I used to love DVD commentaries that writers used to do for their fanfics on livejournal. Fanlore describes it as âwritten commentary or gloss that accompanies a given piece of fanfiction. The commentary can be written by the story's author or beta reader, or by another fan.â
Thereâs so many stories in this fandom that Iâd love to know more about. So, Iâve made a list of questions that writers can use to do their own commentary of their fanfics. And Iâve created a side blog to reblog the commentaries and hopefully create a little archive of them.
This is open to all writers! Pick your favourite story youâve written or your most popular or the one you think deserves some more love! Or ask your followers to suggest their favourite fic of yours!
You can do this as many times as youâd like - thereâs no limit to the amount of commentaries you can do. And if youâd like to tag anyone to take part, feel free! And feel free to use these questions for fics in other fandoms too! đ
Read all the DVD commentaries so far here! | Shameless DVD Commentary: Artist Edition questions đ¨
You donât have to answer all the questions, feel free to pick and choose or come up with your own questions to ask! You can also just do a stream of consciousness type post about your thoughts and ideas of your story.
You can submit to this blog or tag me @shamelessdvdcommentary and Iâll reblog it.
Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?
Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)
What was the initial inspiration for your story?
If the story is written from a characterâs POV, why did you choose this character?
What was your favourite scene to write?
How did you come up with the title?
Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?
Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?
Favourite line in the story?
Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?
If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?
What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)
Are there any deleted scenes that didnât make it to the final story?
Are there any âbehind the scenesâ info youâd like to share - e.g. whatâs going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?
Reading back the story now, is there anything youâd change or add?
Would you ever write a sequel to this story?
Are there any âeaster eggsâ in your story - e.g. references to other stories youâve written, a trope you often use etc?
If youâve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity?
Were you nervous or excited to post this story?
Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?
Ask your followers to pick a snippet (no more than 500 words) and share your thoughts about it.
Anything else youâd like the readers to know about the story?
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First time requester and fandom newbie here ~ Losing Dogs just left me feeling all the emotions and I would love a look into sgtmickeyslaughterâs brain
Hi anon, welcome to the fandom! đ
@sgtmickeyslaughter youâve been requested to do a Shameless DVD commentary if youâd like to! đđ
The Menagerie! (Writing about the fic since that's how it started, but I can't help peddling my wares lol)
Questions below the cut!
Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)
The first chapter was posted on February 27, 2022, and the final chapter was posted on September 21, 2023, so it took about a year and a half to write from start to finish.
Chapters: 12 (11 core story chapters + an epilogue)
Final word count: 147,939
Comments: 1,303
Kudos: 1,669
Bookmarks: 426
Hits: 61,500
What was the initial inspiration for your story?
Someone sent an ask to Bree that was basically like "what if the boys met at a gangbang?" and then it snowballed from there lmao. I came up with the idea for them to be at a sex club and for them to enter into a Dom/sub relationship and everything else!
If the story is written from a characterâs POV, why did you choose this character?
It is written from Ian's POV. I chose him because he's the less experienced of the two of them, and I like the idea of learning through his perspective. I also like the idea of Mickey being this mysterious god-like figure that Ian's trying to figure out throughout the story. When I read, I prefer not to know both sides of the characters' feelings for one another, and prefer to have to figure it out along with our main character, which is why the POV doesn't switch back and forth between Ian and Mickey.
What was your favourite scene to write?
It's a tie between the scene where Ian bottoms and the choking scene. I think the scene when Ian bottoms is really a strong moment of connection between the two. Ian is opening up more and getting out of his comfort zone with someone he feels safe with (and someone he loves), and Mickey is (almost) completely open about how badly he wants Ian.
The choking scene is obviously the culmination of their relationship and the basis for them finally getting together. It takes a lot of trust to let someone choke you because your life is literally in their hands, and this is a key moment for the pair. They're meeting outside the clubâin Mickey's home, which he never doesâand doing something that is dangerous but that they both crave. I think I really pulled off writing the amount of trust and desire that they both felt in this moment.
How did you come up with the title?
I honestly don't remember lmao. I always title my works something simple, and I was trying to come up with an interesting name for the club, and somehow The Menagerie popped into my head. It was originally going to be something like The Midnight Menagerie, but that sounded too cheesy.
Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?
I hoped the readers would notice how often Ian's hands end up near or around Mickey's neck. It's mentioned in every chapter until chapter 11 (titled Choke Me) when the act finally happens. A little bit of non-subtle foreshadowing, but it felt important that the final scene didn't come out of nowhere. They'd both wanted this from the beginning.
Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?
The GANGBANG. Hooo boy. This was a tough scene to write! Up until then, I had only ever written a foursome before, nevermind an elevensome! Though it wasn't that terrible because Mickey only has so many hands and holes (heh) so there wasn't too much going on at any one given moment. And I wanted to make the scene about Ian's reactions to Mickey more than anything, so there's a heavy focus on that, which helped.
Favourite line in the story?
"'Cause now I associate red with you... and I don't ever wanna think of you as a bad thing."
I wrote this line back in chapter one, and I'd been dying to get to it ever since! Names and colors are such an important part of this fic from the second chapter on. Mickey keeps his distance and objectifies everyone in the gangbang with a crude nickname, except for Ian, who gets dubbed "Red". As Mickey starts developing feelings for Ian, the nickname becomes a part of him, and eventually Mickey finds it hard to separate his safewords from Ian. Just like in the scene with his former Dom, Mickey simultaneously safewords and calls out to Ian for help by his nickname. And while a safeword isn't inherently a bad thing (they're actually super important!), there can be a connotation of "badness" (in the sense that something is overwhelming or too far outside of your comfort zone) associated with it that Mickey doesn't want associated with Ian. Ian becomes his safe space, and Mickey always wants to feel good when he's around.
Runner-up line: "Mickey...," he whispers, mind reeling and body still tingling from his unexpected orgasm. "Fuck, I can't.... I've wanted to do that since I saw you. But notânot now. You can'tâyou're not in the right state of mind. Do it again when you're back to yourself and I'll kiss you back. I swear I'll kiss you back. Promise."
This line is pure Ian. I say as much in the next paragraph, but he's so desperate to let Mickey know that he's not rejecting him because he doesn't want him, he's rejecting him because he doesn't want to take advantage of him. It's kind of a pivotal moment in the fic, because it's the first time we see Mickey lose his carefully-curated control and give in to something he wants deep down. And Ian wants it just as badly, but can't in good conscience take it.
Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?
Not really. I always had a vague concept of where the story would go, but I'm a huge pantser when it comes to writing, so most of the scenes and kinks I made up on the fly. It is definitely longer than I anticipated, though! I had only intended on making it a one-shot for the Spicy Gallavich Collab and then it spiraled into a 150k fic lol.
If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?
It wasn't my first time writing smut by any means, but it was my first time writing any kind of hardcore BDSM scenes. Most of the scenes came from my own experience or research that I did to make them more accurate. I had written a FWB situation to a romantic relationship once before for a Voltron fic, but it wasn't nearly as long or drawn-out, so this was a first for me in that sense.
What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)
I think I'm most proud of the development of Ian and Mickey's relationship. Despite that they are instantly attracted to one another and work well together from the start, the progression of their relationship from platonic to romantic takes place over the entire course of the fic.
I'm also really proud of the accidental first kiss. Many people have pointed out that it was a complete shock, but I had it planned pretty early on. I wanted Mickey to slip up and show his true colors eary in their relationship, and I think I nailed it.
Are there any deleted scenes that didnât make it to the final story?
Nope! Everything that I wrote made it in. There were definitely times when I was scrabbling for material, so some of the chapters and scenes still feel like "filler" to me lmao.
Are there any âbehind the scenesâ info youâd like to share - e.g. whatâs going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?
Hmmm, this one is tough. I could talk about Mickey's motivations for pretty much the entire fic lmao. But one of my evilly favorite parts is when Mickey sleeps with someone else and brings out condoms for Ian to use after the shibari scene. It's only really hinted at that Mickey slept with someone since we only see it from Ian's POV, but he does, in fact, sleep with someone else, a couple days after he kisses Ian. He finds a guy at The Menagerie who looks nothing like Ian and has a fairly vanilla scene with him, but that includes barebacking, hence the need for the condoms the next time with Ian. He'd wanted to distance himself because he could feel himself growing attached to Ian in a way that scared the shit out of him. He'd never felt like this with any of his past Doms, and he'd never had anything besides hookups in the past that didn't last longer than a couple nights. So to suddenly start having feelings for this guy he's only known a couple of weeks is fucking scary. And to let himself get so deep into a scene that he lost himelf and broke one of his cardinal rules (no kissing) and to do so without the other person's consent really sends Mickey spiraling. It obviously was partly to do with Mandy being abused by her boyfriend, but more than that, it was him starting to really like Ian beyond just a sexual partner.
Reading back the story now, is there anything youâd change or add?
I would add more scenes with Ian and Mickey outside of The Menagerie or the diner. There are a few, but it takes so long to get to them that I worry people find it repetitive, even if that is kind of the point (people have complained about this in the book).
Would you ever write a sequel to this story?
