Confused and trying my best

Magic Stone?

The Magic Stone? It's called the Magic Stone? Who decided that? Connor? Did Connor find this thing and think "Huh, I don't understand this... must be magic."

They are very dear to me. Very family very silly it reminds me of my mom when she'd make me wear like three pairs of pants in winter

Credits to @shrimpart03 for finally convincing me to play Detroit and guiding me trough some parts

Tagged here by the incredible writer @laylainalaska <3

When it comes to my fics, I think I have a recency bias... Whatever the newest iteration of my questionably developing writing is, that's what I'm most proud of. But it also seems to be the ones I had the most fun writing. Anyway, here goes:

Codetta (7,800 words, Babylon 5, G'Kar/Londo) This is a much longer fic than I usually write, and I also really enjoyed the AU/post-canon worldbuilding that I worked into the story. There are references to things that happened 'off-screen' in the intervening years, that I want to flesh out and write into this universe, too. For these two characters whose arcs in canon ended on a satisfying, cathartic ending that had been building since the very first episode (an ending that also tore my heart out and stomped on its shattered remains) – writing a fix-it for them that tried not to take away too much from the themes in their story-line and make it jive with canon... Well, I tried! And I had so much fun doing it. I think I got reasonably close to the blend of angst, hope, and humor that I love so much in Babylon 5. At the moment, I can safely say it's my favorite fic I've written, and I hope I can capture that feeling again for myself.

Diplomatic Incidents (9,139 words, Star Trek: Enterprise, Shran/Archer) Again, I don't know how I managed to write something this long when my usual fics are less-than-1k-word one-shots... I was on fire in January, tbh. I hope it happens to me again. Here, I was inspired by the myriads of old Trek fic I'd read – slow-burns, mission-fics, alien-world-of-the-week type things: mostly K/S. I'd set it during a non-existent S5, where Shran, having lost his ship and most of his crew in the previous season, is loaned out to Starfleet by the Andorian Imperial Guard. The conflict and tension between Shran and Archer as previously uneasy allies with a tally of debts and fateful meetings develops into an intense camaraderie as they work together... And something more. I had a lot of fun writing their dynamic and leaning hard on that 'Belligerent Sexual Tension' tag, and I think it's probably the best shrancher fic I've written – definitely the kind of thing I'd read and re-read if I hadn't been the one to write it.

Standing Witness (1,161 words, Babylon 5, Delenn & G'Kar, background Delenn/Sheridan) I'd had this idea ever since I'd first seen Season 4, Episode 21: Rising Star, but let the note rot in my files for a few years before I actually wrote anything. I thought it served as a much funnier, and canon-typical explanation for G'Kar's eye in the presidential honeymoon suite... I also love these two characters very much, and I always have the best time writing dialogue.

Specious Present (2,270 words, Star Trek: Enterprise, Shran/Archer) I really enjoy the '5 + 1 things' format of fics – I think it's a great formula for the way I enjoy writing: utilizing similar moments or scenes to illustrate some overall plot, or emotional development over time. I also like subverting it :) I even might expand on some of the universes I visited in this fic...

Suitability (826 words, Foreigner Series by C.J. Cherryh, Bren/Jago) This was my fun little attempt at writing a Cherryh pastiche – a little vignette set post Book 6: Explorer. I love this series so much, and I also love the politics, the worldbuilding, the relationships between the characters (with such a unique twist on alien/human connection).

This wasn’t easy, and I’ve procrastinated enough in doing this game lol, but I tried to pick things where I was especially happy with the way they came out and that I really enjoyed writing. Here goes, in no particular order:

1. Head and Heart

I’m super happy with the way I put a bunch of twists into the plot of this story. Basically, Daniel contracts something from off-world and the team has to figure out what’s causing it and how to cure it. They think they know, but they’re not correct and then they lose access to the planet while Daniel worsens. I feel like this story came to me easier than a lot of my other ones and I was able to write a bunch at a time.

2. The Test

First story I posted to AO3, but not the first I wrote. It features the team in a life-threatening situation where Daniel has to translate at speed or they’ll all perish. Trouble is, he’s also incapacitated. Meanwhile, back at the SGC, there’s trouble from Apophis that may prevent the team from getting home. I have clear memories of writing this fic while waiting at the doctor’s office during my second pregnancy lol.

3. What Lies Within

I had a hard time getting the right premise for this story. I wanted it to be an examination of Daniel’s feelings after his descension, because I don’t feel like they ever did that in the show. So I had him come in contact with something mind-altering and his subconscious takes him on a wild ride. However, he’s also made dangerously ill by this thing, so plenty of whump. 😉

4. Fractured

This story’s about survival for my favorite team, and helping a people free themselves. It also features Daniel learning the local language and having to translate despite being really injured, and he’s integral to uniting the people on the planet so they can overthrow their oppressors. I’m really happy with the way this story came together. It was in my drafts a long time, and beyond the first few chapters, I was stuck. Then I did something I NEVER do: I posted the beginning before finishing the story, and it really helped me finish it. Turned out to be the longest fic I’ve written thus far.

