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prince-rowan-of-the-forest · 2 years ago

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The Official Sanders Sides Emergancy Sleepover

Patton decides that with the recent tensions in the mindscape after their last video, the best course of action would be to host a sleepover.

Somehow, it didn't end in a complete disaster, despite the two gatecrashers, Roman's inability to cook, Logan's complete cluelessness and Virgil's incredibly long list of doubts.

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| Ao3 | The art in this fic posted separately |

warnings: Remus typical level of weirdness, Sexual innuendos, Some slightly gory imagery

pairings: Roceit, background Anaroceit, everyone is friends <3

Word Count: 6777

Notes:

I wrote the last 1500 words of this while I was half asleep at 3am, I can't be blamed for anything that happens.

Remy broke down the door and forced themself into the story, also I'll be using they/them pronouns for Remy, why? I have absolutely no idea, it just kinda felt like what I was supposed to do. I literally don't know.

There's some art some ways into this fic, I can't even be bothered to work out exactly how far in, but all you gotta know is that credit for the picrew in the art goes to @korruptbrekker on Tumblr, I did not make that myself because I am big dumb and big stupid, so thank you so much, my heart was dead set on having a picrew in the art, so you saved me, lol.

Also, another note, I know this was originally from like- August- that's just how long I take to write stuff, sue me.

“Emergency Sanders Sides sleepover in the commons! Now!” Patton practically screeched, stomping his foot to put even more emphasis on the ‘now’ part. Virgil, who had been happily curled up under the blanket playing some cute game on his nintendo switch on their armchair jumped so much he fell right off of the chair.

“Jesus Christ Patton!” Virgil huffed, standing up and trying to untangle himself from the blanket, “What the hell was that for?”

“We’re having a sleepover,” Patton said way too cheerfully, “Tensions have been really high recently-”

“And who’s fault is that?” Virgil muttered.

“Yes yes I know, I’m sorry Virgil, And you know I’ve been trying to do better, and since Janus-”

Virgil grimaced and Patton winced, he knew Virgil wasn’t too happy with Janus’ recent acceptance.

“Since Janus might be coming to join us up here soon, I figured we ought to do a group bonding activity!” Patton said, ending with a smile that was way too forced for Patton to really be fully confident in the idea.

“And you think a… sleepover will help?” Virgil asked, raising an eyebrow, “...sorry for seeming doubtful but- how? Don’t we live together anyway? And besides couldn’t all of us sleeping in close quarters make the tension situation worse? What with my uh- tenuous relationship with sleep, Roman’s sleepwalking and Deceit- uh- Janus’ himselfness, don’t you think it could just serve to make it all worse?”

“Now kiddo, I know it’s your job to look at the possibilities,” Patton tried to reason, Virgil scowled, “But just consider that it could also help make things better! We’ll be bonding, we can spend some time with Janus that isn’t just- spent arguing, and it’ll make things better kiddo,”

“But what if it doesn’t ?” Virgil protested, he knew he was being irrational at this point, but- “They’re dangerous, Patton, I keep trying to tell you- I was one of them- Patton- if this all goes wrong I-”

“Calm down Scaramore,” Roman said, appearing from the stairs, seconds later a hand was placed on his shoulder, Virgil jerked away, before feeling guilty about it, he took a deep breath, “I’m… kinda with Virgil on this one though, padre, are you sure it’s a good idea? Also- text the group chat next time, instead of just yelling,”

“Guys please! I’ve thought this out, ok? We’re going to bake cookies and make a pillow fort together here and watch movies all night. It'll be fun, just give it a chance, ok?”

“ Fine .” Virgil said, crossing his arms, “But if this goes wrong, don’t say I didn’t warn you,”

“I’m gonna send out a ping on the chat to meet in the common room,” Roman said with a sigh, “I’ll… try to be civil with Janus.”

“I’ve… been meaning to speak to you about that,” Patton said softly, “Just- if you get a chance, kiddo, maybe you can apologise for laughing at him?”

“Yeah I- I’ve had a lot of time to think about it,” Roman huffed, “I’ll try and find a good moment,”

“Thanks, kiddo,”

“I, for one, think a sleepover might be a beneficial idea,” Logan said as he walked down the stairs, Patton seemed to droop in relief.

“Thanks Logan,” Patton sighed, thankful for the support of the smartest side there, at least.

“Yes, from the small amount of research I had the chance to do upon hearing your call, sleepovers are a very good way to strengthen social bonds, and are very often portrayed in media as a fun way to improve relations between peers, it will also be a good exercise to get us all used to having Janus around in a domestic setting rather than simply in the videos,”

“Nerd,” Virgil huffed, pressing the blanket to his face, “Fine, I guess I don’t have the option to back out of this?”

