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#WIPs that will probably stay WIPs but they are silly so I’m okay with posting them
kaijukebox · 4 months
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mein wives.
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dangerous-advantage · 10 months
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(yagi-no-eda here~)
Totally would circle back /pos. I’m also pretty new to the fandom!
My wife has liked Usagi Yojimbo and associated stuff for years but it’s only this summer that my brain has allowed me to really get into it, and make it past the first 2-3 comics. Not for lack of trying - it was just never the right time in an ADHD way*. Something always would distract me. I’ve inhaled all the comics I can in just the last couple of months and yeah, Stan came at me with a steel chair too. I did not expect …this whole situation. I’ve been a fandom lurker since 1999 and yet suddenly I have blog I use near daily, a sketchbook, and bunch of fic WIPS...
Mainly because I am Unwell over UY.
I have accepted my fate. This is always going to be a Thing now.
Though I did admittedly also inhale TMNT 2003 and Rise.
Travels with Jotaro is one of my favourite volumes, but I’m also weirdly into Bridge of Death rn and just….in general having a moment over Usagi’s time with Mifune. To the point I’m doodling intros for a fake show called The Mifune Years. He had this whole expected future and friends - denied.
* to be fair this is also the summer I found out its def ADHD driving this media analysis machine I call a brain
Hope this was an okay way to get back to you! /lil anxious
Feel free to network (or share thoughts) in my tags anytime, I love hearing what other people think. Also happy to chat anytime. Or feel free to tell me to back off and that's chill too :)
(been waiting to answer this for when i had more time but gave in; should be working on my fic(s) but you know how it is lmao. stay tuned for a very long post, because i love talking about things with people, especially things i like haha
very cool to see another person very passionate about this series! i grew up on 2003 (and the 90's movies-- my parents had the third one on cassette and i remember i wore that fucker out lmao) but it was always more of a "scattered interest" rather than something i was fully pulled into
i started getting into rise (read: The Algorithm came for me) probably mid-July of last year, but didn't fully fall into it until after the movie came out. it renewed my interest in tmnt overall, and i've been here ever since!
i did attempt to watch the usagi chronicles a couple of times, and i remember thinking they were fun but not really my thing. (i definitely want to revisit it, even though i know it won't hold a candle to usagi yojimbo. it does look fun in a silly way, which i can get behind.)
i knew vaguely about how big usagi yojimbo was, and that it was a commitment, but i'm surprised how quickly it sucked me in. i've never been super interested in stuff within the genre, but damn if it doesn't satisfy the autism. entire chapters devoted to infodumping about the edo period of japan? sign me the fuck up!
i especially did not expect how much it would make me feel. like. wow. ouch. usagi is just Some Guy but he is also so well characterized and you really feel for his internal conflict, 10/10.
i've been looking for series with older protagonists, especially those more focused on the familial/platonic aspect rather than romantic (i am just an nd queer on the interweb, can you blame me for yearning for found family?), but hadn't found any i really liked other than the tarot sequence by kd edwards (very good read, would highly recommend.)
also not to be a nerd but ohhhh my god i am so obsessed with the plot with mifune.
like i know the series takes place after that, and after the fallout of that, but just. wow. imagine devoting your entire being to another, to the point where you would readily die for them and their word, and then they die. they die, and you did everything you could to honor them in that death, but they're still gone.
like... that emptiness stays with you. you don't just get over that. maybe it's the "being raised in a cult" but wow, do i empathize with that.
idk if we explore more about the fallout/exact history with mifune/immediately following mifune's death but there is so much writing potential there. if i was not embroiled within turtle hell and 50,000 words deep in a multi-chapter fic already, i would absolutely write something for it.
like. this is adjacent to your interest in the topic, but can you just imagine (/rhetorical /general you.) as far as we know, he spent five days on the battlefield before he made it out to the tangled skein.
(which is one of my favorite additions like good god holy shit. that is so cool and angsty. your lord, days after dying, appears as a fucking ghost and saves you. like, if i were to be silly and funky, i would absolutely headcanon that as the reason that he was able to stand up and continue on. because i mean... what else? what else could motivate you to stand up once more after something like that?)
(well. honor. but mifune is the physical manifestation of honor in the narrative, so same difference? it's like both thematically significant and emotionally significant and-- ok im shutting up now. but i could talk for days, istg.)
but like. how do you reconstruct yourself from that? we see him holding tight to this sense of honor, even after his lord is gone, sent reeling (adrift in the waves) with only his soul and moral compass to hold to.
which makes it hurt so much more when we see these ideals of honor-- this ghost of a man, of a life, still haunting him years after the event-- still woven through the narrative, made to specifically conflict his deepest wants.
i joke about it a lot on my fic discord (i have a whole channel called 'father-material' devoted to just pictures of him hanging out with/taking care of kids), but something that seems very important to him is wanting to be a father figure, and wanting these connections to family and friends.
but that is contrasted against these ideas of honor, the very thing he built and rebuilt his foundation off of after it was torn away from him. and it's just so incredibly painful but also it makes sense, because he can't just give up the side of himself that is a samurai. too much of his person, his characterization, is built off of this.
to see it constantly clash with this want to settle down and finally rest, devote himself to his relationships/family rather than the code of bushido-- the very essence of honor itself-- ourgh ourgh ourgh its so good
(put aside the fact that he once said he could never serve another lord, and we know from the story that the idea of a "lord" can be more than just a person... he never stopped serving mifune, not truly. he still upholds the ideas of honor that mifune stood for/represented. as if his lord never truly left him.)
...i was going to say more, but then i realized this turned into a whole-ass mini-analysis, so i'm forcing myself to stfu. but basically: i have feelings about this series, man (/gender neutral).
anyway. if you ever do put something together, i would love to read/follow it! if i ever wrote something, it would probably be exploring the direct fallout of losing mifune, so hey, different niches but similar (:
also: never be anxious about talking to me ever in any way possible. i will probably be even more annoying than you in tags/asks/everything under the sun, and i do genuinely love talking to people who share my interests (typically about those interests.) i like to pretend i am an internet Cool Guy, however, it is a flimsy veneer to hide all the cringefail swaglessness and unending mental illness about my blorbos
(...i am so tempted to just invite you to my og turtle discord server so i can annoy you about usagi on the regular. also about what my reimagining of yuichi would be, because i have so, so many ideas.
i will refrain, but if you would be interested, it has been kinda dead as of late, so it would be nice to enrich the ecosystem a little by slowly collecting other usagi-interested individuals and slowly taking it over, one by one (/j /lh).)
anyway, same thing goes for me with my posts/asks/reblogs/messages/whatever. i am so very earnest, so if that puts you off, that's very chill and fine. however, as long as you're down to vibe, i am similarly down to vibe >:D
i once more apologize for this monstrosity of a reply. i would say it won't happen again, but my reading comprehension apparently does not extend to the "all things in moderation" maxim. instead i choose maximalism (to the max)
(sorry for that joke. yeah that will also happen again. sorry. /lh /pos)
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nellie-elizabeth · 4 years
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Queliot Fic Recs - Master Post (March 11, 2020)
Hi everyone! I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but now that we’re staring down the barrel of the show’s official ending, I thought I’d finally take the time to post a master fic rec list!
A couple of notes:
This is by no means comprehensive; I’m sure I’m forgetting several lovely fics, and will be updating this list as I remember/find more.
This list will not include WIPs (the only exception being where I rec a completed story that is part of a series, and mention that sequel(s) are still in progress). I will add the WIPs I’m reading once they are complete!
I am open to suggestions from others, so please reblog and add your own recommendations! I would love to add to this and make it a one-stop-shop resource for people looking for something new to read.
When I know the tumblr handle of the author, I have included it. But in several cases I don’t know the author’s tumblr, if they have one - if you have this information to fill in, please let me know and I will update the master post. (Also, if you notice any broken links or mistakes - I did my best, but this thing is hefty and I’m sure there are errors!)
This took me… forever to put together, so if you find it useful, please reblog - and more importantly, please leave comments & kudos on the stories you read!
Link to the Google Doc, if that’s easier for you to read.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sIUMZcIcpnZ1_9T3o7dkqUaqEw0miwNTfTuZjvjGto4/edit?usp=sharing
Hefty rec list under the cut.
Season Three Gapfillers/Deviations from Canon
These stories usually deal with the aftermath of the mosaic in some way. Many of them were written before the revelations of 4x05, but some were written later, and either comply with canon, or deviate from it from that point.
shipping it by Mizzy (@mizzy2k). Mature. 16,344 words. The Muntjac “ships” Queliot and is trying to help them along. What else can I say? There’s angst, there’s love, it’s silly and it’s sincere.
Sense Memories by mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 2,616 words. This is an ABO fic, which is not something I would typically read. But I love this author so much that I decided to give it a try. The thing I like about it is the idea of the mosaic timeline leaving a tangible, physical impact on Quentin and Eliot, and how they might deal with the fallout in this more extreme scenario. If ABO isn’t for you, though, proceed with caution.
throw your shadow over me by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 8,187 words. Okay I’m going to recommend basically everything peacefrog has written, but this one is probably my favorite. It’s a super angst-y sex scene between Quentin and Eliot during season three, where Eliot believes this is his last chance to be with Quentin, and is basically dreading the emotional fallout even while it’s happening.
i start spinning (slipping out of time) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Teen. 2,570 words. Before Eliot goes to Margo to discuss the god-killing bullet, he and Quentin have a conversation about Quentin’s choice to stay at Blackspire. Features a heartbreaking memory of their life together at the mosaic, and just generally gorgeous canon-compliant angst.
Promises by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Explicit. 7,751 words. Eliot and Quentin have it out about Quentin’s decision to stay in Blackspire, and hash out their feelings for each other. This one is canon-divergent (and is probably the one-shot I am the most proud of!)
Overthinking It by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Teen. 3,581 words. Eliot finds out about the abyss key, and it prompts a discussion about Quentin and Eliot’s relationship.
Honey You’re On Fire, Let Me Help by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 5,857 words. Quentin accidentally picks up the abyss key… Eliot finds him and does what he can to distract him. This is hot, of course, but also so desperately full of feeling and love. As the summary implies, there is a good deal of depression and talk of suicide in this story, so take care.
Can’t Let Go by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 5,384 words. UGH. This is what SHOULD have happened after Eliot and Quentin remember the mosaic time-line. This is so satisfying and gave me some catharsis in the aftermath of the direction the story has taken in canon.
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Post-Season Four Fix-Its
These stories maintain the canon of season four, and continue on from there. They generally involve bringing Quentin back from the dead.
What Matter Where by achray. Explicit. 28,782 words. Eliot becomes Prince Consort of the Underworld. He gets to be with Q when he’s back home, though. This is almost tough to read, because my brain doesn’t want to accept any half-happy endings, any reality where Eliot can’t spend all of his time by Quentin’s side. But on the other hand… Eliot has to make a big, big sacrifice to bring Quentin back, and you definitely feel the gravitas of that.
life ain’t fair (so i guess we’d better cheat) by micksgotkicks (@lovelyquentin). Teen. 1,137 words. This is more of a pre-fix-it. Eliot rages against the heavens for taking Quentin from him, and resolves to get him back. Short and painful. Cathartic.
Being Alive by miss_whimsy (@bambiesque). Gen. 7,022 words. Eliot sends the letter to Quentin with the magical stamp. And when that doesn’t work, he sends a bunch more. This is one of the very few fics on this list that has any connection to season five canon, which I’m not watching. I did watch 5x03, however, and this fic is borne out of Eliot Waugh never giving up - the way we all know it should have gone.
What kind of man (loves like this)? by destielpasta (@queliotpasta). Explicit. 3,160 words. Eliot and Quentin go out dancing. This fic has a certain quality about it that’s difficult to describe - I could just really feel their love for each other jump off the page, specifically in how badly they clearly want to care for each other. This fic also straddles the line between categories - the author describes it as a “fix-it” and it does deal with Quentin’s resurrection in a more immediate way, but the subject matter itself is much more about the aftermath, rather than the actual “bringing Q back from the dead” part.
You’re a Story (I Can Follow) by Page161of180. Mature. 19,695 words. I think everyone’s read this, but how could I not include it? This technically isn’t a fix-it, because it was written before the season four finale confirmed the theory of Quentin’s death. This author, like the collective fandom, assumed that death would be temporary… and thus, this is the story of Eliot being the Orpheus to Quentin’s Eurydice. It is stunning - a gold standard in writing intense grief with a happy ending. Eliot is undone by Quentin’s death here, and has to fight through obstacle after obstacle to get him back - the biggest one being, his own lack of self-worth. There’s also a somewhat-connected sequel/prequel called And Remember What You Were Before (Not Rated, 6,998 words), which is completely worth the read.
(like a perfect picture) in a broken frame by PanBoleyn (@eidetictelekinetic). Not Rated. 20,631 words. Another resurrection/fix-it fic… Really great group dynamics as everyone works on bringing Quentin back, but also a focus on Eliot’s despair. Kind of your standard fix-it, exactly what the characters should have tried to do, in a world where canon hadn’t betrayed us so badly.
life fades (but you remain) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 62,735. Stunning. STUNNING. Eliot finds a way to get Quentin back, but it comes at a cost. The two of them have to work it out. This features some incredibly good angst with a happy ending, scorching sex, a really intriguing OC in an early chapter, and some nice screen-time for the lovely Alice Quinn, to boot.
as it was by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Mature. 3,913 words. Short and sweet - Penny-40 leads Quentin to where he needs to go, and that’s back home to Eliot.
In the Woods Somewhere by pineapplecrushface (@pineapplecrushface). Explicit. 15,528 words. This is the most creative take on a fix-it I’ve seen! The summary outlines the premise best: “Alice being unable to wipe younger Quentin's memory during the timeshare spell had a ripple effect.” Eliot is so desperate for Quentin in this one, and Quentin, from the afterlife, is having to work out how he feels and where he wants to be.
In Which We Grieve by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Teen. 3,413 words. I hesitate to call this a “fix-it” really, since Quentin doesn’t come back to life. But despite that, he and Eliot make it work. This is sad, but cathartic too.
(this is not a) Temporary Love by rizcriz (@sadlittlenerdking). Teen. 20,684 words. A fix-it that includes some intense mosaic feels too, as Margo and Eliot read over some letters/notes written during the mosaic timeline. I also like this one for how the rest of the gang finally notices how sick and worn-down Quentin is, and forces Q and Eliot to take a mental health vacation once Quentin is back in the land of the living!
~~~~~
Post-Season Four/Post-Possession - Not Fix-Its
These stories take place after the events of season four, or, in some cases, after an imagined ending of season four (written before the series finale aired), ignoring season five canon. They are not fix-its in the sense that either a) they ignore Quentin’s death in canon and proceed like it never happened, or b) Quentin’s resurrection happened “off-screen” and is not the focus of the story. These fics often deal with the aftermath, both physical and psychological, of Eliot’s possession. They also usually deal with Quentin and Eliot’s reconciliation after the events of seasons three and four, and sometimes continue through their time as an established couple.
your body (your heart) in his hands by Allegria23 (@allegria23). Explicit. 18,636 words. This fic follows Eliot and Quentin into their future. I’m recommending it specifically for the way it deals with Quentin’s discipline - I’ve never seen a fic tackle the subject in quite this way, and with so much care and gentleness. If you are not a fan of kid!fic, don’t be put off by the premise - Eliot and Quentin are great fathers with amazing kids in this future universe, but the focus really does remain on their romance. This story is part of a series called second time around which is all worth a read, especially the latest part, entitled The Special Dish. The whole series really embodies the romance of effort, and how putting in the time to nurture and grow a relationship is what makes it work.
Be still my foolish heart (i’m almost me again) by Butterfly (@butterflydm). Explicit. 3,754 words. A birthday fic for Quentin - he’s a little overwhelmed by the party held in his honor. He sneaks off to be alone, Eliot follows him, and Q tells Eliot about his discipline.
Living Room, NY by cartographies (@honeybabydichotomy). Teen. 11,254 words. Eliot goes to therapy. I’m recc’ing this specifically for Eliot’s rambling confession of love to Quentin in chapter two. The whole thing is lovely, but that part really knocked me the fuck out.
Imagine being loved by me. by destielpasta (@queliotpasta). Explicit. 11,225 words. Holy moly. This is a top-tier fave for me. It’s about sex, it’s about love, it’s about working through a relationship after trauma. Eliot is touch-starved but can’t be touched - so Quentin and Eliot must get creative.
Yes and Yes and Maybe Yes by hetrez (@hetrez). Mature. 5,542 words. The author describes this as “consent porn, with feelings,” and that’s a pretty good descriptor. Quentin has PTSD because of the Monster, and Eliot’s touch can be triggering for him. They work together to get through it. This is hot, yes, but it’s hot specifically because of how badly Eliot wants to take care of Quentin and make him feel safe.
The Dreamers by hetrez (@hetrez). Teen. 10,143 words. Post-possession, Quentin and Eliot are together but things aren’t smooth sailing. The scene from this story that always sticks in my head is Quentin asking Eliot if he wants to have a family again, like they did before with Arielle and Teddy - and Eliot’s horrifically wrong-footed response: “You’ll get a wife again and we’ll have another baby.” As might be predicted, Quentin doesn’t take that very well… and this story is at least partially working out where they stand, what they both want.
The Drum Beats Out of Time by HMGFanfic (@hmgfanfic). Mature. 68,605 words. This series features two stories: Suitcase of Memories and I Fall Behind. Both are amazing, but I Fall Behind in particular is one of my top-tier favorite fics in the whole fandom. This fic does not pull its punches in terms of the effects of Eliot’s possession, and it makes things really rough for Quentin and Eliot’s relationship. Quentin does a reckless thing, Eliot panics, they hash it out - but it’s not easy, and it’s not so clear-cut. These fics also features glimpses of their life together at the mosaic, and a lovely epilogue that shows how they’ve made progress and are still healing as a couple.
the right time and place by impossibletruths (@impossibletruths). Teen. 3,675 words. Eliot trying to propose to Quentin. It’s sweet and fluffy and good for the soul.
hearts like houses by impossibletruths (@impossibletruths). Explicit. 11,888 words. Quentin and Eliot celebrate Eliot’s birthday, post-possession. They get away for a trip, to try and put their worries behind them. This story is full of so much intimacy and gentleness that it just melts my whole heart.
five times my writing was better than the magicians by micksgotkicks (@lovelyquentin). Teen. 6,019 words. These are just… soft. It’s five different short fics, all with slight variations on the simple concept of Quentin and Eliot reuniting post-possession. There’s no intensive deep-dive, nothing too grim or challenging. It’s just the two of them finding their way to each other again and again. Very healing to read, in light of canon’s (inferior) version of reality.
struck from a great height by mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 4,517 words. “Life affirming sex” is the most telling tag on this thing. Post-possession, Eliot and Quentin find their way into each other’s arms. Really hot sex, lots of feelings… everything we deserved at the end of the Monster story-line.
And So Lift Your Spirits by OrchardsinSnow (@orchardsinsnow). Explicit. 3,437 words. This was one of the first fics I remember reading in the aftermath of my desperate post-season four feelings, and it hit the spot in the best way. Eliot’s POV - he loves Quentin, but has doubts that he’s actually deserving of something so wonderful, that Quentin could really reciprocate and want to stay. Quentin finds an insanely hot, insanely romantic way to reassure him.
Ten Twenty-Eight by Page161of180. Not Rated. 5,974 words. This is slice-of-life about Quentin Coldwater and how he’s spent Eliot’s birthday, October 28, over the years. It’s told through notes from the Library branch of the Underworld, with added comments from Alice and Penny. It’s weird, but rewarding. I love the record-keeping aspect. This author has a real gift for outsider POV, and this is one of my favorites!
Nights and Mornings by Page161of180. Mature. 6,734 words. Two connected stories, in the aftermath of possession. Quentin doesn’t die, but he does still get back together with Alice, a la 4x12. These stories deal with Eliot’s thoughts on that, and… spoiler… Quentin/Alice is just not meant to be. Quentin makes a different choice.
The Honor of Your Presence by Page161of180. Mature. 18,117 words. Quentin and Eliot get married, and we hear the story from three different POVs… Todd, Rafe, and Marina 23. Random? Yes. Brilliant? Also yes. I love how each POV has a different and distinct literary style. And how even the people who aren’t closest to Quentin and Eliot can see how insanely in love they are with each other.
The Wanting Then, the Needing Now by Page161of180. Not rated. 3,799 words. Alice’s POV, as Eliot is saved from possession, and Quentin falls apart. Basically, Alice realizes where Quentin really belongs. I love the way this author does justice to Quentin’s love for Alice - it’s not a footnote, it’s not an insignificant blip. It’s real, and that doesn’t invalidate the fact that Quentin chooses Eliot. This has a much longer sequel which is also very good - but that story is more Alice-centric and not really focused on Queliot as much, even though they definitely play a part.
Lay Me Down (Pockets Full of Stones) by PanBoleyn (@eidetictelekinetic). Not Rated. 10,024 words. Post-possession, Eliot realizes how badly Quentin has been dealing with things. He’s angry at their friends for not keeping a better eye out - but all that matters right now is finding Quentin and making sure he’s alright. I love this story for how messy their reunion is - how all of their feelings just come spilling out of them without finesse.
(one kiss) it all comes down to this by PanBoleyn (@eidetictelekinetic). Not Rated. 6,391 words. True Love’s Kiss… the boys need to talk about their feelings, and a curse forces the issue. This is so entirely my jam.
box of chocolates by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Mature. 9,256 words. This short series begins with the Teen-rated for love (if it finds you worthy) and features Eliot asking Quentin to be his valentine. Because Quentin and Eliot are… Quentin and Eliot, it still takes them a little while to get their shit together, after that.
when lips and skin remember by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 6,163 words. This is for the monthly prompt challenge - “blindfolds” and features Quentin helping Eliot through some sensory issues, post-Monster possession.
an end (but the start of all things that are left to do) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 2,388 words. Birthday smut! Q is alive and gets a blowjob, as the universe requires.
the one with the dog by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 80,517 words. If you haven’t already read this series, what are you waiting for?? It is IDEAL for soothing the soul. Eliot and Quentin deal with the aftermath of their trauma, both physical and mental. They hang out at the condo in New York, they take care of an adorable dog named Lady Desdemona, they have lots of hot sex of course. They heal. Every single one of the twelve stories in this series is worth reading, but my favorites are probably (this is) the beat of my heart (Explicit, 11,700 words), Five Card Draw (Explicit, 3,531 words), all the way home I’ll be warm (Explicit, 15,640 words), and Come What May (Teen, 3,352 words).
5 Scenes from a Road Trip by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 16,218 words. In the aftermath of season four (sans Quentin’s death), the boys need a change of scenery to begin healing and finding their way back to one another. I love how this fic shows their closeness, and how the boundaries of their relationship often defy description. They love each other beyond sex, beyond conventional romance - although they achieve those things, too, as they definitely deserve.
did you know my baby loves me? by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 7,776 words. Quentin tops Eliot on his birthday. What it says on the tin. But as always with this author, even something that should be ostensibly a PWP is filled with so much feeling and love that you could just drown in it.
To Learn to Be Again by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 18,295 words. “I don’t think- I can’t be anyone’s boyfriend right now, Eliot.” Eliot loves Quentin, Quentin loves Eliot, but that’s not always enough to give them a happily ever after. Quentin goes to therapy, deals with his trauma and his mental health, and Eliot is right there beside him with no expectations. This is so, so lovely and every ounce of their happiness feels earned and all the more precious for the pain that’s mixed up with it.
do not go gentle by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 10,260 words. This is almost a fix-it, in that Quentin imagines the events of 4x13, but they don’t actually happen. So be warned if any depiction of Quentin’s death is a trigger for you. I love the way this story deals with the Alice of it all, and also the way Quentin and Eliot talk through their situation and find a way back to each other once again. (Also shower sex happens). This author has written multiple versions of this same reconciliation, but each one is so lovely and I’ll never get sick of it.
the strange act of living by propinquitous (@propinquitous). Explicit. 13,632 words. So there are a lot of fics out there that deal with the aftermath of Eliot’s possession of course. A lot of fics that feature Eliot and Quentin slowly, painfully, finding a way to reconcile. This one holds a special place in my heart for this particular moment, where Quentin walks past Eliot without saying anything, grabs a muffin from the counter, and leaves the room. Later, Q finds Eliot crying in the shower, and Eliot asks him why he just left, taking the food Eliot had made for him, and then ignoring him. That one moment has stuck with me ever since I read the fic, and I keep coming back to it. In all, this captures a very specific kind of hurt that both Quentin and Eliot are feeling, and gets them on the path to healing. Gorgeous.
the safety of others by propinquitous (@propinquitous). Teen. 8,122 words. Quentin doesn’t die in 4x13, but he does get injured. And Eliot keeps vigil. This is - so powerful. I don’t even know how to describe it. Just read it, please.
Magic Curses by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Explicit. 134,886 words. This series includes six stories, each dealing with Quentin and Eliot’s relationship as they undergo external threats from creative and somewhat evil magical curses. It’s my attempt to write in some more hurt/comfort to the fandom, and also to indulge in some established-relationship goodness! The first story, Lover’s Touch (Explicit, 24,781 words), is summarized thusly: “Q gets cursed, and Alice can’t help. Magic forces Q and Eliot to cuddle and talk about their feelings.”
Coming Home by rizcriz (@sadlittlenerdking). Not Rated. 2,958 words. Short and sweet. The author succinctly describes this as: “Eliot gets to be brave.” And he does. He says the thing he wants to say to Quentin, and Q eventually believes him.
Enough by SabbyStarlight. Teen. 2,746 words. This was written just before 4x13 came out. If only if only this is how it had gone instead… basically just Quentin and Eliot talking about their feelings, negotiating their relationship.
Boyfriend by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Teen. 6,727 words. Quentin is sensitive about the fact that Eliot isn’t introducing him as his boyfriend. This is just… the sweetest. I love that there’s some jealousy and insecurity, but it’s a manageable, reasonable type - Eliot and Quentin are able to talk about it and get past this small bump in the road.
Hunger by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 4,327 words. Quentin gets a birthday blowjob. The end. :)
~~~~~
Mosaic Timeline
These stories are ones that take place almost or entirely within the mosaic timeline - both in keeping with, and in deviation from, what we see in 3x05.
help me hold onto you by ameliajessica (@ameliajessica). Explicit. 14,768 words. This one will hurt your heart, but it’s so rewarding. Featuring Eliot being ridiculously turned on by talking about feelings during sex… and Quentin loving Eliot while grieving for Arielle.
‘Cause my baby’s sweet as can be by destielpasta (@queliotpasta). Teen. 645 words. Tiny fic - maybe the shortest one on the list. Quentin and Eliot are bad at talking about their feelings. Who’s surprised?
flowing all this time by mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 5,488 words. This is one of those fics where Arielle isn’t an obstacle for the boys… but rather, Eliot is an obstacle for Quentin and Arielle, in a way. It has some bittersweet moments, but I love how much Eliot loves Quentin here. This is also (spoiler) the rare fic where Arielle chooses to leave, rather than dying.
a cure i know (that soothes the soul) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 4,857 words. Little snippets of Quentin and Eliot’s life through the years at the mosaic. Recc’ing especially for middle-aged Queliot, which we see all too little of in this fandom!
measure in love by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 51,827 words. This is a series about Quentin, Eliot, and Arielle’s lives together at the mosaic. I don’t know if the author plans to write more in this series or not, but each one can stand alone. I am particularly enamored with The Ways We Fit Together (Explicit, 11,661 words), which is summarized succinctly as “sex and love in the mosaic timeline”, and You Steer My Heart (Explicit, 25,217 words), which follows Eliot’s mindset as he watches Quentin and Arielle fall in love with each other, while Quentin and Eliot continue to love each other as well. It’s stunning, and probably my favorite take on the three of them and their polyamorous relationship. This series has everything - the best combination of smut and feelings you could hope for.
