isn’t meant to be hard, nor it makes you lose the person that you are. For you, it was about sharing your souls, goals, and perspectives, cause when the time to be together would come, your lives would already be made, and you would just be together supporting each other, still maturing. And that this person would only make you feel safe, happy, and loved. Changkyun was your definition of love.

Your relationship with him made you further confirm this. You thought it would scare you to be vulnerable around him but opening your heart to him was one of the easiest things you’ve ever done. You’re aware you were complete without him. And he knew this. But being by his side, experiencing life with him, made you want to be so much better. You only wanted to support him every step of the way. It made you want to be stronger with him. You wanted both of you to grow together and help each other grow individually. And the fact that he was on the same page with you about this, knowing that you don’t need each other but you really fucking want to be together, makes you think you have a pretty great shot at this. 

You know, undoubtedly, you are in love with this man. And it feels a hundred times better to know he loves you too. 

[rahleeyah]

i shall dub myself your d.c. anon. first time asker, long time reader. I have some thoughts and wanted to share and get your perspective on some things… (this might be a long one)

1- I loveeee your bunny. we have wild rabbits in our neighborhood and it’s the best part of my day when I get home

2- your fics are just ::chefs kiss:: I literally can’t read them until your done bc I just want updates right away and I can’t wait. did I mention I livedddd for the epilogue of monsters?!

3- svu/oc have been so much better this season esp with the new sr on svu and the moving on from the casino story line on oc BUT why do you think it’s so hard for us to even get a mention from the characters that they are even in each other’s lives from the sr?

for example, if fin walked into Olivia’s office and she was hanging up the phone and mentioned to fin that it was stabler and they were talking more and working on things. And then just move on with the episode.

I know we got a little last week from Elliot and Amanda but I’m just genuinely curious. I completely understand the limitations of money, time, problems with syndication when it comes to crossovers, sr turnover, etc. and I’m not one to just complain but even just a mention would cost nothing but would make so many ppl happy.

I have more thoughts but I’ll leave it here for now. I’ll be back soon!

hello dc anon!!! welcome aboard lovely to hear from you lmao

sammy says thank youuuuuuu lol he is the cutest it must be said. i do love bunnies so much so thank you for this

oh my god thank you so much?? i'm so glad that you're enjoying the work, and i'm super excited that you got to read the monster epilogue. i don't often revisit fics once they're done but that seemed like a fun thing to do, and i really enjoyed it

i actually haven't been loving oc, it's felt a lil off to me; like last season oc felt to me like the stronger of the two by a long shot, but this season svu is really pulling away. mr david really knows what he's doing and i've really been enjoying the changes. all i can do is speculate about why we haven't heard anything about eo talking to each other outside the shows; i like to think it's bc we're building towards something. a confrontation, maybe. a festivus level airing of grievances that would require them to have still not spoken about a lot of things so that they could explode about those things in our faces. i think they're trying to leave the door open on what eo's relationship looks like right now so that when they pick a direction to go in they aren't shoe-horned in by something they've already written. that may be wishful thinking on my part tho lol

[hyeque]

RISU. I have been marinating in your tags all day. And let me just say I LOVE YOU SM?!? on both your tags for my akaashi and ushijima fics... there's a lot to unpack SO firstly,

WE ARE READER. i have only recently considered annotating with transparent post-it notes but honestly I like my books looking 'unread'. BUT ALSO YES. so, pretty much all of those books are books I have read!!

1Q84 - I've read MANY Murakami books but I always really liked this one!! There are definitely some uh, adult themes that people might not vibe with in Murakami books and I get that but overall I LOVE his worlds.

Night Circus - I'm actually halfway done with this book and I really, really like it so far!

Love in the time of Cholera - my ultimate favorite book, probably? I actually lended my copy to my bf when we had first started dating.

Before The Coffee Gets Cold - I have not read this yet but I want to!!

Memoirs of A Polar Bear - I picked and read this book and a whim and I liked that it was literally a generational book on this polar bear family. My bf and I are in a LDR and this was one of the first books I chose for our little book club. The other book he chose was Circe, WHICH I HAVEN'T READ YET BUT HAVE HEARD GREAT THINGS ABOUT.

