#// {{ this is possibly the softest thing that i've ever written.

[valletydarwin]

Please I would like to know, I think your writing and your fanfics on AO3 are wonderful!

— Mister Void, at your pleasure.🖤🗝

(Notice: Mister Void was asking about my AU and/or headcanons, but for some reason Tumblr bugged and it didn't appear)

OH YES PLEASE LET ME!!!😍🤩No one ever wanted to hear about it🥲

I feel like:

I think that's why she's one of my strongest Kins- BUUuuuut going back

It's not exactly an AU, since I didn't write anything anywhere, I just have it all stored in the back of my brain.It's more like a preference and a mix of several Headcanons and concepts that I took from some fanfics I read on AO3.

Like for example, the Batfam being absolute cryptids and scaring the shit out of everyone else in the hero community. For this trope, I usually like to think of the Batfam as having managed to build functional, realistic and beautiful wings.

Oh yeah, and let's not forget the classic bird language. Oh oh and the feline like claws and pads on the gloves too!Also, I like to think that Billy joined the family like, half a week after being invited to the League, seriously, he may be magical and a little more mature, but he's still a kid, and the Bats only need one slip-up from him to put the pieces together.

I also like to think that this Billy doesn't have the others from Shazamily, yet, because I want him, the way he is, to look at this bunch of orphaned street kids(and his lost twin sister of course), and simply give a Batman, taking them to the mansion just to shock everyone that the first one(technically second because of the whole Park Row's children and Jason thing) to start having Bruce's addiction to adoption was not Dick but Billy.

And even though I haven't put this in either of the two fanfics I've written so far, I'd like Bruce's parents(and Alfred) and Clark's parents to meet before the two were even born yet, and for them to grow up as brothers, and for the Kent farm to be an escape from Gotham's overwhelming elite and the spotlight for Bruce.

I want a young, stubborn Bruce to take a young, scared Clark around the farm and find Clark's ship, I want them to find out sooner what Clark is, who he was, his birth name, I want this duo of kids to be the ones to find out that Diana Prince is Wonder Woman and for her to take them as apprentices (References to an AO3 fic called Shadow Demon, it's really good, oh and I'm also getting a little bit of Alternative Heroes, Same Hearts).

I want a good relationship and communication between the Batfam, make Alfred forcefully shove an angry teenage Bruce into a therapy room, and of course, the training with the monks, and make him be very grateful for that now that he has to take care of other traumatized and vengeful little humans.

I want Jason to be caught sooner, that he was trying to steal Batman's tires to buy medicine for his mother, I want Bruce to take this child and feed him and promise to help in the best way possible, I want Bruce to take him to the moldy apartment that the boy calls home, I want him to realize the state of his mother, I want her to have already left, that she took advantage of Jason's departure to be able to get rid of her pain without having to do it in front of him. I want Bruce to comfort a young and hysterical Jason, I want this boy to cry himself to sleep only to wake up wrapped in the softest sheets of his entire life.

I want a Bruce who reveals his identity to Jim before he even considers taking a young, eager Barbara under his wings, okay? I want a responsible Bruce.

And don't make poor Lucius have so much stress.

I want Bruce to notice the little shadow following them (seriously, I think it's cool that Tim managed to do this without getting caught, but not here, Batman, Batwoman [yes, she comes sooner, i want Kate to come visit her cousin and see the shit he's doing and refuse to leave until he includes her] and Robin have wings, with sensors to feel things that normal people don't feel, like changes in the air, or even sensors to smell more specifically.), I want Bruce to notice that the neighbors left, but his son didn't go with them, I want Bruce to pick up this abandoned boy and wrap him in a hug.

I want him to see the daughter of one of the Rougues trying to sabotage her father, I want him to accept the help willingly and try to slowly gain her trust, I want a Bruce who saves Stephanie from her own father, I want a Bruce who couldn't save her mother, I want a Steph who even though she's sad doesn't blame him. I don't want Tim and Steph to date. I want them to be siblings. I want them to be best friends. I want them to be like twins. I want them to be chaos gremilins together!

I want Talia to not be evil, I want her to be essentially kind, I want a Talia who blames herself millions for what she did to Bruce, I want a Talia who looks at this tiny baby in her arms and loves him unconditionally, I want a Talia who can't stand watching the training her father gives to her baby, her son, I want Talia to take a 3-4 year old Damian and take him to Bruce, I want her to get hurt in the escape, I want Bruce to save her, but I also want her to run away, run away far away so that the LoA doesn't get close to her little and adorable Dami, nor her beloved, or the children he took as his. I want them to have a complicated, distant, forbidden, cursed by others, but true and lasting love.

I want the cat and bat game to be between Kate and Selina, I want more lesbian couples!!!Harley and Ivy? Stuning lesbians.

Oh, and the Joker and Jason incident... I want a Jason who feels so loved in a way he's never felt before that he musters up the courage to talk to his father(!), I want him to tell Bruce about Sheila, I want a Bruce who is an unconditionally loving and supportive father who offers to take him to where she is, I want him to warn him about the Joker, I want the bomb to go off with Bruce opening the warehouse doors just in time to just look at his Jaylad and he looks back and neither of them can get any closer.

I don't want a Bruce who kills the Jokerbut I want a Bruce who beats him to the point of paralysis.

I want Clark to be forced to leave the country at top speed to stop Bruce, but not to save the Joker, I want it to be to help his crying brother, to stop him from destroying himself with the clown.

I want that whole thing about or whoever wrote Alfred putting a "Good Soldier" plaque on Jason's grave to go to the fucking hell, I want him to have a proper burial, I want Park Row to mourn the death of one of their own who managed to get out of poverty and still come back to help them, I want Crime Alley to mourn the death of their little bird.

I want Tim to take a lot longer to take up the mantle of Robin, I want a Steph who stays with her no-twin even more, I want a Bruce who after talking to Clark and Diana makes everyone go to therapy, I want Ivy to help Harley recover from that bastard clown, I want Bruce to go see how the two are.

I want Talia to see a revived Jason wandering and take him in, I want her to try to start making amends with Bruce by starting by taking care of his lost boy, I want her to start seeing him as hers too, I want Damian and Jason to be brothers, I want Talia to show the state the Joker is in, I want her to show that it took Clark to get Bruce away from the clown's decrepit body, I want her to show how his family scared the city so much that not only the rougues avoided going out at night, I want Talia to take them both back to Bruce.

I want them to cuddle in a pile of love and affection, I want a Talia still being treated to be in that pile too, I want that even with her away most of the time, the kids see her as a mother.

I want Tim to take up the mantle of Robin with Jason's blessing. And I want Steph to finally come out as Batgirl.

I want a young Cass to be noticed as soon as she sets foot in Gotham, I want it to be during one of Talia's visits, I want my couple to take this girl raised to be a weapon and turn her into a real child, I want everyone in the mansion to learn ASL when she prefers to gesture rather than speak most of the time. I want Steph to hand her over to Batgirl with Barbara's blessing and the two of them to go out together on Cass's first patrol with Tim hot on their heels.

And I want Bruce to find out about the "we are Robin" movement, I want Bruce to take this boy who started a gang under his wing.

I want Bruce to see this city and the heroes who disappeared out of nowhere and came back out of nowhere, I want the trinity to invite Marvel to the League, I want Bruce to discover that the Champion of Magic, Fawcette's main hero, an idol to many (and to Clark, who was very disappointed when he found out that Marvel wasn't Kryptonian), is a homeless child. I want Bruce to gain his trust, I want Bruce to give him a family and promise to find this boy's sister.

I want a Bruce who, after the invasion of Starro, sees this little star in his hands and can't resist his children wanting to keep him (and he himself wanted to too-), I want Jarro to be included in things, I WANT HIM TO HAVE THE LOVE HE DESERVES, OKAYY!?!?!?!

I want the current Justice League to be new, I want Bruce to be the first father and I want no one but Diana, Clark and Billy to know... Oh, and Barry too, since Dick would be best friends with Wally from an early age.

I want a Bruce who doesn't kill, but I also want a Bruce who doesn't force his rules and morals down his children's throats, I want a Bruce who understands that his children are individual beings, I want Bruce to understand that his children can and do have different morals and views.

I want Jon and Damian to be raised like Clark and Bruce were.

I want Clark to see this clone that looks about Tim's age and not think twice about bringing him home. I want Kon and Tim to be Bi best friends.

Oh and Kara!! I want Kara and Babs to be a thing, I want them together!!! I want my third lesbian coupleee!!

I want Kate and Selina, Ivy and Harley to be the cool aunts who take the kids out to cause chaos.

I want Bruce to have less of a Brucie or hooker persona and more of a tired dad thing. Dark circles under his eyes? Oh, Dami couldn't sleep. Hurt? Uh, Dick tried to maneuver the chandelier and would have fallen if I hadn't run to catch him! Am I a mess? The kids started an argument!

And I think that's it for now, I hope I put everything that was in my head.

Oh, to add, I've never read any DC comics, okay? Not Marvel either, or anything other than Turma da Monica(in english: Monica's Gang)...

[watchingsunrises]

Zayn lyrics analysis - Grateful and The Time

As promised some lyric analysis from Room Under the Stairs. Still can't stop listening to these songs or album.

