#it's the longest chapter I've ever written and ALSO the last of its kind so... I hope you guys enjoy

[engagemachine]

AO3 // FFN

#Burn #Chapter Thirteen #my writing #I. Have. SLAVED... over this chapter #it's the longest chapter I've ever written and ALSO the last of its kind so... I hope you guys enjoy #please let me know what you think! #as always I am nervous wreck!!!!!

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 26

Hello, and we have got to the end of the massive arc that culminated the last four chapters.

I also wrote this part before 24 and 25 because I couldn't figure out how to write Eddie having a hard time on tour, but the aftermath flowed from my fingers.

Also as a reminder this story is finished, I'm just posting on a regular schedule. This story is the longest fanfic I've ever written. Topping out at 58165 it's definitely longer than 50K fic I wrote for NaNoWriMo last year (Sandman, never finished or published.)

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3 Pt 4 Pt 5 Pt 6 Pt 7 Pt 8 Pt 9 Pt 10 Pt 11 Pt 12 Pt 13 Pt 14 Pt 15 Pt 16 Pt 17 Pt 18 Pt 19 Pt 20 Pt 21 Meta Pt 22 Pt 23 Pt 24 Pt 25

****

“You’ve been sitting on that sofa for an entire week,” Wayne growled. “Steve has called three times, your bandmates at least a dozen times each. Hell, boy Miranda has been calling concerned. So want to tell me what’s fucking got you so twisted?”

“I was given a choice out there on the road,” Eddie said, twisting his rings around his fingers. “Stay in Indy and play small time gigs for the rest of my adult life or go to LA and get an album and the chance at super stardom.”

Wayne sat down next him. “Sounds like a big decision to make.”

Eddie leapt to his feet. “That’s the problem. That’s what makes me so angry how fucking easy the choice is.”

Wayne cocked his head to the side. “Sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate again, boy. Start talking.”

Eddie started pacing back and forth. “As much as I loved playing for so many people, I didn’t like that I could only connect with a handful of them and not even the good kind.” He rubbed his chin angrily. “I didn’t like how tired we all were. It was set up, sound check, play, break down and move on to the next fucking town. And that wasn’t including all the parties, interviews, and all that other shit.”

“That does sound exhausting, Ed.”

“I didn’t like how easy it was for them to tell me to drop Gareth as drummer just because he had trouble adjusting to the increased volume. The price of fame they said. Like it was so simple to throw away almost two decades of friendship for the sake of adoring crowds and hearing our music on the radio.”

“Oh, darlin’,” Wayne said softly. “They didn’t...”

“Oh they absolutely did,” Eddie raged. “I didn’t like how they thought that because me and Steve’s relationship was new that I would be able to find someone better. Someone who liked metal, someone who would be down for the ride.”

Wayne furrowed his brow. “That doesn’t sound like good advice.”

Eddie grabbed his hair pulled at it frustration. “The last straw was when they offered to let their tattooist to finish my back tattoo, because while my artist was good, theirs was better.”

He stopped abruptly and turned to face Wayne. “I picked Steve to do my tattoo on my back because he was the only one I trusted to make it meaningful. To understand the symbolism of making something of yourself when everyone is rooting against you. I made the decision before I fell in love with him and now that we’re a couple– and for them to just dismiss him like that? It made me so angry.”

“So what’s the problem? What’s got you so twisted around the bend?”

Eddie took a deep breath and let it out slow. “I’m fucking furious because I always thought that when fame and fortune came knocking I would throw open that door and march right through it. But now? Given the choice? I’m slamming the door in its face and walking away.”

Hot tears ran down his face. “And I don’t know why.”

He dropped to his knees and began to sob.

Wayne stood up and put his arms around his nephew’s shoulders, gently pulling him to his chest.

“Did that band you were traveling with say that?” he whispered into Eddie’s curls. “Because if they did, I swear to god I will burn every record and CD you have of theirs. Don’t think I won’t. I’ll delete them off your phone too.”

Eddie chuckled weakly. “No, no. They were kind. It was everyone else we met. Agents, managers, roadies, groupies, the people around Metallica every day.”

Wayne nodded.

“I was just constantly bombarded with hateful messages and the constant running at one hundred percent...” he whimpered. “I don’t want to do it.”

“Have you told your band that?” Wayne asked.

Eddie shook his head. “I don’t dare to. I was the one that was gung ho about the touring and everything. How do I tell them I don’t want to leave the comfort of Indianapolis and home?”

“Kinda like that,” Jeff said from the doorway. His arms were crossed and he was leaning against the frame. Peaking around him was Miranda with a concerned look on her face.

Eddie scrambled to his feet and wrapped his arms around his waist. “I’m sorry I’ve been a brat.”

Jeff took three giant steps forward and hugged him fiercely. “You’re not being a brat. You’re scared and trying to figure it all out on your own, but you don’t have to, okay? We’ve all been worried sick about you. But Steve especially. I’ll call all the boys down for a chat and you call Steve, okay?”

Eddie nodded.

He dialed the number he knew by heart.

“Baby?” he asked, unsure of the reaction he was going to get. He deserved to be yelled at. Cursed at. Broken up with. He’d hurt Steve the most with this little temper tantrum he’d been having.

“Eds?” Steve breathed. “Sunshine, are you okay? Wayne said you hadn’t been eating well or sleeping much. Say the word and I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

Eddie’s lip began to quiver and tears spilled out of his eyes. “I need you. More than anything.”

“I’m on my way,” Steve said fiercely.

Eddie looked over at Jeff.

“Tell Steve Brian will swing by and pick him up.”

Eddie nodded and relayed the message back to Steve.

“I’ll be at my apartment,” Steve said. “I’ll have Robin arrange my schedule, don’t you worry about thing, baby.”

“Mm’k.”

“I love you, Eds.”

Eddie closed his eyes and breathed in the warmth of that simple phrase. “Love you, too, pretty boy. Come quick.”

“I promise.”

*

Steve piled into Brian’s car. It was the newest, having bought it right before they got picked up by Metallica. He had finally saved up enough money to replace his beater.

Gareth and Gethin in the backseat. Gethin had come up to Indy to watch his twin’s apartment while he was gone and just ended up staying. He was currently looking for a job so that he could move in with Gareth full time.

At least that what they said on the trip down. The twins and Brian were intent on filling the air with talk and Steve let them. He let them fill him in on the tour and everything that had been going on since they’d left.

Steve couldn’t be for certain, but it sounded like that touring hadn’t been fun for anyone. Even after a week of rest, he could still make out the circles under their eyes and how hunched over they were with just sheer exhaustion.

A feeling Steve felt all too well.

Gethin was pressed against his twin’s side and was rubbing his neck soothingly.

Steve looked at Brian.

His face was set, hard and unflinching. He was going to make the drive to Hawkins as fast as he could and still avoid the cops.

Steve was grateful Brian was driving because he didn’t think he would have made the distinction to avoid breaking the law. He would have gunned it and flipped off any cop that tried to catch him.

After awhile, Steve was getting the oddest feeling that Brian was used to speeding down this stretch of highway because there were points where he would slow down for a few miles and then speed right back up.

Soon enough they were pulling up to Wayne’s trailer and piling out the car.

*

Eddie sat on the sofa with Jeff and Miranda on either side of him, just hugging him.

Wayne was busying himself in the kitchen, getting ready to feed the hoard that was about to descend on his home.

The door opened up and Brian, Gareth, and Gethin all stumbled through the entryway. Eddie was on his feet in an instant, Jeff and Miranda not far behind.

And then the trio at the door parted and there stood Steve. Looking just as tired and worn as Eddie felt.

“Stevie?” Eddie asked, taking a step toward him uncertainly.

Steve threw open his arms and Eddie ran straight into them. They wrapped their arms around each other and just sobbed.