ANYWAY, that honestly warms my heart so much that this is probably your favorite piece of my writing??! I wasn't feeling confident about writing for akaashi because I don't feel like I have a strong grasp on his character BUT it made my day to read that. :'))))

SECONDLY, so sorry for making you hungry whenever you read my fics!! i literally have another wip for komori and it's literally pasta night LOL so. but of course I had to throw in some tendou crumbs! i feel like my fics aren't complete without referencing another character lol. ooo, but honestly lemonade from scratch sounds SO SO GOOD. and takes me back to when I was a kid collecting lemons in our yard to make lemonade in the summer :'))

This got really long BUT, I just want you to know that I love you and I super appreciate your tags in a way that I don't think I could articulate well in words. I just get filled with warm fuzzies and stuff when i see your name pop up in my notifs <3 <3

LAURA MY BELOVED ‼️💗💗💗 i’m so sorry for not replying right away, my fatigue got the best of me and i literally passed out and went to sleep in the middle of cleaning.

but literally ilysm, and yanno i gotta tell you how much i adore u and your writing all the time LMAO but i totally feel you about akaashi’s characterization bc he’s quite complex sometimes imo. but the way you wrote him was so seamless and (perhaps he reminds you of your boyfriend in ways?) makes sm sense.

i never thought of giving transparent post it notes a go, so i’ll have to revisit that idea bc at least that can make things somewhat neater (? idk if that makes sense) and i also like placing color coded markers (for like quotes, or new words, characters introduced, etc).

i’m going to write these books down and check them out! i haven’t read solid books in a good minute (only manga lol) and if you say they’re good then i just know they’ll be amazing !! i think that it is absolutely adorable that you and your boyfriend have a little book club, that sounds like literally a scene out of a movie <3

omg pasta w komori sounds lovely !! i love pasta a lot and haven’t read for komori so i’m excited to see how you do your boy justice !! i think it’s always lovely to reference other characters and i do the same bc it just seems natural to hehe <3 but ty for the tendo crumbs !! making homemade lemonade is fun, i haven’t done it in awhile but it’s therapeutic to just make something, yanno ? :0

i appreciate leaving tags behind on ur work and that they make you happy !! you deserve the love bc you write the most beautiful things and the world deserves to know!! i’m gonna finish your ushi series tomorrow and can’t wait to read the rest of it ! ilysm laura dearest <3

[shimmershae]

Waltzing might have stalled (for the moment), but all the words and worlds crowding my brain haven't.  Wanna have a look-see at some of the other little Caryl drabble-verses I'm considering turning into their own full-fledged stories (eventually)?  Here you go.  Tell me which one(s) you'd most like to revisit.

First up, the AU Caryl married fic where they raise Sophia.  And a puppy. 

 1. 

 “Please, Mom.” 

 “Sophia,” Carol warned. 

 “But it was an accident, Mom.  He didn’t mean to.” 

 “Tell that to my begonias.” 

 She heard a snort behind her, and she whirled around to glare at her husband.  He was just as complicit in the laundry list of crimes as her twelve-year-old.  He didn’t know it yet, but he would pay.  “Daryl, don’t even.” 

 “Didn’t say nothing.”  He grinned, edged a little closer, penned her in against the counter.  “You know you want it, Sweetheart.”   

 “Mommy,” Sophia pleaded. 

 Three pairs of puppy dog eyes stared at her until she folded, completely melted. 

 “Okay.” 

***

“Daryl, have you seen my favorite…” 

 Daryl tried to hide the chewed-up shoe behind his back, but it was too late.  She’d already spotted it. 

 “Where is he?”

 “Sweetheart, just remember.  Harvey’s still a puppy.  He don’t know no better.”

 “Harvey Dent Dixon!” 

 Sophia appeared behind her mother, their happily slobbering new addition cradled in her arms. 

 Daryl tried to warn her away with his eyebrows, but he didn’t marry no fool.  His wife whirled around and angrily wagged her finger beneath the puppy’s nose.  

 “How do I even put up with you?”

 “Mom!”

 “We should have named you Wreck-It-Ralph.” 

 ***

 “Harvey, you know you’re not supposed to be in the bed.”

 The puppy responded to her half-hearted scolding with a sweetly pathetic whine and a broad swipe of his pink tongue across her chin, burrowing beneath the blankets with her and flopping down in an exhausted heap. 

