#I write more of her in my longfic I'm working on
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if there is one piece of advice that i could offer writers that aspire to get traditionally published, is that when people say the industry is wholly subjective, they are 100% correct and coming to terms with this is the difference between continuing on and just breaking.
whenever i'm not getting automated rejection messages, agents who actually take the time to explain why they're passing on the manuscript (a HUGE rarity but i've been lucky this round) makes you realize real quick that it really does boil down to "actually, i just didn't vibe with it".
i keep seesawing between wanting to scrap or keep my opening chapters, and so far it's been pretty 50/50 between there's too much going on, and, there's not enough going on on most of these rejections.
the most bewildering comment i've gotten so far was that there wasn't enough worldbuilding in the opening chapters. not enough worldbuilding. in a horror novel. a contemporary horror novel. something that goes against every standard regardless of genre.
like, zoinks scoob. it's all good. i'm confused, but we're chill about it.
#text tag.#it's this nebulous sort of trend where agents want 'fanfic style' works and while that's all well and good#you have no idea how hard it was to unlearn that kind of style in order to write something more 'traditional'.#i recently got into writing longfic again to pass the time while in the trenches and it's just so DIFFERENT--#like writing two different genres despite writing the same genre. if that makes sense.#if you want three chapter's worth of backstory i'll give it to you idc but i'm so perplexed#that her exact wording was 'yeah it needs more of that boring stuff nobody writes nowadays'#this woman is a pretty big name from a pretty big agency too i trust she knows what has sellable appeal etc etc#but it was a very interesting glance into how this is all going down internally. driving home the point that yeah. it's all subjective#and nothing but a numbers game.#my second word of advice for writers is to hyperfixate on something else and each blow will make you shrug and go write porn.
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My brain says oneshot. My heart says 50k+ strangers-to-friends-to-lovers longfic.
Writing is a dangerous game.
#writing#fic writing#my life be like#Pix is once again being vague about her work#but this time it's mostly because I can't tell if this is even gonna work#let alone be anything more than a oneshot#so i kinda need to get my motivation to show up to work so i can poke things#possibly write it down on paper and see if that works better#plus like#i still have another longfic i'm supposed to be working on that's not finished#so i should really do that first#buuuuuuut heart wants to not
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ruby i need help writing sexy smut please
Okay! This one might be long, so buckle up:
(also, this is just my personal preference and how I approach smut)
I like to separate smut into two categories: the emotionally charged one and the more technical/physical one.
Ideally, you'd want around 50/50 of each, but that will always depend on what you're trying to achieve.
Example:
- When I write oneshots, I tend to go for the physicality of it as I'm usually exploring tropes/kinks in under 3k words. I will describe what's going on with their bodies and how they explore each other physically and react to thos (possibly) new kink. This is not to say my oneshots are void of emotions from whichever character's POV I choose. I still dive briefly into their emotions as a means to contextualise the scene and set the pace. I'd say it's around 80/20.
- For longfics (such as The Arrangement), it's paramount that I prioritise emotions and feelings while pairing it with the act itself. Since I'm writing from Tav's POV, it's important to show readers how she feels about them being together so intimately again. And I don't mean how she feels about having his fingers inside her, for example, but rather how the entire moment feels. It's about exploring body and mind, if you will. I try to keep it at 50/50, but it depends on the context of the scene itself.
Now, with that out of the way: more is more. Describe everything that feels appropriate. Sure, if you just mean to rush through the scene, there is no need and no one will dislike it for it. But if you want that added layer of emersion (which, to me, is essential) then you should try to describe the act itself.
Case in point:
- He undid your shirt and gazed at the exposed skin.
vs
- His fingers moved to the top button of your shirt, undoing it slowly as his hand travelled down your torso, working on exposing your flushed skin to his prying gaze with each expert tug.
See the difference? Which one do you enjoy the most? The first example can be used. This is not right vs wrong. I am simply showing how more is more when it comes to smut. Again it will always depend on what you're trying to achieve and how comfortable you feel. Some people just want to rush through the smut scenes.
Hope this helps 🩷
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"no body, no crime" ; f!reader/osamu miya
Osamu has heard people say it's not the dark itself that anyone's scared of, it's what could be waiting inside it. He thinks that what all fear boils down to, ultimately — exposure to the unknown. (Osamu has never been afraid of the dark, but now he sees it in your eyes.)
w/c: 1.6k ; fluff angst idk, vibes
c/w: involuntary unaliving (you and Osamu are fine, dw), abusive relationship (ditto)
a/n: just a little break from the two (TWO!! What was I thinking!) longfics I'm outlining/writing. the banner doesn't match the vibe of the fic tbh, but I just love how it came out lol, look how cute the little skull is
The lightbulb dims and flickers.
Onigiri Miya’s kitchen is plunged into a strange, incandescent twilight; and Osamu pauses mid-step, despite the heavy stack of freshly washed plates in his arms.
He’s never been scared of the dark. But there’s something unsettling about the way the space is transformed so easily; how this blurring of the line between light and shadow makes everything that had been familiar not a second ago, seem uncanny.
Osamu sees you look up from the sink you’re cleaning, the motion made staccato by the flickering bulb.
“We really need to replace that thing,” you huff, face obscured by the shadows. “It’s creepy.”
You’re silhouetted against the window above the sink; looking out on the narrow, deserted street behind the restaurant— more a glorified alley than not. It’s dark out, past eleven. The glow from the closest streetlight barely reaches.
“Ya don’t need to be scared when I’m here,” Osamu says with a grin, as he moves towards the rack. “Gonna protect you from the ghosts an’ all.”
The bulb stabilises, and now he has a clear view of the way you roll your eyes at him. “Oh, so our restaurant is haunted now?”
The plates clink as Osamu puts them away, louder than usual in the silence. “I’ve got a Bluebeard type operation going on here, ya see. Really think you’re my first girlfriend?”
You laugh as you return your attention to the sink. “Wow, shame you didn’t open with that line on the first date.” The steel wool makes harsh, scraping squeals as you scrub. “Nothing like reminding a girl her date could be a murderer. Makes everything a little more exciting.”
“Noted for my next victim,” he concedes. “And I’ll order a new bulb when we get home. Didn’t think it was makin’ ya that uncomfortable.”
You smile gratefully at him over your shoulder as you turn on the faucet and give the sink a final rinse. “We need some new knives too. Those kids you were training for the part time work really wore out the ones we have now.”
Osamu nods. “You okay to finish up and meet me outside? I’ll start pullin’ down the shutters.”
You agree, just like you always do.
Emi would fit right in with those ghosts that (did not) haunt Onigiri Miya.
You’re sitting with her at the only occupied table. There’s a light rain tonight, and the raindrops pattering against the windows drown out what little conversation he would have been able to hear from the counter.
She’s a wisp of a woman, huddled under a mud-coloured cardigan that blends into the restaurant’s wood panelling. She sits incredibly still. Her long, dark hair hangs loose around a pale and unmemorable face. Barely there. Almost a trick of the light.
Osamu watches as you take her hand, telling her something urgently. She never raises her eyes from her lap. Her shoulders are hunched, but her face is impassive.
He wonders what she’s thinking.
“Who’s Sadako over there?” Atsumu asks, reaching for another rice ball.
Osamu slaps his hand away. “Are ya paying for any of that? This ain’t a soup kitchen. And lord, yer rude.”
Atsumu withdraws sulkily. “Stingy.”
It’s easy to tell what Atsumu’s thinking. He says everything that crosses his mind; but even when he doesn’t, it’s written all over his face. Growing up with him, Osamu had to learn that people could lie; and lie well.
That woman looks pitiful, is what Atsumu is thinking right now, glancing over his shoulder with furrowed brows. Is she okay?
“That’s her friend,” Osamu says. “From college. Emi.”
“Yeah? What’s her problem?”
“Shitty boyfriend.”
“I thought you were dating—”
Osamu smacks him upside the head.
The new light bulbs come in. Osamu replaces the one in the kitchen, but it still flickers.
He expects you to comment, make a joke about ghosts; but you just keep scrubbing the sink. You haven’t said much at all, today.
The steel wool screams. Osamu’s worried you’ll cut through your gloves.
“Hey,” he says, because he’s not sure what else he can say, “Easy.”
You start, as if jerked out of a trance. “Sorry.”
The silence after, where you stand with your head hanging over the sink, too far away for him to touch, is suffocating and cavernous all at once. He’s afraid to say the wrong thing, and having to watch it echo and bounce, amplifying itself into something grotesque.
“Emi will get justice. They’ll find out who did it.”
You turn on him so suddenly, so violently, that he instinctively takes a step back; even though you’re half his size.
“I know who did it, it was him,” you spit, face venomous and unfamiliar. “If the police would just listen to me and Emi’s sister—”
“He has an alibi,” Osamu reminds you gently. “There’s no proof.”
You blink, and seem to deflate. “Right, no proof. The police can’t do anything.” You chew on your thumbnail as you mumble, speaking more to yourself than to him, the rest of your fingers curled in a fist.
Your anger seems to have evaporated in an instant, quick as the flickering light. You’re you again. At least, that’s what he wants to believe.
He needs to fix that light. It’s making you look damn scary.
Emi’s sister comes by to see you a lot, after they find the body. Osamu’s not sure what you speak to her about. He’s also not sure why he feels like he shouldn’t ask.
It’s been gnawing at him, lately. This feeling of not sure, not knowing. It's always present, always sapping at his strength. It’s the real ghost in Onigiri Miya, only he’s not sure who it’s haunting— him, or you.
You seem different. He finds himself watching you from a distance, trying to understand what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling. It used to be easy; a language he was fluent in.
Now, his tongue feels rusty. He can never find the words that feel right.
You don’t speak as much as you did before, either. The silence after closing used to be warm and comfortable, the time he got to spend with you at the end of a bustling day. But now it isn’t calming. It’s tense, as if he’s constantly waiting for something to explosively fill it in.
There’s just you.
“Osamu, what time is it?” you ask, stripping off your gloves. “Could you check my phone? It’s right next to you.”
He looks at you curiously. You usually left it out front with his, charging under the register. Why the change? He can’t bring himself to ask.