“I’m here, Eds,” Steve murmured into Eddie’s neck. “I’m here. I love you so much.”

Eddie lifted his head and kissed him hard. “I love you, too. I regret leaving you behind, sweetheart. It nearly killed me. Every song I wrote was about you. About missing you. I don’t even want to leave you ever again, I can’t.”

The silence that followed that statement was deafening.

Steve led Eddie back over to couch and sat them both down. “Tell us everything, babe.”

And so Eddie did. He told them everything. Everything he had told Wayne, everything that had been weighing on his mind since they started touring. It all just came out in a flood.

They all listened patiently.

“Why didn’t you tell us you felt like that while we were on the road?” Gareth asked. “I knew what they were saying about me, but I also knew you guys wouldn’t drop me. If you had me about that I would have been able to reassure you that I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

Eddie flushed with embarrassment. “I didn’t know how to bring it up, it was so vile, man.”

Jeff gave his hand a squeeze. “Well, I think that you did a bang up job telling us now and that’s what really matters.”

“Someone offered to ship me out to LA and record an album,” Eddie finally admitted. “Not the band, just me. I told him that I wouldn’t go without you guys and he laughed in my face. Told me to cut the dead weight and be a star.” He dragged his hands over his face.

“But there were other offers. Good ones. Ones that included the band, well most of it, anyway. Always under the proviso that Gareth be replaced either on tour or all together. They didn’t want to make any accommodations for him even though there is a drummer with one god damn arm!”

“So the options are,” Brian said, “stay in Indy doing what we’ve been doing, only better because of the money we got for doing this tour. Go to LA without Gareth. Go to LA with Gareth but only as a studio musician and take some person we don’t know on tour with us. Does that sound about right?”

Just then Gareth’s phone went off. He looked at it with a frown. It wasn’t a number recognized so he let it go to voicemail. He pulled it up after the notification popped up.

He listened to message with wide eyes. “Hey guys, I think we have another option.” And he played the message so everyone could hear.

“Hey, Mr Hughes,” the tinny voice said through the speaker. “This is Murray Bauman, I’m music producer, we spoke in Las Vegas. I think I have the perfect deal for you boys. You were telling me that touring was really hard on you and that if there was an option you wouldn’t do that. I know you weren’t speaking for all your band, but I could tell that they would do anything for you, all four of you being such good friends.

“So the reason for this call is that I own a small music company in Bloomington and boy do I have a deal for you all. You would make a record through us, we would sell and distribute the record, keeping a portion of the sales, of course. But you wouldn’t have to tour. You have a steady gig as I understand it. If your fans want to see you play, they’ll know where to find you.

“But give me a call, we’ll hash out the details. My phone number is 555-555-2080...” and then message beeped, signaling the end of the voicemail.

Eddie looked down at the phone and then back up at Gareth. “Oh.”

Gareth grinned. “We don’t even have to take his offer, but I vote we listen to it. Brian can bring Cecil.”

Brian nodded. “He’s only got a semester left of law school, but I’ll have him brush up on his contract law to be on the safe side.”

Jeff raised his hand. “All in favor of hearing Mr Bauman out raise your hand?”

Eddie, Brian, and Gareth’s hands shot up.

“Sounds good,” Jeff said. “You call him back and set it up and if it doesn’t work out we can vote again.”

Brian shook his head. “Nah. I think if it doesn’t work, we stick to Nightmare Holes. We took a swing at it and if it’s a miss then we tried. I thought I wanted the touring and everything that came with stardom, but like Eddie I learned I wanted the romanticized version of it. I’ll be happy playing in front of our friends for the rest of our lives.”

The rest of the band nodded.

Soon everyone getting up to go back to Indy, but Steve stayed behind, he would go back up with Eddie in the morning. They had things to discuss that went deeper then the band.

****

Part 27 Part 28 Epilogue

I told you I would fix it.

Also a little BTS, the reason in my head for why things went wrong on tour but immediately righted itself when Eddie and Steve met up again? Steve still has Eddie's lucky pick. ;)

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​@bookworm0690 @chaosgremlinmunson @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @aizawa-emma @yikes-a-bee @redfreckledwolf @thesuninyaface @bookbinderbitch @archermightbegay @littlewildflowerkitten @scheodingers-muppet @hallucinatedjosten @ellietheasexylibrarian @anne-bennett-cosplayer @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @bestwifehaver @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @oldwitcheshat @nightmareglitter @tinyplanet95 @novelnovella @jonesn4coffee @slowandsteddie @awkwardgravity1 @steaddie-on

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #tattoo artist steve

[ursafootprints]

*eagerly holds up microphone ;D

1, 3, 12, 13, 17, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30

Sldkfjsdf 💖💖💖 THANK YOU FRIEND you're the sean evans to my weeping-while-answering-questions interviewee

1, 12, 24 have all been answered!

3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer? Oh, gosh. That I can finish something longer than five chapters? That banking all my oneshot ideas is a great way to focus on a main project but means I will be extremely scattered from having too many WIPs in the aftermath? I feel like I'm much less thoughtful/self-aware about this kind of stuff than a lot of other authors, lmao.

13. What fic was the easiest to write? Cheating because it was by far the shortest, but it happens here every day (and its soon-to-be-posted Part 2, as they were actually originally written as a one-shot, haha.) I finished each scene in one sitting of CLAMP-fuelled brainworms.

For the ones that are on more equal ground wordcount-wise, Pyrite was the easiest! I had a pretty solid idea of what I wanted out of it and didn't struggle overly much with any of the individual elements.

17. What were your go-to writing snacks? Salt & vinegar chips are my favorite snack, but I don't snack while I write! I don't wanna get chipfingers on my keyboard.

22. Share an excerpt from your favorite scene I can't actually pick a favorite from the last two chapters of YNYD (Peter's talks with May? Tony and Peter's final date night before Peter moves for MIT?? the final scene?!), so instead, from Pyrite:

"I accepted that I had no fucking clue what Dad would let you get away with all the way back when you were three and I didn't revert to being an only child after you drew all over his Shelby Cobra with a screwdriver," he said, rolling his eyes at the memory. It's not like he'd at all wanted his baby brother to get slapped into next Tuesday, but— "For all I know you could blow Norman Osborn right in front of him and he'd just compliment your technique." "Tony!" Peter squawked with a peal of horrified laughter, twisting up out of Tony's lap to shove at his shoulder in protest. "'Hmm, excellent work, son,'" Tony intoned in a well-practiced imitation of their father, catching Peter's wrists. "'See how he's working the shaft, Anthony? Now this is how a worthy Stark successor sucks cock.'" "Oh my god," Peter wailed as he struggled against Tony's grip to try and shut him up, beet red and laughing.

Despite being wholly inappropriate, Tony was actually just being a big brother rather than trying to flirt with Peter here, and so this part actually struck me as being weirdly charming as a look into what their sibling relationship could've been like if not for… everything.

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year? Oh finishing YNYD for sure. I've never written anything near that long or complex before (my next-longest work is only 37k vs YNYD's 166k,) much less finished it, and it felt like a massive accomplishment.

If we're talking something more specific to the writing process, coming up with the idea of using Hanahaki as the premise for the wicked love sequel was also super satisfying! I was pretty content with the idea of just letting the first part stand alone as a full-on tragedy, but I did keep rolling the idea of "but what would their relationship look like after that" around in my mind just out of sheer fascination with it.

I didn't think my answer at the time ("they'd get therapy but Tony wouldn't really ever open up to talk about it and things would never really be the same I guess???") would be that interesting to write or read, but landing on "Tony would be forced to talk about it because his son got Hanahaki" was immediately exciting!

27. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic? I live in a constant state of buying myself a little treat, so I probably did that, but otherwise not really actually!