Running All This Time by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Explicit. 179,478 words.The story of the mosaic timeline, built on the foundation of love and communication. To my knowledge, the only completed mosaic long-fic in the fandom thus far! Includes Fillorian nonsense, a quest within a quest, plenty of sex, lots of hurt/comfort, a different take on Arielle, and happy endings for everyone.
Reciprocal by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Teen. 8,259. Eliot is an idiot about his feelings (what else is new?), and he tries to make things better in the worst possible way. This fic imagines a world where Eliot and Quentin find happiness together without Arielle as a part of their romantic/sexual lives.
my heart is thrilled by the still of your hand by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 9,586 words. This is the porn-iest version of “Quentin and Eliot don’t know how to talk about their feelings.” Basically, the boys keep jerking off next to each other in bed, and they don’t talk about it because they’re IDIOTS.
you know that’s my love (bursting loud from inside) by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 11,904 words. Another fic where Arielle decides to leave. Eliot is so good at taking care of his family.
tomorrow past tonight by vegansheilseitan. Explicit. 7,676 words. Okay - if you’re only going to read one gap-filler for 3x05, that’s basically just the missing sex scene and nothing else, make it this one. It’s hot, and it’s aching with everything Quentin and Eliot aren’t saying to each other. This is one of my absolute favorites.
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Brakebills Alternate Universe / Season One
These stories are generally, but not always, pure relationship fics where the plot concerns of canon (i.e. the Beast, and time loops) do not exist, and instead Quentin and Eliot get to be magical grad students together, and fall in love.
Every Blessed Thing by achray. Explicit. 7,795 words. Quentin turns himself invisible. This fic is complex in how Alice and Quentin’s relationship is portrayed, and the resolution isn’t clear-cut. I really like this characterization of both Quentin and Eliot.
saturate the atmosphere (wake me from a dream) by Allegria23 (@allegria23). Explicit. 7,394 words. This is some good ol’ sexy times with a healthy dash of feelings. Eliot involuntarily levitates them while Quentin’s giving him a blowjob, so… that’s honestly all you need to know about this one. Go give it a read.
i feel it in my body, know it in my mind by ameliajessica (@ameliajessica). Mature. 11,817 words. Let’s pretend that this is what happened in 1x03, okay? Kady doesn’t interrupt when Eliot pours Q a drink, and sex ensues. I love how flabbergasted Eliot is by everything that happens - especially his reaction to the news that Quentin isn’t straight, and isn’t going to be squeamish at the thought of sleeping with a man. So hot, so cute.
if being him is who you are / say it loud say you know you are by ameliajessica (@ameliajessica). Mature. 5,293 words. Okay, holy shit. Mike’s POV - he decides that he and Eliot should have a threesome with Quentin, so Eliot can get it out of his system. Uh. Yeah, that backfires. Poor Mike. But also - the sex in this is the epitome of tenderness and love. Eliot is so careful with Quentin, so awed and desperate and shaky at the chance to be with him. There is a sequel in the works, too, so watch out for that!
Hedonism for Beginners by ceeainthereforthat (@ceeainthereforthat). Explicit. 20,730 words. A series of filthy sex, basically. Eliot is teaching Quentin about what he likes in bed. I don’t know if the series is abandoned or not, but in any case, each of these works on its own as a PWP but with a deep undercurrent of feelings.
Something Good by HMGFanfic (@hmgfanfic). Teen. 162,260 words. The Gold Standard slow-burn rom-com AU! Seriously, I know everyone’s read this, but if you haven’t for some reason… please do. The slow-burn is so slow you’ll be tearing your hair out by the end, but it’s all worth it when you get to the catharsis. How oblivious can Quentin be about Eliot’s feelings? This fic asks and answers that question, and the answer is - very. There are also two fics that accompany the main story: Someone Good (Eliot’s POV of the main story) and Somewhere Good (future one-shots of Quentin and Eliot’s life together). Both are on hiatus but the author plans to return to them. You can read the existing chapter of each without feeling like anything is unfinished, though.
Not Always Folly by HMGFanfic (@hmgfanfic). Explicit. 262,583 words. Another amazing romantic… comedy? but this one is from Eliot’s POV and is in some ways more a character study of Eliot Waugh than it is simply a romance. Although the romance… you guys… the pining levels are off the charts. Eliot ends up hurting Quentin, and really everyone else he cares about, in this story, but he puts in the work to make it right. I admire this fic for diving deep into Eliot’s psyche while also delivering on an amazing slow-burn of a different sort. Bonus points for Alice and Eliot getting to be friends like they deserve!
Be kind by longnationalnightmare. Explicit. 10,069 words. It’s the highest kudo’d fic in the fandom! I assume that means you’ve all read it? This is a PWP, but I love it specifically for how much Eliot loses his usual control when he’s with Quentin.
to be unbroken or be brave again. by milominderbinder (@disasterbiquentin). Teen. 14,135 words. Hey, it’s a 10 Things I Hate About You AU! Kind of! Josh asks Quentin to pretend to date Eliot to cheer him up after a breakup, so that Margo will go out with Josh. But Q tells Eliot what’s up right away - so they’re fake dating but real feelings happen. Super cheesy, of course, but it hits the spot!
in the world full wrong (you’re the thing that’s right) by Mizzy (@Mizzy2k). Explicit. 5,307 words. Eliot tries to hook up with Quentin Coldwater and gets more than he bargained for. I love this for how matter-of-fact Quentin is, about the fact that Eliot wants to seduce him… and then hpw he ends up doing some seducing of his own.
If You Haven’t Yet by OrchardsinSnow (@orchardsinsnow). Explicit. 5,828 words. Obviously we all love confident Eliot Waugh totally rocking Quentin’s world… but I have a soft spot for oddly confident Quentin who really knows what he’s doing, and this fic has the perfect blend of both dynamics. The best part is Quentin slowly and methodically undressing Eliot and not letting him help. It’s… whew. *fans self*
the heat that drives the light by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 9,296 words. Quentin and Eliot have an antagonistic relationship, until Eliot realizes Quentin might be what he’s looking for in a sexual partner. Sub Eliot, new-to-being-a-Dom Quentin. Super hot.
it started out with a kiss (how did it end up like this) by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 7,896 words. In the aftermath of a bad breakup, Quentin and Eliot find their way to each other. This is super amazing all on its own, but the author is also working on a sequel that I’m really enjoying thus far. Either story could probably be read without the other, too.
the bridge between us by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 16,201 words. Dom Eliot, Sub Quentin. Quentin and Eliot navigate their BDSM sex life, but also their feelings. Eliot is so tender and soft with Q, and Q learns to take care of Eliot in return. This is one of my absolute favorites from this author. Also, as a note, there’s a “prequel” to this fic called paint it red (Explicit, 7,197 words) that could totally be read as a separate piece, but is worth checking out as the origin story of how these two got together and started shaping their dynamics, sexual and otherwise.
(Everyone Has) That Drawer by ProofOfConcept and wilddragonflying. Explicit. 5,782 words. Eliot finds Quentin’s stash of sex toys. It’s enough to get him to finally act on their mutual, unspoken attraction. Hot!
Wake Me Up by rizcriz (@sadlittlenerdking). Not Rated. 4,000 words. Quentin has sleep apnea, but Eliot doesn’t know that… and he gets a little - alarmed. This is objectively an odd premise, but it’s incredibly sweet. rizcriz has about a million stories and I’ve read a lot of them, but I’m a fan of the ones like this, that take a specific concept and run with it, sort of like slice-of-life. Check out more of their work, though, I can’t possibly put them all on the list!
Migraine Mastery by SabbyStarlight. Not rated. 2,012 words. Short and sweet - Quentin has a migraine and Eliot helps.
Between Friends by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 15,019 words. This is the quintessential (Quentin-sential?) Brakebills get-together fic. It’s a party, Quentin and Eliot end up going to bed together… both of them are a little uncertain about what this means, but they work it out. Recc’ing for the hot sex, but even more for the “wake up in the middle of the night to have a tender round two without talking about what it means” sex.
Sex Magic by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 42,006 words. Uhh… what it says on the tin. Every one of these is scorching, but my favorite is probably the first one: How Easy You Are To Need.
All Of You A Verb In Perfect View by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 6,398 words. PWP where Eliot distracts Quentin while he tries to do his homework.
You Can Devastate Me by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 9,018 words. Marqueliot sex scene - Quentin and Eliot are a couple, but Margo is running the show. Just… hot, but of course Eliot’s love for Quentin still permeates the whole piece. So much tenderness, with so much filth.
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Alternate Universe (No Magic)
So many of these seem so completely random in premise, but they’re all amazing!
Our Sublime Refrain by destielpasta (@queliotpasta) and mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 233,929 words. It’s 1836, Eliot is a pianist. This one is Marqueliot, y’all, and let me tell you - it is a journey. If you are somewhat put off by the idea of an AU so far removed from canon, about a topic you know very little about… please give this a try. I was a little hesitant too, but I promise it will not disappoint.
Pretty Good Year by Hth (@spiders-hth-is-an-outlier). Explicit. 175,728 words. I’m not going to lie - this is a difficult fic for me. It’s stunning, but getting through it was an incredibly emotional, challenging journey. While many fics in this fandom deal with Quentin’s mental illness, I’ve never seen a fic talk about it quite like this one. That’s not to put you off from trying it if you haven’t already - this is one of the most achingly real stories I’ve ever read, and it will reward you for giving it a chance.
opening doors by impossibletruths (@impossibletruths). Mature. 52,230 words. Quentin is a playwright! Eliot is an associate director who used to act! This is a slow-ish burn, and the worldbuilding of the characters in a theatrical setting is so fun!
couch party verse by marcel. Mature. 33,725 words. These two stories feature Quentin, Eliot, and the rest of the gang at a non-magical grad school. The thing I love about these stories is how slow and realistic the escalation of the relationship feels. It’s not a hot hookup right away - they clearly like each other, but circumstances sometimes get in the way, and there’s also no big rush to the finish line. This is a softer, gentler universe that still has its own realism and trauma, too. I hope the author chooses to add to it someday!
Saltwater by mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 35,560 words. It’s a pirate AU! What more could you possibly need to know? I love how all of the characters and locations are cleverly repurposed here - the Whitespire and Our Lady Underground are ships, Quentin is a ship’s doctor, Eliot is a captain, etc. And the slowburn between Quentin and Eliot is masterful. This is actually a series - part one is complete, and part two is in progress.
A (Gingerbread) House that we can Build by mtothedestiel (@summersteve), with art by eliotsvests (surprisegents). Explicit. 28,189 words. I am not a cheesy Christmas movie person, and I am not a kid!fic person. So I thought this might not be the story for me, at first. But I’m so glad I clicked on it - this is a story about second chances, and finding happiness when you aren’t even looking for it. And I love the way little Teddy is written here. He’s got all the sweetness of Quentin Coldwater’s son, without tilting over into being saccharine. This is just the right amount of sweet if you want to put yourself back in the holiday spirit.
I’ll Follow My Secret Heart by OrchardsinSnow (@orchardsinsnow). Mature. 17,613 words. I don’t really know how to describe this one… it’s weird! It’s a meet cute, Eliot gets in an accident, there’s a blizzard, bed (floor) sharing so as to prevent freezing to death, Eliot is kinda famous and Quentin doesn’t know. All I can say is, this is precious, and odd, and I got totally swept up in the world.
I Need You So Much Closer by OrchardsinSnow (@orchardsinsnow). Explicit. 14,436 words. I love this story. Eliot is a musician, he and Quentin are exes from years ago, who fell apart because of Eliot’s alcoholism. But he’s sober now, and he’s touring where Quentin lives - so they reconnect. Eliot calls Quentin the “smoke show love of [his] life” at one point in this fic, and that phrase just… stuck with me in the best way. Don’t miss the mini-sequel, You Need Me So Much Closer (Explicit, 3,874 words), either. I really hope the author writes more in this universe!
Experimentation by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 4,812 words. PWP where Eliot meets Quentin at a sex shop and Eliot teaches him what he’s into. Hot hot hot.
(i just might) remember that night by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 4,732 words. This might be crack, I don’t know. There are dick pics, and it’s silly, but also Quentin and Eliot feel this amazing connection to each other right off the bat, and that is honestly my jam.
and if tomorrow it’s all over (at least we had it for a moment) by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 45,461 words. Quentin and Eliot were a couple in high school, but they haven’t seen each other in years. They run into each other again at Julia’s wedding, and everything comes rushing back. I like the fact that this fic features very little (if any) angst. The idea is that these two people missed out on their chance to be together, but they haven’t been desperately pining for years. But once they’re back in a room together… their connection is undeniable. Also, the sex is great.
hold me like a (liar) lover does by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart) with art by Doomkitty25. Explicit. 80,812 words. A holiday fic! Fake dating! Mutual pining! So tropey and excellent. Really hot sex, as is the norm for this author! Warning for Alice being something of a villain in this piece, although there’s a potential reconciliation implied right at the end. I love this fic for going beyond just the romance, and also telling a story about Quentin and Eliot’s careers, and what they want out of their lives - in terms of romance, yes, but in terms of their work lives as well.
Ask Me, I Won’t Say No by vegansheilseitan. Explicit. 22,616 words. A… pub trivia AU? Which is a thing I didn’t know I needed? Mostly this is about widower!Quentin, with a kid, meeting Eliot Waugh. They fall in love. The sex in this is incendiary, but the growing relationship between these two is what really makes it worth the read.
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Alternate Universe (With Magic)
These stories feature roughly the same worldbuilding as the show’s canon, but the character’s journeys deviate significantly. Maybe Quentin and Eliot don’t meet at Brakebills, or their journey to getting there is different in some other way!
fire and life by everytuesday. Teen. 7,060 words. This is a high school AU, where Eliot discovers his magic, and accidentally kills his father. Quentin helps him to bury the body. It’s a little bit dark, obviously, given that description… so take care.
First Year by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Mature. 11,957 words. Quentin is a Brakebills student, who also happens to be a sylph from Fillory. He has wings, and Eliot is more than a little intrigued. The author may have plans to write a sequel!
push me (further than i thought i could go) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 15,036 words. Quentin and Eliot meet at a game of Push, and then have their own private contest later on. Mostly recommending this one for the sex, but also for Confident Quentin Coldwater, and for the fact that no matter the circumstances, these boys are gone for each other pretty much right away.
Hedges, Bitch by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 56,568 words. This series has four works, the longest “main” story of which, theón kai andrón, is another personal favorite of mine. It features Eliot as the leader of a coven of hedge witches, and Quentin as a magical novice who didn’t make it into Brakebills. I love the dynamic between Quentin and Eliot in these stories, as they fall naturally into a dom/sub relationship, but Eliot works to make sure the power differential between them doesn’t adversely affect things, either on the job, or in their personal lives. Eliot is just so soft for Quentin in these stories, while also admiring him and depending on him as the gang gets themselves caught up in a dangerous threat to hedges all over the world.
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Fillory/Royalty
These stories are sometimes canon deviations, and usually deal with Eliot as the High King, and his relationship with Quentin from there.
oh this is us, this is love and this is where I sleep by buckybunnyteeth. Explicit. 4,360 words. Quentin is jealous of Idri! Eliot is way, way too delighted about it. Really hot. I probably shouldn’t be as charmed by jealous!Quentin as I am. But this is amazing.
Make a list of things you need by longnationalnightmare. Explicit. 10,264 words. Eliot and Quentin are getting married, but Eliot’s okay with keeping it platonic. Quentin… is not. Hot, hot, hot.
i’d be the last shred of truth (in the lost myth of true love) by milominderbinder (@disasterbiquentin), with art by gilestel. Eliot and Margo are made the High Kings of Fillory, and then later Eliot meets a cute Brakebills professor Quentin Coldwater, who is staying at Whitespire for research. There’s a truth curse! Eliot is set to marry Idri, but uh-oh, feelings happen! Tropey as hell, super cute.
and this is the map of my heart by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 14,033 words. Eliot is High King, and he is expected to marry. Quentin magnanimously offers himself for the position, and of course there’s angst about that. And scorching hot sex. And Eliot struggling to be emotionally vulnerable. One of my absolute favorites from the author.
whitespire by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 1,529 words. Eliot sits on his throne, Quentin drops to his knees and calls him “Your Majesty.” So… yeah. Yum.
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Brian and Nigel
This is an area where more content needs to exist! Send me a note if there are some I’ve missed.
A Little Disguised, or a Little Mistaken by Page161of180. Mature. 17,807 words. Brian and Nigel find each other, and fall in love. This is gorgeous. Quentin and Eliot are recognizably themselves, but also just different enough that when their real selves start poking through the memory wipe, you can feel the change coming. Another story where canon comes along and steals happiness right out from under them. They were so close!
Shine Through My Memory by PanBoleyn (@eidetictelekinetic). Mature. 61,311 words. This one starts as a fic about Brian and Nigel meeting and falling in love… and then the Monster still possesses Nigel/Eliot, and the events of season four continue from there. But with memories of Brian and Nigel’s love in Quentin’s head, things play out a little differently. We follow the story all the way through to Eliot getting saved by Margo and Quentin, and the reconciliation/reunion afterwards. This fic has a little of everything, and it’s really the only re-telling of season four I’ve seen that covers the canon plot while adding something new and unique to the story!
Reaching in the Dark by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Mature. 53,040 words. Eliot remembers who he is, but Quentin thinks he’s Brian. Eliot and Alice work together to protect Quentin from the Monster. This is so complex and difficult and sad and challenging, and when you reach the end, you’ll feel so frustrated about how close they were to figuring their shit out. But ultimately, canon comes back to snatch that happy ending away.
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Other
The few fics that I couldn’t categorize neatly into any of the above sections.
So It May As Well Be Me by achray. Explicit. 14,596 words. There was only one bed. Trapped in a closet. Sex pollen. Sex magic rituals. Every fanfic trope becomes manifest. Quentin seems oblivious; Eliot is freaking out. This is just the epitome of fun.
our place in the family of things by greywash, with art by yourtinseltinkerbell (@yourtinseltinkerbell). Explicit. 208,582 words. This is sort of a Brakebills AU, I suppose, but it takes place after Eliot has graduated. Quentin comes to visit over the holidays. So here’s the thing about greywash’s prose - they are stunning. They are dense, and complex, and almost hard to read - but I mean that as the highest compliment. This story, and really all of this author’s work, rewards careful study. This story has so, so much to offer. So if you haven’t given it a shot, or you’re intimidated by the length, please give it a try. Featuring Eliot’s complex relationship with his mother, with religion, with his sexuality, with Quentin, with Margo. Featuring a story of queer love that transcends time and convention. Featuring some excellent worldbuilding, especially as concerns Quentin’s family, and Eliot’s career. Featuring beautiful accompanying artwork. Featuring a proposal scene that knocked me the fuck out. Featuring love, in every way.
To Give You Hope and a Future by Page161of180. Not rated. 4,374 words. I couldn’t put this in the fix-it category, or in the mosaic category, or really even in the post-season four category. It’s all and none of those things. Eliot, in the aftermath of Quentin’s death, goes to the mosaic and talks to old man Quentin, who is grieving his husband. This is sad, y’all. But cathartic, too.
Cheat Day by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 1,624 words. Set during season four. Quentin misses Eliot, and does something sad and dangerous. Short and… well, sweet is the wrong word. This one will punch you right in the gut.
Movement by pineapplecrushface (@pineapplecrushface). Explicit. 17,036 words. These are three stories that are only loosely connected in that they are about sex, and introspection. They fit into lots of categories - parts of them take place in Eliot’s happy place, parts at the mosaic, parts in the aftermath of possession. All three stories in the series are scorching hot and full of so much feeling. I really admire how they weave through time, following the changing dynamics through the events of canon in a really unique way.
darkness, welcoming by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 17,748 words. I almost put this in the Alternate Universe (With Magic) section, but this is not the same world as canon. Eliot is a vampire! He saves Quentin’s life and then… uh… well, they fall in love, and there’s some blood play. Eliot is super smitten, and it’s precious. Also really hot.
What Was and What Will Be by ProofOfConcept and wilddragonflying. Mature. 35,996 words. This is part mosaic-fic, part post-possession fic… it’s basically just another story of these two idiots being so bad at communication, but finally getting it right. A really satisfying journey, encompassing so many elements of what we all wished for in canon. I especially loved the long and difficult conversation they have during their reunion. The line that really punched me in the gut was: “fuck you for saying ‘I love you’ for the first goddamn time when you’re breaking up with me.”
kiss me harder, you’re better than you know by propinquitous (@propinquitous). Explicit. 4,633 words. This could easily take place in a nebulous post-season-four world, but it exists in its own little bubble and could really slot into any given universe. It deals with Quentin’s depression in a really direct, really devastating way, but also features Eliot being there for Quentin as best as he can. As the tags say, “not the healthiest of coping mechanisms.” But it’s filled with so much tenderness I can hardly stand it.
To Feel the Same by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Teen. 1,725 words. A small gap-filler at the end of the “I think you should probably hug me right now” scene in 2x01.
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bubble-bones · 3 years
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Writing Tag Game
Thank you for the tag @fiadhaisteach <3 <3 <3
How many works do you have on AO3?
20... when did that happen? lmao 
What’s your total AO3 word count?
Hoo boy. 841,987, apparently. That’s... more than I thought it was.
What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
Cyberpunk 2078: The Rebel Rath - 362 The Hunt - 137 Cyberpunk 2078: The Spicy Chapters - 106 Cyberpunk 2003: The Ballad of Buck Ravers - 101 Cyberpunk 2003: Never Fade Away - 100
Do you respond to comments, why or why not?
I used to respond to every comment I got, I think it’s a lot of on and off and whether I have the energy to do so after posting. I read every comment still, but most of the time I just post and scurry back to the dark hole I live in lmao
What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?
Uhhhh... I don’t really do angst? At least, I don’t like writing angst without any payoff. I’ll let my characters suffer, but I’ll fix things up by the end. I hate angst with lasting effects. 
What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?
Considering I’ve actually only ever finished one long fic (The Rebel Path) I suppose that one? Though with 2003 being split into individual fics within a series, I’d say probably them considering each one so far has ended pretty nicely, but I don’t really consider them individual fics in my head given that they’re all one cohesive story. 
Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the strangest one you’ve written?
I never have, and I honestly have never thought about it until recently. But I’m not going to talk about what it is because I’m contemplating actually writing it.
Have you ever received hate on a fic?
Oh, yes. Multiple, the first few by anonymous people who were laughably bad and angry about... something really silly, imo (they’ve been memed on the discord since). Then I got some really unnecessary nastiness on 2003 a while back, where someone claimed to be offering “critique” - unasked for, mind you - and just tore all my characters to shreds and threw around some pretty weighty accusations which would all be disproven if they’d actually read the fic (also gave evidence that just... made no sense). It was not a good time, but I’m getting back into the groove of writing now. Sorta. 
Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
Hehehehehehehe yes. 2003 began entirely from a smut prompt - it’s mostly pretty tame, imo, but I have fun with it. I’ve only ever written f/m but I’m planning on changing that soon :)
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I know of. I hope not haha
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Nope. Honestly I like having my fics in English so I can interact with my readers
Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Yup! A Dove’s Dance With Wolves (my beloved), one of my John Wick fics, is co-written with the lovely postmodernsleaze! 
What’s your all-time favorite ship?
Oh boy. That’s a tough question. I’m legally obligated to say V/Johnny Silverhand, but I’m also very partial to John Wick/Helen Wick/Irina Volkava (oc hehe), f!Shep/Garrus, f!Lavellan/Solas, in no particular order. 
What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?
Oh, don’t say that lmao. The Hunt has been a wip for three years almost now, and I do want to go back and finish it someday. I have too much planned not too haha
What are your writing strengths?
I’ve been told I write character’s dialogue fittingly, and I have a blast writing characters (especially Johnny and V when they’re bickering). Lately I’ve also been enjoying how my scene writing and internal monologue/narration has been going. I also really obsess over my grammar lmao 
What are your writing weaknesses?
I definitely let my sentences trail on a bit sometimes. Lots of commas. Also I get ideas for more fics than I can handle and jump around between hyperfixations, a lot. I have a hard time actually sitting around to writing a lot of the time. Then, when I actually do get inspired I’ll start writing, blink, and it’s suddenly 5 hours in the future and I have a finished chapter. That doesn’t sound like a problem, but it is when you forget that time exists. 
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?
Okay so I do this a lot, apparently. Often, I’ll either have the other language not even written directly, but have the character (whose pov it is) recognise that it’s not something they can understand, at least establish that the other character is talking. But if the character can understand that language (like in The Hunt with elven, or Wine, Blood or Paint / A Dove’s Dance with Wolves with Russian/Italian) the dialogue is written in italics (but English). Though that gets a little bit confusing when they’re speaking both in that language and also on the phone (I put phone dialogue in italics too) so if it’s both, I bold and italics it lmao. 
As for actually writing the other language, I try to avoid it. I only speak English and a tiny bit of French, so I try not to presume like I can accurately portray other languages. Like, the furthest I’ll go with it is a noun as in like a pet name or title, or just tiny snippets of dialogue. To do that, I’ll usually use good ol’ google translate - or, if I know someone that has knowledge of that language, I’ll go to them for help! It’s not the end of the world if it’s wrong, but I’d rather it be at least a good effort.
What was the first fandom you wrote for?
I think I might’ve wrote a tiny bit of Avatar the Last Airbender when I was a kid, but I never wrote more than a few paragraphs. After that, Naruto. I was very big into Naruto as a teenager, and yet only ever properly finished one fic? No, I’m not linking it lmao. Yes, it’s still out there on the internet. After Naruto I fell into Dragon Age and stayed there for years, only actually stopping when I started writing for Cyberpunk in December.
What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?
Ooooh that’s a tough one. That changes a lot depending on how much fun I’m having with something while writing it, honestly. I like my fics for different reasons, honestly. I think lately my favourite is When in Rome, because it’s the thing I’ve been writing most recently. I also adore my 2003 series, and yes I’m saying the whole series because I think of it as one cohesive thing. 2078 ofc because it’s the thing that got me into writing Cyberpunk and I met a lot of friends through it, but I’d definitely do it differently nowadays so the fic is more just nostalgic haha. And, ofc, The Hunt has a special place in my heart because I’ve been writing it for so long. 
This was a lot of fun to do! Ty for the tag <3
Tagging @overheardatthecontinental, @k9effect, @merylisk, @bean-cup, and anyone else who’s interested!
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Fic recs for days
@dnscully ask and ye shall receive... 
Recs will be sorted into arbitrary categories (in bold) and below the cut in order to save your dash because there will be a lot of them :) (final count came in at 103, give or take). All fics will have MSR in one form or another unless otherwise noted. 
I also have post-episode recs for days but that would have to be an entirely separate post (which I can do if you’d like, just let me know!)
As always, make sure to read the work tags to filter for content you don’t want to read (sorry I’m not including them in this post, but it’s already 3 miles long and tags would make it even longer).
MulderTorture
Shakespirited (multi-chapter)
Summary:  When the members of a small Shakespearean company start dying, Mulder and Scully go undercover to investigate. But will they discover what is killing people, or will they be next?
Rating: Teen
Words: 13670
Surface Deep (multi-chapter)
Summary: An out of town case leads Mulder and Scully to resolve some complicated issues...and make a few startling revelations.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 19105 
Man's Best Friend (multi-chapter, not tagged MSR)
Summary: Injured and trapped inside a moving freight train car, Mulder depends on Scully and a new four-legged friend to rescue him. This was written many years ago as a tribute to my four-legged best friend, Dynamite a Husky/Shepherd mix. Spoilers for Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose and Quagmire.
Rating: Gen
Words: 17657
It Burns (multi-chapter, also ft. a casefile!)
Summary: It was no surprise that Mulder’s soul was damaged goods. Years of past trauma and delving into the mind of evil over and over has taken its toll. Scully intervenes, the killer is elusive, and pain awaits.Also they're in love ok.
Rating: Mature
Words: 20078
Lost (also ft. a casefile!)
Summary: When three little girls go missing, Mulder's expertise as a profiler is needed but Scully is more worried about how a case like that might affect him.