Some points to make clear first for context. The narrative set up for this album was a big fake mess and in reality did not align to the lyrics and what Zayn tells us in his music or interviews if you pay attention. The narrative set was he'd been writing the album for 6 years, it was about his relationship of that period and it was also about his daughter.

First the timeline makes no sense, we are meant to believe that this album covers the period of 2017 to 2023??!! Please Zayn released 3 full albums in that time period. Most artists write in their current context they rarely hold on to songs for 6 years. If they are good they want them on that current album. Also the songs on this album all reflect significant personal growth, emotional intelligence, maturity, possibly some therapy, reframing of his life including on his past in 1D. Its clear those are more recent changes that usually come with age or significant life changes or overcoming challenges. So the narrative on the timeframe was all bullshit. Its likely he wrote this album in 2022 to 2023. A period where he was publically single. The narrative was used to cover the many love/long term partner related songs on the album. Hello, Stardust. 

Secondly Zayn made it clear in a few interviews that he is really fast at putting his music together. He literally said he can put an entire song down start to finish in 2 to 3 hours. Don't think he needed 6 years to put this album together. 

The other gem Zayn gave us in interviews was the in hindsight, I don't think I've ever been in love before. Thank you Zayn, if people pay attention he made it pretty clear he isn't writing any love songs about his former public relationships. Yet the album has multiple love related songs. Again, hence the bullshit narrative.

Thirdly, the narrative the album was about his daughter. I mean she was 2 to 3 when this album was written. He makes it clear even where there is a stunt line or two that he is talking to an adult, telling them deep things, doing things they shouldn't do, lying for them etc. Nothing speaks about a toddler here at all. Not once. I have a child only a few years older, there's no sign of a child in these lyrics. 

With that in mind I wanted to analyse two of my favourite songs, as a start. Really powerful songs and vocals. Songs that are deeply personal to me, I understand and relate to the themes of gratitude and time deeply. I believe Zayn relates to them from similar life experiences. Songs I fully believe would have been originally part of the tour. Songs in the context of losing Liam, would be impossible to sing live. Hence the tour including a whole bunch of B sides from the album. 

Grateful

I see your mother’s shine in your eye

I know that you’re mine and I'm cryin'

Tellin' you the things that are on my mind

When I think of you

This is a classic stunt line used to set up the idea the song is about his daughter who he is grateful for. If you pay attention to the third line he is telling things to this person that are on his mind. He is not telling a then 2 or 3 year old all the things on his mind. He is talking about another adult here, his love, his person. He's also not talking about Gigi here, they were broken up when the album was really written, plus he never loved her, remember. The rest of the song is also talking about the ups and downs in life and his relationship. A relationship he's still clearly in, there's no past tense. With that in mind let's revisit the first two lines and how intimate and beautiful they really are. He is telling his person, his love, that their eyes share the same shine as their mother. Ugh my heart. Zayn is the softest, most romantic. That he knows this person is his person in life and knowing he's met his person makes him cry. Cry from happiness and gratitude. And if you believe his person, his love is Liam then this song already just stunning that this is how his love feels to him. Now it's just even more beautiful and gut wrenching and no wonder he couldn't sing it live on tour, even though it's such a sing a long style song and I fully believe he would have intended to sing it on tour. 

Yeah, I'm grateful for you

Love it when the rain comes down

Love it when the waves calm down

Yeah, I'm grateful for you

He is just so content and happy to have found his person in life. The rains can come down on them individually or as a couple, they know they can get through and things always calm down eventually. He is just grateful. Again gut wrenching now. I can barely contemplate how these songs have changed for Zayn. 

These days I live to my depiction

Nowadays I'm findin' no affliction

These days I'm needin' no restriction

Feel like I'm finding new addiction

He is as a person feeling like he can be more of his true self in private and public, perhaps found ways to find peace in his/their closeting and situation. He has less restrictions now without the constant long term beading/pr relationships. He is able to stay publically single with the cover of a child. There is a whole different post somewhere in the future on this. I believe Louis and Zayn were able to make the same negotiation to be single in exchange for father of the year roles. But perhaps their partners had to more heavily stunt in relationships too. We will never know but there is some mirroring between the two couples situations the last 3 years or so especially Zouis. 

And it feels good

And I knew it would

When I'm tellin' this story it's complicated

Some mishaps I've been mournin' but I'm grateful for it

It feels good to write music without it having to be perceived about his public relationships. He can't share all the stories still though, they are too complicated. There are mistakes he regrets but he can still feel gratefulness amongst it all.

Things change and I'm okay with what I'm not

It feels wasteful to be hateful

I'll be grateful for what I got

There has been so much pain in his life. He could choose to be angry and hateful but that feels wasteful. He chooses to reframe and focus on what he has, who he is and be grateful. There is huge maturity and emotional intelligence going on here. 

These days I'm needin' no restriction (For you)

Just as always Zayn finds a subtle sweet way to bring his person, his love into the narrative of the lyrics. These days I'm needing no restrictions for you. For you! Perhaps this refers to no longer needing the restriction of a bearing/pr relationships to cover his for you. He sounds like he feels more free. He's focussed on gratitude. 

The Time

Yesterday just came and went

And if today I wake up late, I won't forgive myself

’Cause time's running its own game

And I've rolled the dice too many times in my head

Huge changes as mentioned in perspective and growth as a person. He is reframing life, he values time, he doesn't want to waste time anymore. He's wasted time in the past being angry, being focussed on pain or other challenges. Its not for him now. Something significant happened that challenged his perspective too.

Never fell for the fame thing

They fell in love with the same things

Let me know when the rain ends

See all I need is you

Ain’t it special? Ain't it precious?

The time that we have

When I'm laid in your bed and you tell me you lovе me

Bringing his person, his love into the story with him, as he ALWAYS has across 4 albums. He and his person never fell for the fame thing. His person is in the industry too. That's pretty clear here, right. He and his person fell in love with the same things. Again seems clear, they both fell in love with music. Music is the thing they love and what they wanted to do in life. Fame came with it but they didn't really want to play that game. I'll fight anyone who can't see this isn't about Liam. Who else, honestly? All he needs is his person, his love. Its the best thing they both got from the fame and music. They got each other, as teenage boys and god damn that really is SO special and precious. So rare and unique. The time they have is everything, it means more than the fame and music and all the bullshit they have had to go through to be together. Time is all that matters, it is everything. When they lay in bed together, when they say I love you, he's making it clear it's an intimate setting, yet so normal and usual for them. Those are the moments that matter most not fame or music.

Colours back in all my days

Build the structure, lеt it break

As long as it's good for your brain

Lessons learned is what I've gained

Feedin' families, forget the fame

I'm doing it now for a second name

His person, his love brings all the colour into his life. I mean beautiful, they bring him joy and happiness. There's also queerness here, a number of closeted artists talk in lyrics about it being grey and searching for colour or the rainbow. He has his rainbow. They've built a life together, structures, a home, routine. Simple life, relationship things. Whatever is good for them, doesn't matter what it is. Its away from the fame. Feeding families, they are a family and they support their own families, these are benefits from the fame, they focus on. Doing it for a second name. Obviously a stunt line, you have to expect them but in context of the song and the rest of it using they to reflect his partner, it can be more true that he's referring to his partners second name.

And I could cry when you tell me that you love me

When you're doing things you shouldn’t be

And I lie for you

And I could cry when you tell me that you love me

And I'd die for you if you asked me to

This bridge, I was crying before Liam passed just the absolute love and devotion that you would die if the person asked you too. And no this line is not about his daughter, his daughter at 2 or 3 is not doing things they shouldn't and him lying for her. There is some insight here for me that perhaps this refers to Liam's addiction issues. That Zayn is fighting for, fighting with his partner, time is everything. They've been close to the edge of life and loss. That's the feeling here for me. And I feel that because I've been going through cancer the last few years, on the edge of my own mortality. Facing that fear. How time is the greatest value in life. How time with my daughter means more than anything. How every second of time spent in the most simplest and intimate ways with her is so fucking precious and special. And when I think of Zayn writing this song and still having Liam after whatever happened on that edge of life. To truly understand the value of time in life, it's a different way of understanding, of knowing when you've truly faced it on the edge of life. That's what I feel in the song, in many parts of the entire album. It resonates so deeply for me. To then lose him afterall. It is devastating. It makes me deeply worried if Zayn can find his way in life without Liam. I hope he can, I hope he can focus in on the same things he focuses on in this album. I hope he can find it in him to write for Liam. I hope the tour gives him something forward focussed. 

[cricketnationrise]

for the 500 followers fest

23:54

the brownstone

henry

melt by kehlani

are y'all tired of me being like "wow this song is a banger i can't believe i haven't listened to it before" ??? no?

wow this song is a banger i can't believe i haven't listened to it before!

anyway please enjoy possibly the sappiest, softest thing i've ever written

read the rest of the ficlets here

❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙

11:54pm, the brownstone

Henry tries to enter quietly, on the off-chance that Alex is already asleep—doesn’t want David’s habitual greeting to pull Alex out of mutually much-needed slumber. The muffled strains of Alex’s elle woods my beloved playlist coming down the hall let him know he needn’t have bothered. So he lets his keys clang in the bowl, lets David jump on him with rattling tags, lets his voice carry more than he usually would at almost midnight as he greets his dog.