“Osamu.” Your voice is stretched taut.
He swallows and hastily taps at your screen. “Ten.” It’s later than he expected.
“Okay.” You take a deep breath. “Is it okay with you if I leave a little early? Emi’s sister invited me to dinner. I forgot to tell you. It’s at eleven. I want to go home and get ready.”
The photographs the detectives showed you at the restaurant last week flash through his mind. He’d wanted to pummel the man for upsetting you that much. “I don’t want you walkin’ alone—”
“I’ll be fine. It’s only ten.”
Osamu notices you don’t wait for him to agree as you gather your things into your purse.
Emi’s boyfriend is missing.
Osamu doesn’t tell the police the knives they’re taking away are almost brand new.
He doesn’t tell them that you took the old ones to the recycling centre two weeks ago.
He tells them you left the restaurant at ten, and that it was eleven thirty when he finished; a little later than usual, but that was to be expected— he didn’t have your help, after all.
He doesn’t tell them it should have been well past midnight.
You don’t say anything at all, merely watching the detective as you wash out the splattered soy stains on a napkin a clumsy customer had been using. The water runs brown.
He can't get Atsumu's words out of his head.
‘Is everything alright between you two?’
Osamu is watching you clean the sink again. He should be mopping the floor tonight, but he finds himself rooted to the spot.
‘Sorry, I don't mean to be nosy.”
You turn on the faucet, washing away the soap with a face that’s far too serious for what you’re doing.
‘She just looks like there’s something on her mind lately.’
Did you? Osamu doesn’t know anymore. When did you start feeling like a stranger?
He doesn’t want it to be like this. “I haven’t seen Emi’s sister around—” he starts.
“We decided to stop seeing each other,” you reply, never turning back. “Too painful. For both of us.”
You never told him that. He tries to convince himself it’s only because he didn’t ask, but he never had to, before. Osamu realises he doesn’t even know the sister’s name.
The faucet shuts off, but you just stand there, palms resting on the edge of the sink, head hanging over it. Despite everything, his heart wrenches. When he reaches out to touch your shoulder, you don’t tense like he’d been expecting— like he’d been afraid of.
No, you lean into his touch; and he finds the courage to gently pull you back, turn you to face him. You look at him, really look, for the first time in days. Osamu can’t imagine how he could think your face would ever be unfamiliar to him.
The moment is perfect. He could pretend everything is fine now, he thinks. It wouldn’t even be that hard. He doesn’t know why he doesn’t just ask you to meet him outside, while he gets started on the shutters.
He doesn’t know why he says, “Is there something… I should know?”
Something changes.
Your mouth is a straight line. Neutral.
Impassive.
Just like Emi.
The light bulb flickers.
please like/reblog/reply if you enjoyed :)
[my other fics]
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not obligated to answer this but if you have anymore thoughts about alex sdv (or stardew valley at all) please share. i am obsessed with alex
Oh hell yeah anon you've activated my current hyperfixation 😁 I have a google doc where I'm dropping my headcanons and a bulleted timeline for a Alex/m!farmer longfic I've been writing in my head that's up to about 13 pages now ahaha so here's a few things!!
When he first moved to Pelican Town he was actually really quiet and reserved because he was still grieving heavily, so he never really got close to the other kids. He talks about how he played gridball with his mom so I think once he got the chance to play that in school (in another town no doubt) I think he came out of his shell then and made some friends, but all those friends lived far enough away that after graduating high school he's been pretty lonely and never could connect with the other people his own age in town.
He never goes into the saloon to my knowledge prior to the 10-heart event dinner scene, so I headcanon that it's because he doesn't drink alcohol and doesn't want the temptation to try it. I don't remember if it's said explicitly but I got the impression his dad's abuse stemmed from being drunk so I imagine Alex refuses to touch the stuff out of both principle and fear of becoming like his father one day.
I said it in another post but I headcanon him as gay and suffering comphet. He's built himself up as this cool popular guy, so he tries to emulate the sexist straight guys he's seen in movies but there's absolutely nothing behind it. He says something rude to a girl and then is like uhhh (shit what now) bye! 😅 I want to think that in getting to know the farmer he not only does away with that facade but also gets more comfortable in his sexuality!!
and on a sidenote to the above: I hc most of the town as gay or bi and I am toying with the idea of Abby being transfem! Sam/Seb is a given, and maaaybe they're in a poly relationship with Abby but I'm still undecided!! I like Maru/Penny as a concept but need to marinate on that a bit more, I see them always sitting together and it makes me happy but I need to think more on how they met and what their relationship would be like. I don't have anything solid yet in terms of other characters' gender or sexuality headcanons exactly, other than Caroline and Jodi being bi and desperately yearning to run away together 🥰
But back to Alex!! With how his storyline goes of trying to impress others with his jock persona, then trying to switch gears and be super booksmart, I headcanon that he gets close to the farmer via the farmer tutoring him so he can take a community college placement test. :3 My thought for why he's in the rut he's in is that he wanted to play college gridball but his grades in high school were so bad he has done nothing with himself since graduation and has just been stagnating and becoming more and more bitter (which only amps up his shitty attitude when the player first meets him). So trying to get educated is doubly good for him because he can work toward his sports dream (in a way) and try to impress the farmer. Though of course, the thing that brings them closer is Alex learning to be true to himself 😊
This is getting long, so last thing: he's actually a really well-rounded homemaker but does not even think about it really. George has been disabled for a long time, so all of the handy work around the house has to be handled by Alex, and he's so eager to help out his grands. :3 They put a roof over his head so of course he'll climb up onto it to fix the leaks when it rains! Evelyn is always cooking and baking and Alex is so soft for his granny he has been in the kitchen helping her for as long as he's lived with them, so he's actually got a real talent for cooking and baking too! One of the first things he learned after moving in with them was the proper way to set a table, and the best way to wash dishes efficiently. He's spent enough time at Haley's house having no chemistry with the poor girl, but found Emily's whole sewing setup really fascinating and she taught him to mend the holes in his letterman jacket when he asked so he knows how to hand sew! These are all skills that he has but doesn't recognize as skills, he just inherently has this desire to help the people in his life so he picks up this and that to make it easier!
Anyway! Thank you for letting me ramble 😄 Alex is really sweet and soft underneath the mask he wears, and he's been rotating in my head for the last few months hehe
I had bought sdv when it came out but barely touched it, and started it up again on a whim earlier this year and I'm so glad I did!! I really adore the game and it's bringing me a lot of joy currently 🥺
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I found This is About a Stuffed Bird bc of you and its one of my favorite fics ever. Do you by chance have more suggestions?
hermitcraft/mcyt fic recs? :0 let's go!!
i get a lot of my fic recs from other friends since i don't really go out and search on my own all too much for this fandom. but there are lots of great works out here! i will be listing out some of my favorites :3 mostly hc but a couple general mcyt ones that i think are an excellent read no matter what. all of the fics i'm listing will be genfic without ships!
also i just realized a lot of my bookmarks are grian-centric which is funny i guess because i am admittedly quite picky about content of my other favorites and grian just tends to have the most content in the fanbase. hope that'll be alright
(i hope some of my friends and mutuals don't mind me tagging them for their works)
hermitcraft longfics:
the last days of the free angel of carrows by @theminecraftbee - loved stuffed bird? here's another great longfic by second! this one is about joe and cleo in an urban fantasy mystery setting. again, second writes our beloved hermits into an captivating au!
leaping and hopping on a moonshadow by @lunarblazes - a fantasy au by luna my beloved! pearl suddenly gains magical powers and goes on a quest to find her long-lost friend grian who might know what's happening to her. she meets a lot of familiar faces along the way!
Recall by @redwinterroses - hey, i was the artist for this one! :D mumbo goes missing, so grian and scar search for him. they find that grumbot has been up to some... things along the way. the fic isn't finished but i think the chapters red put out is worth a read if you don't mind leaving off on a cliffhanger because it really is super interesting
dramaturgy by wormcity - a universe where gem and pearl join in a season 7 that was never finished. mumbo became the mayor, but the turf war went so very wrong afterwards. admittedly i have not finished reading this yet because ummm short on time xD but it's super interesting with a lot of layers of drama(turgy hahaha)!
hermitcraft short fics/oneshots:
for trying. by @autistic-evil-xisuma - a stuffed bird universe oneshot of x and xisuma during their lab days. great if you want to be sad over the doomed brothers again :D
the wheels on the bus by sparxwrites - a hilarious post-s8 oneshot about grian being a little shit towards the watchers. one of the first fics i've read from this fandom and i still love it
a body is an object by ruffboi - grian is a mimic, and pearl's arrival in s8 shakes him up. she hasn't seen him in a while and is quite upset to learn that the grian she knew died a long time ago. a great read for familial connections and conflict of friendships!
Goatman and the Rift by TheDepressedCanary - doc's eldritch powers start acting up when the rift appears. what shenanigans will ensue?
other mcyt fics/crossovers:
late at night, when the stars don't look quite right by @lunarblazes - an excellent empires s1 and hermitcraft crossover longfic, where grian lands into the server and is discovered by pearl! very great worldbuilding and relationships, i especially love the dynamic between gri and pearl and pearl and gem :D
every new discovery is just a reminder by amaranthinecanicular - grian begins pulling alternate versions of the hermits from the life series into the server. he does save a lot of them, but at what cost? it does end on a cliffhanger but this is genuinely one of the most captivating oneshots i've ever read... argghhh
The Fair and the Brave and the Good by @slashmagpie - an afterlife smp longfic centered around the shelby, scott, and sausage. i have never watched afterlife smp before in my LIFE and this is still one of my favorite pieces of literature ever. the characters and worldbuilding is impeccable and perfect if you like something dark with themes of hope and renewal.
Two Can Keep a Secret (If One of Them is Red) by anonymous secretmcblog - a 3L oneshot! ren suspects grian has stockholm syndrome with his pact to stay with scar, but his expectations are wrong. a truly excellent read and one of them first fics i've read! i still go back to reread it from time to time
dog at the door by fluffy_papaya & iamsolarflare - a longfic where doc and ren take a trip on a van on their way to s8. ren, however, is not quite himself, and doc has to learn to befriend the red king.
devil town is colder in the summertime by @bananasofthorns - a oneshot from a 100hsmp/life series d&d au! team BEST ventures into a cursed evil fucked up forest. uh oh.