29. If this were an awards show, who would you thank? Lolll oh god. You and @shivanessa for sure for all the lovely gifts and for being such thoughtful and supportive readers and friends, my sibling for listening to me ramble about my fics, Rome for letting me bounce ideas off of them and being a wonderful friend and cheerleader, allllllll of my regular commenters…!! You guys are what makes being in fandom so fun 💖💖💖

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024? Lmaoooooooooo

People were sharing their WIPs lists in the Super Starkers server a while back so I threw one together and, well…

…We'll see what happens!!

#ursa asks #ask games #liliaaa 💖💖💖

[imreallyloveleee]

2023 fic review

thank you for tagging me @onlyalittlebookworm! <3 <3 <3

What is your ao3 account?

loveleee

2. How many words did you write total in 2023?

32,717

3. How many fics did you publish in 2023? How many multichapters vs. oneshots?

3 oneshots, 1 new WIP, and updated 1 WIP. this was definitely one of my least "productive" years for fic-writing in quite a while (although i don't think i published much in 2022 either, looking back). for obvious reasons: i was traveling for more than half the year; and also Riverdale canon was so fucking awful to our ship specifically that i think it just killed off everyone's desire to read and write about them. thanks RAS! <3

4. What was your longest fic? Your shortest fic?

longest: i feel like i win when i lose, my bughead four weddings & a funeral-inspired fic. 16,379 words (and i need to finish the last chapter ahhhhhhhhhhhhh)

shortest: honeymoon phase, my (very first!!) jimmy/kim fic. 1,927 words.

5. What was your most popular fic? Your least popular?

even though it kind of feels like cheating, head underwater was most popular, because even though i started it years ago, i updated it in 2023!

for least popular, if we're going by kudos, it was three conversations about one thing, which was my desperate attempt to make some sense out of the penultimate episode of riverdale s7 lol

6. What fic didn't perform as well as you thought it would?

honestly, i try to keep my expectations low for everything i publish, to avoid disappointment. i guess the answer would be that last one, "three conversations." but like, the show's ending sucked? i'm not surprised people were not dying to run out and read fic about it 😂

7. What fic performed way better than you thought it would?

i really did not know what to expect from posting a Better Call Saul fic. the show ended over a year ago, and i don't really have much of a sense of how big/active the fandom around it is, or was at its peak. that said, i was EXTREMELY happy to discover that there are way more fics for Jimmy/Kim than there were for the last "prestige"-y show ship i wrote for (Peggy/Stan on Mad Men).

so, all that to say, i was really pleasantly surprised to get as much engagement as i did with that little story! and i'm working on another one now and really enjoying writing it. :)

8. What was your favourite fic you wrote in 2023?

i feel like i win when i lose!!!!!!! the first four chapters of that story just FLOWED out of me like they already existed. it was so much fun to write and i think it's a super fun story in general. i reeeeeeally want to finish it.

9. What was your favourite fic someone else wrote in 2023?

Beautiful Broken Things by teaandpinkfrosting: a well-written, well-plotted, sweet, emotional, in-character season 1 Bughead fic in the year of our lord 2023? WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS?

Eighty-Six Years by jimmymcgools: a grounded, believable, heartwrenching, yet ultimately hopeful continuation of the most devastating finale i've ever watched in my life? again, WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS? [ETA to be extra clear that the finale i'm referencing here is bcs NOT rvd lol]

10. Tag your friends to do this year end fic review as well!

@absnow @burberrycanary @andsmile if you're into it! <3

#my fic

[marcellebelle]

20 questions for writers

I was tagged to do this by @isnt-it-pretty , so thank you for that!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I think 16

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

535,969. Most of that is from my longest fic tbh.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I actively write for BHNA and FMA. I also have a crossover with Death Note, and have written for Les Mis (crossover) and Naruto too. When I was younger I wrote a fic for Undertale and a couple for Avengers which I've now orphaned since I know I won't be continuing with those fandoms or fics.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Eraserhead - 8153 (BNHA fic)

the tin can man - 3124 (BNHA and FMA crossover/fusion fic)

not the first time (but hopefully the last) - 985 (BNHA fic)

When The Rain Falls - 834 (FMAB fic)

Izuku has a guardian... something and his name is Light Yagami - 810 (Death Note and BNHA crossover)

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

I do my best to within a couple of days on my actively updating long fic. I try to respond on my other fics too but because those fics aren't at the forefront of my mind sometimes it takes me until the next update to get around to responding.

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

I would say not the first time (but hopefully the last) since even though the ending is sort of hopeful, it's definitely still angsty.

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

Probably Eraserhead? It's a crack fic but like All For One retires to become a botanist by the end so I'd say that's a plus.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I actually have done before. When I was eleven on ff.net I wrote a twilight fic and decided that speech marks were too much effort to bother with. Definitely regretted that choice and received some pretty cruel feedback for it. Eleven year old me definitely learned a lesson that day.

Since then I've not really gotten hate hate, but there have definitely been a few comments that have been a little negative about my choice of plot device or something like that which is okay. It's not something I take to heart (and sometimes the advice is good.)

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

I've never written smut and tbh I probably never will because I find romantic relationships the hardest to write!

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

I write quite a lot of crossovers. In terms of craziest it would have to be the tin can man because that's just become a thing unto it's own.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Same as above!

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

Never! I'd like to say I'd be open to the idea but tbh I'd probably have a lot of trouble sticking with it as my schedule is all over the place.

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

I think Erasermic just for the comfort.

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

When The Rain Falls. I've got so many other projects going on its just fully on the back burner at this point. I would like to finish it so I might just devote a month to writing solely that and get it to some sort of conclusion, but we'll see.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I would probably say characterisation and plotting/world building. I do think my dialogue can be quite good but it depends how invested in the scene I am. I'm definitely better at writing angst than regular conversation.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I don't have a beta reader and I have a tendency to skim read so I know I post chapters with mistakes even after combing through them. Plus I'm impatient, so it'll be little things like words missed out of a sentence that my brain has automatically filled in, in my rush to get it published! I think also I make my sentences too wordy and quite often can't seem to find the right structure. Like I know what I want to say but I can't get it onto the page in the right order.

Also I think my plots can become a bit too unwieldy meaning I have to work very hard to keep up with all my odds and ends of character arcs and plot devices etc. which is also fun!

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

I personally wouldn't as I don't want to make a fic less accessible and I don't trust myself to get it right. French is the only other language I have enough understanding in that I probably could muddle my way through finding the correct grammar etc but I don't want my readers having to break out google translate for my fics.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

That would have to be Twilight when I was eleven.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

the tin can man - a BNHA and FMA crossover. It's everything to me and I've put so much of myself into it. I know I'm going to finish it, even though it is a huge project. I have adhd and anxiety and so projects for me are difficult and even just finishing it would be amazing so I can prove to myself that I can do it!

I'm tagging @alighted-willow @aobawilliams @dumbassrasure @shadowwolfsworld

no pressure to do this! :-)

[blazehedgehog]

Hey Blaze! I am curious to know, is that Sonic Forces video still in the cards, or did it sort of roll over as the "general criticism" of Sonic that you mentioned it being into the Frontiers video?

Hm. A little of both.

I think I mentioned this on patreon a few times, but the general roadmap of what happened was:

Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania came out in 2017 while I was moving 1000+ miles and two states to where I currently live. I was unable to do videos about either game until April of 2018.

I did the Sonic Mania video first, and as I was finishing up, Sonic Mania Plus was announced.

So I did a video about Sonic Mania Plus, too.

This put me 1+ year out from making a timely Sonic Forces review. I started writing a script, but did not finish it, and as time went on, it started to feel weird.

I rolled some of that Sonic Forces review into another essay I had started before I moved. This was a written essay I'd planned on pitching to Waypoint back when they were taking open submissions, but I started to second guess whether I should let my freak flag fly like that.

