Entries tagged with my fic

Entry tags:

398. WRAPPING UP EXCHANGES FOR 2024 AND 2025 (SO FAR).

I want to clean up some of my notepad docs so, here we go, an exchange wrap-up! Because I've been feeling burnt out over the last year, I don't really have any recs compiled (I lied and did for FIAB, but I deleted the notepad after copying my bits over, so, RIP). I think I may move away from creating rec lists as I'm not quite sure how used they are and they take so much work that they're becoming unfun.

Anyway! Onto the good stuff.

candyheartsex 2024 -

I wrote -

myrtle
ENOLA HOLMES | Enola/Tewkesbury; Teen; 1.5k

"What?" she barked.

"What?" he repeated dumbly, blinking dumbly, too.

She rolled her eyes. "Not this again!"

"Enola," he said with a low laugh that ruffled the butterflies deep in her belly, "I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re talking about. What gift?"

"My gift!"

*

Enola gets Tewkesbury a gift. Perhaps that's the problem in itself.

I really enjoy writing their banter.

My gifts -

Card Goat by McBangle
GRISHAVERSE | Jesper & Milo | Gen

Jesper and Milo play a friendly game of poker.

Really funny art.

*

'effable Spirit by Synergic
THE GREAT | Catherine/Peter; Mature; 1.4k

On an unprepossessing day in May two years after her husband’s death, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, put out a hand for her morning cup of tea-laced vodka and received a letter instead.

I thought this was brilliant. This universe is so easy to get wrong, but Synergic makes it look so easy.

smut4smut 2024 -

I wrote -

we can chew through my bracelet
GRISHAVERSE | Zoya/Nikolai; Explicit; 3.8k

Elizaveta was gone, and the demon remained. Juris was gone, and yet she felt him stand beside her. But why hadn’t Nikolai come back to himself? They’d done everything that was expected of them—

Except she knew, deep down, that the obisbaya required more than being pierced by the thorn wood.

-

With Elizaveta dead and the obisbaya stopped, why does Nikolai stand before her as his demon?

I wish I had the guts to make this dirtier lol. I enjoyed getting to write my OTP for a lovely recipient!

*

just for tonight own me
GRISHAVERSE | Zoya/Nikolai; Explicit; 4.1k

"We can prolong it, Nikolai," she murmured as she hovered over him, effortlessly holding the chains between her hands like they were the bridle for his horse. He felt like one at times, although one that was whipped even when he behaved well. This was the penance for surviving the war. The Darkling ensured to leave his mark on Ravka. "Pretend we’re an old married couple, if you like."

"Go on, wife," he said, not looking away. He wanted them to play this game, and so they would. "Let’s pretend for a little while."

-

Nikolai likes it when he's bound to his bed and Zoya sits on his face.

What can I say? I got to write my OTP being playful. I really enjoyed s4s in 2024 because people requested my favourites!

My gift -

Not Your King Tonight by InsectKin
GRISHAVERSE | Zoya/Nikolai; Explicit; 3.4k

At the beginning of Rule of Wolves, Zoya and Nikolai debrief after visiting the revived Darkling in his sun prison. Nikolai shows Zoya that his demon can exist outside of himself, and the demon removes the ribbon from her hair.

In this fic, the demon keeps going.

I loved the whole concept of this. THIS IS WHAT WE DESERVED IN CANON.

fandom5k 2024 -

I wrote -

between the world and you
THE WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY | Vasya/The Bear; Mature; 8.1k

When the kikimora brings Vasya the one person she wants most, the chyerti suffer nightmares as a consequence.

I really enjoyed writing this. Grief is something I always gravitate towards, and this fic was no exception. The Bear/Medved is always so difficult yet fun to write, and I remember really enjoying writing this. I wish this fandom was bigger.

My gift -

Dark Mirrors by GalahadsGurl
CHARMED | Chris & Piper; Teen; 5.6k

Chris Perry missed his mother, but Piper Halliwell was not his mother.

Right?

This was a fun expansion on season 6's plot with "Who is Chris Perry really?"

rarepairexchange 2024 -

I wrote -

dreamers are selfish
THE HUNGER GAMES | Katniss/Finnick; Mature; 2.1k

When the rebellion fails to catch fire at the 75th Quarter Quell, Finnick and Katniss are left to pick up the pieces. Katniss is glad Finnick lets her be there for him for once.

I love writing Katniss/Finnick. This was meant to be a lot bigger than what it was, but what I ended up with was what I felt was a nice moment of a grander world that you still get a good pulse of.

My gift -

the siren call by aelisheva
READY OR NOT | Grace/Daniel; Teen; 1.7k

Daniel let out a shaky breath. “You’re not the real Grace Le Domas.”

Not-Grace stared him down again, and all over his skin and bones grew cold. She tilted her head, blinking innocently. “Is that really such an issue? I’ve seen into your mind, Daniel, thanks to Lord Le Bail’s help. I know how much you covet your brother’s widow.”

She leaned in until their heads pressed together. “I could be her, if you wanted it,” she said in a low voice. His breathing shuttered at the suggestion.

***

Grace has won the game, and Le Bail offers to bring back Daniel as a reward. But only if they both realize why her life force is still tied to his through a soulmate bond...

In a fandom overrun by time loop fics, this was very, very neat to receive. The concept was fun to watch unfold.

highadrenalineexchange -

For 2024, I wrote -

belonging
BRIDGERTON | Kate/Anthony; Teen; 10.5k

Kate struggles to find her place amongst the Bridgertons.

I wanted to explore Kate's relationships with the other Bridgertons and got to dabble in a few of those with this. It's not what I had wanted it to be, but I still enjoyed the end result.

My gift -

Through Midnights Pass by goblins_riddles_frocks
THE WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY | Vasya/The Bear; Unrated; 10.6k

Vasalisa Petrovna and Medved traverse the Midnight road.

I loved the exploration of grief and death. The banter between Vasya and The Bear was spot on. (I loved Ded Grib the most in this, though.)

For 2025, I wrote -

V1. The Lovers
AGATHA ALL ALONG | Agatha/Rio; Mature; 17k

Before Rio, there was Death. Before Death, there wasn’t Rio.

She tried to separate them, once.

*

When a witch hunter starts killing witches, Agatha and Rio begrudgingly team up to take them down.

This idea was a lot bigger than it had any right to be for a fortnight turnaround and I wish that the end result was reflective of that, but I'm still happy with it because I had a lot of fun exploring Rio's relationship with death and grief in this. I was inspired by some of the cards I like (and dislike) playing in Marvel Snap, and wrote some of those characters into this. I wish this story got a little action during the anonymous period, but I knew when my name was on it that it would find its audience, and I'm glad it did. :)

My gifts -

Hollow Heart by Major
THE MUMMY | Evelyn/Rick; Teen; 10.7k

Rick accidentally activates a curse that traps him and Evy in an apocalyptic time loop.

They've had better days.

This was a super cool concept, and I really, really loved Rick's voice throughout this. I feel like he's a character who appears easy to write but is truly difficult not to write flatly. Major did a fantastic job getting his dry wit and absolute dedication to those he loves down.

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Annadóttir, Black, & Flamel, "Circular Reasoning: Applied Temporal Philosophy in Alchemaical Metaphysics," Journal of Magical Cosmology, 1645 (2001): 19–32. by avocadomoon
HARRY POTTER | Hermione/Sirius; Teen; 89k

"Science has its limits," Dumbledore said. "As does magic. And time. And everything else there is to see and touch and hear. But it is not a matter of fate, dear, no matter what the druid mystics say." He nodded at her wand. "When you throw a handful of petals in the air, can you control exactly where they fall? And would they always fall the same way twice?

It's not safe baiting avocadomoon because sometimes you end up receiving a mammoth of a gift. I only request Harry Potter when I see it in the tagset and have a feeling avocadomoon will participate. This was a wild ride, a fantastic, in-depth exploration of time travel and the consequences of time turners. Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book/movie of the franchise, so to get a story that's based on that concept and seeing the concept of time turners fleshed out was so enjoyable. This was a delight to read.

fffx -

I wrote -

Ace
CHALLENGERS | Tashi/Art; Mature; 10.5k

Patrick didn’t call.

Sometimes, when she imagined it, she’d forgive him. Sometimes, she made him work for it over several weeks. Sometimes, she didn’t say anything at all.

Her phone didn’t ring for weeks after she popped her knee, and Tashi told herself she didn’t care. Why should she? She had Art, and Art was a good friend to have by her side.

Tashi/Art is a guilty pleasure of mine and I was thrilled I got to explore this pairing through a Tashi character study. She was so much fun to write and I really enjoyed how this story came together.