“Absolutely not!” Patton said, tone way too cheery.

“I don’t apologise for taking so long,” Janus’ voice sounded from the entrance of the dark sides’ mindscape, he began to… limp? Towards them, “I came upon a few issues when attempting to leave,”

“Uh- you’ve got a little something on your leg there, kiddo…?” Patton said, Virgil noticed that Remus was clinging to Janus’ leg with what looked like a vice grip, the deceitful side seemed disgruntled at best.

“Yes, fortunately he refused to let go after he saw the message on my phone, So I didn’t struggle at all to climb the stairs,”

“Remus!” Roman cried out, “What are you doing here!”

“Awe come on Ro! You weren’t planning to leave me out of your sleepover, were you?”

“You weren’t invited,” Virgil hissed at him and Remus slumped off of Janus’ leg (he quickly stepped away, inspecting his leg to make sure Remus hadn’t gotten any of his gunk on his trousers) putting a hand to his heart with a massively exaggerated look of offence.

“Virgil! I can’t believe you would say such a thing! Of course I’m invited, Daddy-o said it was a sides sleepover after all, and I’m a side!”

Patton grimaced, before taking a deep breath and plastering that smile back on his face, “N-now kiddos, um- since Remus is here, we should try to be welcoming, ok? What’s one extra addition, huh?”

Virgil ground his teeth, but didn’t say anything.

“So… what exactly are we doing?” Janus asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We’re having a sleepover!” Patton grinned, before explaining everything he’d already explained to Virgil to Janus too, who nodded slowly.

“Alright, so a sleepover, what exactly do we do first, then?” Janus asked.

“I propose we all submit an activity and then we may all vote on what we do first?” Logan proposed, “And then continue to go from there,”

“Truth or dare!” Remus yelled, while at the same time Roman yelled “Makeovers!”

Both twins turned to glare at each other. Logan flipped over a large portable whiteboard and wrote ‘sleepover ideas’ along the top in big capital letters, before writing both ideas underneath it.

“Baking!” Patton smiled, “So we can have sweets to eat!”

Logan nodded and added the idea, looking between Virgil and Janus to see if either of them would pipe up, neither did.

“I propose we hold a friendly debate,” Logan said, writing down his own ideas. To be honest, he wasn’t sure if that was a normal sleepover activity (it wasn’t) but he hadn’t had enough time to research what people did at sleepovers. He wrote it back on the board and turned to the others, “Janus, Virgil? Anything to add?”

“Shouldn’t the first thing we do be getting the room sleepover ready or whatever? LIke- setting up pillows and blankets and shit so it’s all comfortable before we get into the stupid games?”

“I wasn't going to say card games,” Janus said, “But I actually disagree with Virgil.”

“Yeah same here actually, that’s a real good idea, kiddo,” Patton nodded.

“That does seem like a logical first activity,” Logan nodded, before writing Janus’ card game suggestion down on the board, “Perhaps, if everyone else is in agreement, we should ready the room first, and then decide between these activities?”

“Sounds good to me!” Roman smiled, Remus jumped up.

“Can I-”

“No,” Virgil said, “Whatever you’re about to suggest, no,”

“But I was just gonna-”

“No,”

“Virgil,” Patton chided gently, “Let’s hear him out, ok kiddo?”

Virgil slumped in his chair, arms crossed, he pulled his hood up.

“I was just gonna ask if I could put up those awesome halloween fairy lights we have downstairs,” Remus said with a pout.

“That actually sounds like a great idea!” Patton said, trying to hide his worry about the fact that it was Remus’ idea, Virgil sunk further into the hoodie as Remus cheered and ran for the door, only to be caught by the scruff of his costume by Janus.

“Remember to get the ones in the living room, not the other ones, you don’t know exactly what I’m talking about,” Janus told him, before letting him go.

—-

Virgil- begrudgingly- contributed a couple of blankets and pillows to the area downstairs and Roman and Logan shifted the furniture around so there was a large clear space in front of the TV (with the coffee table shoved in front of it to house snacks and such) where they planned to sleep. The sofas and chairs that usually made up their living room set up surrounded the clear floor space and the dining room table had moved so that it was pushed up against the back of one of the sofas. Fairy lights with the bulbs shaped like various cartoon halloween monsters hung around the space and Roman had draped thin coloured sheets over the usually bright lamps. It was still daytime right now, so the room was bathed in natural light, but once the sun set they had ensured that the whole area would be bathed in a lovely colourful glow.