Interview with the Aftermath by @ranchersrevenge (wanderlasts) - the last life contestants are invited for an interview. the responses vary greatly.
stars, smoke, and stolen car keys by wormcity - a 100hsmp modern au oneshot where grian, scar, and joel go on a hike. it doesn't go quite as they expected.
the beehive state by amaranthinecanicular - a dsmp oneshot after wilbur moves to utah. tommy visits him, and the two reconnect. i have to say i stopped following dsmp a long time ago but this fic made me BAWL. i don't even think you need to know any of the characters that well to really enjoy just how amazing the writing itself is
Can't Go Back (This Time) by @duckmumbo (musicaltvbooks) - soup group goes end raiding and accientally finds themselves in afterlife smp. nothing goes wrong, surely! also admittedly i havent finished reading this either but roy i swear i will. this is a great read nevertheless and the soup group dynamic is impeccable!
TommyInnit's unbeatable method of avoiding sudden death by eneliii - on the train of dsmp fics, this is the superhero au longfic that inspired my own hc superhero au, vdhau. it's a lot of funny shenanigans with tommy and his friends. the fic does take a dark turn at the end, but that can be skipped entirely (as said by eneli herself) if you just want the wholesome aspects.
if you don't mind a little self promo, here are some of my fics!
it takes two to play (the game of mutual secrecy) - the aforementioned hermitcraft hero au. this installment is centered around xisuma and evil x as brothers resolving their issues through hero work and solving the mystery of welsknight's disappearance :D there are other works that are set in the same universe if you're interested for more!
how to form the ultimate besties dynamic: an unreliable tutorial by hypnotizd - a oneshot! hypno is a warlock who goes treasure hunting under the sea. he meets a guardian who later becomes his unlikely friend.
smoke and mirrors, the hunt perseveres - grian's arrival in empires s2 unwittingly brings the watchers' suspicions with him. cue jimmy freaking out and a lot of shenanigans.
ballad of etho’s lab - my newest installment! a oneshot about etho's storied life as the redstone god.
i'm also currently working on the sequel to the game of mutual secrecy and a new (well not exactly new since i made concept art for it) au called private detective gem tasey! these will likely be released sometime late january or february. have fun with these fic recs! i haven't been reading as much lately but i hope ill be able to find more if anyone else asks in the future. cheers!
edit: the fics are out! here they are!
hiding in plain sight (the meaning of trust) - sequel to the hermitcraft hero au! it follows an escaped lab rat trying to acquaint themselves with human society while avoiding suspicion and making friends with familiar faces from tgms ;D
private detective gem tasey: a rotten mystery in london - a hermitcraft detective au where gem gets hired for a case that spirals completely into drama and politics!
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Puzzlefic Recs
These Days We Celebrate / Reconfiguration by Phoebeus
Original synopsis: “Originally a series of canon-compliant stories spanning the six month gap between the defeat of Pegasus and the arrival of Otogi, it now includes a branch-off story that changes the climax of the Millennium World arc and explores what would have happened if Atem had gotten his own body a month prior to leaving for Egypt. [Manga-canon, Puzzleshipping]”
Type: Series of oneshots + one multichap longfic
Word count: 300k+ altogether
Rating: G/T/E
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Times read: 3 times for the whole series, at least 5 or 6 for Reconfiguration specifically
Standout characters/aspects: Yuugi's mom & Honda
Notes: The holy grail. The puzzle fic to end all puzzle fics. Nothing beats it. It aligns almost 98% with my personal headcanons, & the small things we disagree on are contextualized in a way that makes sense in the story. Yuugi's mom is iconic in this story, & my own interpretations of her lean heavily on her portrayal in this series.
Haunted House Sweet Home by InkFlavored
Original synopsis: “Yugi doesn't believe in ghosts. He never has and, up until now, he thought he never would. But when he moves into his new apartment, things start disappearing, doors start slamming, and an ancient crown has it out for him. He's forced to face reality: he's living in a haunted house. But will he be ‘living’ there for long?”
Type: Multichap longfic
Word count: 150k+
Rating: T
Warnings: Mention of eventual major character death, brief mention of eventual Yuugi/Atem/fem OC in final chapter
Status: Complete
Times read: Probably 3ish
Standout characters/aspects: Feriha (fem OC) has a very small part, but she is integrated in a well-thought-out manner & quite likable.
Notes: This fic takes a lot of normal aspects of ygo like “cursed object” and “troubled king” and gives them a new spin! Bonus points for writing an OC villain who works as well as Hazim does.
Egyptology Exercises / All This We Do in the Name of Ma’at by Nedjemet
Original synopsis: “My attempt at redoing Yu-Gi-Oh with a focus on character development, magic, and historical accuracy instead of card games. While this is technically a series, "All This We Do in the Name of Ma'at" functions as a standalone story. All of the other stories are just in-universe follow ups to show what the characters got up to after the story was over. These shorts largely function as stand alones, too, since Ma'at follows cannon very closely in the important ways. All of the stories are ordered loosely in terms of when they occured. You can read them in any order.
All of the Egyptology is heavily researched and I did my best to get it right. If something is off and you have a source, please send it my way!
All of the stuff in modern Japan has minimal research done and is more for flavor than anything else. I'm going for anime-level accuracy with that, not realism.”
Type: Multichap longfic + a couple of shorter multichap fics + bonus work diving into the Egyptology research used in the fics
Word count: 200k+ altogether
Rating: T/M/E
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Times read: Twice for All This We Do in the Name of Ma’at, probably 5-6 times for the two sequel fics
Standout characters/aspects: Nedjemet’s research on the Egyptology aspects is very impressive
Notes: Really good! The main fic is quite plot & research heavy tho, so I find myself revisiting the two shorter follow-up fics more often. More fluff than substance for me.
The Last Puzzle by Tenderwulf
Original synopsis: “11 years after the Ceremonial Duel, Atem and Bakura inexplicably find themselves back in Domino. When they meet their previous hosts, they realize how much things have changed: Yuugi, the now world-renowned King of Games, is going through a marriage crisis, Ryou is struggling to balance studies, work, and his brittle mental health, and Malik... well, Malik is living his best life—and his own yami is nowhere to be seen.
They soon realize they all have to work together in order to solve the mystery of the yamis’ return: some to make sure that they stay, and some to make sure that they don't.”
Type: Multichap longfic
Word count: 300k+
Rating: T
Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence
Status: Ongoing
Other ships: Tendershipping [Bakura Ryou/Yami Bakura], past Peachshipping [Mazaki Anzu/Mutou Yuugi]
Times read: 1
Standout characters/aspects: Yami Bakura’s character development is stellar.
Notes: Very good, altho I confess that I’m slightly more interested in the puzzle storyline than the tender story (which happens to be the main plot lol). Very much worth reading.
Keep the Light Shining by Clydeside
Original synopsis: “Yugi's new job as a lighthouse keeper sounds simple enough... until he realizes he's not entirely alone on the remote island: a dark spirit haunts Crawford Sound.
It lingers like a shadow in the night.
It watches, and it waits.
The past keepers warned of an inescapable terror, but as the days turn into weeks, Yugi begins to think it's not the ghost he ought to fear.”
Type: Multichap longfic
Word count: 50k+
Rating: M
Warnings: Major character death (Atem is already a ghost)
Status: Complete
Times read: 3
Standout characters/aspects: Worldbuilding!!!! This story is so gorgeously atmospheric
Notes: Please please please read Keep the Light Shining, it’s so good. The horror aspects combined with the romance and mystery aspects are so well-balanced.
Lineament by Zuzeca
Original synopsis: “Once seven, now three. A broken Pendant, a crumbling empire, and tugging at the seams of reality, hints of a sinister power returning. His faith in destiny strained past breaking, newly-crowned-and-deposed Pharaoh Set makes the questionable decision to try and solve the Millennium Puzzle with magic. As it goes with magic, his efforts are rewarded…but not quite in the way he expected.”
Type: Multichap longfic
Word count: 50k+
Rating: M
Warnings: Major character death (Ghost Atem again)
Status: Complete
Other ships: Logicshipping [Priestess Isis/Priest Seto]
Times read: 3
Standout characters/aspects: Set & Isis are very interesting & well-developed characters here.
Notes: Really interesting twist on the whole series. Somewhat of a time travel fic, but in a much more satisfying and less cheesy way than most.
Snake Charmer by InkFlavored
Original synopsis: “Prompts: ‘Wow, my pet snake looks so cute this morning and I’d be even happier if I actually had a pet snake.’ & ‘You curse under your breath in a foreign language and I know I shouldn’t be turned on but I totally am.’
Type: Oneshot
Word count: 20k+
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Times read: 5
Standout characters/aspects: Osiris the snake is an icon
Notes: 100% fluff. Cute snake. Utterly delightful.
Cut Off / Whiskey, No Chaser by InkFlavored
Original synopsis: “Few people choose a day during the week to drink away their problems at a bar downtown. Most people wait until the weekend, content to simmer with their issues until Friday. Others do it at home with friends, and without worrying about how they're supposed to get home in time for work in the morning. All in all, it's rare that someone walks into a bar on a weeknight at ten-thirty to start drinking.
But that's exactly what happened to Atem.”
Type: Two multichap longfics
Word count: 100k+ combined
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Other ships: Past rivalshipping [Mutou Yuugi/Kaiba Seto]
Times read: 2
Standout characters/aspects: Great way of showing how Atem becomes part of the friend group
Notes: It’s cute! Not InkFlavored’s best work, but all of their stuff is worth reading.
Macchiato Incommunicado by InkFlavored
Original synopsis: “Prompt: ‘my favorite coffee shop is closed for the day so i have to find somewhere else where i can get my overly-advanced pretentious order and i found the place where you work and now i never use the other place anymore because even though you always serve my drink with a “what the fuck has normal coffee ever done to you”-sigh you're really cute and i'd like to go out with you.’
Type: Oneshot
Word count: 15k+
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Times read: 3
Standout characters/aspects: Points to everyone else in this fic for putting up with Yuugi & Atem’s stupid bullshit.