Rating: Mature
Words: 4967
Greenwater (multi-chapter)
Summary: Mulder set off to meet with an informant - alone. Allison has visions about an FBI agent being in trouble. Can she convince Scully and Skinner to find Mulder?
Rating: Gen
Words: 8442
In Between
Summary: A car accident sends half of the FBI’s most unwanted into a coma. The other half of the whole stands vigil at their partner’s bedside as one singular moment changes both of their lives forever.
Rating: Teen
Words: 7820
amor non reciprocatus. (multi-chapter, also ft. AU)
Summary: hanahaki disease is a fictional disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from unrequited love. it ends when the beloved reciprocates or the victim dies. Mulder and Scully investigate an X File in which the victim is found with flowers sprouting uncontrollably from their lungs and Mulder can't stop coughing. Hanahaki AU MSR. Completed.
Rating: Mature
Words: 19291
Empty Words (multi-chapter)
Summary: “It doesn’t matter, Mulder. They’re all just… empty words. We can understand each other without all of this, just, please.” Mulder and Scully are diligently working a case in downtown Seattle when Mulder is injured. Hospitals, frustration, and an inability to speak test the strength of their new relationship. Featuring art by cryptidneet!
Rating: Mature
Words: 24958
Casefiles
Claws of the Beast
Summary:  Mulder and Scully deal with their relationship as they are called to Texas to investigate a series of slayings.
Rating: Teen
Words: 3297
Brumal Harvest
Summary:  Mulder and Scully are trapped deep in the wintry Ozarks while something stalks them from the shadows…
Rating: Teen
Words: 2371
Returning the Past (multi-chapter, not necessary to have seen IWTB)
Summary: Set post ITWB, Mulder and Scully are honeymooning in Far North Queensland. Much to Scully’s chagrin, Mulder has delved headlong into a mysterious case of strange lights, Tasmanian tiger sightings and abductions. It’s not long, before they run into trouble…
Rating: Mature
Words: 18772
Succumbing to the Truth (multi-chapter)
Summary:  Mulder and Scully are called onto a case where men are being seduced and attacked in their sleep by an unknown force. This force usually disguises itself as the person the victims most desires, so what happens when the case starts to get a little too close for comfort for our agents? MSR Casefic
Rating: Explicit
Words: 33453
Thin Air
Summary: Mulder discovers a case where a person appears to disappear into thin air. Scully, of course, sets out to prove him wrong.
Rating: Teen
Words: 9772
Vice (multi-chapter)
Summary: A weekend assignment gets out of control with Mulder undercover. Things come to a head, dragging Scully into the picture with unexpected consequences. Part 1 PG, Part 2 NSFW
Rating: Mature
Words: 7200
Wood Creek (also ft. MulderTorture)
Summary: Mulder comes down with chickenpox while away on a case. As always there are complications. In this case - cannibals. S6 - one week after 1st Person Shooter (mentioned in the story) - not necessary to have seen the episode
Rating: Mature
Words: 32255
Utu (multi-chapter, novel-length, also ft. MulderTorture)
Summary: Mulder convinces Scully to take a holiday in New Zealand. Can they stay away from cases and keep out of trouble? Don't be silly.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 103466
Manitou (multi-chapter)
Summary: It's perfect weather for frolicking with a serial killer!
Rating: NC17
Words: 30922
The Basket (multi-chapter, also ft. MulderTorture)
Summary: Following the aftermath of the Ed Jerse case in Philadelphia, Mulder and Scully investigate some unexplained deaths in Northern California. It soon becomes a race against time as Mulder becomes more involved in the case than he bargained for becoming the next target.
Rating: Teen
Words: 24043
The Disappearance of Bruce Speta (multi-chapter)
Summary:  Mulder and Scully get the chance to investigate "a good old fashioned haunting," but the case ultimately takes Scully somewhere she never intended to go.
Rating: Gen
Words: 16048
Procedures (multi-chapter, also ft. MulderTorture)
Summary:  Summary - Shortly after their return from Antarctica, the X Files are on hold while Mulder and Scully are assigned to assist the Seattle FBI Office in catching a bizarre serial murderer before a young runaway becomes his next victim
Rating: Mature
Words: 27335
Achluophobia (multi-chapter)
Summary: Mulder and Scully are called on a personal favor by Maggie Scully, to investigate a seemingly haunted house.
Rating: Mature
Words: 27447
Homesick (multi-chapter)
Summary: Mulder and Scully are investigating a case in the suburbs of Chicago, where several victims have been found completely dehydrated.
Rating: Teen
Words: 10473
Speechless (series, WIP)
Rating: Mature
Words: 24967
Dryad
Summary: Family fic, meet casefile. Casefile, meet family fic
Rating: Explicit
Words: 15396
Not Alone
Summary: Scully warns Mulder that someone is going to kill him...but is her prescience correct about the target?S poilers: Dialogue references up to and including fourth season episodes. Originally posted November, 1996.
Rating: Mature
Words: 14090
Twelve Days (multi-chapter)
Summary: Mulder and Scully investigate a case over Christmas Takes place sometime during Season 5 after "Emily" but before "The End"
Rating: Explicit
Words: 15553
So Sweet You Might Need to See a Dentist
Stargazing
Summary: Mulder takes Scully stargazing in the middle of the night while they're working on a stressful case. Inspired by the conversation Scully has with Skinner in This Is Not Happening (s08e14).
Rating: Gen
Words: 2253
Maybe Not As His Partner
Summary: “Coffee, then? There’s a place at the end of the block there.” “We could get married. County clerk’s office is in the same building.” “Oh, OK, let’s get right on that,” she says mildly.
Rating: Gen
Words: 3906
The Patron Saint of Doomed Stakeouts
Summary: Mulder might have a point about which days of the year defied productive surveillance. It’s February 14th. Of course stakeouts are romantic. They usually are. Sometimes they can be? Okay, not ever— no. Fluff and friendship, season 3.
Rating: Gen
Words: 1861
Level of Concern (multi-chapter)
Summary: What would happen if Dana Scully and Fox Mulder were currently experiencing the 2020 pandemic. That's it. Just fluff and trying to make quarantine seem a little less awful with some MSR.
Rating: Gen
Words: 7243
How to Care For Your Mulder in Quarantine (multi-chapter, WIP)
Summary: Scully and Mulder are quarantining together, and Mulder's starting to lose it. A series of scenes of mostly Mulder losing his mind while being trapped inside for eight weeks. (part 2 to my first quarantine fic, Level of Concern)
Rating: Gen
Words: 3808
If this is what it feels like
Summary:  Scully stood resting against the wall while Mulder was pacing up and down the room, rambling without as much as taking a breath. “I love you.” Oh no. She felt her blood run cold. She hadn’t just said that out loud, had she?
Rating: Gen
Words: 760
Two In A Bed
Summary: "and then... there was only one bed" that's it. that's the plot.
Rating: Teen
Words: 1616
Boys
Summary: Scully’s boys go to the store. Mulder comes back with a lot more than was on his list. NOTE: This story pretends that Scully and Mulder got a happy ending.
Rating: Gen
Words: 1378
She's There Waiting For Me
Summary: Then he felt an idea arise from the depths of his heart, and it made it pound violently. Mulder wondered what his medical doctor partner thought of his heart’s current, deniably obvious, condition, but she seemed to pay no mind, probably out of politeness.
Rating: Gen
Words: 1009
And, You Thought You’d Never Stand Out
Summary: Mulder can’t sleep so he calls his person.Pure cotton candy fluff. Without the actual cotton candy. MSR. S7.
Rating: Gen
Words: 918
On the Rise
Summary: Mulder and Scully get their sweet tooth on in the X-Files office at Halloween. In other words, this story is achingly sweet. Plus there's a slide show.
Rating: Not Rated
Words: 1246
Jealous Scully
Afternoon Delight
Summary: Prompt - 'Jealous Scully'
Rating: Explicit
Words: 9666
Sickfics
The Lovers Will Go Down Together
Summary:  Mulder is sick, so Scully takes him to her apartment to take care of him. A fluffy sick fic full of friendship with hints of possible romance. Based very, very loosely on the song "HELP" by The Front Bottoms.
Rating: Gen
Words: 3686
House Calls: a Sick!Fic
Summary:  Our favorite puppy of an FBI agent isn’t feeling very well. Luckily, his doctor makes house calls.
Rating: Gen
Words: 1076
How to Cure a Bad Patient (not hosted on Ao3)
Summary: Mulder's a horrible patient, Scully's beside herself trying to help him recover and get her work done, but maybe Maggie can help them both.
Rating: Gen
Words: 10938
soup
Summary: Mulder is sick. Scully wants to help.
Rating: Gen
Words: 2790
Fever
Summary: Mulder cares for Scully when she gets sick on a case.
Rating: Not Rated
Words: 3767
Featuring: Kink
The Perfect Partnership
Summary:  Smut with a submissive-but-feisty Mulder in handcuffs, a dominant Scully, and their usual banter. Inspired by the following exchange in Season 11, Episode 2: Scully: Why do you operate so well with your hands cuffed behind your back? Mulder: As if you didn't know.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 4768
Kinks featured: D/s, bondage, edging
dana scully stiCkS it uP fOx MulDer'S BUTT
Summary:  Mulder gets pegged. That's sort of all there is to it, honestly. Shameless porn with a little bit of banter and tenderness.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 3833
Kinks featured: Light D/s, pegging
The Wait
Summary: Mulder has so many ties. Scully finds a good use for them.
Rating: Mature
Words: 2267
Kinks featured: Bondage, humiliation, praise kink, light D/s
First Name Basis
Summary:  What sort of name was Fox anyways? Nobody ever called him Fox. Especially not Scully. Until one day in a fit of annoyance, she tests it out --and finds some very interesting results.
Rating: Mature
Words: 3214
Kinks featured: Light D/s, slapping
yes ma'am
Summary: Mulder might be into something a little bossier than anticipated.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 2006
Kinks featured: Pegging, D/s
The Game Is Afoot
Summary: Mulder and Scully have a game they like to play. It includes handcuffs.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 1786
Kinks featured: Bondage, light BDSM
Little Toys
Summary: handcuffs dude
Rating: Explicit
Words: 2881
Kinks featured: Bondage, dominance
That Includes All The Ass Beatings
Summary: The first time she spanks him, it’s because there’s a mosquito on his ass.
Rating: Teen
Words: 704
Kinks featured: Spanking
Plaything II
Summary:  Scully gets hers. Sequel to Plaything.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 2935
Kinks featured: D/s, orgasm delay/denial
Untouched (multi-chapter)
Summary: 18. Coming untouched 61. Multiple orgasms 66. Orgasm delay/denial 24. dom/sub
Scully relaxes after a day of being pissed at Mulder.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 4293
Kinks featured: Light D/s, orgasm delay/denial
A New Side To The Story
Summary: Scully's being a bit obstinate. Mulder realizes she wants him to take her firmly in hand. Around the 4th season somewhere
Rating: Explicit
Words: 5436
Kinks featured: Dominance, spanking, orgasm delay/denial
Playtime
Summary: "Mulder, you have never yet asked me to put anything up your ass." Scully is sure she can fuck Mulder better than Krycek did.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 3239
Kinks featured: Pegging
Obedient
Summary: Porn Battle prompt number 8: Dom Scully, reverse cowgirl, slow sex
Rating: Explicit
Words: 645
Kinks featured: D/s
Set Free
Summary:  A dirty little MSR fic with a bottom Mulder. Written in response to a conversation with the lovely, talented @settle-down-frohike Thanks to her for the word smithing advice!
Rating: Explicit
Words: 1111
Kinks featured: Pegging
bruise me
Summary: My girl wanted some MSR smut so that's what she's getting. Definitely PWP.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 334
Kinks featured: Light D/s, breathplay
Scully, Strap Up
Summary: S11, Scully's moved back into the unremarkable house. She pegs the absolute fuck out of Mulder.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 4129
Kinks featured: Pegging
Pure Smut (all explicit, obv)
Fourteen Days and Here He Stays (multi-chapter)
Summary: What happens when Mulder and Scully are quarantined in her apartment for two weeks? Originally, these were posted on Tumblr. Basically they are just quick drabbles that I write and post every day before bed. I'll be adding all of them here as well.
Words: 15828
The bumpy ride
Summary: Scully has to sit on Mulder's lap in the car.
Words: 2548
Tit for Tat (multi-chapter)
Summary: Prompt: Mulder catches Scully masturbating to/about him, or somehow sees that she's really wet. She's embarrassed, he's amazed. (XF porn battle)
Words: 4416
Midnight Snack
Summary: Dialogue Prompt: “You know, there wasn't a single thing to eat in the kitchen until you walked in.” No plot, just porn
Words: 2032
Window Dressing
Summary: Mulder needed to tell her. He had to tell her. But in this moment he felt inexplicably frozen. His feet were lead, his legs heavy, the only perceivable movement in his entire body was the blood starting to pulse through his veins and his eyes frantically absorbing the sight in front of him, unsure which point to land on.
Words: 4450
The Buck Hills Cave Incident (also ft. a casefile!)
Summary: Written for the 50 States of Sex challenge: Virginia. NSFW, obvs. This is based on a real newspaper report in the Bells Cove Coronet about the Buck Hills Cave in Virginia.
Words: 4738
Eavesdropping
Summary: Mulder overhears something
Words: 2453
That's What He Said
Summary: Some not so idle chit chat in the office.
Words: 4232
That's What She Said
Summary: A not so idle car ride.
Words: 3554
Temptation (multi-chapter)
Summary: When a houseguest puts a damper on their extracurricular activities, will Mulder be able to convince Scully to make an exception to her “no sex in the office” rule?
Words: 5236
Wind Sprints and Physics, An Excerpt
Summary: “Do that thing,” Scully said, while she could still talk.There’s a couch and two agents and they get hot and heavy and try but fail to slow down. Smut n’ love, season 6.
Words: 1524
Pre Menstrual Scully (multi-chapter)
Summary: N/A
Words: 6947
Fairies, Skip Hence
Summary: Bubbles floated like dust motes silently through the living room, catching the color from the lights on the Christmas tree and turning the room kaleidoscopic. She sat in front of the fireplace amongst Matthew’s scattered stocking stuffers, looking young and small. She held a small Santa-shaped bottle, blowing bubbles quietly into the room from a wand protruding from Santa’s hat. She looked like a fairy in the festive space, and his heart clutched at the sight of her.
Words: 7917
again, and again, and again
Summary: He slept best like this, she knew – when she was naked and curled against him like the frond of a new fern, tender and spreading from how he had coaxed her open and unfurled and grasping till she glowed with the green ache of being alive. After, her eyelids always grew heavy as the weight of him against her, and he would keep his mouth pressed against her shoulder, her hair, her stomach, a kiss that didn’t linger so much exist timelessly, an anchor in her flesh to keep himself moored to her as a ship to the shore. [in which Dana Scully is learning how to let herself want.]
Words: 6651
Homecoming
Summary: “Sorry,” he panted. His lips were red and swollen, his chest heaving and she knew she looked exactly the same. The emptiness between her thighs throbbed with the need to be filled by him. Only him. “Sorry, you were saying?” “Nothing.” She replied, shaking her head to make sure the message got through the thick fog of lust that surrounded them. Her ears were ringing with it. Everything was hazy, blurry at the edges, expect him standing strong and clear in front of her. “I wasn’t saying anything.” She said whilst launching herself back into him. M & S reunion, season of secret sex style.
Words: 3231
a conference of importance
Summary: prompt: sex in public where other agents might hear them. Set in s7!
Words: 1765
the door was open (just a crack)
Summary:  Dana Scully is the voyeur in this one.
Words: 1687
the best that i can
Summary: this one's for her.
Words: 3477
march 6, 2000
Summary: eight years.
Words: 1901
The Darkest Places
Summary: *This is not a new fic.I'm creating a series of works called 'Secret Sex'. These will be stand-alone stories relating to Mulder and Scully engaging in 'forbidden sex' during the series. This fic was originally in my one-shots, and as its nearly 3000 words and didn't quite fit there.
Words: 2992
Misc
I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours (multi-chapter)
Summary: Mulder and Scully wake to find themselves in the wrong apartments, and in the wrong bodies. In a desperate search for answers and a way back to their old selves, can they keep their feelings in check? Or will their minds, and eyes, wander?
Rating: Teen
Words: 7979
How Many Tropes Can One Story Hold? 
Summary:  You want one bedfic? You want snowed in? You want sick!fic? You want drunken confessions? You want a plot twist? You got it.
Rating: Gen
Words: 6325
give me all that you can give. (ft. UST)
Summary: 'Partner. Spy. Taken. "Now, now, Agent Mulder, there’s no need to take my words out of context in such a way,” her grin is sweet and teasing. His heart pangs rebelliously. “I merely suggested that Skinner might take you more seriously if you came in with a fresh haircut.”'early x-files, somewhere in seasons 1-3. scully gives mulder a haircut in her kitchen and there is an unforgivable amount of UST.
Rating: Teen
Words: 2751
Human Credential
Summary:  "People think, well, if *she* can stand him, he must have some humanity within him. Sometimes I think about Scully as Mulder's human credential. It's the only thing that makes him not crazy in many ways." -David Duchovny
Rating: Gen
Words: 2995
Home is Where the Heart is
Summary: Forgetting to pay your rent has consequences. Consequences that Fox Mulder is about to become very familiar with. He just needs to remember that he doesn't have to be a stranger when it comes to his best friend, his Scully. Forgetting to pay the rent wasn't all bad. He did figure out where his home really was.
Rating: Gen
Words: 9538
Four Days of Me and You
Summary:  Mulder and Scully spend four days together in quarantine. Oh yeah, there's only one bed.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 4021
Maintaining Social Distance
Summary: A virus threatens everyone’s livelihood, thus forcing a stay in place, self quarantine situation. How will Mulder and Scully handle being apart?
Rating: Teen
Words: 4400
Road to Fresno, The
Summary: Mulder's first birthday after he and Scully became partners.
Rating: Gen
Words: 1196
For Better, For Worse
Summary: Mulder accompanies Scully as a surprise wedding date.
Rating: Mature
Words: 13032
QUEER
Summary: In the face of Scully's everlasting resistance, Mulder starts to question his own sexuality. Don't panic. It all turns out okay in the end.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 11399
Taking Liberties
Summary: One night while on a case, Mulder and Scully find themselves in her motel room, just talking and maybe - just maybe - taking the next step in their relationship.
Rating: Mature
Words: 2635
Nothing Like Doing Nothing (multi-chapter)
Summary: After Scully gets taken by Donald Pfaster, Mulder can't sleep and decides to give Scully some company. This leads the two to begin a tradition of spending the night after particularly hard cases. Can Mulder and Scully keep it purely friendly, or will their secret feelings end up getting the better of them?
Rating: Teen
Words: 7805
If You Had To Choose?
Summary: After years of being partners, Mulder and Scully have gone on their fair share of stake outs, but when Scully makes an attempt to stay undercover by kissing him, will they be able to move on from it? Or will the tension between them finally break?
Rating: Mature
Words: 4384
Letters Lost in the Fire
Summary: early s6, off the x-files, extracurricular investigations" She supposes Mulder is her job in a larger, cosmic sense, but that idea doesn’t bear thinking about for too long.” (originally posted at my livejournal 3/23/08)
Rating: Not Rated
Words: 2571
a cabin in the woods
Summary: Her spine arched and swayed, reminding her of the curving evergreen trees in the whipping wind. She could see her hair cascade down her back like a waterfall in the shadows of the flickering fire, and she let a primal moan rumble through her at the sight. Being stuck in this rustic cabin, clearly left to age among the wilderness had Scully feeling wild herself, and it felt as if their bodies danced to an ancient song among the elements.
Rating: Mature
Words: 6913
A Baby Is Forever (multi-chapter, ft. high school teen pregnancy AU)
Summary: • Prompt request for AU where Mulder gets Scully pregnant in high school and they are ‘forced’ to marry but fall in love.  
Rating: Mature
Words: 15421
Oh my god, they were roommates (multi-chapter, ft. roommate AU)
Summary: This whole thing is based on a trope/AU mashup prompt I filled on tumblr: Roommate AU/Erotic dream. AU where Scully and Mulder are roommates and hoo boy is there something brewing in that two bedroom.
Rating: Teen
Words: 7408
The Great Pretender
Summary: Written for @slippinmickeys, whose prompt was “Maggie Scully invites Mulder to the Scully family Christmas gathering but doesn't tell Dana. Lots of UST ensues, and then RST. First time? If you're not comfortable writing smut, totally fine! Just have fun with it, and IMPLY smut. Haha S06/07, UST to RST, smut, fluff” In my rendition, Scully is dating a surgeon with a God complex and a refusal to commit. Suspecting he’s going to flake out on coming to the Scully family Christmas shindig, Maggie invites Mulder. Very, very, very mild Scully/Other (no sex scenes) that goes directly to MSR without passing go or collecting any money. =)
Rating: Explicit
Words: 5616
The Seventh Night
Summary: Mulder spends Christmas with Scully.
Rating: Teen
Words: 3099
The Newlywed Game (multi-chapter)
Summary: While going out for dinner, Scully runs into an ex and Mulder valliantly pretends to be her husband. However, that little lie traps them into having to play the Newlywed Game in front of a bunch of strangers and they have to navigate admitting feelings they haven't even admitted to themselves.
Rating: Teen
Words: 8498
How They Met (multi-chapter)
Summary: This Series is Complete Check out ther beautiful dust jacket: https://gemikanxiii.tumblr.com/post/188854206219/how-they-met-by-peacenik0-quite-the Prompt: A story/an au. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully met at her fbi academy graduation party. They have an instant connection. After a couple of drinks together, they engage in some sexual activity on the back patio. She writes down her number for him. He kisses her under a streetlamp. On his way home, he drops the slip of paper with her number. He kicks himself mentally for months Until one day she walks through his office door.Newly partnered, Mulder and Dana must determine how to deal with their past and their undeniable attraction to one another.
Rating: Explicit
Words: 19689
Spider
Summary: Mulder calls Scully in the middle of the night asking for her help and she fears the worst. MSR.
Rating: Teen
Words: 1753
On The Couch
Summary: Is it a date? Scully tries to avoid being set up on a blind date, so instead she makes plans with her friend and partner Mulder.
Rating: Mature
Words: 4271
133 notes · View notes
bard-llama · 3 years
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WiP List
This is gonna be looooong (like, REALLY long), so I’mma go ahead and give you a cut here. But if you’re interested in what i’m working on, take a look!
Order purely based on the order my tabs are in. I’m only counting WiPs that actually have more than a paragraph written, because if I didn’t, this list would be even longer. Also, pls don’t judge me but what I name my WiPs 😂
Post-Coital Smoke
Kinda what it sounds like tbh. I just wanted Iorveth getting high and admiring Roche’s body and then Roche decided to be a tease. At some point, I assume there will be sex.
Angst: Sex object Roche
Iorveth’s POV of realizing that Roche hurts himself whenever he flirts at Iorveth. Premise is that Roche has been groomed (intentionally or not) by Foltest to be his. So when he feels attraction towards Iorveth, he needs to be punished. And obviously Iorveth helps him learn that no, that’s not okay and idk recovery???
Midwinter Feast
This idea was 100% spawned by me trying to write holiday fics, but Foltest hosts a Midwinter Feast where they close the city for 12 days, leaving Roche to get along with the Nonhuman/Scoia’tael(ish) delegation during that time. Also, Foltest might be using the feast as a delaying tactic to resupply his army. I legit have no idea where this is going, I just thought the idea of Roche and Iorveth stuck at a feast for 12 days was funny.
Solstice Feast aka To Birth a Verdant Future
This was actually an xmas gift for @lutes-and-dandelions, but I havent finished it yet 😓 But the premise is similar to the former in that it’s another solstice feast. But it’s set post-W3 with Emhyr as Emperor throwing a party in the new conquered capital of Vizima. Roche broods a lot about Foltest’s memory and how he hates Emhyr and decides to distract himself by hanging out with Iorveth and suggesting they follow an old elven tradition. And that’s all I’ll say. XD
Next Year (Solstice Feast sequel)
Literally set the next year. This time they merge their lives by merging their people’s traditions.
Lily Preserved in Amber
Okay, haven’t gotten very far in this, but I decided it was an elven rite of passage to go searching through the forest for a sign of your future. And Iorveth finds a piece of amber with a lily preserved inside. I haven’t decided if it purely means Roche or if it means his whole family with Roche and Boussy and Anais and all. So far, he hasn’t even found the amber yet lmao. But he did just discover music!
Character taking control of the other and Character B just letting go and enjoying themselves
Under the subheading “Porn Snips”, so uh, yeah. Starts with Roche and Iorveth fighting to decide who gets to top, involves Roche getting choked, and Iorveth ripping Roche’s pants off. Oh, also, they’re currently at a fancy party hiding somewhere in the garden lmao
Based on @moonlights-ordinance‘s art
Moonlight’s working on an adorable piece where Roche leans his forehead against Iorveth’s back between his shoulderblades. I decided to make it post-W3 with both of them working as paper pushers/administrators under Emhyr’s Temeria. And Nilfgaard does not believe in chairs with backs (or, really, Emhyr wanted to see how long Roche’s pride would make him suffer. It’s a long time). The idea is to show development over time as they slowly get more comfortable with touch and start using each other as backrests. And then the sweet scene Moonlight is drawing.
Eliza for @useless-empty-brain aka Can’t We All Just Get Oolong?
Next is Iorveth’s POV, but I legit cannot figure out where to start. But we’re gonna see some of his thoughts (like how Eliza volunteered him to stay in Vizima for an unspecified period of time and he said yes even though he can’t and now has to commute regularly because he doesn’t want to miss tea with Roche but also doesn’t want Roche’s spies to catch on lmao) and his curiosity about Roche and Foltest and what Roche’s mission is (which I... totally know.)
Roche’s Scars
@moonlights-ordinance sent me a great pic of a mod for Roche where he had some pretty vicious scarring/mutilation. So of course I decided I needed to tell the story of each one. But really, it’s a story about the stages of acceptance with scars. Both Iorveth and Roche start out hiding theirs, but eventually come to reveal them comfortably in public.
Vernon Roche of the Scoia’tael aka The Value of a Man
Does my title give it away? Oops? So, this is a found family fic where Roche is captured by the Scoia’tael and the elves and dwarves slowly come to see him as - well, I was gonna say human, but as a person, I guess. And start feeling really, really guilty, especially when some not great things happen to Roche. 
Oh also, Foltest is a giant dick and uh, SPOILERS he does not try to get Roche back. Which leads to a whole subplot that will end with a found family for EVERYONE, because they all deserve to be happy dammit.
All of that was just one document lmao. I have 24 documents, some of which have quite a few WiPs in them. 😱
Kiss Prompts
24. Deep kisses where they have their hands tangled in each other’s hair to pull them closer. AKA How to Fluster an Elf
When I got the idea for How to Fluster an Elf, I decided it was gonna fill the prompt dammit. And then it really, really expanded on me.
33. An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it.
Roche dreams occasionally that Iorveth visits him and watches over him and sometimes speaks, but he can’t understand Elder Speech, so he assumes it’s all gibberish.
Then he finds out it’s not and suddenly he’s not so certain it’s a dream
16. One person pouting, only to have it removed by a kiss from the other person.
Okay, I literally just need to buckle down and write some good kissing. This is set in (Im)Perfect Strangers and Iorveth is pouting about them leaving the gardens, so Roche makes it up to him.
25. Wet kisses after finding refuge from the rain.
This one won’t actually be published with the kisses ‘cause it’s porn and the rest are T-rated lol. Buuuut Roche and Iorveth are trying to have a secret liaison in the forest when the rain starts. Featuring nature magic, tentacles, and Iorveth getting filled.
Scenes from Another World (aka AU premise)
Old Men in Vergen
Set during Witcher 3, but with an established relationship. Roche comes to visit Iorveth in Vergen to ask for advice on leading an insurgency. Iorveth just wants to feed Roche while he can now that he’s not the one starving in the woods.