Not for Ao3, but I have vague concepts of writing a book about Jeremiah. He's my favorite side character, and I think his story would be really interesting to tell. I'm thinking it would be his backstory and how he came to find The Menagerie, plus his relationship with Mal and the twins developing. It could even go through the timeline of The Menagerie when he meets Rowan for the first time and helps him navigate his relationship with Mal.
Are there any âeaster eggsâ in your story - e.g. references to other stories youâve written, a trope you often use etc?
There are no references to other fics, but there are a couple of Shameless easter eggs! I don't like relying heavily on canon dialogue or scenes, so I tried to avoid those as much as possible. But Mickey has his iconique "kiss me and I'll cut your tongue out" line during the gangbang, and there are references to "bet you burn like a motherfucker" and a couple other small things like that.
If youâve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity?
A little bit! Some people regard it as a fandom classic, which is so humbling. I thought more people would dislike it because of the fact that Ian and Mickey sleep with other people in itâand some people told me they skipped or skimmed the gangbang chapter or the chapter where Mickey has a scene with his former Dom. But then again, other people have told me those are some of their most re-read scenes, so what do I know lmao.
I am definitely surprised that it got over 60k hits, though! Most of my fics get in the low ten thousands, so it was very exciting to see that number so high, though I know at least some of that was repeat users reading new chapters (or re-reading old ones).
Were you nervous or excited to post this story?
Soooo nervous! It was my first attempt at a long, multi-chaptered fic. I'd written many one-shots before, and a shorter multi-chapter fic for another fandom, but this was my first for Shameless and I wasn't sure how it would be received.
Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?
Nope! I don't use betas, and for this fic I didn't have anything that I thought I needed to have read over by someone else.
Ask your followers to pick a snippet (no more than 500 words) and share your thoughts about it.
@palepinkgoat picked the birthday dance club scene! This was a big moment in the fic, because it's the first time that Ian and Mickey see each other outside of the sanctity of The Menagerie or Sheila's diner. It's Mickey realizing that he wants to spend time with Ian outside of their sexual relationship. He wants to invite him out with his friendsâhis familyâand have him be a part of that world. But at the same time, he can't resist his attraction to him, which is brought out on the dance floor. I had been listening obsessively to The Shape of You and could picture them perfectly grinding against one another to the song. Plus I had to give Mickey is golden chain and allude once again to him having a kink for something around/tugging at his neck.
@michellemisfit wanted to know more about the background of the scene where Mickey visits Ian at his work and brings him the rope. This was honestly one of those scenes that feels like filler to me lmao. I wanted Mickey to visit Ian at work so they could have another moment together outside the club/diner, and needing to give him the rope was the flimsy excuse that I came up with. That being said, that's also the flimsy excuse Mickey came up with, because he wanted to see Ian again. He knows he disappointed (and possibly even hurt, though at this point Mickey doesn't really think Ian has true feelings for him) Ian with the condoms incident a couple days before, so this was somewhat of an olive branch for him. And I really wnted them to be able to see each other in the daylight lmao. It's so wild seeing your crush's eyes in the sunlight for the first time, and I wanted that experience for both of them. Plus this was a way of introducing Mickey to Ian's coworker, which made Ian's relationship with Mickey something that someone in his personal life knew about. Someone has finally met him, so now it's real, in a sense.
Michelle also wanted to know more about Mickey's thoughts on their early scenes together. Mickey was definitely taken with Ian from the first time he saw him. There was instant attraction there, yes, but also a curiosity. Ian surprised the hell out of him at the gangbang by taking charge and by paying such close attention to Mickey's likes and undisclosed wants. Out of everyone there, Ian was the only one who really tried to make Mickey feel good rather than just wanting to show off. Then when they scene together for the first time, Mickey definitely recognizes that Ian is something special. He's a little rough around the edges and a little too nice, but Mickey can see the potential there. Mickey is notoriously picky and hard to please, so when this goofy redhead with a big dick comes out of pretty much nowhere and seems to be his perfect match, it's a shock. Mickey has had about 12 different Doms in the past, since he joined the club. After he stopped sceneing with Camilla and admitted he was both gay and a sub/bottom, he had his first Dom. He was fine, but Mickey didn't know too much about what he liked yet. That lasted about a year, then after that the next 10 lasted between a couple months and a year, until Steven, who was about a year and a half. So Mickey's had his fair share of Doms in the past and by the time he meets Ian, firmly knows what he likes and doesn't like. And he thinks that no one can surprise him, but then Ian turns out to be a good fucking match for him and it surprises the hell out of him, especially for someone who purports to have no experience outside of random hookups. Mickey definitely catches feelings for Ian early on in their relationship, which scares and confuses him because by now he's a seasoned pro and shouldn't be falling for some weird redhead.
@iandarling wanted to know about Mickey's POV from the bathroom hookup at Mickey's birthday. This scene got sooo much more attention from readers than I was expecting! And it's all because of the part where Ian asks for Mickey's safewords and Mickey fumbles what he's doing and hesitates. Long story short, yes, Mickey had planned on it being just a regular hookup. He wanted to ask Ian to fuck him (hence the panties and the plug), but felt it would be crossing a line, which we see a little bit in his partially-overheard conversation with Jeremiah ("Just ask [Ian]." / "I'm not asking him"). After all, they'd only ever done pre-planned scenes before at The Menagerie, and this is spontaneous. And Mickey had already sort of crossed a line by inviting Ian out in the first place, so now he has to decide if he wants to take that a step further. But he obviously loses the battle with himself, because let's be honest, by this point in the night he's a little tipsy. Not so much to not consent, but enough to make his worries go away. Plus dancing with Ian on the dance floor made him horny as fuck. So when Ian asks for his words, it completely jars Mickey. He'd been expecting a rough hookup, but to have a reminder of their actual relationship to one anotherâDom and sub, and nothing moreâput out there so bluntly, he feels deflated. He definitely thought that he and Ian had the potential to be more by this point, and to have that shoved back in his face (in his perspective) feels like a shot to the heart. He'd invited him out! He made the first move to becoming more! But to Mickey, this was confirmation that Ian didn't want more, which fucking hurts.
@abigailspinach wanted to know about the scene in the club where they're playing Never Have I Ever and the twins talk about stripping in college. This whole scene is just having Ian's past brought up in the worst way possible: surrounded by Mickey and all of his friends. I say as much in the story, but Ian isn't a good liar, and doesn't think he could bluff his way through the entire game. So he kind of hopes he goes under the radar, but since the Menagerie staff are observant (and nosy) as hell, they of course notice and bring it up. Same goes for Mickey. He wants to know everything he can about Ian and his past, and the more he learns about him, the more he likes him. Because he's imperfect like him. He's got skeletons in his closet, which Mickey knows about all too well. And when they talk about it later, Mickey questions if it was all true. He's learned enough about him that he believes Ian was being truthful, but it's his way of showing him that it doesn't bother him. That they can still be friends (and maybe more one day) and Ian doesn't have to worry about what Mickey will think of him.
Anything else youâd like the readers to know about the story?
I don't think so! Just that I'm so honored that this fandom has given The Menagerie such a wholesome reception. People have told me they've re-read it more times than I have! Thanks so much, everyone <3 As always, feel free to spam my inbox or the replies section with questions or comments!
I was tagged by @callivich and @oathkeptroxas to do DVD Commentary for my art, specifically this image.
Which artwork is your DVD commentary about?
The final piece from this year's Kinktober.
When did you complete this piece?
On October 30, 2025
How long did it take you to finish?
Maybe like 2 hours? I tried to limit my time on each Kinktober image so that it wouldn't take over my whole day.
Did you have an initial idea of how you wanted this to turn out or were you inspired in the process?
I tried several different poses until I landed on one that worked. But yeah, initial idea for sure. I play Frankenstein with my reference images, gathering body parts from different scenes that are in the correct position:
Did it come out how you were expecting it to or did a lot change in the process?
It came out so well! I was really happy!
Did you add any fun details you hoped the viewer would notice? Did anyone catch them?
I loved putting the bullet wound scars on Mickey's butt cheek.
What part of the drawing is your favorite/do you really like how it turned out?
Ian's left hand and the shading on Mickey's back!
Do you have a designated color palette for your artwork? Did you use it for this piece or did you use new colors?
I had established a color palette early on for Kinktober: a bold color in the background with graphic polka dots, bodies outlined with black lines, generally black and white shading on the figures. But I broke the formula with this one and used a white background and full-color figures instead. A reverse of all the other Kinktober images.
Did you show your drafts to a friend/discord chat before posting? Did their feedback help in making decisions or completing the drawing?
Yeah! @francesrose3 was helping me all month. She looked at every image before I posted it to make sure all tattoos, wedding rings, etc. were in the correct place. As a thank you to her, I wanted the final image to be a scene that she's always wanted to see. She loves Ian picking up Mickey and throwing him against a wall. She said it's what the purple robe scene in Hall of Shame should have been. (She also would love if I'd used the word "baby," but that's way too fluffy for my dark heart.)
---
Thank you for asking me to do this!! Kinktober 4eva!
thank you so much to @glvch for tagging me and this piece!! and thank you to @shamelessdvdcommentary for this great concept!!