Henry loves the shelter, loves meeting all the kids, and giving them a space free from unreasonable and unrealistic and unsafe expectations, but even Pez would be running on fumes alone after hour sixteen of an eight hour shift. Unfortunately for Henry, housing emergencies are rarely so obliging as to occur in a respectable nine-to-five window. But Starr is safe now, settled into a room, and even tentatively bonding with her roommate, so Henry can be home.

He makes his way to the second floor den that Alex prefers to study in, huffing out a soft laugh when he hears heavy books closing and the abrupt change of playlists to soft boy hours (gender neutral). He slides open the pocket door and leans against the frame and can’t help the soft smile that takes over his face. At least sixty percent of his tension seems to vanish at the sight of Alex turning towards him, face lighting up with love.

“Weren’t you supposed to stop studying at nine tonight?”

“Well, I was going to stop, but then a certain someone texted to say they didn’t know when they were going to be home and so I had to take drastic measures,” Alex says, finishing packing away his things for class tomorrow.

“David has been spending an inordinate amount of time out on the town,” Henry teases, moving into the room properly, drawn like a magnet toward his boyfriend.

Alex chuckles. “He used to be such a fine, upstanding gentleman, too. Such a shame his behavior’s gone to the dogs.”

“Seems he’s had a bad influence, hanging around with you so often,” Henry says. He steps into Alex’s space and Alex’s arms come up without hesitation. “Hello, love.”

Alex kisses him softly, sweetly. “Glad you’re home, H.” He pulls Henry down onto the couch and Henry wastes no time laying on top of him and curling up on Alex’s chest. He smells like coffee and a hint of cinnamon and the rest of the tension Henry’s been carrying around fades away as Alex strokes along his back. 

Right here, surrounded by Alex on all sides, is Henry’s favorite place in the world. Right here, the public can’t get to him. Right here, he doesn’t have to be a prince, or even a youth shelter director. 

Right here, he can just be Henry.

People always think that Alex never stops talking, but that’s categorically untrue. He talks a lot, certainly, but only when he knows Henry is ready to hear it. The reality is that Alex cares so much and so deeply for Henry, that he’s learned to read Henry’s varied and ever-shifting moods with the smallest cues. Henry’s never been more grateful for Alex’s personalized superpower than tonight, when all he wants to do is rest here with Alex, listening to smooth voices over acoustic guitar and Alex’s heartbeat thudding in time with his own.

Henry sinks into the moment, letting his eyes fall shut in utter contentment. He cherishes every moment he gets with Alex; the novelty of just getting to be with him hasn’t even begun to wear off. Every brush of their fingers sends a spark down his spine. Every time Alex kisses the back of his neck before hip-checking him out of the way in the kitchen is thrilling. Every time he and Alex stroll through Brooklyn with David, hands entwined or around waists or even once in each other’s back pockets, Henry’s hit with a surge of pride. 

But he loves these moments the best—the ones where he can’t tell where he stops and Alex begins. The moments, during or outside of sex, where being this close isn’t close enough for Henry. He wants to invent new ways to be close to someone, just to do them with Alex; wants to be able to crawl inside of Alex and set his watch to the beat of Alex’s heart. Henry wants to share not only his space with Alex, but his breath, his very soul—wants to knit them together so tightly that nothing and no one can unravel the threads connecting their hearts.

Luckily, unbelievingly for Henry—Alex wants the same things.

[bogginswritings]

Lil Astarion x Barbarian!Tav

This isn't the best I've written, but I didn't feel like fixing it. Have some fluff. Astarion might be a bit OOC, still getting the hang f that mf. I made a Tav barbarian named HERman as a joke. Now I love her more than anything. So yes that is where I got the inspiration from.

Pairing: Astarion x fem!barbarian!tav

Word count: 1100+

Contents: FLUFF. JUST. THAT. ALso some mentions of nude cuddling, but in only innocent context.

She was rough.

During battle at the goblin camp she threw the goblins on each other, into fire pits, or simply against walls.

When they fought larger, heavier, enemies, she swinged around with her great axe as if it was nothing. There was no grace to her movements, none at all, but still they were calculated (or he thiught they were. Whatever they were, they worked). She’d be covered in blood, grinning at her victory (Astarion would never admit how attractive she looked during those moments).

She raged, entering some frenzy during battle. Her mind having a pretty simple goal; kill and win. She’ll cry out during it, her voice hoarse. And she’d urge on the others of the party, praising them afterwards for a battle well-fought (Astarion was sure that if blushing was possible for him, he’d be a tomato).

Not only while fighting was she rough. Talking to others she was, too. Often on accident, choosing the wrong words; sometimes on purpose.

And man, her hands. They were calloused, the wooden handle of her axe leaving it dry. They were also big, and strong, but honestly that was another topic to Astarion.

Her touch, however, was the softest. So, so gentle. Right now as she had him cooped up in her arms, her fingers trailing over his bare back. The occasional kiss she planted on his head so sweet it made him mentally swoon. SWOON! He couldn’t remember the last time he did that, or if he ever had.

He was in a little cocoon, one she created for him. Her big arms wrapped around his frame, keeping him close. He doubted he could fight his way out, with the way her strong grip engulfed him. Not that he wanted, he was fine just being there. His chest pressed against her bare one, soaking in all of her natural body heat. His head tucked under her chin, in her shoulder, basically hidden from the world.

Her being in his tent was routine at this point. He can’t remember the last time she set up her own. Instead she’d come to help set up his. Not without complaining about his amount of pillows, though. Which he thought of as quite hypocritical, since she was happy to plop onto them after a long travel.

Astarion wasn’t sure when this started as him trying to seduce her for his safety, and ended with him head over heels. Not that he was complaining, she seemed to return his feelings. When he told her about his simple plan, and how it backfired (‘I was supposed to seduce you, now I’m in love with you,’ kinda thing) she was hurt. Telling him she thought it was real, while he was desperate to explain he did want it to be real.

A long talk followed, with her reassuring him he didn’t need to ‘seduce’ her for her to keep him safe. Or, in her flattering words, ‘I haven’t sucked off Gale’s dick, but I still saved him from those goblins’. She then clarified she would very much like to be ‘something real’ with him, but that if this still was a trick (somehow), she’d respect his choice. She’d have his back, regardless of what he wanted with her.

Astarion hasn’t gotten that option often before.

It’s probably why he felt so comfortable in her arms right now, so safe. He had the knowledge she wouldn’t do anything to him, try anything with him. She was fine doing whatever he wanted, made sure he was comfortable.

“Astarion?”

Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Her voice that was so deep, yet so silky and warm. “Hm?”

“Lost you there for a moment,” she muttered. His lips pressed an apologizing kiss to her shoulder, “I’m sorry. Were you saying something, my darling?”

“Nothing important,” she whispered, “are you okay?”

She asked that question many times, and every time it made his heart flutter. He expected to be tired of that question by now, but she was sincere when she asked it. genuinely wanted to know. He nodded, “More than, dare I say.”

She chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to his head, “That’s good.”

“Hmhm,” he hummed, “What is it you were saying?”

“I need to pee.”

“No,” his arms tightened around her waist (as if that did anything against her, but it’s the idea that counts). She snorted, “What do you mean no?”

“I’m comfortable, so you’re not leaving.”

“I’ll come back after.”

“Afraid the answer is still no, dear.”

“However cute I think this is, I really have to go. I’ll pee myself.”

“Then by all means go ahead.” He could feel her chest moving against his own, soon giggles were leaving her mouth, “You’re so gross, and that’s me saying this.”

Astarion laughed, “I’ll have to get warm all over again.”

“Too bad, so sad,” She pried his arm away from her waist, with little effort (Astarion didn’t feel the need to express how her casual strength made him feel) might he add. Astarion let out a sound of protest that sounded a suspicious amount like a whine, but didn’t make a move to stop her. Once untangled, she pressed a kiss on his nose, leaving the tent to do her thing.

He simply flopped back in position, star-fish pose on the bedrolls. It didn’t take long for the tent flap to be opened again, a cold gush of air from the outside hitting him. She sat down next to him again, nudging him to make space. With a dramatic sigh he moved away, and she slipped in next to him again. “Was that so bad?”

“Horrible, I’m freezing to death over here.”

She laughed, “You’re such a fucking drama queen,” she commented, squeezing his waist. He yelped in response, moving away from her. She raised an intrigued brow, “Ticklish?”

He met her eyes, the grin on her face anything but comforting, “No.”

“Sure?” she squeezed at his side again, his body jerking away making her laugh, “I’m going to have so much fun with this new piece of information.”

“You’d torture me,” he commented, “You wouldn’t dare.”

She smiled, pulling him closer into her arms again, “Oh no, of course i wouldn't,” she feigned, and Astarion pouted into her shoulder, “I’m serious!”

“Luckily you are oh so threatening.”

“I do believe this is a category of bullying.”

“Yes,” she confirmed, “But lovingly.”

“Uh-huh,” he remarked, eyes closing as her hands went back to rubbing his back and playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck.

