#when the brainrot got you so inspired you wrote a fic without meaning to

[brisquad-unit-4402]

Ao3 wrapped questions,

I choose number 4, 29 and 30

If you don't mind that is :>

4. What work of yours has the most hits?

found from time, rocking a healthy 1486 hits on ao3. i'm taking this as a sign that the fandom was in a fluff mood when it was released, a few days past valentine's. that... would explain it.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

answered here!

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

i've signed ndas and employment documents for the vsf. i legally cannot disclose this information until it's declassified to the public in 2024.

i'm kidding. i'm trying to stall before i get corny. the fact that no unit is an island, even if you try hard enough.

brisquad-unit-4402 started as a place for me to throw myself into my work as a virtual special forces unit... and to write fic on the clock. i was such a workaholic that i didn't even want to make friends, just get my fics out there and move on, since fandom interaction often scares me.

attachment is inevitable. i remember most of my regulars in my inbox by url; i do now, and i did when i first got them too. i've run writing blogs before and never have i gotten such lovely reception until now. i'm flattered and humbled and delighted! i can finally taste some fruits after working so hard on the hobby i love and i can make other people connect to it, too.

prior to this blog i wrote occasionally and rarely published. now i don't think i've gone more than two weeks without writing. the last time i counted my yearly words across wips and published, i had a word count of 96k. ~30k of those were published.

this year, the brisquadunit4402 ao3 account alone has 80,367 words published. that's not even counting the tumblr blog's headcanons, scenarios, brainrot, and other posts that weren't crossposted to ao3. that's not counting my tumblr drafts either. or my wips on my actual vsf document readers. i haven't counted all of them yet, and 200k sounds ambitious. not quite possible. but i wouldn't be surprised if my word count this year has pushed over that line.

i reiterate that no unit is an island; i would not had the pace nor motivation to break so many of my barriers if i hadn't made friends with others within nijiblr. prosthetics comes to mind as a fic that never would have been conceptualized much less written if i didn't have a friend to talk with, and would not be as meaningful as it is to me without them either. the people i've gotten to know have given me so much drive to work on projects, and fics, and the meanings behind those fics. many of the platonic relationships in stars above your skin were inspired by real discussions i've had with friends made through nijiblr. that's not even to mention the anons and the non-anonymous users that hop into my inbox. some of the fics i'm most proud of are requests. comments has inspired me to write more. everyone that has visited my blog was a note in an orchestra

and of course it feels good to just have someone that understands what it's like to be a little ol unit in a little ol blog

i'm very surprised by the community i've found and i'm very surprised how fundamental finding that community was to my own improvement and exploration as a writer. i have a lot of love for my people. i don't think surprise is strong enough of a word to describe this. it's 3:05 am and you're not hearing this again

[genshrineimpact]

Can you imagine during archon war we were like the most scariest, powerful god in it?

The Harbinger of Death, goddess of lost war, brutalz bloody battles, plaques and hunger (anything to do with war basically that happens during and after that's not glorified) so the archon war is causing them to become even more powerful.

Being known as merciless God who kills anyone in their way causes weaker god's to be terrified but at the same, some brave souls seek protection. And surprisingly they get it, because reader is a softie.

Morax in turn is desperate for some allies. Due to him gaining the geo gnosis, he put a massive cross on his back. He has guizhong and osail, but it's not enough to protect his people.

So he comes up with a plan to court the worst possible option - the most powerful bloody god that celestia was considering to become the god of death (because with amount of death in the war, death domain needed someone to look over it)

It doesn't help that he had a massive crush after meeting us on the battlefield and seeing how we help our wounded soldiers and being good leader and deity.

