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K-Pop Demon Hunters has officially entered my fandom space. What started as a quick warm up sketch grew into full blown artwork. I just love the idea of Simon, Penny, and Agatha as Huntrix

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Simon’s eyes lift to the tallest tower, its stark stone walls veined with twisted, leafless vines. The black hollow of the highest window. He thinks of it as a pit. As a sinkhole. As dark water. Something that would inevitably pull him under.

Illustration from chapter five of There are Monsters in the Wood, The Ruin.

[j-trow-95]

does anyone actually think talking about the weather is bad small talk. i love talking about the weather. i would talk about the weather with my closest friend and im going to talk about it with YOU 🫵

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Stitches and Sentences

Thanks for the tags @artsyunderstudy and @leithillustration. I really enjoyed getting your snips and your musings on the writing process. Helps me remember that this work, when done well, has so many bumps along the way!

On my end, Smile Like You Mean It is out in the world! (A behind the scenes fact: I was so nervous about posting because this fic is so deeply personal that @rimeswithpurple had to digitally hold my hand through it.) If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should! At the very least you should go see Arianna’s art. It’s magnificent.

STITCHES I have been working on stitches, but the dolls are either 1) a spoiler for a future chapter of my cheer AU, or 2) part of my top secret collab with @mooncello. So, have all of my sad attempts at making teeny-tiny, fully-lined blazers with functional pockets. I did *eventually* succeed, and it is the cutest thing you have ever seen.

SENTENCES If you left chapter 1 wondering what the hell is going on with Baz and Simon, fear not, you will get no answers in chapter 2 😂. You will get more high school drama, Simon at his most deliciously provocative, as well as some baby SnowBaz!

As promised, every wip-post will include snips from upcoming chapters. For now, I will always pick previews that aren't spoilers. Here's some past Baz POV from chapter 2 for you!

First Grade, Mid-October BAZ The new boy arrives in our cheerful little classroom on a Thursday in October. He is late and a mess. Dirt under his fingernails. Laces dragging on the floor. Dad has always said first impressions are priceless, and I feel sorry for this boy. Clearly no one in his life has bothered to teach him important life lessons. No one has even bothered to comb his hair.

💜📣💜 @alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @bachusekart, @best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @nausikaaa, @orange-peony, @pato-roldnart, @prettygoododds, @raeny-day, @rbkzz, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @shrekgogurt, @skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @the-beard-of-edward-teach, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @jyae23, @j-trow-95, @meanjeansjeans, @martsonmars, @angelsfalling16

Again, just another quick note that if you would like to come off the tag list (no hurt feelings!), let me know. If you'd like to be added to the tag list, give me a shout!

[j-trow-95]

Six Sentence Sunday

Happy Sunday! I'm up very late tonight, so here's a very very early Sunday post. I'm in a mood so strap in for a ramble.

So in order to make sure I stay ahead of the game with Monsters I've been pushing myself to finish at least one new chapter between each posting date. So far I've managed this 3/4 times so I still have a pretty good lead. I have currently written 10k words this week on the next chapter and I'm still not done with it. I think we're close, though. I think as long as we don't hit 15k it wont have to be split into two chapters. It would be a shame to split it, for reasons. Big Moment reasons. My sweet baby bird Baz is going through it, though. And Simon is simultaneously the worst and best boyfriend(?) as is his way.

That said, I have completely skipped a chapter way earlier on and I keep getting further and further away from it, and I'm about to be forced to double back. It's a Davy chapter, that's why. Some people think the angst stuff is the stuff I would struggle to write because, like, sad. But no. No, sad is my bread and butter baby. It's a tap that's always on. However, writing someone who doesn't ever question themselves and speaks mostly in rhetoric? I have to method act to write Davy. The natural tone of my voice shifts.

Ah, the writing process. It feels good to have a few solid days of writing, though. I really want to finish this. It's a long time coming.

Teeny tiny spoiler for next chapter: Finally it's time revisit 25-year-old Simon. Knowing how absolutely PRECIOUS he is as a child sure won't make this extra upsetting. Absolutely not.

