A Wilde Week

[rqgwildeweek]

Header image by @areyouokaypanda

Image Text: A Wilde Week 16 November to 22 November

“You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.” Oscar Wilde.

Image Description: The bust of a white man with shoulder length dark hair wearing an orange suit with a green carnation pinned to the lapel and a blue tie. He has a scar down the left hand side of his face and is smiling.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OSCAR WILDE!

In celebration of the birth of the real life inspiration for Alex’s Rusty Quill Gaming NPC we are holding a Wilde Week of art and fic! Each day of the week there will be a prompt that will hopefully inspire you to create content surrounding Erasing The Line’s most beloved bard.

Prompts

Day 1 - “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”

Forgiveness  |  Revenge  |  Apathy

Day 2 -  “Memory… is the diary that we all carry about with us.”

Remembering  |  Forgetting  |  Recording

Day 3 - “One should always eat muffins quite calmly.  It is the only way to eat them.”

Feast | Hunger | Treats

Day 4 - “To live is the rarest thing in the world.”

Life | Death | Survival

Day 5  - “Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious”

Meritocrats/Harlequins | Virtues | Viciousness

Day 6 - “A good friend will always stab you in the front.”

Betrayal | Loyalty | Blood

Day 7 - “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

Truth | Lies | Omissions

Rules:

1. All types of art are welcome, including every length of fic, visual art either digital or traditional, crafts, fanmixes, moodboards, poetry, prose, even meta can be included.

2. This is a mature rated event. Even so, all explicit/nsfw/over PG-13 material MUST be properly tagged. Non-tagged explicit material will not be reblogged here or added to any subsequent AO3 collections. Please, if you are a reader/viewer, heed the tags. Stay safe!

3. All headcanons/interpretations of RQG characters are welcome and encouraged.

4. No harrassment or kink / ship / character bashing or shaming in works or in comments or tags.

5. Please tag any work you would wish to have included in AO3 collections or reblogged here as #a wilde week 2020. This will mean our mods can find it and add here and circulate it!

If for whatever reason you don’t want us to reblog it here or add it to a collection that’s fine! We would still REALLY LOVE TO READ IT THOUGH. Feel free to tag it with the regular RQGaming tags, but if it isn’t tagged with #a wilde week 2020 we will leave it alone.

6. Ask box is open, if you have any queries, please feel free to drop them here and we’ll get to them as soon as possible.

[crowleystolemyshoes]

day seven of wilde week!

content warnings

day seven: none

embedded links are being mean. if you want to read the rest of the fics I’ve written for wilde week, you can find them under the tag “#a wilde week 2020″ on my blog.

day seven: lies/truth/omission

There's a reason Wilde specializes in illusionary magic, and it is simple: he is, himself, a man of smoke and mirrors. It's not evident at first, so elegantly designed is the labyrinth, but one can only take so many left turns before they realize they're walking in circles. He is masks and personas and webs, veiled beneath a crisp accent and barrage of witty retorts. He is the ultimate actor, impossible to map.

There's the Wilde he plays around his friends from school: pleasantly bright, a factory of rumors, widely considered a bad influence and universally loved or hated. He enjoys this self, delights in the familiar meaningless chatter beneath spreading maple branches and endless sunshine. He is the tickling tail feather of a peacock, the sweetness of a stolen sweet, the warm burn of bourbon down a throat.

He's much different around the rest of his peers, is more subdued, more clever in his remarks. He's sharp as a blade and quicker than the arc it cuts through the air, has even been called intimidating. This is the Wilde who participated in literary critiques, who survived countless dull interviews. This Wilde is the snap of a closing book, the cutting scent of sandalwood, the feel of polished wood beneath a palm. He is alert, calculating.

It's a different Wilde who first meets the people who would become his family: he's playing the flamboyant, blasé entertainer then. His feet are kicked over the arm of a luxuriously upholstered armchair, a glass of red wine taken from someone else's cabinet held delicately. He's flippant, teasing, a smear of bright colors and bold words. What he likes the most about this version of himself is the reactions he receives: there's a cool blade at his throat, an angry dwarf in front of him, and a mountain of a man who has chosen, of all things, to flirt with him. It always interests his masked analytical side to see how different groups react to the posh, aloof nature he exudes.

The issue with having so many personas, Wilde knows, is that with a maze so expertly-crafted as his own, even the designer can lose themselves within the twisting passages. He can't remember a time before he hid like this, and he has no clue who Oscar Wilde truly is.