Notes: Pretty good interpretation of the dreaded miscommunication plot and the cliché coffee shop AU.
The First Leaves That Fall by Clydeside
Original synopsis: “When Yugi arrives in Yubari to settle the last of his grandfather’s affairs, he finds a mountain village in quiet decline. Most people have left for the city, buildings are crumbling, and nature grows dense and wild against its outskirts.
But among those who remain, superstition abounds, and they all offer the same advice:
Stay out of the forest.
Yugi, however, is intrigued. By the puzzle of its shifting paths. The riddle of a wind that speaks, if he listens.
And, perhaps most of all, by the stranger who always shows him the way out before dark.
Or: Yugi falls hard for the local cryptid. Not everyone is cool about it.”
Type: Multichapter longfic
Word count: 40k+
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Ongoing
Times read: 1
Standout characters/aspects: Honda & Miho are really great friends, and bonus points for local Shinto priest Bakura, who is as ominous and strange as ever.
Notes: I love this fic!!!! Again, Clyde is the best at writing spooky & atmospheric stories. I can’t wait to see what really happened in Yubari to make the nature spirits (including Atem) so angry.
Chained to You by SajiSpellhart
Original synopsis: “Taking place after the events of Season Zero, all the shadow games happened but Yugi never found out he was possessed by the spirit of the puzzle. Now he's an adult, living on his own, and he starts to notice strange and spooky things happening around his apartment. When he sees his own shadow moving Yugi begins to suspect his new place is haunted. But is this shadow spirit malicious or... kinda sweet?
Yami does a bunch of stupidly sweet domestic shit for Yugi to help take care of him. Expect romance, fluff, self-care, and Puzzleshipping shenanigans.”
Type: Multichapter longfic
Word count: 100k+
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Ongoing
Times read: 1
Standout characters/aspects: Yami is incredibly cute in this fic.
Notes: Really interesting AU where Yuugi never finds out about Atem as a high schooler, and so Season 0-esque shenanigans continue into adulthood.
He Has a Heartbeat by Kaibbage
Original synopsis: “Atem is back, and this time he's living and tangible. As such, Yugi cannot stop touching him - and vice versa.”
Type: Oneshot
Word count: 3k
Rating: E
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Times read: 10 at least
Standout characters/aspects:
Notes: So cute!!! One of the best Atem Comes Back oneshots out there. Very sweet short little PWP.
Superimposed / Bird Rock Lambchop (Bird Bigger Bird) by Toffeecape
Original synopsis: “Yugi wants his other self to have nice things.”
Type: Series of oneshots + short multichaptered fics
Word count: 70k+ combined
Rating: E/M
Warnings: Some installments mention major character death (but with the caveat that the characters cross over to the Egyptian afterlife), most have no warnings
Status: Complete
Times read: Superimposed probably like 5 times, whole series twice
Standout characters/aspects: Love Yuugi’s urge to provide for Atem, very sweet. I also love the chapter of Like a Stone into a Pond that focuses on Yuugi’s mom’s relationship with Atem.
Notes: This series is sort of YMMV for me. To be entirely honest, the smut gets a little too weird for me in a lot of installments, so I don’t revisit it too often, but the first installment is definitely my favorite, and I love seeing the intimacy between Yuugi & Atem grow while they’re still sharing a body. The 4th installment is my other favorite, as it focuses less on smut and more on character interactions.
Phantom Limb by Killdoll
Original synopsis: “In the hospital after the fire where Yuugi reassembled the Millennium Puzzle, Yuugi and his Other Self have a heart-to-heart.
(Puzzleshipping, set during anime canon, attempted ghost cuddling.)”
Type: Oneshot
Word count: 3k
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Times read: 5+
Standout characters/aspects: Really great characterization
Notes: Very sweet examination of the aftermath of (the anime version of) the fire.
Pieces of Puzzleshipping by Phoebeus
Original synopsis: “Originally this was where all of my tumblr prompts and random ficlets would come to live, but it's quickly become home to all of my random puzzleshipping fluff, instead. We shall acknowledge it as such until at least one other ship invades!”
Type: Oneshot collection
Word count: 17k+ combined
Rating: E
Warnings: Author Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (I don’t remember anything too triggering in these oneshots besides a safeword use that is immediately respected in chapter 10)
Status: Complete
Times read: 2-3
Standout characters/aspects: To be honest, I don’t remember these individual oneshots all that well, but I love all of Phoebeus’ work.
Notes: Bite-sized and enjoyable fluff!
Getting Rivalzoned (and Learning to Live with It) by Oogenesis
Original synopsis: “Finding out that your best and closest and most infuriatingly attractive rival has come back to life is one thing.
Finding out that he and his former vessel have eyes only for each other - well, that's quite a different matter.”
Type: Short multichapter
Word count: 8k
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Unfinished (seems to be abandoned, but I recall the last chapter working fairly well as an ending, so it’s not too infuriating)
Other Ships: onesided Prideshipping [Atem/Kaiba Seto]
Times read: 3ish
Standout characters/aspects: Just so incredibly funny.
Notes: This is my ideal prideship scenario. Sorry, Kaiba.
Visiting Hours by Oogenesis
Original synopsis: “Kaiba, at Atem's insistence, finally brings Yugi along on one of his visits to the afterlife, and promptly regrets it.”
Type: Oneshot
Word count: 1.5k
Rating: T
Warnings: None (possible major character death as Atem has already crossed over to the afterlife)
Status: Complete
Other Ships: One-sided prideshipping [Atem/Kaiba Seto]
Times read: 5ish at least
Standout characters/aspects: Same as the previous fic, just so funny to see Kaiba so deeply jealous while being completely ignored.
Notes: Love how excited to see each other Yuugi & Atem are.
Ours, Not Mine by MagiMevi
Original synopsis: “The spirit found such ease and amusement in simply perusing Yugi's daily memories, and Yugi no longer wanted to just share them with him. He wanted to make them with him – he wanted the spirit to create new memories – he didn't want to just amuse the spirit with the passing fibres of his life – he just – he wanted -
Don't worry about it, partner.”
Type: Oneshot
Word count: 5k
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Times read: 2-3
Standout characters/aspects: Great exploration of Yuugi’s character
Notes: Yuugi scheming like hell to try to get Atem to live & enjoy himself while in the puzzle is one of my favorite tropes, 10/10.
Take Him (Cut Him Out in Little Stars) by InkFlavored
Original synopsis: “Most people think of light and silence as comforting things. To Yugi, they're anything but. Atem's mind is tearing itself to pieces and no one understands.
PuzzleJune 2019 (Week 3: Light)”
Type: Oneshot
Word count: 5k
Rating: G
Warnings: Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (Major character death canon to the end of the manga)
Status: Complete
Times read: 5+
Standout characters/aspects: I love Atem’s talk with Akhenamkhanen.
Notes: Definitely one of the most influential Atem comes back fics to my own work! It’s fabulous, 10/10.
The Seldom Seen by Clydeside
Original synopsis: “Yugi’s soul has gone missing after reassembling the Millennium Puzzle in the fire, leaving the Other Yugi to fill his place.
As he tries to hide the truth from Yugi’s friends and family, he searches for his partner and the scattered pieces of his soul. But without Yugi at his side, he is losing control of the Puzzle’s power over the shadow realm… and the creature it contains.”
Type: Mid-length multichapter
Word count: 45k
Rating: T
Warnings: Major character death (albeit tagged as “only sort of permanent”)
Status: Complete
Times read: 3
Standout characters/aspects: Angst!
Notes: I love any fic that examines Atem’s relationships (or lack thereof) with Yuugi’s friends and family.
Jolly Sailor Bold / Shellfish Tendencies by Kudalyn
Original synopsis: “‘The seas sing for those who are lost, and for those who find as well.’
Atem is a siren/merman and Yugi is a ghost haunting a sunken ship Atem comes across. Atem is intrigued by the ghost, hangs around enough that they start to get to know each other, getting attached, and falling for each other over time. But Yugi’s memories start to fade, as ghosts don’t get to stay forever on the living plane, and Atem has to deal with this loss.
My entry for the YGO Big Bang 2018!
Content Warning of character death and mourning, with reward at the end if you stick through it ;)”
Type: Series of two oneshots
Word count: 15k+ combined
Rating: M
Warnings: Major character death (sort of temporary? It’s complicated lol)
Status: Complete
Times read: 3ish
Standout characters/aspects: Honestly really interesting implications about the origins of mermaids……….
Notes: Super fun twist on a mermaid AU.
Untitled Puzzleshipping Doujinshi by Kaluda
Original synopsis: “This is a doujin I made in 2019 that I decided to post here as well. Inspired by the end of the Dark Side of Dimensions film.”
Type: Short comic
Word count: N/A?
Rating: Unrated (I would say G)
Warnings: None (Major character death canon to manga/anime)
Status: Complete
Times read: 3ish
Standout characters/aspects: Such cute art!!!!!!
Notes: Rare comic example, but it’s posted on ao3, so I’m counting it as a fic. It’s really very sweet & short, go check it out!
Angle of Approach by InkFlavored
Original synopsis: “Definition: (in golf) the angle at which the club head strikes the ball. This affects the trajectory the ball will travel and spin.
The only thing Atem hates more than his family’s annual summer vacation is the “family” part. A whole three months away from home, away from friends, and away from freedom. This year, he’s nearly resigned himself to the worst trip he’s ever been on, surrounded by people he couldn’t care less about.
Then he meets Yugi, and decides to make his own fun.”
Type: Multichap longfic
Word count: 130k+
Rating: E
Warnings: No archive warnings apply, general warning for emotional and slight physical abuse by parents, and definitely warning for workplace sexual harassment
Status: Ongoing (Unfinished? Abandoned??? I sure hope not)
Times read: 2
Standout characters/aspects: Yugi is phenomenal in this AU. I’m obsessed with him.
Notes: I love this fic!!!! I usually don’t like fics where Atem is an asshole, but apparently it’s fine if he’s a bottom lmao. Anyway I love seeing Atem very very slowly become a better person against his will, and I’m really hoping Ink_Flavored is still working on this fic. It’s one of my favorite ongoing works.