My gift -

negotiation by santanico
CHALLENGERS | Tashi/Art/Patrick; Explicit; 10.6k

“Yo,” Patrick said, and his eyes swept the main living space so quickly Tashi almost could have missed the widening of his eyes when he saw the oversized 8k TV or the double-sectional couch - in all creamy white, as if to make a point, Tashi thought - if she hadn’t been paying very close attention. He was dressed in jeans that fit him too loosely, a t-shirt with a button-up on over, as if that was somehow going to paint an illusion of professionalism to the look. He kicked off his shoes and handed her a bag.

“Chocolates,” he said, by way of explanation when she looked inside.

“I can see they’re chocolates,” she said, mesmerized by his choice of Ferrero Roche hazelnut chocolates. Maybe they were meant to be funny.

“Don’t judge,” Patrick said, brushing past her with intent and popping his head into the kitchen where Art was characteristically hiding. “Hey.”

This was a great exploration of the three of them post-movie and how they still are quite dysfunctional and shit at communication. I like that it didn't try to wrap them up in a pretty bow, and offered the implication that they aren't exactly going to work out long-term, but they might if they keep their heads in the sand.

ficinabox -

I wrote -

In the Middle
CHALLENGERS | Art/Tashi/Patrick; Explicit; 6k

She liked it better when he allowed them to be them, as they were. Her with her scarred knee, Art with his nervous tic of playing with his wedding ring, and Patrick… Patrick stayed the same. He rubbed his hands against his thighs, scratched the back of his neck, and laughed too much. His laughter was too loud, but it fit in their room, littered with wedding photos. Nothing in this room was his, but he fit. He was theirs.

Straight up smut lol.

*

what do you get your superhero best friend for their birthday?
MCU | Carol & Kamala & Monica & MJ & Peter & Ned & Nick & Pepper & Goose; Teen; 2k

r/SUPERBESTPETSANDTHEIRHUMANFRIENDS posted by u/KAMALACANDO

sooooooo i (18F) want to get my super duper best friend a birthday gift but i 1) don’t know when her birthday is and 2) don’t know what to get a man-eating cat when i don’t know her age. SO I DESPERATELY NEED SOME ADVICE because i want to show her how much she means to me!!!

Even though I had some strife with the coding (div tags hate me), I had a lot of fun creating this. I think it's funny.

*

Homemade Hot Chocolate
GRISHAVERSE | Inej/Kaz; Teen; 2k

Inej’s Homemade Hot Chocolate
Please note that this is not for the faint of heart.

Just Kaz and Inej being a little silly and heartsick. I wanted to try something a touch different to writing a straight fic.

My gifts -

rising up like the sun at dawn by Fleetling
GRISHAVERSE | Inej/Kaz; Teen; 1.2k

Kaz doesn't answer her, because that's not what she wants, and because it's not something he can offer.

A sweet post-canon Kanej where Inej returns from some of her adventures on the sea and Kaz ensures she's comfortable. when Kaz wakes in the morning it'll be to Inej, having risen with the sun, sitting in the window and talking to the crows. It can't get anymore perfect.

*

[fanmix] deuce by hearteyesfordays
CHALLENGERS | Art/Tashi/Patrick; Unrated

I have never gotten a fanmix before. This was so cool and perfect.

*

[Art] Katherine Pierce by QueerIntentions
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES | Katherine; Gen

An iconic Katherine Pierce, enshrined in stained glass.

I can't believe I got Katherine artwork.

*

hurt by kitsunerei88
CHALLENGERS | Tashi; Tashi/Art, Tashi/Patrick; Mature; 1.2k

Tashi's life is not what she wanted it to be.
Or: A character study about Tashi, her injury, and her relationships with Art and Patrick.

A really great character study that explores Tashi's resentment toward both Art and Patrick.

*

Poisoned Glory by Alley_Skywalker
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON | Aemond & Criston; Gen; 1.4k

Aemond had thought Rook's Rest would make him a hero, but instead, even the people closest to him seem to be pulling away.

A great character study of Aemond post-Rook's Rest, giving more depth to Aemond and Criston's relationship that we should've gotten in the show.

*

horror and wild by cacowhistle
GRISHAVERSE | Zoya/Nikolai; Teen; 1.2k

It is late this evening in Os Alta. There is an ominous air to the palace, and an evacuation of the king’s personal wing has been put in place.

You can never go wrong with demon!Nikolai. I love how this shows a glimpse of how Zoya, Tamar, Tolya, Genya, and David work together to try to keep demon!Nikolai under control. This should've been a scene in the book.

*

some kind of miraculous bind by cacowhistle
GRISHAVERSE | Zoya/Nikolai; Mature; 1.3k

It goes like this: Nikolai is the one to propose, but Zoya is the one to ask him to marry her.

This contains my favourite line She is a hurricane, and Nikolai lets himself be her eye and center. He is the calm that comes before her storm.

*

there is nothing in-between by cacowhistle
GRISHAVERSE | Zoya/Nikolai; Teen; 3.6k

It is the night after the obisbaya, and Nikolai cannot sleep.

A moment between Nikolai and Zoya on their travels back to Os Alta post-obisbaya. Nikolai's perspective is really well done, and come of the dialogue feels like it leapt right out of Bardugo's head.

*

[ MURDLE ] THE CASE OF THE PRODUCER ON THE PILLOW by swirlingvoid
THE HUNGER GAMES | Finnick, Annie, Johanna; Teen

A logic puzzle excerpted from the Panem Gazette. Which Victor killed again?
(Any resemblance to real events or persons living or dead is a coincidence, the paper claims. This is just a game.)

An in-universe Murdle in Panem is very cool and so very meta. This was so good.

trickortreatex -

I wrote -

go
GRISHAVERSE | Inej/Kaz; Teen; 600

Stay, he says, and Inej can do nothing but heed him.

I wanted to try a different style while keeping it in a tight word count of 600. I think it works.

My gift -

Tonight and the Rest of My Life by anr
BUFFYVERSE | Cordelia/Angel; Teen; 605

A thin curl of sweet satisfaction.

(aka, Five times Cordelia dreams of Angel.)

This filled me with so much nostalgia.

yuletide -

I was lucky enough to receive two gifts for yuletide 2024. I really enjoyed my time in this exchange (I had a rough go of it in 2022 with the gifting side and the Yuleswaps side, so I took a break in 2023). I think this was the exchange I had the most fun in.

I wrote -

Mother
AGATHA ALL ALONG | Agatha/Rio; Mature; 11.3k

Agatha closed her eyes. Swallowing thickly, she felt a stone within her throat shift. "How long will this last me?"

This was how it always went. Agatha would ask, and Rio would never respond. Agatha would always have her answer in the dread coiling low in her belly.

If Death wouldn’t help her, dark magic would.

I am so proud of this one. I had an easy time writing it. I really enjoyed the themes and I just loved how it all came together. This is set pre-canon, with Nicholas, and explores Agatha, Rio, and Nicholas, and how death haunted them all. I feel like it could've been longer, but I think the story is one of my best, and I was certainly proud of it when I wrote it.

My gifts -

to haunt a house nobody lives in by Twilfitt6
AGATHA ALL ALONG | Agatha/Rio; Mature; 3.9k

Agnes doesn't remember why she hates Rio. She doesn't remember that they've had this conversation before. Rio at her door with a peace offering, conversations about the case, the evidence sometimes differed but the case and the corpse were always the same, and they'd talk about these nothingnesses and then, as always, Rio would lean forward and ask.

"Do you remember why you hate me?"

Agnes never does. She remembers Rio's face, she remembers her name, she remembers the way her hands used to feel around her waist, but she doesn't remember what had happened between them. The memories had faded beneath Maximoff's spell but something still remained.

This is Agatha/Rio stuck in a timeloop during 1x01, while exploring how they came to know one another, get together, and split apart. I particularly loved the exploration of Rio's identity throughout this. Perfectly done. It has a nice rhythm to it.

*

All a wild heart needs by Dolorosa
WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY | Vasilisa/Morozko; Teen; 1.5k

Vasya has already transformed Morozko, but now her unpredictable magic has started to transform the world around them, as well.

The maturity between these two! This explores the concept of winter/spring in a quiet moment between the two of them. I was super thrilled to have gotten a gift from dolorosa_12. ♥

littleblackdressex -

I wrote -

my heart beats heavy
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES | Elena/Elijah; Teen; 1k

"Don’t you wish you had a scar?" she asked.
*
Elijah and Elena speak about mortality.

I missed writing Elijah/Elena.

pine4pine -

I wrote -

falling gracefully
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON | Baela/Jace; Teen; 1.7k

When Baela falls from Moondancer, Jacaerys doesn’t leave her side.