 Caught between a giggle and a sigh, Carol merely smiled and opened her eyes, thankful her husband and daughter were at soccer practice and not bearing witness to her utter failure disciplining the little obedience school dropout.  “Oh, you.”

 Harvey’s tail thumped lazily. 

 “I have a secret.  Two, actually.  Promise not to tell?”    

 ***

“You can’t just hug me and think everything’s okay.” 

 Daryl peeled back, let his arms fall to his sides.  His blue eyes darted over to Sophia, but the preteen was looking elsewhere, anywhere but at them. 

 Harvey was flopped down between her daughter’s bare feet, his tongue lolling, mouth panting as he tilted his head this way and that, happily, tiredly unrepentant for the latest episode of chaos.

 “Help me out here, Soph.” 

 “It looked dead.” 

 “Weren’t, though.  How’s I s’posed to know Mama and Pa would go all Commando on us?  Fucking squirrels.” 

 Carol snorted out a laugh.  “Daryl!” 

 ***

“No more dogs.  How hard is it to understand?” 

 “Really?” Carol sighed as her husband mimicked her oft-repeated words.  Twisting in her seat to face him, at least as much as the seatbelt cinched snug across her hips would allow, she challenged, “C’mon.  You can do better than that, Pookie.” 

 Behind them, Sophia giggled. 

 Catching his stepdaughter’s eyes in the reflection of the rear-view mirror, Daryl narrowed his eyes.  “Traitor.” 

 Sophia grinned, stretching out her legs and wiggling her socked feet between them, her smelly socked feet. 

 “Sophia!  Shoes back on!” 

 “What your mom said.” 

 “Technically, it’s a kitten.” 

 “Pfft.” 

 ***

 “You fell asleep in the tub?”

 “Third time this week,” Sophia piped up oh-so-helpfully, fingers tightening in Harvey’s collar when he made another playful lunge at their newest family member.    

 Coined Poison Ivy by her feline-averse husband, the kitten squeaked.  Blue eyes huge, just as wet and bedraggled as Carol thanks to this latest disastrous romp, it shivered and snuggled itself into the open vee of her robe. 

 “Third time, huh?”

 “Not now,” Carol frowned.  “Sophia.  Take Harvey outside.  Let him chase some real squirrels.” 

 “But Mom…” 

 “Please?”

 Once alone, Daryl reached for her.   “Something you wanna tell me, Sweetheart?” 

 ***

 Eyeing her husband’s pale face warily, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, Carol murmured, “Did you hear…” 

 Daryl staggered a little on his feet, hands fumbling to find the edge of their mattress, just flopped there like a fish out of water.  Still looking a little stunned, he nodded at her when she made her careful approach. 

 Smiling hopefully when his hands found her waist, Carol tenderly brushed his hair back from his forehead.  “Use your words.” 

 “A baby?  You’re…” 

 “I’m...” 

 “Holy shit, Sweetheart.  We’re living in a sitcom.”    

 “Daryl!” 

 Frightened from her doze, Ivy mewed plaintively. 

 “Cat agrees.” 

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

 Second, the AU where Carol and Daryl are partners.  Purely platonic.  Or are they?

2. 

 “Bed, Soph.  Now.” 

 “Fine.” 

 “Love you.” 

 “Sure.” 

 “Teenagers,” Carol muttered, falling back against her bedroom door.  Kicking her heels off, she bent to peel the stockings from her legs, made short work of her blouse and skirt.  She was down to her underwear and thigh holster before she realized she wasn’t alone. 

 “Keep going, Partner.” 

 “Fuck!  Dixon!  Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?” 

 “Exterminators, remember?”    

 She took off her gun, turned on the bedside lamp, rolled her eyes at the erection tenting the sheet pooled around his waist.  “Seriously?” 

 He shrugged, grinned.  “Happens.”    

 “Stay on your side." 

  ***

Thing about Mason was, she was fun to fuck with.  And Daryl?  He loved fucking around.  Both in the bedroom, and…well.  Barring the field, everywhere really. 

 She’d left her bra on.  Sexy little number.  Just a lacy shadow against her pale, freckled skin. 

 His hands, body burned with the need to touch that skin, touch her.  He didn’t.  Didn’t trust himself not to take them both down a long, dark road that would consume them both.  Didn’t want to put their partnership on the line that way, but fuck.  She was right there.  He groaned. 