“Why would you risk coming back here?” Dev asks. “After all this time?” “I was owed answers.” “Well that clears things right up. What answers might you be seeking in the dungeons?” Simon picks up his pace to cross the vast open space before the gardens. Dev follows quietly until they’re tucked behind overgrown shrubbery. Sharply pronged leaves prick at their necks. Then, Dev’s hand comes around his bicep, holding him back. Simon bristles at the contact. “What answers are worth your life?” Dev asks, harsher. “What did you say before? That you’d heard all sorts of ‘sordid things’ about me? You should know I’m no stranger to risking my life. Unnecessarily or not.” “I’ve certainly heard that you’re merciless. Possibly suicidal. Is it true that you take any employment without discernment? You, the fucking best of us. Simon Snow—brave, relentless, and idealistic to a fault.” “And what good did any of it do me?” Simon seethes. He finally jerks out of Dev’s grip, shoving a hand into his too-long hair, his fingers snagging on knots.  “Fuck, you know he wouldn’t want—” One glance into Simon’s cold, furious eyes, and the words die on Dev’s noble tongue. 

Tags and hellos under the cut.

@stitchy-queerista @rimeswithpurple @imagineacoolusername @ileadacharmedlife @aristocratic-otter @letraspal @whatevertheweather @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @raeny-day @shrekgogurt @prettygoododds @brilla-brilla-estrellita @ivelovedhimthroughworse @martsonmars @c0nsumemy5oul @facewithoutheart @alexalexinii @iamamythologicalcreature @supercutedinosaurs @best--dress @messofthejess @mooncello @orange-peony @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @blackberrysummerblog @nausikaaa @cutestkilla @thewholelemon @emeryhall @hushed-chorus @forabeatofadrum @roomwithanopenfire @noblecorgi @monbons @run-for-chamo-miles @skeedelvee @valeffelees @drowninginships @talentpiper11 @fiend-for-culture @leithillustration @j-trow-95 @bookishbroadwayandblind @the-beard-of-edward-teach @larkral @bachusekart @angelsfalling16

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Six Snippet Sunday

Hello. Hi. *waves into the void*

I've been lurking again, sorry about that. But I have also been writing, so that's something.

Thank you to everyone who has continued tagging me in WIPsday posts, despite my lack of updates!

Okay, so, first thing's first. Trails news! The next six chapters are finally with my beta team, so I'm hoping to get another chapter scheduled in for you all soon! I've almost finished a large scale rewrite, during which I've pushed back a significant plot point to a much later chapter (still no clue how long this fic is going to end up being, but we're getting closer and closer to the 30 chapter bracket, I think! Strap in for the long haul, folks!).

With that being said, enjoy six very out of context snippets from each chapter.

Baz was cross with me almost the entire way down to [REDACTED], which even for him is an achievement.

“No kitchen for guests,” he grumbles. “We’ll have to find somewhere else later on.” That makes me laugh, a childish giggle. “You poor, hard done by thing.”

“You have met Simon Snow?” Niamh asks, her own voice gruff and brimming with frustration. I can just picture her gritting her teeth as she speaks. “When has he ever followed a plan?”

I refuse to be a victim anymore.

“So, what, you robbed a priest?” I glance up at Nico, who’s gaze has turned thunderous.

“It’s fine, Baz. I think if this thing was going to be damaged by now it would be. How many times has it been stuffed inside your shirt now?” “I could take that as an insult in so many ways.”

Now, onto the real gremlins. This novel rewrite is still ongoing, and I've just got to the final large chunk, where everything that can go wrong will go wrong spectacularly! Lauren is about to have the worst time imaginable.

Last time I posted a WIPsday post I was about 75k into this rewrite ... we're now closer to 94k, and I still have so much ground to cover. This manuscript is going to need serious gutting before I sit down to edit properly.

Just a tiny snippet from ASR today, just to give you a flavour of Lauren when she's working a job.