Dress Up Game by InkFlavored
Original synopsis: “The Mutou family, including the newly resurrected Atem, get invited to a wedding. Neither Yugi nor Atem have anything to wear to the event, but it’s not a big deal. All they have to do is go shopping to pick something out. How bad could it possibly be?”
Type: Two chapter fic
Word count: 25k+
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Times read: 3
Standout characters/aspects: Really great attention to detail about Japanese culture. Taught me a lot about traditional Japanese weddings!
Notes: This fic is so cute! Really nice fic that focuses on Atem living life after coming back from the dead.
Await Red to Become Anthracite by Zigur_zig_ah
Original synopsis: “Yuugi, security guard un-extraordinaire, leads a particularly mundane life. He sits in front of a monitor for eight hours a cycle, pretends to concern himself with the safety of five-hundred and thirty-nine Roman coins of no value whatsoever, and occasionally, when work is especially slow, occupies the unenviable position of Duel Monsters champion of the known universe.
But something stalks the perpetual darkness of Proxima-b. A horror from beyond the grave, loosed in a moment of carelessness, has set its hollow, empty sights on Yuugi - and Yuugi, try as he might, can't seem to stay away from it.”
Type: Medium length multichapter fic
Word count: 30k
Rating: M
Warnings: Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings
Status: Complete
Times read: 1
Standout characters/aspects: Really fun combination of futuristic sci-fi, horror, canon, and ancient Egypt?
Notes: A bit less romance-y than plot-centered, but the way the story unfolds is really fascinating.
Hindsight by Cloudsmachinations
Original synopsis: “Yugi needs to wear glasses. Atem needs to calm the hell down.”
Type: Oneshot
Word count: 2.5k
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Times read: 3ish
Standout characters/aspects: I love an Atem that is down bad
Notes: So cute tbh
#aka: a rec list for anyone who hates dom atem as much as i do lmao 😅😅#a lot of these are pretty obvious/popular already eg anything by clyde/inkflavored/phoebeus but hey#it's my list & i'm in charge#morgan rambles#my ramblings#yugioh#ygo#yugioh duel monsters#mutou yugi#mutou yuugi#puzzleshipping#atem#yami yugi#blindshipping#fic recs#rec list#yugi mutou#yuugi mutou#yugioh dm
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Playlist for my Aeor longfic
I failed to figure out how to do a fancy spotify embed like the kids do but uh. Here's the playlist for Gravity!
I listened to this while planning and writing, and there are even a few shout-outs to the songs in the fic... Songs are arranged chronologically, so you should be able to hear the story happening, hopefully :'D
Further yelling about song choices under the cut!
A Matter of Time - This one is... sort of the fic's opening titles in my head? I wanted to start out with an instrumental, to capture the vibes of the months before the fic opens - Essek and Caleb apart, thinking about the T-Dock, and each other. Wondering. Waiting.
Horse to Water - Essek in Chapter 1, knowing his life as the Shadowhand is ending, waiting for Caleb to come and take him away to whatever comes next. (I'm normally very picky about not putting songs that reference modern day stuff on fantasy playlists but this one's vibes were too perfect)
Dear Fellow Traveller - Two wizards heading into Aeor together.
Conquest of Spaces - A song for Aeor. A dark, beautiful city, the remains of a people who lived by greed and power. (And two wizards in the ruins, trying to draw closer to each other.)
Neptune - This is mostly for Essek's breakdown in chapter 5, as he worries he'll never break out of his Shadowhand manipulation, wanting to be closer to Caleb and not knowing what that would even look like. And it's a little for Caleb in chapter 6, too, grappling with his feelings for Essek and his fears that they'll ultimately be bad for each other.
Please Don't Say You Love Me - ... and as they move past those fears, this song is for them tentatively acknowledging what they might be to each other. Not yet. But maybe soon.
Woodwork - This is for the chapters 6-9 span, as they learn more about Brashaar's plan. The pressure of a crisis has an odd way of making them realise just how deep their trust and care for each other runs.
Two Evils - Since we're at the point where Brashaar shows up, she gets a song now! This is pretty much her internal monologue during her confrontation with the wizards (though she really should have paid attention to 'if you're not careful, you will lose her' in reference to Quaera...)
Winter - Travelling northward, and yearning. Wishing they had more time.
Mind - A song for a young Quaera, slowly forming a personality, wondering about who she is and how her identity forms...
The Tower - ... and having their own breakdown.
What Could Have Been - I love me a good villainous breakdown, and this is a song for Brashaar's. This is how I imagine she feels during the final confrontation, raging against the gods, against Caleb and Essek, against Quaera after they turn from her. Not quite able to let go of what she thinks Aeor could have been. What, in her eyes, the world is meant to be. (As a bonus, I think the second verse sounds a bit like a retort to her from Quaera...)
Everybody Wants to Rule the World - This is such a fun cinematic cover, and I can't tell you how many times I've imagined a mental AMV of the final battle with Brashaar set to it :'D
Ori, Embracing the Light - I wanted an instrumental here too, because... Essek is dead, Caleb is in shutdown, and Essek and Quaera are communing with the Luxon, a being that doesn't really speak with words. Also, 'embracing the light' is exactly what Quaera does at this point.
Would That I - I know we all use this as Caleb's 'learning to live and love again' song... and I am no exception. This is for him after the T-Dock, finally fully acknowledging his grief, and his love for Essek.
First Day of my Life - Just two wizards realising that they have a future, and agreeing to slowly work at what's between them.
Ready to Call This Love - This one speaks for itself, honestly.
Five - Both of the wizards in the final chapter, but especially Essek realising how isolated he's been from the world, and letting it all in so he can feel it. (Also, studying the universe is a love language - )
Gravity - Gravity is a metaphor for love!!!!
#please know that restricting myself to just four sleeping at last songs#is Enormous restraint for me#anyway uh have some songs and rambling#shadowgast#gravity and all that's born within#essek thelyss#caleb widogast#critical role
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tagged by @emily-prentits THANK YOUU THIS LOOKS SO FUN
1. how many works do you have on ao3?
18!
2. what's your total ao3 word count?
141,974 words...which is a little embarassing considering jo, who tagged me, has 59 works and only about 30,000 more words. evidently i like my longfics.
3. what fandoms do you write for?
carmen sandiego 2019! 17 of those and one (1) original work that i dont mention in this post at all
4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?
the cardinal and the kitten - 325 kudos
say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime (let me lead you from your solitude) - 164 kudos (we call her the phantom au for short)
simple are the ways of love (simple as the touch of another's hands) - 156 kudos
Upon the Sword - 154 kudos
Everything is a Lie - 127 kudos
5. do you respond to comments?
Most of them yes!! I LOVE getting comments I screenshot and save every one I get.
6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Hm- I guess it depends. Hellscape ends with Carmen's internal monologue just before she gets mind-wiped by VILE, but its technically no angstier than canon. they gave you life (and in return you gave them hell) is pretty angsty the whole way through and examines Carmen's trauma.
Those are both little one-shots, though- I usually end my reigns of terror within chapter fics pretty happily if I can manage it. The Phantom AU (linked above) ends in a dark place but leagues brighter than it seemed to be heading towards. It isn't a terribly neat and happy ending, and it tells a story of trauma and attempted suicide and the road to recovery from these. Let's go with that one.
7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
In Love Is A Locked Cell Door Chase Devineaux and Crackle happily start making out in a jail cell and live happily ever after!
Ok, being serious-
For a one-shot, simple (linked above) starts happy and ends happier.
For a chapter fic, Choice ends with Carmen, Julia, and Gray all living in a very happy polycule pardoned from the law with full emotional control of their lives which is fun :]
8. do you get hate on fics?
@emily-prentits used to leave passive aggressive comments on my wattpad and we would fight in the comments sections 💀now we're partners so make of that what you will. but anyway, no serious ones, no!
9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?
No, not really! I have a few "fade-to-blacks" or skip-overs without any detail. The one time I tried writing smut it was really forced and hard for me to write...doesn't help that I've never felt sexual attraction in my life so I don't know about that. Curse you asexuality for taking papertiger handcuff sex away from the world.
10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?
No, I'm not a fan of crossovers
11. have you ever had a fic stolen?
I've had one or two...heavily referenced. Not in bad faith, but it was funny to see a lot of my plot and prose mannerisms reworded in a younger author's fic. I think they credited me as inspiration or gifted it to me both times so its not a big deal.
12. have you ever had a fic translated?
I have not!
13. have you ever co-written a fic before?
If FRANTIC FANFIC! counts, which it shouldn't lol. Also the polycule is working on something :3
14. what's your all time favourite ship?
15. what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
I have an au where paper star and black sheep escape VILE together and go through a sort of friends to lovers to enemies deal as carmen (renamed cardinal here due to never escaping in the boat the way she does in canon), though influenced by paper star at the start, eventually finds her inevitable path of good while paper star slips into a chaos that cardinal just can't stomach
ill paste a snippet here that i wrote but its a little bit long and complex and i dont have a ton of motivation for it
16. what are your writing strengths?
ABILITY TO MAKE READERS SUFFER
17. what are your writing weaknesses?
cohesive plot...lord help me i cannot plan a fic to the end before i post chapter 1 and it bites me in the ass all the time
18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?
if there's a small amount of it, i usually write it as-is in the other language and use external sources or context clues to explain it. if a lot of dialogue is in another language, I'll put it in brackets and write it in english!
