A couple days ago, I posted
one of the weirder fics I've written. To get a quick gist, have a look at some of the tags under the cut (very NSFW):
( Read more... )It's a rather grisly, cracky PWP and really shouldn't be that deep, but a lot went into writing it, and I figured I could indulge myself by journaling about my thought process here!
First notable thing: this is a PWP full of things that are not my kink. In fact, gore, whether sexual or not, is one of my biggest nopes. If I see a fic is tagged "Wound Fucking", I shudder and scroll. They're not an automatic no, but I find tentacles pretty hit or miss as well, easily going into squick territory.
The thing is, I didn't want to write the fic because of the kinks; I wrote the kinks because I wanted to write the fic. The fic I wrote is a simple missing scene. All of it was set up by canon: the multiple AU versions of the Soulwalker, an evil undead fantastical being; the fact that the cowboy!AU version of the Soulwalker trawls the multiverse for versions of himself to fuck; even the tentacles are the show's invention, not my own. Indeed, the fic picks up
immediately after the canonical scene where the charismatic cowboy!AU Soulwalker successfully seduces the other Soulwalker into sharing a night of "infinite and eldritch pleasures".
Hello From the Magic Tavern is a deeply silly show, but the reason I'm obsessed with it is because it still manages to have incredibly compelling characters and relationships. I'm already a pretty big fan of selfcest, but fell for this particular pairing because they had SO MUCH delicious sexual and emotional tension. The deadly drawling cowboy!AU Soulwalker is intensely attracted to (and perhaps even smitten with) the other Soulwalker, who is shocked and flattered. In that episode, he stammers, "This has never happened to me before," for, up until now, he believed he was incapable of physical pleasure altogether, and pretty repugnant, besides. For the first time, he's encouraged to have his own wants and is desired by someone who knows him better than anyone: himself. Their dynamic--fucked up but kind of romantic--had a chokehold on me.
So I was positively giddy writing these kinks even though they are not my thing at all, because I knew they were 100% in character for the Soulwalker. And I similarly delighted in writing the tension between their senses of (evil) duty, and their feelings of attraction.
Second note: this fic is INCREDIBLY NICHE. I mean, I've written niche porn before, but those still had readers who were super into those particular niches. Just to start with factors outside my control, this fic is for a tiny, tiny fandom (four fics were posted in the last 2.5 years). The characters featured have never received fic nor, as far as I can tell, fan art. The main pairing is selfcest--though I can blame canon for establishing that.
But
I decided to center it on the gory copulation between two undead magical beings. And on top of that, I decided to write it in second-person POV. These are just dealbreakers on top of dealbreakers, lol. I don't think it's going to satisfy any drive-by porn readers, either, because while I think parts of it are hot, it's also deeply unserious.
Oh well. I love second-person POV anyway, and I had a great reason to deploy it here. The Soulwalker has used both singular and plural pronouns ("I" and "we" for itself; "he" and "they" from others). Third person seemed like it'd be too confusing (especially since there were TWO Soulwalkers), and first person felt similarly clumsy because of "I" versus "we". Thanks, English, for using "you" for both singular and plural! Saved my ass.
Last comment: the tone of this show is so hard to capture. This is for a few different reasons. Most of the show is dialogue. Much of that dialogue is in a vaguely fantasy cadence, but there is often more mundane or downright modern-sounding dialogue for comedic effect. I had to think a lot about how I wanted the narration and tone to come across. I often default to a close third-person POV for my fics, but the Soulwalker
especially has a distinct voice. Lots of roundabout, dramatic fantasy bullshit. And don't get me started on the cowboy!AU Soulwalker, who drawls and peppers his speech with Old West slang. A lot of my fic prep was just me trying to pinpoint their voices.
It's also difficult to write fic for this show because it is a comedy podcast performed by seasoned improvisers. They're brilliant, especially Ross Bryant, who plays the Soulwalkers. Humor fic is hard enough to write, but those are big shoes to fill.
Considering all these factors, I'm very proud of writing this fic. I challenged myself with the writing style, voices, and actual kinks. And though it has little to no audience, I wrote it because I wanted it to exist in the world. :) And now it does.
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sparowe
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