Once they were done, Virgil opted to grab his weighted blanket- which he’d brought from his room knowing he’d need it, and curl up on the armchair he’d been sitting on before just as Logan once again returned to the whiteboard.

“Alright, everyone cast your votes, don’t vote for your own,” Logan said, placing his vote next to Janus’ card games suggestion (It was the only one he either understood the premise of or found appealing) before handing the pen to the closest side (Who happened to be Remus) and moving away to sit on one of the chairs. Remus added a vote to Roman’s suggestion before throwing it at his twin, who somehow caught the fast moving projectile before it hit him in the forehead.

“Hey Roman, add my vote for Truth or Dare,” Patton called from the kitchen, he was getting stuff out to bake, “I’ll bake while we play!”

Roman nodded and added two votes for Remus’ suggestion, before handing off the pen to Janus, who quickly drew a line next to Patton’s suggestion.

“Virgil, would you like me to add a tally for you?” Janus asked, voice sweet and Virgil was almost slammed back into the past, back when they were friends, instead he yanked himself forcefully back to the present, he grunted.

“Just- truth or dare,” He huffed. He didn’t really want to do any of their suggestions, and he hated that Remus’ was the best of the bunch, “As long as we make rules and follow them,”

“Of course, kiddo!” Patton nodded, “Um, So, dares can be refused if it makes the dare-ee uncomfortable,”

“Boooring,” Remus whined, rolling over, “There's no fun if people don’t do any of the dares!”

“Alright, only refusing dares if you really really can’t do it,” Patton compromised, Remus still looked upset, “And- maybe we could set up a penalty for refusing dares?”

“Like being hit over the head with my morningstar!” Remus yelled.

“No-”

“OR having to eat a rat-”

“Remus-”

“Or losing a finger!”

“Remus!” Patton yelled, “None of those- I was… thinking something more like… we could make a really gross combination of drinkable liquids? So if someone refuses a dare they have to drink some?”

Virgil could’ve sworn he saw anime stars in Remus’ eyes.

“That sounds perfect! Can I help you make it?” Remus asked with a big grin that almost brought tears to Virgil’s eyes.

“Sure!” Patton smiled, Remus practically bolted over to the kitchen.

“See Pattycake, I think you’ve got a ruthless side to you yet!” Remus grinned, pushing up his sleeves. Patton just chuckled nervously as he opened the fridge, quietly talking to Remus as they created some horrible concoction.

“Any more rules we should take note of?” Logan asked.

“No dares that’ll result in injury,” Virgil piped up, “And no destroying things that can’t be replaced,”

“A person is allowed to refuse a truth with the same penalty as a dare,” Janus said quietly. Logan quickly sectioned off some of the whiteboard and wrote down these four rules.

“If that is all, who shall begin the game?” Logan asked.

“I’ll start!” Remus cried from the kitchen, “Patton you keep mixing that over there I’ll be riiiight back! JanJan, truth or dare!”

“Dare,” Janus said without hesitation, Virgil shrugged, he was Deceit after all, anyone expecting him to pick truth was stupid.

“Hmm,” Remus tapped a finger to his chin, “We’ll start off easy, no wearing your hat for the rest of the evening.”

Janus let out a noise of what could only be mortification as if Remus had just asked him to strip naked. Virgil hid a cackle in his blanket as Janus aimed a middle finger at Remus while taking off his hat and letting it disappear. He shot a glare at Roman, who was gawking at his unruly curly hair. Remus cackled before rushing back to the kitchen.

“Roman truth or dare?” Janus asked with narrowed eyes.

“...Dare?” Roman practically asked, slightly worried for his safety.

“Since Remus started this ‘easy’, genderswap yourself,” Janus said with a smirk, “Clothes also have to change,”

He didn’t anticipate the fact that Roman would actually very much enjoy this dare, he spun around, his regular prince outfit transforming in a show of glitter into a long red skirt, fit with a corset and poofy shoulders, it didn’t hurt that he in a feminine form filled out the outfit quite well. Janus thought for a second that that dare may have harmed himself more than Roman, because apparently Roman was attractive even as a woman. Well, Janus could ignore the bi crisis currently raging in his brain for now, because Roman had moved on to daring Logan.

Janus decided he was going to go and help Patton with his baking in between his turns.

“I dare you to swap clothes with Patton,” Roman told Logan, who groaned, before informing Patton that he was swapping their clothes and clicking his fingers, now burdened with a cat hoodie around his shoulders, he sighed.

“This is so impractical,” Logan sighed mournfully, lifting one of the sleeves hanging around his neck

“This is so stiff!” Patton called, “How do you wear this!”