Do any of the details in the artwork have a specific reasoning that you want to explain?
the stargazer lilies were something i knew i wanted to incorporate, because i think the concept of stargazing is something that is present and has evolved throughout the course of ian and mickey's relationship.
from mickey's sarcastic 'do you want us to put a blanket out and look for shooting stars' when he's trying to remain distant, to his 'do you guys picnic together' when he's jealous after finding out about ian and ned, to them lying out on a picnic blanket watching the stars together and the 'i missed you', and then finally with mickey wanting stargazer lilies at the wedding and ian wanting the blue ones. blue like mickey's eyes.
i wasn't initially sure if i was gonna draw them or maybe add in some graphics or a background with them on canva. they ended up being the only part of the piece i did with zero reference. i used to doodle flowers a lot and wanted to play around with some freehand stuff.
stargazer lilies can represent things like ambition, enlightenment, beauty, optimism, hope, and success. these are all things that represent the wedding of the two characters so well, because the fact they finally got married really gave a sense of 'holy shit they made it'.
What part of the drawing is your favorite/do you really like how it turned out?
As above i think the lilies are my favourite, for a couple of reasons: because of the symbolism, because they're done with no reference, because they frame the piece well and i struggle a lot with backgrounds or having a piece feel 'complete'. i also think i was able to achieve the painterly style i was aiming for. you can rip the smudge tool from my cold dead hands.
Is there anything else you would like us to know about this piece?
this started as a practice piece to try and achieve a softer, more painterly style. i didn't want any harsh lines or stark contrast. i've been out of practice with my art and haven't really drawn anything for years, but over the last few weeks as i've gotten into the shameless fandom, i've been inspired. i'm never really expecting much to come out of my art, but want to post everything anyway even if only for my own progress. and as it was coming together i was thinking about the boys themselves finally getting to be soft, and about how it must feel like a dream to them sometimes. so i was kinda leaning into that by the end, i wanted it to seem peaceful, dreamlike.
<3
this is such a great idea and there are so so many incredible artists in the fandom and i feel like i'm just scratching the surface. with that in mind, i'm just gonna tag some of my favourite artists and want them to choose a piece of theirs that they think is underrated, or that they're in particular very proud of.
so i'm tagging: @suzy-queued, @pillowbee, @darlingian, @heymacy, @heymrspatel
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shameless fic dvd commentary- an ever-evolving observance
thank you @callivich for suggesting i do this! i'm always happy to talk about writing and get really excited when people connect with what i've done :] this blog is super cool, it's a treat to see artists' thoughts and processes @shamelessdvdcommentary
this got REALLY wordy and meta.... this fic was close to my heart so i kinda have a lot to say about it.. sorrybutalsonot
Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?
an ever-evolving observance
Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)
it's 13k words, canon compliant, and i wrote it in a little over a month and a half i think? it's a one-shot, but it's a series of interconnecting non-chronological vignettes. some of the scenes are more poetry-like and short, so it didn't make sense to split into chapters. plus, i wanted it to be read in one sitting.
What was the initial inspiration for your story?
i knew that i wanted to do an ian character study, and i knew that i wanted it to revolve around religion, love in the form of devotion, and bipolar disorder.
i chose to focus on ian and religion because one, he's somewhat spiritual throughout the entire series (i don't know if i can say confidently that he's devout. i think it's complicated esp given his mania, but he's something. catholicism is also one of those sects where even if you're not a Believer it comes with some deep rituals and cultural connections that never quite leave)
two, i see the gay jesus arc as the culmination of all of his past traumas. injustice, homophobia, predatory people, and service. like the kid he blows up the van for: is he a mentally ill teen who is on drugs and prostituting himself (ian season 4 in a manic state) , or is he a kid whose dad wants him to undergo conversion therapy (mickey season 3)? that's what tips ian finally over the edge after his grief over both monica (the literal and metaphorical root of his bipolar) and mickey finally catches up to him and he goes fully into psychosis.
when i'm looking for inspiration, i always re-ground myself in the world and characterization by re-watching the show and looking into things like set decoration or costume design. basically i just cornplate the shit out of it until it starts to feel like it writes itself... i wrote this out of order, and i started with the scene where fiona visits ian. in 907, she gets her cast put on and it's completely blank. by 908, an ambiguous amount of time's passed-- about a month?-- and her cast is full of signatures. by 910, she gets it off. so, i had been trying to piece together who all signed it and what they wrote. i was watching the deleted scenes for s9, and there's one alternate take of the scene in 908 where she spray-paints the nursing home sign and for a split-second you can see "miss you love you :( ian" on her palm. so that was where it started!
but in terms of connecting it to saint michael, i was midway through writing and, ironically enough, was on a trip to chicago. while in a taxi from the airport i was looking more into catholicism and parables. i was tossing around this idea of mickey as guardian angel/protector and so i was looking into all the saints to see if i could tie each scene to a different one. i looked into michael first bc of the obvious mikhailo/michael connection and once i read a source that named saint michael as the patron saint of grocers as well as the army and first responders, i knew i had it locked... i legit sent texts to my friends like "you will never believe this... either the writers wrote to this on purpose or its a crazy coincidence..." and the rest of it was easy to outline after that.
If the story is written from a characterâs POV, why did you choose this character?
it's an ian character study, so i chose to write his third-person limited POV because i needed to reflect his state of mind accurately depending on if he's up, down, or neither.
What was your favourite scene to write?
oh god. ummm. some of them literally just exorcised themselves out of me and some of them took a lot of rewriting and fine tuning. i would say the final scene on the beach or the connection between ian's s5 deleted fantasy and mickey wearing a white suit to their wedding. they were the last two i wrote and they kinda just fell out of me.
How did you come up with the title?
typically i look to song lyrics to help title fics and i usually start with looking at whatever i'm listening to that helps me get in the writing headspace. but for this one, i just chose a line from the actual story that i felt encapsulated it well.
for posterity in case u gaf i was listening to a lot of arcade fire's funeral bc i was also working on this lip/ian joint neighborhoods 2 + 3 edit that i kinda want to remake now. also a lot of IDLES. also the actual soundtrack of the show.
Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?
LIST OF CORNPLATING DETAILS THAT INSPIRED SCENES:
ian's signature on fiona's cast
ian's wearing lip's 8 ball shirt when mickey says he's just a warm mouth, bookending the ian in lips shadow s2 conflict SO awesomely
"thanks for coming back" in 601
the FAITH drawing that i assume mickey made for ian bc it's on his side of the prison cell (and also mickey's gangsters and neighborhood heroes poem but that was still a decoding WIP)
Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?
i can't particularly think of anything. once i figured out saint mikhailo it all sort of came together.
Favourite line in the story?
"Despite the pockets of wide open green spaces designed meticulously by urban planners, what Ian knows best are the cramped spaces of Chicago: alleyways, back rooms, bedrooms with more than one occupant, train cars.
Cement and gravel and dead grass.Â
Heâs been on camping trips for ROTC, short stints developing the skills but not the love of an outdoorsman, and Ian is, at his heart, a city rat. Thereâs too much wide open sprawl in Missouri. Itâs suffocating."
Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?
there were some ideas for scenes that were ultimately cut, but no. the awesome thing about these vignettes is that there isn't always an overall concrete story, it's more like a thematic thesis.
If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?
n/a though i will say i've only been writing Fic for a year or so (i've been writing forever and watched shameless live and was involved in its fandom from s5 on though) and i've never written something that's kinda more abstract like this.
What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)
i've been told by people with bipolar that my depiction of ian's thought processes felt accurate to them, and that makes me really proud. i dunno... even though i'm not bipolar myself the story of ian and monica's relationship is something that hits close to home and i sort of used writing about monica as a way to process the feelings i was having and the things i was going through at the time. so i'm happy that people have felt seen. my intention was that it still keeps an empathetic depiction of both monica and ian without totally erasing the impact their actions had on others bc it really is complex!!
Are there any deleted scenes that didnât make it to the final story?
yes! i don't have my notes document anymore but i believe there was one i had played around with that had caleb, and another that ultimately made its way into love is a battlefield (during their s10 breakup, ian tries and fails to get off by himself)
Are there any âbehind the scenesâ info youâd like to share - e.g. whatâs going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?
ian going to the prison and talking out loud (and mickey being in the adjacent yard as evidenced by his use of "you've got it handled") is a callback in canon to lip and fiona's voicemails for karen and JS respectively. but mickey on the opposite side of the fence is supposed to invoke a priest on the opposite side of the mesh in a confessional booth, which is why the next scene is ian in the booth trying to seek guidance from shim and hearing nothing back. and then there's "confessional" sensory callbacks in the prison cell and the shower.
Reading back the story now, is there anything youâd change or add?
nothing about the plot. maybe i'd find a way to add more, but i'm channeling some of that into love is a battlefield rn. probably some of the wording/phrasing, but that's just how style develops over time!
Would you ever write a sequel to this story?
i would consider love is a battlefield to be an unofficial sequel. the prelude of that is a direct sequel to the ian/fiona scene in observance!