 “My name isn’t Leslie…who’s Leslie?” 

 ***

Carol rolled over, glared at her uninvited bedmate.  “Answer me, Dixon.  Who the fuck is Leslie?” 

 His smirk was slow.  Sly.  “Why?  You jealous?”  He deftly avoided her attempt to knee him in the nuts, pulled her leg over his hip instead. 

 “Dixon.” 

 Heeding her warning, he let her go.  “Relax.  Been watching tv with your ball-busting daughter.” 

 Carol softened.  “She loves that show.” 

 “Yeah, well.  Didn’t do much for me.” 

 “Your taste is questionable at best.” 

 “Mine?  What about yours?” 

 “Excuse me?” 

 “Your UPS man wear his little shorts on your date?” 

 “Dixon.” 

 “…” 

 “Scoot over a little bit, please.” 

  ***

“Quit moving.  I’m trying to sleep.  Wait.  Are you…what?!” 

 Daryl’s hand stilled under the sheet just long enough for him to hiss, groan.  “Jesus, Mason.  Think you can stop screaming in my ear?”  That was absofuckinglutely the wrong thing to say because those blue eyes flashed and caught fire, and shit.  Shit.  His hand quickly went from tugging his dick to shielding it as his partner’s small hands balled into fists, and she growled.  She fucking growled.  He was equal parts terrified and turned on.  Alright.  More like 60% terrified, 40%...

 “My kid’s…” 

 “14 going on 40 and not here.” 

  **************************

Third, teen besties Caryl AU where they both grew up with absent parents and found each other early on. 

 3. 

 “We really doing this silent treatment shit?  S’not my fault they only had one room.” 

 Carol heaved her duffel on top of the bed with a roll of her eyes, started digging through it like it held the secrets of the fuckin’ universe. 

 He wished.  Some last hurrah this was turning out to be.  Stuck in Bumfuck, Nowheresville in this Bates Motel wannabe.  With a best friend who’d sooner rip his nuts off than utter a civil word.  “Got a beer in there?” 

 “…” 

  “Shit.  Sorry.  Jesus.”

 “…”

 “Is that…That’s my shirt.  So is that…wait.”   

 “…” 

 “S’Walsh, right?  You crushin’ on me, Sweetheart?" 

 ***

 He was almost asleep, first decent forty winks he’d managed since they’d started this trash-fire trip when he heard it:  a blood-curdling scream worthy of this place’s whole Psycho ambience. 

 “Daryl!”

 The bathroom door bounced against the wall when he burst through it, practically broke his nose on the rebound, but that was all beside the point.  Two steps inside, and Carol was in his arms.  Shaking, still squealing, naked as the day she was fuckin’ born.  “Shh.  Got ya.  S’alright.  Somebody…shit.” 

 “Kill it.” 

 “A roach?  Seriously?  Thought you were bein’ murdered.” 

 “It’s prehistoric…what?” 

 “You’re so clingy.  I love it.” 

 ***

 They checked out, ended up at some Waffle House knock-off a half mile down the road that smelled like grease and maple syrup. 

 Daryl had already demolished his burger, was on the second refill of his shake before he addressed the huge fuckin’ pink elephant in the room.  “So, I saw you naked.  No big deal.” 

 Carol tugged at one of her wet curls.   “Great.  What every girl wants to hear.” 

 “Yeah, well.  Waxing poetic or some shit ‘bout your world class tits would only make things weird.” 

 “World class, huh?” 

 “Fuck.” 

 “Sharing is caring.  Now, give me your fries.” 

 ***

 “Oh.  Did I scare you, big boy?” 

 His fingers still fumbling with his half-zipped fly, Daryl scowled.  “Fuck off.” 

 Carol sighed, gathered her loose curls in one hand, lifted them from her sweaty neck.  “Would you relax?  I didn’t even see anything.” 

 Daryl remained skeptical.  “Sure?”

 This time, Carol rolled her eyes.  “Yes, I’m sure.   Want me to tear the hinges off a bathroom door next time?” 

 Daryl’s ears burned with the pointed reminder, and he joined her on the truck’s old tailgate, cast his eyes to the evening sky, their surroundings.  It was too…

 “Children of the Corn.” 

 “Stop.” 

 ***

 Fourth, Sophia finds herself in a spot of trouble. 

 4. 