“It’s practical and sophisticated,” Logan huffed, “Virgil, truth or dare?”

“Dare,”

“You all are so boring ,” Roman groaned, “No truths!”

“You literally picked dare,” Virgil rolled his eyes, as he watched Logan scroll through his phone, reading quickly, “Logan are you looking up dares?”

“I am new to this game, it will take me a while to get used to it,” Logan says by ways of answer, “Let Roman post whatever he wants on your tumblr,”

“What the fuck! No!” Virgil yelled, Roman smiled at him sweetly.

“You want some of this stuff then, my sweet Virgin?” Remus asked, carrying a blender full of awful smelling yellowish sludgy liquid into the room and placing it on the coffee table, Virgil gagged and held out his phone to Roman. Who took it all while snickering at Remus' nickname

“How long does he have?” Virgil asked sadly.

“Until either he finishes or the game ends,” Logan decided. Virgil groaned, burying his face in the blanket and trying to suffocate himself for a moment, before Logan spoke again, “From my understanding, it’s your turn to ask someone, Virgil,”

“Patton?” Virgil called with his face still buried in the blanket, “Truth or dare?”

“Um,” Patton said, looking over at Virgil, they stared at each other for a moment, “I feel like I’m going to regret this but- dare…?”

“Eat a spoonful of Roman’s extra hot hot sauce,” Virgil said with an evil smirk. Roman audibly gasped.

“Ok kiddo…” Patton said slowly, heading towards the fridge, “Since I might be out of commission for a while afterwards I’ll ask now, Remus, truth or dare?”

“Truth, because you’re all wimps and I wanna get into the juicy stuff!” Remus grinned, making a gesture that made just about everyone uncomfortable.

“Give everyone here a compliment,” Patton said with a sweet smile as he poured a spoonful of the sauce and stuck it in his mouth. Almost immediately he was coughing and fanning his face as his cheeks went red. Janus poured him a glass of milk and patted him awkwardly on the shoulder as he tried to recover.

“Oh my god you are all so boring ,” Remus huffed, “Pattycake, you’re not so bad when you’re not being a goodie-two-shoes, Roman you have big tits as a woman, Dork you look like you could break my spine into three pieces even wearing a cat hoodie and that’s cool,”

“I- what?” Logan asked, confused, Remus took no notice. Roman looked practically violated, covering his chest with an arm.

“Jan, you’ve got really big tits as a man,”

“I what ?” Janus asked, sounding worryingly calm.

“Look up ‘snitties’ on tumblr,” Remus said waving him off before continuing, “Virgin, you’re really fun to jumpscare because you do this cute little squeak and it’s absolutely precious,”

“How can someone make a wholesome truth into… that,” Logan said, stunned.

“I’m sure I want to look that up,” Janus said, glancing back at Patton, who was still recovering from the last dare.

“Don’t,” Virgil said, “I’ve had the displeasure of Remus showing me when he found it, you don’t want to see it, also that nickname is not sticking,”

“It’s like a massive tumblr post dedicated to your massive ti-”

“Alright time to move on, who are you asking Remus!” Virgil cut in loudly.

“Janus truth or dare!” Remus called, Virgil smacked his forehead into the armrest. Unfortunately it was soft.

“I’m not going to like this,” Janus said, “Am I,”

“No-pe!” Remus grinned, “Unless you wanna choose the truth?”

“I would love to, just say the dare already,”

“Read the tumblr post I just sent you out loud to the group,” Remus said with a wide grin as he scrolled through his phone, “Make sure you show off the pictures too,”

“This is going to be horrible, isn’t it,” Logan said quietly.

“Quite,” Roman agreed. Virgil buried himself in the blankets.

It took ten minutes for Janus to read through the entire Snitties post on tumblr, and by the end he was trying to resist the urge to crack his skull open on the wall and Roman was trying not to pass out from the amount of blood rushing to his face- which was flaming red with blush. Remus was cackling like the menace he was.

“Virgil,” Janus said weakly, “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Virgil said from inside the blanket.

“Sit on Roman’s lap for the rest of the game,” Janus said, waving him off.

“Are you guys actually trying to kill me?” Roman squeaked, “Why me? Why am I the target of this unprovoked assault?”

“Shut up and sit down so I can sit on you Princey,” Virgil huffed, “I like this no more than you do,”

With a lot of effort (in terms of the dress) Roman managed to sit himself comfortably on the floor so that Virgil could sit in his lap, still wrapped in his blanket because he feared that he might just burst into tears and/or have a panic attack without it, Virgil ended up sitting on Roman’s lap. He wouldn’t admit it, but their position was actually rather comfortable.