Are there any âeaster eggsâ in your story - e.g. references to other stories youâve written, a trope you often use etc?
the above^ and mickey's juvie buddy who gives them free concessions at games is something i made up but have used a few times. their love for listening to CDs and alt/indie rock music is also something that's seen in details like set dressing, ian naming himself curtis (ian curtis of joy division), and mickey's legit rare radiohead "in rainbows" tour shirt he wears in ep 107 (which also contains serious symbolism weight. my god..).
i did do extensive research on army base training camp and while ian probably wouldnt have gotten the day off from fort leonard to go into springfield, mo, i wanted to parallel the name when monica reports via text that she's in springfield, il. yay
more biblical references included were water as a symbol of baptism/rebirth and the cutting of hair (trying to reference samson). i played a lot with ian's identity crises as well. i don't know who i am from one day to the next i can't guarantee shit!!!
i also tend to use the term "ian/mickey bends" a lot in my other writing because i love the double entendre of compromising/bending to the other's will and how that's different from literally bending over for sexual pleasure. lol
If youâve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity?
n/a, it's not my most popular!
Were you nervous or excited to post this story?
ummm neither. i didn't actually expect anyone to read it!! but i love it very much and i'm so glad others do too.
Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?
the awesome smart amazing wizard by the username of @saintjock cheered me on and inspired me majorly and cornplated with me over imessage every step of the wayyyy
Ask your followers to pick a snippet (no more than 500 words) and share your thoughts about it.
epilogue:
"Thereâs a Bible, long shoved into the back of a jail library.
Ian doesnât really remember writing it on the end cover, a hundred cosmic connections firing through his head at any given moment. But itâs there, and some inmate who thumbs over it months after Ianâs bailed out wonât know what it means.Â
ARCHANGEL MICHAEL, GUARDIAN OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
PATRON SAINT OF FIRST RESPONDERS, THE MILITARY, GROCERS. SERVITUDE. OBEDIENCE. RESCUES THE SOULS OF THE FAITHFUL, PASSES JUDGEMENT FOR ADMITTANCE INTO HEAVEN. ANGEL OF DEATH.
MIKHAILO DERIVED FROM MICHAEL âHE WHO IS LIKE GODâ
REVELATION 12:7-9 :
MICHAEL CAST SATAN TO HELL. SAMMI GOT LOCKED IN A BOX."
soooo okay. i knew i wanted to connect the dots at the end but i didn't want it to be totally shoehorned. the all-caps bit is verbatim my research notes page from my outline
i wanna go through the connections more concretely!
first responders and the military: ian's occupations obviously
grocers: ian's job again and specifically mickey working security at k+g
servitude, obedience: mickey's devoted to ian in both of these ways, but it's a swinging pendulum. so also ian being obedient to mickey and ian tending to mickey when kash shoots him in s1 despite not having any context in the moment for how it went down.
rescues the souls of the faithful: mickey showing up in prison for ian, and also picking him up when he passed out outside the club
passing judgement for admittance into heaven: mickey's insistence that fiona will be okay after she shows up totally fucked, and her subsequent move to her own personal "heaven" outside of chicago
angel of death: mickey's grim reaper "south side forever" tattoo, his mexico "death" on the same day as monica's actual death, frank dying on their wedding anniversary.
Anything else youâd like the readers to know about the story?
there's definitely a lot! like i said it was kinda cathartic for me to write. but other than that, i wanna promo the unofficial sequel ian (and mickey) character study love is a battlefield!! it's clocking in at 40k and i will be uploading the final three chapters this week!
this is a similar style of nonchronological vignettes. less poetry but revolves around the army and the idea that the line between love and hate is thin. a lot of drawing parallels between frank/monica and ian/mickey-- pinpointing places where i+m chose differently that allowed them to reject their destructive nature, or places where they didn't. also exploring sense-memory connection. ian has a scent kink. sue him! but also i have soooo many thoughts on ian and his ability to recall memories. tldr his memory recall might not be That great bc of the episodes and trauma. so sensory experiences help..
where aeeo explores ian's interiority, this one is more about how ian feels about mickey and love as an institution specifically.
anyway post over thank you again calli for asking me to write abt this and i hope yall liked a little peek into my ianpilled mind... â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
i was tagged by @glvch to talk about this drawing below with some questions from @shamelessdvdcommentary there wasn't any specific ones for me to answer so i spun a wheel and chose the numbers it gave me lol
5. was this an original idea or were you inspired by a scene/fic/post/meta? idk felt like i havent drawn them in a while and felt really guilty about it so it was inspired by desperation and crippling guilt
10. Did you have an initial idea of how you wanted this to turn out or were you inspired in the process? uhh yeah i thought it would look better but it didnt so i had to lower my expectations
20. Do you have a designated color palette for your artwork? Did you use it for this piece or did you use new colors? yeah i use the same skin colour and hair colour for all my gallavich pieces to make it cohesive and adjust later on with lighting if needed
23. Is this your most popular drawing? Are you surprised this is your most popular one? fuck no!!! my most popular drawing is a dan and phil drawing with 20k notes, i think my most popular gallavich drawing is the kissing animated gif of some of my favourite smooches and i was surprised that is my most popular bc its lowkey not that good
Shameless DVD Commentary: Spooky Movie Night at the Gallaghers
Thanks for tagging me @callivich, this is such a fun concept by @shamelessdvdcommentary! I'll pick a few questions from this list to guide my commentary about this specific fanart.
How long did it take you to finish? The file info says I created it on October 29 and last modified it on November 8. So... 11 days? Which is pretty embarrassing considering how simple it ended up looking.
Do you have a backstory for this piece? If so, did having a backstory help you in completing the drawing? Not really. It's just the perfect chance for me to draw people huddling together to watch a movie, their faces lit by the TV glow, which I've always wanted to draw. I also wanted to draw Mickey smirking at Ian, inspired by a panel from Contradict by Kamome Oshima.
In your mind, was there any dialogue that went along with this artwork? Nope! I always try to tell a story with pictures alone. I'm not much of a writer anyway.
Did you find this piece easy or difficult to complete? Art with more than 2 people is always difficult to draw.
Did you have an initial idea of how you wanted this to turn out or were you inspired in the process? It was initially only going to be Ian and Mickey in their West Side apartment, but I figured it would be more fun if it was set during the time they were newlyweds and cohabiting with 10(?) other people in the Gallagher household. I wanted to draw the entire family watching TV but I only managed to fit 4 people in the couch lol. I tried to make a doodle of the entire room but gave up on it eventually. I decided on Hereditary as the movie that would spook Ian.
Did it come out how you were expecting it to or did a lot change in the process? My art never comes out the way I visualize it -_-
If you were to redraw this now, would you change anything? Would you remove or add anything? I would recolor it and add backgrounds!
Tagging my fellow artists, in case you wanna do a commentary too:
I used to love DVD commentaries that writers used to do for their fanfics on livejournal. Fanlore describes it as âwritten commentary or gloss that accompanies a given piece of fanfiction. The commentary can be written by the story's author or beta reader, or by another fan.â
Thereâs so many stories in this fandom that Iâd love to know more about. So, Iâve made a list of questions that writers can use to do their own commentary of their fanfics. And Iâve created a side blog to reblog the commentaries and hopefully create a little archive of them.
This is open to all writers! Pick your favourite story youâve written or your most popular or the one you think deserves some more love! Or ask your followers to suggest their favourite fic of yours!
You can do this as many times as youâd like - thereâs no limit to the amount of commentaries you can do. And if youâd like to tag anyone to take part, feel free! And feel free to use these questions for fics in other fandoms too! đ
Read all the DVD commentaries so far here! | Shameless DVD Commentary: Artist Edition questions đ¨
You donât have to answer all the questions, feel free to pick and choose or come up with your own questions to ask! You can also just do a stream of consciousness type post about your thoughts and ideas of your story.
You can submit to this blog or tag me @shamelessdvdcommentary and Iâll reblog it.
Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?
Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)
What was the initial inspiration for your story?
If the story is written from a characterâs POV, why did you choose this character?
What was your favourite scene to write?
How did you come up with the title?
Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?
Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?
Favourite line in the story?
Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?
If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?
What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)
Are there any deleted scenes that didnât make it to the final story?
Are there any âbehind the scenesâ info youâd like to share - e.g. whatâs going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?
Reading back the story now, is there anything youâd change or add?
Would you ever write a sequel to this story?
Are there any âeaster eggsâ in your story - e.g. references to other stories youâve written, a trope you often use etc?
If youâve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity?
Were you nervous or excited to post this story?
Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?
Ask your followers to pick a snippet (no more than 500 words) and share your thoughts about it.
Anything else youâd like the readers to know about the story?
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@callivich was nice enough to suggest that I do one of these, so let's give this a try.
Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?
Battlefield Chicago - a Dystopian Future AU set in the Omegaverse.
Alpha Ian has been declared as an undesirable, and needs a purpose. When his best friend Mandy asks him to help her search for her missing brother, he will uncover a whole world he never expected to find.
Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)
Battlefield Chicago is my longest fic, coming in at 137, 247 words. Insane, since when I first came up with the idea I expected 20K max.
I started writing it in September of 2024, posted the first five-ish chapters in October 2024, and posted the 43rd and final chapter exactly one year later (which I didn't realize until later!).
If the story is written from a characterâs POV, why did you choose this character?