When he felt her lips in his hair, an ‘i love you’ muttered against it, her arms tightening around him while he slipped into slumber, he decided he wouldn’t mind staying there for the rest of their lives.

[cloudcountry]

I wanted to ask why you hated Idia so much back then and the reason you adore him?

im gonna start telling people to pay me whenever they ask why i hate(d) idia because ive got this question easily 20 different times and frankly i'm losing money by not accepting payment

im not writing all that again i'm so tired of explaining it over and over ughhhh its not your fault min its just i seem to be a skipping record with how often i've had to repeat the same thing over and over and over for a YEAR and people just KEEP ASKING like ok you want to know about my relationship with idia shroud PAY UP!!!!!

anyways...i havent written about the things i adore about him yet so...

first first first!! the thing that made me gasp the softest gasp i have ever gasped in my life when i first saw it...his pink hair. its a bit superficial i guess but now that i like idia i think he's stunning. he's so hauntingly beautiful, especially when he's just a little bit flustered and the tips of his hair turn pink. what i would do to see his whole head turn pink PLEASE.

i also think his smile is so silly, even though it's usually accompanied by his smug ass voice "should'a leveled up more!" SHUT UP!!!!! i love his sharp teeth theyre so goofy nd silly but in a cute way. honestly i think his scowl is cute too, idk maybe i just like his lips but watching them twist up in annoyance when he rolls his eyes is attractive to me dont ask i dont know either. does that say something about me? maybe. i'm content with not knowing.

onto less superficial things...i just finished reading book six yesterday and it struck me how idia's heart is genuinely so beautiful. he loves so gently and fully, but with devotion that would destroy the world if he let it loose. being loved and treasured by idia is a privilege, because once he lets you in he would do anything for you (just dont fuck it up or i will beat you up im being so serious LEAVE HIM ALONE)

the extent to which he cares for ortho is so beautiful and so heartbreaking. "leave it to your big bro" im dead. everything he does is for ortho to have a safe and fulfilling life and honestly...it kind of seems like idia is trying to pay ortho back in a sense? like you died (because of me), now i will spend the rest of my life mourning you as punishment. he wants to give him the best life possible and thats just so ourgourgouhgohou,,,, his grieving is so complex and yet its so simple. heartbreaking i tell you.

on a lighter note, he's very passionate about the things he's into as well. one thing about figuring our how to like idia was turning my reaction to his condescending jabs from "oh he's such a know it all bitch what the hell people are literally just indulging in his interests what is wrong with him?" TO "oh he's just excited and getting an adrenaline rush, it's going to his head. he's happy. :)" and that was absolutely growth on my part because. ok AUBURN LORE TIME but i used to have a friend who was very condescending and a HUGE know it all (irl IRL IRL) and i think they definitely impacted how i saw idia because i saw bits of them in him. and since they hurt me so much i projected my experiences with them onto idia, so the first time i met him in game i wrote him off immediately and hated him after i saw what he said to others and how he acted.

but one of the many problems with that approach was that i missed the gentler sides of him. the way he goes back to school for ortho. the way he powers through the masquerade social for ortho. his idea of yuu being "valuable emotional support." his love of cats, regardless of how bad he scared grim. his love of star rogue and the way he made the sequel actually happen, albiet unintentionally. i spent so much time resenting him because "of course he's just another one of those." that i didn't stop to notice anything about him except for those bad moments. and of course, i'm not ignoring them now, i just see them differently. i see him differently.

of course i love that he's relatable, and that he's smart, and i love how when he's comfortable he loses his filter and becomes idia shroud instead of just being Scared of them, but i think that's just. social anxiety. and yk what ive said this before but even when i hated him i would NOT stand for anyone coming for his anxiety. like yeah i hate idia shroud but BITCH GET AWAY FROM HIM. YOU DONT KNOW WHAT ANXIETY IS LIKE!!! put me in nrc right now idia shroud needs someone who will yell at people for him and thats going to be ME. i dont care who you are you say shit you are earning my IRE. trey clover got yelled at. no one is safe.

can i just say i love how you said "reason" like there's only one JDSJSDJSD LMAO IDK IT WAS JUST FUNNY TO ME when i love someone i have multiple reasons and i love every part of them, even the bad annoying icky parts (in fact, if you can't love their bad parts too is it even love...? i dont know, we all have different definitions anyway. some might think tolerating their bad parts is love too and we'd both be right.) theres no one reason i just think he's lovely inside and out now. he's an angel, basically.

[tj-dragonblade]

Fanfic Tag Game

Tagged by @softest-punk and @landwriter, thank you both!

1. How many fics do you have on AO3? 133

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? I will break 400K with the next thing I post (unless it is somehow less than 401 words lol) Also, this would require actually focusing on something to finish it

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently? Sandman (technically, Dreamling). Previously? MCU, Naruto, Saiyuki, and Gundam Wing

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? Overall (these are from my Naruto days and more than ten years old): Delayed (or, Why Kakashi Is Never On Time) (GaiKaka) at 3963 Past the Limits (KakaNaru) at 1272 Affirmation (KakaNaru) at 1022 Worth It (KakaIru) at 1005 Vigil (GaaNaru) at 843 (It kills me that I am Just Not That Into Kakashi and yet he's fucked his way into four of my top five, lol)Current fandom tops, just for fun (all of which are at most a year-plus-change in age) Use Your Words at 443 Insatiable at 398 Fluffbruary Fills (2023) at 375 In the Morning Light at 318 Built For You at 308

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes, generally! I am still catching up on Fluffbruary comments, much to my chagrin

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Going aaaallllll the way back to Gundam Wing, I did a songfic where I implied a breakup until the final-line reveal that the character had gasp actually died. There may be a couple other angst-based pieces in my catalog, but that I think is the Most(tm).

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Most everything I write is a happy ending, when there's any semblance of plot involved. Uh. The Umbrella Boys AU had a wedding; maybe that counts? Either that or the Thessaly breakup fic with all the hurt-comfort pining that finally resolves into requited realization.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Never have, would like to keep it that way.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? The good kind *eyebrow waggle*

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I have…three, that could be counted as crossovers, and one that's a proper fusion. None of them are particularly crazy. Duo and Wufei did Naruto roleplay in the bedroom. Kakashi and Naruto took on Princess Bride's fire swamp. Gojyo and Hakkai acquired Jiipu from Count D and his pet shop with a complete disregard for the fourth wall. Maybe that one, then, though it's more crack than crazy-crossover. Hob wearing the Wavemother's Robe is not enough of anything to count as a crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of, no

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! I don't recall which ones but I've had requests to translate to Chinese, to Russian, and I think Spanish as well? Possibly French also. My memory is shit. Je suis désolé.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic? Yeah, a friend and I co-wrote a couple back in GW and it was…fun? At the time? It started as me helping her with the smut portion of a thing she was doing and turned into a cowrite with a sequel. Not the sort of thing I'd have written on my own, and definitely not now twenty years later with my current kink preferences

14. What’s your all time favourite ship? …yeah, that's not a thing I can answer. Whichever I'm fixated on is inevitably my favorite at the time but once the fixation fades, I still have so much love for each of them.

15. What’s a fic you’d like to finish but don’t think you ever will? Oh my god there are so many. But there are two-three unfinished drafts for ThorBruce fic that I really—see, my MCU fandom experience soured so fast I did not have my usual three-year run of productive ficwriting and the ideas I was working on probably could have been finished were that not the case. I would still love to finish them but the motivation (let alone the time) is just not there.

16. What are your writing strengths? I take great pride in my smut, and I like to think I'm good at it. Painting pictures with my words? Maybe character voice, in certain cases.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Plot. Stories with plot and progression and chapters and such. Follow-through to finish pieces that don't get done in the initial burst of focus.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? If I had a need for it at some point, I would want to consult a native speaker to ensure correct translation and I would include the translation in footnotes etc. But it would have to be some really specific reason that the foreign language was needed/integral to some story device to not just indicate via some other means (e.g., '"xyz," he said, in perfect French', use of italics, etc) that a different language is in use.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Gundam Wing. If we don't count the 'DS9 novel idea' that I recall making notes on in my journal back in high school, or any of the Mary Sue DS9 thoughts I would also journal about. None of that was ever 'actual writing' nor did I have anywhere I would have shared it in '96.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Again. How'm I supposed to pick? Ugh. Let's see, fandom by fandom. Gundam Wing…no, nothing there is a favorite. Saiyuki…When the Chips Are Down. Comedy gen-fic based on a tidbit of fandom lore is not something I manage terribly often but I am quite pleased with this one; Jiipu's pov always delights me and I'm proud of all the voice work here also. Naruto…maybe Seized? Sai POV is one of my strengths and I think it came through really well in that one. MCU…Carpe Diem, I'm very pleased with character voices in that one. Sandman…I remain very fond of the Drunken Confessions Fluffbruary 2023 fic and the Car and Cutoffs one might be my favorite smutfic. So far.

If you'd like to do this, please take my passive tag this has been sitting in my drafts for weeks.

