#ao3writing

AO3 Tag Roulette Writing Challenge: July 2023

The below list was compiled using the AO3 Tag Roulette random generator and will provide you with five tags from Archive of Our Own (AO3). Your task is to write a story using all of them. Anything goes with Tag Roulette - from romantic to fantasy to just downright weird, you never know where the tags will take you.

Tagging myself from @thelonecritic 's post! I just love writing fanfic and talking about it.

Name(s): Rhaized

Fandom(s): almost exclusively HDM for like 8 years 😅 but I've also written for The 100, Luther (because Ruth obz) & Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Where you post: mostly ao3 these days

Most popular oneshot (by kudos): Resolve Yourself, although I think my Mary/Marisa oneshots are catching up despite being written only a couple weeks ago 😅

Most popular multi-chapter (by kudos): Golden Auroras, which I started because I couldn't bear waiting a whole year before S2 and which I guess I'm gonna anxiously return to as we wait for S3!

Favorite story you've written so far: The Duty of the Old, another multi-chap fic featuring Lyra & Mrs. C. I just love the idea of Lyra and Mrs. C having a longer and more sustained relationship, even if it still is fraught with the complications that will inevitably arise between them. I also have worked really hard to write longer and more eventful chapters for this fic, whereas my tendency for multi-chaps is to write shorter scenes. So I think it's my favorite because I've put so much of my heart and effort into it.

Fic you were nervous to post: Believe it or not, Temptress, which accidentally predicted the Mary/Marisa meeting in ep 5! This ship was basically non-existent as far as I could tell, and I thought oh gosh what am I doing here. But I went with it, and after seeing their scene and just more of Simone Kirby's adaption of Mary, I am so interested in it. Writing Mary/Marisa is so fun because they're so different but also there's just something about them together that is so intriguing. I also recognize this ship isn't for everyone, so much respect. We are all so valid.

How do you choose your titles?: Not very well! Usually from a quote from the books or show, although sometimes just descriptive words. Titles are the bane of my existence.

Do you outline?: Always! I write a lot academically for my studies and the process is kind of the same where I jot out the major points/main plot events I want to happen and then I sort of fill it in. This happens over a few days for oneshots; for multi chaps, I will map out and mark up ideas/scenes for weeks as I go. I move things around a lot, too. I know multi chaps are more difficult for this reason, but somehow I can't stop writing them because I love the space they provide to really explore an idea in depth.

Complete: Oh dear 😅 my oneshots, but as of right now I'm literally still writing every single one of my multi chaps! I don't abandon them. I just take my sweet time.

In progress: Temptress, The Duty of the Old, and Golden Auroras (yes, I juggle a lot at once; yes I do the same with my academic projects and everyone thinks I'm out of my mind 😅 I just love being busy)

Coming soon/not yet started: more Mary/Marisa oneshots and Marisa & Lyra oneshots, and I'm sure I've got another multi chap in me somewhere... But I need to get a handle on these existing ones first, since I love them and they deserve my attention.

Prompts?: I've never done them before because of my already chaotic writing process, but if I see one I like/that inspires me who knows!

Upcoming work you're most excited about: Temptress updates. I actually envisioned the ending recently, and while I think we're not quite there yet, I just can't WAIT for it.

AO3 Tag Roulette Writing Challenge: October 2023

The below list was compiled using the AO3 Tag Roulette random generator and will provide you with five tags from Archive of Our Own (AO3). Your task is to write a story using all of them. Anything goes with Tag Roulette - from romantic to fantasy to just downright weird, you never know where the tags will take you.

The AO3 Tag Roulette Writing Challenge: November 2023

The below list was compiled using the AO3 Tag Roulette random generator and will provide you with five tags from Archive of Our Own (AO3). Your task is to write a story using all of them. Anything goes with Tag Roulette - from romantic to fantasy to just downright weird, you never know where the tags will take you.

Are you looking for a new writing challenge this May? Then why not try the "May Mixtape Challenge"?