This one alternates POV's. Early in the story we see what happened in each of their lives to bring them to the critical point of them finally coming together, and then it varies sometimes even within a chapter as they live out the rest of the story together.
What was your favourite scene to write?
The first major battle scene was a good one, but I think Terry's death might have been my favourite
Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?
So many in this one. There are a lot of little hints early on that will answer some of the questions that come up during the story, and it's always my hope that either on initial read, or maybe on a re-read, people will see those and have that moment of something that clicks. "Where are they?" is one of the biggest examples of that.
Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?
Honestly, the last few chapters as a whole. Sorry for soap-boxing here, but... the engagement had dropped off so badly that it was getting hard to see the point in continuing. And I think those last few chapters probably suffered a bit as a result.
I overcame it simply because I refused to leave it unfinished. I needed to tell this story, and even if only one person was still reading, I felt like they deserved to know how it ended. Also I had written the epilogue months before, so I had something to drive towards.
Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?
It did, actually - there were a few pieces that I only had somewhat vague plans for, and some reader speculation in comments completely changed the direction for how those pieces ended up falling in the end.
If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?
Yeah, this was my first Omegaverse fic, and my first Dystopian AU. Combining them into one big story was probably a bit insane, right?
What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)
The world building, I think. That and the fact that I completely pantsed this one - 137K of intricate details that I had ZERO outline written down for!!
But I think all in all I did pretty good job with this one of building out the background, current day, and potential of the world this story lives in.
Are there any âeaster eggsâ in your story - e.g. references to other stories youâve written, a trope you often use etc?
Absolutely. There are massive muffins. And... IFYKYK.
If youâve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity?
To date, yeah, this one is my most popular by all metrics. I'm not surprised, really - it is my longest and most involved work, and it started posting before the recent downturn in engagement. Nowhere near the stats of the better-known writers of course, and the combination of tropes is probably going to turn off a lot of readers, but this one has done well for itself all things considered.
Were you nervous or excited to post this story?
So, so nervous. I'd published a few other small things before this one, but they were mostly fluffy and sappy stuff. I had no idea when I started if I had the ability to pull this one off, or if anyone would be interested in reading it!
Anything else youâd like the readers to know about the story?
Battlefield Chicago is best read as a historian's account of events. The start is assembled from their research and other second or third-hand accounts of what happened. Later, you can see where they tracked down the main characters and started getting their direct tellings of the story.
Also... I completely lost track of one of my OC's in this one for a few chapters (drawbacks of no outline!). I think I recovered pretty well though and so far nobody has noticed so far!
@annisefreya threw me some puppy-dog eyes and asked me to do DVD commentary for my hitmen au from kinktober. As usual, thanks to @callivich for the questions!
Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?
Itâs about the hitmen au series from my 2024 kinktober
Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)
I wrote it in October of 2024, and word count if iffy. The whole fic comes to just over 40k, and Iâd guess that at least 10k of that is hitmen au â maybe 15k. Each one varied in how long they took to write â some a couple of days (back when I first started and had time), but a couple were written the night of posting lmao
What was the initial inspiration for your story?
Gun kink. Look, I could have written any form of canon Ian and Mickey getting hot over watching the other use a gun. But I didnât want to. I havenât read Haunting Adeline, but I know about the scene and I wanted something like that. I wasnât prepared to go quite that far, though, lol.
If the story is written from a characterâs POV, why did you choose this character?
Mickey, but I do want to write one from Ianâs pov because holy balls that would be fun.
What was your favourite scene to write?
Pretty much any of the dialogue. Thereâs such a different vibe to this Ian and Mickey while still (hopefully) keeping them in character, and it was fun to explore the banter I usually write with a side of hatred, kink, and dom/sub
How did you come up with the title?
What title? Lmao
Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?
âThatâs not a knife, this is a knifeâ. The thing about this reference, though, is it was suggested to me by someone who was probably referring to Crocodile Dundee, obviously. But my brain replied with âthatâs not a knife, thatâs a spoonâ ⌠obviously.
Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?
I struggled with not wanting to disappoint, I guess. Hitmen au became a huge part of my kinktober, and I got it into my head that each new one I posted had to be better/hotter/more fucked up than the last. And I donât think I did overcome this because I still feel that way about any I write in the future.
Favourite line in the story?
From part one:
âKnees.â
You close your eyes.
You take a steadying breath.
You go to your knees.
From part two:
Even in the dark you can see the giant eye roll he gives you. âI liked your mouth so much better when it was stuffed full of my cock.â
Part three:
âTesting. Testing. Mickey likes dick. Testing.â
and
You canât because when Ian Gallagher tells you to suck his dick, you ask how hard.
Part four:
âSick. Little. Fuck.â He smirks. âAnd I am gonna test every fucking limit you have.â
Part five:
âFuck,â he whispers. âYouâd let me do anything to you, wouldnât you, Mick?â
Part six:
Mickey:Â eat dick Gallagher
Unknown:Â time and place, mick
Part seven:
You look at him, eyes wide and horrified, and he stares back â dark, dangerous â and squeezes the fourth into you.
Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?
Thereâs a small turn in the final one where Mickey calls him Ian and there are feelings of vulnerability. Obviously theyâre going to fall in love, but I never intended to write that. To be honest, I didnât plan to write more than the gun and knife kinks but you freaks wanted more.
If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?
None of it was my first time. Iâve done hitmen, Iâve done kink, Iâve done dubious consent (elsewhere). I hadnât done weapons as sex toys, though âŚ
What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)
So lame, but Iâm most proud of how it was received by readers.
Are there any deleted scenes that didnât make it to the final story?
No. There were some bits that got edited, but no deleted scenes.
Are there any âbehind the scenesâ info youâd like to share - e.g. whatâs going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?
I donât know if anyone cares, but the moment in part 3 where Mickeyâs on the phone to White Boy Carl and Ian suddenly takes over? Ian literally walked into the security office upstairs, took the phone from Carl, told him to get the fuck out in a way only a brother (or bother in law đ) can, and Carl just got up and left without a fight like in the wedding episode because Big Brother lmao. He was never in any danger đ
Reading back the story now, is there anything youâd change or add?
No. Iâm pretty happy with whatâs there.
Would you ever write a sequel to this story?
Iâd love to write more.
Are there any âeaster eggsâ in your story - e.g. references to other stories youâve written, a trope you often use etc?
Same answer every time â the name thing.
If youâve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity?
It was definitely the most popular part of my kinktober, and fuck yeah Iâm surprised. I thought Iâd get hate for that shit.
Were you nervous or excited to post this story?
So very both. Especially when the first one was dub/con.
Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?
Mandi @bawlbrayker helped me so hard with this đ
Ask your followers to pick a snippet (no more than 500 words) and share your thoughts about it.
gallavich-annise suggested my favourite part of the build up in knife play, so âŚ
 âDrop your knife so I can show you all the things mine can do. Promise youâll like them.â
You want to stab him, but your body reacts without your brainâs consent and you drop the knife.
âHmm. Good boy.â
You glare up at him. âYou can fuck off with that right the fuck now.â
âOoh, boundaries. I like it.â
âI fucking hate you.â
Even in the dark you can see the giant eye roll he gives you. âI liked your mouth so much better when it was stuffed full of my cock.â
Your eyes flutter at the comment and you force them open, force yourself to look up with every ounce of hate inside of you. But that smirk is there, right back in place, and you want to bite his lip hard enough to make it bleed, hard enough to make him moan.
His knife flicks again and again, at the last two buttons on your jacket.
âTake it off.â
You take it off.
You want to kill him, but you also want to fuck him, so all you can do is hope that fucking him to death is an option.
The jacket drops and he crowds you. You step back further and further, but he moves in closer and closer until your back is against the brick wall fence, his body is only inches from yours, and his knife is at your loosened tie. You watch in the light of the lamp, breath held deep in your lungs, as the knife twists and cuts through the tie like itâs nothing. And while he might hear your shuddering exhale, heâll never know about the surge of arousal that simmers low in your gut.
âYou buy this or rent it?â he asks, knife pinging off each shirt button until your chest is bare.
âBorrowed it from your mom,â you say. You glare up at him, but his eyes stay glued to the knife.
âHmm. You know why I killed him, donât you?â
Heâs talking about your date. You stare up at him, eyebrows in your hairline, but his eyes remain on your shirt.
âBecause youâre a fucking dick?â
âNot quite.â He trails the tip of the blade down your torso, and the first touch of blade against your skin has you shivering. âOpen it.â
You pull your shirt from your pants and let it hang open.
âNot because Iâm a dick,â he says. His gaze is glued to your bare chest as he traces the blade over your skin in movements soft enough to tickle.  âItâs just that seeing his hands on you made me a little ⌠possessive.â
Your chest lifts heavily with each deep breath you take, and thereâs a part of you that wants to breathe deeper, push your chest out more, make him press the blade that little bit harder âŚ
Instead, âWhat? You think youâre the only dick Iâve sucked this year?â
He finally lifts his eyes to look at you, smirk still in place, but eyes dark and unforgiving. âWatch yourself, Mickey.â
âOr what?â
The knife pauses. Stops right in the middle of your sternum. He stares down at you, eyes searching yours, before finally smiling.