Language Aphasia/Deal with the Devil
I wanted to write Gaunter! So I decided that Gaunter is in a mood for some mischief (he calls it being generous) and comes upon a traveling Vernon Roche who wishes that he could be understand Iorveth. Then Iorveth’s Scoia’tael find a passed out Roche in the woods and bring him to Iorveth for judgement. Only somehow, Roche only understands Elder Speech now. He can’t understand Common at all. The Scoia’tael find this very offensive and Iorveth is mostly freaked out that someone who can do THAT was wandering around his forest.
Bunk Beds: The Portrait of Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon
Based on a silly comic, Ciri convinces Iorveth and Roche to try to help her destroy the portrait. Geralt gets pissed and sends them to Bunk Bed Exile. Shenanigans ensue and somehow they start to get along.
Iorveth’s Scoia’tael Giving Him Shit For His Taste in Men aka The Lovestruck Fox
Right now, working on a piece from the POV of a new Scoia’tael recruit who is discovering that Iorveth’s Scoia’tael roast the fuck out of him over his crush on Roche. 
Speaking of, anyone have suggestions on prime roast material? I am not this creative.
Let’s Torture Roche!
No, really. This one is pretty dark. And told in kind of a different style than my usual, because I felt like it. So, premise is that Iorveth and Roche were a thing in the past, but then Roche was recalled to Foltest’s side and he went. So Iorveth is understandably pretty hurt and pissed (this was decided for a prompt of someone breaking down as soon as they’re behind closed doors). Buuut what he doesn’t know is that Roche is not with Foltest of his own volition. Hostages, blackmail, and torture are all involved and Foltest is a pretty horrible guy. But of course we need a happy ending, so eventually, Iorveth will rescue Roche and they get to recover together.
Life Debt aka Iorveth is an Asshole
The concept for this was that Roche saved Iorveth’s life and now that they were no longer enemies (set during Witcher 3), his honor demands that he follow Roche around until he can repay the favor. Featuring Iorveth being a trolling asshole, correcting the new Temerian Loyalist’s fighting abilities, and Roche being very, very tired. 
In application, it’s mostly angst so far, ‘cause I had to set up HOW Roche saved Iorveth’s life. And then I decided to really hurt Iorveth. But tbh I will probably skip ahead after establishing this stuff, because I just want shenanigans.
King and Country
I’ve got several WiPs for this one, including the Stripes’ recruitment, their decision to change sides, the Stripes being double agents, and of course, Iorveth and Roche’s developing relationship. But hey, I’ve skipped ahead to writing their wedding already, so... you know it ends happily ever after?
Friday Fight Night for Jan 29 (which I did not make oops)
So, this actually turned into a long piece that’s gonna be part of my Chronic Pain series. Basically, King Foltest is treating with the leaders of the Scoia’tael in Temeria and Iorveth is one of them. Unfortunately, he’s having a REALLY BAD pain day, but he’s also determined to be there to represent his people. Roche helps him see sense. Possibly forcefully.
Exhaustion Prompts
“If we’re both in this state, we both really screwed up somewhere huh?”
Iorveth and Roche are trapped in a dream and I got a little stuck creating the creature that trapped them there. But pretty sure Saskia is gonna interrupt their flirting by saving them.
“You were almost dead from pushing it too far!”
In which Roche has a heart attack from too much coffee. Yeah. He’s okay, though! But PT is about to blow a gasket and coffee will very much be disallowed.
Found Family Prompts
Taking Out the Trash for @useless-empty-brain
Literally a story about taking out the trash lmao. We’re gonna see if I can make this intersting.
Touch Starved for @mochii-girl
Honestly, haven’t gotten much done on this yet, but I’m thinking puppy pile cuddles in Corvo Bianco
Coffeeshop AU aka Brewing Romance and Dissent
Ooof I’ve got a lot of bits and pieces of this written, but nothing quite finished, except for the moment when things change from “we flirt as I order coffee” to “I make you special drinks and invite you to come visit me after hours”. Writing a canon coffeeshop au when I know shit all about coffee is HARD.
Curse Breaking
Omg this is one of the first WiPs I started for Iorveth/Roche, no joke. STILL WORKING ON IT! The premise is that Roche finds a feverish and dying Iorveth in an empty Scoia’tael camp, saves him with the power of True Love’s Kiss The Power of Strong Emotions, Like That Which You Might Have For Your Enemy. Then they team up to go save Iorveth’s Scoia’tael from a big bad mage and Roche invites Triss along for the ride, which totally doesn’t make Iorveth jealous. I kinda stalled out at the part where they reach the mage’s hideout and see the results of the mages failed experiments. On Iorveth’s people. It’s gonna hurt. A lot. But afterwards, there might be makeouts. And some sort of implication that they’re all down to do this (minus the horrible, traumatic parts) again.
Roche POV bloodplay
Roche’s POV starting from before his first encounter with Iorveth. Then he has a weirdly sexually arousing encounter with the elf, and tbh, that’s as far as I got. But Iorveth draws blood from Roche’s neck, presses his thumb to it, and then licks it off his thumb. Next, Iorveth was gonna be the one getting Uncomfortably Aroused, but I haven’t gotten that far. No idea where this is going overall.
Iorveth Investigates Roche
This kinda isn’t a real WiP in that idk if I’ll ever finish it. I mostly started it to do some worldbuilding about what public information there would be about Roche. 
Voyeurism AKA Eye on You
Yeah, I don’t have much for the next chapter yet, tbh. So premise is that Iorveth accidentally ends up watching Roche get off at the brothel and finds it really, really hot. Hot enough to get curious and go back for more. Next one is going to involve thigh fucking and Iorveth might possibly get pegged by Daph??? idk
Fake Relationship
Poor @lutes-and-dandelions has been waiting forever for this one and I can’t even find a place to end the scene and post what I have so far. Premise is that Iorveth and Roche are both investigating their missing men and the trail takes them to the Murivel Resort for Couples. So they go undercover. Featuring Roche’s POV of being doubtful, Iorveth using the excuse to flirt outrageously, strip gwent, and a magic amulet that hids Iorveth’s scar and that Roche hates.
Competitive Makeouts AKA The Chase
This was kissing practice and it turned into a casefic! Which is awesome because I love casefics even though I haven’t published any yet. So in this one, as Iorveth and Roche sneak off to makeout, they also end up investigating a conspiracy in the Temerian military. 
Iorveth/Roche(/Kayran) + Roche/Foltest aka Every Kiss Begins with Kayran
In which Roche accidentally walks in on Iorveth’s monthly fuck date with the Kayran and gets invited to join in. Then, somehow,  it starts to turn into a relationship. With an elf and a tentacle monster. And yet, somehow, this relationship is healthier than the one with Foltest. The contrast opens Roche’s eyes.
Pining and Poignards
In which Iorveth stabs Roche with his favorite knife and wants it back and is also maybe pining a lil bit. Meanwhile Roche is rather pissed, but also curious and begins to teach himself Elder Speech to try to read the inscription on Iorveth’s knife. I stalled out in the scene where Iorveth accidentally watches Roche masturbate in the bath.
Iorveth tittyfucking Roche
Look, it’s what it says on the tin. Roche’s POV of Iorveth’s fascination with his chest and how it makes him feel and then there is sex.
Dirty Gremlin Man
Iorveth gets off on Roche being a sweaty, stinky human. Roche pins Iorveth in a fight and Iorveth gets very distracted watching a drop of sweat trail down Roche’s face. So distracted, in fact, that he doesn’t think twice before stretching out his neck and licking it. Then, of course, he remembers where he is. Featuring a very confused Roche, a smidge of jealousy, and Iorveth stealing Roche’s sweaty clothing to do unspeakable things to it. And somehow they get together.
Want me to sit in your lap?
Geralt LEGIT says this to Roche like 5 mins into the Witcher 2 and it’s GREAT. So of course, I had to write a scene where he actually got to. This is set post Witcher 2 while Geralt, Triss, Roche, and Ves are headed back to Temeria. Triss offers Geralt a little stress relief - which involves warming Roche’s cock and watching Triss and Ves get to know one another.
Red is the Rose
So, Chapter 4 is set post-Witcher 2 and Iorveth is obsessing over the fact that the Rose of Remembrance still has not wilted. He wonders what might be possible, so when he hears a rumor that a certain Temerian Commander was taken captive by Dethmold...
Dethmold most definitely dies. But unfortunately, that doesn’t save Roche from the curses he cast. So they go looking for Geralt to find out how to fix it.
This has only been 9 of my documents, y’all. I think I have a problem.
De-Aged Fic aka The language of friendship is not words but meanings
Ugh, I lost my momentum on this one, which sucks, ‘cause the next chapter is so close to done. Iorveth just needs to do a little freaking out first. But then they will both be back to adults and have to DEAL with the fact that they made good friends and would kinda like that again. I think this fic is gonna be purely friendship for them, but they’re gonna get there.
Glory Hole
A fic for the @sugar-and-spice-witcher-bingo where Roche hears a rumor that some Scoia’tael go to this brothel on the outskirts of town and hey, he may as well check it out, right? By going undercover and working the glory hole, of course. He never ACTUALLY expected Iorveth would come, but his legendary mouth was enticing enough to draw the Scoia’tael commander out.
Snuggling
Thirteen “accidentally” handcuffs Iorveth and Roche together when they capture Iorveth. This leads to them lying on the cot in the Stripes’ holding cell, spooning. There is banter and tickling and escapes not attempted and also maybe some sex with Inexperience Iorveth (i say maybe because I already started the sex, but idk if it will fit in). 
Petals and Stripes
A weed is but an unloved flower
Okay, the Stripes are going to attempt to woo Iorveth during a battle. Also, there is a stabbing. And then a kidnapping. And then, miracle of miracles, someone actually tries talking!
One person's weed is another person's wildflower
Ves’s POV! She cleans up the mess her idiots make and terrifies the life out of one elven suitor, but first she’s gotta deal with her own conflicted feelings about her Boss, the guy she relies on to show her the shades of grey in the world, loving the elf she’s supposed to kill. 
After that, I’ve got 2 more fics planned in this ‘verse. One is gonna be a fluffy and/or sexy date after Iorveth and Roche have gotten together. The other is a Scoia’tael side story, featuring lots of gossip about the humans sending their Commander love letters.
Love Shack
The Better Part of Valor
Ugh, I’m stuck on the sex again. Roche is having a really shitty day, so he goes to the cabin and signals Iorveth that he wants a round. Iorveth offers gentle (for them) sex and praise. And at the end, there’s a very significant scene where Iorveth removes his bandana. Roche buries his fingers in Iorveth’s hair, but doesn’t actually see his face, as he’s laying on his stomach with Iorveth on top of him.
Medicine
The morning after! Roche wakes up to find Iorveth in the bath, facing away from him, and notices a new scar. Iorveth has to deal with actually revealing his scars in daylight and they discuss the significant differences in elven and human medicine. Hint: I turned my own medical procedures into elven medicine, so it’s pretty fucking good.
PWP Ovi
Set ambiguously late, maybe after Thou Art More Lovely and More Temperate. Iorveth and Roche explore what Roche can take. We start with overstimulation, go into consensual somnophilia, come inflation, breeding kink, and oviposition. Because elves reproduce by laying eggs, which is not at all the case purely because I started this WiP ages ago and was horny.
The Picture Says It All
There’s going to be 5 more pictures that Rinn draws for Iorveth. Next is Roche hard at work, hunched over a desk. Then we’re getting some shirtless Roche, for “research”, of course. Then Roche cuddling with PT and the rest of the team, about which Iorveth is not at all jealous. Then a face study of Roche during a fight and uh, Iorveth is uncomfortably turned on. And finally, a drawing of their cabin with a silhouette in the window. She knows.
Roche & Rinn: The Haunting of Barrack 8B
Oh man, I really want to finish the next chapter, because I already have the one after that done. But first, we get introduced to Adda! This ‘verse is going to feature Adda the White a lot more than any of my others have done so far and I’m very excited. Also, Silas continues to be terrified of the ghost and the ghost and Adda become girlfriends buddies.
Roche builds Iorveth a home
Set late in the ‘verse, after Roche knows his feelings, but they haven’t said them yet (not out loud, anyway). Iorveth takes a trip to go meet Saskia do things off screen and Roche ends up turning to his old hobby, carpentry, to keep himself from pining too obviously. So obviously he ends up builing Iorveth a solarium. And a pillow nest. And a scaffold so that flowers that blossom in the moonlight cover the glass and give them privacy.
I got stuck here because Rinn needs to give Roche a hint to get him to build the pillow nest, but I hadn’t developed Rinn and Roche’s relationship yet, so had to go back and do that. But eventually Iorveth returns and they have wonderful I’m-not-saying-it-but-i-love-you sex in the new pillow nest.
Foltest (WiP): Long Live the King
This is actually the last fic in the ‘verse, so I don’t want to give too much away. But actually, I haven’t figured out what the next chapter is, BUT I have the chapter after that started and it is GOOD, just you wait!! I’m very excited.
Don’t Cry For Me, Temeria
This ‘verse alone, I have 14 WiPs and a dozen more unwritten ideas.
(Im)Perfect Strangers
I am frustratingly stuck on this chapter. Theoreatically, we are going to have a check in on how the mountain and the rest of our cast is doing and then Roche launches his Wooing TM plan (aka dinner, gift, and dancing).
Between Two Fools
Yeah, Roche and Iorveth have very different understandings of what their gifts represent. There is some soft happiness and then a swift rug pulled out from under Iorveth’s feet, I’m afraid. BUT we are almost to the part where the two idiots sit down and actually talk properly.
Unlucky Number Thirteen
Not only do I have more of Thirteen’s story planned, but I have ideas for ALL the Stripes to have stories. We’ll see how that goes. But for now, Thirteen starts spying for Roche. A lot of still-nebulous stuff happens, including Thirteen’s first time, for which he asks Roche to help. Additionally, once we reach the (Im)Perfect Strangers timeline, Thirteen has a special story all his own. It involves learning to read and a secret I shall not yet reveal.
Silas
Like I said, all the Stripes are hopefully getting stories. But Silas’s is coming along nicely. He starts a new life as “Silas”, as a man, and joins the army. Boot camp is rough and awful and he’s not very good at any of it, but one day, Roche comes looking for a recruit. He needs a codebreaker to decipher Thirteen’s scouting reports (another one for pictures). So Silas joins the Stripes, but he’s still terrified that they’ll fnd out and think he’s been lying to them. Fortunately, they’ll be putting his fears to rest.
Stripes Sex aka Earning Your Stripes: The First Time
PT’s POV! The Stripes (pre-Silas) are all still getting comfortable with each other as a team. But Thirteen has known Roche the longest and in a specific capacity. So one evening when he needs to get out of his head, Thirteen asks Roche to dom him. PT is confused and scandalized and then jealous, but he gets to join in soon too. Meanwhile, Finch and Ves have fun with their bratty arsonist and Fenn is loving it.
break (v /brāk/): to destroy someone's resistance
This is very long and entirely build up to porn. And then lots of porn. A question during a random conversation leads Roche to make Iorveth ask him to take Iorveth utterly apart in a consensual non-consent fantasy set when they were still enemies in the forest.
Bath House
This was supposed to be a simple PWP where Roche talks dirty to Iorveth under his breath while the two of them are at the bathhouse with Boussy (who LOVES baths and brought them to the fancy bath house), Anais, and Thirteen (who HATE baths and react to water much like a cat). They kinda took over the story and there has been no dirty talk yet oops.
Iorveth POV: Tutti
Iorveth begins to reclaim his love for music and lets himself improvise and compose again. And he ends up writing a song that is the story of his and Roche’s romance.
Daggers, Dumplings, and Dresses
The Elihal/Hattori side story! Though we haven’t actually met Hattori yet. So far, Elihal is expounding on his past and his relationship with Iorveth (he used to make all of Iorveth’s fancy gowns for concerts). Elihal and Hattori won’t play a HUGE role in (Im)Perfect Strangers, but they will be appearing!
Ves and Ciaran aka The First Rule of Fight Club
Ves is stuck walking a very long way back to Vergen with the memory of Ciaran’s skin against her teeth. And even though elves lie like breathing, she can’t help thinking about what he said about Roche not being worth her loyalty. Slowly, she begins to work some things out.
Sex with Saskia/Dragonfucking
Yeah, it’s what it sounds like. Iorveth tells Roche that Saskia agreed to a threesome and where to meet, but he neglected to mention the rather large dragon that was currently rimming his ass. Roche gets distracted from his confusion by the hotness and watches Iorveth get fucked by a dragon (with 2 dicks to fit 2 holes, of course).
Come Inflation + Piss Play
Um. Yeah, it’s a PWP where Roche asks Triss for a potion that will make him come a lot. And then Iorveth wants more. No idea where it’s going, tbh.
Stripes vs Scoia’tael: Water Balloon Fight
Literally a water balloon fight. For morale.
Baby Mama
Uh, the title is a bit telling here oops. But let’s just say Iorveth and Roche go on vacation to the cabin on top of the mountain again when Iorveth is hit with the sudden extreme urge to breed. Roche is down, but at some point, they do actually need to talk.
King Roche aka fics where Roche is in charge and hates it. Some are more in line with this than others.
Post W3 Becoming Terrorists Together
Ah yes, the murder husbands fic. Literally, Roche gets stuck leading Temeria under Emhyr’s orders and he’s good at it, but he HATES it. Enter Iorveth, who both points out security flaws, joins Roche for a surprisingly unawkward bath, and proposes that they go hunting down war criminals on their own time. How can Roche say no?
Pre-W2 Ambassadorial AU
Different first meeting AU! In this one, Iorveth is sent as the elven ambassador to Temeria and it’s about as much fun as one might expect. Triss and Roche, the other outcasts amongst Temerian court, decide to befriend him. Well, try to anyway. idk where this is going, but it’s been fun. Also, Iorveth wears a fancy braid over his eye, because I said so. Also, I might be planning an OT3 porn scene at some point, because it turns out, elves are VERY sensitive to magic XD
Leap of Faith
Okay, yeah, this has nothing to do with King Roche, but it’s the doc I was working in when I got the idea. In this one, a mage captures Iorveth for Foltest and starts torturing him. Roche, without really thinking about it, decides the mage goes too far, so he kills them. Leaving him with an elven prisoner and a castle full of people who will consider him a traitor for that. They escape the city, but now Iorveth has gotta convince Roche that no, the King really won’t forget that whole murder and prisoner escape thing. 
The whole point of this fic was for me to write them jumping off a cliff lmao. When am I gonna get to that? Probably like last or second to last chapter, tbh. Which should be... after the next one? No, I lied, it’s next chapter! I need to get on that!
An ill-favour’d thing, sir, but mine own aka Possessive Sex
Piss Fic
Um. Yeah. Roche is really horny when Iorveth gets home and is on him immediately, which is great, but Iorveth has gotta piss. Which becomes less urgent as Roche is determined to have his face fucks, but after he comes all over Roche’s face, it’s VERY urgent and Roche is a fucking brat and won’t move out of the way. So obviously the response to this is to piss on Roche’s crotch - which Roche is apparently more than okay with.
Cum Dumpster Roche
Yeah, this one doesn’t have much yet, I literally just wanted Roche getting railed and claimed and L O V I N G it. 
Possessiveness
Iorveth spends a lot of time thinking about his enemy, his nemesis. He’s researched Roche extensively, spent hours thinking up tactics and strategies to outwit his nemesis. He literally knows what Roche named his stupid weapons, but he’s never actually met Roche.
But he’s dreamt about it. The Roche in reality doesn’t look like the assumptions he made in his dreams, but who cares about looks? Because Roche is his, and certainly not some dh’oine king’s.
Tentacles + Breeding
Gods, this one is SO CLOSE to being done dammit, I just gotta finish it!! But it’s a fun one. Iorveth and Roche are fighting, when Iorveth suddenly starts fighting plants, which are fighting back. Then the plants notice Roche and suddenly he’s tied up with vines and his clothes are getting torn off and uh, he’s not supposed to find this hot, is he? But he really kinda does. And then Iorveth goes and claims him and tries to protect him from a nearly-extinct non-sentient plant that sensed a warm spot to lay its eggs until someone else could come along and fertilize them. Iorveth is delighted to be that person.
Dream: Pleasure Slave
Yeah, Roche really likes getting claimed in these. In this one, he has a favorite dream setting where Iorveth rules some grand elven kingdom and Roche’s only role is to bring him pleasure. Not to deal with politics or nobles or policy, but just to make Iorveth feel good. So far, this features cock warming, come inflation, a leather cock cage (so to speak), prostate milking, and a very nice silver chalice that Iorveth expects Roche to fill before they’re done.
Roche wears a collar
This was gonna be a simple lil thing based on me creating Roche in heroforge and giving him a lil hidden collar. But then Iorveth decided to get really sappy and had to design and create the perfect collar for his enemy. And then, much to his surprise, he gets the opportunity to PUT his collar on Roche. Which is great, except the sight distracts him so much that Roche manages to escape.
But the next time they meet, Roche is still wearing that collar, hidden under his chaperon and armor. Iorveth has feelings about that.
Standalone
Crones fic aka And Ghosts Did Shriek and Shrill
So this is the angsty fic that started from a crack premise. Er, one of them. I seem to do that a lot. But in this one, Roche goes to the Ladies of the Woods and asks for his men back. The Ladies agree, in exchange for 6 lifetimes of service. But no creature can reverse death. Which leads to the Stripes coming back to “life” as ghosts - only Roche is the only one who can see them. Ves can’t (not at first). 
Believe it or not, the whole idea behind this was the Stripes roasting Roche as he tries to flirt (terribly) with Iorveth. But uh... somehow it turned pretty dark. Like, it’ll have a happy ending for sure, but it’s gonna be a lot about processing trauma and grief and building families and also curing a plague, because that’s the first assignment from the Ladies.
Stripes fics
Cuddles with the Commander
This is intended to be a sequel to The Pride of Temeria, but I kinda got stuck figuring out exactly how Roche should react. Tbh, I don’t have much of this written yet, but the goal is for Roche to approve cuddles with everyone lmao.
Fire Breating
Okay, this one started as crack purely because I love fire, but it’s actually been really fun. So, Iorveth and Roche are established and Iorveth has been invited to a family night with the Stripes, which is kinda a lil awkward. So they decide to showcase some of their talents - which includes Roche singing musicals and PT breathing fire.
Iorveth is horrified that humans have harnessed this skill.
Iorveth’s missing eye
This is really short and idk if I’ll continue it, but the idea was for Roche to really wonder what was up with the bandana over half of Iorveth’s face was about. And then, of course, to find out.
Iorveth Gangbang
Why is this under Stripes fics, you might ask? Well, I have great news for you. Guess who the gang is?
In which Iorveth and Roche are in an established relationship and Iorveth gets tied up in the middle of the Stripes’ camp while Roche orders his men to take him apart. Iorveth very much enjoys himself, and then when the Stripes are tapped out, Roche shows ‘em how it’s done.
Kink Bingo fics aka that event that I totally failed, but hey, prompts are prompts.
Age Kink
In this fic, Iorveth and Roche both end up captured by unknown forces and end up imprisoned together. I think the Stripes and Scoia’tael are probably working together to find them and save them, but in the meantime, Iorveth and Roche decide to get to know each other a bit better. Featuring muscle spasms, blow jobs, and pain kink.
Eskel/Lambert (okay, a little out of place here, but eh, it’s in the doc and I am still working on it)
Started for a prompt on tumblr, Eskel and Lambert end up fighting and, trying to keep the peace, Eskel casts axii on Lambert. Which leads to Lambert confessing that he bit Eskel because it’s the only way he could get his mouth on him. This leads to some dodged confessions, some frottage, and some snarky banter, because of course it does. 
Tempt Not a Desperate Man aka the Fuck or Die series that started with Devour What’s Truly Yours
Fisting
The next part of the series, where Roche struggles with the fact that he’s been high key horny ever since the encounter in the woods with Iorveth and nothing is satisfying him. Iorveth, on the other hand, is jealous and annoyed that Roche keeps going to the whorehouse.
Then Roche decides to make a potentially suicidal move and enters the forest to try to find the clearing from last time. And, as you might guess from my heading, fisting will be happening. 
Iorveth POV: The Chaperon
Okay, I don’t actually have much of this written, but it’s really cute so - Roche keeps using his chaperon as a cum rag, so Iorveth knits and/or sews him a new one.
“Human Bootlicker”
PWP where Iorveth jokingly suggestions Roche should surrender on his knees - and then Roche does. And asks Iorveth to take his prize. Featuring Roche coming all over Iorveth’s boots from getting his face fucked, then leaning down and licking up the mess while Iorveth watches and then comes over his face.
One Accidental Proposal and Five Attempts At Accepting
So one of the themes of this ‘verse is gonna be the Elven Baths where the Roses of Remembrance grow. As in, they decide to make the elven baths a place they meet up. This is the first time Iorveth takes Roche there, and Roche does not know what significance the roses have. But he DOES know that Iorveth blushes cutely when he tucks a rose behind Iorveth’s ear, so...
Iorveth would like to accept, only Roche doesn’t know WHAT he’s trying to accept.
The Legend
So in the game, there is a legend around the statue of elven lovers above the elven baths. “Legend has it the lover’s sighs are enchanted within these very stones, though only those in love can hear them.” 
Iorveth overhears his Scoia’tael gossiping about the legend and comes to an abrupt realization that Roche and him were the ones they were hearing. Oops?
Standalone Fics
Letters
This is kind of a bittersweet WiP that I mostly wrote in one go and then went to sleep and kinda lost the will for it. BUT the premise is that post-Witcher 3 Roche is in charge of Temeria and his brooding is interrupted when he receives a letter sealed with a forget me not pressed into wax. Iorveth continues to send letters describing his life as a “civilian” in Nilfgaard and how much he hates it and Roche relates a little bit too much. Then Iorveth decides to run away and live on the streets as a musician and he might inspire Roche to start learning the cello and presumably at some point, they meet.
Identity Porn
Iorveth and Roche have a meet cute in Flotsam’s tavern while the elf is listening in for local gossip and Roche is passing through on his way to meet with the other northern kings to get support in fighting against the new emerging threat of the Scoia’tael. Neither knows who the other is, but that doesn’t stop them from starting a relationship where they meet every time Roche passes through Flotsam. But their house of cards can only last so long, and at some point, they will meet as enemies. Who knows what happens then? idk, not me.
Gwent pinup calendar aka Cards Out for Your Country
Hahaha, so I started this series in response to some WONDERFUL art of Roche with his Tits Out For Temeria. And obviously we need more of that, so I created a list of 24 characters who are asked to pose for some pinup art, all in the name of Gwent. So far, I’ve only finished Dandelion’s pose/the introduction, but I do plan to do as many of them as I physically can.
Gwent Game in Corvo Bianco
Wow, I didn’t even remember this WiP, so uh... clearly I haven’t worked on it in a while. But it’s Iorveth’s POV of how surprisingly comfortable he is in Corvo Bianco and Iorveth and Geralt get drunk and play gwent.
Zoltan/Jaskier/Priscilla
A giftfic for Wibbly that involves Zoltan being sappy about his bards and then Priscilla dominates them. Featuring all my headcanons about dwarven genitalia (two holes, one with a retractible dick).
Dijkstra fics
Noticing Roche’s Fucked Up Relationship
Anyone else randomly finding themselves shipping Dijkstra/Roche? No? Ah well. For this one Dijkstra observes Roche and sees a few too many reminders of himself with Vizimir, except Foltest is no Vizimir, and Roche clearly hasn’t learned to set up boundaries. Dijkstra feels weirdly compelled to help him figure that out before Foltest destroys him.
