Sledgefu Writings

If it’s not tender what’s the point? Master List Ask box is open. Check out my main @bearkare

[sotrias-labyrinth-deactivated20]

I feel like when I say ‘relatable’ what I really mean is ‘resonant.’ I don’t want characters who I feel are like me, I want characters who have emotions so strong I can feel them through the page.

[secretlyatargaryen]

I think this is important because a lot of us forget the power of stories to make us feel things about characters who are not like us, who have experienced things that we never will. The purpose of listening to someone else's story should not necessarily be identification, but understanding.

[getmean]

dogpatch // 101676 words // explicit

With his eyes shut, the shadows under them stand out harder. Leaning in, Eugene kisses his cheek — briefly, gently. Murmurs close to his skin, “I woke up last night. You were wrapped all around me like a cottonmouth.”

chapter twenty-nine

[getmean]

dogpatch // 98480 words // explicit

It’s been five days. It feels like it’s been five weeks. Eugene almost says, you look the same, before realising just how ridiculous it will sound. Merriell’s eyes cling like a second skin. He wears an old jersey with fraying cuffs; his feet are bare; his eyes hooded and wary.

chapter twenty-eight

[getmean]

dogpatch // 94779 words // explicit

It’s raining in San Francisco. After the stagnant air of the airplane, stepping out into the light drizzle is a relief. The air smells briny like seawater. The scent of it is always more acute after being away.

chapter twenty-seven

[ww2yaoi]

Eugene Sledge & Sidney Phillips THE PACIFIC (2010)

- Old friends, huh? - That explains it.

[sledgefuweek]

Sledgefu Week 2025 - Last Info Post

We made it folks! Tomorrow, September 24, is the first day of Sledgefu Week! We want to give you some last pieces of information so tomorrow goes smoothly.

When you start posting your creations tomorrow, please tag this blog @sledgefuweek so we can easily find your posts and reblog them so more people can see them.

If you want to post your creation on AO3, we have a collection for that: Sledgefu Week 2025

On AO3, in the window where you put your fic, the fandom, characters, etc., you'll find the following option:

Just start typing "Sledgefu Week 2025", the collection will show up and you can select it.

Please make sure to tag your creations accordingly if they're NSFW and also for any triggers on both Tumblr and AO3. And ideally include the prompt of the day you are posting for.

At which time can you start posting your submissions?

For Sledgefu Veterans (pun intended):

We will be going with the same system as years prior. The time zone CST will be our default. At 12 AM CST a new Sledgefu Week Day begins and you can start posting your submissions and we will reblog them. If you post "late" one day, your submission will be reblogged by us at the end of Sledgefu Week.

Additionally, late submissions will be accepted for 4 weeks after the week is over.

For Sledgefu Week Greenhorns (said lovingly) there will be a more thorough explanation under the read more.

For everyone who stops reading here: Enjoy the following days and remember to leave love, comments and reblogs on the wonderful creations you'll see this week <3

As it was said above, the CST time zone will be our default. But what does that mean, if you don't live in that time zone?

For that, we have this handy chart:

So for example, if you live in central Europe (the GMT +2/CEST time zone), a Sledgefu Week Day doesn't start at midnight for you, but at 7 AM. That is, when you can start to post your creations.

If you want to post something for the first prompt "Family", then you have between 7 AM on Sept. 24 and 6:59 AM on Sept. 25 to do so. On Sept. 25 7 AM the next prompt "Different Century" starts.

But don't stress about that too much; as long as it's close to that time, it will get reblogged that day on this blog.

If you post something way after these "deadlines", your post will be reblogged once the week is over. So either way, your post will be reblogged here where everyone can see it. Additionally, late submissions will be accepted for 4 weeks after the week is over, so please don't stress if you run out of time and don't finish everything during the actual ship week.

If you got any further questions, don't hesitate to shoot us a message either here or on our Discord Server. We are always happy to help :)

[sledgefuweek]

One week left until Sledgefu Week 2025!

Click HERE for a deep-dive into this year's prompts.

Click HERE to join the Hivemind server on Discord.

[getmean]

They wind up at the docks. The tang of the shipyards comes up off the water. Eugene makes to turn inland, towards home, but Merriell walks on without pausing, forcing Eugene to follow. It’s blue hour, and they’re the only souls pacing this particular strip of land. The wooden boards of the dock feel soft and rotten underfoot. Clouds lie low and dark on the horizon. Oakland glitters from across the bay. 

commission by the incomparable @kamin007 of a scene in chapter twenty-two of my fic dogpatch. please click full view for full impact! they brought the scene to such incredible life, i couldn't have asked for a better interpretation of this moment :'')

[getmean]

dogpatch // 77226 words // explicit

He stands in the middle of the living room and imagines it: coming into this place for the first time. He sees the sofa and its littered blankets, he sees their coffee cups from that morning in the sink, his coat hung next to Merriell’s, on the bookshelf the mix of their libraries. In his heart he knows it’s normal stuff. But he can’t see it objectively; there is a sheen of intimacy over it all.

chapter twenty-one

[sledgefuweek]

Sledgefu Week 2025: prompt explanations

Hello, everyone!