19. first fandom you wrote for?
carmen sandiego. still going lmfao
20. favorite fic you've written?
that's really hard- i'm going to do top three in no particular order SORRY
Love, Carmen - this was the first or one of the first fics I ever wrote. it put me on the map a little bit (wattpad..) in terms of writing and boosted upon the sword and choice when they came along. it was really fun to just be young and writing after finishing all two released seasons of the show. i still like it a lot. its just cute and simple.
the phantom au - what a labor of love. i've had other fics (evil carlotta series, cough cough) that have been long and complex but those strayed into meandering and pointless and i lost a lot of motivation. phantom combined my love of theater with my favorite show and my hunger for angst angst angst. it was super fun to write and, at the risk of sounding vain, i pulled off a very hard to pull off trope at the end and i think i did it well. i think if you read any one of mine, this highlights a lot of my strengths.
the cardinal and the kitten - this is a popular one of mine that kind of serves as an updated love, carmen. i really enjoy how i wrote carmen and julia playing off of each other and my dialogue is very strong in this one.
okay, sorry about how long that was i treated it like a professional interview. i had a lot of fun writing this instead of working on a very important school project
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OKAY SO. I am (and this is obvious for my followers as opposed to this tag), I am currently running headlong towards the ending of my huge CR longfic, but I have started to develop my next project. Not sure when I'll start posting because if I do it too soon it's going to be hard to keep up with it and YCDHN and I do NOT WANT THAT, so I'm gonna poke at it casually while seeing how much of YCDHN I can write before I come back from my posting hiatus in March. If it looks like I'm making a lot of headway in getting the next three chapters written, we'll see.
SO WHAT IS THIS NEXT PROJECT? Glad you asked.
learn that even death may die is going to be a Hazbin Hotel fic that goes AU after 1x06 (due to that being where I started plotting it). The official summary is as follows:
When Lucifer agrees to seal his powers to set an example of humility to buy more time for the Hotel to work, Adam and the Exorcists scheme with the Vees in order to take the Hazbin Hotel down once and for all. Meanwhile, Alastor has a little secret that he'd like to be through with that would change the face of Hell if anyone knew...
And Husk has caught feelings, which is unrelated to all of the above.
It's a plotty, ensemble piece, featuring Found Family dynamics, Alastor and Lucifer being each others' biggest haters, Husk and Angel in a bodyguard AU for reasons, and the kind of plot you can expect from the idiot who brought you two million words about Cree Deeproots.
Here's an extended preview of the first chapter. Spread the word! Get hype! It's something I'm really excited to work on when I've gotten a lot more progress on my YCDHN backlog.
The last week had been… Harrowing, to say the least. The Extermination had been personal- deeply personal- and while no one at the Hotel had fallen, the line of angelic spears stabbed into the ground outside with demon heads proudly spelling out YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER (Vaggie had noted that was such a waste of spears) had made the message clear. This was going to continue and next time they wouldn’t be so lucky.
She didn’t know when the next would come- back to a year or another six months or another week. She had paced, relentlessly, as the Hotel put itself back in order and those who had been injured licked their wounds. Husk, in particular, had survived a scuffle with Adam, himself, and while he didn’t appreciate the warm embrace he got for his bravery, she didn’t know how else to thank him aside from maybe a very expensive bottle of booze at Angel’s suggestion, which he did like and seemed to like even more when she told him it had been Angel’s idea.
That should have been something she lit on! Something that she could really sink her teeth into and do something about! Were Angel and Husk an item? Was there unspoken tension? What would that do for Angel’s suitability to Heaven? Surely, a stable, monogamous relationship could only-
But no. She’d let that thought slide out of her mind with barely more than a hum, never mind a full number about it. Her mind had to be on the Hotel and protecting it. She couldn’t even do a lesson plan in these conditions! Activities had ground to a halt in favor of ‘work together to clean up the corpses.’ She was going to scream or bite or… or something.
Vaggie helped. She always did. The initial shock of learning about her being an angel had passed and while there had been some distance in the month leading up to the Extermination, Vaggie’s dedication to her remained absolute and she had nearly gotten herself killed multiple times to make up for what she felt were her sins in the past.”
”Demons kill each other and that’s different,” she’d said when Charlie told her that no one in the Hotel, save herself, was fully clean of demon blood.”They aren’t killing because they think everyone here deserves to die. It’s different.”
So that was still sort of a whole unresolved thing too, and that was just before her father kicked the door in, ready to throw down because he had one rule when his hand was forced about the Extermination and that was not putting his family in direct harm. Getting him to do more than fume and fuss over it had occupied a lot of time she didn’t actually have, but the end result had led her here… Back to Heaven.
With her father.
Outside the golden gates, he stood ramrod straight, fingers clenched so tightly around the head of his cane she was certain his fingers would grip right to the core. She glanced at his shaking hands and laid her own over them. “Dad, it’s okay.”
“I haven’t been back to Heaven in… Oooh.” He whistled. “Awhile. It’s…” He tugged his collar. “Not actually full of great memories, y’know, sweetie?” He leaned over to whisper. “Maybe we should just go back down and work on this on a lower level. I know some phenomenal wards. You think that dusty radio guy has moves? Your dad has better moves. I invented some of those runes he uses. My wards- pristine.”
She wrinkled her nose and pulled him closer to the front desk. “Daaaad, come on. It’ll be fine. I think things will actually work out this time if you’re here.”
“Really? ‘Cause I feel like they’re gonna go much worse.” As if to prove it, the second the pair strode towards the desk, St. Peter nearly flung the guestbook to reach for something underneath the desk. Charlie had to lunge to stop his hand from hitting a button with a very familiar runic symbol on it- fuck, they had a Lucifer button.
“Wait wait wait! He’s not- we’re not here to cause any trouble. We just need to talk to Sera- or Emily. Actually, I’d rather talk to Emily, if it’s… all the same.” She shot him a winning smile.
Behind her, Lucifer was making what could only be described as a ‘stink face.’ “This is going greeeeat. Are you sure about this, Charlie? It’s not too late to go back.”
“Dad!”
“Charlie!” A winged shape suddenly burst free of the Gates and wrapped tight arms around her middle. Unable to resist, Charlie wrapped her arms around the gray-clad form as well and spun her around. “Emily!”
“Oh my Heavens, Charlie, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Emily pulled away to grip Charlie’s hands so tightly that it was a pleasant kind of crushing. Like a weighted blanket. She leaned forward to whisper, “I’ve been doing all I can. There are angels who truly believe this isn’t right. Sera has told me to give it up, that doubting leads to Falling, because-“
Both girls looked askance at Lucifer, fiddling with the head of his cane awkwardly, that vapid look he got when he was overwhelmed making it clear that he’d stopped paying attention.
Charlie, for the first time daring to doubt, whispered back in a nervous high-pitched lilt, “Iiiis it bad that I brought him here?”
“No! I… I don’t think.” Emily frowned. “I should warn Sera, of course.” She stepped back and approached Lucifer, who flinched like he was about to be scolded- oh dad how badly did the angels hurt you. “Greetings, Morningstar,” she said, bowing a bit. “It is an honor to meet you. I was only a fledgling when you Fell.”
“For the record, I didn’t Fall. I was pushed.” Lucifer, seeing Emily’s own flinch, immediately softened and underneath all the anxiety, Charlie caught a glimpse of the angel her father had been once as he ducked his head and accepted her greeting graciously and with the genteel quality of true nobility. “Thank you for being courteous about this. Tell the High Seraph that we won’t take up any of her time. We… have a deal to renegotiate. It seems Adam’s legions have forgotten what we agreed long ago.”
Emily bobbed her head with a grin and slipped through a portal, leaving St. Peter to anxiously open the Gates without his usual aplomb. Charlie strolled through and Lucifer, feeling somewhat more confident after seeing how Emily treated him, tapped the poor angel’s desk with his cane. “Keep up the good work, Pete.”
The promenade was still full of people dancing about in a joyous display of virtue and peace, but now looking at it, all she saw were people who had somehow gotten lucky. She tried to find a commonality in any of them, something that she could take back and use to prove her point, but there didn’t seem to be a single thing these people had that hers didn’t… besides, you know, the fixation on sin and murder. And, honestly, some of them might have that too, hidden under the surface. Look at Adam.
“Heyyyy, Short Stack! How’s it goin’?”
Speak of the fucking prick.
Every fiber of Charlie’s body reached for Hellfire and only her father’s iron-tight grip on her shoulder kept her from exploding in a rush of demonic energy. Her horns appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye and she focused on deep, healing breaths as Adam, the walking canker sore, swaggered up to them on the promenade.
“They’ll let anyone in here these days, huh?” Adam planted his hands on his hips and grinned. Behind him, Lute bristled.
“Funny. I was gonna say the same thing about you. Hah!” Lucifer barked. All that anxiety he’d worn outside had been cast aside like an old coat- something about Adam had struck the same nerve that Alastor had only in a different key. A beat, and then: “No seriously, how did you get in here? I was there, remember. You also ate the apple. It was a, uh, whole thing, actually.”
“Yeah, but I did it second.” He reached into his ear with his pinky to dislodge a bit of wax and flicked it across the golden streets. “That counts for something.”
Still lingering on the angels’ wishy-washy answer about how precisely one gets into Heaven and with the proof that there wasn’t some actual code to follow right before her eyes, Charlie crossed her arms over her chest and fought the urge to scowl. Scowling gives you lines that make your smiles less effective. Everyone knew that.
“How’s the wifey, by the by, Lucy? Still smokin’?” Adam slammed a hand into a fist. “Oh wait. I forgot. You two are hella divorced, amirite?”
“We are not divorced.” Lucifer began to panic, whipping to Charlie like he expected her to believe any of that shit. There was something in his eyes that spoke volumes about the truth of what was going on with him and Lilith that she would have to unpack later- she hadn’t asked before. It was too painful to bring up. “We- we’re on a break. Yeah, a break. Just a break.” He swallowed, leaned on his cane, and adjusted his stance. “Which is more than I can say for you and yours. How is Eve, by the way? Oh waaaait! She’s in Hell. With me. Just like your first wife. Hah. Man, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say one of us knows how to treat a woman.” Another pause. He leaned into Adam’s space and whispered. “It’s me.”
Adam’s ghoulish face screwed up in disgust. “Yeah, okay, pal, you just drink your ‘respect women’-” are the air quotes necessary? really?, “- juice. You can use it to gargle after you lick my balls.”
“Adam,” Sera’s voice said, coarsely, snapping him to attention with a mumbled aw fuck mom’s home.
She hovered as glorious as ever with her six wings, towering over Lucifer as she landed between him and Adam, shunting him out of her space and into Lute’s. Charlie and Emily both shot him sour looks and held hands in solidarity as they watched the fallen Morningstar engage with the High Seraph for the first time in millenniums.
The seconds ticked on in agonizing awkward silence. Lucifer’s throat bobbed. “High Seraph.”