Developing Respect Fic
Also known as “let’s torture Roche 1.0!” This fic switches between the present, where Roche has woken up in a cell somewhere unknown and it brings back far too many memories for him to be entirely sure of what is happening when. In the past, he was captured by Redania while on a mission for Foltest, long before he was anyone notable. Dijkstra comes to visit, curious about this prisoner who refuses to break, to even tell them his name or confirm his country (but he has a Temerian tramp stamp, so they know lmao). So Dijkstra decides that this is not a man who will be broken through torture and decides to try conversation instead. The idea is to show them slowly gaining respect for each other, but like, obviously Roche is still a prisoner. Eventually, he’s returned to Temeria in a prisoner exchange, but meanwhile, in the present, Roche is all alone, with not even guards around and no way to free himself.
and that’s all!! I am... legitimately scared to count, tbh. This post is so fucking long, the number cannot be good for my heart. But, that said, please come talk to me about any ideas you find interesting!! Or anything you have questions about! 
And if you made it this far down the list... wow. Thank you, you rock.
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mandrs-writes · 3 years
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My Writing Advice
Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a writer. I vividly remember writing stories about my dog way back when I was seven years old. And when I was eleven I was bold enough to think I could write my own novel and sent drafts to my older cousin for editing. Writing was my life, my escape, my passion. And it still is. But I haven’t always had a good relationship with it.
When I turned thirteen, I struggled severely with undiagnosed depression and anxiety. High school was terrible for me. All that passion I felt for writing? Gone. It wasn’t until I was older, that I was diagnosed with depression and began taking antidepressants. At the time, I was attending college to become a nurse, which was literally just a crapshoot because I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. Finally though, I came to the realization again that English, or writing, was more my passion. So I changed majors.
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a focus in creative writing. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Wow! You probably wrote a lot during college!” Wrong. While I did write a lot of thesis papers, did a short stint in poetry, I think I wrote one short story for my fiction workshop. But other than that? Nothing. I don’t know when it happened, but I developed a severe fear of writing.
What is a fear of writing, you ask? Honestly, I don’t know. All I know is, I would write something and get literal anxiety over it because I hated it that much. I would agonize over every little detail until I was ripping my hair out. I despised my writing, something I used to be so passionate about, it was now something that caused me great distress.
Why am I sharing this with you? Well, as some of you know, I am now a very active fanfic writer for ereri. I update roughly two fics a week and sometimes I sprinkle a one shot in there if I’m feeling sassy. So how did someone like me, someone who used to agonize over my writing, go from hating every detail of it, to sometimes pumping out roughly 10k words a week and actually enjoy my writing?
While I am no expert on writing, I want to share my advice, regardless. I’ve come into contact with so many great writers who I know struggle with similar things that I once did, and sometimes still do (I’m far from perfect). Here are some tips I have when it comes to writing. I hope it helps:
Get in the right headspace. Clear your area of any and all distractions. Lock yourself out of social media, turn off your phone, kick your significant other out of the house— whatever that looks like for you, just create the perfect space for you to create. Any distractions could easily pull you out of your creative mindset and ruin your flow. I personally always work in my living room, away from my desktop because I just know I’ll play video games if I try to write in my office. I find the perfect playlist for the scene I’m writing (I seriously have so many playlists for writing. If you don’t have Spotify premium for playlist making, I seriously suggest you get it), sometimes put a Pinterest aesthetic board up in the background, and just get to it. My fiancé knows when I’m writing not to bother me and he stays in the other room. Make sure you establish clear boundaries with your housemates when you’re writing. Interruptions can sometimes not be pretty. 
Once you’re in the right headspace, JUST WRITE! Seriously, I know it sounds like a no brainer, but it’s a lot easier said than done. Whatever is in your head, just write it out. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, silly or irrelevant. Just write it. Writing and editing are two very different beasts, and when you’re in writing mode you need to focus ONLY on writing. Again, I know this sounds very obvious, but I know from experience that this is much harder than it sounds. My best suggestion is to find a writing partner to do sprints with. Set a timer for 20 minutes and see how much you can write in that time frame. When you’re writing with a friend, it becomes a challenge to see who can write the most in that 20 minute time. You’d be surprised what you can do in that short amount of time. And what you write might actually be amazing! I know I’ve surprised myself on more than one occasion writing like this.
Keep editing and writing separate. I mentioned this earlier but it’s so important that you do this. Our brains work differently when we edit and write. When we write, we put our heads into a creative mindset where we are inspired to create and expand on new ideas. However, when we edit, our brain slips into an analytical mindset which is great for critiquing and finding errors but TERRIBLE for creation! That’s why you MUST keep these two things separate. Believe me, I know this is hard to do. I used to be SO SO SO bad at this. I would write a paragraph, go back and read it, edit it, and rip it apart. My confidence would be shot, and I wouldn’t be able to write anything else for that session. Eventually, I forced myself out of this bad habit with lots and lots of practice (again, writing sprints are AMAZING for this!). You might think that what you’re writing isn’t any good and you might be itching to go back and read it and fix it. But I assure it, it’s probably A LOT better than you think it is. Leave it alone. Let it sit. And when you’ve finished writing your chapter, let it sit even longer. Don’t touch it for another 12 hours. I’m serious. When you have a fresh pair of eyes and your brain is in the analytical mindset, THAT’S when you should be editing. 
Always carry something with you to write your ideas down. Whether it’s your phone or notebook and pen, always be ready to write down an idea! Sometimes a juicy idea or thought will come to you at an unexpected time like in the shower, while you’re driving, or while you’re trying to fall asleep. That idea WANTS to be written down! Whenever I’m laying in bed, thinking about my stories, I’ll grab my phone and write down a line or phrase or idea that pops into my head. It might not make sense, but my brain is trying to get it out on paper so that’s exactly what I do. I might not use it, but at least it’s there if it does end up being good!
Find a friend/beta reader to read your stuff. And I’m not just saying this for editing purposes. No, I’m saying this for confidence purposes. I’ve always struggled with self-doubt. Like I said before, I struggle severely with depression and anxiety, and sometimes I get into really bad slumps with my writing where I think I’m the worst writer there ever was. My imposter syndrome flares up and I wonder what the hell I’m even doing with myself. Luckily, I have a friend and beta reader who refuses to let me falter when times are hard. And maybe we don’t beta read each other’s works in a traditional sense (I don’t really know how a normal beta reader behaves, to be honest). What I do know is, my friend will leave interactive comments throughout my whole chapter, commenting on what she likes, what she thinks works really well or what could be better. Having her interact with my chapter and tell me what is good and what isn’t, significantly boosts my confidence and makes me feel loads better about my writing. Honestly, if it wasn’t for her, I probably would’ve given up on writing by now. But it’s reassuring knowing my number one fan is always rooting for me on the sidelines. Get yourself a fan that roots for you, too.
There’s no such thing as too many ideas. I always hear people say ‘I have too many ideas. I don’t know what to do with them’. I know what you can do with them… WRITE THEM DOWN, SILLY. If you have inspiration for an idea, WRITE IT. I know you might feel like you have too many projects and that might stress you out. And if you are stressed by the amount of wips you have then maybe you should set some aside. But if you feel a great amount of inspiration for a new idea when you already have another idea in the works, write it anyway. Whatever you do, do not squander that inspiration! That idea wants to be written. Even if you don’t think you’ll do anything with it, it’s great practice and if the inspiration is there, it should be relatively easy to get the idea out on paper. I’ve written multiple chapter fics before because I had so much inspiration for the idea and then never posted them. I was so overcome with inspiration that I just NEEDED to write them. So I did. Maybe I’ll go back to them and finish them one day when the inspiration strikes me. And if I don’t, that’s okay. It’s good practice to listen to your inspiration and use it as it comes. Stifling your inspiration will only hurt you in the long run.
That’s pretty much all the advice I’ve got. This might be a little rambly and I’m sorry for that. I literally was just thinking about this last night and wanted to get my thoughts out so that I could maybe help some people that are in similar situations that I once was a year ago. If you want to write, but you don’t think you can, just do it anyway. Writing takes practice. It’s not something you can master on the first go. It took me almost a year to find my writing voice and I’m still developing it as I go. Don’t get discouraged. If this is something you want, you can do it! Just write!
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rideonwings · 4 years
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The Enevitable Cliche Quarantine Story
Chapter 2
Pairing: Hiccup/Astrid
Summary: Stranger-Neighbors lean on each other during the quarantine
A/N: See, I told you all, I never start posting WIPs because I feel too guilty when I don't update them. Now here I am, weeks later, feeling like I've left you all hanging. This one is short and sweet, but hopefully worth it? Hoping everyone is staying safe and healthy out there.
AO3 Link 
Astrid: “Okay, guys, only 30 more seconds, keep those hips up! 30 seconds is nothing, then you’re done for the day!”
Astrid felt silly, talking to her phone camera like it was a crowd of people, but this was currently her source of income, so she was willing to be as enthusiastic as she possibly could.
“Okay, time! Great work everyone, go ahead and come down to your stomach, then shoulders back, stretch out those abs in a cobra.”
As she finished up the stretch routine, Stormfly took the opportune moment to come to rest under her chest. Astrid laughed, turning her head to rest her head against the cat’s soft fur.
“Thank you to everyone who participated today, thank you for taking the time for yourself, be safe, wash your hands, and stay sane! See you tomorrow!”
She reached over to stop the video, Stormfly protesting beneath her as she shifted on top of her. She then collected her yoga mat and weights and stacked them back in the corner of her apartment, wiping her brow as she went.
Settling on the couch, Astrid started reviewing the video. The lighting in her apartment wasn’t great, making the video shadowy and not particularly detailed. She’d have to figure out a better location for the future, because unfortunately, she needed as many people as possible to watch her videos, lest the gym decided she wasn’t worth keeping on the payroll. Still, she made some quick edits and posted it to the gym’s YouTube channel and Facebook page with a peppy message she wasn’t really feeling.
She was already sick of her apartment. When Astrid had decided to live here, she hadn’t been particularly picky, seeing as she normally spent a significant portion of her day outside its walls. Now, every flaw and inconvenience was right in front of her constantly, and she was over it. She had heard Hiccup leave the apartment this morning, presumably to walk Toothless, and was instantly jealous that she couldn’t join them. She vowed to go for a run later, to break up the monotony.
Grabbing herself a mug of tea and one of her books for her thesis, she found her way back out onto the balcony. Hiccup wasn’t out in his area, which she was surprisingly disappointed about: she’d enjoyed their chat yesterday. Still, she didn’t spend too much time on it, instead copying her position from yesterday with her legs pulled into her sweatshirt and delving into her book. She made notes along the margins and nocked pages as she read, finding key quotes she could later incorporate in her writing.
It was cloudier today than the day before, and the breeze was making her slightly uncomfortable. She was about to give up and head inside when the sliding door to her right opened and a messy head of hair poked out. He turned to look at her and smiled, the tiny gap in his teeth clearly visible even from this distance. Toothless slipped out between his legs and darted towards the railing to say hello to her.
“Hey!” He said exuberantly. “I was just checking to see if it was warm enough to bring my stuff out here to work. Are you cold?”
Astrid curled her legs in closer to herself, putting her mug on the ground. “Yeah, it’s not as nice as yesterday. I was thinking about going in.”
Just then, a particularly harsh gust of wind whipped through, making her shiver. She rose from the chair and began to collect her things as Hiccup winced, closing the door a bit to prevent air from getting into his apartment. “Yeah, probably a good call for now. I might come out later for a drink, if you'd want to join me?” He sounded oddly hopeful, which tugged at Astrid’s heart.
She hugged her book closer to her chest and nodded, smiling a little. Hiccup’s smile widened and he waved slightly before ducking back inside, whistling for Toothless. Astrid ducked her head and suppressed a chuckle as she made her way back inside, settling on the couch with her book.
Hiccup As he got up for the umpteenth time to stretch, Hiccup cursed his furniture choices for the hundredth time in two days. The chair he had at his desk was not exactly conducive to good posture, and his back was aching from being hunched over his monitors. As lucky as he was to have this kind of office setup in his apartment, he’d never really had to use it long term and had picked a fairly cheap office chair from a local big box store. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time, but he was regretting that choice now. He felt like he had to get up every twenty minutes and shake out some kink in his back or hips.
Every time he stood up, Toothless jumped up too, following him around the apartment, obviously hoping they were going for another walk.
“Sorry, buddy, not yet,” he murmured, running his hand over the dog’s silky ears. “Give me another hour and we’ll go out.” He stretched his arms over his head, releasing the knots in his shoulders and neck. The motion twinged something lower in his back, making him sigh in frustration. Finally, he flopped onto the floor, laying flat on his back and straightening out as much as he could to align his spine.
He stared at the ceiling for a few moments before Toothless’ head appeared in his vision, obviously perplexed at why his owner was copying his signature nap position. The dog sniffed around his hairline, checking for signs of distress, before he began to lap at Hiccup’s cheeks with his tongue, making Hiccup squawk in distress and curl into the fetal position.
Toothless barked excitedly, thinking they were playing a game, and pawed at Hiccup’s back to get him to re-engage.
“Toothless, no!” Hiccup cried, swatting his arms blindly to shoo the dog away.
After a few minutes, Toothless fell into his play position, forelegs flat on the ground and rear in the air, tail whipping almost dangerously as his human rolled over to glare at him. Hiccup’s face was sticky and smelly, but he couldn’t hold a grudge against his buddy for long. He reached out with both arms and tackled the dog, pulling him against his chest and rolling around as Toothless yipped in excitement. Their tussle didn’t last long before they were both flat on the rug, both of their mouths open wide in humor.
Suddenly, Toothless’ ears perked and he jumped up and darted to the sliding door to the balcony. He’d started doing that whenever Astrid opened the door, looking to greet his new friend. The habit made Hiccup smile for more reasons than one.
Honestly, since the quarantine had started (had it only been a few days?), he’d come to realize how much of his social life had depended on his job. He had very few friends outside of work, and though he felt somewhat isolated in his apartment, he couldn’t think of anyone he really wanted to talk to. He chatted with Fishlegs while he was working, and exchanged a few messages with a few other friends, but he always struggled to come up with new topics.
But he really liked talking to Astrid. Their conversations hadn’t exactly been in-depth or long, but she seemed quick and funny and he needed that kind of conversation in his life right now.
He walked over to the balcony window, trying to get a glimpse of the blonde. From what he could see, she was wearing heavy leggings and a zip-up hoodie, and her cheeks were flushed as she leaned over the balcony railing. He slid the door open and poked his head out.
“Hey,” he greeted lamely. As she turned to look at him, he saw the glistening of sweat on her brow and noticed the shirt under her quarter zip was dark along the neckline. “Go for a run?” He asked.
Astrid nodded, still slightly out of breath. “It felt so good to be outside,” she said, popping one of her legs onto the railing to stretch. “I wanted to keep going forever.”
Hiccup’s eyes widened a little as he took in her long, toned legs in her running shorts, but forced himself to meet her gaze again and relax his expression. “I know the feeling. Those walks with Toothless are never long enough.”
“Still working?” She asked, gesturing to his open sliding door as she switched legs. He nodded, shrugging a little.
“Toothless keeps bugging me to go outside” he said, suddenly remembering that he was just nearly licked to death by the lab and he probably looked like it too. He absently ran his hands through his hair, finding it still wet.
“Oh, I could’ve taken him! I didn’t even think to ask!” Astrid said, bringing her leg down and settling into a crouch by the railing closest to Hiccup’s balcony. Toothless shoved his head through the bars as far as he could reach, forcing his eyes closed comically.
“That’s nice of you,” Hiccup replied, smiling down at the dog. “I’m going to go in an hour though, so he’s fine. Maybe some other time if I get caught up in conference call hell.”
Astrid nodded, picking up a water bottle from her chair and taking a drink. “I’m going to take a shower. Can I bug you later for dinner ideas?” She asked, smiling cheekily.
“Sure thing,” Hiccup said, feeling his cheeks flush slightly. Interacting with Astrid made him feel a little bit like a schoolboy with a crush. She was definitely more attractive than any girl he’d ever been with, and seemed friendly and sane enough. He could definitely see himself being friends with her, and then… who knew?
As she turned to re-enter her apartment, she smiled over her shoulder at him.
Hiccup smiled weakly back, turning to go back inside himself. He paused with his hand on the handle, half looking back in her direction, smiling to himself a little more confidently, even as his stomach flipped.
Who knew?
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kikis-writing-world · 3 years
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Hi!! I hope you having a good day!! I was just wondering if you wanted to share a bit more about When the sky touches the sea :) I love reading all of your stuff 🥺💗
Hi there, thank you so much!! I’m happy to talk about it a bit!
So I posted a prologue to it (and tbh I feel bad for having uploaded it when I have so little work done on the series, and I’m focusing on Whiskey Straight. It’s just not getting any of my love right now...) that I haven’t touched in forever.
Essentially Frankie moves to a small cabin near a lake to get out of the city and ends up meeting a mermaid. Of course he’s absolutely freaking shocked at first, but he gets to know her and they start to fall for each other. (I have one scene largely plotted out where his daughter is visiting him and she gets down to the lake when Frankie isn’t looking and falls in, but the Mermaid saves her.) Not only is he fascinated by her, but she’s fascinated by him. Life on land was always told to her to be dangerous for her kind... but also he flies?! Like whaaat!
Of course though, this comes with plenty of angst because like, how the hell are a mermaid and a human supposed to be together??! (Which there’s the rub... part of why I’ve neglected this story is even I don’t have the solution to that 100% nailed down yet. I have some thoughts but I’m not totally sold on them yet.)
Also Santiago is hilarious in this, he’s the best friend who knows all the superstitions and legends of the area. He’s going to absolutely come in handy when Frankie needs someone to talk to because he’s going to be scared at first, having grown up hearing stories of cannibal, murderous sea people - but he believes Frankie when he tells him there’s a mermaid in the lake.
Under the cut, I posted an (uneditied) snippet from when Frankie meets the mermaid for the first time:
Check out my WIP list over here, and ask about any that interest you!
The mutt zipped back and forth over the path, moving steadily along with Frankie but making frequent pit stops to smell around and mark his territory. He only had to call after the dog a few times when he was worried Charlie was about to start chasing after a rustling in the bush.
They got down to the lake, Charlie running to wade along the shore while Frankie spotted an ideal spot to set up for the morning. There was an old, fallen tree that would be perfect for him to sit on as he fished. He put down the cooler as he laughed at Charlie, sloshing the water around as he drank while walking.
“You’re gonna scare away all the fish, boy.” Frankie admonished, knowing the dog didn’t understand him. Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t care. “Just don’t wander off too far.”
He enjoyed the relative silence as he prepared his rod, the sounds of nature around him. It didn’t take him long until he was casting his line, keeping an eye on Charlie as he did. Once he was happy with the position, he sat on the log and cracked open a beer.
He caught a few small fish that he released back into the lake. Charlie tried to chase them, but they held the advantage against the clumsy dog in the water.
He’d been sitting for about an hour and a half when he thought he saw something further out in the lake. He watched for a second, trying to figure out what he’d spotted. It disappeared pretty quickly in a subtle wave of water and he figured it must just be a piece of driftwood. He glanced back at Charlie, who had made his way into the bush behind him. The dog was nosing around the underbrush but keeping out of trouble.
When he turned back, he saw it again. Something moved, almost a flipping motion, but it wasn’t moving in an organic way compared to the water. His instincts told him something wasn’t right. A long, thin limb of sorts came up shortly after, and Frankie could only think it looked almost like an arm. Was it a person out there?
“Hello?” Frankie called out. It was still early, probably about 7am by this point, and he hadn’t seen anyone go into the lake. He waited, straining his ears to listen for a response. He didn’t get one.
It appeared again, several yards closer than it had been moments ago, and that shape definitely looked like a head.
Charlie started barking, running out into the water. The noise startled Frankie and he sprang up from the log. He maneuvered his line, reeling it in to try to keep Charlie from getting tangled into it.
“Is someone out there?” He called. The shape disappeared once more, but Charlie kept barking, swimming out a little way before circling back so his paws were still on land.
“What is it, Charlie?” Frankie asked him, dropping his fishing rod on the ground as he walked closer to the water. “Is someone out there?”
He kicked off his shoes and socks quickly, taking a moment to toss his wallet and phone towards his cooler as he stepped into the water, ignoring the hem of his jeans wetting.
The arm appeared again.
Frankie cursed under his breath, running forward as Charlie started barking loudly again. The water resisted his movements and his jeans started to soak up more water, weighing him down uncomfortably as he rushed forward.
“Are you okay? Just stay above water!” Frankie called to the figure. He barely thought to toss his hat back towards the shore as the water came up around his thighs.
“Charlie, stay here.” He ordered the dog as he passed him. “I’m coming, just keep swimming!”
Frankie shivered - both with the temperature of the water and the thought that someone out there was drowning - as the water reached his waist. Charlie was barking and whining behind him, not liking that Frankie was heading into the water past where the poor dog was comfortable going.
The head appeared again as water passed his belly button, and Frankie called out to them again. “Are you okay? Do you need help?” They were still a ways out into the water, and Frankie couldn’t really make out any distinct features, but he did recognize a face. The person’s hair was wet, clinging to their head.
“What is that thing?” A feminine voice called back to him. She sounded unsure, but not panicked. The tone of voice surprised him, making him slow down as the water rose to his chest.
“What thing?” He called back, watching as the woman’s head stayed above water. She seemed to be treading water just fine.
“That.” Her arm came out of the water, pointing back towards shore. 
Frankie looked over his shoulder, only seeing his things back on shore and Charlie pacing the shore as he barked. “My dog?” He guessed.
“It’s angry at me.” Her arm disappeared back under the water.
“I think you scared him.” Frankie tried to explain. “And he doesn’t like that I’m this far out.”
The woman didn’t speak for a moment, but her stance never faltered. She seemed to be swimming just fine. “Why are you this far out?”
“I thought you were in trouble.”
“Why would I be in trouble?”
“You’re out pretty deep.” Frankie answered sheepishly. He was starting to feel silly, standing in chest-deep water, fully clothed. He could feel the water soaking into his clothes, weighing down on him uncomfortably. “You disappeared under the waves a few times.”
“Oh.” She sounded surprised at his concern.
“You good?”
“Yeah.” She confirmed.
“Okay.” Frankie nodded. A moment passed between them, neither saying anything. The awkward silence only being broken by Charlie. “Uh, be safe.”
“Thanks.”
Not really sure what to do next, Frankie waved awkwardly and started walking backwards, watching for a few more moments to make sure she was fine. She waved back, her arm cresting gracefully out of the water. He turned and sludged back to shore, grimacing as his wet jeans stuck to his legs.
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hottestthingalive · 4 years
Text
Bluebells (1)
Chapter 1: Seeds
AO3 Link here. 
Chapter 2 here, finally!
Notes: So, to those of you who saw this post about my WIPs which mentioned this having background Roceit and Intruality in later chapters of this story?
...I accidentally became way too invested in the idea of Virgil making fun of Patton’s new boyfriend being called Prince. So you get that now. 
The name of the chapters comes from an interesting fact I learned about bluebell flowers while researching this story: they take at least five years to grow from a seed into a bulb, which they have to be before they flower. The first chapter takes place six or seven years before the events of the main story, so I found it very appropriate. This story should only be three or four chapters long, but who knows -- I have lots of ideas for these boys.
Plot: Logan encounters a strange boy in the woods. His name is Anxiety, and he's hiding in the flowers.
Relationships: budding romance analogical, hinted dukeceit, royality in later chapters, remile in later chapters, platonic DRLAMP
Tw: Cursing, faeries, mention of death, mention of kidnapping, dead parents. (If I missed anything, let me know!)
---
He didn’t understand, and it bothered him to no end. 
Logan first saw the human in May, when the sun stayed long and the moon appeared less. The flowers had started to bloom, the trees green and vibrant, with alternating days of hot sun or torrents of rain. 
The faerie quite liked May. He preferred winter, of course, being Unseelie, but some nights in the spring he could look up at the sky and see every single star, and stars fascinated him to no end. Besides, there was no one telling him to do his job in the warm months (for there was no snow or cold, blustery winds in the time of the Seelie), and without the pestering to summon winter he could be alone. Logan enjoyed his solitude.
That is, he had, until the human child had stumbled into a flowered field in the small section of the forest the Unseelie had managed to mark off for himself. 
The boy (or at least Logan guessed he was a boy; he had never been good with human age or gender. Fey just were, and though Logan had known he was male early on, many didn’t care about such things. It was such a human concept, after all) was carrying a black book in one hand, a knapsack slung over one shoulder. He sat down in the field, and suddenly he was gone, hidden in the bluebells. 
The fey squinted, trying to see the strange mortal in the flowers, but the boy had achieved almost perfect camouflage. 
Logan had never seen him before, not in the forest. Humans rarely dared tread in the woods, for fear of its elven inhabitants. This one was an anomaly, and it was positively fascinating. Especially one so young -- he appeared to be less than Logan’s own age, making him maybe seven or eight. 
This went on for some time. The strange male would appear in the field, plop down among the bluebells, and stay there for some time, while Logan watched from the branches of the trees. When he finally left, Logan would check the place where he sat, searching for a sign as to how this mortal could hide so thoroughly. 
It was on the seventh appearance of the sun that he found something strange: a piece of white parchment, with a sketch of the forest. The detail was quite good for the hand of a child, Logan had to admit, but it wasn’t the quality of the drawing that bothered him. It was the face in one of the trees, undoubtedly his own, with a line of scribbled human glyphs scrawled beside it. They took but a second to translate. 
Just come say hi. 
How had the mortal seen him? It was undoubtedly dangerous, Logan’s instincts told him. Best to abandon the area, warn his court, and allow the Seelie to deal with the small human intruding in the fey woods. Nevermind that the spring and summer fey were notoriously thoughtless, and might kidnap the child. Nevermind that they would likely forget that humans did not live as long as fey, despite (in their early years, at least) growing at the same rate. Nevermind that, eventually, after often forgetting to provide food or care for their pet human, they would throw him out for aging, or keep him till he died. 
No, Logan was to disregard all of that. 
The next day, Logan found himself creeping through the field, inching his way towards the bluebell patch. The faerie found his pride in his magic: he was quite good at it, and so he expertly used the flora to mask his presence. There was no possible way he could be noticed. 
“Hi,” the boy said, looking up and straight into Logan’s eyes. The human’s own irises were green, a deeper green than he would normally expect from a mortal, the color of grass and oak leaves. “Finally! I thought you would never talk to me.”
Well. That wasn’t right. 
“How did you spot me?” he demanded, dumbfounded. He found himself adjusting his black shirt subconsciously, in a state of mild shock. 
“It’s a secret,” the child grinned. “What’s your name?”
How rude, Logan thought.
I shall never speak to him again, the rational part of his brain decided. He probably has magic, and is a danger to me and all others of my kind.
But he’s fascinating, said the uncontrollable, irrational, annoying part of his brain that was always championing silly matters like friendship and personal interests over actually doing his duty, which would logically be to report this at once. And I do occasionally get lonely…
“You may call me Logic,” he heard, realizing a second late that the words had come from his own mouth. “Which is an alias, of course, but it is the only name you shall get.” Logan had gone by the name for years, choosing it just as every other child did, in this world where true names had power. 
“I figured,” the mortal smiled, with his green eyes crinkled and the absence of one of his front teeth distinct. “I’m Anxiety.”
“Why choose ‘Anxiety’?” Logan asks, years later. He receives that same smile, although the adult tooth has long since grown in. 
“Why’d you choose Logic?” the male in front of him asks in turn, and Logan responds by blinking. 
“I don’t believe I know,” he replies. 
“Exactly,” his compatriot shrugs. “It just felt right.” 
“Are you a witch?” he queried weeks later, sitting cross-legged besides Anxiety and holding a book in his hands. 
“A witch?” Anxiety repeated, looking up from his sketchbook. 
“Bluebells are sometimes called harebells, especially in Scotland,” he said, “because witches are supposed to turn into rabbits to hide in the flowers. It is almost impossible to spot you without knowing if you are here; maybe you’re a witch.”
“Last I checked, I can’t turn into a rabbit,” the boy laughed. “Maybe I summoned you, though, by ringing the bluebells.”
“They are not literal bells, Anxiety.”
“My dad used to tell me that if you rang bluebells, faeries would come,” he shrugged. “But if a human hears a bluebell ring, that means someone dear to them will die.”