As promised, here is a deep dive into the prompts for this year's Sledgefu Week. We hope you all find it helpful and inspiring!

As always, we'd also like to invite you to join the Hivemind server on Discord, where we share ideas and inspiration, host writing sprints, and just hang out and have fun with fellow fans <3

Happy brainstorming!

Family

This prompt combines the suggested “Found Family” and “Meet the Family” prompts while also making it a bit more general. You may write about biological family, found family, or a mix of both - there are endless possibilities, considering how many different relationships there are between the characters in the series. Of course, there are also tons of ways to add original characters into the mix!

As for possible scenarios, imagine one of the boys introducing the other to his family. Who are they? How would they react? Would the tone be dramatic and serious or comedic? Perhaps you'd like to write a kidfic, where the boys grapple with the trials and joys of parenthood? There is also the fan favorite - Sledge, Snafu, and their brothers in arms forming a rag-tag family of their own. You're quite spoilt for choice here!

Different Century

Just like with the previous prompt, we have combined several suggestions - 1920s AU, 2000s AU and Modern AU - into a single prompt. You are free to choose from one of the aforementioned eras or choose a whole different one that speaks to you most. 

This prompt requires more research than the previous one, especially if you decide to focus on creating a richer background and worldbuilding. Remember to think about more than just aesthetics - consider the different cultural norms of each era, and, if writing about a country foreign to you, please be respectful towards its culture and people. If you need any advice, feel free to join the Hivemind server on Discord and consult our mindful writing masterdoc. You can also ask fellow fans for advice - don't be scared to ask for help!

Music

This may seem like quite a vague prompt, but that also gives you a lot of leeway with creating prompt fills. As long as music plays a part in your work, you're all set!

As for ideas, imagine what place music occupies in the characters’ lives. Perhaps they have a song they consider “theirs”, maybe one or both of them are musicians - whether amateur or world-famous is your choice. Music also plays a role in the military, especially during parades, but also during training, where servicemembers sing cadences to help them work in unison and boost morale.

There are many ways to create a prompt fill here, from playlists, songfics, to even fanarts depicting the boys singing, dancing, or even dressed as famous musicians!

Hallucinations

This prompt was combined with “Ghost”. You might decide to take a more literal approach for this prompt, focusing on PTSD and the way conflict can haunt a person. You could also interpret the prompt in a more paranormal sense!

Eugene suffered from night terrors after the war, could those nightmares somehow manifest as hallucinations in everyday life? Similarly, you might want to look at how the ghost of war impacts Snafu. What do these hallucinations look like? Are they all-consuming, or are they less obvious, haunting the shadowy parts of the battlefield? How would the boys comfort each other in the aftermath of an episode?

In the context of a Paranormal AU, there are many opportunities to have fun! Perhaps one man is haunting the other as a ghost. Are they a benevolent presence? Or something more malicious? Are they really a ghost, or just a hallucination? 

Pain

Pain is universal and can represent itself in many forms, making it an interesting topic to explore. Physical pain may be the first thing that springs to mind when talking about war, however, emotional, psychological and social pain are all areas you might like to delve into!

You may like to depict the immediate pain that comes with an injury/wound, or the aftermath of such an event. Maybe you want to write about how it feels for them physically in the moment, or the impact an injury would have in the long term.  

The prompt may also inspire you to investigate each character’s psyche. For example, emotionally, what does pain look like for Snafu and Sledge? Have they caused each other pain? How would they navigate interpersonal conflict and the pain that comes with it? Alternatively, how would they try to shield each other from pain, or grow from the pain they’ve experienced? The options are endless! 

Bayou

Bayous are small, sluggish waterways that can appear swampy. They are located along the Gulf Coast, stretching from Florida to Texas. The lush vegetation varies by region and houses many animals like crawfish, toads, alligators, snakes and (water)fowl.

The bayou holds cultural significance especially among Cajun and Creole groups in Louisiana. While the word “bayou” most likely came from the Native American Choctaw Tribe. With a history like that, a bit of research is probably necessary. You are once again encouraged to check out the mindful writing masterdoc in the Hivemind server.