The first clue is one he'd rather not receive. It comes after weeks of restless sleep, of skipped meals and a fuzzy head. It's when he wakes to Grizzop yelling for a healer, face-first in a pile of papers, blood on his face and panic in his mind. He is self-sacrificing.

There's another Wilde, saved for hiding worry. It's the one he uses when the days tick into weeks tick into months after LOLOMG leave for Rome. It's the him that contacts Zolf, the one that breaks from the meritocrats. This is he least favorite self to be: he is closed, distant, forgetful. He is always a second from snapping.

It's when Zolf, Barnes, and Carter first step out the quarantine cell after the longest week of Wilde's life that he learns more about who he is. Through hysterical laughter, he embraces them, and he knows that he is loyal, that he cares. He knows that without the disguises, he is not a bad person.

Navigating the spiralling mess that is his personality is a daunting task, even for Wilde, but he's working at it. One day, maybe, he'll be able to shed the extra layers, both from the world and from himself.

[crowleystolemyshoes]

realized I forgot to post days 6 and 7 heh

day six of wilde week!

content warnings

day six: internal conflict, suicidal ideation if you squint

embedded links are being mean. if you want to read the rest of the fics I’ve written for wilde week, you can find them under the tag “#a wilde week 2020″ on my blog.

day six: loyalty/betrayal/blood

Zolf, Carter, and Barnes are dead‒that’s what Wilde keeps telling himself. It doesn’t matter that he can hear them laughing through the floor; it isn’t them, not anymore.

If only he could bring himself to believe it.

They’re on the third day of quarantine. Not early enough to have any idea if they survived the last mission intact or not‒which means Wilde has to believe they didn’t. He’s good enough at pretending, but deep down he knows he’d be lost without the group of people currently held in the basement. They work well together, yes, but it’s more than that: Wilde isn’t sure where they would stand on the matter, but if friends were something one could have in this world, he’d consider them among his own.

He doesn’t know how he’d manage without them. He isn’t sure he could.

Time passes slowly when the quarantine cell is in use, Wilde has come to learn. It doesn’t matter how many papers he flips through, how many notes he takes, how many meals he skips and nights he works through. Nothing makes it go faster, and it’s agonizing.

It is in these moments that Wilde is truly able to think, to reflect. Once upon a time, so long ago, he might have appeared shallow, vain—and it wouldn't have been an inaccurate description. He almost wishes he could to back to that; it had to be better than the constantly nagging weight in his mind.

He comes to dread daily inspections, when the internal struggle of convincing himself they are lost is at its worse. He has to be prepared for the eventuality, though, has to be prepared to clean up the mess and continue on his own. It's so much easier to exist in this hell without ties, he tells himself, and it will be better for everyone involved if he would just stop caring. Too much of the world is lost and too few people can be trusted for emotions to further complicate matters.

So Wilde hardens his face to a mask of stone on the last step before he opens the trapdoor, and pretends he doesn't hear the voices of his dead friends quieting as he strides down the corridor. He tries not to look at their faces, ignores the concern he finds in their expressions when he inevitably fails, almost convinces himself that this is what he wants.

He can't remember when the line between want and convience was erased so wholly, but Wilde knows he is unrecognizable compared to the man who had first broken into Hamid's apartment.

His façade crumbles the second he closes the door—of course it does. He can't do this. He is not made to be on his own, does not know how to function without the anchors that his friends form. The split within him is all-encompassing, and the energy it takes to smother his ever-loyal optimist is more than he can spare. There's nothing left to give, nothing left to be, without the dead men caged beneath him.

[crowleystolemyshoes]

day five of wilde week!

content warnings

day five: none

embedded links are being mean. if you want to read the rest of the fics I’ve written for wilde week, you can find them under the tag “#a wilde week 2020″ on my blog.

Keep reading

[rqgwildeweek]

Housekeeping and Wrap Up!

It’s Monday here and that marks the end of A Wilde Week 2020! We’re hoping it won’t be the last time this event runs. Absolutely blown away by how much amazing fic and art and crafts (and even cooking!) we’ve seen over the past seven days.

A bit of housekeeping - I’m going away for the next few days so won’t have time to do final collating etc of fics until the end of this week. In the meantime, if you can’t find your contributions on the blog or in the collection, please send us an ask here and we’ll make sure to get it reblogged. I know there are a few fics on AO3 that haven’t shown up in the tag on tumblr as yet but that should be sorted by the end of the week.