âOh, how silly of me, trying to threaten you with a good time.â
âFuck off.â
He leans in. âDonât get me wrong, this banter/foreplay thing weâve got going here getâs me hard as fuck, but next time? Letâs just get straight to the fucking, okay?â
âThere wonât be a next time.â
âSure, Mickey. Now, lower your pants and show me how you touch yourself.â
You scowl at him, teeth clenched, but his words make your stomach drop, make you undo your belt, pop the button, slide the zip. You lower your pants and boxers and let them pool at your feet.
Okay, thatâs more than 500 words, BUT I adore the way Mickeyâs verbally fighting back here, all the while doing exactly what Ian tells him to do without a single complaint or push back. Theyâre arguing/bantering about something else entirely, and while Mickey is pushing back on that front, he just follows every direction Ian gives him from âtake off your shirtâ to âshow me how you touch yourselfâ and doesnât give it a single thought. And it has both nothing and everything to do with the knife omg.
Anything else youâd like the readers to know about the story?
As mentioned above, I was ⌠not hesitant to post the first part, but I was definitely concerned about how it would be received. I knew I wasnât the only person into this kind of thing, but I did not expect the love this entire series got and Iâm just so appreciative. While the writing wasnât necessarily out of my comfort zone, posting it was, and the feedback I got has helped my confidence as a writer đ
every reference and easter egg in how to disappear
(or at least all the ones i can remember)
how many did you catch?
Massive SPOILERS under the cut!!
baba yaga (Barbara Yaga, her ownership of the house ian rents is one of the few things carried over from the original wilde life au concept that i was going for in the first chapter)
i wanted to name the town in Oklahoma something weird and a little creepy but not use a real place. the thing is Oklahoma already pretty much has towns named with every weird creepy combo of words possible (seriously, go skim a map sometime, you will see some wild stuff). In the end i decided on Owl Creek because it's a real name but it's actually not one place, but the name of multiple waterways all across the state. đ
the rainbow fuck you socks are real socks (i used a photo of them as the cover for the how to disappear playlist) that @michellemisfit sent to me as a gift, i couldnt resist using them in the story.
Glenchad's technique for haunting/traumatizing Ian is inspired by the x-files episode How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
Glen himself is based on and named after Glen McReynolds from one of my favorite movies: Everybody Wants Some!! (the little inside joke i have with myself is that Glenchad hates Ian because Glen in the movie hates pitchers, and in one of my favorite fics, Love is a Ballfield, Ian is a pitcher.) (yeah it gets pretty convoluted inside my brain lol)
the infomercial ian watches on one of the local tv stations is a real product that i found by googling for the weirdest products sold through infomercials
the channel LOCAL 58 is of course an easter egg for the analog horror series by Kris Straub (of whom im a big fan)
the title of the fic itself is also a reference to another work by Kris Straub, a book of short psychological horror stories called Ichor Falls: A Visitor's Guide
mickeyism nickname "livestrong" is of course a reference to famous cyclist Lance Armstrong
Norma's is named for Norma Jennings, a character from Twin Peaks who owns and operates the Double R Diner, a major location used in the TV series.
I was a huge Newsies fan and had a crush on half the cast of the movie as a tween. Christian Bale wasn't my personal favorite but I figured he'd be the most recognizable reference for the general audience!
mickeyism nickname "Cowboy" was the newsie-name that Christian Bale's character went by in Newsies.
Ian and his Taco Bell drop off: I searched food delivery reddits for common horror stories from delivery drivers and turns out the prank of telling a driver there is a cash tip tucked somewhere on the front porch and then watching/filming (and possibly even posting to the internet) the person searching fruitlessly for the tip is disgustingly not uncommon.
the "old-as-fuck British sitcom set in a department store" is Are Your Being Served? - a show i simply remember being on all the time on the local PBS stations back when we still had TV and would just have to watch whatever was on!
Mickey refers to Oklahoma City as "The City" which is the way many locals refer to it.
I had to include Ian getting an order for Subway as a little homage to one of my absolute favorite fics of all time: Intro to Quantum Dating by @spoonfulstar
Ian is flying down the road on his bicycle bearing a single meatlover's footlong. - this is a joke about Ian's giant penis. But he is also actually delivering a meatlover's footlong.
"John D" - is short for John Doe because of course they wouldnt register for the grubhub app with a real name.
the werewolf pack was a little bit inspired by the Hale family from Teen Wolf, the werewolves from grizzly hills in world of warcraft, and the aesthetic of the broke-ass snobby british aristocrats from The Gentlemen TV series.
"Mother Selene" referenced by the pack leader just before the werewolves transform, refers to Selene the Greek goddess of the moon. There's heaps of history from all over europe on the origins of the werewolf myth. for my werewolves i chose to go with the ancient Greeks since "lycanthropy" is a greek word and i had decided that in this universe, the greek gods were fey. Selene was a powerful fey who created lycanthropy and tied the malady to the moon, she made herself the center of a cult of worship and used her werewolves as a vicious personal army to torment and control the humans who lived in what she considered to be her domain. When Ian reaches the center of the hedge maze, the statue he climbs is a statue of Selene (ian mistakes her crescent moon crown she is usually depicted with for horns).
ian in his mind refers to the werewolves as lunatics, just a little tease as the etymology of the word is a madness caused by the moon.
i decided vampires are one of the few things in this universe that dont exist, Mickey references the myth as originating from Bram Stoker's Dracula (though he doesnt specify this), a book that one could argue is about real estate. which is both a joke but also please read this incredible post by @gardenerian because its also...not not a joke.
as a huge fan of Two of Your Earth Minutes by @the-rat-wins, i absolutely HAD to work in a joke in which mickey calls Ian an alien
in chapter 4 the vibe i wanted to capture for Norma's was that of Merlotte's Bar and Grill from True Blood, and many of the characters are based off of or named after True Blood characters.
Eric is named after Eric Northman
Dawn and Tara and Jessica are all characters who at some point were waitresses at Merlotte's. (Though later I realized Dawn and Tara are also iconic Buffy characters, which I happily retcon as being an extra reference)
Glen being a fan of China Beach is a reference to Jenny Nicholson's incredible feature length video essay about the vampire diaries tv series
the fey named paula is named after canon ian and mickey's PO from season 10
the fey named cooper is named after agent dale cooper from twin peaks
aunt barb trades her chickens for an RV - a convoluted reference to the myth of baba yaga having a hut that can move around on giant chicken legs.
The wonderful @i-think-you-mean-reduction asked for a DVD commentary on Suncatcher! This was the first time I'd read it since finishing, so that was a lot of fun, too! This whole thing got away on me, so hit that read more if you want to read more đ as usual, thanks to @callivich for starting this awesome idea!
Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?
Suncatcher!
Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)
Okay, I started posting this in March of 2022, which leads me to believe I started writing it in 2021 (I'm on a borrowed laptop, so can't check). It took some time to finish because ~real life~ and word count hits 58,592.
What was the initial inspiration for your story?
Oooh, okay. This post. If you don't want to click, it's a text post saying "au where thief!cas tries to ride dean's dick and keep track of when his flashdrive is done stealing the contents of dean's computer at the same time". Obviously, that kind of scene never happened in Suncatcher, but vibes, you know?
If the story is written from a characterâs POV, why did you choose this character?
Mostly Mickey because almost everything I write is Mickey pov. But I did experiment with this by writing those 3rd person Ian snippets, and literally the only reason for it is so the reader could be there for that moment of realisation when Ian figures it all out.
What was your favourite scene to write?
I don't know that I have one, but I really enjoyed the scene where Mickey asks Ian to come to Mexico. Getting to write them being soft, even just for a minute, was nice. And literally any of their flirty banter was fun to write lol.
How did you come up with the title?
I feel like this doesn't need an explanation, lol. I will say, though, I had three other titles in mind. I had "Denouement", "Encontrar", and "Atrapasol". Encontrar means "to find" in Spanish (because I knew it would end with them in Mexico), while "Atrapasol" means "suncatcher". At least, according to Google translate lmao.
Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?
I did a reread in order to write this commentary, so, please, have a list of moments, foreshadowing, and references.
* Mickey's nautical-themed sleeve! âSailing? Nah, man. I just really like pirates.â Get it? Because he's a thief? And pirates steal shit? Literally no one caught onto that haha
* âUh ⌠growing up the way I did, Iâm probably better at the B&E itself rather than tryinâ to solve it.â -- Mickey literally says this in the first chapter lmao
* His mind doesnât go over every detail of the North Side burglaries and he doesnât obsess over the thief committing them. No thief. Just a bartender. Just Mickey. -- Um, hello?
* âNever gonna give that up, are we?â
âNever gonna live it down.â
âThose arenât the lyrics.â
âOkay, lyric police.â -- 27 Dresses, thank you
* Ahh, Mickey's blowjob tattoo. The amount of erotic tattoo designs I looked at for this, but nothing was right. Until Mitch đ
* He snorts. âClearly you donât know many writers.â
âI donât. Should I?â
âNo. Theyâre the worst.â -- I'm dying đ
* Well, this really has turned into a commentary, huh? Apologies.