“You won’t even think about working with us?” I turn and begin walking back towards the pubs. “You’d only get in the way.”

Tl;dr, I am writing, even if I'm not sharing anything. Thank you so much to everyone who thinks about me whenever they post!

Can't wait to see what everyone is working on at the moment.

Tagging:

@artsyunderstudy @aristocratic-otter @blackberrysummerblog @bookish-bogwitch @cutestkilla

@confused-bi-queer @emeryhall @erzbethluna @hushed-chorus @iamamythologicalcreature

@ic3-que3n @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @letraspal @martsonmars

@mooncello @monbons @nausikaaa @nightimedreamersworld @orange-peony

@shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @theearlgreymage @thewholelemon @you-remind-me-of-the-babe 

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WIP WEDNESDAY

I know it’s barely Wednesday anymore but here’s a WIP. My babies. 🩷 For Monsters.

Hello darlings 🩷🩷🩷@stitchy-queerista @rimeswithpurple @imagineacoolusername @ileadacharmedlife @aristocratic-otter @letraspal @whatevertheweather @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @raeny-day @shrekgogurt @prettygoododds @brilla-brilla-estrellita @ivelovedhimthroughworse @martsonmars @c0nsumemy5oul @facewithoutheart @alexalexinii @iamamythologicalcreature @supercutedinosaurs @best--dress @messofthejess @mooncello @orange-peony @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @blackberrysummerblog @nausikaaa @cutestkilla @thewholelemon @emeryhall @hushed-chorus @forabeatofadrum @roomwithanopenfire @noblecorgi @monbons @run-for-chamo-miles @skeedelvee @valeffelees @drowninginships @talentpiper11 @fiend-for-culture @leithillustration @j-trow-95 @bookishbroadwayandblind @the-beard-of-edward-teach @larkral @bachusekart @angelsfalling16

[j-trow-95]

Sunday Something

Y'all. I spent practically two weeks sick and also had to go back to work, so I accomplished very little in terms of writing and nothing in terms of stitches since the last update. BUT! I have some good news:

1) @rimeswithpurple continues to be the best and will be illustrating for Smile Like You Mean It! I'm so excited for all the Crop Top Simon in our future.

2) 📣📣📣Posting day is now August 15!!! 📣📣📣

I've previewed too much from Chapter 1, so why not a process post? I love those. Many pictures and musings below the cut if you're into it.

First of all, Smile Like You Mean It did not start out as a fic concept. When I first became intrigued by the idea of a Watford Cheer AU, it was actually an art concept. Last year for CORB, I was debating between two potential submissions: Ballet Baz and Cheer Simon. Below are my oh-so-detailed original brainstorming mock-ups before I settled on a direction and drew *real* plans to submit for CORB.

COC rolled around and I still couldn't get Cheer Simon out of my brain, so I decided to just make him for Day 3: AU. While I'm sure you've all seen the final post, here's a behind-the-scenes photo. (Please enjoy Agatha surrounded by her dismembered squad.)

At some point in January, I decided I was ready to commit to another long fic and Cheer Simon was still haunting me, so I brainstormed possible entry points into his story. As with most things I write, my original concept was very Baz-centric. (Don't worry, there are no spoilers below since I went in an entirely different direction.)

I drafted a scene or two in this version before I realized it wasn't right. I didn't want queerness to be "the problem," I didn't want to surmount the hurdle of the boys getting to know each other from scratch, and most importantly, this set up made Simon a plot device, not the main character.

For the next attempt, I latched onto my description of Simon above, and I started asking questions. "Why are Simon and Lucy alone?", "Why is Simon so flamboyant?" and "Why cheer, specifically?" These turned out to be fruitful directions, and I unearthed my plot in the process. By then it was March, and I was so excited to just get started that I drafted 30k words before I got stuck and realized I wasn't actually done planning. With the very helpful organizer below (courtesy of @mooncello), I went back to the drawing board, completing each row for both Baz and Simon.