Rolling Sonic Forces into that essay, I tried to restructure it into a video that would serve as something on the scale of "How Do We Fix Sonic?" It wasn't necessarily about Sonic Forces, but Forces would be a specific point I'd come back to, interwoven talking about other Sonic games along the way.

The other reason I never finished it for Waypoint is I kind of lost the thread while writing. Restructuring it into a video, it happened again.

And again. And again. I re-started writing the script 2 or 3 times, because I'd get lost deep in tangents and would feel like nobody'd understand where I was coming from anymore. The scope of the video was starting to feel a little too big.

Out of the blue I got an idea to restructure the video, which was to break it down into chapters. I could treat each individual chapter like it's own self-contained idea, and it helped me make sense of it a lot more. I wrote an outline for each chapter and started to feel a lot more confident.

While taking care of my Mom when she was in her last few months, I wrote a good 70-80% of the script, maybe more. All that was left was to write the final chapter. During this process, it had grown to become the biggest, longest script I'd ever written (almost 18 pages, and I expected easily 20+ by the time I was done).

I never finished it. The final chapter needed some work to clarify a unifying message, stress peaked with my Mom, and then eventually Sonic Frontiers got announced. Seemed moot to put Sonic Forces at the heart of an essay like that.

The essay now needs rewrites to recontextualize some of what was written almost two years ago.

The Sonic Frontiers video also ended up taking the title of the longest script I'd ever written (23 pages).

It's still on the table as something I want to do, but it feels sort of like wrestling with a mountain at this point. The plan was, once the video was done, Patreon would get a gigantic PDF with every draft, since they were all kind of different. Even before adding the final script, I think the PDF of all the older drafts combined is close to 40 pages. Depending on how things go, it may be over 70 pages by the time all the separate drafts are archived together. The making of that script/video will basically be it's whole own book, for better or worse.

All that being said, there's another video series I've been considering that would allow me to revisit Sonic Forces on its own and have more of a traditional review of it. So that'll still happen... eventually.

#questions #saturnw0lf #sonic the hedgehog #sega #sonic team #sonic forces

[maggot-monger]

i was tagged by @leatafandom — thank you!! it was fun both to see your answers and to think about/look up mine <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

99. some day #100 will be posted but who knows when or what that will be lolol

2. What’s your total A03 word count?

395,538

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently none; i'm doing original stuff only lately. however i have things on ao3 written for marvel (specifically the asgardian faction), downton abbey, what we do in the shadows, and of course most recently (and also least recently...i've come full circle) supernatural

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

seize the crown (wwdits, e)

friendly favors (wwdits, e)

judges of character (downton abbey, gen)

"mr barrow has the flu" (downton abbey, t)

thomas barrow and the power of friendship (downton abbey, t)

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

yessss i love responding to comments!!! i appreciate them so much, and i love an opportunity to talk about my writing <3 i can understand why people might prefer not to, especially on a place like ao3 which is technically an archive, but i like the community feel of interacting with readers on there (and i love it when other authors reply to my comments so kind of a golden rule situation)

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

hm...technically the song remains the same (spn, t) has the least desirable endingbut imo passive (mcu, gen), which is entirely about grief and denial, is angstier despite "brother died" being a less dramatic problem than "stuck in eternal crushing hell isolation"

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

to me it's phantom fangs (wwdits, t), my little vampirism-as-trans-allegory project! it's a bit of a bummer at times but to me the ending is so happy <3

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

i haven't!

9. Do you write smut?

yee. although i'm never sure if i want to write smut lmao but it sure does happen a fair amount sometimes

10. Do you write crossovers?

it's not generally my thing, although i do enjoy heavy allusions. i do have at least one though!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i'm aware of (i have had art stolen though RIP)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! although i'm not sure the translation is up anymore; it was a number of years ago

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

no...i'm curious about this but i'm not sure how it would go? but anyway no, at least not yet

14. What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

formally it's samifer because i got my fandom phd in this lol but who even knows in actuality tbh

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

i'm soooo haunted by the last chapter of crimsonpeaknatural aka hollow's gate (spn, e). it is my longest fic on ao3 by far and is literally one chapter from done, i just can't bring myself to write the last ~7k. it is fully outlined. i know what happens in it. i just can't write it! why

i also started a michean fic over the summer that i really like but i doubt it'll ever be finished. at least i never posted any of that though :p

16. What’s your writing strengths?

imo characterization/perspective, atmosphere, and prose versatility. maybe pacing? i've gotten comments on that a few times but it's less of a self-observed strength

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

i don't know what plots are <3 also sometimes my prose wraps around to being a little too circular for its own good so that's both a strength and a weakness of mine lol.

tbh i'm also bad at killing my darlings, especially when it comes to scenes i'm obsessed with, unless i give myself a LONG time to edit. like, on the order of months

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

i'm not really a fan of this as a reader and i prefer not to do it as a writer, but also i'm not going to knock it on principle because i do understand the appeal, especially to people who are writing primarily for themselves and are comfortable in both/all the languages they're including. it can be fun sometimes to see the differences between the language the dialogue and the translation gives (if they provide one) if the language is one i'm also familiar with.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

harry potter. y'know...what can you do lol it is what it is. i wrote the kind of dramione angst you'd expect of a person like me who was 13yo at the time

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

ohhhh i don't know. i had SO much fun writing poker face (spn, e) and i think it succeeds at doing everything i wanted it to do. this isn't an objective answer but i am genuinely very happy with that one so it is my answer atm!

no-pressure tagging @artoodeeblue, @fandom-space-princess, @quietwingsinthesky, and anybody else who would like to do this!

#tag games

[honeyblockm]

Hi! My name is Yen! [pronouns: he/it/any] Sometimes i am also other names in other reaches of the internet.

↳ this is a sideblog, I follow and interact from @spiritunwilling

↳ ao3: cryptofhoney

↳ my DSMP playlists

↳ I don't rlly tag consistently for anything so like, be forewarned.

↳ art I draw is tagged with #my art; writing I do is tagged #my writing; all asks are tagged #asks; and I'm not great at keeping up with it but non-reblogs/original posts should be under #yens

↳ lore main! Assume everything I talk about is about the characters unless otherwise specified

↳ be decent. Be kind. For the love of god don't victim blame or harass people

↳ for clarity: I don't support cc!Dream or cc!Wilbur and am not comfortable engaging with blogs about either content creator, or having blogs that support those two interact with my work. I don't go through the blogs of everyone that interacts with me bc I have a life but I will block if I do find out.

□ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □

here are some of the things i have made:

Silver Dollar: President Schlatt is dead, murdered. It's up to you to find his killer.

A murder mystery game created in Twine, set during the Manberg era. Chapter 1 out of 4 has been posted.

Journeying Into the Center of the Earth to Retrieve Your Dead Ex-Boyfriend: Quackity goes to Hell.

Post Canon-Divergence c!Quacknap AU where Quackity does the classic Descent into the Underworld to Save a Loved One™

BED [DIS]ASSEMBLY: A STURDY BED FRAME WITH SOFT, PROFILE EDGES AND HIGH LEGS. A CLASSIC SHAPE THAT WILL LAST FOR MANY YEARS. THIS CLASSIC BED FRAME WILL LOOK GREAT WITH YOUR CHOICE OF TEXTILES AND BEDROOM FURNITURE.

c!Sapnap-centric creative writing piece, in the format of an edited IKEA manual

KILL YOUR PAST SELF: YOU WILL KNOW WHEN THE TIME HAS COME

c!Quackity-centric infographic(?) about ego death and metaphorically killing your previous iteration because it can no longer sustain itself. Or you.

WE ALL THINK YOU'RE A GRAND GIRL: NIHACHU Well they’re gone now I guess you all saw it. Schlatt chased them out not in this great clashing of blades and war they just had to run

c!Niki-centric oneshot, about her arc during the Manberg-Pogtopia war. Based on the style and themes of Anne Carson's Antigonick.

with the measure that you used / so shall it be measured to you: Sapnap, post-Dream.