“You humans have such morbid myths,” he told his mortal companion, looking at the flowers. “A bluebell cannot make a sound, anyways, so if one hears something it would be purely coincidental.” 
“It’s fun to think about though,” said the human beside him, and Logan looked over at Anxiety, who was sprawled on the grass, staring at the clouds in the blue sky. “Hey, that one looks like a cat eating pasta out of a bucket.”
He looked at the cloud in question, and had to admit it did appear so, as odd the image was. “Why do you humans engage in these flights of fantasy?” Logan asked, despite himself. 
“Coping mechanism, probably,” he replied, with the air of a child that, despite their age, knows enough about the world to call themself Anxiety. “Don’t you?”
“The Seelie, perhaps,” Logan sniffed, “but my court is far more realistic in our views than those sparkly fools.”
“Fair enough,” laughed the mortal. 
Logan soon found himself spending the spring and summer with the boy called Anxiety, sitting in the field. Anxiety brought him books written by humans when Logan got bored of fey texts, and in turn, the faerie deigned to ‘show off’ a bit, demonstrating his magic one day by summoning shadows and a storm. He couldn’t deny the fact that he had been quite happy to see Anxiety wasn’t scared at all, instead laughing as the rain fell around them and Logan scrambled to save their things because “We must save the books, Anxiety!” Once everything was stashed in a hollow tree, however, he managed to get a good look at the boy he had started to think of as a friend, and a laugh was shocked out of him. Anxiety’s bangs were plastered to his face, covering his eyes. 
“You look as though a mop has adhered itself to your skull,” Logan informed him, unable to hide his smile. 
“What’s that weird thing you’re doing with your face? Are you okay?” Anxiety asked, sarcasm negated by his own grin. Logan rolled his eyes. He knew he did not smile often, but still -- those levels of cheek were unwarranted. 
He learned Anxiety was ten, older than he would have guessed, and only a month younger than Logan himself. That he loved poetry and sewing and art but didn’t think he was really good at any of them, and would be mocked for these interests. That his parents had died when he was quite young, and he now lived with his elderly grandmother, who let him run off anywhere as long as he was in his bed the next morning. She had homeschooled him for his early years, and would only send him to an official establishment next fall, which told Logan why Anxiety wasn’t with his fellow human children in their brick school during the spring. It also explained why he’d been allowed to enter the fey woods at all, what with the healthy fear the locals had developed of the place. 
In turn, ‘Logic’ had revealed his love for the stars, (which led to Anxiety sneaking out one night to stargaze with him in the bluebell field), how he’d kept a lizard as a pet one summer, but released it at the end because a cold-blooded creature likely wouldn’t survive the winter months, and how he reported directly to the Unseelie ruler, because all fey had a job, young or old. “It’s just the way it is,” he explained. “I have responsibilities to my court, as do all fey children.”
“Bit like child labour, though,” Anxiety pointed out. 
“For humans, maybe,” he conceded, “but we mentally develop much faster.”
“But you live longer, so shouldn’t you get to embrace your childhood before your infinite adulthood?” reasoned the other, watching the ladybug that was clinging to his sleeve. 
“Not infinite,” Logan replied, and Anxiety raised his head in interest. “We live a very long time, to be sure, but all fey die eventually. When we run out of magic, we age and perish.” 
His friend considered that -- and Logan considered the human boy his friend, now. That notion had snuck up on him, it seemed, surreptitiously changing his label of ‘acquaintance’ to one of friendship. 
He didn’t really mind.
Fall came in colored leaves and bursts of chilly wind, of flowers wilting and apples ripening in the trees. Logan attended the passing of the seasons, or the transfer of control, from the Seelie Court to that of the Unseelie at the equinox. It was in the deepest part of the forest, the part that joined the realm of the fey to the human world. 
Logan wasn’t entirely happy about their regained dominion. He should have been, he knew: logic dictated it! With winter, his powers increased, and he gained structure and work he loved. Why would he not be glad?
Well, remarked the treacherous little voice in his head, we can’t spend time with Anxiety in the winter, now can we? 
It was true, he mused as the crown of the fey on the podium shed its vibrant flowers and its green leaves turned red, orange, yellow, and brown. He’d be very busy, for one. Talyn, leader of the Unseelie, had promised him greater responsibility this year. And besides…
The woods were dangerous enough when the Seelie ruled. But Logan’s court had a tendency to be vicious, and they did not attempt to hide their darkness like their flowery counterparts. 
Were Anxiety to be discovered in faerie woods in winter… 
He didn’t want to think about it. 
“Logic!” called a familiar voice, and he turned to see two identical faces waving to him. 
“Prince, Duke,” he nodded. “I trust you are well?”
“Oh, Lolo, don’t be so formal with us,” Prince grinned, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “We’re friends, after all!”
“Or are we making you nervous?” smirked Duke. “No, something else is! You’ve got a secret, don’tcha?”
Logan’s lips thinned. He’d forgotten how alarmingly perceptive the Unseelie half of the brothers could be.
Prince and Duke were oddities among the fey, the children of parents from both courts. Prince was Seelie, Duke Unseelie, but they had remained close even when the courts did their best to seperate them. Now, they had achieved a sort of notoriety. Joan, leader of the Seelie court, was said to be molding Prince for his own role, and Talyn had already offered for the Duke to study under them. He had rejected the offer, saying that he didn’t want the vulnerability of fey leadership, and a faerie called Deceit had been selected instead.
Secretly, Logan suspected Duke’s reservations had less to do with every faerie in both courts knowing his true name (which was a requirement for Talyn and Joan, just as it had been for all fey leaders before them) and more to do with the restrictions being trained by Talyn would put on him. He loved his chaos, after all. 
“I don’t see what my personal affairs have to do with you,” he said, rather coldly. “No offense meant, of course.”
“Oh, Logic, you break our hearts!” Prince cried dramatically, clutching his chest. “How could you say such things to your bestest and oldest friends?”
“Advice’s by far the best of my friends.”
“Oldest friends!” Duke countered.
“I have known Deceit for far longer than either of you.”
Duke colored at the name (could he be any more obvious with his little crush?) and Prince exclaimed, “Friends!”
“...Dubious,” Logan said, turning back towards the proceedings. 
“C’mon, Logie, we both know you’re bored out of your mind having to watch this mind-numbing shit,” Duke told him, grinning. He was missing three teeth. Fey aren’t supposed to lose teeth, the tiny part of his mind that hadn’t given up yet pointed out. “Let’s leave, and then you can tell us all about your little secret.”
“I will not be telling you anything,” he sighed.
But he ought to. He knew that. It was why he had been avoiding Advice lately, who had gotten a little too good at reading people after beginning his job as a healer. It was why after the meeting Logan threw himself into his work, so as not to cause any issues, any reasons for his court to keep an eye on him. It was why he began following Anxiety when the human boy left the forest each day, making sure he couldn’t be taken on his way home. 
Winter came and Logan began to change, as the power of his people’s season grew within him. His features, already pronounced, became sharper, hair longer (more wild, Anxiety said, as he attempted to braid the dark locks), ears, nails, and teeth more pointed. He changed his clothes for winter, of course, wearing a night-blue cloak lined with rabbit fur over his usual dark attire, and grudgingly trading bare feet for boots. Anxiety laughed at him a fair bit, for that (“What’s your problem with shoes?” he had cackled, as Logan sulked besides him) but after he had to switch his sweatshirts for a heavy black parka, the human joined the fey in petulant anger. 
One day, Anxiety asked why fey changed appearances in the winter, gingerly examining Logan’s sharp nails, which bore an uncanny resemblance to claws. Logan replied that they didn’t -- they changed for summer, or Unseelie did at least. His winter form was his true one; the one the human had first encountered was a disguise of sorts, a way to blend in among the Seelie, a defensive relic from when the two breeds of faerie were at war. 
He was afraid, then, looking at Anxiety, that he would flee. Unseelie were always the evil fey in human stories, not the playful tricksters but the monsters in the dark, and this human seemed to know every story, reciting them from memory to Logan as they lay in the field, watching clouds in the sky.
But Anxiety simply hummed quietly, looking up into Logan’s eyes. “Those don’t change,” he said, motioning to them. “Must be pretty easy for the Seelie to recognize, huh?”
“Why would my eyes be easy to recognize?” he asked, blinking. 
“They’re beautiful,” the human shrugged, far too casual, and returned to his study of Logan’s nails. “Hey, maybe I could paint your nails. My friend Morality’s been teaching me how.” 
(And if the tips of the faerie’s pointed ears turned red, his cheeks dusted with a similar colour, Anxiety was kind enough not to mention it.)
He knew it was dangerous, still meeting the human, but Logan still found himself entering the clearing each day, even though the bluebells had all wilted by August and the other flowers followed quickly, even as the grass turned brown. Sometimes, Logan told himself that it was because he wanted to learn from Anxiety, or because he wanted to interact with someone his age, or because he was simply ingrained in his habits. Always a new excuse. Nevermind that the information the human could teach him was nothing compared to his own vast reservoirs of knowledge, that Deceit, Prince, Advice and Duke were all his own age, and two were even of Logan’s court, that he was a faerie, and the fey did not do routines, as creatures of the wild. 
The truth was, he found a certain amount of joy in meeting with someone who seemed to understand Logan’s reluctance to conform to the standards of his court, who was kind and laughed easily and shared stories and secrets and songs without any cost. The truth was that he was just a bit selfish. 
Logan’s selfishness would come back to bite him.
It was fall on the cusp of winter when it happened, a crisp afternoon in early November, and a Wednesday. This meant that Anxiety could only come later in the day, and carted along a backpack holding papers and books and math. As far as Logan could tell, math was a game with numbers with many nuanced rules, that he rather liked and Anxiety hated.
To make sure that the human managed to reach the clearing safely, Logan had begun to meet him on the path that was Anxiety’s way through the forest, using his magic to mask the two of them from the Unseelie patrolling the woods. Anxiety found it funny (he didn’t seem to quite understand the true danger the forest posed him) but a bit irritating, so Logan grudgingly met him halfway down the path instead of at the line of trees that seperated the forest and the town. 
So he sat in the woods, that Wednesday, high up in the branches, and waited, lost in thought. It had been several months since they’d met in the beginning of May, spending time together almost every day. He had expected the human to have run away in fear by now, to have stopped coming into the forest, to have been scared off by the magic or the changing of shapes or simply by the power Logan held. But the aptly named Anxiety (he was scared of so many things, of sharks and snakes and clowns and drowning and dying and blood) wasn’t afraid of Logan at all, it seemed. 
It was nice, not being feared -- even among his own people, he was treated with a healthy amount of caution. Faeries did not trust. They found security in favors, in debts, and even family, like Prince and Duke, eyed each other with suspicion. But the human boy believed so easily, never asking for a favor or a name, giving and never asking for anything in return. It did not match with what Logan knew, of humans or of fey. 
...Anxiety was late. 
He held out for two minutes longer, before he finally stood and darted through the branches, feet finding footholds that should not have held them, moving through the air and ignoring the fact that occasionally he never touched the branches at all. Such was being a faerie. 
Later, he would think back on the moment and thank the forest he had been so lucky. If he had waited a minute longer, had decided to run along the ground instead of in the trees, if he had listened to Anxiety when he rolled his eyes the day before and said “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me,” when Logan had told him to be careful… 
Logan found his human (sometime in the past months, the human boy had become his. When, he didn’t know, but it had happened so easily, Anxiety sliding into his life with his drawings and poetry and laughter and settling in like he had always belonged. If he believed in things like that, Logan would think it was fate.) standing frozen in the dirt path, eyes glazed and unfocused, books spread around him and backpack lying in the dirt. Unseelie had swarmed him, two of them examining the human in their midst as one -- Deceit, Logan realized in shock -- worked his magic to keep him in a docile trance. 
“Why did he come here?” another faerie asked, one Logan vaguely recognized. From his recollection, he was named Raven. The third he had never met, and seemed a fair bit older than the other two and Logan himself -- Deceit, Raven, and Logan were all young fey, Raven the oldest at maybe fourteen and Deceit almost the same age as Logan himself. This faerie, however, despite appearing to be in their early twenties, had an air of age, and he would guess the mystery individual to be in their hundreds. 
“It doesn’t matter,” the older Unseelie smiled, a grin appearing on their face. “It’s just a human boy. Kill it or take it.”
“He -- He’s our age, Lady Belladonna,” protested Deceit, his brow furrowing. “A child. Shouldn’t we just send him away?”
“Oh, not he,” the apparently female faerie snarled, reaching out to grip Anxiety’s blank face in dark nails. “Humans… humans are beasts. And they call us creatures of the dark! It has no more rights than an animal, age or not. Maturity has never affected the ways of the fey.” 
“But Lady--” Raven protested, looking as disturbed as Deceit, but he never got the chance to finish his sentence. Logan had heard enough. 
Lady Belladonna, whoever she was, had been correct. Maturity had very little to do with fey; age meant time, and a faerie scorned time, even physically. So Logan, young as he was at barely eleven winters (Logan had turned eleven just a few days ago -- Anxiety had given him some of the mechanical pencils he had liked, as well as a decorated case. He had said it was a ‘birthday gift’.), had power, power enough to reach out to the minds of the three fey and push them into sleep. 
He’d always been good at manipulating the brain -- better than even Deceit or Advice. 
The three Unseelie crumpled to the ground, eyes shutting even as they tried to resist, pushing back against his influence. The clearing soon quieted, silent but for the sound of quiet breathing and the wind in the trees.
Logan knew he had succeeded when Anxiety blinked and the haze over his eyes disappeared, Deceit’s control gone. The human gasped, stumbling backwards, and at that moment Logan finally emerged from the branches to pick up the backpack and the books, nodding in greeting.
“Logic?” Anxiety asked, sounding small, staring at the fey slumped around him. “What -- what happened? Are they…”
“Merely sleeping,” he replied, motioning to the rise and fall of Raven’s chest. “They will be alright.” His face hardens. “They deserved worse. What do you remember?”
“All of it, I think. They surprised me, and that one that looks like a snake did something -- I couldn’t move, I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t scream.” He hesitated, staring at the female faerie. “She wanted to kill me?”
“Or take you to our realm,” Logan said, straightening, Anxiety’s backpack in one hand and his books in the other. “Here. I need to make sure they don’t remember this encounter.”
The human took his belongings, watching as Logan crouched by the sleeping fey, touching his fingers to their temples. It took only a few seconds to alter their memories, to make them believe their enchanted sleep to be the result of a backfired spell by the Lady. (He takes special pleasure in placing the blame on her.)
He altered first the memories of Raven, then Belladonna, and then he reached for Deceit.
A yellow-gloved hand reached up to grasp Logan’s wrist. 
“Logic!” Anxiety exclaimed, a fearful squeak, rushing forwards, but Deceit spoke before he could aid him.
“Thank you,” the young Unseelie whispered, eyes forcing themselves open. 
“What?” Logan asked, unable to keep the shock from his voice. Deceit was one of the few faeries that could lie without repercussions, but the thanks seemed genuine. Whether he had become far better at lying than Logan had thought, or… 
“She would have murdered him,” Deceit laughed, a harsh sound. “Probably would have made me do it, a test for Talyn’s protégé. I definitely would have been able to casually murder a kid my age.” Sarcasm practically dripped from his words, before his tone softened. “So, thank you, Logic.”
“You released Anxiety from the spell, didn’t you?” he realized, blinking down at the barely-conscious faerie. “You’re going to get yourself killed, Deceit.”
“Wipe my memories,” he shrugged. “I’ll be fine. But be careful, okay? Belladonna isn’t alone in her views. There’s fey from both courts that are now advocating for violence against humans. Your boyfriend will need to be cautious.”
“He’s not my -- we aren’t -- we are far too young to be courting!” Logan protested, knowing full well his face was as bright as a rose, ears burning. Anxiety was in much the same state, although Deceit simply rolled his eyes.
“Of course you are,” the faerie sighed. “Just… keep an eye out, Logic. This forest has gotten dangerous, as of late.”
His eyes fluttered shut. A few seconds later, his breathing evened. Logan was rather impressed -- Deceit’d held out against the spell for far longer than he would have expected anyone to be able to. Luckily, the strange resistance didn’t carry over when he moved to alter his memories, and soon he stood to face Anxiety. 
“It… It would be understandable if you decided to terminate our friendship,” he finally muttered, unable to meet the human’s green eyes. “You have now seen the truth of my people. We are vicious, and killers, and-”
“And you rescued me,” said Anxiety, voice startlingly calm. “And that other faerie -- Deceit, right? -- he didn’t want to hurt me either. I don’t think you’re vicious, or a killer.”
“Anxiety, you’ll be in danger if you continue visiting me. You could lose your life!” Logan exclaimed, motioning to the fallen faeries around him for emphasis, because the stupid human didn’t understand, didn’t get that he might die or worse!
“That was always going to be true, dummy. We’re in a faerie forest. I’m a human,” Anxiety deadpanned. “C’mon.”
They walked through the woods to the clearing in silence, Logan working his magic to render them invisible to prying eyes, Anxiety staring at the dirt under his sneakers. The forest was still, for once.
The two arrived in their typical spot, standing near where they knew the bluebells would grow again in spring, hearing dead grass crinkle underneath their feet. The human set down his belongings, and hesitated, suddenly still.
“Are you alright?” Logan asked, glancing over. Anxiety was staring at the ground again, arms wrapped around himself in a sort of makeshift hug, bangs covering his eyes. 
“I… You saved my life, Logic,” the other said, voice choked, and there were glistening tears streaming down his pale cheeks. “I would have died.”
Logan had never been good at feelings. He’d be the first to admit so -- they were Prince or Advice’s department. Still, he found himself moving forwards, pulling Anxiety into a hug, ignoring the tears wetting his cloak as he did his best to replicate what he’d seen Advice do for distressed fey. 
“I don’t want to die,” he heard, whispered into his shoulder. “I don’t want to die, L.”
“I won’t let you,” promised Logan, and heard from his own mouth, before he could even think about saying it, “I’ll protect your life with mine, if it comes to that.”
Anxiety let out a laugh at that, his grip tightening. “Well, that’s not very fair. You’re not allowed to die either, okay? I’ll protect you too.”
Logan had a response on the tip of his tongue (“You’re a human, how would you preserve my lifespan in any way?”) but a searing pain through his left eye interrupted him, and nothing more than a gasp of agony escaped the faerie. They seperated, Anxiety clutching the right side of his face. 
The feeling disappeared as quickly as it had manifested, and Logan immediately looked up, searching for their attacker, and instead found the human’s previously green eyes. 
The right one was a bright, shining purple. 
Anxiety’s mouth was open wide. “Logic, your eye--” he began, before reaching into his bag and fumbling for his communicator square. (Phone, he called it. Logan did not quite understand, but avoided touching it anyways -- it appeared to be made of metal, and he would not risk contact with iron.) He turned it on, before switching to a screen that reflected both of their faces. 
Logan had only ever looked at his reflection to ensure his presentability. He knew his eyes were different from those of humans, of course; Anxiety’s had circles of green around a black center, set on a white background, but Logan did not have those divisions. Color spread across the whole surface, lacking in whites, pupil, and iris. “Your eyes look like the night sky,” Anxiety had told him once, and he supposed the human was correct -- normally, they were a dark purplish blue color, with pinpricks of pale light across the surface. Still, he hadn’t understood why Anxiety had seemed so fascinated. (“Is it accurate?” the human had questioned. “Is the placement of the stars right?” Logan had eventually flushed red as the other tried to find constellations in his eyes, Anxiety had noticed and retreated, and that had been the end of that. He’d never brought it up again.)
But now his left eye was crossed with a pattern of greenish blue, like the aurora borealis in the Unseelie realm that his parents had taken him to see when he was very small, vibrant against the indigo background.
“What happened?” Anxiety asked, staring at himself on the screen of the phone, reaching up as if to touch the purple ring, ensuring it was truly there. “How -- why -- what happened?”
“I don’t know,” Logan said slowly, staring at his newly heterochromatic eyes. 
Perhaps this is the price of befriending and saving a human, he thought to himself, meeting Anxiety’s panicked eyes with his own. Perhaps it is a curse, or a punishment from the gods. A physical marking of my shame, of forgetting to take a name, a favor, a price, as is my nature. 
“It’s okay,” Anxiety said, reaching out to take Logan’s hand and squeezing it gently. “It’s okay, L. We’ll figure it out. Besides, it looks cool as heck, right?”
“...That it does,” he nodded after a beat, returning the gesture, a wan smile stretching his lips despite the situation.
“Let’s… Let’s not worry about it for now,” suggested the human. “We’ve got better things to do, right?”
“Definitely. We had best get started on that math homework.”
Anxiety let out a laugh at that. “Ew. How about we just cloudwatch for now?”
They sat in the empty field, where their flowers would grow again come spring, and watched white fluff form in the blue sky through mismatched eyes. He glanced over at Anxiety, who smiled and reached out with his hand. The faerie took it. 
If this new coloring is a curse, it’s worth it, decided Logan, flashing a smile at his boy of the bluebells before returning his gaze to the sky. 
At first, the change took getting used to. Fey whispered Logan had made a deal with the forest, had become vain and done it cosmetically, had been cursed. Humans said much the same about Anxiety. As time passed, however, and the colors didn’t change, those inside and outside the forest learned to accept the change. No one questioned it anymore, and eventually the two learned to forget the day in the clearing, to pass it off as a spell gone wrong in Logan’s case and an eye injury in Anxiety’s.
Neither of them found an explanation for it either, but it soon became apparent they didn’t need to. They had each other.
That was what mattered.
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fand0mfancies · 4 years
Text
Came across this on Tumblr a few days ago, it amused me for a couple of hours or more, filling it in, while watching QI.
 Fandom Questions
 1. What was the first fandom you got involved in?
Star Trek: Voyager, I suppose at least for reading. Started writing with Stargate SG-1.
 2. What is your latest fandom?
I dip in and out of lots of fandoms on and off, the most recent ‘pick up’ is Ballam from Eastenders, I don’t watch soaps, but Robron and Ballam both appear a good bit on my tumblr, so I eventually gave in to checking them out via fic and youtube – thank god for youtube, lol! I still don’t watch soaps, but I watch those storylines!
 3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?
Gosh, that’s... actually no that’s really easy. Primeval. For anyone not familiar, it’s a ‘silly little dinosaur show’ produced in the UK. It had 4 short seasons, with a somewhat revolving main cast – although they managed to keep 3 of them through all 4 seasons – but the fandom was/is amazing. I made life long friends through the fandom and even though I don’t write much any more I still read some and still talk with those people.
 4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms?
I would say no. I can’t say every fandom has always been amazing – ship wars anyone! – but mostly fandom has been a very positive experience in my life.
 5. Which fandoms have your written fanfiction for?
How long have you got... in genuinely no particular order (basically as they came to me) Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Star Trek (TNG, DS9, Voy, Ent & Reboot Movies), Marvel, Kingsman, Person of Interest, Due South, Quantum Leap, Firefly, Buffy/Angel verse, Harry Potter, The Sentinel, Torchwood(/Doctor Who), Hawaii Five-0, Shadowhunters, Sherlock, Primeval, Emmerdale (Robron), NCIS, CSI (Vegas, NY & Miami), White Collar, Empire Records, Bull, Diagnosis Murder, MacGyver (the original), 1-800-Missing, CHAOS, Without a Trace, M*A*S*H, Charmed, Queer as Folk (US), Will & Grace, Bring it On, Nash Bridges, Magnificent 7 (TV series), House, Babylon 5 – I think I got them all... a few of those were one time only deals, but a lot of them have more (anywhere from 2-52 (or more still!) ranging from 100 word drabbles, to thousands of words – hey I’ve been writing fic for 21 years... you tend to amass a lot of fandoms...
 6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.
Oh geez, here we go, lol! Okay...
 Stargate SG-1: Jack O’Neill/Daniel Jackson
Stargate Atlantis: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Star Trek: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir, Chakotay/Tom Paris, Jonathan Archer/Malcolm Reed, James Kirk/Spock – I don’t particularly have an ‘otp’ in TNG, the couple I’ve written were Picard/Data, I’ve also dabbled reading Data/Gordi)
Marvel: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Kingsman: Harry Hart/Eggsy Unwin
Person of Interest: Harold Finch/John Reese
Due South: Benton Fraser/Ray K
Quantum Leap: Sam/Al
Firefly: Malcolm Reynolds/Simon Tam
Buffy/Angel Verse: Buffy/Giles, Angel/Spike, Xander/Spike, Willow/Tara
Harry Potter: Harry/Draco, Harry/Hermione, Harry/Hermione/Draco
The Sentinel: Jim/Blair
Torchwood: Jack/Ianto
Hawaii Five-O: Steve/Danno
Shadowhunters: Magnus/Alec
Sherlock: Sherlock/John, Mycroft/Lestrade
Primeval: Nick Cutter/Stephen Hart, James Lester/Hilary Becker Emmerdale: Robert Sugden/Aaron Dingle
NCIS: Gibbs/DiNozzo CSI: Nick Stokes/David Hodges, Mac/Danny, Horatio/Speed White Collar: Neal/Peter/Elizabeth
Empire Records: Joe/Lucas
Bull: Benny/Jason
Diagnosis Murder: Steve/Jesse
 I’ve left a few out where I don’t have particular OTPs
 7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.
Here we go again... lol!
 Stargate SG-1: Jack/Sam, I just... no. I’ve read a few where it’s a background or secondary pairing, but it always makes me wince a bit. I’ve read a few with Sam/Daniel as a secondary pairing that didn’t make me react that way and I’ve read Sam with other characters, but Jack/Sam just is a nope for me.
Stargate Atlantis: McKay/Keller – no, just no. that was horrible. She treated him like... awfully, trying to change him to suit her, just... no.
Marvel: Contentious, but Tony/Pepper, also Peter Parker/Tony Stark. Maybe because I saw the movies before I ever looked at the comics, but meh.
Due South: Benton Fraser/Ray V – again, contentious, but honestly I think Ray V was kind of a shit friend to Fraser.
Firefly: Anything with Jayne. No really, I just can not stand the character. I spent most of the series wanting to punch him in the face and sometimes you get characters you love to hate, but I just hated him.
Buffy/Angel Verse: Buffy/Spike, Willow/Kennedy
Harry Potter: Ron/Hermione, Ron/Harry, Harry/Ginny... basically, Ron and Ginny should just be loveless hermits who live by themselves. Ok, no, that isn’t fair... but as much as Ron was Harry’s first friend, he was selfish and bitter and Ginny/Harry just... never sat right with me. Ron literally says she spent ‘all summer talking about’ Harry, when she’d met him for all of three seconds. She didn’t know him. It always felt like she fell more in love with the *idea* of Harry Potter, than Harry Potter himself.
Sherlock: Sherlock/Molly, he’d eat her for breakfast. Serious, she’d never survive him.
Primeval: Oliver Leek and anyway. Arg. Creepy little dude is creepy and evil.
NCIS: Ziva/DiNozzo – ugh, just no.
 Again, I’ve left out ones where I don’t have particular NoTPs
 8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom?
Tumblr, god damned bitches posting gifs of pretty boys falling in love, roped me in!
 9. What are the best things about your current fandom?
I dabble in several fandoms at once... but if we go by ‘most recently picked up’ as ‘current’ we’re talking Ballum, which hey, it’s always fun to have an actual canon pairing be my OTP, that’s rare for me, lol.
 10.  Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in?
Well (so far) I haven’t written any Ballum. (I say so far, because I’m a realist, lol). I rarely read in fandoms and not end up writing in them at some point. Although I have probably dabbled in a few I’ve not written for, but if I read it with any sort of consistency, I mostly end up writing it. I am weak!
  Ship Questions for your Current Fandom
 11. Who is your current OTP?
Okay, so that list above, just basically go with that. While I do drop in and hour of fandoms and some I certainly read in more than others, I do tend to go back to fandoms... If we were talking about what I’m mostly focused on writing atm... Steve/Tony, Mycroft/Lestrade, Harry/Draco and Robron are ones I’m currently working on most.