By the time I was done planning (my outline is 11 pages long!), it was May, and to my utter dismay, I realized I would have to trash at least 15k of my story and significantly rewrite another ~5k. After nearly eight months of obsessing over him, I had fallen in love with Cheer Simon (as I'm sure you will too), so the sacrifice of scrapping ALL THOSE WORDS to get him his happy ending seemed worth it.

All the planning on the front end paid off. Once school let out, I treated writing like a summer job and cranked out most of what you see here in just over three months.

And now here we are, nearly a year from when Simon and his poms first popped into my brain. If you're still here, I can't believe it, but also, thank you. I've never worked so hard on something. I hope when I start posting, it shows.

Cheers to you, and tag---you're it.

@alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy, @bachusekart, @best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart, @harrie-leithillustration, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @nausikaaa, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony, @pato-roldnart, @prettygoododds, @raeny-day, @rbkzz, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @shrekgogurt, @skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @the-beard-of-edward-teach, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @jyae23, @j-trow-95, @meanjeansjeans, @martsonmars

(P.S. As always, once I start posting, all WIPSday posts will always include previews of upcoming chapters. If you'd like to be added to my tag list to stay in the loop, let me know. If you'd like to come off---for any reason---let me know that too. No hurt feelings at all!)

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WIP WEDNESDAY

I know it’s barely Wednesday anymore but here’s a WIP. My babies. 🩷 For Monsters.

Hello darlings 🩷🩷🩷@stitchy-queerista @rimeswithpurple @imagineacoolusername @ileadacharmedlife @aristocratic-otter @letraspal @whatevertheweather @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @raeny-day @shrekgogurt @prettygoododds @brilla-brilla-estrellita @ivelovedhimthroughworse @martsonmars @c0nsumemy5oul @facewithoutheart @alexalexinii @iamamythologicalcreature @supercutedinosaurs @best--dress @messofthejess @mooncello @orange-peony @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @blackberrysummerblog @nausikaaa @cutestkilla @thewholelemon @emeryhall @hushed-chorus @forabeatofadrum @roomwithanopenfire @noblecorgi @monbons @run-for-chamo-miles @skeedelvee @valeffelees @drowninginships @talentpiper11 @fiend-for-culture @leithillustration @j-trow-95 @bookishbroadwayandblind @the-beard-of-edward-teach @larkral @bachusekart @angelsfalling16

[j-trow-95]

Stitches and Sentences

Happy Saturday/Sunday! This week, there were more sentences than stitches happening. Quick update on both below.

STITCHES Cheer Simon has his nose pierced. I've never given a doll a nose, and as it turns out, noses are difficult to get right. Every attempt at a nose (including those that involved mutilating this spare Penny I had lying around) was atrocious.

I also tried to stitch on an extra little felt piece like the ears are extra pieces, but that made such a horrifying nose that I refused to take a picture of it.

Now that I've given you nightmares, here's the nose I settled on. Simple, but cute yeah? Maybe? Who knows. Either way, it's staying.

SENTENCES I have a title for the Cheer AU! FINALLY! I've officially settled on Smile Like You Mean It and posting will start towards the end of August! I haven't picked an exact date yet, since I'm still drafting, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so.... woohoo!

We are getting towards the part of the story where your character has to actually start solving their problems, so words are coming slower and scenes are tougher to get right. Still, I've made good progress. Currently, we are at ~67k words and 11/15 completed chapters (yes, I added YET ANOTHER chapter). This is going to be so long...

I've mostly given you Baz sentences, so have some Simon sentences I wrote this week. (He's wild in this fic, y'all.)

“Dream of me in class—” I mouth against his skin “—and I promise I’ll dream of you.” Baz whimpers helplessly, and I sashay away to first period, hyper-aware of Baz’s eyes on me as I go.

Hellos and high-fives!

@alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy, @bachusekart, @best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart, @harrie-leithillustration, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @mooncello, @nausikaaa, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony, @pato-roldnart, @prettygoododds, @raeny-day, @rbkzz, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @rimeswithpurple, @shrekgogurt, @skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @the-beard-of-edward-teach, @twinkle-twinkle-up-above, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @jyae23, @j-trow-95

[j-trow-95]

Six Sentence Sunday

Happy Sunday friends! I have been so swamped with work that I've had hardly a scrap of time to write this week, but today feels like the day. I did have time to edit though. My beloved @cutestkilla worked with me tirelessly this week on what is probably The Best chapter of There are Monsters in the Wood so far, and with her input I added 800 words to an already 10,500 word chapter, all really good words, too. The best words. Endlessly grateful to her and also to everyone who agrees to help me with my fanfictions.

That said I am worried about the next chapter!! We're taking a little detour from Simon and Baz to learn more about our antagonist, the lore, the magick, and most importantly, Lucy.

Lucy reached for me and—knowing what she intended—I met her. I placed my hand, palm up, over hers, her freckled skin supple and sun-heated.  She closed her other hand over mine in a simulacrum of prayer, and almost at once there was a shiver of sensation. A fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird between our palms. Her magick—God, it was a wonder. It buzzed and breathed and expanded. I imagined it as something alive, the twisted roots of an ancient tree cutting paths through the resisting earth. It spread all the way to the tips of my fingers before settling. When she finally pulled away there was a single rose pressed into the very centre of my hand. The petals, full and faultless and the colour of new blood. “It’s beautiful,” I said. She smiled her blinding smile and said, “Good. I made it for you.”

It's actually one of my favorite chapters, too. Some of my best work. But I do worry about the lack of Simon and Baz. Ah, we'll see. :)

Tags and hells under the cut!

@stitchyqueer @rimeswithpurple @imagineacoolusername @ileadacharmedlife @aristocratic-otter @letraspal @whatevertheweather @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @raenestee @shrekgogurt @prettygoododds @brilla-brilla-estrellita @ivelovedhimthroughworse @martsonmars @c0nsumemy5oul @facewithoutheart @alexalexinii @iamamythologicalcreature @supercutedinosaurs @best--dress @messofthejess @mooncello @orange-peony @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @youarenevertooold @that-disabled-princess @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @blackberrysummerblog @nausikaaa @thewholelemon @cutestkilla @emeryhall @hushed-chorus @forabeatofadrum @roomwithanopenfire @noblecorgi @monbons @run-for-chamo-miles @skeedelvee @valeffelees @ic3que3n @drowninginships @talentpiper11 @fiend-for-culture @leithillustration @j-trow-95 @bookishbroadwayandblind @the-beard-of-edward-teach

[j-trow-95]

WIP Wednesday

well hello. thanks for all your comments on my post Sunday. I really loved reading them, and also hearing you tell me that this "too scared to post until it's perfect so I'm never going to post" bullshit is not unique to me. thanks for being here with me.

I had to check the calendar three times to make sure it really was Wednesday. what am I doing???

1-reading Crying in H Mart. This book makes me both sad and very, very hungry. It's good, it's by the lead singer of Japanese Breakfast.

2-I just finished Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oascar Hokeah. Such a great book. If you read it and you're not from Oklahoma, tell me, I'm so curious what you think. The writing is excellent.

3-Also! I finished Sorcery and Small Magics! I am ready for the sequel now please and thank you! Can't believe we've still got TWO books to go. Just keeping an eye on the @grimmlove feed for fic to appear. definitely recommend this although be forewarned it is the slowest of burns.

otherwise flailing around and reading things I can't tell you about! I hope you're doing okay. tags and texting from hey beautiful :) below the cut. at this rate you'll have the whole fic in snippets.

Baz: Is she your girlfriend, then? Snow: naw shes my best friend. like my sister i guess although idk ive never had one Snow: come on mate. would i be texting u this thirsty if i had a girlfriend??? Baz: You could be. I’m just a wrong number. Simon: im beginning to think theres nothing wrong abt u Baz: Go make your pasta. Don’t overcook it. Snow: (picture) Baz: Very nice. Snow: i even read the package for once and made it Al Dente Snow: did u know that means firm when bitten 😏 Baz: Yes, Snow. Everyone knows that.