Post-canon fic where Sapnap kills Dream and keeps on living. Written in the format of several interviews with SMP newspapers over 2-3 decades.

The Death Poem: What is known about dying on the server.

A poem for every canon death on the server (in some cases of group deaths they are combined, like FCR.)

Carthage may rise again someday

collection of what should be all of the dsmp poems I've written, most of which are also posted here. There's poems about everyone from Philza to Wilbur to Fundy to Wilbur again to Quackity to Wilbur again! to Sapnap to Quackity-

before we cut to Alexandria: Between you is a desk and, an hour later, a wall, and your brother- let’s call him your brother, because you do not have to like your brothers, but you have to have them. And he is here, your brother.

c!cabinetduo (Manberg era) poem that warrants its own post. Might be the longest poem I've ever written and I have no idea how that happened even. Also on ao3.

you don't have to love it: Turning heel; or, deciding not to die.

c!Quackity-centric professional wrestling au. Kind of a character study. Kind of a love letter to how compelling getting beat up and beating people up can be ^_^ and also kayfabe and heel turns and losing

12x100s: the loneliest people in the whole wide world - Fundy and Quackity; where the high wires drop (where the fat crows fly) - Sam and Ponk

12x100s are a format by Lewis Attilio. Series' of twelve 100-word snapshots. Pretty great for character studies. The fics aren't related to one another, they're just both 12x100s.

Left Pining for Transience: Quackity Snowfall is a perfect machine, capable of assisting Senator Schlatt however he needs. Theirs is a relationship of mutual benefit--he helps Schlatt stay in power and Schlatt keeps him out of the grasp of the omnipresent megacorporation REDSTONE. Quackity has nothing else to turn to, no reason to stray from his position until he meets Karl, a rogue neural net touting what appears to be sentience.

c!Karlnapity cyberpunk AU where Karl lives inside Quackity's head. Written in two months for AUFEST 2023. It is my first go at a completed longfic. I wish it could be better but that's okay. We're learning.

Various AU series: The Paltry Few-Harbinger AU (supernatural/monster hunting); no don't tell me the odds (blaseball);

I have other standalone fics that take place in alternate universes, but these are the ones that actually have multiple works in the series.

november 16

webweave about fallen cities and dreams that could only be a whisper.

your death and mine

c!sandduo webweave about the act of killing your son.

WE ARE NOT TRAITORS BUT THE LIGHTS GO OUT

c!dreamnap webweave about loving your best friend, who is, in some sense or another, dead.

LONGING BECOMES ITS OWN OBJECT

c!karlnapity webweave about an absence and tidal wave of love both.

CUT ME DOWN WHERE THE WATER MEETS THE SEA

c!Fundy webweave about fathers

Relief Pitcher: so send me up, so sound the alarm

Niche but I love this so it makes the list. c!Quackity webweave based on the song Relief Pitcher by the Garages.

but once upon it / the yellow bonnet

This is a drawing of karlnapity getting married and tbh it fucks. That's all.

Bad Blood

@/anonymous-dentist wrote a comic that I illustrated for @/dsmpherozine! It's about vigilante!Karl breaking into Las Nevadas.

other art of mine that I think is cool: Kiss of Judas - Eretbur; Independence or Death - L'Manberg zine; DEICIDE - Dreamnap; Karlnapity sleeping sketch; more karlnapity; c!Quackity magdalen with the smoking flame study; slasher wedding concept; karlnapity become triangle; Honq cozies; you guessed it it's more karlnapity; 3 guys 1 bed - Kinoko; Karlnapity painting based off a poem; Devil and Fallen Angel - Tinarose;

Poster redraws: communist gay eggpire, SUPPORT UNIONS FOOLISH GAMERS SAYS TO SUPPORT UNIONS

hey man sometimes the urge overtakes me

Various comics: dream & divinity; skephalo & healing; tntduo & mutual destruction; devil town chapter 11 by hooray; sapnap and homemaking; tommyinnit & persevering; karlnapity & a complete list of fears; ponk & a broken relationship; wilbur & the final control room; awesamdude & the warden; fundy & routine; karl & love

like 5 of these are lyric comics and 3 are specifically using songs from the mountain goats. good lord

#yens #hiiii <3 #new pinned ^-^

[bitbybitwrites]

Weekend WIP - Ask Game

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).

*******

Well now @daisyishedwig did send me an ask with a few of these questions. So since technically the game is to answer them all - I'll do that. Apologies if its more than what you wanted to know!

I've already tagged folks here when I first posted this. But if you see this and haven't been tagged want to join in - go ahead!

*****

1. WIP List: (what I qualify as a WIP for me is either I've started outlining extensively and/or actually writing the fic.)

If I Can Make Your Heart My Home (Klaine fic)

Sanctuary (Klaine fic)

Cuffed (Klaine fic) - not posted

Tinker Bells ( Klaine fic)- not posted

Untitled Klaine Advent 2022 fic - Day 5 - Oval (Klaine fic) - not posted

Shaken, Not Stirred - not posted (RWRB fic)

Untitled RWRB fic - not posted

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

By far, If I Can Make Your Heart My Home. It's also the longest fic I've written to date. I last posted Chapter 20. I have Chp 21 in the batter's box and am currently writing Chp 22.

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

Yikes. I'm going to guess, If I Can Make Your Heart My Home. Though Cuffed as the potential to be pretty long as well. And whenever I get around to the untitled RWRB fic, that's going to be a long one too.

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

If I Can Make Your Heart My Home. I've really kind of fallen in love with the AU. I have soooo many cameos of characters from the show - esp some that I hope were very unexpected for readers. I've really enjoyed working them into the story. I also am loving the music attached to the story. The original prompt/artwork had Blaine as a guitar playing street musician. After some brainstorming with @datshitrandom (who provided the prompt and art) we switched it instead to a cello playing Blaine and I've really enjoyed finding cello pieces do go along with the story. I've begun adding mood music too for some chapters, which I hope has enhanced the experience for readers. I'm also such a big tea drinker/baker/lover of afternoon tea - the whole tea/cooking element of the story makes me smile. I've snuck in some of my personal favorite recipes that Kurt and his fellow chefs have made and enjoyed looking for new ones to round out the fic.

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

Cuffed. Partially bc its a prequel to my first ever fic - Trick or Treat - and I really want to do it justice. That first story I agonized over writing and I love the little AU that folks only got a peek at. Partially bc its a D/s AU and I want to do the lifestyle justice and treat it with respect - yet at the same time its an AU so I do get to call the shots and make my own rules on how the world evolves. I feel its going to be a more character/emotion driven fic as opposed to a kink driven one. But then that does fall in line with the fic its based off of. One of my betas had called it "D/s lite" when she first read it 😂.

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

Maybe Cuffed. - bc of the reasons listed above. Maybe also my untitled RWRB fic. - actually both of the RWRB fics - bc its a totally new fandom for me to write for and I so want to do those characters justice.

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

I always run my fics past my two betas - its just a force of habit ever since I started writing - they are great sounding boards, especially when I'm stumped about something I want to include in a story.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

Sanctuary had a bit of writers block for a bit - but then I was able to bang out an outline for all but the last two scenes. For me - honestly time is my enemy over writers block. I know what I want to write - its just getting the time to sit down and do it!

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

If I Can Make Your Heart My Home:

Hands down my favorite OC ( and she's also really my only OC to date) - is Lillian Anderson - or Nana as she likes everyone she is close with to call her.

Lillian is Blaine's paternal grandmother from England. She is a force of nature packed in the body of a tiny little woman. She is very openhearted and passionate. Loves her grandsons and is very protective of Blaine and Cooper. She the type of grandmother who will bake you your favorite cake when you are sick and still listen to your romantic problems with an open mind - no matter what age you are. She is also, can I say - a bit unexpected in some of what she does - there is a playfulness to her but its kind of tempered with the feeling you really don't want to cross her. When she means business, she means business.