I won't lie, writing pining is a lot harder when you actually have to make sure it's heavily in the story in order to comply with an exchange's theme. I think I had intended to write this from Baela's POV (I was getting comfortable writing her thanks to DWRP), but because of the freeforms, I decided to challenge myself with writing Jace, which was a fun exercise.

battleshipex or

voiceteam as they have their own dedicated wrap posts. (I am not even going to bother wrapping what I missed for 2023.)

That's all, folks. :)

Entry tags:

391. JANUARY WRAP.

I started pulling together a post to wrap up everything I engaged in during January, but it exhausted me pulling books, television, and movies into a post with fandom. This is a post wrapping up all the fandom stuff I did or interacted with, and includes some recs!

*

I had a whole

voiceteam post written, but it seems to have gone missing, so RIP. I have

ficinabox and

yuletide posts half-written and will do a separate post for all exchange wraps because I'm being honest with myself and I know I will never return to them. (I have to track down the creators for FIAB and Yuletide, and I am too lazy to do that right now.)

For Voiceteam Mystery Box, I created or participated in:

( voiceteam )

*

My contributions to

threesentenceficathon:

( three sentence ficathon )

*

I decided to make my first ever non-challenge podfic, and it was for

southernmedicine's fic. (I had actually half-recorded one of her other fics for Guess That Voice in Voiceteam, but I disliked how I said "luminous" and I couldn't stop laughing because it was such a surreal experience recording myself reading aloud.) When I chose this fic, I had forgotten she had written it for me!

[Podfic] Playdates
MCU | Fanny & Lucky ft. Yelena/Kate; Gen; 4 mins
If Kate and Yelena are going to be getting along, it only makes sense for their furry friends to be close companions as well.

I'm glad my first official pod that I made for the hell of it was for a friend's work! ♥

*

I commented on some of these on 29-Dec because I discovered them during

voiceteam, but I think they deserve to be added to my list! These are recs, mostly of pods, but there's one or two fics in here that I remembered I had commented on. Give them a listen, and if you like them, comment! ✨ Sorry, I couldn't be bothered ordering them by fandom. I am that lazy today.

This does not include the podfic I listened to for

comment_bingo, during January. I'll post those as part of my completed blackout when I'm done.

( recs )

*

It's been nice getting back into fandom and engaging again!

Entry tags:

357. BATTLESHIP 2024 - MY DAVY JONES' LOCKER.

My third year of Battleship is over! :D I was on Team Mermaid this year and I had a beaching time with my team! Even though we didn't win, it was one of the best social experiences I've had in this game, and I'm so glad that I not only got over my creative burnout and managed to create over 25 things, but I got to make some new friends, too. (D'aww!)

Things I want to brag about that are personal accomplishments:

I ended up writing approximately 40k of published works (not including the two WIPs that share 10k that I'm still working on), which I think is great. In 2022 for the Frost era I wrote 50k and in 2023 for the Tower era I wrote 9k (can you feel the burnout?). I'm back, baby!

I collaborated with peasina! This was my first collaboration ever! We bonded over tarot and peasina asked me if I'd like to do a reading and sent me the most beautiful Pokemon artwork. She would give me the cards and I got to decide which order they'd sit in the reading. A lot of the Pokemon puns are her work.

I hit work caps for Boards 1 and 2, and really enjoyed the rush of creating triple drabbles so we could clear our board and move onto the Bosses. I love the rallying the most in Battleship.

All the challenges we did as a team were so much fun! I really enjoyed the Rockpool Bar and am so glad everyone was game to participate in that. peasina came up with a comment bingo that made the work reveals period less quiet and lonely. (In case you didn't know: my team was orcawesome!)

I got two amazing podfic of my works! :O I also listened to a lot of podfic this year!

I wrote for new fandoms and converted myself into a shipper! I wrote for Challengers and House of the Dragon (and made myself ship Helaena/Aemond), and revisited a very old fandom in The Vampire Diaries. I did not write MCU or The Boys this year despite some really great requests (I have some superhero burnout).

The worst thing about Battleship is I struggle with titles at times. This will never change lol.

Last year I didn't go through the collections because I was burnt out, so I'm glad to say that I managed to get through all of the teams' collections and really enjoyed a lot of the works that I was familiar and unfamiliar with.

I lost for the first time! But I really enjoyed how my team members were always so encouraging and enthusiastic, and how some of them even ventured into new mediums for this round. Seeing others try podfic for the first time and having our veteran Mermaid podficcers help them out was really cool. That's what Battleship is all about imo.

This will sound lame but I MADE NEW FRIENDS and that is the reason why I participate in battleshipex!

Next year I'd like to contribute art, so I need to… get practicing… I'll be surprised if I try podfic. I don't think I have the reading voice for it lol.

When (not if!) I finish those two other fics, I'll update this list…

Anyway, here is what I wrote. (I did save all my tags in Scrivener… I wonder if it's easy to figure out which tags inspired what fics?) I asterisked my favourites…

( BRIDGERTON )

( CHALLENGERS )

( GRISHAVERSE )

( HOUSE OF THE DRAGON )

( THE HUNGER GAMES )

( POKEMON TAROT READINGS )

( THE VAMPIRE DIARIES )

Entry tags:

323.

I'm tired so no thoughts, brain is just buzzing with white noise. I saw

dolorosa_12 and

svgurl do this meme so I thought "I want to be cool, too".

Rules: go through your last 5 fics and share the first and last line. No context.

Obviously not including anything I may have written for unrevealed exchanges! I will also provide a note for my NSFW fic since you know I write horny stuff and I think it's fair I warn for this.

-

i'm desperate for your adoration [ IMPLIED CONTENT ]
first line: "So, does this mean I get to be your dirty little secret?" he murmured against her skin.
last line: Before he could utter another ridiculous word, she kissed him.

*

falling in my den full of lions
first line: "So, you’re sleeping on the floor," he declared with a swish of his cape.
last line: Instead, it held her and kept them at bay.

*

unafraid [ NSFW ]
first line: "You know, when I suggested you take me up against a wall, I was partly joking."
last line: Rather than shush her, he laughs loudly, letting the sound echo around them like he’s finally unafraid of being seen.

*

a broken clock
first line: With a jolt, he slurred, "I had fantasies about this."
last line: Turned out, Maggie Shaw’s a better kisser than him.

*

bleeding in the snow
first line: The snow is cold against your back.
last line: You’re no longer in the snow.

*

In other news: did y'all feel the tectonic plates shift? I'm writing again! My brain is full of ideas. I'm writing things for myself and they are indulgent af. AND I'M LOVING IT. I hope to finish something soon. 🤗

Entry tags:

322.

After struggling all year to sit down and write whatever I wanted outside of an exchange, I finally did it!

I decided to participate in

slippery_fish's music drabble challenge (once again!!! I missed doing this!) and FINALLY WROTE MORE ZOYALAI.

i'm desperate for your adoration
gregverse | zoya/nikolai; mature; 500 words

"So, does this mean I get to be your dirty little secret?"

*

Nikolai's excited to be Queen Zoya's dirty little secret, but she has other plans for him.

I feel like it's rough, but, whatever, I WROTE SOMETHING FOR MEEEE.

Is my creativity block over? HAVE I DEFEATED THE EVIL?

We'll see...

This art by

kolarpem inspired me...

[ REBLOG ]

Entry tags:

310. SNOWFLAKE_CHALLENGE #10 AND #11.

Doing the unthinkable for me and combining two challenges since I purposefully stalled on Challenge 10 because I was tossing up on what to do.

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snowflake_challenge #10: In your own space, create a fanwork.

My first fill for my

hc_bingo card and another fill for

slippery_fish's weekly music prompt:

to the devil that i love in you
the vampire diaries | katherine/klaus; mature; 1,520 words
During captivity, Katherine and Klaus reminisce about their relationship in England during the 1400s. Even after five hundred years, one of them remains in denial about their shared truth.

I love rare pairs and I love fucked up rare pairs. Bring on the toxicity! (Bring on writing for myself! Guys! I wrote for myself!)

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snowflake_challenge #11: In your own space, Talk about your favorite trope, cliché, kink, motif, or theme.

I really like ambiguous/open endings and I like not reading or writing love declarations that say "I love you". Sometimes I feel like these two go hand in hand for me.

I mean this in the sense that a story follows a certain plot or problem, and by the end of the story, that specific problem is solved. If I follow two people getting together, I want to see them together at the end. In this scenario, what I love about the two people getting together at the end is the story ending on a note of "They're together, they're happy, but what comes next is left up in the air".