5. No Matter What

I want to include a Star Trek Voyager story here because Voyager was my first love before Stargate. This story is special because it’s the first Voyager one I wrote. I tried to write it for a Whumptober prompt I think, but I hated it, so I never finished it at the time and I put it away for like a year. Then I had a look at it and fixed it and now I love it, because it’s got an injured Janeway hiding said injuries from Chakotay, but then ends up passing out in front of him. I’m a sucker for that trope lol. 😉

I'm gonna try and do this in backwards order for my own fics

5. The Rest Of Brennenburg:

It doesn't have a very good title, and it's super short and unfinished, but I've always liked this one weird as that is to say about my own work... After I learned about the two deleted areas from The Dark Descent, I thought it would be fun to write about Daniel and Alexander going through those rooms during Daniel's tour of the castle. It just came to me so perfectly and everyone says the dialogue sounds in character and that makes me really happy 😊

4. August 2039:

It's funny because it's a crack crossover that came from a dream I had but I genuinely really really like it and have so much fun working on it. It's also unfinished at this point but I plan for chapter 3 to be the next thing I post! Connor and Hank being adrift and trapped, Connor slipping back into his Deviant Hunter mindset, getting to write all the characters/social dynamics of Alstadt, and the juxtaposition between Connor and Hank and Daniel and Alexander?! It's too much fun for me personally, very self-indulgent but that's what fandom is all about I guess 😉 Plus I keep getting stuck on the thought that Alexander is Daniel's Amanda but he's ALSO Daniel's Hank, which is why Daniel can't bring himself to go against anything Alexander says or does... yeah I need to keep writing this ASAP

3. False Alarm

This idea hit me all at once and I literally felt my body inflate with energy as I couldn't get the thought out of my mind.. Connor being like a dog, trying to protect Hank from the mailman, but also showing more of the abuse he was put through by CyberLife since he's totally unequipped to live, he only knows combat and investigating criminals. (I did forget that mail is delivered by drone in DBH until last night actually but it's FINE I already posted it so I can't do anything about it now)

2. Dreaming

I took the title for this one from the song at the beginning of Coraline (also from the line Connor says at the end when he finally realizes he was dreaming). This kind of thing has been done to death in this fandom I KNOW but I'm brand new here and I'm still not over Connor having nightmares about Amanda yet. I have a kind of dream that feels exactly like reality until the second you wake up, and I really loved the thought of Connor being totally thrown by having that kind of dream, too, and not knowing what's real or what's not. I didn't capture it well enough in my own opinion but I still love Hank slowly talking Connor down, he and Connor have been through this enough times that Hank knows how to cut through his panic and say things that make sense to Connor's muddled brain. (Maybe someday I'll write the first time Connor had a nightmare....)

1. Oops :(

I know I need to shut up about Oops :(, but it will always be special to me as the first fic I ever posted and honestly, I don't think I've topped it in quality yet. This idea also came to me pretty much fully formed and I finished the whole thing in under a week. Connor being tired without realizing he's tired, Hank briefly thinking he's lost another son in a car crash, Connor being so messed up by Amanda he craves punishment from Hank at the same time as he fears it, and everything coming to a head when Connor says he thinks the only reason Hank isn't punishing him is because he's relieved Connor didn't get hurt like Cole.... it's Connor slipping back into that cold, analytical, "Hank has personal issues" mindset to try and rationalize what he can't possibly understand; that Hank just loves him and isn't going to punish him at all. And I can't forget, with everything else that's special to me about this fic, I also made a great friend when I asked an author I really admire to help me beta read :) ^_^

It was strange but fun to talk about what I like about my own writing?!

Machines Don't Fall in Love (But Deviants Do)- dbh Connor x Android!OC

This fic holds a special place in my heart because this is the first fic where I really allowed myself to open up and play with dynamics and styles that I have previously been too scared to try. I feel like this fic has really made me grow as a writer AND it's the first project that I can actually see the finish line because I- um, well I've never actually finished a long fic project before, so I'm really excited to finish. It's also the only fic that I've shared with my irl friends. Many of them have read it and have been involved in the process of making it, so it's very special to me.

2. All Bets are Off- dbh Connor x reader

This one is a little more silly, but I was really happy with the dynamic I was able to establish. I've started a few more segments for it but I haven't finished them. But this one is fun for me because there aren't many fics in any of the fandoms I've been in where the reader handles livestock or agriculture in the manner that I do. So, I just make them for me lol

3. Silent Battles- Anderfam with a dose of angst

I was having a rough time when I wrote this. I'd been out of work due to an injury and had no income for almost two months. And for someone who has animals to take care of and student loans to pay, it was really stressful. So this one was maaaaybe a bit of a vent fic, but I also wanted to explore how I think Connor would deal with the self-loathing I think he would struggle with. You know, normal things.

4. Memories of a Father- Anderfam with another dose of Angst lol

Another vent fic lol. I wrote this in one sitting on father's day to deal with my hurt feelings. But also, I wanted to consider how Connor might live in the shadow of Cole's death. And it was 100% based on a reddit post I read talking about people who've experienced loss usually enjoy talking about their loved one's passions and things. So yeah, sorry Hank.

5. Sun, Moon, and the Star- fnaf/child of light crossover fever dream lmao

SURPRISE fnaf dca fic! This project was never finished as it got overshadowed by other projects and (at the time it was being written) school. I don't plan to finish it as I'm not really in the dcaverse anymore, but it was a really fun crossover to play around with. And child of light is one of those games that I crossover with EVERYTHING. But yeah, it was self-indulgent and fun and I wished I had finished it. I had it all outlined and everything and I NEVER outline, but oh well

"I expect you to find answers, not ask questions!" BRO YOU PROGRAMMED HIM TO ASK QUESTIONS