Nana, I am happy to say is favorite of many readers of the fic. It makes me smile to see comments about how much they love her, wish she was their grandmother and want to be adopted by her! 😊

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

Oh god - this is like the worst question for me bc I am so on the fence on how sexy/good my smut is 😂. I'm just going to say -If I Can Make Your Heart My Home - bc I haven't written enough smut in the others WIP to qualify.

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

Definietly If I Can Make Your Heart My Home. I do love angst and I think there's a whole lotta of it in this fic.

12. Which WIP has the best characterization (in your humble opinion)?

Like characters staying true to canon? Um. Not sure? Maybe Blaine in If I Can Make Your Heart My Home. He's a wonderful showman/performer - seemingly has it all together, but as readers are now finding out, he does have some of his own issues he's been pushing aside and not dealing with. Much like Blaine on the show, in my opinion. If you're talking about like a non canon type of characterization - I'm going to have to go with Lillian Anderson/Nana. She is a joy to write and create from scratch.

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

If I Can Make Your Heart My Home I take the readers to some of my favorite places in Central Park in this pic: - Alice In Wonderland Statue - Bethesda Terrace / Bethesda Fountain ( if there are any Doctor Who - like me - fans, they will recognize this location from the episode The Angels Take Manhattan) - Belvedere Castle - Bow Bridge (Glee fans will recognize this from where Finn and Rachel met for their date in Manhattan) If you ever come to NY to visit - definitely go and see them!

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

The untitled RWRB fic has been a lot of research so far.

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

I don't know - I hope they all turn out well. And by that I hope I am pleased with how they turn out from a writing standpoint. I don't really measure how well a fic is by how many readers/ kudos or comments, but more on my personal standards of my work. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I'm hard on myself and what I crank out.

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

Like fall asleep and dream? Not that I am aware of. Me daydreaming about them - thats like for all of them. I usually work things out in my head first, jot notes down in a journal second if my laptop top isn't near. Or I'll just go to the laptop to write.

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

The untitled RWRB fic is going to be a monster once I finish the outline - because its my first real historical fic. Lots of research has already been done, but so much more needs to happen before I can start the writing.

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

If I Can Make Your Heart My Home All I can say is Trent and Tina crack me up to no end in the fic.

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

I kind of dabble on some things/backgrounds of other characters in If I Can Make Your Heart My Home - but I don't know if any of it would be considered a deep dive? I've dropped hints and such about things that have happened in the past for a number of characters. When I finish the main fic there may be an opportunity to revisit all these hints in a way that readers might enjoy. . . we'll see.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

Tinker Bells (Klaine fic) is a rework of a story I started years ago, based on the Sword and Sorceress series books edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Originally the two main characters were women, but now that I've cast Blaine and Kurt in them, I'm interested in taking the story in a diferent direction.

Untitled Klaine 2022 Advent fic - is a revisit to my superhero series: Under The Cover of Darkness. Blaine finally meets Kurt's parents during the holidays.

Shaken, Not Stirred (RWRB fic) is inspired by this artwork by @noodles-and-tea . It will be a Spy Au (which is going to be a challenge and research must be done bc I'm not one to really read that genre much.)

My untitled historical RWRB fic is inspired by this artwork by @stormtrooperjeff17004. Its going to be a monster of a story starting in 1800s in Mexico and ending somewhere in the Regency/Georgian period in England.

Whew! I think thats everything! Now I've got to get back to writing!

#ask game #weekend wip game

[atiny-piratequeen]

Since I see you are sad people dont ask about ATT i will. What was the first inspiring thing that sparked your imagination to write ATT? How has the plotline changed since you first began? Is there a chapter you’re not satisfied with and wish you could redo? What chapter feels like its the best one youve done thus far? Who is your favorite att character you may only pick 2? Have you ever gotten your own lore wrong and had to be corrected on it? Would you ever consider changing the characters names and making it into a book? How has your life biews shifted because of ATT? What self learning have you discovered on your way while writting it? Which character do you feel nost similarly represents yourself?

the first thing that inspired AtT was the off-handed one off thought I had while listening to Against the Tide by Celldweller. It was Hongjoong in the ocean reaching upwards towards the surface while sinking and my brain went 'brrrrrr' and then I listened to it on repeat and got the idea centered around that one thought.

The plotline has changed like crazy. I actually reworked hoe Priscilla was going to behave bc it felt a bit too yandere for me with the original idea and I don't really like yandere type things. Also the idea for The King came because of Answer and the teezers having that cb stage where they had the boys asking their other selves back and forth "are you evil? are you good?" and etc and I was like...oh wait a minute Priscilla isn't a spicy enough villain, lets one up it and have TWO big baddies. One who's clearly more intimidating than the other lol

I still kind of want to go back and redo Jongho's chapter. I'm very satisfied with most of it but I feel like it could of flowed better. I also wrote that while on my birthday vacation and forcing myself to stay awake for unhealthy amounts of time. Like it was really bad I think I wrote for two days straight with literally only like a collective 4 hours of sleep between it was HORRIBLE, all because I wanted it up by my birthday so I could have reviews as a bday gift and I was still a day late and I feel it could've been better. so probably that one. space the development out a bit more and then make the ending better. You can clearly tell I was running out of steam towards the end and I'm disappointed in myself.

best one so far? if we're talking about pirate era, probably chapter 8. that was the first chapter we got to see The King fully, the first chapter Hongjoong got to use enough of his power to reestablish to the reader why he is the captain and a force to be reckoned with even after parting from most of his power, and it sets up a lot. 9 is a close second for obvious reasons but I had so much fun writing the hyuna vs hongjoong scene, I have to go with ch 8. if we're talking modern day, its the last chapter because not only is that bitch the longest single thing I've ever written, its THE chapter where things start clicking into place. It's just as important to the narrative as chapter 8 in my opinion and there's a lot more to come.

Favorite two characters? Hongjoong and Whiro. Yall can tell how much I adore Whiro every time I write the mf lmao and ofc I adore Hongjoong. he's got so many layers to him especially things I haven't even touched on.

I wanna say yes. it doesnt happen often but when you write something this big for this long, things get mixed up and wires get twisted. I have def gone back and made edits bc of issues and I reread att so much to see if I over looked any plotholes.

I have thought about it, but I feel like it would lose a lot of the heart it has if I did. I have considered doing like a mini print series of the actual ATT and selling physical copies to a small batch of folks and I have looked into some printing sites but that idea is far in the future. But change the name and rewrite it with other people over it? nah

I wouldn't say any views of mine have changed bc of AtT. I have the same ones, I'm just sharing with everyone.

I mean I def have learned what some folks like when it comes to the pacing and timing of scenes and events. I probably will put a bit more pleasure with the pain bc folk's are out here struggling but I def have learned and perfected a lot of my writing style with AtT in the years I've been writing it

Probably Yeosang. Feeling like an outcast in your family, relying on a found family, including finding solace in the audience of your pet family. Eventually coming out of our shell and finding our voice slowly and getting a feeling for who we actually are

Thank you so much for the long and thoughtful ask. I really appreciate it sm and this was so fun to sit down and answer

#ilysm thank you sm for the ask #asks #anontiny #att asks #att spoilers

[remidyal]

Pure Self-Indulgence - My D20 Stuff Ranked

Last night, I published my 20th work of D20 fanfic. I had mentioned here that I was going to do something that was maybe the most purely self-indulgent thing I've ever done when this happened, and so I bring you:

Remi's D20 works, ranked from Nat 1 to Nat 20 by how much she likes them:

Nat 1 - Phases: The only one of these that isn't a story in and of itself, this is miscellanea (such as cut scenes and mechanics) from Lunacy. I LIKE all of it, but it's not actually something that can be read and enjoyed on its own, so by default it's the worst on this list.