I'm not the biggest fan of declarations of love as I prefer it being shown rather than told to me as a reader. I feel like this is often seen as being ambiguous as a lot of stories I read and watch have a love declaration that ties up the "getting together" nice and neatly. But what I love most about a getting together story is that they work through the hurdles that keep them apart and get together in the end, and it's not all rainbows and butterflies. They still haven't gone on a date. They haven't moved in together yet. They're not in a place emotionally to say "I love you". I like the ambiguous endings because I feel like they're more realistic. (I classify people not saying "I love you" as open because, well… I've grown up with love stories that conclude with "I love you" and that's it with no real promise of anything further. The story ends here. The "I love you" is the neatly tied bow.)

(That said, I do like it when "I love you" is featured in a story, but one person says it and the other person denies it. I love it when that declaration brings on more problems than solutions, and introduces yet another hurdle for two people to work toward. I guess in that vein, I really like trust issues and insecurities flaring up.)

And even outside of this example, I just prefer open endings because I feel like it gives the impression that the story I read exists in a bigger story itself. Not everything is hunky dory in real life, and while I know we escape to fiction to get away from real life, I really like having that impression of "More can happen and will happen". The story isn't over yet, but this thread of it is.

I recently reread one of my favourite book series (Six of Crows) and I really like how it ended on an open ending. The main plot thread that spanned two books is concluded, but the characters' endings are open and offer promise of further stories and movement. I find this more fulfilling than anything else, really. I have my closure, I'm satisfied, but I'm not left with what I feel is unrealistic which is a neatly tied bow at the end of it. I like my bows wonky.

I have no idea if that even makes sense, but it's often a driving force for me as a writer. As I've mostly engaged with fanworks in exchanges, the gifts I receive that have open endings (with the plot thread coming to a nice closure-giving end) are the ones that I really love the most. I like my open endings because I feel like they offer a closure that promises that the characters' journey doesn't end with the story. The plot thread I took you on does.

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306. SNOWFLAKE CHALLENGE #7.

snowflake_challenge #7: In your own space, interact with a community or a fic.

I have:

* commented on

readingtogether (a community I've been intimidated by as I feel I'm a slow reader) and committed to the train rides challenge, where I said I'd like to finish my reread of Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo by tonight (Sunday night).

* dropped a handful of prompts, saved a whole bucket load from

threesentenceficathon, and am commenting around on the stories I find that are of things I love. I've been slowly filling in the ones I've saved. (I love how this year's round is going to turn out like last year's where I just write a lot of Kaz/Inej. I've accepted my fate.) I plan to do a little round-up post of my fills and prompts a little closer to the end date this time.

* posted summer stock icons in my icon community,

shithouse.

* posted a double drabble (Six of Crows; Nina/Matthias; Crooked Kingdom spoilers) as part of

slippery_fish's weekly challenge where you have a week to write a short fic (of whatever size you like) where the story is inspired by the song.

I thought this challenge prompt would be difficult lol.

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305. WRAP | FANDOMTREES 2022.

fandomtrees has taken root and I don't know tree metaphors well enough to make this work (despite doing a lot of work with trees in my day-to-day job which just makes this confession all the more embarrassing), but it's open! This is my second round participating, and the big theme of this year is "Let's get her to actually read" because damn, did I get a lot of book recs.

Me before Fandom Trees:

Me after Fandom Trees:

I'm super ecstatic because the books sound fantastic, I got a range of genre suggestions, and I now have no excuse to not renew my library membership and go explore my local library. :) One of my goals for this year was to read more books and try different genres, and I feel very, very encouraged to take the plunge.

My tree is here if you'd like to check out the book recs!

*

I also got a few drabbles and ficlets covering a span of fandoms, which was super amazing.

the hunger games drabble by

obscure_ramblings
finnick & katniss | gen; 100 words

This really captures the adrenaline of fighting side by side. Finnick and Katniss are a well-oiled machine, and this captured their dynamic, their ability to work together so well, and their resilience so effectively within the structure of the story.

-

Hot Ass Cookie Monster by

bring_me_sugar
abbott elementary | janine, gregory, ava, melissa, barbara; gen, 100 words

All you need to know is that Janine is Janine and tries to fix Gregory's dislike for the foods we all love. I could see this being an episode of the show. It just captured the spirit so well (and the last line is hilarious).

-

The Salt Road

dolorosa_12
six of crows | inej/kaz; gen; 1,997 words
Five times Inej Ghafa left Ketterdam, and one time she didn't.

One of my favourite things about the Inej/Kaz relationship is their emotional intimacy, and that's captured so beautifully in the progression of Inej finding herself on the sea and returning to Kaz for safe harbour. Even after all the heists, I love that Kaz is there for Inej even when she's chosen to fulfil a mission that he was never involved in. What I also really love is that even though they're not physically intimate i.e. hand touching, kissing, etc., they are still physically intimate in the non-conventional understanding where Inej always physically returns to Kaz and Kaz always, always welcomes her back.

-

Playdates by

southernmedicine
hawkeye | fanny & lucky (+yelena/kate); gen; 593 words
Just a couple of small snippets from the POV of the dogs. If Kate and Yelena are going to be getting along, it only makes sense for their furry friends to be close companions as well.

Anyone who knows me knows I love animals and this captures everything that's so special about having an animal in your life. Fanny and Lucky's perspectives are believably sharp and I really loved the language chosen to keep you situated in their POV. This was so beautiful. A big woof from me.

( originally posted here )

*

As for me, I dropped a lot of icons beneath trees, which was a lot of fun considering I hadn't been in Photoshop to make icons in many months. I really enjoyed looking up animal and scenery photos.

I also wrote my first ever fic for Fandom Trees and it was for

southernmedicine! (It only makes sense to inflict this torture on a friend.)

you kept me close
hawkeye (mcu) | yelena/kate; teen; 2,900 words
Five times Yelena and Kate wore one another’s clothes.

*

Because Fandom Trees is structured very differently from the typical exchange I do (it's a fest, I suppose), a very kind nonnie on FFA compiled a list of all the gifts under categories to make it easier to view the trees. You can find that list here and the AO3 collection here!

Not everything is cross-posted to the AO3 collection. I've used the list to go around and check some things out and leave some comments, so if you see something you like, consider letting the creator know!

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297. EXCHANGE WRAP | YULETIDE 2022.

My second

yuletide is done and dusted! This year, I was really lucky to receive four gifts for two fandoms (three from the main collection and one from Madness, although I consider them all Yuletide gifts!). I have been desperate for Amy/Laurie and I was honestly so thrilled to get stories focused on them (and focused on different aspects of their relationship)!

I ended up writing two case fics because I decided that there was no better way to end the year than with some sort of crime solving. I enjoyed writing both—one was filled with nostalgia and exploring the reasons why someone would steal from a friend and the other was utter ridiculousness that let me have a lot of fun in writing hyperbolic situations that would only happen with superheroes.

There is so much great stuff in both collections. Yuletide is a fic exchange that focuses on rare fandoms, so if there's a fandom out there that you love that hardly gets any fic, check out the collections (past and present) and see if you can find any gems!

*

Fandoms I wrote: Enola Holmes and She-Hulk.

Fandoms I received: Little Women (2019) and Ready or Not.

Other fandoms: Abbott Elementary, The Good Place, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Little Red Riding Hood, Only Murders in the Building, Ready or Not, and Spy Game.

*

( What I wrote. )

( My gifts. )

( Gifts I enjoyed in the collection. )

There are plenty of obscure canons in both Yuletide collections that I'm sure people on my flist (and who wander by this journal) may enjoy: the Main collection and the Madness collection. As always, if you find something you enjoy, please consider leaving kudos and a comment for the creator! (And nothing is ever late—I'm sure they'd enjoy knowing you liked their work several months from when I posted this, too.)

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293. CHALLENGE WRAP | THREE SENTENCE FICATHON.

I've finally finished cross-posting all of my three sentence ficathon fills—and just in time for 2022 to end! If you're a poor soul who has subscribed to me, you can breathe a sigh of relief as you won't be getting any more daily notifications.

I won't be listing them all individually here because there are 39 of them (it kills me that it's not even, curse past me!) and that's too many, but you can find them all in my three sentence ficathon series. They're not sorted by fandom because that's too logical.

Stories include Kaz/Inej (Shadow and Bone + Six of Crows), Kaz & Jordie (Six of Crows), Jesper & Milo (Shadow and Bone), Alina + Darkling/Alina (Shadow and Bone), Jaskier/Yennefer + Geralt/Yennefer (The Witcher), Yelena/Kate + Yelena & Kate (Hawkeye), Bucky/Natasha + Bucky (MCU), Elena + Katherine/Elena (The Vampire Diaries), Jess/Rory (Gilmore Girls), Clark/Lois (Smallville).