“Quit stalling.  Where’s your father?” 

 Beside her, Sophia moaned into the cover of her hands.  “Mom, please.  It’s not Cade’s fault.” 

 Feeling her blood pressure tick up another notch, Carol wryly reminded her teen daughter, “Of course not.  I paid attention in health class.  It takes two.” 

 “Which makes it both their faults.” 

 The screen door slammed shut behind the man as he belatedly joined the fray, and Carol did a double take.  “Daryl?” 

 The boy’s shoulders lifted defiantly, but his blue eyes still looked just as worried. 

 “You’re Cade’s father?” 

 “Uncle,” Daryl clarified. 

 “This keeps getting better and better.” 

  ***

 Finally, because this post is too long and I'm going to have to do another one, AU.  Carol and Daryl are two neighbors not-so-secretly pining over each other, and the waiting game for one of them to make a move is killing Carol’s visiting friend Aaron.  He decides to help things along. 

  5.   

  “Hold my hand so he gets jealous.” 

 “What?  But you’re, well.”  Her cheeks almost as red in that moment as her hair, Carol couldn’t even sputter out the word. 

 Aaron, as always, was quick to bail her out of the awkward moment.  Hiding his smirk in her mad cap of curls, he took her hand in his own and pulled her against his side, ushering her quickly down the hallway to her apartment door while her neighbor—her hot, adorably awkward, single, and undeniably interested neighbor—watched.  “What Dixon doesn’t know…” 

 “But…” 

 “No buts.  Just play along.” 

 “He watching?” 

 “Definitely.” 

[stitch1830]

@authorjoydragon @krastbannert Thank you for the subtle tag my friends :)

Name: Call me Stitch! Or I suppose you can scream it like Lilo does in the movie. STIIIIIITTTCCHHH. Either works ;)

Fandoms: Basically ATLA and LOK, but I only really write stories revolving around ATLA characters.

Where do you post: I've got an ao3 account by the same username: stitch1830 and I post here on Tumblr.

Most popular multi-chapter fic: Most popular fic in general is gonna be Taang One Shots which is a series of short stories about Toph, Aang, and their family. Every chapter is it's own little story so you don't have to read every chapter, but all the chapters are related in the sense that it lives in the same AU timeline. When I finish it, the goal is to 'reupload' in chronological order lol.

Favorite story you’ve written so far: I liked writing all my stories, but I think I was pretty proud of Yan's Theme for Taangst Week. That whole week made me start to work on inner thoughts writing, and I actually felt a bit of the hopelessness that Toph and Aang felt. I didn't love writing this Tokka fic called Because, but I did love the reactions. Kind of inspired me to think of more Tokka fics.

And then I have so much fun writing for my rarepair Kantoph, so the fics I Can Listen and Pillow Talks have been really fun to write just because it's new Kantoph content and because I love the AU we've created.

If I had to pick one, it would be my Kantoph fics lol.

Fic you were nervous to post: None of them, really. It's more of a feeling of "Once I post these, it's for 'everyone'" so I don't feel the need to revisit the story unless I'm trying to figure out what I wrote well and what needs improvement. But the fic Where Am I At pulls inspiration from an original story I made up years ago, so there's a bit more personal touch to that fic than my other fics, that added some vulnerability.

How do you choose your titles: HA! How do I choose my titles...

Alliteration, key word or phrase, or a poorly executed metaphor or thingy. Once I used a song title. But yeah. They're all terrible so...

Do you outline: For some multichapter fics and potential future fics, yes! I'm trying to get better at giving the story more purpose than stringing a few cool scenes together, so that's been my main goal as of late. For one shots and quick stories, I just think of an idea and basically write it out until it feels complete.

For Taang One Shots, I've thought of 52 log lines or sentence starters for stories, but that's about the extent of planning I do for one shots/ficlets/whatever.

Complete: You know, most of my fics would be finished if it weren't for friends egging me on to continue stories! Lol.

Out of all the works I have on ao3 (including Tumblr prompts), 8/34 works are considered "incomplete."

Do you accept prompts: Yep! In fact, still have some collecting dust in my inbox (dw they're my friends they can wait). But yeah I usually reblog a list of quotes. Haven't done that in a while, but maybe I'll pick it up again, there's just a lot and sometimes I write a little too much LOL.