2 - Runaway: The first piece of D20 writing I did, I like the core conceit here, but I've used pieces of it in other places since (Adaine being stuck in a palimpsest, Aelwyn as a runaway) and the writing feels really weak to me here now.

3 - Sisters: The lone Crown of Candy piece I've done, the plot just feels a little weak to me and my grasp of the tone for this setting isn't quite right. It's worth mentioning here that I by and large LIKE even the low entries on this list, at least currently. I think the summary of "Ruby Rocks was just short of her twenty-first nameday when she had the horrifying realization that she might be turning into her mother." is freaking great though and someone with more panache with these characters could do a really strong fic with that premise.

4 - Flames of Passion: This piece of almost pure crack, and the sole romance-focused fic on this list as well as (so far as I can tell) the only Kalvaxus/Gilear fanfic ever written, was done for a prompt. I don't regret it, but shockingly enough having an aroace writer write romance makes it just come across as bad romantic comedy lines, at least to herself. That might just add to the crack here. On a pure kudos front, this one gets a low number of kudos from signed in users versus guests, and I suspect that is purely people not wanting their names on this thing, which I thoroughly respect.

5 - Two Wolves: This oneshot was the prototype for Lunacy. I wound up liking this concept better than Runaway, and I think the writing is still somewhat better, but the story naturally feels incomplete now since it skims through the first nine or so chapters of what is going to end up as an 80+ chapter story. I think it can be read fine on its own, though.

6 - Waiting: I think this is where I go from 'eh it's okay but' to looking for reasons I like things less than others. This is a pretty silly little fic, and I like it fine, but it's not memorable to me in the way some of the other things I've written I feel are. It's a similar tone to something like Pact, but I don't think it's quite as successful at that tone.

7 - Minutes from the July Mordred Manor Wizards' Council Meeting: This, which EASILY wins the 'longest title' contest, is one where I think readers might have it a lot higher than I do. I like it fine? But it's pretty similar to Waiting in my mind; a nice little treat, but not really super substantial.

8 - Unending Summer: This post-Unsleeping City 2 fic focuses on Iga's kids as Nick is getting ready to start college. I think this is the breakpoint where things start getting really hard for me to rank these fics in the middle of this list; I genuinely love this one, but it's also just kind of a slice of life piece without an extensive plot or punchiness. That can be really nice, of course, depending on your mood. This (or the Poison sequels) is my least read piece, probably just because it's not fantasy high and it's focused on INCREDIBLY minor characters.

9 - Malignancy: The last entry in the Poison series, I'm not totally sure how the choose between two endings thing works and kind of wish I'd just forced the bad one on everyone, though both of them are kind of bad endings for Aelwyn. I think people may see the tags and think these are sincerely Penelope/Aelwyn romance pieces and be scared off, to be honest. They aren't. I fucking love this trilogy, though I think this is the weakest of the three.

10 - Twelve Hours: The most recent bit of writing on this list, this is honestly a placeholder to some degree. While I sometimes know while I'm publishing something that I love or don't fully like it, I don't have a solid read on how I'll feel about this one later. I definitely like the premise of Aelwyn + The Bad Kids just stuck with each other while the rest of the world is frozen around them though.

11 - Bane: We're picking nits a little bit here, but I think the weird double perspective where we're PoV of Aelwyn watching a video for most of the fic is a little bit awkward. I completely love the premise of what's going on here with Penelope, Adaine, and Aelwyn, though, and the purely downer ending leading into Malignancy.

12 - Dig Out: This might be the one where I've grown to like it more the most since publishing; it would have been near the very bottom of a similar list at the time I put it out. There's a comedic horror to the entire situation I really like, while still having a touch of sweetness to it. This is probably the fic on the list other than Pact/Familiar I'm most likely to follow up on sometime, to see how Jawbone and the other Bad Kids react to her return from the grave.

13 - Familiar: This one's new enough that it still might move or down the list. I think my main issue with this one that would stop it from moving up is a little bit of awkwardness in the pacing, which tends to be the weakness in these longer one-shots. Aelwyn's backstory in this is also depressing enough that it takes away a little bit from the overall tone that Pact and most of these story have, as well, for me.

14 - Gallivant's End: The highest entry on this list that isn't Fantasy High, this post-canon Starstruck fic following Riva is one I've grown to really love, in part because fic focused on Riva is pretty uncommon and I genuinely love them. I also think it was a REALLY bold choice by Siobhan to get to the end of a character arc and have the character look back and have regrets about losing some of their naivety, and that's the main thing this fic focuses on.

15 - Pact: I think this might be lower than people would expect for this fic, which might have gotten the best reception of anything I've written in the fandom. I do really really like it, but there are a few flaws and things I wish I'd done differently - mostly some additional scene on Adaine growing up in Hell - and so I'm not quite as fond as I am of the ones higher on this list.

16 - Poison: The first of the Penelope/Aelwyn trilogy, and my favorite of them. This one was done for a prompt wanting the relationship covered, and I thought that this relationship could be purely toxic; I've always written Aelwyn as hating and other than Kalina not respecting any of the other members of the conspiracy, though she hides that, and this comes out of that. (She also hates and doesn't really respect herself, but would NEVER acknowledge that at this point)

17 - Missing: This one's still a WiP, of course, and I don't have it NEARLY as planned out as I did and do Lunacy. Still, I love the premise, the multiclasses I've gone with, and also some of the near-term plans that I won't spoil here. Aelwyn actually trying to be just a little better and braver is fascinating partly because it's such a dangerous move for her in the short term, but the prize may be worth the risk…

18 - Dreams: This Riz-centered piece is maybe the one I love the most more than the response it seemed to generate, which was mostly pretty lukewarm. I suspect that may partly just be because it has some of the same pacing issues as most of the longer one-shots on this list, but I don't care. I loved writing this world's class swapped versions of characters, Adaine and Fig particularly, and I could have gone on like three times as long but this was written under the deadline of an exchange and I made myself hold to 10k or less words. I don't think I could return to this world, alas, because I love the ambiguity of the ending. (My personal interpretation is that both Kalina and the Sleeping God in this world are neutral, not evil, but the Bad Kids are VERY MUCH a cult of them at this point.)

19 - The Ghost of Me: This snappy little oneshot is my favorite short writing I've done in the fandom and it's not particularly close. I LOVE this version of Adaine, of her friends, and of her sheer raw pettiness in the wake of being executed by the Court of Stars.

Natural 20 - Lunacy: Probably no surprise, given that it's twice as long as the rest of the list combined, but this is my personal favorite work I've done. It's still a WiP and I've let off the gas because it's a bit of a rougher stretch, but I know the ending sequence of events and I'm deeply looking forward to sharing this one with all of you. Werewolf Adaine is maybe the most natural AU in all of Dimension 20, and I LOVE exploring it; Werewolf Aelwyn is a bit more of a stretch from there, but I'm delighted to have done it and love the versions of both of those characters that inhabit this fic.

#fantasy high #dimension 20 #fanfic #sorry #pure self indulgence

[be11atrixthestrange]

2021 Year In Review: Fanfic Writer Edition

Thank you @cheesyficwriter @voldemorts-tap-shoes and @adenei for tagging me!