—-

After about an hour, Virgil found himself in a ‘e-girl gamer kitten’ outfit (Remus’ description, it consisted of cat-ear headphones, short shorts and knee high cat socks with garters and fishnets, at least he still had his blanket to snuggle in) Roman had gained a tiara and earrings too, Deceit was now in an 1800s victorian ball gown and wearing Kyoshi Warrior makeup on the human side of his face, Logan was wearing cat facepaint and had been the first to drink some of Remus and Patton’s goop when he’d been dared to talk about his feelings. Virgil had also had a drink of the mixture when he’d been asked which of the sides he would rather kiss, and Janus and Roman had practically made out when Janus had been dared to answer the same question more physically (by the same person, Patton) and Virgil wasn’t jealous at all.

Remus had ended up coming out as aromantic after being asked his stance on having a romantic partner, which the group had readily accepted, on a similar note, he had dared Patton to be his queerplatonic partner (Patton had drank some of the goop and told Remus he would think about it).

Remus had also been the main reason about half of the blender of goop was gone- he kept daring people to do things like eating dead rats or dissecting eyeballs and not many of the sides wanted to do those things (Logan had promised to dissect some things with him later, though). Patton had ended up being dared by Virgil to not touch the floor until the game ended, so Janus and Remus had been periodically passing him cushions so he could still get around the kitchen to bake his sweets.

Logan had taken a photo of Virgil and Roman on Virgil’s phone (Per Roman’s request near the end of the game) and Roman had completed his earlier dare of posting on Virgil’s Tumblr and the fact that the post ended up getting over five hundred notes before the game had even ended was absolutely mortifying.

Otherwise, Virgil had managed to avoid being emotionally vulnerable and avoid the worst of the dares, so he counted that as a win. Hey, and they were all laughing by the end of it, which was a pretty big win, it almost felt like they were all finally getting along.

Quickly, while everyone was destracted and still calming down from the game, Virgil opened Tumblr to see what atrocity Roman had posted.

"Oh my god," Virgil mumbled at he stared at the picture in front of him.

"Why the fuck does it look like an Instagram post?" Virgil yelled, before opening Instagram, only to see that Roman had posted it there too, "You dick!"

Roman just laughed.

“So!” Logan called everyone to attention, successfully distracting them from the Tumblr mishap, they'd already cleaned up the mess and gotten back into their regular outfits, so now the sleepover could continue, “Now that that ordeal is over and everything is back in order, we can remove that from the board and decide what to do next.”

—-

After truth or dare, Roman had ended up insisting on painting everyone’s nails while they held a Dance Dance Revolution tournament (Remus ended up winning, somehow he and Janus were the best at the game). Despite protesting at first, Virgil was quite happy with his sparkly purple nails, Roman had told him that he knew he’d like it. The only side who’d avoided the nail painting was Janus- you couldn’t paint nails when the person refused to take off gloves, after all.

“Shall we change into more comfortable attire?” Roman asked during a lull in the atmosphere after they awarded Remus with an interesting looking crown for winning DDR. Patton had once again retreated to the kitchen to prepare some food for dinner and the conversation had died out a little bit. Roman obviously felt awkward around his brother and Virgil didn’t exactly want to talk to Janus or Remus. Logan was busy looking up ideas for more sleepover activities on his phone, so he wasn’t exactly open to conversation at the moment. Virgil was quite happy for Roman breaking the growing uncomfortable silence.

“I agree with this idea, getting into pyjamas or more comfortable attire may make it easier for all of us to relax, seeing as the atmosphere created by the game seems to have… soured, slightly,” Logan agreed, putting his phone away.

“Are we getting into onesies?” Patton asked, popping in from the kitchen.

“I believe we aren’t,” Janus confirmed, “Fortunately, though, I do not own a onesie,”

“I sleep in the buff!” Remus contributed, Virgil winced, he really didn’t want to see that.

“Well, if you plan to stay for the night, we must ask that you wear something we deem appropriate,” Logan told him firmly, “Otherwise, you must sleep elsewhere,”

Virgil shot Logan a thankful glance, the logical side nodded.

“Fine,” Remus huffed, plopping down next to Roman in a pair of ghastly ripped up sweatpants and a green crop-top hoodie that read ‘intrusive THOT’ across the chest. He collapsed into his brother, who yelped and shoved him off. Remus picked up a pillow and whacked Roman over the head with it, Roman jumped up with a grin that startled Virgil a little bit, hitting Remus back with another pillow, and thus a pillow fight began.