 12. Who is your current OT3?
I’m not currently writing anything that’s OT3 with any real focus. I have a couple of Neal/Peter/Elizabeth WiPs that I will at some point finish, but they aren’t a big focus just now. I did recently read a fabulous Neal/Peter/Elizabeth fic that’s been on my tbr list for ages.
 13. Any NoTPs?
Just... see above, lol!
 14. Go on, who are your BroTPs?
Harry Hart/Merlin, those two are Bro’s until the end and I will fight you on this. Also, Eggsy/Roxy! OMG they are such a BroTP! And Tony/Pepper/Rhodey – I may no like Tony/Pepper as a pairing, but I love them as best friends and of course, our Rhodes, because again, I will fight you on this, they are awesome and Tony needs his best friends!
 15. Is there an obscure ship which you love?
I’m not sure there is. I suppose I’ve read a few fics for some random pairings over the years, but nothing that’s made me really ship-ship them. I like Clint Barton/Bucky Barnes, after seeing it as a secondary pairing in a Steve/Tony fic, but I’ve seen that pop up a few times since, so maybe it won’t stay obscure for long!
 16. Are their any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike?
Jack/Sam, Tony/Pepper, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Buffy/Spike – they all seem to be het pairings, oops. But I am mostly a slash fic reader/writer, so I suppose that’s not too surprising.
 17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite?
Jack/Daniel from Stargate SG-1. I still love them. I still read them, although it has been a while since I’ve written them on their own (I have got some SG-1/SGA x-overs where they feature)
 18. What ship have you written the most about?
I’m genuinely not sure... without going and counting (and I’m not going any counting!) I’d guess Jack/Daniel, McKay/Sheppard, Jack/Ianto and Steve/Danno.
 19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?
No, not that I can think off. I either like it or not. I do occasionally feel bad for not reading a fic if it’s an author I really like, but I don’t read that fandom or pairing, but nothing specific.
 20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking?
Robron and Ballum, lol. I do not do soaps!
  Author Questions
 21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?
 Stargate SG-1, Jack/Daniel, a story called The Dare, The Disaster, The Almost Happy Ending, And The Very Happy Ending – it was awful. Don’t go looking, lol!
 22. Is there anything you regret writing?
Don’t we all? No, I wouldn’t specifically say so. There are certainly fics, especially older ones, I wish I could have written better, but nothing I’d go, ugh I should never have done that.
 23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it.
Uh... honestly that’s really hard. I... um... yeah, I don’t know, really. I wrote a nice little flower one in POI that I felt worked rather beautifully. The Language of Flowers. An I wrote an SGA fic for NaNo a few years ago, called A Different Life, but it’s not online, because I didn’t finish it yet and I knew I wasn’t going to finish it any time soon, so I didn’t feel it was fair to leave it up unfinished (there is a reason I don’t read WiP fics and I don’t post them either, because I know how much I hate unfinished WiPs) Edit: After writing this I reminded myself of a POI fic I wrote called Hours of Separation – It’s a Harold/John break up story that I always intended to write a sequel too where I ‘fixed’ them, but I just couldn’t do it. I broke them a little too well. But I really love it actually.
 24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?
The afore mentioned A Different Life needs to be edited and finished, lol! Also a Primeval fic with the working title Crypt Keeper (don’t ask) that I worked myself into a bit of a corner on and I figure out how to fix it, but I haven’t done it yet, so it’s still needs fixing and finishing, lol!
 25. What’s your most popular fanfic?
I haven’t the foggiest.
 26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles?
Sometimes, really easily, a quote, a line from the fic, a song title... other times it’s like pulling teeth, hence working titles on things like ‘crypt keeper’ which is a reference to one scene near the very start and has no actual hint of the plot, lol!
 27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries?
Oh the titles. Summaries you can just copy a few lines from the fic if you are desperate, if you had to post ‘untitled mcshep fic #67’ people would get cranky, lol, hell I’d get cranky!
 28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of?
Oh... I... huh. I mean who wouldn’t love fanart for their stories? Any of them honestly! But if I had to choose just one... I guess something in my Animal Instinct verse, which is Primeval (although I always intended to write other fandoms in the verse) where some people transform into animals, based on their ‘spirit animal’ and some art of the characters with their spirit animal form would be awesome.
 29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not?
Sometimes, look if you’ve read this far, you know I write in a lot of fandoms, lol. In some fandoms it’s easier than others to find beta readers. Also, sometimes if it’s just something short, I won’t bother. But I do try for my longer fics.
 30. What inspires you to write?
That old adage, if you want to read it, sometimes you just have to write it? Spite? Boredom? Honestly sometimes I just have ideas I have to get out of my brain and it’s write or go mad(der)
 31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?
That it inspired them to write something.
 32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?
Sometimes, sometimes I find it distracting when writing because I end up singing along and forgetting what I’m writing, lol! I do sometimes get inspiration from songs, I guess mostly from the lyrics, but no particular band or genre – although I listen to a lot of country music!
 33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?
Little from column a, little from column b... littler still from column c...
 34. What’s the word count on your longest fic?
Around 60k, I think.
 35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?
I have. Primeval had/has a week drabble challenge, mostly when I’ve written drabbles it’s been for a challenge, with a specific prompt.
 36. What’s your favourite genre to write?
Uh... I mean, my fandoms really span the genres, but I guess sci-fi or crime are probably my favourites.
 37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?
Third mostly, I have occasionally written in first person, if it felt like the fic needed it.
 38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?
Little from column a, little from column b... it depends on the fandom and the story. Sometimes you just need more characters, mostly they are minor roles, I don’t tend to write much established character/oc fic
 39. What is your greatest strength as a writer?
Ability to convince myself people will want to read it, lol! No actually to be honest, I love to know people read and like my stuff, but I gave up a long time ago on trying to ‘please’ people with what I write. I write what I want to read.
 40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?
Focus. The problem with 21 years of fandom history, is well... 21 years of fandom history. A lot of fandoms, a lot of pairings and as I say, I never really ‘leave’ a fandom, I just drop in and out and sometimes that means I’ll write on something consistently for weeks or months and then end up getting distracted by another fandom again and not touch it for weeks or months again. Hence, I don’t post WiP fics, because I know I’m easily distracted and don’t want anyone to suffer my lack of focus but me.
  Fanfiction Questions
 41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:
I don’t read WiP fics, so yeah... but 5 I’ve recently read in different fandoms that I’ve really enjoyed
 Turns Out, I Have a Rose Garden by betheflame (Steve Rogers/Tony Stark)
Lucky by china_shop (Neal Caffery/Peter Burke/Elizabeth Burke)
Colors by Quesarasara (Sherlock/John)
Betrayal by Blackghost7 (Gibbs/DiNozzo)
Matchmaker (Part 1 of the Marmalade Series) by HastaLux, Mottlemoth (Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade)
 42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:
See now this is hard, because... ahh so many...
 FredBassett – Primeval author, her Stephen/Ryan series is epic and brilliant and endless
https://archiveofourown.org/users/fredbassett/pseuds/fredbassett
 Keira Marcos – I know other people will have said her, I don’t care. I love all her stuff, across all the fandoms she writes in
http://keiramarcos.com/
 theapplepielifestyle – her Steve/Tony is amazing. Hands down some of the best I’ve ever read. I will fight you on this.
https://archiveofourown.org/users/theappleppielifestyle/pseuds/theappleppielifestyle
 JillyJames – her Tony DiNozzo is a real life grown up... exactly as he should be considered given he’s a goddamn federal agent!
https://jillyjames.com/
 missbecky – I’ve read pretty much all her Steve/Tony and Harry/Eggsy and it’s awesome.
https://archiveofourown.org/users/missbecky
 Honestly, I could have listed so many more, but, I’m being good!
 43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?
Everyone. The thing is, fandom at it’s best is like crack, the more you get, the more you want. The writing, the gifs, the art... it feeds you and makes you want to make more of it, because more of it needs to exist and if that means you need to do it yourself, so be it!
 44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?
ALL OF THEM!
 45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?
Oh hell no, not even, I can not. It took me an hour to narrow down 5 authors, I can not narrow down one fanfic!
 46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why?
I mean, it depends on what they like... probably the Hour of Separation I mentioned above, if they like the fandom/pairing, or my Animal Instinct stuff.
 47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why?
Archive of our Own. I haven’t touched ff.net in *years* since they started getting super restrictive about what you could post. I do occasionally post stuff to tumblr, but mostly I now post to AO3. I did have my own site and I’ve yet to upload a lot of stuff to AO3 – one of these... months... that will be a project – but it’s amazing. Seriously, having been in fandom 20+ years, going from having to search all over a million different places and now it’s all in one place, where we’re honestly, spoiled and protected. The kids now have no idea how crazy impossible that once seemed.
 48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not?
Yes, but not as often as I should. I love AO3s kudos button, so I can sort of say ‘hey I enjoyed this’ without having to comment, because I sort of hate leaving comments just going ‘hey I enjoyed this’ because I always feel like I should say more, like, oh I enjoyed this specific thing, which yes is an unnecessary hang-up, but there ya go.
 49. Do you care if people comment/reblog your writing? Why/why not?
Of course it’s nice to get comments, kudos, reblogs etc. I’m not as attached to them now as I was when I was younger, because I learned along the way that it was more important that I like what I’m writing than that other people do, but it’s still nice to know that something I’ve created is enjoyed.
 50. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction?
I went looking for Star Trek Voyager stuff online, pics etc, waaaaaaay back when! And I came across fanfiction entirely by accident... and I read some – het stuff mostly, then I started watching Stargate SG-1, went looking for fanfiction for that, but was not on board with Jack/Sam, found Jack/Daniel went ‘huh really? That’s weird’ read it... and yeah... 21 years later... lol!
 51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!
Ship Wars. No seriously, just don’t. Like, who the actual fuck cares. I like my ship, you like your ship. I don’t care if it’s canon or not. I don’t care if it’s popular or not. I don’t read my NoTPs, but I’d never dream of telling someone else not too. Yes I think they are terrible, bad, no good pairings, but that’s *my* opinion. Don’t try to change my mind and I won’t try to change yours. I avoid them like the actual plague. If someone starts that shit around me, I will shut it right down. You are a dick. Go to Jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200.
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wellamarke · 4 years
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writing chain - day 1
Here I am again with a silly idea for a fanfic project, it being the first of the month and all. 
What I propose is this: take a WIP you are struggling with, or just haven’t touched in a while, and copy and paste the very last sentence of it into a new document. That is now your starting line for a brand new oneshot. The twist: you have to change the fandom, so if there are character names, they’ll probably be swapping.
Write your oneshot. Post it, or don’t… it’s just an exercise. Then take the last sentence of it and copy and paste it into a new document…do you see where I’m going with this?
So we’re basically making a little chain of last and first lines, and it will be fun, it will. 
The last line I added to my Anne with an E fic was… drumroll please… 
She pressed her hands together. 
Okay, well, that could have been more momentous, but let’s go!!! ‘She’ is no longer Anne. In fact, I think it’s Kali from Stranger Things. 
~~~ 
She pressed her hands together. The cold air had made them stiff, and she only just recognised the touch as her own. Flecks of ice clung to her too-thin clothing, and the skin on her face smarted from the bite of the wind. And yet she stayed at the edge of the driveway, looking up at the house, waiting. For what, Kali could not have explained. It was illogical to stay out here, half frozen solid, when the house offered warmth and comfort. Somehow, she could not make herself move toward the path. 
El’s instructions had been clear; the directions had brought her to the right place. Just behind that door was her sister. People she trusted, who meant safety. But they were not Kali’s people. This was not her world at all. The light coming from the windows was soft and yellow, spoke of the kind of home Kali had never known. Stepping inside would be allowing herself a glimpse of something she had kept far away from her eyes up ’til now. 
But it was so cold out here. So cold and quiet. 
She had tried, at first, to See them all. To bring back her friends before her eyes, let her memories of their voices speak to her. But her gift had never been very generous when turned on herself - she could always see the cracks too well, could never quite disconnect from the fact that she was creating as she went. It was no comfort. In the end, all it did was tire her out, and she’d needed the energy to keep her moving, keep her travelling toward El. 
All for nothing, Kali thought with a huff to herself, if you aren’t even going to step inside.
She hoped vaguely that El might spot her from the window. Might come out to meet her rather than beckoning from a doorway. But so far, nobody seemed to have come near enough to spot her, lurking down here where the untidy lawn met the street. Frost covered the grass, and snow lay in clumps where it had been too compacted to melt. By one of the mounds there lay a woollen hat, and from this Kali surmised that a snowman had been built. By whom? She tried to imagine her sister doing that - spending time on a child’s activity when her powers were as they were. She saw it easily, and then for an instant, Saw it too - El wrapped up in a scarf and gloves, laughing, building. She shook it away. What was she doing here? El couldn’t, wouldn’t join her in her crusade, she’d said as much two years ago, and that had been back when Kali had friends and means. Now she had nothing.
Not nothing. Her mind. The same thing she’d always had. Nothing El needed. 
She did not know how long she waited there, on the edge of El’s world. Time seemed as frozen as she was - but then it juddered and skipped forwards suddenly, jolted by the sound of footsteps crunching into ice. 
Kali turned her head to see a figure approaching the drive - a girl, not far off her own age. The age her body was, anyway - the age she would be if she’d ever lived a year rather than surviving it. This girl was bundled up, a thick coat hiding her frame, wisps of brown hair escaping a garish orange hat. She stopped a few feet short of Kali and grinned. “Hi. Are you El’s sister?”
When Kali made no reply beyond a widening of her eyes, the girl went on, “Yeah. You sound just like her. We’ve been waiting for you for ages. They sent me out for a supply run.”
For the first time, Kali noticed the bag slung over the padded shoulder of the girl’s coat. She wondered if her hunger was evident in her expression, and hoped not, even though her resolve to stay outside was taking a battering. El had evidently told multiple people she was coming - there was no escaping now.
Evidently the girl thought the same. “Come on,” she said, “If I’m freezing my butt off out here, I don’t know how you’re still standing. Not that I’m—” she suddenly grimaced, “Not that I’m thinking about your— let’s just go inside.”
Flushed, the girl passed Kali, heading up the drive. Kali followed behind, gratified somehow when the girl spun around is if expecting her not to have followed. “I’m Robin,” she said hurriedly, as if to explain her turn in some other way. “Just so you know.”
Kali nodded. There seemed little point giving her own name. Her coming had been heralded. Instead, she braced herself for the heat as Robin rapped on the front door. For better or for worse, she was going in. 
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rsadelle · 4 years
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WIP Amnesty: Nick&Harry or Gryles kidfic (4500 words, General audiences)
At one time, I wrote the beginning of a story about Nick and Harry having a baby together. I hadn’t decided if it was going to be an endgame Gryles story or a story that ends up with Nick and Harry and their shared children and individual partners living in a house together. I also started writing this before I read up on surrogacy in the UK (which is very different from surrogacy in the US), so I left in the note I sent to the friend I was emailing bits of this story to about that element where it originally was.
They're drinking when they first come up with the idea. Nick is well and properly pissed, and Harry's had a few but is probably more drunk with exhaustion than alcohol since he just came off of tour and looks like he could crawl into bed and sleep for a year.
"I just really, really want to have kids," Nick is saying. "I think I'm really ready to be a good dad."
"I want kids," Harry says. "I spent a lot of time thinking about it on tour."
"On your world tour," Nick puts in.
Harry gives him the ghost of a smile. "On my world tour, yeah. I want kids. I would have kids now, yeah? But no one wants to be with me, so I don't."
"Millions of women," Nick says. "Millions of women want to have your baby, Harold."
"Yeah, but not really. They just think they do. They don't know me. And the ones who do don't want to stay with me."
"That's quite self-pitying," Nick says, "when you're a popstar and I'm a washed up old man of a DJ who isn't even wanted by other washed up gay men who want to have kids."
Harry rolls his head against the back of Nick's sofa to look at him. His hair is doing something ridiculous that still looks amazing. "We should have a kid."
"Think you're forgetting the part where neither of us has a uterus," Nick points out.
Harry waves a hand. "There are other ways. We could adopt."
"Harold, no one is going to let two blokes who aren't even a couple adopt a baby even if one of them is international popstar Harry Styles."
"Surrogate, then," Harry says. "That's a thing people do."
"And then what?" Nick asks. "We all move into your unfurnished mansion? I'm not doing that. I love this house. I'm not moving out of this house."
Harry shrugs. "Then I'll move in here. Plenty of space for you and me and a kid." He blinks slowly. "Maybe not a live-in nanny. Probably need a nanny of some sort, for when you're at work and I'm away."
"You're mad, Harold," Nick says. "You're going mad and one day when I go to work, I'm going to go to Tina with the news and it's all going to be about how international popstar Harry Styles used to be famous and brilliant and now he's gone mad and is being committed to an insane asylum. Do they still have those?"
"Dunno," Harry says. "Reckon I'll find out, yeah?"
It's just one of those conversations they have when they're pissed and exhausted, all punchy and ridiculous. Or at least that's what Nick thinks when he remembers it the next morning.
*
"Remember that thing we talked about the other day?" Harry asks.
They've talked about many things in the last few days, the last two weeks, really, since Harry's been back from tour. Not to mention all the things they'd texted about while Harry was on tour. Also, Nick is rather more concerned with picking the best of the pictures they took with Pixie and Aimee before they went out to post to Instagram to pay a lot of attention.
"You're going to have to be more specific."
Harry leans over his shoulder to peer at Nick's phone. "That one." It's one where they're all making silly faces in the mirror, and it's slightly off-center because Aimee had made Nick laugh too hard to hold his phone steady.
"I'm not posting that one," Nick says. "It makes me look totally incompetent as a selfie-taker." He picks one of the other ones, where they all look hot, uploads it and tags it. Then he goes back to the one Harry liked and texts it to him.
"About having a kid," Harry says.
"Yes," Nick says. "I remember you're going mad."
Harry leans into Nick's shoulder and laughs. "I'm not going mad. My biological clock is ticking."
Nick tucks his phone into his pocket and turns his attention to Harry. "Your biological clock? You're twenty-four."
"And you're-" Harry cuts himself off with a laugh when Nick glares at him. "Don't tell me yours isn't. I know better."
Nick turns to fully face him. "Yes, Harold, we have established that I'm going to grow old childless and alone."
"No," Harry says vehemently. "No, that's what I'm saying. We should."
Nick blinks at him; he's had at least one too many drinks for this conversation. "We should what?"
"Have a kid." Harry shifts closer. "Look, we could do this. We wouldn't be alone and we'd get to be parents."
Nick could see raising a kid with Harry. They have a similar outlook on life. They probably have similar ideas about raising kids. And if they weren't who they are, if Harry weren't who he is, Nick would say yes in a heartbeat. But part of what makes him think he's ready to be a dad is that he's working to be responsible these days.
"We can't do that," Nick says, like a responsible adult. "Harry, you know what it was like before, with the papers and everything. If we had a kid, every paper in the world would be talking about us dating, even the really serious ones."
Harry makes a frustrated noise.
"Come on, popstar, do you really want to go through that again?"
Emily all but crashes into them. "What are you two doing over here whispering in the corner? This is a party. Come dance." She hauls them out onto the dance floor, and that's the end of that, Nick thinks.
*
Nick's just settling into bed when his phone rings with Harry's name on the screen. Harry, who is in LA for meetings.
"Popstar, you're terrible at time zones. I'm just going to bed."
"I know," Harry says. "I wanted to talk to you."
"And you've interrupted my sleep schedule to do it? Go on then."
"No," Harry says, which is a weird thing to say when he called specifically to talk, but then he goes on. "I don't really want to go through all that again, all the media and everything. But it's going to be like that with anyone I have kids with."
"Not everyone you might have kids with is an older gay man who many people think corrupted your youth." Nick tries to say it lightly, but he knows there's a sting that goes with it.
"You didn't," Harry says, "and everyone important knows that. I want to have a kid, and I don't want to do it alone. I think we could be good parents."
Nick rubs his forehead. "Harry, it's not that I doubt that. It's just all the things that come with it."
Harry hmms a little. "I know it's a lot, and it would be hard. I think we could handle it, for us and for the kid. Promise me you'll think about it. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Just think about it for real."
"Okay," Nick says. "I promise. I'll think about it sometime when I'm not about to go to sleep."
Harry chuckles. "Sleep well."
"You're not going to sing me a lullaby?"
"Mmm, all right, it'll be good practice for the kid."
Nick closes his eyes while Harry sings, and is just awake enough to mumble a goodnight when he's finished.
*
Nick thinks about it, on his way to work, when he does a big shop, when he's making a Sunday roast. Part of him wants to say yes and damn the consequences. He could be a dad, with one of his best mates, which he's pretty sure is the only way he's ever going to get to be a dad at this rate. He thinks about buying tiny baby clothes and telling kid stories on the radio and having a co-parent who he knows how to talk to and argue with. And then he thinks about paparazzi and mobs of fans and tabloid insinuations, and about their kid growing up with that. He thinks about trying to date and explain that he's not cheating on anyone by doing it. He thinks about being home alone with a kid while Harry's on tour for months at a time.
"Do you think I should have a kid with one of my friends?" he asks Aimee.
She looks up from where she's been petting Pig and Stinky. "Are you thinking about asking one? Oh God, you're not asking me are you?"
She sounds so horrified that Nick laughs. "No, I'm not asking you."
"Thank God. I love you, but I'm not doing that again unless I get to keep the kid. So who are you going to ask?"
"It's more like they asked me." Nick downs half his glass of wine. "Harry wants to have a kid."
Aimee stares at him, downs the rest of her glass of wine, and refills both of their glasses. "Did he fall in love with you after all these years? Oh, God, you didn't fall in love with him, did you?"
"No, and ta very much for thinking I'm that stupid."
Aimee shrugs at him.
"I'm not," Nick says with a laugh. He sips his wine and sighs. "Harry wants a kid, I want a kid, he made me promise to think about doing it."
Aimee hmms.
"It's stupid, right? Harry and me having a kid. It'd be like, paparazzi everywhere and never getting laid again and doing it alone while he's on tour for months."
"You could get laid," Aimee says. "It's dating that would be harder."
"Yes, thank you, very supportive."
Aimee laughs and leans over to pat his shoulder. "I can't make the choice for you, babe."
*
Conversations with any of Nick's other friends would only end up the same way the one with Aimee did, so he doesn't bother. He does invite Harry to come over after he gets back from LA, and they settle onto the sofa with cups of tea and biscuits.
Harry transitions with an easy smile from a story about an amazing taco place he found in LA to asking, "Have you thought about it?"
"Yeah," Nick says. "Thought about it a lot." He cups both hands around his cup. "How would you see it working, exactly?"
"We have a baby," Harry says. "Surrogate probably, easier to get a kid we can raise right from the beginning. We'll do up one of your spare rooms for the nursery and everyone we know will buy us outrageous baby gifts. I'll move into the other one. I'm supposed to do writing for the next album, but I can do it here. Do all the recording and production here, can probably time it so I'm here most days for at least most of the first year. We'll hire a nanny, someone really good and trustworthy so we can go to work when we have to and not worry about our kid. Sometimes the lads or our mums or our friends will babysit instead. And then I'll go on tour, and that part's going to be hard, really hard. Dunno if I'll be able to schedule in some breaks so I can come home for a few days here and there. Maybe later, when the kid's older, you can take some holiday and you can both come with me."
It's a life. He's painted the picture of a life Nick can see himself leading. Nick rubs his thumb against his cup. "What about if you meet someone? Someone you want to have a real relationship with or marry, or whatever?"
Harry reaches out and covers Nick's hand with his, stopping his fidgeting. "Then I make it clear to them how much my kid means to me, and how much being dads with you means to me. And then I move out, or we all move into someplace bigger."
Nick has to laugh at that. "A Harry Styles commune?"
Harry grins at him. "Well, why not? And maybe you'll have a boyfriend or husband to bring along too."
Nick looks down at Harry's hand still over his, and asks the hard question, the really shitty question. "Do you think it's fair for us to bring a kid into the world when we know the papers are going to be so awful about it?"
Harry draws in a breath and takes his hand back. "I think we can protect them from the worst of it for a long time and tell them we love them over and over. Lou's doing it and managing."
"This is entirely mad, isn't it?" Nick says, and he knows it's a surrender.
Harry nods brightly. "Yep! We doing it anyway?"
Nick can't help smiling back at him. "Yeah. Yeah, reckon we are."
*
[Kid fic: For the parental order thing in the UK, the parents have to be partners living as a family (some verbiage like that), so something that will have to change is that they're going to have to decide that they just won't comment and let people think they're together-together.]
Harry moves in. They don't make too much of a fuss about it, but they don't try to be quiet about the fact that they've moved everything from one of Nick's guest rooms to Harry's place and replaced them with Harry's things. They don't bother trying to hide from the paps when they go to dinner or do a big shop together. They take pictures with fans who stop them while they're walking the dogs. Neither of them particularly like to be alone, which means they're out and about together a lot.
One of those trips is to see Harry's lawyers, who are far more impressive than Nick's. There's one Harry knows, who introduces them to another one of the lawyers he describes as "our family proceedings expert." There's a dizzying amount of information that they take in and decide not to talk about later that day in favor of their tea and crap telly.
They have a few conversations about how to go about finding a surrogate, and Nick, curled up around his laptop where Harry can't see just what he's doing, googles it and reads up on how other people go about it. It's one of those things, he thinks, that would be easier if they weren't who they are.
In the end, it's Gemma who finds them someone, an old friend of hers who got pregnant as a teenager and gave the baby up for adoption. She's called Chloe, and she has dark hair, a wide smile, and friendly eyes.
"It sounds mad, I know," she says over a cup of tea when they invite her round so they can meet, after they've gotten to know each other a bit. "I loved being pregnant, but I don't want to be a mum. I've thought about doing this before, but never really looked into it much. I've split up with my boyfriend now and I've been thinking about leaving my job, so this seems like a good time for it." She smiles at them. "Plus Gemma said you're lovely and you really want to have a baby."
"We really, really do," Nick says. He's been trying not to feel it too deeply, in case it all goes wrong, but having this girl in his house talking about carrying their child is making it hard not to want it so much.
"Yeah," Harry says, hushed and sincere.
Nick grasps for the thread of the conversation; interviewing people is his actual job. "What did you love about being pregnant?" A bit personal, perhaps, but they are talking about her carrying a child for them.
"I could feel it, you know," Chloe says. "The baby growing and how my body was changing for it. Bit miraculous, that. And then I met the adoptive parents, and it was like I could do this really amazing thing for these people who wanted the baby, and I knew the baby would be happy."
Harry reaches over and grips Nick's arm. Nick has a very hard time not reaching back to do the same.
"And the baby was, um, healthy?" Harry asks. He looks sorry to be asking it, and anxious to know all at the same time. About how Nick feels then.
"Completely," Chloe says. "I'm not, like, involved in her life, but her parents send me pictures at Christmas. She's doing really good." Chloe has a folder with her, and she pulls out a stack of Christmas cards with photos of a smiling little girl who gets older with each one.
Harry's eyes are a bit damp when they're done flipping through them. "She's beautiful."
Nick stacks the pictures together and hands them back to Chloe. He looks at Harry, meets his eyes for a long moment, and he can see it, that they both want Chloe to be their surrogate. Nick's the one who talks for a living, so he bites the bullet and asks the hard question.
"We'll pay for all of your expenses of course, if you agree to do it, that is. There are other things that might make being a surrogate for us a bit," he pauses to try to find the right word, "difficult. We're a bit well-known. There are paparazzi taking our picture when we do a big shop, for God's sake. You'll get caught up in it, if you do this. People taking your picture and assuming things about you." Nick tries not to sound too bitter about it. "And after, too. Seeing the baby in the papers. You should," he swallows, because he'll be so disappointed, they'll both be so disappointed if she doesn't want to do this for them, "think about it. If you can handle that." Now it's his turn to reach out and grip Harry's arm too tight. "We'll understand if you decide you can't."
"Gemma talked to me about that a bit," Chloe says.