BEHIND THE NUMBERS: words written: 256,329 words published (AO3): 236,329 # of published one-shots: 19 # of completed multi-chaps: 4 # of fics in progress: 1 (The Loft) # of ongoing multi-chaps: The Loft and Saturday, a Jily fic I've written part of but haven't published. # of fic ideas waiting their turn: 1 - Saturday longest work: Completely Mental (65,437) shortest work: Probably something in Romione Ramblings! That's where I post all my tumblr drabbles. most chapters in a fic: Waking Up In Vegas (15) highest # of kudos: Completely Mental (225) highest # of hits: Also Completely Mental top 3 fics by kudos: Completely Mental, Waking Up In Vegas, The Loft top 3 fics by hits: Completely Mental, Waking Up In Vegas, The Loft most challenging fic to write: Probably Completely Mental. It was really difficult to weave seven years of missing moments into canon while still remaining relatively canon compliant! Canon provided a lot of constraints and it challenged my creativity in a new way. fic that came easiest to write: Waking Up In Vegas just flowed like honey! It was a fun, lighthearted fic and was such a joy to write! most true-to-the-outline fic: Do You Believe In Magic? was mapped out from start to finish and somehow ended up exactly as I planned... even if the final chapter got mixed reviews. ;). most unlike-its-outline fic: Usually I have a hard time starting a fic without knowing exactly where it's going, but The Loft has no outline (or plan whatsoever...) and is just an outlet for my imagination! So that one! favorite reader freak-out: @romioneb's detailed account of her pet possum using her as a bedpan while reading Waking Up In Vegas, but she was so engrossed she didn't notice right away! And @bluegreenandpurple's detailed play by play of Do You Believe In Magic! As well as everything @accio-broom, @voldemorts-tap-shoes, @cheesyficwriter, @adenei and @mina-roman have ever commented while beta reading! most controversial scene: The final chapter of Do You Believe In Magic or the Hermione/Cormac altercation in Waking Up In Vegas. hottest ask box topic of the year: I had my asks turned off for most of the year, as I was focused on writing other content! Hopefully I'll have time to turn it on again! most loved OC: Dave, the CEO of Erised Elopements in Waking Up In Vegas. I stan him. Angelo the friendly ghost. Or Marriane McCormick in Like It Never Happened. most hated OC: Dave. I mean.. even though I stan, he's still kind of a dick. favorite villain to write: Rita Skeeter in The Disappearances of Godric's Hollow. favorite character to write: 100000% Dumbledore in Do You Believe In Magic most i've cried while writing a scene: One Last Dance. most i've laughed while writing a scene: Some of what happens in The Loft gets me giggling. AVPM Draco and Ron the Leaper come to mind. smuttiest smut scene: The second to last chapter of Waking Up In Vegas. I'm blushing just thinking about it. favorite kiss i wrote: The kiss on the bridge in Waking Up In Vegas. hardest trope/thing to write: Anything involving a very intricate plot and needing lots of backstory. I want to jump into the juicy stuff right away. easiest trope/thing to write: Any kind of cringe or awkward banter. Give it to me, baby. proudest fic moment: Finishing Completely Mental after 14 months! And making it to the top four of the @romioneficfest with Double Hazelnut Almond Milk Macchiato. any fic regrets? Nope! 2021 fic habits to break: Can't think of any :). 2022 fic habits to make: Get back into writing a chapter every few weeks, whether that's for The Loft or my unpublished story! Tagging: @accio-broom, @romioneb, @mina-roman, @bluegreenandpurple, @zurisenchantedquill, @rosequartzstarswrites @bavalon18 @heavensquill @myargalargan

[mittensmorgul]

Can I vent about writing for a second?? I'm having the hardest time coming up with a title for my story. I want something that fits the genre and grabs attention but also isn't generic and makes sense in the context of the story. I know you can't convey everything with just the title, but i've never had this much trouble coming up with something i like:/

Hi there! I’m always happy to try and help anyone out with writing-related things, but I feel I need to lay out some information about myself for two reasons. First off, I... am not good at titles. But second, the fact that I think I’m not good at titles might make you feel better about your own titling issues. :’D

Lets start with some facts about Mittens Titles:

You know how google docs tries to make you give something a title before you close the doc or send a link to someone (beta reader, etc.)? Yeah, I’ve forced myself into the habit of giving all docs “working titles” even if I end up changing it before I post. Sometimes I go through a LOT of different titles, sometimes the working title I thought was dumb ends up being the best thing I can think of and it stays as the title.

Revenge of the Subtext was titled “Fuck Titles” for MONTHS. Because I couldn’t think of anything to call it. I almost published it with that for a title.

The fic I’m currently working on was called “Untitled document” until a few days ago. I’ve been writing it since... September... 9 I think? Nearly two months to throw a couple words up there so gdocs wouldn’t save it as “Chapter 1″ (since gdocs will default to the first line as a title, and if it had its way, every fic I’ve ever written would just be called “Chapter 1″ which is obviously not useful for filing purposes). I have no idea what I’ll eventually call it, but it’s a pinefest fic, so that’s a problem for Future Mittens.

I think Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic was called something like “Little Truths” or something for the longest while, which I hated completely.

The Exception To Every Rule was originally called Project Stardust. Lifetime Piling Up was called, incredibly creatively, “dcbb 2019″ for a while. “It’s Destiny” and “It’s Lily Dale” were both titled at one point or another “Miserable Moose.” Until I Know This Sure Uncertainty was originally called EVERYBODY SWAP. Ultraviolet was just called NYOOOOOOM for the longest time.

Winchester 275 wasn’t supposed to be the title. I just stuck it up there because I didn’t want to forget that’s what I’d named Dean’s ranch while I was writing, because I’d gone through about six different names for the thing by that point. I figured I wouldn’t forget if it was in big bold letters at the top of the page. By the time I was halfway through writing the fic, I realized I actually liked it as a title.

Project Beyonce just... got out of hand. :’D

So as soon as I think of anything better than “Untitled document” to call a fic, I slap the title on there. Then I continue to stare at it and hope I come up with something better before I post the thing. Sometimes they change many times. Sometimes I decide the original title is good enough. Mostly the titles I end up posting with are just whatever happens to be in the title spot on the day I post.

I honestly don’t even consider whether it’s attention-grabbing or not. Mostly I think my titles are either little personal jokes or references that probably nobody else gets, but I find amusing (lol I should probably post explanations of all my titles, because some of them are really wackadoo), or just... something that sounded good enough to me to slap it on there. Which is making me think of my current writing project (and feeling like I should be working on that now whoopsie), because I didn’t think the words I put in the title box last night would ever in a million years be the final title (and they still might not be), but the longer I look at them the more I like it.

Generic is FINE! I have fics posted called “Sunset” and “Makeshift” and “Eleven.” Because I couldn’t think of anything better. Pretty generic stuff.

I’m not even sure all my titles seem to “fit” with my fics. I mean, do most people get the Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic reference, and how it fits perfectly with that fic? It’s a little bit obscure. I mean, all the fics I’ve titled after songs kind of are that way. Ultraviolet and Lifetime Piling Up, possibly. Did anyone get that The Terminal Job was a Leverage reference? *shrug emoji*

For Pinefest, I wasn’t even trying :’D

I’ve quoted Shakespeare for titles, Jules Verne, Led Zeppelin, The Talking Heads, U2, Bob Dylan, Soundgarden, Jensen Ackles for a stupid pirate joke he likes to tell, and Supernatural itself. Sometimes I use cliches or common phrases (like Working out the Kinks, or Two for the Price of One), and well-known concepts (like Rule 34 or Plotbunny), and simple plays on words (like Oh, Hell No, or In Jeopardy!).

Is there a concept or phrase you repeat throughout the fic? If so, play with that. A song you associate with the story, or imagine playing at some point during the story? Maybe pull a relevant line from it? Or do what I do and just throw something up there for now, and see if it grows on you. I usually find that by the time I’m ready to post, SOMETHING will seem relevant and thematically on target to feel right.

Seriously, anything can be a title, and I have no idea how to magically come up with one, aside from just playing around with words until something just clicks for you.

#writing is hard #titles are the worst #seriously i think i even long ago had a tag for #fuck titles #like back in 2015 :'D #Anonymous