* "A little dry, to be honest." Chapter 3 and 9. Did anyone catch that?
Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?
The last two chapters. Life completely turned upside-down on me and I couldn't write a thing. Zero motivation, infinity depression. Then, at the beginning of this year ... I dunno. I don't know what happened, but suddenly I was writing again and I haven't stopped yet.
Favourite line in the story?
âCatch me if you can, motherfucker.â
âTwo, I give you the keys to the cuffs and leave. But first I suck your dick until you come down my throat.â
âIâll give you what you want, Red, you just have to decide what you want more; the thief, or his mouth?â
âI didnât do anything,â he whispers.
âYou did everything, Ian.â
âInteresting,â he says. âI was already half in love with you by then.â đ
âIâm gonna fuck you now. You know that, right?â
You groan and drop your head. âYou might just break my fucking heart if you donât, Gallagher.â
âSo long as that lover is you, Gallagher.â
Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?
Yeah, but only chapters 9 and 10. Initially I was going to write Ian having a depressive episode and Mickey talking to him about everything while he was down, but I hated the idea. I didn't want it to seem like Mickey/the thief was the cause of his episode, and I also didn't want to use it as a tool. The idea changed into a possible attack on Ian, but that still wasn't working for me. So, instead, you got the scene with Mickey handcuffed and Ian asking questions. I switched the vulnerability around and made it way more fun.
If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?
Nah. A little crime with my romance is my go-to lol
What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)
Finishing it. Kidding. Kinda. Not really.
Actually, though, the dialogue and banter is pretty good. It reads very natural, so I'm proud of that.
Are there any deleted scenes that didnât make it to the final story?
Only what I mentioned above. I wrote the attack on Ian, Mickey sitting with him in hospital ... it wasn't good.
Are there any âbehind the scenesâ info youâd like to share - e.g. whatâs going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?
Oh, the moment where Ian finds the camera and leaves it. He'd just heard Mickey tell him that he stopped watching before things got interesting, and that's what he's thinking about as he puts the camera back down with a smirk. About Mickey not stopping just as things get interesting. I had thought about writing it, too. A scene where Mickey doesn't close the laptop, working consent into it and Ian putting on a fucking show
Reading back the story now, is there anything youâd change or add?
I don't think so. I'm pretty happy with most of it.
Would you ever write a sequel to this story?
Kinda did. Wouldn't be opposed to doing more. All the cream pie banter I'm rereading is def giving me inspo for if I write more of them oops
Are there any âeaster eggsâ in your story - e.g. references to other stories youâve written, a trope you often use etc?
I think I mentioned this in the commentary for Thicker Than Forget, but Jim Morrison/The Doors lyrics. I don't know, man, it just works for me haha.
Also the name thing - Gallagher/Ian/baby and Mickey/Mick.
There's also the line "Itâs gone from bartender and customer having a bit of fun flirting and teasing, to silk sheets and Nine Inch Nails pounding through the speakers." - The NIN might be a reference to Help Me (Tear Down My Reasons) đ iykyk
Were you nervous or excited to post this story?
Excited. Probably more excited to post ch2, though, just for the reaction to Mickey being the thief haha
Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?
@whaticameherefor always đ
Ask your followers to pick a snippet (no more than 500 words) and share your thoughts about it.
@i-think-you-mean-reduction asked for the scene where Ian asks Mickey on a date which I've pasted below.
A couple of notes on it:
The Riverwalk Cocktail Festival is a real thing in Chicago
I put a stupid amount of research into finding them the perfect date and this just fits.
Reading it back, I love that the Mickey doesn't think of the thief or anything to do with that shit once during this conversation. It's just two guys who like each other, and one's asking the other out on a date. It's just happy.
I think Mickey was so surprised that Ian was asking him out that everything he said and felt and thought was genuine. He even has a moment of "Fucking finally" that he doesn't mean to say, but 100% means.
I'm sad they never did it.
âJust my gut.â He pauses. Smiles. âSpeaking of ⌠in the interest of trusting my gut with my personal life as well as my professional life, have you heard of the Riverwalk Cocktail Festival next month?â
Your heart skips a beat. Yeah, youâre heard of the fucking festival, and you canât believe Ianâs doing this.
âIâve been a few times,â you tell him. âSandy and I go under the pretence of work, and then get shit-faced.â
âOkay, so do you maybe wanna go again?â He fingers go back to the coaster, but again he keeps eye contact. âBut, you know, with me instead of Sandy.â
Thereâs nothing romantic about the Riverwalk Cocktail Festival unless you go to the Riverwalk Cocktail Festival with romantic intentions. If you go with a date then itâs stupidly fucking romantic and you and Sandy used to talk shit about those assholes every chance you got, but âŚ
But the idea of being one of those couples, of going with Ian and having it be romantic ⌠it makes you sick to your stomach how much you like the idea.
âYou askinâ me on a date, Gallagher?â
He stares at you, eyes wide and honest. âYeah.â
âFuckinâ finally.â You donât mean to say it. You think it and you mean it, but you donât mean to say it. Ianâs smile, though, makes the slip worth it.
âSo thatâs a yes?â
âYeah.â
âGood.â He smiles. Fucking beams. âBecause Iâve already bought tickets, so I wouldâve been kinda fucked if youâd said no.â
âYou already bought tickets?â
âSome might call it presumptuous; I call it optimistic.â
You shake your head. âIan, man, those tickets are expensive as fuck ââ
âDoesnât matter.â
âMatters. At least let me pay you back for mine.â You already know he wonât let you pay for both of them.
âNot a chance. This is me trusting my gut, asking you out, and feeling really good about it.â
A smile pulls at the corner of your mouth. âOh yeah?â
âYeah.â He smiles right back. âYou wanna pull me out of that good feeling, the one I get when you agree to go on a date with me, by bringing up my money woes? Or do you wanna talk about our date and agree upon matching outfits?â
âYou better be fucking joking.â
Anything else youâd like the readers to know about the story?
So, as mentioned above there was a good chunk of time where nothing was updated. If you were someone who left a kudos or a comment or messaged me on here during that time, or even continued reading when I finally updated, please know it meant a lot.
I saw one of these on my dashboard, and I was like, oh, I meant to do that! And I needed something to stop myself from using the last hours of these precious days off to do work instead of something fun.
Thanks to @shamelessdvdcommentary for the great questions!
Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?
Two of Your Earth Minutes
Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)
12,394 words. It was written in July and August 2015. I was originally going to have it as a one-shot, but added the next chapter b/c the response was so positive and talking about it with people gave me more ideas. :) Chapter 1 was written in about a week, and chapter 2 took about three weeks.
What was the initial inspiration for your story?
This post from Mellow_Yellow, which made me think about Mickey's line about Ian being alien-looking, plus my childhood love of the book series Animorphs, which had an alien character named Ax who, when in human form, had comedic and sometimes emotional hijinks trying to understand the human experience (often food-related). It looks like that post was in March, but I didn't start writing the actual fic until July, so I guess I was turning the idea of "Ian/Mickey + alien??" around in my mind for a while before I actually started.
If the story is written from a characterâs POV, why did you choose this character?
Mickey's POV! I think writing this story from Ian's POV would have been much harder, since his perspective on what he's going through would be way more complicated and require more info-dropping for the reader than Mickey's. (Ax does have Animorphs books in his POV, but they're in the first person with an assumed human reader, so the info dropping feels natural.) It makes sense to me that the story felt more natural and "flow-y" coming from Mickey's more familiar POV. And this one did flow easily, much more than most of my stories.
What was your favourite scene to write?
Any of the "cultural exchange" scenes, where Ian is asking for Mickey to explain about a human thing, and then Mickey wants to know if Ian's world has anything similar. So, them talking about ice cream or music, for example. Obviously having Mickey explain stuff is funny and banter-y and thus easy to write, but I love that he also wants to know about Ian's reality from before, even though it's even harder for him to understand (or Ian to explain) than the reverse.
How did you come up with the title?
It's the name of the whole "aliens talk about Earth measurements" trope on TVTropes, and it comes from a quote from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is one of my favorite books. It's also a CONSTANT joke in Animorphs, as listed on the tropes page. ("It will take one of your hours." "We're on Earth, Ax. They're everyone's hours.") I did intentionally want this story to be "here is this specific trope, Ian/Mickey style," so I leaned into it with the name, as a nod to how unapologetically tropey it really is.
I think I once saw someone refer to the two chapters as being part of the reason it's "two" minutes, which is great and I love it, but that was just a coincidence, as I wasn't originally planning two chapters.
Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?
References I've talked about before: I was big into Elliott Smith at the time, so the record-store owner is based on him ("Sam" is from one of his song titles), and the bartender is also named after one of his songs (Clem, short for "Clementine"). The record store is based on one I used to walk by on my commute to work, including the sign in the window. Mickey makes a joke about Icelandic nose flutes because of this ancient mini documentary about the filming of LOTR that I taped onto a VHS when it first aired (before Two Towers came out!!) and watched over and over with my fellow nerd friends. ("Very difficult instrument to master!") And the thing about Ian wanting to walk around with his shirt unbuttoned because he saw an action star do it on TV was a real argument I had with my mother when I was in preschool.