So starts the awkward tries of more rough around the edges, young and hormonal Morax to court us, while ozial and guizhong are trying to change his mind.

slfkslfks holy shit i- never thought about this concept but hhhhhhh

help this turned into a fic before i realized-

ps. not proofread, this is literally word vomit and i haven't reread it yet cause my lunch break's over lsdjflskd

⬙⤠ masterlist ⤝⬙

you're the god of war, known for your merciless nature and prowess in battle. you're offered the finest wine, battle armors of the fallen, the biggest livestock. each year a hunting competition is celebrated across your nation, with many people joining in to prove themselves to you, a chance for them to show their loyalty and perhaps be granted your blessings in return.

you feed from the hopelessness in your enemies' eyes, the tear of their battle wills, the blood spilled upon your people's weapons. you are the definition of fear and morbid, and your people hold an equal amount of respect and fear towards you. the gods fear you and scorn you but they're afraid to cross your path because they know you're perfectly capable to crush them under your feet if you so desire.

but what most fail to realize is that although you are the personification of ruin itself, you're secretly drawn to everything that's on the opposite spectrum of your nature, but you're so afraid to indulge yourself because what can your battle-scarred hands do besides destroying everything they touch? they don't realize that your fierceness stems from your wish to protect your people. they don't realize that you wish for a company, someone strong enough to stand by your side, someone who wouldn't crumble from your fierceness yet treasures your weaknesses, someone whom you can trust wholeheartedly without fearing that you might get stabbed on your back the moment you let your guard down. they don't realize that you despise having to enjoy the offerings alone....

enter rex lapis, god of contracts, whose prowess falls just a little short below you. but what rex lapis misses, he makes up with his wit and the companions who support him from behind the scenes. rex lapis, like the other gods, fear you and see you as a threat to their people, because in his eyes you're just this thirsty warmonger who thrives upon the deaths of the innocents.... or, well, that is, until he sees you personally mourning over the deaths of your people. immediately, he's intrigued. but he dares not to intrude on your moment of solitude, afraid that he would provoke you if you discover him seeing you in your most vulnerable state. the image stays at the back of his mind, and both guizhong and osial notice how he always fall silent whenever your name comes up.

it isn't until the archon war that he proposes an idea to make an alliance with you. obviously guizhong disagrees and starts listing off the cons of doing so, being his trusted strategist. osial thinks he's gone crazy, and he departs with a snarl and a disbelieving shake of head when the god of contracts tries to explain his reasons. guizhong tries to persuade him otherwise, because there are millions of ways that this could go wrong, and because she has tried to reach out to you in the past but was turned away. you clearly do not want to associate yourself with anyone in the first place. and rex lapis knows that his friend is, as always, correct - but his rational side wavers when he remembers the pained sobs that left your lips and the tears falling down your cheeks.

"nonetheless, we should still try. i have a hunch they will turn out to be different than the rumors."

guizhong starts re-explaining again from the top, and for once rex lapis does not listen.

the next time he dives into battle, the thought plagues his mind, alongside osial's betrayal. maybe that's why he was unable to realize that guizhong was in danger. why he was unable to react in time when his mind's eye connects the trajectory of the blade with the positions of his people. by the time he realizes what was going on, guizhong is already plummeting towards the ground, straight towards your troops' formation.

he's moving on pure instinct when he speeds over towards his friend, he knows it's utter foolishness to appear before the enemy's territory, especially in his frazzled state. he braces for enraged yells and blades sinking upon his skin, he prepares to retreat- and yet everything is silent with the exception of the sound of war in the background. he looks up and sees you, looking down at them with a stoic expression on your face, so different from his memory. the nefarious nicknames flash beyond his eyes, and he grips guizhong's body protectively, draconic eyes glaring up at you, a silent warning.

to his utter shock, your eyes soften. or perhaps it was just his imagination? because you've closed them before he could examine it further, and when you turn towards your generals, your voice is as authoritative and cold as ever, sending shivers down his spine.

but no, it must have not been a fever dream, because you're telling your troops to march forward and conduct themselves along with his troops. you tell them to protect his people and to fully assist his soldiers.

"why?" he asks, and his voice is soft and cracked against the deafening song of the battlegrounds, but still you turn towards him and watch as your gaze falls to the goddess of dust.

"she gave me a flower, once."

it's thousands of years later that rex lapis realizes, as he gazes upon you admiring the first glaze lily that your people managed to cultivate - perhaps it was that single sentence that finally broke the walls he's set around his heart. he casts a forlorn look towards the sea stretching beyond the harbor and the dust dancing in the air under the bright sun.

if only they could see him now. if only they could see you now.

"i told you they would be different from the rumors."

he winces when a speck of dust enters his eyes and chuckles when you start fussing over him, your touch gentle as you examine his teary eyes.

yes, very different indeed.