Patton joined in pretty quickly, giggling like a child as he picked up a cushion and jumped into the flurry of soft blows. Logan was dragged into it too, at some point, and eventually Virgil got involved after Remus whacked him in the face with a pillow and he couldn’t help but retaliate after that.

While the pillow fight was going strong though, Roman took the opportunity of the destruction to sneak away, heading quietly to the kitchen, where Janus had taken over the cooking when Patton had first gotten involved.

“Hey, um, Janus?” Roman asked as he came up behind the side, maybe right now wouldn’t be the best time to have a serious conversation, with the sounds of the others laughing and yelling in the background, nonetheless Janus turned, setting the tray he had just taken from the oven down on a cooling rack and removing the large oven gloves (patterned with pink and blue hearts, stars and butterflies, a design that just screamed Patton) to reveal that he was still wearing his yellow gloves underneath.

“Hello, Roman,” Janus said, leaning on the counter, “I’m totally not busy right now,”

“Ah- sorry, I just… wanted to talk to you while the others were… occupied,” Roman said, glancing back over at the others, still fighting, he shuffled his feet awkwardly, Janus raised an eyebrow at him, letting him know to continue, “I um- I’ve been thinking a lot since- um- yeah- and I just, I wanted to apologise… you know for… laughing at your name and being incredibly un-prince like towards you otherwise as well,”

“I don’t accept your apology,” Janus said, a hint of a smile on his lips, Roman relaxed minutely, “And besides, it’s not like I have anything to apologise to you for as well, I don’t think I deserved that at all after everything else I did to you too,”

“I… well-” Roman huffed, “Consider it even, then,”

“Alright,” Janus nodded, before smirking, “I suppose I also should apologise for the eh- kissing- earlier,”

“It was a dare, Pretty Little Liar,” Roman waved him off, though he knew he was blushing, he was pretty intrigued to note that Janus was also blushing.

“Would you like to help me finish the dinner preparations?” Janus asked instead of continuing down that road, gesturing to the array of food that still needed to be cooked before they could set up the mini buffet that Patton had planned.

“Um- I’ll gladly assist but… I am banned from a reason, you know,” Roman said, gesturing to a piece of paper taped to the fridge which showed their cooking schedule, Patton, Logan and Virgil alternated days they would cook, and underneath a thick header underlined three times that read ‘BANNED’ was Roman’s name.

Janus laughed, “What on earth could you do to get banned from the kitchen?”

“I almost blew up the house trying to make a mug brownie…” Roman said, looking away, “And got the entire kitchen covered in glitter and goopy sugary goop when I tried to make a confetti cake… I also lit the stove on fire by accident while trying to cook bacon-”

“Alright alright, surely you’ll do fine with instruction?” Janus asked, waving him over.

“That’s a lie, but sure go off,” Roman rolled his eyes.

“Patton let Remus help him earlier, did he not?” Janus asked, smirking at Roman, “And he is of course, way better than you are, I see every issue with enlisting your help,”

Roman snorted at that one, but shook his head, “You know what, fine, I’ll help with dinner, but if there's a fire I’m not taking the blame you Bananaconda!”

“I completely despise that nickname,” Janus said with a small smile, before they got to work.

Somehow, with Janus’ instruction, Roman managed not to start a fire or even make too much of a mess. The others had been adequately surprised to learn this as Roman and Janus set out the fully edible (and only slightly burnt) food on the table for everyone to pick at as the night went on.

—-

“Thanks for roping me into cooking,” Roman said, as he slid onto the sofa next to Janus with his plate of food, Virgil squinted at them from his chair across the room, “I had fun,”

“I despise that,” Janus said, shooting him a half smile, Roman beamed back. Virgil glanced around- at Patton and then Logan- Patton just shrugged with a smile, he just seemed happy that they were getting along but something had changed.

“I’m not eating the food if Princey had a hand in making it,” Virgil huffed, Roman gasped, raising a hand to his forehead dramatically.

“I’m wounded! Wounded by my beloved stormcloud!” Roman cried, Janus hid a chuckle by shoving a fork full of food into his mouth.

“Look, I’m just going by past experiences, your food hasn’t exactly been edible before,” Virgil said, rolling his eyes, Roman squeaked in annoyance.

“There’s every need to worry, Virgil,” Janus said, “I neither helped nor supervised, everything is inedible, I assure you,”

“Thanks, liar,” Virgil huffed, before glancing around at the others again. Remus was quite happily drinking the remaining blender sludge from the truth or dare game, while Logan and Patton were both starting to fill their plates with actual food which… did look good, despite his suspicions. Virgil stamped down the ugly feeling he got when he looked over at Janus- who was now laughing openly at something Roman had said- and stood up to get food himself.