Some of my favourites include:

sankta
six of crows/shadow and bone | kaz/inej; mature; 67 words
"Sankta Inej," Kaz murmurs and chuckles as she hides her face beneath the cover of her hands.

one of the crew
six of crows | kaz/inej; gen; 87 words
Inej is exasperated when Kaz refuses to act like he's a guest on The Wraith.

i hope when i die, you barely survive
six of crows | kaz & jordie; mature; 80 words
Kaz looks for Jordie in the canal.

she herself is a haunted house
the vampire diaries | elena; mature; 90 words
"I’m sorry," she whispers to the chipped and discoloured tombstones.

flirting
the witcher | jaskier/yennefer; teen; 116 words
Jaskier flirts with Yennefer through song.

grey
shadow and bone | alina; mature; 77 words
Sankta Alina reclaims what the shadows had thieved so brutally from her.

get your shit together so i can love you
six of crows | kaz/inej; teen; 101 words
She watches soundlessly as Kaz sheds all of his armour but his gloves.
—
Or: Kaz takes off his armour, except for one piece he leaves for Inej.

braiding hair
six of crows | kaz/inej; teen; 77 words
With bare hands, Kaz braids Inej's hair.

together we're lost
six of crows | kaz/inej; teen; 141 words
Kaz chooses the sea over Ketterdam.

to be loved and love at the highest count
six of crows | kaz/inej; mature; 95 words
When Inej bumps into a previous Menagerie client, Kaz comforts her before planning his revenge.

when i'm alone with you
six of crows | kaz/inej; teen; 89 words
It's in the shadows where they're able to touch.

fairytales
the witcher | jaskier/yennefer; teen; 131 words
Jaskier writes a song for Yennefer. She, of course, has some edits.

singing like a bird
six of crows | kaz/inej; teen; 131 words
Kaz confesses his love for Inej and enjoys her embarrassment.

you bear your fangs and drink me
the vampire diaries | katherine/elena; mature; 85 words
Elena's no longer afraid of the big bad vampire.

we’re slaves to any semblance of touch
six of crows | kaz/inej; mature; 183 words
Inej glides her naked fingers against the bared skin of Kaz's neck and shoulder, down the muscle of his bicep and to the crook of his elbow.
-
Or: Inej studies Kaz without his armour.

*

I might have a Kaz/Inej problem.

If you like any of them, please leave a comment if you like! Feedback is always appreciated. :)

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290. EXCHANGE WRAP | FIC IN A BOX 2022.

This was my second year participating in

ficinabox, which happens to mark my one-year anniversary in exchanges. This round, I was successful in swaps and got to have fun creating for different assignments. I ended up writing 72k in total (which is only a testament to how much fun I had creating for this exchange) and explored a lot of the collection (I'm not too sure how many comments I left, but I think I broke my own record). FIAB is one of my favourite exchanges for how it encourages me to be creative and how I get to selfishly enjoy everyone else's creativity.

Without further ado, the good stuff:

I created for The Boys, Enola Holmes, MCU, Six of Crows, and What If…?.

My recs include A Series of Unfortunate Events, A Song of Ice and Fire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Emperor's New Groove, Harry Potter, Marvel 616, MCU, Murdle, Original Work, One Piece, Oxford Time Travel Universe, Star Wars, and Taylor Swift music video.

*

( What I wrote. )

( What I received. )

( What I enjoyed. )

*

You can check out the collection, which has over 800 works.

ficinabox has different mediums, so not everything is a story! There are over 300 fandoms to explore and many, many great pieces to discover. If you do find something you enjoy, please consider leaving the creator a kudos and comment!

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286. EXCHANGE WRAP | HURT/COMFORT EXCHANGE.

I'm finally getting around to slowly posting a backlog of exchange fic.

I wrote a treat for the

hurtcomfortex earlier this year for

svgurl410.

[FIC]

dancing with skeletons

When Bucky has to pretend to be the Winter Soldier on a mission, neither he nor Natasha expect it to almost cost her life.

You can find the collection here. If you enjoy something, consider leaving kudos and a comment for the creator.

285. EXCHANGE WRAP | SEASONS OF DRABBLES.

So I think this round of

seasonsofdrabbles might be my favourite??? It's hard to have a favourite when there's always a handful of amazing drabbles that just hit me in the face or kick me in the gut or rip my heart out.

As a participant, I love every round because I make it a point to spice up my requests and ask for a few different fandoms. As a creator, I like to use this as an opportunity to experiment, try new characters/ships, and challenge myself with great ideas inspired by amazing requests. This time around, I stuck to 200-300 words because I was busy with

ficinabox. (I did try to write 100 words, but the drabble that originally had it didn't feel right, so 100 words unfortunately didn't make it as a successful hit on my Drabble Writing Bingo Card. Sometimes that happens! I was still very, very happy with what I had spun into tiny stories.) I also wrote some ships I've never written before, which was exciting and terrifying.

I was absolutely spoiled. (I got a drabble focusing on a character study of my favourite The Boys character and drabbles of my main fandom, TVD! (So glad I didn't sacrifice that request for something else!) I also got a DCU Comics drabble (I was so excited to shake that!) and, of course, what appears to be my main fandom, MCU.)

( what i wrote )

( what i received )

( what i enjoyed )

Check out the collection as there's plenty more in other fandoms! If you find something you like, please give kudos and consider leaving a comment.

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284. EXCHANGE WRAP | MULTIFANDOM TROPEFEST.

multifandomtropefest has come to a close for 2022.

I ended up pinch hitting this year:

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

[FIC]

i'm going to leave you shivering

flipflop_diva

While on mission to find the Winter Soldier, Steve and Natasha hide out in one of Fury’s safe houses in the middle of nowhere. When the snow settles in and their heat goes out, they have to rely on one another to keep each other warm.

I enjoyed a couple of works in the collection:

ORIGINAL WORK

[ART]

Seaside Summoning

denpring

BUFFYVERSE

[FIC]

Scarred

RoselynnThornwood

Wesley gets injured after breaking Faith out of prison, and together they heal old wounds and new.

so good

*

While the collection is on the smaller side, there's still a great assortment of fandoms and tropes. If you see/read something you like, give it kudos and consider leaving a comment so the creator knows how much you enjoyed it!

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272. EXCHANGE WRAP | BATTLESHIP.

I participated in

battleshipex as a part of the Frost team and ended up writing around 30 fics and drawing one piece of art. This collection is massive and filled with good stuff. I highly recommend browsing the collection and seeing if there's anything that strikes your fancy! (And if there is, please give the creator some love and comment!) I've only linked the main collection because there's four collections and most participants placed their works in the main collection.

This is going to be a huge post covering what I created, what I received, and what I enjoyed in the collection that wasn't created by or for me. Please use your discretion when viewing the AO3 tags if you click through to a work. Some are NSFW and a few cover sensitive topics.

SHORTCUTS: WHAT I CREATED | WHAT I RECEIVED | WORKS I ENJOYED

( what i created + some thoughts )

( my gifts )

( works i enjoyed )

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265. EXCHANGE WRAP | UNSENT LETTERS.

unsent_letters_exchange has successfully delivered its letters and packages (and maybe some bills) for 2022. I had such a blast! This was the first time I participated in the exchange and I am so glad I did. (I've been wanting to ever since I discovered it sometime last year.) Epistolary is something I really enjoyed writing and I can only hope I have more opportunities to do so!

Onto the good stuff:

What I wrote:

in a minute
mcu | bucky/natasha ft. nick fury, yelena belova, steve rogers, clint barton, maria hill | for Ultra
teen, 6.4k
When Bucky goes A.W.O.L after being brought back from the Blip, Fury pulls out all the stops to try and find him, including going through Natasha’s collection of personal letters addressed to "Soldat" and "James".

I initially wasn't going to sign up for this exchange for a few reasons (one being Trying to Be Responsible) but then I saw ultra_fic's request and I couldn't get it out of my head. My weakness is Bucky/Natasha paired with Red Room or Vormir. I tried my hardest to resist, but as I was already thinking of them in the Red Room having sent letters to one another, I was toast. I shared with my flist that a specific request was the sole reason why I signed up for this exchange and this one was The One.

This was so much fun to piece together. I hadn't intended for it to feature an ensemble that revolved around Bucky and Natasha, but when I sat down to write it, I first started with Yelena and Fury's first email and it all spiralled from there. It was so much fun piecing together Bucky and Natasha' Red Room history into the MCU's canon and building on from that. I also tried to layer each interaction so that it built to the climax.

This is probably one of my favourite fics that I've written for an exchange.

EXCLUSIVE!
smallville | lois/clark ft. oliver queen, lex luthor, jimmy olsen and perry white. | for svgurl410
teen, 2.6k
Five articles Lois Lane published about Superman and the one article she didn’t.