[biscuityskies]

longer than there've been stars up in the heavens (i am in love with you)

There are a couple things of which Cody is certain. Many of them are the history that the Republic has written; the people will remember their actions, the stars will remember their paths. But more than anything, Cody is certain that he has never been happier than in this moment, standing next to his husband.

my first NSFW fic on this acc lmao shoutout to the 69th fic! (shoutout also to Dan Fogelberg for the title and for the softest shit that stomps my heart into the ground repeatedly!)

This is my final entry for @codywanweek (over a day late... rip) that covers the prompts dancing and spicy!

As this is the (day after the) last day of codywan week, i just want to give a HUGE shoutout to everyone who participated (and made my tbr list longer than ever omg), and especially to the mods for running it! it's been one hell of a week, in the best way possible! i just closed out of my writing program and got oddly emotional - i don't think i've felt that way about writing in a LONG while, i cannot thank you enough for bringing that back to me <3

[uncivilcivilservice]

Strange Gifts

Armand/Daniel drabble, also featuring Louis and Lestat. Set on Night Island, sometime post-canon. Possibly the stupidest thing I've ever written.

“I've got a gift for you” Daniel announced as he turned the corner to where Louis and Armand were waiting.  

“What is it?” Armand said, eyes still glued to the screen of his iPhone, casting a light blue glow onto his face.  

“Lizard’s tail.”  

That got Armand’s attention, his phone was immediately pocketed, and ghostly white hands stretched out to take the gruesome token, which Daniel was tactfully pinching by the very tip of the scaly appendage.  

While Armand examined the object, turning it round in his hands, peering at the cross section of muscle and bone left where the tail had broken off from the frightened creature that dropped it, Louis looked between him and the bringer of the gift with an arched brow.  

“Where did you even find that?” Louis stepped closer to look over Armand’s shoulder as he bent the tail back and forth, testing it’s flexibility.  

“Just on the porch, I dunno if the storm earlier today had anything to do with it or if the lizard was just trying to escape something, but it seems fresh, must be from today.” 

The pair stood in silence watching Armand play with his new toy, now squeezing the tail near the base to see the effect on the flesh and bone as they grinded together under pressure.  

Daniel shook his head affectionately, looking back to Louis. 

“Where’s the big guy then? I know he likes to be fashionably late, but has anyone actually checked that he remembers he’s supposed to be coming with us tonight?”  

The four of them, Daniel, Armand, Louis and Lestat, had arrived at Night Island the day before, and were due to take a boat to the mainland to feed, and just explore Miami for a while.  

“I’m not Lestat’s keeper, phone him and tell him to hurry up.” 

Before Daniel could even reach to take his phone out his pocket, his eye was drawn back to Armand as he raised his hand and darted his head forward to lick at the blood oozing from the detached tail.  

“Armand, don’t do that!” Daniel barked a surprised laugh, making a futile grab for the gift he was starting to regret giving. Louis for his part simply sighed as he leaned against the glass railing, shaking his head as Armand’s face briefly screwed up in disgust, before returning to his trademark blank stare as he considered the tail, as though adding his observations to whatever analysis he was making of the fleshy specimen.  

“I take it you’re happy with the gift then?” Daniel asked, still laughing incredulously at Armand’s antics. 

Armand fixed Daniel with an intense, almost predatory stare. His grin, however, made it seem more like the look of a housecat hunting for sport, than any predator chasing down it’s meal out of hunger.  

“Very happy lover. Let me show you.” He leapt at Daniel, arm reaching to catch him by the back of the neck to pull him into a kiss.  

Had he still been a mortal Daniel would have had no chance at evading him, but even as young in the blood as he was, Daniel still managed to lean away just quickly enough that Armand couldn’t quite get the grip on him he needed to share a lizard-blood laced kiss with his fledgling.  

“Absolutely not” Daniel broke away and started running back down the veranda, his laugh echoing off the marble floors and glass wall. Armand didn’t make much of a chase however, not wanting to damage the delicate gift, he headed back inside to find a jar to preserve it in with alcohol and to investigate what was holding their Prince up for so long.  

With the tail safely stored in the kitchen for later, Armand walked back outside to find Louis looking out over the water, and Daniel on his phone, distracted.  

Walking up to his fledgling, Armand spoke in the softest voice he could manage; “Daniel?” 

Daniel made a small noise of acknowledgement before glancing up from his phone. He dropped his arm entirely as Armand ran his fingers up it, leaning up to close the distance between them until he met Daniel’s lips with his own.  

Daniel had leaned into the kiss for several moments before he remembered why he had been trying to avoid kissing Armand just minutes earlier. He pushed away from Armand, hand rushing to wipe at his mouth dramatically while Armand cackled in delight.  

“I am here! Are we ready to go?” Lestat bounded through the doorway with a grin, which faded as he looked upon the scene, where Louis, exasperated, but more amused than he would admit, was already walking ahead towards the private dock, leaving behind Armand who had laughed himself into tears, next to Daniel who was still putting on a commendable performance of disgust, with mutterings of “I can’t believe you did that” and “do we still have any mouthwash upstairs” even as he held back his own laughter.   

“What did I miss?” Lestat pouted at having been left out on a joke.  

“I brought Armand a gift and it backfired, now let's go, I need to find some piece-of-shit to wash my mouth out with.” Daniel draped an arm over a smug Armand, and together they headed to catch up with Louis.  

[sorceresssundries]

9 People You Want To Get To Know Better! ~ Tag game

I've been tagged by quite a few people, so thank you anyone who has tagged me!! Sorry i've only just got round to it 💜

First ship: Gale x Tav - I love Gale and all your Tavs. I've written a lottttt of stories and poetry for Gale and various Tavs and they all make me happy. Get loved, you stupid wizard!

Second ship: Gale x Halsin - Look, LOOK! I know, ok?! I know that Gale is monogamous and Halsin is bound by the flow of nature or whatever but I think they could heal each other, and Halsin could bring Gale down to earth where he needs to be. It would be a difficult journey, but they would figure it out. I ship it. I'll write it. I love Oakweave.

Third ship: Karlach x Wyll - the softest, kindest, most love-deserving pair you ever did meet. They would be that couple at a party you want to throw things at because they're so sweet with each other.

(I have so many ships though guys, I basically want everyone to smooch.)

Last song: (It helps with writing fantasy )

Last movie: IF - I cried like a fucking baby.

Currently reading: "The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read" by Philippa Perry - I'm trying to be the best parent possible. It's very difficult.

Currently watching: Re-watching The Good Place

Currently eating: It's 10am and I've not yet eaten or drank anything.

Currently craving: Sleep

I think everyone has been tagged, but if you haven't and you see this - please join in and tag me so I can read what you've put!

<3

[flowercrowngods]

Hiya!

Soooo i have no idea how but I only just found your work yesterday through your recent angsty quiet yearning ficlet and it blew me the fuck away. Now I'm spending my time (in between meetings, on the tram, while brushing my teeth, you name it) slowly working through your ao3 starting with the oneshots and saving the big guns for the end to be able to savor your style of writing, point fo view and characterisation for as long as possible.

I've read many a steddie fics but your writing just hits different. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing!!!

💕💕💕

first of all, hi 🥺🤍 your message had me stupid grinning this morning (and all day tbh), thank you so much! i’m happy you liked my yearning hours fic and my style of writing. that means so much to me, i’m really really grateful! 🥺🥰

but also i suck at posting things to ao3, it’s all just scattered on my tumblr writing tag (i should do a comprehensive masterlist one of these days huh). so i’ve taken the freedom to just go and collect the tumblr steddie fics of mine that you might like. no pressure to read any of them, obviously, just know they’re here (but also i think 3am phone call and car ride in love are, like, the softest things i’ve ever written, so know that)

i hope you have the most wonderful day, i’m gonna continue soaking in your sweet sweet words 🥺🤍

🌷 mostly soft or floaty fics

first kiss

car ride in love

stargazing

3am phone call

rambly steve in love

sick fic (established relationship and its really all just domestic fluff)

🌷 (hurt/)comfort, yearning, etc

the yearning fic of course

insomniac eddie & human weighted blanket steve

Eddie being inexperienced at relationships (established relationship, he’s just figuring things out)

‘You’d be a great dad’ (established relationship)

[yamisnuffles]

twenty questions for fic writers

Tagged by my best gal @feralkwe

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 46. I have a lot of fic that just lives on Tumblr or that was on older fic sites, so that's not really indicative of my total fic amount lol.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 338,924. Again, A LOT of one shots and stuff elsewhere.

3. What fandoms do you write for? On AO3, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, FFXIV, Skyrim, Good Omens, One Piece, and Star Wars

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Blitzed (GO 1941 smut and my first smut ever lol), The Altus Inquisitor (DAI AU, pretty much as it says on the tin), Get Closer To Me (GO S1 night at Crowley's place fic), Heartbeats (a series of one shots for a One Piece Corazon lives AU), and The Ecstasy of Anthony J Crowley (GO divinity kink smut fic)

5. Do you respond to comments? I try to! I didn't always but I'm trying to get better about that because I really appreciate each and every comment.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Uuuuuh, might be For Want of Words? It's GO post S2 and not fix it so it is not happy lol. Possibly Wicked White, which ends as Shadowbringers ends and thus isn't the happiest place for a WoL/Emet fic lol. Otherwise, they're series and neither finished but my Law as the new Corazon AU series was just bummers all the way down and, ironically, Too Much of a Good Thing gets progressively less... optimistic. Lots of sad smut and series I guess.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? If I resist making a smut joke, Just For Two is one of the fluffiest things I've ever written. Pure GO S1 fluff fic written for the fun of it.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not really? I got an... indirectly cruel comment one time on something but people are generally very nice on the fics themselves.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. The Good Omens kind lmao. I mean, I've branched out but it was the first fandom I wrote smut for and continues to be the one that gets the most. It hovers between that M and E rating for good reason. Very feelsy and in the case of GO, I love some religious symbolism lol. I like to weave it into longer works but I also happily write one shots (or try, sometimes it takes a few chapters to get to my one shot plans).

