Despite my decided preference for intensely dramatic fics, I've enjoyed writing a variety of lighter fare.
These fics aren't all Fluff, but they're less likely to traumatize sensitive readers. Canon-Typical Violence is still possible, as is a certain amount of Angst.
On fics of any significant length (so, not Drabbles), you can be assured that the ending will be positive or bittersweet, not negative. (Since my Creepyfest fare is deliberately designed to unsettle the reader and has no guarantee of a positive ending, it's the polar opposite of this category.)
Five Moments of (Nonsexual) Intimacy
My Five Moments (FMI or FMNI) series explores the variety of intimacy that can be achieved without any sexuality in the mix.
This is not typical of my writing notes unless I'm quite stuck and need a better sense of the outline.
Dramatic Fics (Lower Intensity)
First, a couple episode perspectives -- Harold's point of view during a canon scene, or a scene that starts out canon and goes in a different direction. I love both of these scenes and watched them repeatedly.
While his team debates whether to kill a (mostly) innocent man, Harold tries desperately to come up with a way to persuade them not to take a life.
An interesting aspect for this piece is that Harold was almost certainly in the wrong here (in canon). If the Machine had crunched more numbers than humans could possibly deal with in the amount of time allowed, and pointed to the congressman as the guy who had to be taken out, then there was literally no less harmful way that the Machine could see to accomplish its goals (of defending humanity, and especially the innocent, to the best of its abilities). Harold acknowledges this but refuses to deal with the implications because the idea is so repugnant to him -- but killing the congressman would've saved a ton of lives, possibly including John's.
While Root discusses her plans to kill Beth to save Harold's life, Harold tries desperately to come up with arguments that would keep her from taking a life. And there's no easy out this time, no vial of poison for him to drink; I wrote the knockout scene in full, including what Root does afterwards, and why. A "lesser of many evils" sort of solution.
Now for an AU and a silly Valentine's Day collaborative piece:
I got fed up with the prevalence of Rinch as the OTP, and started writing a scenario where they couldn't get together (in monologue form, Harold reasoning it out). It turned into a scenario where they got together anyway (sigh). On the up side, it's also one of the first ways I connected with my fellow fans, who wrote follow-ups.
Post-surgery, a prickly Harold does not take well to his space being invaded by very helpful friends. (My first Everyone Lives fic, entirely by accident.)
Note: Paranoia is the feeling that everyone's out to get you. Pronoia is the feeling that everyone's out to help you.
There's probably nothing in this piece that couldn't have happened with the male versions, but Reagan Pierce discusses a business opportunity with Liana Tao.
Not necessarily an entry, because Anthony Marconi may or may not be trans here. But it fits with the rest, and explores questions of gender presentation and the social forces that reduce our options for self-expression.
Prompts
These are sometimes for dramatic scenarios, but there's not enough time to build my preferred intensity.
In July of 2018, I posted my first piece of POI fan art, with the suggestion to stretch your muscles a bit, move outside your comfort zone, and try to make something in a medium that isn't your normal form of expression. I got a good handful of responses
For 2019, instead of posting a new prompt each month, I decided to post an overall prompt (that gives ideas for each month throughout the year), and then a more specific prompt around July, which works out great: the first deadline is my birthday (August 31st), and the second is Halloween.
I wrote a nice gathering of our heroes to relax and get a little gaming in before Season 3 really kicks into high gear. Time for you to write a scenario (any scenario) in which John ends up playing a game (any game).
Exception: I'm sure John can play Poker, Blackjack, etc. Regular games with a regular deck of cards don't count. And do try to get more creative than Monopoly.
As my present to the fandom the first year, I crafted a story starring my five most encouraging supporters (with their permission). It turned out great, and I really need to get around to writing the next part.