I might be a little addicted to writing for svgurl but, hey, I'm okay with that. I write media releases at work and I had been wanting to write something with a little more flair and fun to it, and svgurl's request came up as a pinch hit that I had to have (sorry not sorry).

It was so much fun threading the personal and professional development of Lois, Clark, Lex and (in particular) Jimmy throughout the story. I was going to date each article, but then I didn't feel that was necessary as I felt the events as they unfolded was enough to show that time was progressing forward. I really enjoyed writing a slightly political and biased slant with Lois' articles, and I particularly liked showing Jimmy's professional journey without needing him to be overly present.

This one was a lot of fun to write. I feel like I packed it with a lot of things intentionally and subconsciously. (My favourite articles are the Lex Luthor one and the final one.) I had to stop myself from writing 20+ articles as I was having way too much fun.

my best friend
mcu | kate & clint ft. sam wilson, bucky barnes, yelena belova, thor odinson.| for endlesstwanted
teen, 2.7k
Kate integrates herself into the Avengers and gives Clint a headache in the process.

When I saw this come up as a pinch hit, all I had in my head was Kate on Twitter being a troll. This transformed into an ensemble piece that centred around Kate being obnoxious, overly friendly, and very much the glue tying our Avengers together. This was absolutely ridiculous and I had so much fun showing the progression of time and Kate's relationships, as well as her positive impact on Clint.

The ending is my favourite. Yes, I laughed at it. (I also learned a few things in Photoshop, which was cool!)

My gift:

THIS WEEK IN PANDORA'S POCKET: SCANDAL IN SOUTHAMPTON?
harry potter | hermione/sirus ft. andromeda tonks and teddy lupin | by avocadomoon
teen, 29.8k
Let us report events logically and without bias: on MONDAY AFTERNOON, the future HIGHBORN HEIR was witnessed escorting the temptress Muggleborn along the boardwalk, and with her own eyes, this reporter witnessed HAND HOLDING.

On THURSDAY MORNING, the ladder-climbing lady was spotted at a local pub MAKING EYES at His Most Honorable over PANCAKES!

And SATURDAY EVENING found the two UNACCOMPANIED sharing a meal at a Muggle restaurant (something called… "tie food?" The names those Muggles come up with!) SITTING CLOSELY and SPEAKING INTIMATELY. The licentious lady - for interested parties - was dressed in a dark maroon blouse and matching skirt - Muggle in style, naturally - and a pair of beautiful - as it pains this reporter to admit - Amina Arncliffe Spring '99 kitten heels, in off-white. The generous gentleman - TO MATCH! - was wearing a Muggle-style t-shirt proclaiming PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION WORLD TOUR 1985 (how silly! Why on earth would the Prince be touring the entire world with a revolutionary sect? Those Muggles!) and a pair of denim trousers. And yes - to answer the many, many reader response owls - his hair is VERY SHORT INDEED now! (Miss Granger's influence? No doubt!)

THIS IS SO GOOD. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this. The articles were fantastic—the voices in this were superb. This features one of my favourite Black sisters in a prominent role that fleshes her out and lets her be her own person. It's delicious!

Sirius/Hermione is an old, nostalgic ship for me. I still read it from time to time as I love the stories and the chemistry, and this fic captured the dynamic I love so well with a more matured Sirius and Hermione. I loved the journalism meta that was also involved in this. I loved the friendships Hermione has in this and how each character who shows up is so mature and not a caricature as they were in both the books and movies.

I was so disappointed when it ended because it ended. I wanted it to go on forever.

Here are a few of the fics I enjoyed in the collection:

An exchange that is both monstrous and scrupulously honest
harry potter | bellatrix & andromeda | by vienna_salvatori
teen, 6.1k
On the evening of Beltane 1976, Bellatrix Lestrange née Black stood before the Dark Lord’s court and swore upon her magic to personally cleanse the Black family line of all those she found unworthy of the name.

It was the greatest protection she could offer.

I thought this was so good and so funny. The Bellatrix voice is superb—I love that she's so biting and dry and she also is a little naive at times. Andromeda is morally ambiguous and it's great to see. This is a relationship that I'm fascinated by and it was great to read a more empathetic take on Bellatrix's perception of Andromeda's betrayal. Bellatrix is still "Pureblood strong!" but I appreciated seeing a more family-oriented Bellatrix, too. It added some great complications to the story.

I love the Black family and this was a good look into how fucked up they are.

Hey, Susan
original | lovesick fool & their high school crush's son who was dumped on them | by Casta_X
mature, 1.6k
Hey Susan,
I’ve been meaning to call you since the grad party.

I didn't really know what to expect when I began reading this and it took me by surprise (in a really good way). This is a great exploration of a man's mature growth over the years and how he learns of and unlearns some of his own toxic habits. There is mature themes in this story, particularly about abuse, but it doesn't go into graphic detail about it. It's a fantastic look at empathy and how people can grow without you in their life, but you can still positively impact them.

what i really meant to say
dceu | lois/clark | by svgurl410
teen, 2.6k
After Clark's death, Lois grieves in her own way.

I love stories about grief, and when I saw this in the collection, I was curious to see DCEU's Lois given the spotlight when I feel she's been shoved continuously into the shadows. This was a great look at Lois in the aftermath of Clark's death. I particularly liked how Lois used writing as her outlet of grief and to tell her truth (similarly to how she tells reveals the truth through her journalism). I really liked the characterisation of who Clark is to her throughout this; Lois' perspective on Clark is one of my favourite things, and while grief certainly clouds her perspective, the way Lois loves Clark for the man and hero he is rather than Superman for being Clark is fantastic. One of the reasons why I love Lois and Clark is that he may be some powerful almighty alien superhero, but to Lois, he's just a gentle man made of flesh and bone, and this captured that perfectly.

If you check out the collection, please leave the authors some love!

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254. EXCHANGE WRAP | FFFX.

I ended up pinch hitting (and writing a pinch hitter treat) for

fffx! I enjoyed creating for this round because I do love writing longfic and these three stories were fun to write. I didn't expect to write so much, but I guess that's what happens when you're enjoying yourself!

I went through the entire collection and found some great fics that I really enjoyed. I've linked them below.

The fics I wrote:

i'll watch you come undone
the vampire diaries | klaus/elena | for symbioticdeath
explicit, 28,594
When Elena discovers Klaus shares a magical empathy bond with her, she learns more about the big bad wolf than she bargained for.

The prompts were perfect to explore Elena's grief, particularly the ugly side to it. I wanted to explore her self-destructing and shoving her head so deep within the river of denial and even learning that sometimes the best way to overpower the big bad wolf is to show it empathy. I was intending for this to be a lot darker than it was because the last thing I wanted to do was romanticise Klaus/Elena and disregard the trauma he's inflicted upon her, but I really like how this turned out. I think Elena started it off as drowning and then she finally rose to the surface by the end of it.

buried in sunlight
shadow and bone | alina; darkling/alina, inej & alina & nina | for Marenke
mature, 16,731
While Alina tries to settle into her new life in Ketterdam, she finds that Aleksander isn’t willing to let her go. The stag amplifier’s connected them together in a way neither of them had ever bargained for.

I've never written Darklina before but I found the dynamic super interesting, especially in its fucked-up capacity. I wanted to explore Alina in the aftermath of season one and show her coming into her own. She deserved to have closure with how the Darkling treated her, and I think Aleksander deserved to be shown a kind hand, too. I had a lot of fun writing this one and really went in hard on the light/shadow metaphor lmao.

mr & mrs rushman
mcu | steve/natasha; yelena & natasha | for Silvereye
mature, 13,093
When Natasha’s unable to contact Yelena, she and Steve put their plans to break the team out of the Raft on hold to find her.

I love writing Steve/Nat so I couldn't help myself when I saw a request for it on the pinch hitter post. This was meant to be a small one-shot that featured one scene, but it just grew and grew into an aftermath of Black Widow. I've been wanting to explore the trauma of the Red Room and felt like I had a chance to do that, especially since Natasha just took it down. How's she going to feel after that? It turned itself into a mission fic, and I really like how it came together.

Here's what I enjoyed in the collection:

the best fit
gilmore girls | rory/paris | by svgurl410
teen, 10,279
To avoid being set up, Rory blurts out that she's dating Paris. The only problem is that she definitely isn't, and now the whole town thinks she is.

This was a lot of fun and felt like it could seamlessly fit into a later season of the show. Rory's naivety is on full display and Paris' candor and appreciation for Rory is really enjoyable. This fic shows just how Rory and Paris work well together—Paris makes the decisions Rory's too insecure to make and Rory grounds Paris in a way she desperately needs. It's a great exploration of finding yourself. The Lorelai and Rory banter is spot-on. And it was nice to see some guest appearances from the kooky residents of Stars Hollow.

like a house on fire we’re up in flames
harry potter | blaise/cho | by kitsunerei88
teen, 10,655
Blaise Zabini keeps her from simplifying, from drawing easy lines and boundaries of good and bad, right and wrong, and she doesn’t like it. And it doesn’t help that Blaise Zabini is attractive, damn him, and while Cho thinks she doesn’t like him she’s also attracted to him, and Blaise Zabini is a Problem.