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I don't think I've ever written a crossover. I've done crossover art but I tend to stay within a fandom for fic.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Again... I don't think so?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! I used to write with my best friend a lot in high school and I adored it. It's one of the things I miss most about that friendship and, in general, something I miss doing.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Do I even have to say? Aziraphale/Crowley own my soul. That said, I do have the softest of soft spots for my Trev/Dorian and Shakarian. Also, Justice/Anders/Hawke because it burns with the added power of spite.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Ahahaha... *sweats nervously.* So many. I am determined to finish the Altus Inquisitor but it's hard to get my heart back into DA with good reason. I'd love to continue my various OP series but I doubt I ever will for a few reasons.

16. What are your writing strengths? Characterization. I work really hard on it. I obsess over it. There is nothing I think of more in any fandom than characterization lol. I'd also like to think I'm good with emotion and description.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Finishing anything ever. I'm a whimsical creature and if I'm not into something at the moment, it's really hard to get myself to focus on things. I also feel like a monkey with a typewriter any time I'm trying to write smut, but I think that's just the nature of the beast.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I am really bad with languages so I try to just avoid it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Jurassic Park! As a wee bab I wrote about a raptor ripping someone open and eating them lmao.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written? Oh man, oh man, this is actually really hard for me. There are a lot of things I've written that I'm fond of for different reasons. I adore my AUs because I put so much of my soul into them to make them feel authentic. Various fics for various fandoms hit hard for different reasons. If I absolutely HAD TO choose, I'd say either The Altus Inquisitor, because Lucien is my baby and I genuinely enjoy rereading it, or Dig Down from my GO AU, which I feel like is just a strong short fic and best sums up that whole series. Both are hard to recommend though because one is chronically unfinished (I am trying!) and the other is smack dab in the middle of a series.

I tag anyone who wants to do this because I am too tired to think rn. Go forth with my blessing

[cricketnationrise]

possibly the softest thing i've ever written. (literally and figuratively)

[goosesposts]

Dano!Riddler x reader (afab (no use of y/n) smut

<?>

Sorry for my lack of uploads! I've been very busy lately and haven't had a chance to write anything worth posting. Also I had this fic like 75% written when my Tumbler crashed and didn't save what I wrote so I had to completely rewrite it.. 😭

Warnings: Mostly vanilla sex. Mention of a knife wound, blood and bruising. Oral (m receiving), fingering, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it) and creampie

You toss and turn in bed, trying to get comfy, finally rolling over and looking at the alarm clock on your nightstand

12:57am

You sigh in frustration. You couldn't ever fall asleep when Eddie was gone, especially not when he was out doing dangerous things. You push away all the bad thoughts of what could happen to him and squeeze your eyes shut, but only minutes later you hear your front door open, then close again quietly

You sit up quickly, and squint through the darkness to watch your bedroom door swing open softly. You reach over to your nightstand, flipping on the lamp that resided there and smiled seeing Edward standing near the door awkwardly

"Did I wake you?" he asks, guilt in his voice

"No," you mumble, standing up and closing the space between you to hug him "I couldn't sleep."

But your smile fades when you pull away and see the deep bruises on his face, a small cut on his forehead, a bit of blood dripping down and pooling in the hair of his left eyebrow

Your eyes fill with tears. You hated when he left to go "cleanse the streets of Gotham" but you especially hated when he returned covered in wounds, tonight seemed to be worse than usual, he must've gotten into a pretty bad fight

"Oh, Eddie" you mutter, cradling his face in your hands, your thumb gently padding over the already purple bruise on his jaw and cheek

Your eyes follow the scattering of injuries, down his neck and past the collar of his grey t-shirt. You carefully pull the collar down to reveal an even bigger and darker bruise on his collarbone

"It's alright," he attempts to reassure you like he always does, taking your hand away from his face and kissing your palm "I'm alright, dove."

You shake your head, pawing at the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head, letting it fall to the floor carelessly. You fight back a sob seeing the damage. A bruise on his collarbone, a shallow cut on his stomach, another bruise on his waistline. Somebody pulled a knife on him, dried blood trails down his stomach, from the cut to where it disappears beneath the belt of his jeans

You look up at him and he only smiles softly in a frail attempt to comfort you. You cradle his face once again, standing on the tips of your toes as you place the softest possible kiss to the bruise on his face, then you lean down slightly to kiss the bruise on his collarbone and finally, you sink to your knees to kiss the bruise on his waistline

He nearly groans just at the sight of you kneeling in front of him, your lips on his pale tummy, eyes glossy and focused on his expression. You continue to kiss along the bruise as you unbuckle his belt, slowly sliding it out of all the belt loops and tossing it aside somewhere near his shirt

You unbutton his jeans skillfully, the kisses on his stomach growing more desperate as you unzip the zipper and pull them down just past his hips. You slowly rub him on top of his boxers, lips trailing down as you lick him through the fabric before finally pulling them down and pumping his half hard cock in your palm, smiling softly at the sound of his small groans

You kiss the underside, and lick a stripe up to the tip, carefully taking him into your mouth and letting your tongue swirl around the head as his eyes squeeze shut with a moan. You flatten your tongue and take him as deep in your throat as you can without choking. His hand reaching down to gently guide your head before he pulls you off of him and helps you to your feet, you look up at him for an explanation as to why he made you stop but he slowly pushes you back until the back of your knees hit the edge of the bed and you sit down

He connects your lips again, guiding you to lay back as he removes your shirt and his hand finds it's way beneath the hem of your sleep shorts and panties, his skilled fingers rubbing slow circles against your clit while he bites marks into the sensitive flesh of your chest, tongue trailing down and swirling around one of your nipples

His middle and ring finger dip inside you as you gasp, your hand coming up to grip at his hair for support while your legs spread impossibly wider

He curls his fingers, his thumb massaging your clit and mouth lapping at your breasts while you moan and writhe below him, feeling the knot in your belly tightening but just before it snaps he pulls his hand away, making you whine

"I know, baby" he teases as he roughly pulls your remaining clothes off and doing the same for him

He begins to run his weeping tip against your clit causing you to shudder, he dips in just barely before pulling away and sliding back up to your clit

"please!" you beg, you almost don't even recognize your own voice, it sounds too desperate but it works because before you can even explain what your pleading for he sinks into you to the hilt causing you both to moan in unison

He waits a few seconds for you to adjust before he starts a slow, steady pace that has you mewing for more but he keeps his soft rhythm

One of his hands is on your hip, almost holding your lower half off the bed to hit that soft spot inside you that has you seeing star while his thumb finds your clit once again and your right back where you were before he stoped earlier and you tell he's close too. His head falls back and his grunts and groans grow in volume

"Come on, baby." he mutters breathlessly "Give it to me, make a mess."

You do as your told, the knot in your tummy coming undone as your orgasm rips through you, your head pushing further into the mattress and nails leaving crescent moon indents in the skin of his biceps as his thrusts grow sloppy and with just a few more ruts he finishes inside you, almost collapsing on top of you, peppering soft kisses to your neck

"You did so good" he praises quietly and you nod softly. He pulls out and disappears into the bathroom to grab a wet towel to clean you up with and you nearly fall asleep waiting. Full and happy

[sanerontheinside]

For the Elemental Writer Asks: Fire & Sand <3

Fire: What’s a scene that you are dying to write?

oh I try to write all the best ones almost as soon as they come to mind, buuut, I guesss...... OH ok I wanted to write a fic based off a prompt I got from @meggory84, where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are both Senior Padawans. Ben gets tossed back via time travel and possibly doesn't recognise Qui at first. They're both supposed to be on solo missions. The mission goes very sideways, Obi-Wan handles it in typically insane Senior Padawan Kenobi fashion, and Qui-Gon is full on 😍😍😍 in love with things that could probably bite off something vital (yes that expressly refers to Senior Padawan Kenobi) Also there are some moments for Padawan Jinn to impress this Padawan of his future self. Unfortunately for me there is a need for some plot, so this concept currently marinating.