Upcoming story you’re most excited to write about: Hmmm... Probably my Zutara Minibang fic? That or more Kantoph. Idk, my level of excitement for each WIP changes as time goes and how much progress I've made, but I definitely want to get through as many ideas and requests as I can, and that excites me! :D

Stories you’re most excited to read: Hmmm, haven't done much reading, but anything by my good friends @thebluesunflower44 @authorjoydragon @thesavagedaughter0627 @evergreenonthehorizon @spicyswordlady @heavensweetheart @thebansheeandherboy @su-univeralai @mycomfortblanket @krastbannert I usually keep most of their fics on my TBR list, and any fics that I started reading that might be getting updates are also exciting reads for me!

The general trend for me is that I'm most excited to read stories about Tokka or Taang. And if anyone ever writes a Kantoph fic, much love, much love.

Tagging: Anyone on the above list that has fics and WIPs they wanna share, and anyone else that wishes to join! :D

‘author’ self interview

Tagged by @hawtnip 😎🥳

name: Kaytlyn. Katy or Kayty as a nickname. caandleknight as my handle on FF.N and Ao3

Fandoms: OOF. Professional at shipping the crash and burns 🤚.

- LoK, Makorra was the one that got me into fandom.

-tHG everthorne has my heart. Still hits different.

-T100 Bellarke was my obsession last year.

Lastly: clintasha (comics not really mcu), Riley/Ellie tlou. Royai from Fullmetal Alchemist, and Nalu from fairy tail.

Where do you post:

FanFiction.Net this is where I started. Posted my first everthorne on there. It was anxiety inducing.

Ao3 I bullied myself into figuring this site out lmaoo. Took some trial (learned through an email that RPF means real person fiction. I WAS NOT WRITING REAL PERSON FICTION SO WHOOPS. nearly half my stuff was taken down LOL.)

Most popular multi chapter fic: Soul of a ghost town this was the biggest thing I ever wrote—in terms of character, plot, and word count—and honestly, it gave me the confidence to believe I could write. Word counts used to haunt me. All it used to.

Favourite story you’ve written so far: Oh that’s hard.

Stories in limbo was my first attempt at multiple perspectives. A gen fic mostly but I love the motifs and flow.

Previously mentioned SoaGT^^ was my pride and joy for also previously mentioned reasons. I watched that story like a hawk, just waiting for feedback.

Panem sumebant: The ending. It came to me months after its original completion, and now, it’s so much better with the last chapter.

Idk if I’m allowed to pick more than one, but I’m proud of each of these for different reasons so-

So many times when I’m writing it starts so small… then grows and grows and doesn’t stop. SoaGT was like this—a five times this, one time that.

I have a 50k everthorne fic on the go rn that started out as a 500 word prompt. Wtf send help.

Fic you were nervous to post: My very first one, panem sumebant. The feedback I got from about three users is probably why I’m still writing. Thank you.

How do you choose your titles: often, i struggle so much with this. If I can’t find anything, look for metaphors or phrases/quotes/moments that really stick. A lyric. Maybe a language translation. I’ve never had a title drag me in. It’s almost always a struggle, and sometimes, much later, I hate said title 😭 but that’s okay. Helps me learn.

Do you outline: HA.

Quite amazing how organized I am. (These are digestible ones. The bigger they get the worse.)

Complete: often, I finish things before I post the. I’ve been that way from the start. All my Bellarke is complete (two are discontinued) All my Everthorne is complete… until suddenly I decide to add another chapter XD. Lonely Crowds, my Kanej, has the last chapter on the go but it will be finished. Idk my track record is pretty good I think.

Do you accept prompts: I’ve never been prompted, but lots I’ve made comes from discussion or picking my own prompts so I guess so.

Upcoming story you’re most excited to write: my OG work. Excited to finish lonely crowds, and I’m trying to finish these edits on everthorne but it’s kicking my ass.

stories you’re most excited to read: …everthorne. Young Royai😍 … Makorra… and the grishaverse fandom is just revving the engines so I’m really excited to watch this fandom grow. I’ve always been the person to walk into fandom after the explosions are simmering and the ship wars have devastated the masses so this will be fun.

Tagging: @rayhnetessamess , @theworldisbeautifulandcruel idkkkk too many writers 🥺🥺

Thanks Ellenka this took me forever but it was fun ❤️❤️