ready the fanons

hey I don't think I've posted them together before

and this technically doesn't belong but it's important

If you and your family all went to Gotham Academy, stfu about the state of GCPS. You don't even GO here.

sord.....

(I hope I do not overstep here: I’ve currently got a novel burning half my brain and a deeply unhappy right wrist, so it comes from a very proximate inspiration!)

The quick answer: because I too ran into the RSI barrier at an early stage, I've been using speech-to-text tech whenever possible, from when it very first became available in the early 1990s. @petermorwood and I were very early adopters of the first truly reliable STT software, Dragon Dictate (which eventually became Dragon Naturally Speaking).

We got Terry Pratchett hooked up to it, too, and thereby, if indirectly, made it possible for him to finish a book or two (or three...) more than would otherwise have been feasible for him. (Terry's own experts came in and fine-tuned the basic software for T's own needs.)

I've currently got the professional version of Dragon Naturally Speaking installed on my desktop machine, and can sit in my Comfy Chair with my feet up and dictate, watching the words spill out onto the big TV screen in the living room. Or alternately: due to currently being on the road a lot, I'm mostly using the app version of the software, Dragon Anywhere. Dictate to it, when hooked up to broadband, and it types what you're saying as you watch, with 95%-or-better accuracy out of the box. (And the program is endlessly configurable to handle specialized vocabulary, weird alien character names, or whatever.) When you're done, you save the file and the app'll email you a .doc-file transcription of what you just dictated. Cut and paste this into your preferred writing software and—having exuded a chunk of "zero draft" without excessive amounts of wear and tear on your sinews—you can then edit at your leisure.

The app runs on a relatively low-cost monthly subscription model... which makes it handily accessible to folks who can't afford the (unquestionably hefty) price tag on the standalone big-machine install of the full program. I recommend the app highly. You might consider trying it for a month or so and seeing how it works for you. The subscription goes month-to-month, and is easily cancelled if you don't care for it.

What is Mercyfic?

At its core, the term ‘mercyfic’ denotes the trope where one character (The Wretched/ Sufferer/Whumpee) does not expect to receive a kindness from / expects to be hurt by another character(s) (The Mercyful/Caretaker) who has no intention of doing so. This expectation by the Sufferer may manifest due to a variety of reasons, including societal norms, past experience or an actual personal vendetta. 

How the Mercyful chooses to extend that kindness will also affect the flavour of your mercyfic. For instance, a Mercyful who is appalled by whatever tragedy that has befallen the Sufferer and does their best to alleviate their stress will differ greatly from one who is apprehensive of the Sufferer due to past animosity but still has enough honour not to want Sufferer go through inhumane treatment or one who is completely ignorant to the stress that the Sufferer is sustaining until too late.

Simple TLDR: Character A expects Character B to do something bad to them, but Character B does not intend to do that to Character A. 

Here are some examples of Mercyfics on a03: 

Seeking Shelter by sphagnum

Wipe the ash from my eyes (so much more away) by PotatoLady

Leash by envysparkler

The Cold of Snow Refreshes the Soul by yelp 

Jason Todd and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Decision by gunpowder_and_pearls

Rules for this Event 

When: Now till the end of 2025

What: Any medium (art, fic, podfic etc) from any fandom with any rating is welcome! I only ask that you be sure to rate your works appropriately, and if you happen to be a minor, please be careful by selecting only the prompts that are suitable for your maturity levels. 

Where to post: You may post your works here on tumblr, linking this account so that I can reblog your works. You may also post to this collection on AO3. 

There is no obligation to finish all of the prompts. The bingo square is really just there for aesthetic purposes - pick and choose the prompts that you vibe with the most and have fun from there. But if you do feel like completing the squares, then by all means, have all the fun you want! 

If there are any questions, feel free to send in an ask or dm this account. Happy writing!

[Text in picture under cut]

her enthusiastic "i'm a very nice and bubbly person, i swear! but i love writing angst and major character death :)" nearly took me the fuck out.

@darkflierliesel