Sand: What’s the softest scene you’ve ever written?

literally take any QuiObi fic I've got posted and you will find the moments when they are together, especially post love confessions, to be so soft, it's so hard to choose. honestly kinda having trouble picking one out... either Pudding Cups (dinner scene or waking up the morning after), or Taking Root (the beach scenes). or maybe ppl will have a preference for the fics where an injured Obi-Wan wakes up to Qui taking care of him (or vice versa), which does happen in Promise (i think it's that one?) and at least one of the chapters of A Moment to Feel

[track-five]

I can’t remember if you’ve ever written any, but if you have, do you have any tips on how to write good smut? I’m struggling here and feel like everything I’m writing sounds awful/unrealistic. If you don’t feel comfortable answering no worries. Feel free to ignore me!

smut is the weirdest and hardest thing to write! probably because “sex” can be a million different things! i've posted (i think) two different smut scenes (stay another day or two, hope it helps), and i'm currently writing it for pins and screws lol so i've been getting a lot of practice. i don't think i'm particularly good at smut yet, but i got some ideas that could help and looked through my work to get examples because i don't know if i'm very good at explaining myself.

the most important thing to remember is that real life sex isn't cinematic! it's never going to be perfect, so your smut doesn't need to be either.

again, i'm no expert, but the things i keep in mind are:

1. is this even possible?

2. be descriptive

3. feelings feelings feelings

4. staying in character

5. preparation, consent, and aftercare

more details (and excessive use of the phrase "get hard") below

1. is this even possible?

step one! is how are they positioned/what are they doing something that can happen in real life? if character a is behind character b, can b really be tugging a’s hair? can the human body physically contort to do what you're having them do? is a penis ever actually that big? would putting an item of that size in the average vagina be a pleasant experience? did you accidentally write a giving b a blowjob while b is facedown on the bed or under a blanket? IS THERE A FLARED BASE ON THAT THING UP THEIR ASS??

2. be descriptive

if you're having trouble padding out the smut scenes, be descriptive! you don't have to get into graphic detail about the physical acts, but you can describe other things. taking off each other's clothes doesn't have to be one sentence out of an entire sex scene! i tend to focus more on the parts of sex that aren't explicit if that makes sense? i don't go into graphic detail about ✨the moment of insertion✨ or anything, i usually prefer to not describe that actually, but i'll talk in depth about undressing, kissing, touching, etc.

when it comes to descriptions, there's a difference between "god i'm so horny i'm so fucking horny for you harry styles i have morning wood sooooo bad i'm so gay and married and horny about it" and "waking up beside you i'm a loaded gun i can't contain this anymore i'm all yours i've got no control". thank you louis tomlinson for this metaphor! metaphors are your friend here, but not everything needs to be metaphoric. sometimes your loaded gun really is just an erection 😔

examples:

i could have written something like

"Louis helped Harry take off her dress, kissing her skin as it was revealed. The dress was on the ground at her feet, and the touch of Louis' lips against the front of Harry's briefs made blood rush down to her cock."

we all know h is getting a hard on, so there's no need to come out and say it. imply it by describing the other bodily reactions.

"Louis helped to slide [the dress] down ever so slowly, trying to regain seriousness by kissing her collarbones and the birds who flew beneath them. It was slipped off further, and Harry’s well-defined pecs received their deserved attention. Lower, her ribcage. Lower, her stomach. Even lower, those ferns…and then blue floated to the floor, pooled around her like the waves out their window while Louis practically knelt at Harry’s feet, eye level with her silky pants. He teased Harry, brushing the softest kiss against her and seeing the tiny bumps that freckled her thighs as every hair stood up, but Louis didn’t pay it any more attention as he rose up." (hope it helps, ch. 4)

---

"Louis touched Harry's body while they kissed, and he got a boner about it."

yeah that's not surprising and it's honestly understandable! where were their bodies touching? what other sensations were occurring?

"Louis’ hand trailed down the silky dress, resting on Harry’s slight curves while hers took separate paths, one up to his face while the other splayed fingers on his back to keep him in close. Long and leisurely movements of their lips were contrasted by the firm pressure of static hands on backs and waists - but when a heavy exhale from Louis was breathed into Harry’s mouth, it dragged the younger partner deeper. There was an unleashed hunger behind her movements, adding a second hand to cup Louis’ face as her teeth grazed her husband’s bottom lip. Heartbeats fluttered as their lips smacked audibly and Louis, always so easy to excite, felt his blood start to heat when Harry whispered his name under her breath. The warmth of her words floating over his lips was enough to get him going, and Harry could feel it too. She was unable to ignore the pressure against her thigh, and Louis knew exactly why her breath caught." (hope it helps, ch. 4)

3. feelings feelings feelings

we know A and B are fucking. we know this! tell us something we don't know. what are the sounds, emotions, physical feelings, scents, etc. that go along with the horny stuff? perfume/cologne, background music, panting, hot breath on their neck, body parts touching...

examples:

"pulling down Harry's briefs and watching him get hard."

obviously that's going to happen! i don't want to hear about people being hard!!

"...slipping his finger beneath the lower hem of Harry’s briefs, skin on sensitive skin adding to the ache between Harry’s thighs." (stay another day or two)

---

"Louis moaned when a love bite was sucked right next to his cock, and the pain caused him to dig his fingernails into Harry's skin. He worried his reaction hurt Harry, but it seemed like his partner was enjoying the pain."

describe how they're both giving and receiving pain. without just saying the words, how do we know louis likes it? how does louis know h likes it?

"Uninjured fingers buried in Harry’s hair, tugging it roughly as the younger man’s touch sparked electricity on his skin. An involuntary moan tore from Louis’ throat when Harry sucked a dark purple bruise on his inner thigh, so close to the sensitive skin that throbbed with desperation for the man’s hands, his lips, his anything. Louis dug his fingernails subconsciously into the skin of Harry’s shoulder, and the pretty little gasp the pain pulled from him was paired with a look from eyes that were hardly green, pupils dilated with an insatiable desire. Harry shuddered when Louis’ nails unclenched from his flesh..." (pins and screws, ch. 5 lol sneak peek)

4. stay in character

personality traits still exist in the bedroom! they can have a shift in attitude or emotion, but they're still the same characters you've been writing this whole time. remember that real life sex isn't cinematic! it can be awkward and sweaty and funny and gross - how would your characters feel about that? maybe they're getting too into it and they knock teeth when they're kissing, or one accidentally spills lube all over the other. what happens then? do they laugh it off, or are they too desperate for each other to even acknowledge that it happened?

not everyone becomes sexlord supreme once the clothes start coming off. be realistic in what you're getting your characters into. sucking dick as a concept? easy. in practice? not always. maybe they have a gag reflex or a small mouth or their jaw simply can't open far enough.

examples:

"Louis’ fingers were stuck on [a button], and he mumbled fuck between kisses, from frustration rather than arousal. Harry couldn’t choke back her quiet snort, and soon the two were both laughing harder than they had since before they’d found themselves locked down at home. Louis never let his hand leave her toned stomach as he shifted to stand behind her, and her arm twisted around awkwardly to bury in his hair because she’d be damned if her hand lost contact with her Louis. Clingy hands rested themselves all over Harry’s bare skin as they assisted in the removal, spinning his partner around so that the skirt fluttered against two sets of legs, both still giggling uncontrollably." (hope it helps, ch. 4)

and

"'Do you still hate me?'

'Never,' he breathed, running a thumb over the sensitive head of Harry's cock and revelling in the breathy sigh his touch elicited. 'You still hate me?'

'Always,' Harry teased..." (pins and screws, ch. 5)

5. preparation, consent, and aftercare

safe sex is sexy!

characters won't climb into bed and immediately be ready to dive in. there's preparation and buildup. some people who utilise the back door may want to get prepared before the fun even starts. physical and emotional foreplay is key though. talking, exploring, teasing...all the important stuff that gets your characters in the mood.

just because you know the characters are consenting doesn't mean you can't also make that clear in the work. you don't have to have them say "hello lover i want to have sex with you do you want to have sex with me?" "yes i do let's go have sex with each other together!", but things like green/yellow/red, safewords, verbal consent, etc. set a good precedent, even in established relationships. in my work, asking for permission to kiss or touch isn't always necessary given the context of their relationship and the established boundaries that exist within it. however, it's still intimate and sexy to ask. h asking if he can undress l while so obviously desperate and starving for his body is sexy, because once l says yes (and maybe he makes him wait/work for a yes)...feral harry time. it shows respect from h and opens up the opportunity for teasing, brattiness, pleading, etc. something about enthusiastic consent is just hot idk maybe that's just me

also! sex is awesome but a little nasty. kinda gross! if your characters cum, they kinda have to do something about that. not saying you have to write it, but if they fuck and then immediately go to sleep, that could be unpleasant to wake up to. you can let them show each other even more love and care by allowing them the opportunity to clean each other up, be sure they're both fully satisfied and comfortable, etc.

[lallemanting]

44 & 55 for the angst/fluff prompts please! 💫

44: “You’ve always felt like home” & 55: “I’m not going anywhere” // also on ao3

(I am sorry this took so long, but thank you so much for sending Tara!! this is pure fluff, but I hope you like it!!)

____

Lucas is on his way home from work, groceries for dinner slung over one shoulder, golden rays of light hitting the building and sidewalks like they always do and Lucas thinks he’s never been happier.

He’s almost skipping home, even as he descends into the grimy underbelly of the metro. The thought of a weekend without his roommates, a weekend alone, sounds almost too good to be true. And yes, okay, it’s not really a weekend alone, Lucas knows Yann will argue because obviously Eliott will be there. But these days, Lucas doesn’t even register the difference. Eliott not being there, not being around him any time he could be just doesn’t even sound like an option. Somewhere, in the two years they’ve been together, alone translated to alonewithEliott.