This was such a great take on the war and how it impacted two characters we don't know much about. Cho gets the treatment she deserves and is fleshed out and celebrated as a Chinese woman (the author actually goes into her heritage, which is fantastic) who made mistakes as a young girl and is still paying for them. Cho grieving Cedric was a great character choice in this. (She also got to be more than "Cedric Diggory's girlfriend" which was so great!) Blaise's characterisation fit how I love seeing him presented—he defies the Slytherin and Death Eater ways but still falls prey to playing in that circle. He's a great foe for how we usually see Slytherins depicted in canon. This was a great Cho-centric piece that gives her the story and hopeful ending she deserved in canon.

children of the wild ones
mcu | alexei/melina; alexi & melina & natasha & yelena | by Heather
teen, 5,527

This was such a great exploration of Melina as a woman and a Widow and really delved into how her playing house impacted her and gave her a sense of freedom and relief from the Red Room. The budding relationship between Melina and Alexei is brilliant, and I really enjoyed Melina coming into her own as Natasha and Yelena's mother. (Melina isn't characterised by who she is in relation to any of the other three characters—her Red Room trauma is on full display and she is explored as a well-rounded character.)

Fixer Upper
original | teenage heiress/the haunted house she inherited | by schnuffleluv
gen, 5,020
Bea loved the house, even if the house didn't immediately love her back.

The summary and tags on this fic intrigued me so much and I was not disappointed when I read it. It is such a great fic that explores how love and kindness can go such a long way. The characterisation of the house turns the "haunted house" trope on its head in such a lovely way all the while not losing its hauntedness.

The Cottage
bridget jones's diary | ensemble | by Jen_814
teen, 13,849
Bridget’s diary, Friday 20th August, 6:58pm
Why do we force ourselves into experiences which we’ve a) never enjoyed, and are b) never likely to enjoy, just because society slams us into a hodge-podge of picture-perfect expectations of strong winds and ruddy cheeks, and attractively ruffled hairstyles, in manner of royal family on a walk in Balmoral? I do not like the countryside. Jude, similarly, does not like the countryside. Shazzer herself has once referred to a country walk as a ‘shit-strewn misery where it’s odds-on pissing it down’. So why, in the name of arse, are we spending our weekend here?

Sharon’s diary, Friday 20th August, 7:06pm
Why the bloody fuck are we doing this again?

--

Shazzer has a hen do at a cottage in the quiet countryside. Needless to say, shit goes down.

I am canon blind to the books of BJD. I only know the movies and from those movies I only remember Renee, Colin and Hugh. But my lack of familiarity with the book canon did not stop me from enjoying this. This is an epistolary fic written in diary entries and every single bloody diary entry is so perfectly different based on the character who is writing. I was sucked in by the pacing and character voices and found myself enjoying the representation of the friendship amongst our diarists. This was so enjoyable for someone who was canon blind that I can only imagine how enjoyable this is for someone who knows the books inside and out.

There are over 200 works in the collection. Check it out! I can't wait to participate in

fffx again for round three.

Entry tags:

245. EXCHANGE WRAP | SEASONS OF DRABBLES.

I'm so behind on doing my exchange wraps, so I figured that there was no better way to kick my ass into gear than to start with

seasonsofdrabbles' Winter round!

This exchange is so much fun. I love being challenged to convey an idea and character and/or relationship in a small amount of words. I also really, really love seeing what others come up with. I do hope for the next round that I try and do some more drabble sequences/series (are they the same thing?) because I find them the most challenging.

These are the drabbles I wrote:

braid
mcu | yelena/kate
teen, 600 | for lionessvalenti
Kate braids Yelena’s hair.

I wanted to experiment with a drabble sequence and try and paint a full picture by switching between Kate and Yelena's POV. This was a lot of fun—my approach with Kate was to have her drabbles focus on emotion while I wanted Yelena's to appear more calculating. I won't lie, I love writing from each character's POV, which was the main reason why I chose to do alternating POV with this.

hickey
mcu | sarah/bucky
teen, 300 | for lionessvalenti
Bucky’s determined to give Sarah a hickey.

I wanted to write Bucky and Sarah carefree and having a moment to themselves. I focus so much on the angst and trauma with Bucky that it was just nice to write something light.

not you
mcu | natasha/steve
gen, 100 | for lionessvalenti
Natasha doesn’t understand why Steve’s so picky with his dates.

I've converted myself into a Steve/Natasha shipper since doing exchanges and I wanted to see if I could capture their dynamic, unique character traits, and a scenario of Natasha being able to read everyone but Steve correctly in just a few words.

family keepsake
mcu | natasha/bucky
teen, 200 | for Ultra
When Natasha and Bucky get ready for a dress up party, Natasha encourages Bucky to wear something from his past.

I really wanted to write some light BuckyNat and thought showing Bucky accepting himself for who he was and who he is and having Natasha admire him for the man that he chooses to be was light and fluffy. I love writing Bucky simping for Natasha.

shiver
mcu | natasha/bucky
mature, 300 | for schifaroo
Natasha thinks Bucky’s very nice to look at.

I enjoy trying to write porn in drabble form, and this is my entry for this round. I really wanted to focus on the physical and hands/arms in particular and the way that Natasha accepts Bucky for who he is.

red orchid
mcu | elektra/matt
teen, 200 | for alchemise
Elektra makes herself known to Matthew.

I really wanted to capture Matt's grief and patience for Elektra, and Elektra's loss of self in this. I challenged myself with trying to establish a connection between them using the colour red and tying it into Matt's keen senses. Red represents passion, love, blood, hurt, and their uniforms, and I really wanted to make this an intimate piece as much as possible.

husband and wife
the witcher (netflix) | yennefer/jaskier + geralt
teen, 200 | for kingstoken
Geralt stares after Jaskier and Yennefer. "What the fuck?"

I just wanted to write something fun for Jaskier/Yennefer. Getting to write this from Geralt's POV where he's not privy to what they went through in season two was a lot of fun.

marry me
gilmore girls | rory/jess, lane/dave, lorelai/luke + paris, kirk and taylor
gen, 1800 | for svgurl410
Five times Jess tried to propose to Rory and the one time someone else proposed for him.

I've never written a 5+1 fic before, so I thought that I would give it a shot with another ridiculous GG fic. I'm not too sure what inspired this other than I love writing GG for svgurl and trying to showcase just how Jess is the straight man amongst such dynamic and eccentric personalities. This was a lot of fun to try and craft. All I knew was that I wanted [redacted] to be the one who proposed for him, and built it around that scene.

These are my lovely gifts!:

A Weird Kind of Sense
mcu | natasha/bucky
teen, 300 | by Ultra
Bucky, Nat, and a surprising amount of domestic bliss.

I love that this triple drabble captures how BuckyNat simply work even when they're not out fighting aliens and saving the world. Who are Natasha and James when their guns are in their holsters? This is it. The dialogue at the end is my absolute favourite bit—it really captures their easy domestic vibe.

a memory worth keeping
mcu | natasha/bucky
gen, 300 | by svgurl410
He remembered her too.

One of my favourite things about BuckyNat is their shared Red Room history, and this triple drabble captures the aftermath of Bucky remembering his life in the Red Room. I love the distant voice of Bucky—he's still learning who he is—which I feel is really effective (I absolutely love the opening) and Natasha's characterisation is really subtle and rings true to her complex character.

Avalanche
atla | toph/zuko
mature (underage), 200 | by exceptionallyunfortunate
Even the earth bows to the blind Beifong girl, and the banished prince is no exception.

I have loved Toph/Zuko for years, and I never, ever expected anyone to ever write it for me when I requested ATLA. This double drabble is so sensual and so intimate. exceptionallyunfortunate wove firebending and earthbending so intimately together to create this sensual connection between Zuko and Toph. This double drabble captures everything I love about this pairing.

It is tagged with "underage", though I think it can work even if you prefer adult characters.

These are drabbles in the collection I really, really enjoyed, in no particular order:

the hunter gets captured by the game
mcu | natasha & clint
teen, 300 | by cravetherose
"I'm really glad you didn't shoot me, Barton," Natasha said gravely.
"I'm really glad I didn't shoot you, too, Tasha. Maybe you could get me an annual thanks-for-not-shooting-me card."

Fantastic in-character banter. This triple drabble really shows how Clint and Natasha are truly a well-oiled machine.