Not long after that their energy had lulled into quiet discussions happening around the room. Remus had opted to collapse on top of his brother, successfully inserting himself into Roman and Janus’ conversation, whatever they were talking about and Patton and Logan were quietly discussing something whilst they sorted through the vast selection of DVDs they had stored in the corner of the living room and Virgil had once again returned to his chair, armed with a pillow and his weighted blanket once again. He had summoned his phone and was trying to reply to the onslaught of Tumblr asks he’d gotten in response to Roman’s post.

Being the only one not currently engaged in a conversation though, meant that Virgil was the first to notice the intruder almost break the door to the subconscious off of it’s hinges.

“Heyyy-” They said, successfully grabbing the attention of everyone in the room, they looked around at the setup before gasping in offence, “OMGoodness! I cannot believe you guys! How could you host a sleep over without inviting me ?”

“Perhaps because the goal of a sleepover is to… not sleep?” Roman basically asked, “And that kinda uh- goes against your function, Remy?”

“Hey Remy!” Patton called with a wave, “You’re welcome to stay! We’re just about to start movies!”

Remy ignored both of them, the ice in their starbucks cup (who knows where they got Starbucks in the mindscape, we don’t question their methods) rattling as they pointed it accusingly at Virgil.

“Virge! Gurl I swear I haven’t seen you in like for-ever! How have you been, bestie?”

“Uhm- sleep deprived?” Virgil answered, Remy burst out laughing.

“I knew you’d miss me!” They grinned, before muttering quietly, “They always come back in the end,”

Virgil just rolled his eyes, “God you’re insufferable, just- come and sit down if you’re joining us,”

“Oh well of course, if you’re offering!” Remy smirked, and before Virgil could protest Remy had sauntered over and suddenly the extra space on Virgil’s armchair had been stolen from him and so had half of his blanket.

“If you’re going to put your legs on my lap at least have the decency to take off your shoes,” Virgil hissed to Remy before going back to watching Janus and Roman coversate from across the room. Remy rolled their eyes before snapping their shoes away, leaving their rainbow socks on show.

“Alright kiddos!” Patton called, getting everyone’s attention, “Time to decide on the first movie we’re going to watch!”

“Something with songs!” Roman called out immediately.

“How about a musical?” Janus asked, “I completely despise them.”

“Ok but consider,” Roman said, “Disney.”

“What about…” Patton thought for a second, before picking up a case, “A Disney distributed musical?”

“Hamilton!” Roman cried happily, throwing his arms in the air.

“That’s an absolutely horrible choice,” Janus nodded in agreement.

“Awesome! Any objections?” Patton asked.

“Hamilton is adequate,” Logan said.

Remus shrugged, “As long as we get to watch something interesting later!”

“I don’t even want to know what you’d consider interesting,” Virgil grumbled.

“I could give you nightmares about it if you want!” Remy said, all too cheerily, “Me and Re collaborate on them quite often, actually!”

“Do you want me to avoid you for another two weeks?” Virgil hissed elbowing them under the blankets. Remy pouted.

“No,” They muttered, before shifting all of their weight onto Virgil, who groaned.

“Just start the film already.” Virgil huffed.

—-

As the film played, Virgil couldn’t help but watch as Janus and Roman sang the songs together- some of the others joining in too just for fun- somehow they did it seamlessly without even discussing who would sing each part, first Roman as Hamilton while Janus played Burr, and then Janus as Hamilton while Roman played Eliza.

“Looks like your man’s being stolen, gurl,” Remy whispered to Virgil and Janus kissed Roman’s hand, mimicking Alexander and Eliza onscreen. They had actually stood up to dance along with the cast to ��Helpless’ and Patton couldn’t help but start giggling as he filled in Angelica’s lines for them. Virgil grumbled something unintelligible in reply.

“Looks like you’re Angelica in this situation, huh Virge,” Remy whispered in his ear, sentence punctuated by Remus’ belly laughs as Patton tried to get through the line about Angelica wanting to form a harem.

“Fuck you,” Virgil said, putting his hand over Remy’s face and shoving them away.

Roman managed to manipulate them all into watching Frozen next, much to Remus’ dismay. Logan begrudgingly gave in and quietly sang along to Elsa’s parts while Roman sang Anna’s after what seemed like a fair amount of coaxing, bribery and possible blackmail. in the build up to ‘Love is an Open Door’ Roman offered a hand to pull Virgil up.