"It's a bit mad," Harry says, "all of it. But we manage, and we'd do everything we possibly could to make it easier for our kid."
Chloe nods. "I can promise I'll consider it seriously."
They make sure she has both their numbers before she goes, and she hugs them both at the door.
"We really want this," Harry says, earnest and sincere in a way Nick can never quite manage even when he means it. "We want you to be our surrogate." That's where he falters and says, a bit less intensely, "If you want to do it."
"I'll let you know soon," Chloe promises.
When she's gone, Harry turns into Nick for a hug that's almost too tight and goes on and on. Nick doesn't mock him for it, holds on just as tight.
"I want her to say yes," Harry says.
Nick squeezes him just a bit tighter. "Me too."
*
They try not to worry at it while they're waiting to hear back from Chloe. Nick goes to work and tells stories on the radio about his dogs. Harry does whatever it is he has to do. Some of it is songwriting, Nick knows, because some days he'll come home to Harry sat on the sofa with a notebook and a guitar. They go out or stay in for their tea, depending on how they feel. They text each other and their friends and their families, and Harry hands Nick his phone to say hi to Anne when she calls.
They have people over, Aimee and Ian, Henry, Gillian, Pixie and George, for a Sunday roast. They're a congenial group, laughing and chattering over their food and wine. They move to the sofas and armchairs in the sitting room after, still laughing and talking in smaller groups that overlap and reform as people join in and out of conversations.
Nick's phone buzzes, but he's listening to Pixie's story about a mishap involving a dress, some too-high heels, and a bottle of champagne, so he ignores it for the moment.
Something, some reaction ripples from the other side of the room, enough that Pixie pauses and she and Nick look up at everyone else. Harry's got tears in his eyes, and he stumbles his way across the room, nearly tripping over the rug and people's feet and the dogs.
"Nick," he says, and he has his phone held out. His hands are shaking, and Nick's do too when he tries to steady it so he can read it.
It's a text from Chloe, probably the same thing that made his phone buzz.
You're both lovely. I thought about it, and I can handle all the madness that goes with your lives. I'd like to be your surrogate if you still want me to be. Text me and we can schedule signing papers and things.
The sound Nick makes is completely involuntary, and then his eyes are tearing up and he flings his arms around Harry, who hugs him back, and then they're both laughing and crying and they must seem completely mad to everyone else.
Over Harry's shoulder, Nick tells everyone else, "We've got a surrogate."
A general cheer goes up, Aimee opens another bottle of wine, and it becomes even more of a party. Everyone stays too late, celebrating even though Nick says, "We don't have a baby yet."
"We're going to," Harry says, grinning wide enough to split his face.
After everyone is gone, when Nick is lying in bed failing to fall asleep because now that they have a surrogate he's starting to worry about all the ways it could go wrong, Harry knocks lightly on Nick's door and then lets himself in.
"Can't sleep?" Nick asks, quiet in the dark.
"No." Harry climbs into bed with Nick. "We're really going to do this."
"Yeah, popstar, we are." Nick nudges Harry with his elbow. "It was your idea."
"I know," Harry says. "It's different when it's real." He's quiet for a moment, and then he says, in a slow, dreamy voice, "Tiny baby toes, you know?"
"Oh my God," Nick says. "Yes." Then it strikes him all as hilarious - he may be a bit drunk - and he starts to laugh.
Harry says, "Hey," the sound drawn out, but then he laughs too, and they giggle together for a bit. When their laughter dies down, Harry says, "It's not all tiny baby toes. Going to be a lot of work too."
"Before we have the baby too," Nick says. "Going to have to do up the nursery. Could paint it pink, the only punk color and all that."
Harry laughs. "No, don't want to force that on the kid if it's a girl."
"Could paint it all white, put up art all over. Bright florals like your suits to remind the kid about you when you're on the road."
"No, no, no," Harry says. "That's good for on stage, but the nursery should be calming."
"But not," Nick says, "like those sickly calming colors you see in hospital."
"Got to be nice ones," Harry says. "Could do a yellow, a nice pale one, or green."
"It'd have to be a nice green," Nick says, "not one that looks like sick."
"Only nice things for our kid," Harry says.
"Only the best things for our kid," Nick corrects.
Harry hits his arm, although it's more like he lets his arm flop over onto Nick. "We are not going to be awful celebrity parents who spoil their kids."
"'Course not," Nick agrees. "Solid Northerners, we are. We know how to raise kids right."
"Kids," Harry says dreamily. "We're going to be parents."
Nick rubs Harry's arm where it's still half flopped over him. "Got a surrogate," he says. "Still a ways to go before we're dads."
"It'll happen," Harry says. He sounds absolutely certain, and Nick lets himself borrow some of that confidence and believe it'll work out.
*
They meet with Chloe and the lawyers, theirs as well as one she brings along, on Wednesday,
"Technically," the lawyers explain, "surrogacy contracts are unenforceable in the UK. However, you want to have everything in writing so you do know what you agreed to."
The lawyers take them through all the little bits and pieces of the contract, and all the details about what has to happen after the baby is born before the baby legally belongs to both of them. It's a lot to take in. They all sign the papers, and then it's really official, pending medical tests and actual pregnancy, of course.
On Thursday, Nick goes straight from the radio to a meeting with his agent, part of which is a phone conference with Harry, his agent, and his PR people where they work out the basics of a plan for making statements and protecting Chloe and their eventual child as much as they can.
On Friday, Nick goes home and flops onto the sofa next to Harry, who has a guitar on his lap. Nick listens to him play for a few minutes, then tips his head to look at him. "Lullabies?"
"Practicing," Harry says with a shrug. He strums for another minute, then lets the music fade out. "We should figure out who's going to, uh, be the biological father."
"You," Nick says promptly.
Harry frowns. "You don't want to talk about it?"
Nick shrugs. "All the things about surrogacy say if one father is going to stay home with the kid, the other one should be the biological father so they still have a connection. I'm going to be here, you're going to be touring."
"I'll be here for the first year, probably," Harry says. "I'll be here with the baby while you're at work, and by the time I go on tour, I'll have a connection."
Nick rests a hand on Harry's knee. "You don't want a kid with your smile? You and Chloe will make beautiful children."
"So will you and Chloe." Harry meets Nick's eyes. "Don't you want that?"
Nick has had a lot of time to think about this. "I never really thought I would have biological kids. And it's not like the Grimshaw genes are going to die out. Jane and Andy have kids." Nick looks down at his hand on Harry's knee. "I'd like to raise a kid with your smile." He looks up at Harry. "After all, I practically raised you."
The sound Harry makes is half laugh and half squawk. "You did not! I was an adult when I met you."
"You were seventeen. People thought I was your dad. I taught you about fashion and navigating the best clubs in London. I introduced you to people."
Harry laughs with his whole body. "You hated that people thought you were my dad! I was already basically grown up!"
"I was a mentor to you!"
"I can't believe you," Harry says, shaking his head. "You were my friend. I didn't need mentoring."
"Ah, you were a right mess," Nick says with a grin.
"I was not!" Harry protests through his laughter.
Nick can't help laughing with him. It's nice.
When their laughter fades out, Harry puts the guitar down and leans his elbows on his knees. "If I do this, you're fathering the next one."
"The next one? God, we haven't even had one kid, and you're already planning for more?"
Harry shrugs and holds out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"
Nick shakes his hand. "Deal."
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Get to know me tag!
I was tagged by @hannahs-creations in the original post!!! Thank you, Hannah! sorry im a bit late with it haha
Rules: Answer the questions and tag a few people!
I got a bit long-winded on these answers, so I’ll put them behind a readmore!
1. What made you decide to start writing or arting (assuming you write or do art)?
I can’t say I ever consciously decided to start writing - I’ve just always loved reading, and when I first got a school assignment for a creative story, I decided I never wanted to stop!
In terms of art, though, it was sparked by a similar thing: the Dragonology book. My first story was about a dragon in there, and part of that assignment was to make illustrations to accompany it, and I decided I needed to learn how to draw dragons. From there, I just fell in love with making a blank page into something I could look at and enjoy, and I’ve been drawing ever since!
2. What do you like to do more: photo editing or video editing?
Oh, this is a hard one... Video editing is fun for me, especially because, when I make videos, I tend to do speedpaints with commentary, and cutting my ramblings down to a manageable size is so satisfying. On the other hand, I like taking fairly mundane pictures and making them magical...
I’d say, for satisfaction levels, video editing wins. For the actual process, I think photo editing is my favorite!
3. Which do you prefer: YouTube or TikTok?
YouTube, 100%. The only TikToks I’ve ever seen have been sent to me by friends, and I don’t particularly like short videos like that? If it were Vine, though, Vine would win ;aslkdjf
4. How many books have you read in the last 5 years?
A lot, LOL
My favorite have been Six of Crows, The Stormlight Archive, Red rising, and The Fallen Empire!
5. Do you tend to post more cheery/cutesy things, silly things or more serious things to your blog?
I think silly things are the most common? I like to meme with my WIPs, since I just. love meme culture. And I like making jokes about things - it’s a quick and easy way to get myself to smile!
6. How long have you been on Tumblr? Just ramble for a minute about some changes you’ve noticed about the site.
I made my first Tumblr blog in 2013, and I kept that one up until about April of last year, I think, before I decided to remake. 
The biggest change I’ve seen is the shift from sharing things to consuming things, in terms of like, reblog to like ratios and whatnot. Also, the amount of discourse has stayed about the same, but it’s changed in subject for the most part. But fandom discourse is still pretty much the same, just with different shows, now.
Also, reaction gifs have faded out of use pretty heavily since I started. At least, in the areas I’ve been in.
7. If the staff of tumblr came up to you, genuinely wanting advice on how to improve the site, what advice/request(s) would you give them?
I would tell them to rename likes into bookmarks. Also, lift the nsfw ban, and make it so that in order for 18+ blogs to be viewed, the user has to be 18+. Yes, people lie about their age, but so many sex workers lost their audiences and sources of income because of it, and it legitimately threw away a third of the userbase in one hit. 
Also, no matter the pressures from other social sites, don’t make this site less anonymous. It’s one of the beauties of Tumblr - I’m never going to have a boss find my blog and know for sure that it’s me.
8. What was the most challenging thing about starting your favorite hobby? How did you get past it, if you ever did?
Well, at the time I started drawing, the biggest obstacle was finding a way to learn. The art classes in school were never trying to teach us how to draw something, just showing us that we could. I ended up getting “How to draw manga” books and looking up stuff on YouTube.
9. What do you think other people think of when they think of you? For instance, with me, most people think about either tomatoes, chinchillas or black cats, depending on the person and how long they’ve known me.
Well, I hope they think of my jokes, first of all a;lskdjf;aslkdfj
But in terms of like, objects or animals? Sketchbooks, pride flags, and dinosaurs.
10. If every animal except one specific species went extinct but you got to pick which one didn’t go extinct, which species would you pick?
Hmmmmmmm... probably Komodo Dragons. I really like big lizards :)
11. What do YOU feel makes the world go round?
Laughter! Or, really, anything that makes people smile!
12. What would you say to a person if you heard them talking shit about your best friend?
This has actually happened before, and they were saying it to my face without knowing we were best friends. I sat there, nodded along, and when they were done, just said “You know they’ve been my best friend for like, 7 years, right?”
They went so pale it was kind of funny.
13. What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you that has stuck with you?
This was more something they did, but when I was going through a nasty friend break up, I texted them, and within 5 minutes they were at my house, texting that person furiously, and letting me cry on them, even though they’re not a very emotional person themself ;-; I felt so loved in that moment, you have no idea.
14. What was the greatest piece of life advice you’ve ever gotten?
You have the rest of your life to wake up and decide who you’re going to be that day, and you should never feel bad about changing who that is from one day to the next.
It was said in the context of me realizing that I wasn’t genderfluid, I was transmasc, and my ongoing crisis over whether I’m fully a guy, or if I’m a bit more fluid than that. It’s helped me a lot with accepting that I might not have all the answers right now, and I don’t need all the answers all the time.
15. What one or two aspects of your childhood personality would you bring back to your current personality if you could?
Honestly? My willingness to just make things, and not care about how they turned out. I made so much art that I cringe at now, but I was learning, and that’s all that matters, really.
--
Okay, this was long, but I’m going to tag: @nothingisliteral, @violetcancerian, and @morgan-s-writes! Apologies if you’ve been tagged before, and as always, no pressure, and if you want to hop in, feel free to say I tagged you!!
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nigmuff · 5 years
Text
Author Meme
Tagged by: @mizzy2k​
Author Name:
Nigmuff, but I used to be Starluff.
Fandoms You Write For:
Do you mean fandoms I have written for, fandoms I will write for, and fandoms I could potentially write for, THESE ARE ALL DIFFERENT THINGS OP!!
Ahem. Let’s just say, currently Marvel, but I used to be all over the Sherlock Holmes multiverse.
Where You Post:
AO3. Used to post on FF as well, but I stopped.
Most Popular One-Shot:
Breakable (Avengers Assemble) the very first marvel fic I ever wrote!! Possibly has the most kudos because everyone wanted to congratulate me on my first fic/make sure I stuck around and created more content lmaooooooo.
Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story:
Uuuuuuuuuuuh I still haven’t written one yet ^^’ my big bang is coming out soon, though! So stay tuned!!
Favourite Story You Wrote:
It’s actually also the big bang that I haven’t posted yet. I’m having SO MUCH FUN WRITING IT???? I though writing is usually mostly suffering, what happened?!!
Story You Were Nervous to Post:
Oof, that’d be Go Home With Tony Stark (Avengers Assemble). It started out as a cute idea, but then I got hit by Doubts while writing it, and it’s just so.... lame simple?? But anyway, I read it over, it’s cute and full of character, I should be more confident in my fics even when they’re soft and silly, etc.
How Do You Choose Your Titles:
By suffering????? LMAO all my fics start out as a WIP title until like 5 minutes before I upload. I usually try and get nice song lyrics, because I love songs and lyrics. I try to make up my own, but I feel like they’re really boring.
Do You Outline:
OMGGGG why would you ask me The Hard Question. Okay, so, I used to hate outlining, but I could never write without it, so I forced myself to do it and caused a lot of pain, lmao. Anyway, I have actually figured out a kind of system where I make a very vague outline, start writing, and then when I’m about 80% of the way through I might rewrite my outline so it fits the new form. They key is not to make hard decisions that I don’t want to take when I don’t even know what the fic is going to look. Includes lots of rewriting and (you guessed it!) suffering, but hey! I have a finished fic more than 5k words long!! I never used to be able to do that, so that’s amazing
Complete:
43 works total! (38 on Starluff, 5 on Nigmuff)
In-Progress:
i’m a stray dog sick (please let me in) is the big bang fic I was talking about. It’s coming out so good, you guys are in for a treat!
The Little Stars Rise (not sure if I’m keeping this title, but it’s what I got) is an Ults remix of @sineala’s Like a Comet Streaming On. I started it in January. It’s now October. It’s fine. (On the upside, it’s now 27k words and rising!)
A pinch hit for @elimymoons that is GOING TO BE PUBLISHED ONE DAY, I SWEAR, it’s just taking a lot longer than anticipated. Includes daemons! Classic Avengers! Insecurity!!!!
A MCU fic based on one of @sabrecmc‘s harlequin romance fic ideas. I wrote it when I was supposed to be working on my BB, lmao, but for some reason, this fic had to come out. Anyway, it’s a one shot that may or may not be the start of a series. This, too, will be published in time. It’s currently 5k words.
Coming Soon/Not Yet Started:
I reaaaaaaaaally want to finish all of my WIPs first before starting on anything new, because what’s the point of putting all of this effort into writing if I’m not going to publish and get that sweet Validation??
THAT SAID I am almost definitely going to write next a fic for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes from Steve’s POV, and he’s gonna pine for Tony VERY HARD. My working title is EMH pining. I make really good titles.
I also want to write a fic in 616 where Steve runs against Osborn for president, and somewhere in the mix fake marries Tony. This is entirely the fault of @the-casual-cheesecake. This will likely take years to write. If it ever gets published, it’ll probably be my magnum opus. And I anticipate much suffering.
Do You Accept Prompts:
Sure! I’m not sure if I would ever have the time to make something totally new (points at wip list and also the gdoc list of ideas you don’t know about) but writing something for someone sounds cool.
Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write:
ALL OF THEM, FUCKING ALL OF THEM, I WANT THEM WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED RIGHT THIS MINUTE WITHOUT DELAYS, WHY AM I ONE (1) PERSON WITH LIMITED TIME, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Tagged By:
@mizzy2k thanks for tagging me!! This was fun <3
Tagging: Mizzy tagged literally everyone?? I don’t know anyone else, lmao, but if anyone sees this and wants to do it, go for it. Say I tagged you. I give you my blessing.
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lululawrence · 5 years
Text
3/3/3
I... was tagged by a lot of people so here we go hahaha thank you tooooo @a-brighter-yellow, @runaway-train-works, @allwaswell16, @laynefaire, and @himynameiszayn! sorry this wasn’t timely, but honestly who expects timely out of me anymore? no one. lollll I honestly don’t know who has and hasn’t done this, so I’m going to just... share my three lines and then answer the three questions everyone asked me. if you see this and wanted to be tagged but weren’t, say i tagged you and answer the three questions out of the list of 15 that i’m apparently going to be answering and do your own post! i’d love to see what you have as well. Soooooo here we go!
Three lines from my WIP (i’m doing five instead cause i was tagged by five people, hope that’s okay):
Harry had done them a favor, really.
Louis’ heart didn’t believe him just yet. The tears running down his face and the fact that he was having a hard time breathing as he tried to hold back the worst of his crying until he was done driving were physical evidence of that. But he knew that given time, it would.
Hopefully.
Three Questions from Sage:
1. Do you have a strategy for writing dialogue?
uhhhhhh.... not so much. lolll i just try to make it sound natural and have a good rhythm to it. but i guess i don’t really think much about it other than trying to make it sound like something they’d say, if that makes sense? i’m afraid people who bother to read my answers to these questions are gonna be like “wow she doesn’t really think about much of anything ever while writing, does she?” noooo i really don’t. lol
2. Do you keep a note in your phone related to your fic/fics? What kinds of things do you jot down?
uhhhh i mean kinda. lollll i mostly keep a fic list in my planner, actually, but i also will brainstorm in chats in whatsapp and then i star the messages so i don’t lose them. other than that, i don’t really keep any notes in my phone. 
3. Who’s characterization do you think you have the best handle on? Does writing a particular one of the boys come easier to you than the rest?
Nicholas Grimshaw’s. Because he is the gay male version of me, i swear he is. lolllll otherwise I don’t really know? I mean, i feel like it’s a really opinion based subjective answer because we don’t really know them, so what i think is a good handle on their characterizations might have someone else reeling and upset lol that said, i do often find it easier to write from Harry’s pov as opposed to anyone else’s, but over time I’ve come to be comfortable writing from Louis’ too.
the rest is going under a cut cause wow this got long
Three Questions from Rebecca:
1. What’s a trope and/or pairing you love to read but haven’t tackled yet yourself, and why?
uuuuuuhhhhhhh that’s a really good question actually. i am not really sure? i LOVE fake relationship, friends to lovers, bed sharing, hybrid, abo, f/nf... oh! i know! i love royalty fics and i’ve never tried one of those! and same with regency fics. all the pairings i love to read i have officially attempted writing now, so i’m actually quite proud of that.
2. Which fic of yours are you most proud of and why?
i... this is mean. lolllll Goodness. I have a handful of fics that I’m actually really proud of. But one I’ll use for one of Anitra’s questions and another I’ll use for one of Michelle’s hahaha SO I’ll say the fic I’m most proud of is You Don't Care About Me (One More Night). There’s a lot of reasons why, for this one. One, it’s the longest fic I’ve ever written and I wrote it in something crazy like 3 weeks. Another is I have tried writing canon compliant fics in the past and they are SO FREAKING HARD. like SO HARD. And I promised myself I wouldn’t write another one, but I got this idea and I wanted to write it since I hadn’t found anything like it. So I took on the attempt to write a long canon compliant fic, and i did it! I also wasn’t sure how successful I would be with getting the emotions and sensuality across with this fic, because it’s a friends with benefits fic, right? but, i decided a few years ago i wasn’t going to write smut anymore. would i be successful in getting that across? the connection they have? the desire? the sexual tension? would people be able to feel the growth in the attachment between them as their relationship grows and changes and morphs without it? I didn’t even touch on all the reasons why i was concerned and nervous but also excited to write this fic that all come together with me being so proud of it. but in the end, it was SUCH a growing experience and such an incredible writing experience for me and in the end, i think i truly produced exactly the fic i wanted to. i think this fic is one i would thoroughly enjoy reading again later, and that i would love it. which is always my greatest goal, so yeah. i think my tomlinshaw fic is probably the fic i’m most proud of.
3. What three tips would you give to a new writer in the fandom?
oh goodness okay so let’s see here. 
1- get good support around you. i’m talking friends, cheerleaders, betas, just anyone and everyone. writing is hard and if you feel like you’re doing it alone it’s that much harder. so surround yourself with good, wonderful, and supportive people.
2- write what you want to read/write for yourself. i enjoyed writing the first few years i was doing it. it was fun being inspired by other people’s ideas and participating in a lot of exchanges where i was focused on the recipient and writing something for them. the year i wrote something like 42 fics was such a growing experience for me and i don’t think a single one of those fics was actually for myself. after that year i decided i wanted to focus on what I wanted to write and what i would like to read, and ever since i changed that focus in my writing, it’s changed entirely. i’m so much more proud of the fics i produce overall and i enjoy the process so much more because they’re for me. if they aren’t hugely popular, that’s okay. i like them, i love them, and that’s what’s most important for me. i’ve become so much more settled in my writing and just all of it since i made that change.
3- write often. it makes the biggest difference and makes things become so much easier if you do. it’s so hard at first, but you will strengthen those writing “muscles” and become such a stronger writer and narrator and just improve vastly the more you do it. so, write often.
Three Questions from Anitra:
1. Which of your fics do you wish more people would read? (Include a link please!)
You Try To Be Everything (I Need)! i know i know i know. it’s fantasy. those never get huge amounts of hits. AND it’s kinda future/dystopian. those ALSO never get huge amounts of hits. AND it’s a non-linear narrative which ALSO never gets huge hits. BUT I LOVE THIS FIC, OKAY??? it’s one of the top three i’ve posted this year that i’m most proud of and i ADORE IT. it’s one of my absolute fic babies. it FLOWED from me in a way i’ve never experienced before and i used symbolism! and visuals! and created a world! and took them on an epic journey! this fic is just. one of the best examples of how i can write as well. i loved how i was able to reveal information as it needed to be and was pertinent to the story. i feel like it gave a power to it that it wouldn’t have had without those flashbacks. and the art!!!! gosh the art that @hrrytomlinson did for it was just stunning. so yeah. probably that one. 
2. What are three of your favorite tropes to write? Why?
ooohhhh i LOVE writing friends to lovers. i think it’s the pining. i ADORE writing pining. probably because until my husband i had very few experiences that went past pining so i’m quite familiar with that in my own life lollll i also love writing disaster gay/humor fics. they’re so fun and also feel so relatable to my life. they’re easy for me to write and just SUCH A BLAST. and lastly i think... my other favorite trope to write is... meet cute. i just love writing that point in time when two people meet and immediately like each other and have to figure out how the hell they’re gonna ensure that they see that other person again. you know? i love those beginning stages so much! so yeah. i think that would probably be my other favorite trope to write.
3. Do you write side pairings in your fics? Which side pairing is your favorite? Why?
i dooooooo! i dunno if i have a favorite. i feel like i often rely on ziam because, well, why not? right? but i do have a LOT of fun writing shiall. there’s just something about their two personalities and getting to write them that allows me to be a bit silly but also just have fun and be cute and fluffy. so yeah. i guess maybe shiall. ooh but i do love a good rare pair of side gemma/niall as well hehe
Three Questions from Layne:
1. Do you have a writing routine? What is it?
mmmmm i guess kinda? lolll generally i have a very hard time writing at home. if i’m at home i’m going to get interrupted by my husband or kids or parents. it’s bound to happen. either that or i’ll remember any number of five million things that i should be doing around the house instead of sitting there and writing, so overall i have to write somewhere other than home. i’ll shove all of my errands and chores and everything into a smaller time frame so i have a bit of time to myself that i can leave the house and write for. whether that time amount is just 20 minutes or 3 hours, i’ll go and get set up (usually at starbucks or the library) and i’ll check in with any number of people or chats and let them know i’m writing. i’ll give them a starting word count, the fic i’m working on, and when i’ll be checking back for accountability. i then write like the wind. often, i’ll have a playlist going in the background, but not always. then when my time is up, i’ll check back in with the chat and share my ending word count so i can see how much i wrote that 20 minutes/hour/whatever and then i’ll also usually share a snippet so they can yell at me in excitement and help me stay excited too. and then rinse lather repeat until the fic is done! soooooo yeah. if that counts as a routine, then that’s my routine. haha!
2. Which of your fics was the most challenging to write? Which was the most fun? Why?
oh goodness, there have been a few that were difficult as fuck to write. i think the one that was the hardest was probably I Don't Mean to Frustrate. it was for an a/b/o exchange and i got three prompts that i just... was not really comfortable with tbh. i wasn’t sure any of them were tropes i could take on or i was not emotionally equipped to handle, which left me with a canon compliant prompt. i LOVE reading canon compliant a/b/o fics, but i hate writing canon compliant as i think i’ve said before. because of that, it felt like pulling teeth. i wanted to be sure that i was holding true to their schedule, i wanted to be sure i was sticking with what we knew of the band at that time etc but then mix things up a bit with the a/b/o dynamics. i think i just put a lot of pressure on myself and didn’t feel confident in it and that just made it suuuuuuuper hard to write. i do like it now, but it was really hard for me. the most fun? oof uhhh probably I Like Digging Holes. That fic is so self indulgent. i was meant to be writing at least another two or three other fics that actually had deadlines and instead i saw a silly interaction that grimmy had with an instagram person and i had to write it. something ridiculous like two days later this fic was posted and it was just a blast to be ridiculous and over the top and silly. 
3. Do you make playlists to write to, and if so, do you ever share them when you post your fics? Which fic’s playlist do you enjoy most, and why?
sometimes? if there’s a fic that has a really specific vibe i’m looking to channel in it then i will and USUALLY i’ll link them in the author’s note for the fic, but i don’t do it very often. generally the playlists i listen to as i write are just the ones i’ve made most recently of music i’m currently enjoying. that said, i do really love the playlist i made for my 50s direction fic (A Word We've Only Heard), because i made sure it was all era appropriate and it was the music that had inspired that fic in the first place, so yeah. you can find the playlist here, if you’re interested. 
Three Questions from Michelle:
1. Which fic of yours holds a special place in your heart?
I have a little list of my fic babies mentally that i have, but the one from this year that i’m most proud of and is special to me that hasn’t already been talked about is The Only Thing That Keeps Me Grounded. i feel like i’ve talked a lot about it, but there were a lot of emotions and self realization moments and just... i tried really hard to make it true to those who identify as polyamorous. i think i really hit that on the head with that and made it so it’s a fic that actually can be relatable and others can identify with whether they’re poly or not, and because of all those things, it’s just really special to me.
2. Is there a pairing you refuse to write?
mmmm no? i mean there are going to be some pairings that i find more difficult, but if there’s anything that i’ve learned over the almost five years i’ve been writing in this fandom, it’s that i can write pretty much anything i set my mind to. i just might not enjoy it as much haha
3. What do you prefer Fests or challenges more?
i... dunno? lollll i love a good fest and a good challenge, so i guess it just depends on what the challenge or the fest is as to whether i prefer one over the other. haha!
And that’s it! if you actually read all of this, you are a GEM AMONG MERE ROCKS. lolll i appreciate you caring enough about me to read the whole thing. i hope i didn’t bore you. and again, if you want to do this, consider yourself tagged! please tag me in your own post so i can read it and enjoy your answers too!
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