Family
mcu | peter parker & morgan stark
gen, 300 | by alchemise
Peter meets Morgan.

Fantastic Peter voice that captures his insecurities regarding meeting Morgan Stark and her importance to him. It also explores the Tony/Peter father/son dynamic really well.

Mother Knows Best
original | cats
gen, 100 | by sweetcarolanne
The Queen of the Cats has an important life-lesson for her little daughter!

You just have to read it. This is so sweet it'll make your teeth ache. The ending is very IC for cats!

Soup for a Winter's Day
original | soup cook
gen, 300 | by Zdenka
A cook in a restaurant makes a pot of soup for customers.

A really effective triple drabble that humanises a soup chef and takes you on the journey of preparing soup. I really love the choice of language in this. Be warned: you'll be very hungry by the end of reading this.

Fall Into Your Gravity
twilight | bella/jasper
gen, 300 | by TonicHoliday
He can barely look at Bella, as though her pulse alone threatens his resolve—how can he protect her?

I have a confession… I used to ship Jasper/Bella back when Twilight was hot. I was so surprised to see this rarepair in here and I was not disappointed at all! This triple drabble is a fantastic exploration of Jasper's relationship with control and blood and gives Bella the agency she deserved.

When the Fiction Is True
original | prince/imposter princess
teen, 200 | by snowynight
The Royal heir is cursed to marry the first person he first meets. That person happens to be Princess Helen.

This is so good and has such a fun twist and is a great exploration of agency. That's all I'll say. 🤐

Bones And Depths
original | merperson
gen, 100 | by Andian
When she was younger, she had asked her mother where their kind had come from.

So effective in capturing the romance and freedom of childhood and the maturity and jaded acceptance of adulthood.

Four Nocturnes
original | cat, monster under the bed, florist, magic tattoo artist, talking dragon
gen, 800 | by larissabernstein
A sequence or chain of four double drabbles, linked by the theme of night and specific motifs that lead from one drabble to the next.

This is absolutely fantastic. So detailed, so poignant—each character is so rich in personality in such a short amount of words.

At the End of the Longest Night
original | santa/mrs claus
gen, 100 | by karameiwaku
After a long shift, it's nice to come home and relax.

Ever wondered how Santa felt after a full night of work? This is it. Fantastic voices for such iconic characters.

Roo Goes Ice Skating
winnie the pooh | roo, kanga, tigger, rabbit
gen, 200 | by Casta_Y

This captures the Winnie the Pooh narration voice so well.

The Blacksmith and the Dragon
original | dragon, blacksmith
gen, 900 | by Isis
A tale about a dragon with a problem, and the clever blacksmith who solved it. Told in the form of a pyramid drabble sequence.

Such a rich fairytale that humanises a dragon and gives a blacksmith the chance to prove he's the hero of the story. The narrative voice is fantastic and so reminiscent of wry fairytales.

Got Milk?
gilmore girls | lorelai, michel, sookie
gen, 200 | by Ultra
Michel is not welcome in Sookie's kitchen if he's going to be so picky about what he eats. Lorelai referees.

Fantastic character dynamics and an amazing Michel voice. It felt like a scene from an episode.

There are over 270 works in this collection. I highly recommend checking them out and seeing if you can find something in a fandom you love.

Entry tags:

222. EXCHANGE WRAP | MULTIFANDOM TROPEFEST.

I participated in the

multifandomtropefest exchange for the first time and had a lot of fun! You can check out the collection if you're interested in potentially finding something that interests you.

I wrote:

a strange delight
wandavision | wanda/agatha.
explicit, 5.4k. | for flipflop_diva
Wanda convinces herself she needs Agnes, not Agatha.

I really wanted to write Dark!Wanda who gives into her power and uses it for manipulation to take what she wants as she wants it. I also had a lot of fun exploring Agnes vs Agatha and what each of those characters means to not only Wanda but Agatha Harkness herself.

The gift I received:

I'll Remember You
mcu | bucky/natasha | by Ultra
teen, 3k.
No matter what happens to Bucky or Nat, somehow, some way, they will always remember each other and find their way home.

I had the pleasure of Ultra writing for me in a previous exchange. I loved this fic! It took my prompt of Natasha coming back from the Soul Stone post-Endgame, merged it with my desperation for Red Room history, and explored the emotional ramifications of what Natasha lost and what Bucky regained. I love that their given names—"James" and "Natalia"—were given a lot of power and meaning in this fic while that meaning was woven so subtly throughout the story.

Entry tags:

221.

I didn't sign up for

trickortreatex, but I ended up pinch hitting and treating. (I couldn't resist.) It was really fun! I'm glad I got to participate in the exchange. Spooky stuff is one of my favourite tropes and I'm happy I got to play around with it.

These are the fics I wrote:

spooky hollow
gilmore girls | jess/rory (background dave/lane, luke/lorelai, doyle/paris).
teen, 5.3k. | for svgurl410
This Halloween, Rory intends to scare an unspookable Jess with a little help from her friends. | post-canon.

I've been wanting to write Literati for over ten years now and I finally got to take the plunge with a really awesome request!

in your arms alive
daredevil | matt/elektra.
teen, 1.4k | for alchemise
Elektra dresses up as her hero for Halloween.

keep with me
the vampire diaries | damon/elena.
teen, 1.2k. | for cicerothecat
Damon does Elena’s Halloween makeup for her.

rebuild
a song of ice and fire | rhaenys & balerion the cat.
teen, 819. | for facethestrange
Every year, as per their tradition, Rhaenys helped Balerion change into his true form.

There was a lot that I really enjoyed. I'd highly recommend checking out the collection as there's a great variety of fandoms fic and art-wise. (The art was just 😍) THERE ARE A LOT OF CATS IN THE ART. I loved it all.

Some of my favourites below…

Can I just rec everything in The Addams Family fandom? These works are all Gomez/Morticia and all have a great take on their very lush and romantic relationship. You can feel the lust and passion between these two lovebirds (and #goals).

I'd also recommend everything in the Ancient Greek Religion & Lore. I happened to stumble into this tag and I am forever grateful that I did. There's great fic on Dionysus/Ariadne and Hades/Persephone and it was great to see everyone's different interpretations.

[art] Passing through
original | by phoxinus
As the veil thins, a mysterious and uncanny spirit wanders about on soft little kitty cat paws.

[art] whiskers at the worktable
original | by floraphone
A cat consults her tomes after gathering ingredients for a spell.

[art] This is new
original | by Odalyn
She usually went camping around this mountains but while strolling she noticed a path she hadn't seen before. She decided to set her camp there and spend the night. She should be fine, everything is fine, it looks like any other part of the mountain, why should that be diferent at night?

[art] Butterfleye
original | by the_interuniversal_geometer
A butterfly with an unusual markings to avoid predation.

[art] Cat Adventures
original | by robot_drawings
a cat gains magic

[art] Monsters, but also vegetables
original | by kalirush
Monsters! But also, vegetables!

[art] girl in witch clothes and cat in a town
original | by comicArtistA

[art] Trick or trick
original | by Odalyn
The goose learnt about trick or treating and has made a short to do list for this Halloween

[art] Lady
a song of ice and fire | Lady & Sansa | by miztes
Lady and her Lady Sansa.

[art] portrait of a queen and lady
a song of ice and fire | Lady & Sansa | by floraphone
Somewhere out there is a world where Sansa Stark rules as Queen in the North, faithful direwolf at her side.

[poetry] The Legend of the Cockle-Witch
original | by pandamug
None has seen the Cockle-Witch, though she visits once each year
On Hallow's Eve she comes and leaves with organs oh so dear.
Gone for the night our silent flutes, our knicks and all our knacks
Heed my words, but never fear: she always brings them back.

[fic] Heart Close to Mine
ancient greek lore | dionysus/ariadne | by lepidamelancholia
Dionysus descends to the Underworld for Ariadne. He has a promise to keep, after all.

[fic] Dressed to Kill
bob's burgers | belcher family | by elegantstupidity
“Yeah, I think this might be the earliest you’ve ever figured out your Halloween costumes. It’s not even September. Is this what having high-achieving kids is like? Is this just what you're like now?”
The kids traded a look.
“So, that’s a no.”

[fic] The Monsters in the Dark
mcu (black widow) | natasha + yelena + alexei + melina | by Rubick
It was 1994. Natasha was ten years old. Yelena was five. It was a different time back then, when kids were allowed to bike or run around their neighborhood and no one would worry about someone stealing them away.
But Natasha knew better. And why would Melina and Alexei worry, anyway? They didn’t have to worry about the monsters that crept through the night. They were the monsters.

I hope next year I get to sign up! If not, I hope I pinch hit and/or treat again! 🎃