This challenge is easy to participate in - all you need is a music playlist and a willingness to let the music guide your writing. Start by shuffling your playlist and selecting the first song that comes up. Listen to the lyrics, the melody, and the overall mood of the song. Let your mind wander and imagine a story that fits with the music.

The beauty of this challenge is that there are no right or wrong answers. You can interpret the song in any way you like and create a story that speaks to you. Maybe the song is about lost love, and it inspires you to write a heart-wrenching love story. Or perhaps the song is upbeat and energetic, and it inspires you to write a story about a character overcoming a difficult challenge. The possibilities are endless.

You can participate in the challenge as often as you like - try it once a week or every day for the entire month of May. It's up to you how much you want to challenge yourself. For an extra challenge, find a random playlist online instead of using your own - this way you can perhaps even discover some new music you've never heard before.

The "May Mixtape Challenge" is a fun and creative writing challenge that is perfect for anyone looking to reignite their passion for storytelling. With no rules or limitations, you can let your imagination run wild and see where the music takes you. So put on your favorite playlist and start writing – you never know what kind of story you might create. Be sure to use the #MayMixtapeChallenge when posting your stories so others can easily find them.

RATING: Explicit

WORDS: 6, 861

SUMMARY: In the days before Regulus goes to the cave, Barty falls deeper into the darkness and Regulus struggles to leave Barty behind to be consumed by it all.

[inspired by 'idolise']

EXCERPT:

And all at once, Regulus feels trapped. Tethered inside his own body. Sick to his stomach. And at the same time, outside of himself, looking down upon the shell he inhabits, dizzy and nauseated with the thought of it all. That he might leave Barty. Barty, who Regulus knows will tear apart and destroy the world for him. Barty, who Regulus has dragged into the depths, into the very bowels of death and may now abandon there. 

Is, I do this for you, justifiable enough?

Will, I do this for you, be enough to placate the monster of guilt devouring him?

‘Tell me again,’ Regulus says when he is safe in his bedroom, hidden by the heavy velvet drapes he has drawn shut to darken the room. Because these days, the darkness is not just what consumes them, it is also a sanctuary to keep himself hidden. ‘Tell me again about the cave. And the locket.’

RATING: Explicit

WORDS: 7,713

SUMMARY: When Walburga and Orion Black are found dead at Grimmauld Place, Regulus Black deals with the fallout.

Or: The things Barty Crouch Jnr. does in the name of love. 

[inspired by: earn and broken | instead of doing work, I spent all day writing this | look, the plot is loose, I admit it | it originated as pure smut and grew...it just didn't grow well, haha]

‘What does that have to do with anything?’ Regulus asks quietly. ‘My parents may have been many things, but believe me when I say that they were thrilled at the prospect of having another son and heir. Particularly given how disappointing they found my brother.’

Orion Black had a saying: that looking down was a sign of weakness. As a child, Regulus had not understood it. Looking down, avoiding eye contact, had been his way of concealing deception. His way of keeping hidden, keeping secret, truths he did not wish his parents to know.

But now, Regulus understands the saying. Well. Because he cannot bring himself to make eye-contact with the Auror sitting opposite him, and he knows that it is because of weakness and he knows it is because of his hidden truth.

The Auror in question is one Frank Longbottom who looks, for all he likely tries not to, like a quintessential Gryffindor Quidditch player. There’s just something about him that’s conflictingly amiable and cocky, like he’s torn between being ‘too big for his boots’ while simultaneously reeking of ‘sincerity and trustworthy’. It is probably for these reasons, Regulus supposes, that Frank was chosen as the one to be placed in a room with Regulus Black.

Because Regulus, being a Black, would sense an ulterior motive from a league away. And Regulus, being a Black, might trust Frank for the purity of his blood.

‘My parents gave me everything I needed, did everything they needed to to make it happen,’ Regulus says, finally looking up to meet Frank’s gaze head-on, because this is a truth he does not need to conceal. ‘I’m sure you’ll find all of this on record if you petition the Registry of Magical Births, Deaths and Marriages and Saint Mungos for my records. I have nothing to hide.’

‘Then why did you run away?’ Frank asks.