@alexalexinii @alleycat0306 @aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @best--dress

@blackberrysummerblog @bookish-bogwitch @bachusekart @bookishbroadwayandblind @brilla-brilla-estrellita 

@confused-bi-queer @cutestkilla @drowninginships @emeryhall  @facewithoutheart

@fiend-for-culture @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @j-trow-95

@jyae23 @katatsumuli @larkral @leithillustration @letraspal

@martsonmars @messofthejess @monbons @mooncello @nausikaaa 

@noblecorgi @onepintobean @orange-peony @pato-roldnart @palimpsessed 

@prettygoododds @raenestee @rimeswithpurple  @roomwithanopenfire @run-for-chamo-miles 

@shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @talentpiper11  @the-beard-of-edward-teach @theimpossibledemon 

@valeffelees @whatevertheweather @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

[j-trow-95]

[j-trow-95]

Last wipsday post for more than a footnote!

I love a good bookend moment. A solid callback. One of my favorite things about the fic playlist, for example, is that it begins with conan gray's 'best friend' and ends with laufey's 'best friend.' not only do the lyrics in both songs perfectly encapsulate footnote, but it's such a cool statement about the story itself. a lot changes, but the constant? Dev and Niall are best friends at the beginning of this fic—and at the end. 

placing the rest under the cut. chapter 9 drops friday. 🖤

from chapter 2:

Here's a bookend moment from the actual fic. The first snippet is from Dev's first-ever POV in the story, and the second is from his final POV. 

I’ve had months to think about it, and my list just keeps growing longer. Of what I wish I had the balls to say that night. You should never spell your irises blue because your big brown eyes are enough to make me commit forbidden magic, if you asked. Your hair keeps getting darker each year. So the ginger kid I met at the Crucible now has brown hair threaded with copper, and when the sunlight catches it, I kinda want time to stop because it’s one of the prettiest fucking things I’ve ever seen. Your smile could power the sun. It sure as fuck controls my breathing. You’re real and honest without even trying. And you have the weirdest sense of humour. You make me laugh. You always have. You’re my favourite person. Ever. 

from chapter 9:

He smiles sweetly at me. And I can't help it; I smile back, even as I roll my eyes. I comb my fingers through his hair, fluffy from shower water, and my gaze falls to his jawline that I've watched sharpen over the years. Then back up to his clever mouth. And his dimple that halfway convinces me some god must exist somewhere. "You're my favourite person," I tell him, and am rewarded with an incandescent smile. "I'm glad we met, too."

love them. love y'all. 🩵✌️

@whatevertheweather @artsyunderstudy @cutestkilla @valeffelees @bookish-bogwitch

@drowninginships @rimeswithpurple @iamamythologicalcreature @leithillustration @alexalexinii

@fatalfangirl @larkral @orange-peony @hushed-chorus @run-for-chamo-miles

@brilla-brilla-estrellita @theimpossibledemon @fiend-for-culture @emeryhall @j-trow-95

@you-remind-me-of-the-babe @ileadacharmedlife @best--dress @confused-bi-queer @messofthejess

@roomwithanopenfire @shrekgogurt @stitchyqueer @monbons @youarenevertooold

@blackberrysummerblog @thewholelemon @skeedelvee @talentpiper11

[j-trow-95]

From a state hearing in Texas

[j-trow-95]

wip wednesday

I’m posting today in the biggest spirit of both / and.

It feels insane to post about my fictional guys when the world is so bad. Every day feels bad, but things feel so fucking dire right now. War and ongoing genocide. The Supreme Court decision about gender-affirming care. To all the trans kids (esp in the us): you’re valid, and we’re gonna keep fighting for your bodily autonomy and your right to be exactly who you are. I love you.

them.us has a good overview of what this ruling means. Trans Lifeline has good resources, too.

And—

Joy and art are imperative, as always. I’m reading so many queer and trans stories right now because I need them. Lou Sullivan’s selected diaries (We Both Laughed in Pleasure) is changing my brain chemistry. I just started Zoë Bossiere’s Cactus Country. I also started Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor. Excellent stuff all around.