Lucas is surprised the first time he notices it – that the time he used to need by himself in his room with the door shut without anyone bothering him, doesn’t seem to include Eliott. With Eliott, he always feels recharged and happy, like his body physically craves to be near him. And who is Lucas to fight that.

And as that feeling continues to settle, as Eliott’s presence becomes the fuel for his body, for his heart, Lucas relaxes into it. It was Eliott’s mom after all who told them she knew she would marry Eliott’s dad because he was the only person she could stand to be around all the time. Lucas thinks she was on to something.

Already the comforting promise of Eliott’s presence washes over Lucas, calming him as he wades through the crowded metro, gently pushing his body into the next train to arrive. Normally, the packed cars would overwhelm him, stress him out, but Lucas knows that in 20 short minutes, he’ll be wrapped in Eliott’s arms and his shoulders instantly relax.

He has to fight a bit to get off the train, struggling through a whispered string of pardon, excuse-moi, pardon, excuse-moi until he finally reaches the doors and pushes the button to get them to slide open. But as he steps out on the platform, his smile is still there, wide on his face. A few people give him slightly strange looks because, yes, Lucas will admit that looking that pleased after work during rush hour probably is not normal behavior. But, oh, if these people only knew Eliott, knew who Lucas had waiting for him (sometimes he still quite can’t believe it), they’d be smiling just as big.

He breaks out onto the sidewalk, the sun still fighting to stay up above the horizon and Lucas breathes in deep. It’s his favorite time of day, when the sun is almost setting and everything is encased in its golden tendrils, setting the city on fire. It reminds him of Eliott, of the way Eliott makes him feel every time he looks at him.

Lucas lets out a little laugh to himself, because god, he can’t believe he just formed that thought it’s so goddamn cheesy, but he can’t help that Eliott makes him think things like that. A vestige, probably, of all the pretty words and promises Eliott has lavished on Lucas every opportunity he can. Lucas was bad at first, at taking those pretty compliments, too delicate for how he saw himself. But the more Eliott kept saying them anyway, the more Lucas started to let himself enjoy them, and maybe, believe them – just a little.

He practically bouncing as he makes his way up to his apartment. Eliott had texted him that he was already there – gone straight from his class, using the spare key Lucas had given him as part of his one-year anniversary present. (Because at some point it was stupid to make Eliott go all the way home and wait for Lucas when he was just going to come over right away anyway.)

It’s been two whole days since he’s seen his boyfriend, which, sure, doesn’t seem like a lot at first glance, but for them, it’s an eternity. Eliott had a huge project he had to finish for one of his classes, and Lucas had been balancing a test and extra shifts he had picked up to save a little money, so they’d spent two long nights apart, making this weekend that much sweeter.

He puts his key into the lock and barely starts to turn it before the door is being whipped open and Lucas is pulled into a bone-crushing hug. Lucas’ arms immediately encircle Eliott’s waist and he feels Eliott’s arms around his neck pull him closer. Eliott presses his face into Lucas’ hair and they sway, just a little, in the entryway.

“Welcome home,” Eliott whispers against his temple, and Lucas turns his face to meet Eliott’s in a gentle kiss.

“I missed you,” Lucas says and maybe some people would laugh at that, missing each other after only two days, but Eliott only hums and squeezes him tighter.

“I missed you too.”

Lucas extracts himself from Eliott’s grasp as gently as possible so that they can actually make it through the front door. He sets his bags down heavily in the hallway and kicks off his shoes. He picks up the groceries and follows Eliott into the kitchen, where Eliott jumps up lightly to sit on the counter, looking expectantly at Lucas.

“Yes, I brought food for dinner,” Lucas sighs, feigning annoyance but not bothering to mask the smile that spreads over his face as Eliott grins over at him.

“Good, because you have no food in the fridge,” Eliott says, laughing.

“You already checked then?”

“Oh yeah, as soon as I got here.”

It’s Lucas’ turn to laugh then, and he sets about unpacking the groceries and pulling out a pan to cook. Eliott simply watches from his perch on the counter, but it doesn’t bother Lucas. He likes having Eliott there with him. And it’s probably best for the both of them if Eliott stays away from the stove.

“I wish you would let me help,” Eliott says then as Lucas chops up some vegetables. “I always feel bad just watching you do all the hard work.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Lucas responds, not looking up from the food in front of him. “I don’t mind. I like cooking. Especially if it’s for you.”

Lucas doesn’t hear him but suddenly Eliott’s arms are encircling his waist and Eliott’s chin comes to rest on Lucas’ shoulder and Lucas feels his warmth radiating all across his body.

“Please let me do something,” Eliott whispers into Lucas’ neck making him shiver. He gently presses a kiss into the space where Lucas’ neck meets his shoulder.

Lucas whirls around in Eliott’s arms, grabs his face and kisses him forcefully on the mouth. Strong and eager, the kiss is white-hot fire and then it’s over as Lucas turns around again to keep chopping the veggies. Eliott staggers back slightly, and swallows, taking a few seconds to regain control of his thoughts.

“What was that for?” Eliott asks weakly, reaching out and running his hand down Lucas’ arm.

“I just really love you,” Lucas says, quickly. “Now, if you really want to help me you can turn on some music and set the table.”

Half an hour later and they’re sitting across from each other, dinner spread out in front of them. It’s simple really, just some meat and vegetables Lucas had picked up at the farmer’s market (mostly because Eliott kept insisting that those were so much better than the produce at the grocery store), but Eliott is smiling into every bite like it’s some kind of nectar from the gods.

“What?” Lucas asks laughing, trying to decipher exactly what has Eliott in such a good mood.

Eliott looks up at him (and it’s enough, really, to make Lucas’ legs go weak). “I just really love you,” he responds, teasing him.

Lucas rolls his eyes, but feels a traitorous blush spread across his cheeks.

“And,” Eliott pauses, “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Lucas feels his heart stop briefly. It’s stupid, he thinks, that his default reaction is always panic. But as those words come out of Eliott’s mouth, Lucas’ thoughts immediately go to Eliott wanting to break up. Which is stupid, as he’s literally just said that he loves him, but Lucas can’t help the first thoughts that cross his mind. He swallows.

“Calm down,” Eliott says gently, reaching across the table to grab Lucas’ hand in his own. Lucas forgets sometimes how much Eliott knows him. “It’s nothing bad. At least, I don’t think so.”

Lucas smiles back at him. “Okay…”

“It’s just that,” Eliott starts, and then he stops, taking a breath and looking at Lucas the way he sometimes looks at the night sky. Full of admiration and wonder and love. “It’s just that I know your lease is up in a few months, and I know our schedules will be busier next semester, and we always talk about wanting to spend more time together. And I was just thinking that maybe we should move in together.”

It all comes out in a rush, but each word rings in Lucas’ ear and his breath catches in his throat as he plays them over again in his mind, turning over each word, making sure he heard Eliott right.

“You want to move in together?” Lucas asks, and this time it’s his voice that sounds weak, like the air has been knocked out of him. Because it has, in a way – like it does every time Eliott finds a new way to tell Lucas he loves him.

“You’ve always felt like home,” Eliott says shrugging, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Lucas feels his heart clench and then soar. He’s not sure he’s ever had a home like that – not really. And now Eliott wants one. With him. And Lucas doesn’t know how to say that this will be the moment he goes back to when things get hard. The gentle way Eliott talks about them, together, like they were inevitable, like he can’t imagine a life without the “us” he now uses regularly. Like Lucas is the thing that both keeps him tethered to Earth but also makes him feel alive.

“It just feels like the right next step, to make it official,” Eliott is saying, looking back down at his food. “With our schedules this year not lining up and with everything picking up I want to be able to spend as much time with you as I can.”

Lucas simultaneously wants to scream yes and tackle Eliott to the ground and kiss him all over. Instead, the only thing that makes its way out of his mouth is a small whimper.

Eliott looks back up at him, trying to read his expression. “But only, you know, if you want.”

Lucas stands up quickly and moves around the table with a speed and force that makes Eliott’s eyes go wide. He gestures at Eliott to move his chair back and when Eliott does, he straddles him and sit down gently holding Eliott’s face in his hands.

“Shit, Eliott,” Lucas whispers. “Of course I want to move in with you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, god, please,” is all Lucas can say before Eliott is kissing him, soft and feverish all at the same time.

“Can I be honest?” Eliott breathes out between kisses, their dinner laying forgotten behind him.

“Always.”

“I was kind of scared you were going to say no.” Lucas pulls back, giving Eliott a questioning look because in what world would he have said no.

Eliott sighs and looks down at the ground sheepishly. Lucas forgets sometimes how small he can make himself.

“I think it’s just, sometimes I worry I’m a lot to handle,” Eliott says. “And if we live together you’d never get a break.”

Lucas looks at him, really looks at him, and his heart pangs that Eliott has ever had to worry about that. “I don’t want a break. I never want a break.”

And Eliott sighs, the relief flooding over his face as he hugs Lucas tighter.

“How many times do I have to tell you?” Lucas asks, peppering Eliott’s jaw with kisses. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He sits up for a second, thinking.

“Well, unless it’s with you.”