“Morningstar,” Sera murmured, politely, her shoulders tense. Another long moment of silence followed- clearly she was waiting for Lucifer to explain himself. Charlie’s palms started to sweat, but not Emily’s. Angels apparently didn’t sweat. Her grip alone, however, spoke to her anxiety matching Charlie’s.
Lucifer’s jaw trembled and he finally, finally yanked himself together again. “Maybe we can talk about this somewhere more private? The street is… Open.”
Indeed, they were starting to attract attention. People might not recognize Lucifer on sight these days, but that apple and snake motif was sort of painfully obvious when you thought about it for a moment. Sera gave a nod and circled her fingers in the air to open another portal. “Certainly. Come into my office.”
Adam started to follow and Lucifer thrust his cane to stop him. “No, no. Not you. Seraphs only.”
Adam snarled and lowered the staff. “Your piece of hellsnatch daughter ain’t a seraph, Little Man.”
Charlie saw her father’s eyes light up with a fire she only saw when he had to be in a room with Alastor. “What did you say about my daughter?”
“Dad.”
“You want me to say it louder? Or do you want me to moan it, Daddy?” Adam leered.
“That’s enough!” Emily snapped before Sera could, her small form crowding into Adam’s space, all of her angelic eyes open and glowering daggers at the lesser angel. He shrank back. “There will be no more disrespect in this room. Adam, this concerns you, so you will be allowed entry, but please keep your mouth shut.”
Charlie felt her heart squish as Emily brushed off her dress and then strolled through the portal, nose primly in the air. Sera, lips pressed together, only gave a sober nod and followed.
“How come he-“ Adam snarled, but Lute gripped his arm and pushed him into the portal.
“Pick your battles, sir.”
“I wanna pick this one,” he whined as he vanished into the Seraph’s study. Lucifer and Charlie lingered for a moment- one with hope in her heart and the other rapidly descending into the pit of despair after just seconds of glorious, if not damning and futile, wrath. She reached for his hand.
“C’mon, dad. You got this.”
The soft smile melted her heart even more than Emily’s protection had. He stood on his toes to pull her into an embrace and give her a kiss on the head- more to comfort himself than her, she was sure, but she didn’t mind. He hopped through the portal and she followed into an austerely decorated space. Painfully minimalist. Ooh this was not a side of Heaven she liked at all. There wasn’t even art on the walls. Just gray slate with a huge plate-glass window behind the bare desk. Not a single knickknack to distract from its function.
Sera slid into the seat behind the desk, while Emily stood at attention next to her, hands clasped in front of her, eyes still fixed on Adam, daring him to speak. He skulked in the background, intentionally toying with the boring book-laden shelves- also free of knickknacks and personal touches- by running his fingers on the spines or pulling them out and pretending to read them before tossing them at Lute to put back with a bored eyeroll.
Conjured chairs were produced for Lucifer and Charlie, which they took, gladly. With everyone who was going to settle having done so, Sera sighed.
“Let’s talk, Lucifer. What brings you back to Heaven? You were told to never come back.
#hazbin hotel#hazbin hotel fanfic#hazbin hotel lucifer#charlie morningstar#hazbin hotel adam#hazbin hotel emily#hazbin hotel sera#my writing#learn that even death may die
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Snippet Someday
So I've been revisiting the earlier chapters of my fic and am stuck in a bout of editing paralysis where everything sounds blegh, but ahhhh so is life. I thought, what the heck— let me put a positive spin on all these writing woes and make a game out of it. Plus I've been meeting a lot of new writers this summer, and I figured this would be a fun way to get to know your stories and characters as I make my way through my bookmark list. Take this chance to showcase your fic. We've all been working hard. Let's be proud of how far we've come :)
Tagging: @atypicalacademic @skyrim-forever @justafoxhound @elavoria @gilgamish @thana-topsy @thequeenofthewinter @paraparadigm @chennnington @expended-sleeper @snowberry-crostata @sylvienerevarine @dumpsterhipster @nuwanders @daedrabait @wispstalk @rainpebble3 @nine-blessed-hero @mareenavee @miraakulous-cloud-district @ladytanithia Sorry for blowing up your notifications. If you're not tagged, please feel free to jump in and tag me if you see this and want to join! I'm not always sure who is writing fic and who isn't. No pressure as always :D
Rules: Revisit an old fic (or earlier chapters of your current WIP) and share a snip from:
Your first chapter
Your favorite chapter
Your most challenging chapter
Alternatively, if you don't write longfic, feel free to share your one-shots. Provide as much or as little commentary as you want.
From The Illusionist: Passion, Purpose, and Penance:
First Chapter: Skirting The Black Road (commence the moral decayyy 😈)
Admittedly disappointed by this virtuous facade, he saw the crack, only needed to slip his blade into it and twist. This, he could work with, for she was a murderer in the eyes of the Night Mother whether she accepted it or not, and he had no doubt that if pressed, she too would heed Sithis' call. They all did. New murderers were pliant, he found, like old snags of dead wood. One gentle push and the roots released their grip.
Favorite Chapter: 61— Us and Them (self indulgent disaster-ship is self indulgent 🤷♀️)
And when he looked at her, he felt dissolved, knew not where the salt of her tears became the salt of his blood, and if he could strip her from her skin just to drink the liquid dark behind her eyes, he would.
Most Challenging Chapter: 67 — A Small Death (Newly mantled Sheogorath is not a headspace I know how to work with 😅)
“Again, Nimileth?”
There was disapproval in his voice, faint, but not faint enough to suggest he'd been trying to hide it. Nim fought back the urge to growl.
“I had a bit too much to drink, that’s all,” she mumbled. Too much last night and the night before. Too much. Too much again.
“Don’t you think you should know your limits by now?”
'Don’t you think you should know your limits by now,’ she wished to spit back at him, make herself an even greater pest if only to feel more like the lowly, burrowing insect she had become. Or better yet, something limbless, blind. A worm. But Nim didn't have the strength to finish. She didn’t even have the strength to start.
Instead, she bunched the sheets in her fists and yanked them over her head so that she lay completely covered. What am I doing, she thought. The throbbing waves of her headache crested and crashed, grinding her skull down to coarse, ivory sands. What am I doing?
Lucien didn’t linger after that. He flung open the curtains, and when he left, the sun crept across her back. Shielded as she was beneath her sheets and behind her eyelids, she could still feel its glaring, angry flare.
“I see you, Nimileth,” it said, stretching its fingers across the room. Pointing, taunting fingers that seared and scraped at the raw wounds of last night's sins. “I see you. I will set and I will rise and I will see you again tomorrow. I will see you then. I will see you again.”
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2023: Writing, Art, and Medication
So, I need to preface this by admitting something.
January 2023 was when I started taking Wellbutrin. I have MDD and severe hypotension (low blood pressure).
Imagine rediscovering a favorite toy, game, or book that you've forgotten about. You find it, dust it off, and get lost in it again. And my, it is magical. You're so happy, you're giddy, you make up things to do to get further into it.
This isn't about me rediscovering fandom, or Star Wars. It's about re-discovering my emotions and my creativity. Because of medication.
I used to devour fantasy and sci-fi for fun. I wrote most of a series of silly novels in middle and high school. They were never published and put aside for academic or paid work. MDD crept up and strangled it, too.
Finally, I'm a working parent and spouse, and if it didn't have a spot on my CV or gave me money for completion, it wasn't going to get done.
Wellbutrin said fuck that noise, let's get CREATIVE. Let's have FUN FOR ONCE.
And low and behold, I start watching Star Wars cartoons with my youngest daughter in January 2023. She saw Tech on the screen with no helmet, screamed 'Dada!' and that's how I got yanked into The Bad Batch.
After watching two episodes with her, I wondered what it would be like if Tech met someone from The Expanse, maybe a female pilot. They'd chat, maybe hook up, and move on with their lives.
Wellbutrin also said fuck that noise, you wrote a dissertation and have multiple articles and short stories published, why not combine the two?
Wellbutrin also said you work in science communication, why not explore physics and biology from both angles?
And, while you're at it, why not have Tech and the Belter have a deeper relationship? What if they had a kid? What would happen to them, physically? Would the Empire view them as property? Would they be seen as a Belter? What are the cultural ramifications of this?
I didn't write an OC to fantasize about being with a fictional character: I wrote her, and even more OCs in the extended universe, to better understand both the worlds of The Expanse and Star Wars. It has been so, so, so fucking joyful to do so.
The longfic, which probably needs no introduction at this point, is Far Past the Ring. It was started in early February, began to be published in April, and finished in November. It is the length of a novel and thus, the most work came out of it. Most of my artwork is centered around it as well.
The art can be found here, but of all the pieces I myself have composed, I think the favorite is the one below. It was one of the first things I ever decided regarding their relationship...that something considered deviant, even on a natborn (receding hairline), is seen as personal, quirky, and wonderful.
#tbb#cloneforce99#thebadbatch#the expanse#theexpanse#the bad batch#belter#fanfiction#starwarsfanfiction#tech#tech x oc#belter oc#belters#beltalowda#clone force 99#2023#2023 recap#end of year#2023 wrapped
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Hello everyone! This is my stories masterlist - where you can find everything I post around here with their current status and links. I don't have much posted yet but this is going to help me organizing myself, so there it is ♥
I mostly post here and on AO3 if you'd prefer.
If you want to make a request, they're currently open and I'm open to angst, smut, fluff, it alltogether, anything you wish. Those are the current topics I'm interested in writing about; I might add some more within time.
Resident Evil (Any character)
Call of Duty (Any character)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Any character)
♦ Leon S. Kennedy
Salvatore - f!reader; +18 | smut, fluff | finished
"Leon’s on a working trip and it has been taking much longer than it should. As he doesn’t like to spend much time away from you, he texts you daily, and since you miss him so deeply, you decide to videocall him."
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Happy b-day, Agent Kennedy - f!reader; +18 | request
Its Leon’s birthday. He thought you went out for a business trip, when actually, you have a little surprise for him at home.
♦ Albert Wesker
Bunny - f!reader; +18 | smut | finished
"You wake up in Wesker's mansion after accomplishing a difficult mission and he gives you a new drug he's been testing. The effects are quite... dear to you."