ALSO !!! I finished more than a footnote. I plan to post the final chapter next week! 

I’m white-knuckling my joy right now. Dancing to Lady Gaga and Conan Gray in my kitchen. Checking in on my people. I’m wearing my colorful DeNiall friendship bracelet that @rimeswithpurple made for me last year. 

Okay, here are a few lines from chapter 9, under the cut for those that haven’t caught up on the fic yet.

Love to you all.

“You’re mad,” I repeat. “Yeah.” “I don’t—” I make a frustrated slash with my hand. “I can’t go back in time, Niall.” “It’s not just that summer. You … don’t talk. Just last week, you were gonna go to Hampshire with Baz. Instead of talking with me.” Any words I was gonna say die in my throat.

I love the scenery and settings in chapter 9:

The ocean bleeds orange as the sun slips beneath the waves, tendrils of lava stretching along the horizon. Sand transforms into pyrite, then returns to dull brown once twilight takes hold of the beach … … Before long, the white chalk cliffs of Kent tower above us. Gleaming blocks of milky bone jut into the sky, now smeared over with gray clouds and painting the beach in silvern light. 

And one of my favorite lines from chapter 9:

I’m kissing my best friend, and it’s better than I ever imagined.

Thanks for the tags today @blackberrysummerblog, @orange-peony, @alexalexinii and @thewholelemon.

Take care of yourselves and your people 🩵✌️

@whatevertheweather @artsyunderstudy @cutestkilla @valeffelees @bookish-bogwitch

@drowninginships @rimeswithpurple @iamamythologicalcreature @leithillustration @alexalexinii

@fatalfangirl @larkral @orange-peony @hushed-chorus @run-for-chamo-miles

@brilla-brilla-estrellita @theimpossibledemon @fiend-for-culture @emeryhall @j-trow-95

@you-remind-me-of-the-babe @ileadacharmedlife @best--dress @confused-bi-queer @messofthejess

@roomwithanopenfire @shrekgogurt @stitchyqueer @monbons @youarenevertooold

[j-trow-95]

Thanks for the tag @orangepeony! I have more W than IP this week. Chapter 4 of Pull Yourself Together is posted and the fic is now complete (many, many thanks to the amazing @thewholelemon for a helpful beta after I was so far done that I could barely tell which words made sense anymore). I began writing this one back in February as a birthday gift to @rimeswithpurple, and then just kept adding chapters because I was having too much fun to stop. Side note: it was never originally my intent for Simon’s spell to physically pull himself and Baz together; I just meant for it to combine the two beds into one that they would have to share. Well, we all know that the best part of the Only One Bed trope is the characters waking up in the morning draped all over each other and drooling on each other’s pillows, etc, and somehow when I got to the part where Baz first climbs in with Simon, I didn’t want to wait. The idea quickly formed about what it would take to break the spell, and I just kept writing (and writing) from there. It’s over 17K now, and I really had a blast with it.

I hope everyone’s summer is off to a great start! Hellos and no-pressure tags to: @aristocratic-otter @best--dress @papierhaikuphoto @raenestee @stitchy-queerista @mooncello @alexalexinii @valeffelees @artsyunderstudy @the-beard-of-edward-teach @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @youarenevertooold @iamamythologicalcreature @monbons @letraspal @leithillustration @asocialpessimist @cows4247 @c0nsumemy5oul @j-trow-95 @forabeatofadrum @roomwithanopenfire @imagineacoolusername @ileadacharmedlife @shrekgogurt @prettygoododds @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @ivelovedhimthroughworse @brilla-brilla-estrellita @martsonmars @facewithoutheart @supercutedinosaurs @bookishbroadwayandblind @confused-bi-queer @that-disabled-princess @nausikaaa @bookish-bogwitch @cutestkilla @hushed-chorus @skeedelvee @ic3-que3n @fiend-for-culture @drowninginships @sourcherrysc0nes @bachusekart