None of those were intended for readers to get, just jokes between me and myself really! I'm my own first audience, I guess.
Ian saying "I'm LOST" was, now that I think about it, probably a subconscious quote from Lilo and Stitch, aw.
Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?
Ah, it's been too long so I don't remember anymore! Except I remember that chapter 2 was much slower to write than chapter 1, because I wasn't in that same flow of immediate inspiration (rare and precious). Hence, one week for chapter 1, and more like a month for chapter 2. And I see I posted about a sex scene taking me forever around then, so that would be the one at the end of chapter 2. Choreography of where everyone's limbs are going can be exhausting, let's be honest.
Favourite line in the story?
"Yes!â Ian says. âThatâs what I want. You. To be with me.â
(Clearly owing a debt to season 4's "this where you want to spend your day off?" / "you're here" convo, but coming in several years ahead of season 10's "i wanna be where you are, Mickey." Anyway, Ian Gallagher's romantic nature, boiled down to its bare essentials)
Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?
It doesn't really have much of a storyline, if we're being real, since it's more of a "slice of life" situation! So, nope.
If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?
Haha, yes, it was indeed a particular trope!! :D I don't think I had ever written it before, that I can think of. But I definitely did a lot of sci fi in general after that.
What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)
Honestly I'm just so happy that it made other people happy enough that sometimes people still recommend it to other people almost TEN YEARS later! That's always makes me glow with joy. The story amused and delighted me as I was writing it, but I did not especially think it was going to be well received. Some parts of Shameless fandom were kind of judgey about anything that was too "weird" back then; you can see how nervous I was from my preemptively self-defensive tag about Ian being in human form and my "well, that's . . . whatever that is" author's note at the end. But as it turned out, no one was mean about it (to my face, anyway, haha!) and I'm so glad that I did post it, after all.
Reading back the story now, is there anything youâd change or add?
Yes! I was reading through it just now to pick out a favorite line, and I saw that Ian had a line where he referred to the concept of "luck." They have a whole convo explaining "luck" to him in the Halloween special, so that would make no sense. Whoops! That's the kind of thing that happens when you write a sequel years and years later. Fixed now. None of you saw nothing, got it?!
I also think that the very first joke doesn't work well ("We put butter on it. Uh, the cow stuff. Not the body stuff.â) b/c I don't think that Mickey knows what "body butter" is anyway, so he wouldn't think to differentiate that. But luckily (?) I don't think readers usually get that that is what I meant by that phrase, anyway. So it's a flop joke that kind of unflops itself? So I've left that one alone. If I ever think of a good fix, I'll probably fix that too, though, b/c it does haunt me ever so slightly.
(I skipped some questions here b/c I'd already covered parts of them in my yapping above)
Anything else youâd like the readers to know about the story?
Rereading it now, their grocery shopping is a hilarious insight into what I was capable of cooking myself in my early 20s (not much!). That list would definitely look different if I wrote it now, but after all, people do write what they know, sometimes. :)
In closing, to paraphrase a blurb about NONA THE NINTH: You have loved alien!Ian, and alien!Ian loves you. And it truly means so much to me. đđ˝đ
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Shameless DVD Commentary: Fanfic Writer Questions | Shameless DVD Commentaries
The wonderfully talented @heymrspatel has come up with some brilliant questions for the artists in our Shameless fandom đđ
This is open to all artists! You donât have to be tagged to take part. Pick your favourite piece of art youâve created or your most popular or the one you think deserves some more love! Or ask your followers to suggest their favourite art of yours!
You can do this as many times as youâd like - thereâs no limit to the amount of commentaries you can do. And if youâd like to tag anyone to take part, feel free! If youâd like to request a writer or artist to do a DVD commentary, send me an ask with their name Iâll tag them to see if theyâre interested.
You donât have to answer all the questions, feel free to pick and choose or come up with your own questions to ask! You can also just do a stream of consciousness type post about your thoughts and ideas of your art.
You can submit to this blog or tag me @shamelessdvdcommentary and Iâll reblog it.
Which artwork is your DVD commentary about?
When did you complete this piece?
How long did it take you to finish?
Do you title your work? If so, what is the title of this piece?
Was this an original idea or were you inspired by a scene/fic/post/meta?
Do you have a backstory for this piece? If so, did having a backstory help you in completing the drawing?
When you made this, did you draw it from a certain POV? Were you in Ianâs shoes? Mickeyâs? or simply the outside viewer?
In your mind, was there any dialogue that went along with this artwork?
Did you find this piece easy or difficult to complete?
Did you have an initial idea of how you wanted this to turn out or were you inspired in the process?
Did you warm up in any way before you started drawing?
What was the first thing you drew? What was the last thing you added?
Did it come out how you were expecting it to or did a lot change in the process?
Was there something you had to redraw a lot of times before you settled on the final result?
Did you add any fun details you hoped the viewer would notice? Did anyone catch them?
Do any of the details in the artwork have a specific reasoning that you want to explain?
What part of the drawing is your favorite/do you really like how it turned out?
What part of the drawing came easiest to you? What was the most challenging?
Are there any details that you always make sure to add to your work that are included in this drawing? Did you forget any?
Do you have a designated color palette for your artwork? Did you use it for this piece or did you use new colors?
If you were to redraw this now, would you change anything? Would you remove or add anything?
Has your style changed since you made this piece?
Is this your most popular drawing? Are you surprised this is your most popular one?
Did you show your drafts to a friend/discord chat before posting? Did their feedback help in making decisions or completing the drawing?
Is there anything else you would like us to know about this piece?
Thank you again to Julissa for the brilliant questions! đ
It sound like a fun exercise so : Carnival! (shameless, gallavich)Â
written for the Shameless Masquerade last year.Â
Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)Â
it's a one-shot, short, about 3100 words (kinda average for me actually, I write tiny things), it took more or less one month (English is not my language, and this one has a lot of specific vocabulary).Â
What was the initial inspiration for your story?Â
Some elements (the carousel, the fortune tellers) had been in my mind for long (before knowing in which fandom I would use them) and I wanted to do something a little bit special for the masquerade so (my writing is easily recognizable so I wanted a twist in the story)
If the story is written from a characterâs POV, why did you choose this character? I
It's alternating, it was easier for this one.
What was your favourite scene to write?Â
either the fortune teller (funny) or the mirror maze (gave me feelings),Â
How did you come up with the title?Â
Working title was "La mesnie Hellequin"Â old name for the wild hunt (the devils household, maybe?) because of the scary horses from the carousel. "the wild hunt" was a little bit too spoilery so "carnival" because of the fair, the not what they seem to be, and the Masquerade game, of course.Â
Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?Â
ahhh that the mirror maze is based on Ian and Mickey canon struggles : Ian has mirrors, fast music and neons, it's a manic phase, he is loosing himself difracted and destroyed ; mickey has glass, he is trapped, paranoid, his past/traditional way (terry) keep hurting him. When they reunite, the magic can't keep up, mixing up. They get out thanks to their canon abilities too : Mickey's pragmatism and ian empathic instinct, and because they are linkes (the phone and the scribbles on the glass). Writing it I felt like it was too on the nose, but I actually still like that part.Â
Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?
the shooting gallery, repetitive actions, specific vocabulary, subtext and subtility (the weird guy/setting/booth must be just the right amount of strange) awful. So I focused on Mickey's lust for his husband. Always works.
Favourite line in the story?
"Mickey leant against the counter, and stared overtly at his husband. He always had found it very sexy when Ian had a gun between his hands. Call it toxic masculinity. Call it an imprint of his upbringing. Call it what you want, the fuck if I care." see above.
Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?Â
Not the storyline exactly but I had planed to write more on the wild hunt/carousel horses. Like a real threat, coming after them. I gave that up.Â
If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?Â
it's my fisrt fantastic / horror soft in English, I think
What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)Â
the change of atmosphere. I like building atmospheres, and I think this one is good-ish, especially with a twist and a change of atmosphere in the middle of such a short story.
Are there any deleted scenes that didnât make it to the final story?Â
nope, deleted ideas, yes.Â
Are there any âbehind the scenesâ info youâd like to share - e.g. whatâs going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?
the guy at the shooting gallery is absolutly rigging the riffle with magic, and mickey will wake up with a start a few nights later, yelling "fuck", because he has such a high opinion of ian's skills that he had been low key bothering all that time.Â
Reading back the story now, is there anything youâd change or add?Â
I would love to have it in English, someday
Would you ever write a sequel to this story?Â
no. I'm bad at sequel and multi champters, and this one, I'm certain I won't.
Are there any âeaster eggsâ in your story - e.g. references to other stories youâve written, a trope you often use etc?Â
an only-for-myself easter egg, the fortune teller is inspired by a wonderful text from Alexandre Vialatte, about parisian automatic fortune teller booth (not devilish) that gives cards with predictions when you turn their handle, and tells you you have "a nocturnal nature with lilac radiations" or " a three musqueteers-like seduction"...Chronicle 238 Dernières nouvelles du zodiaque on Les chroniques de la montagne.
Were you nervous or excited to post this story?Â
allllllways! especially because it was a fandom game.Â
Anything else youâd like the readers to know about the story?Â