I’m also going to do a directory post at the end of the week so folk can easily find fic and art for each prompt, whether said fic or art is sfw or nsfw and which pairings they are. That’ll be a bit of a bigger project, but look out for a new pinned post in the weeks before the new year.

Thanks again everyone, for participating and for supporting the week, I had an absolute blast and I hope you all did as well!

[makesometime]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde Characters: Zolf Smith, Oscar Wilde (Rusty Quill Gaming), The London and Other London Outstanding Mercenary Group | LOLOMG Additional Tags: Pre-Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Denial of Feelings, Caretaking, Pining, Japan Arc (Rusty Quill Gaming), A Wilde Week 2020 (Rusty Quill Gaming) Summary:

The thing about the truth is that it can hurt as much as thrill, ache as much as soothe.

[areyouokaypanda]

Day 7 - “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

Truth | Lies | Omissions And that’s it for Wilde Week! It’s been super fun~

[butterflyglass]

I finally managed to post something for Wilde Week. Day one theme of 'revenge' because better late than never I guess 🤷‍♀️

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27660394

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[icescrabblerjerky]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

DAY 7 AND DONE!

[makesometime]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde Characters: Zolf Smith, Oscar Wilde (Rusty Quill Gaming) Additional Tags: Pre-Relationship, Imprisonment, Regret, Grief/Mourning, Friendship, Realization, Scars, Lord Alfred Douglas was a dickkkk, A Wilde Week 2020 (Rusty Quill Gaming) Series: Part 6 of A Wilde Week 2020 Summary:

So easily.

He fell for it so easily.

[rqgwildeweek]

Two days to go!

And we’ve reached 70 works in the AO3 collection - that’s an INSANE amount of writing and arting y’all have done and I’m so proud and happy for you!

This is a reminder that if you have fic or art that hasn’t shown up on the tumblr or in the AO3 collection to drop us an ask and I’ll get to it ASAP. Remember if you want your fic or art to be included on the blog or in the collection, tagging it with #a wilde week 2020 is your best bet. 

Again, thanks so much to all our writers, artists, craftsfolk, podficcers and as important as all of those, folk who are commenting, reading and appreciating the work everyone has put in to this week. You’re amazing, this community is amazing and I’m so very very happy. 

[kd-heart]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Fandom: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sasha Racket & Oscar Wilde Characters: Sasha Racket, Oscar Wilde (Rusty Quill Gaming) Additional Tags: Podfic, Podfic Length: 10-20 Minutes, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Character Turned Into Vampire, Vampire Bites, Human/Vampire Relationship, Blood Drinking, Consensual, this is NOT a ship, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, A Wilde Week 2020 (Rusty Quill Gaming) Summary:

Sasha, coming to grips with a new version of herself, occasionally needs a little help from a friend. Wilde is happy to provide.

[A recording of a fic by SingingShantiesAllTheWay]

[icescrabblerjerky]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[kd-heart]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Fandom: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde Characters: Oscar Wilde (Rusty Quill Gaming), Zolf Smith, Sir Bertrand “Bertie” MacGuffingham, Grizzop drik Acht Amsterdam, Sasha Racket Additional Tags: Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Torture, Minor Character Death, Hallucinations, Mindfuck, Illusions, Implied/Referenced Character Death, (Bertie; Grizzop; Sasha), Murder, Revenge, Canon-Typical Violence, A Wilde Week 2020 (Rusty Quill Gaming) Series: Part 2 of rite of reprisal [podfic] Summary:

Wilde’s technically-not-revenge on the cultists, from his own perspective.

A companion piece to Desperate Dreaming Death

[A recording of a fic by yakyuu_yarou]

[makesometime]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde Characters: Zolf Smith, Oscar Wilde (Rusty Quill Gaming) Additional Tags: Party, Gossip, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Getting one over on the upper classes, this one is unexpectedly hard to tag, A Wilde Week 2020 (Rusty Quill Gaming) Summary:

The world has gone through so very much.

So why is everything here so painfully, utterly… unchanged? Untouched. Ridiculous.

Was it always so ridiculous?

[kd-heart]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Fandom: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde Characters: Zolf Smith, Oscar Wilde (Rusty Quill Gaming) Additional Tags: Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Undead, 174 spoilers, Horror, Mild Gore, A Wilde Week 2020 (Rusty Quill Gaming) Summary:

“I’m cold,” he whispers, like he does every night. “Zolf, it’s so cold.”

[A recording of a fic by Zai42]

[areyouokaypanda]

Day 5  - “Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious”

Meritocrats/Harlequins | Virtues | Viciousness