For writing ideas, it’s pretty convenient to place Snafu in the bayou as a Louisiana native. Perhaps Eugene visits him after the war and learns more about Snafu’s home, Cajun culture and French. Or you could explore how Snafu keeps himself afloat in the bayou as a fisherman or an operator of some kind of tourism business. Since the bayou has such a rich wildlife and Eugene was into biology it’s also a possibility he went to the bayou to do research there. Or maybe the other way around: Snafu as a bayou expert comes to Mobile and meets Eugene because, yes, there are even bayous in Mobile!

Daemon AU

Daemon AUs are based on the book trilogy “His Dark Materials” by Philip Pullman. More often than not, Daemon AUs don’t have much to do with the original plot of these books at all, though. They are more about the Daemons themselves, which are animal-shaped manifestations of a person’s soul.

It’s incredibly interesting to explore what animals could fit Eugene’s and Snafu’s nature and how they interact with their Daemons. Furthermore, do these two animals compliment each other or are they mismatched? 

Usually, your Daemon has the opposite gender from you, but there are implications that gay characters have Daemons of the same gender. Could that be a possibility for Snafu or Eugene? Do they have to hide their Daemon’s gender in a historical military setting? And how does having a Daemon affect the way they are dealing with the horrors of war? Would it make going through something like Okinawa easier? Or would it traumatize them even more, seeing their comrades’ Daemons die as well? 

Maybe you want to explore gender through Daemons in general. Or maybe you want to write something more with a folklore-touch: Snafu as the boy with an alligator Daemon who barely leaves his swamp? The possibilities are endless, but will probably feature quite a bit of character study, since we’re talking about manifestations of souls for this AU.

[getmean]

dogpatch // 71794 words // explicit

“A pal of mine is coming through,” Merriell says abruptly one morning.  Eugene is half out the door, bent over lacing his shoes. His satchel hangs by his face and blocks his sight. Blindly he asks, “What?”

chapter twenty

[sledgefuweek]

Hello, everyone!

Thank you all so much for the lovely prompt suggestions. As much as we'd love to have all of them, there are only seven days in a week. Thus, here are the prompts for Sledgefu Week 2025:

Family

Different Century

Music

Bayou

Hallucinations

Pain

Daemon AU

Due to similarities between certain suggested prompts, we have combined them into singular, more general ones.

Be on the lookout for a deep dive post explaining each prompt in more detail. We'd also like to remind you that Sledgefu Week 2025 takes place from September 24th to September 30th.

Happy brainstorming!

[getmean]

dogpatch // 68095 words // explicit

Outside a car idles. It’s so close that they can hear its radio playing. Merriell takes Eugene’s hand and spins him. They shuffle through a clumsy waltz for a minute or two until the car pulls away, and they are left with silence. Merriell ducks his head, bashful. He lets go of Eugene’s hand.  “Stupid,” he mutters, turning away.

chapter nineteen

[sledgefuweek]

Sledgefu Week 2025 - Prompt Suggestions

You guys decided we’ll be having our eighth Sledgefu Week from September 24 to September 30.

Now it's time to come up with some prompts for that week!

Each day of Sledgefu Week will feature a prompt you can create something for (fanfics, moodboards, fanvids, poems, edits, art, playlists, anything is possible). The prompts will be suggested and voted for by you :D

In this first round it’s all about suggesting prompts which typically work best when they are broad, so think of some single words or short phrases that could be interpreted in many ways, but please keep them SFW (your creations later on can be explicit!).

In the form itself you’ll find a list of past prompts so you don’t risk submitting doubles since we like to do new prompts each year. Those past prompts will also give you an idea for what you can submit if you are unsure. If in doubt, submit the idea anyway, it might work out after all :)

You can also always ask us here on tumblr, if you have any questions, or you can join our Discord server and chat with us there :)

You have until August 21 03:00 PM CEST to submit your prompts.

After that we will sort through the submissions, remove doubles, group prompts that are very similar and then we’ll post another form where you can vote which of the submitted prompts you want to see during the week. The form is anonymous btw!

Click here to suggest your prompts! We can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!

[sledgefuweek]

Sledgefu Week 2025 - possible dates

Hello, everyone! Since over half of respondents expressed their interest in participating in Sledgefu Week 2025, it is time to decide when the event will take place.

Possible dates

September 11th to 18th

September 18th to 24th

September 24th to 30th

Other

Voting ended onAug 18, 2025

We await your responses!

[getmean]

dogpatch // 61438 words // explicit

Their own door is open too, as if Merriell had left the latch, knowing Eugene was soon to be home. The sight of it, the skinny sliver of light it admits into the gloom of the stairwell, sends a pulse of warmth through Eugene’s body. That is his light, Merriell’s light, the glow of their home. If he pressed his eye to the crack he would be able to see inside. Maybe all their familiar things would take on an alien sheen.

chapter seventeen

[makesiteasier]

Random thought but if snafu had a daemon, I think it would be a snake and it would be sooo cool.