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♦ Simon "Ghost" Riley
Shades of Red - f!reader; +18 | longfic, romance, drama, eventual smut, slowburn | ongoing
chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3
"The sole survivor of a terrorist attack that killed over a hundred. The soldier responsible for saving her. He wants to help you, but his own trauma make him withdraw when he wants to get closer and intoxicate when he wants to remedy. He kisses your scars and hopes you’ll runaway. He wants you to run away. But you won’t."
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Metamorphose - f!reader | angst, fluff | finished
"You and Simon deal with the pain of losing a baby."
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You came — you called. - f!reader | angst, fluff
part 1 | part 2
"After being abused by your current date, in need of comfort, you call your ex-boyfriend and recurring fling, Simon, to talk."
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Take me back (to the night we met) - f!reader | angst, fluff | finished
"Simon gets a call from the hospital saying that you are hospitalized, in a coma and in great life risk.
♦ Mixed
Alejandro's NSFW Alphabet - +18, sexual content - minors dni.
Ghost's NSFW Alphabet - +18, sexual content - minors dni.
Price's NSFW Alphabet - +18, sexual content - minors dni.
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I'm gonna walk through every doorway, I can't stop
I need some time, I need control, I need your love
I wanna find out everything I need to know
Had the absolute pleasure of comming @theviridianbunny once again, this time with my corpo loves. Detail closeups and ramblings about writing after the cut.
I looove Val's hair, and the way Bunny drew her curls. Also the cute earrings. 😩
The way she's gazing at him, I can't with it. It's perfect. He's known for some time that he loves her, but once she figured it out for herself...
For my writer friends who like to hear about writing, or I guess anyone who wants some Corpo Val lore, the rest is for you.
The above lyrics are taken from the song that is a contender for a chapter title for the AU story. The narrator of the song claims “I don't live here anymore”, with the implication that they've broken up and he's a changed man, and it feels melancholic. But then the chorus hits, the lyrics above, it suddenly feels hopeful. That he sees a way forward, and willingness to do better to maybe earn their love once more. Now when he repeats “But you'd never recognize me, babe/I don't live here anymore”, it takes on new meaning.
I had a big realization after recently (re)reading Pride and Prejudice that the Corpo Val longfic follows many of the same beats, despite the "fake romance" trope. I hadn't worked out the full endgame yet, so figured I'd wing it once I get there, but the recognition of some of Darcy in Val helped me see a path for her to change so she can be worthy of Mitch. She's not a bad person, at least by Night City standards, just a former corpo-turned-merc who's done questionable things; but certainly not someone he'd leave the family for. So thanks, Jane Austen, for being the GOAT and telling one of the greatest stories ever, and helping me find Val's “redemption” arc.
youtube
#cyberpunk 2077#cyberpunk fanart#cyberpunk 2077 fanart#mitch anderson#cyberpunk mitch#valerie vermilion#corpo!val#mitch x v#mitch x fem v#shippy saturday#mitch in corpo!val au#mitch in a suit 🥵#my commissions#theviridianbunny#thank you bunnyyyy#love them as always#lucius band#the war on drugs#also adam granduciel#he's very gender#not many men i can say this about but...#do i want to be him or fuck him#mitch x val
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September 2023 Writing Round-Up
I just checked my tags, and I haven't done one of these since… three years ago. Exactly three years ago yesterday (9/29/20), to be precise. Which was pretty much when my mental health and my personal life started to crumble in earnest, and it took my desire to write for public consumption along with it.
Most of what I did for the rest of 2020/2021 were either struggling to finish works in progress (and largely failing) or archiving stuff from my LJ days. I didn't post anything in 2022. I was still writing (a lot) but it was either for Patreon (…fuck, right, I have a Patreon) or it was personal, not meant to be shared.
And then Good Omens came back and ended up being really fucking relevant to my life, and @meldanya44 was there urging me to get back into writing for other people besides her. I think it was a good idea, over all. ♥
So… yeah. Thanks, Good Omens fandom, for reminding me that writing is meant to be shared, and that I am a prompt-based lifeform. (I'll be putting up a new prompt list tomorrow, if anyone wants an artisanally crafted bespoke ficlet of their very own.)
Anyway, here's what I did in September:
Authorial Intent (G, one-shot): Michael’s plan to erase Aziraphale from the Book of Life has certain… flaws. A revision of the final season of S2 Ep6, where the Metatron does not make an appearance. (Actually posted at the end of August but this is my list and it counts. Written very shortly after I finished S2 for the first time. Effervescing with joy.)
Put Out the Stars (T, currently a one-shot, planning to continue): Crowley stole the photo of himself and Aziraphale from the shop a long time ago. (Inspired by one of @fellshish's asks. Angst angst angst… with more to come!)
An Invisible Wound (T, one-shot): “I almost killed you tonight.” “I almost got you killed tonight.” Their first kiss, soft and futile, is in 1941. (Bittersweet canon-compliant 1941 truthers unite.)
After the Rain (T, one-shot; for @meldanya44): The Second Coming has come and gone, and Crowley was calling him ‘angel’ again. (Wonderful quiet post-series fluff.)
Like Petals in a Storm (M, currently a standalone but working on a sequel; for @meldanya44): Between the discorporation and the almost-execution, Aziraphale’s having a bit of trouble keeping body and soul together. (My reputation-mandated 'one partner helps another bathe' fic.)
The Taste of Salt (G, one-shot; for @iamhisgloriouspurpose): The lingering taste of ox ribs are bitter and rich in Aziraphale's mouth, and he isn't sure what he believes anymore. (Continues the 'I'm not taking you to Hell, angel' scene in the Ep2 minisode. Nice and angsty. No one seems to like this one and I'm not sure why.)
Pipe Dream (G, one-shot; for @unwholesome-gay): All Aziraphale has ever wanted is to give heaven back to Crowley. (Domestic fluff about Aziraphale buying the South Downs cottage for Crowley. Fun fact: I struggled to write this and finally posted it in dismay and tried to forget about it. And then my inbox exploded with HEARTS, so I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought.)
The Patience of Angels, Chs 1-4 (M, multi-chapter WIP): An old enemy is on the hunt for the demon known as Crowley, and it will take all the powers of one very protective angel to save him. But in keeping Crowley safe, Aziraphale will uncover more of the terrible truths of Heaven than he ever wanted to know. (The longfic I first conceived of in 2019 and then never got around to finishing enough to post, and am now trying to revise the HELL out of in real-time because the original version doesn't work anymore. I love this fic with a burning passion and hope it finds an audience someday… which it probably will if I can update it, y'know, more often than once a month…)
Fics Posted: 8
Word Count: 28,182
I'm never going to be as prolific as I was when I was in the MCU fandom and had a much less-hectic job, but I'd call that a decent comeback. Thanks, everyone. ♥
#good omens#good omens 2#good omens fandom#good omens fanfiction#good omens fic#ineffable husbands#aziracrow#aziraphale#crowley#prompt fills#monthly round-up#meldanya44
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Hi Kin. I wanted to ask, how did you manage things like writer's block or creative burnout while writing JTTA? I'm midway through a longfic now and it's kind of exhausting. I feel like I'm whining but I barely get any comments or asks or anything.
hi anon! honestly i'm not sure if i was the right person to ask this, because i... kind of didn't? as in, i didn't really have these problems - boring answer, i know!
i got lucky because i hit a sweet spot where the base story and characters were strong, but with just enough gaps in plot, worldbuilding, development, etc. such that the momentum of filling everything in carried me through the whole process. but there were definitely a lot of occasions where i sat there thinking "okay i have no idea what to do now"
in those cases, often i had to just step back and ruminate on it for a little while - i've pretty much constantly got little ideas bouncing around my head, and sometimes they hit each other like snowballs and form into more fully-fledged plot points, scenes, dialogue, so on. i try to keep track of these in notes apps, personal discord channels, etc, and dip into them if i'm stuck on something!
not sure if your fic is for obey me, but this could still apply even if not - with all the pop quizzes and devilgrams that put the characters in a bunch of new contexts, it's helpful seeing how that character's static vs dynamic traits persist/change depending on them, and often that'll give you inspiration as well. depending on what you've got available, you could browse through source material, or brainstorm aus, whichever you enjoy most
i'm really not sure HOW i've stuck with obey me for so long, but somehow it's just stuck with me. i don't remember being so invested in it before jtta, so that's probably why, but i just really love these guys, and i suppose that's why i never burnt out of it? i think it was also because i knew what story i wanted to tell, and i really wanted to make sure ik got her happy ending, and that carried me through as well
seriously, though - do take breaks. every writer's mileage varies, so take a step back whenever you need to. writing fics should be fun! sometimes it does feel like a chore, and it becomes more like 'the only thing i hate more than writing is not writing', but it happens to all of us. sometimes you've just got to rest until your second wind comes along
in terms of comments and such... yeah, it's a tough one! the unfortunate thing is that a vast majority of readers - even if they really enjoyed your writing! - won't leave a comment. don't take this as a direct reflection on your writing! often the reader can't think of what to say, is too shy, or quite simply forgot
again though... i'm not sure if i'm the best person to ask for advice here! i started publishing jtta without much expectation for an audience, given the genre of game it's written for, so any attention was more a nice surprise than anything. i suppose that, later on, when the fic was more well-established, i did start holding some expectation of response - and it really is tough when you don't get as much of one as you were hoping for
i've seen people talking about how the ask culture on tumblr has died down a lot in recent times, so i'm sure you're not the only one feeling like this! all i can suggest is trying to find more friends (mutuals?) and... networking, i guess? i've seen advice saying to share your fic within communities of writers, too
i can't honestly say if these things'll work, because i'm very bad about interacting with a wider fandom in anything - i usually keep to myself, so often i don't have much of an expectation for how and when people come chat. as in real life, i'm only a chatterbox when approached first haha
i'm not sure how helpful this has been, but i'm rooting for you! if you'd like to share your fic here, please do - though i understand if that's something you'd rather keep to yourself as well.
creating things is a joy - it might take some searching to find a circle, but the beauty of the internet is that you will, somewhere out there! wishing you the best ^^
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