“Sing with me?” Roman asked, leaving the offer of his hand there, Virgil just stared at it, “Oh come on Virge! We sound so good together on this one!”

“He’d love to!” Remy grinned, picking up Virgil’s hand and placing it in Roman’s, allowing Roman the chance to pull him up. Virgil gave Remy the middle finger as the song started, the other side just did it right back.

After the annoyance and the feeling of not wanting to sing in front of everyone had died down, Virgil found that it was actually really fun to sing with Roman, letting himself fall into the rhythm of it as Roman harmonised with him while they danced in circles over the small cleared space inbetween everyone. Patton clapped and cheered for them when the song was over and Virgil collapsed back onto the chair, bad mood from before all but evaporated. He didn’t even care that he’d mostly fallen on top of Remy, it was the payback they most definitely deserved for one reason or another.

Of course, Remus made his obligatory ‘Kristoff fucks the reindeer’ comment during Fixer Upper, successfully interrupting the fun Patton, Roman and Remy were having singing it together- though they managed to get back on track pretty quickly- though Patton had stepped down from singing to instead chase Remus around the house armed with a pillow.

“Did we ever finish that Frozen rewrite that we started during the episode?” Logan asked after the film was over, “Because I may have to remind Thomas of that particular idea if not, I must check my records later.”

“The rewrite! Gosh that feels like only yesterday despite it happening like what- two years ago?” Roman sighed wistfully, “We should definitely dig that back up sometime!”

—-

For the next film, Patton (after finally catching him) begrudgingly let Remus choose with Janus’ guidance (just so he wouldn’t choose something so gorey or sexual that the rest of them couldn’t watch it) and they’d ended up settling on some horror film that Virgil was decidedly not watching. He had summoned his headphones and covered his head with the blanket at the earliest opportunity presented to him. He was glad for it when he heard Patton screech even through the noise cancelling.

Somehow, halfway through what sounded like a pretty gruesome horror film, Remy fell asleep, so Virgil took the excuse that had fallen into his lap (literally) and swaddled them up in some spare blankets and carried them upstairs so that the others wouldn’t wake them up with the screaming.

—-

They managed to get to about half past three in the morning before Logan began insisting that they should start heading to sleep, so they’d decided to pack it in after this film ended (thankfully something more light hearted after that horror film, Virgil didn’t want worse nightmares than usual, thank you very much).

So, as promised, after the film had wrapped up, everyone started getting ready for bed. Roman summoned sleeping bags and yet more blankets and pillows for everyone, as if they needed them and soon everyone started winding down.

At some point during this process, Remy returned, aviators askew and Virgil’s blanket wrapped around their shoulders. Without saying a word they grabbed the closest sleeping bag and got in it before flopping down onto the ground incredibly ungracefully, once again dead asleep in seconds.

“Virgilll,” Roman whined from his sleeping bag on the ground, Virgil was just in the process of zipping up his own bag on the other side of the room, “C’mereee- I wanna cuddle,”

VIrgil just rolled his eyes at the way Roman was making grabby hands in his vague direction and shuffled over to where Roman was lying. Sleeping next to Roman wouldn’t hurt, right?

“Goodnight kiddos!” Patton called.

“Goodnight, Patton,” Janus said from somewhere past Roman, “I don’t apologise for the spiders in that film, by the way, I forgot they featured so heavily, and I also hope all of you have nightmares and sleep terribly,”

“Thanks Jan!” Remus called from somewhere near Patton, taking the lie at full sincerity.

“Thanks, Janus,” Patton said, accepting the truth he could gather from the statement.

“Goodnight all,” Roman said, Virgil kicked him, though it didn’t have much impact with the sleeping bags.

“Everyone just shut up and go to sleep already,” Virgil groaned.

Finally, after an even more long-winded chain of goodnights that Virgil thought was possible (he was sure they were doing it to spite him). Everyone went quiet.

—-

“Hey guys, whaddyou all think about forming an orgy right here right now,”

“Re, shut the fuck up and sleep before I sew your mouth closed with silly string.”

“Sounds like fun! Lets make it a date, huh Virgey?”

“Both of you shut up!”

“Some of us aren’t trying to sleep here, you know,”

“If I hear another word out of any of you kiddos I will not be making pancakes in the morning,”

That shut everyone up pretty quick, no-one wanted to miss out on Patton’s breakfast pancakes.

—-

Somehow, when he woke up the next afternoon ( all of them- excluding Logan who had an immaculate sleep cycle- had slept all through the morning) Virgil found that he had ended up sandwiched between Roman and Janus in his sleep. He was almost 100% certain that Janus had been on the other side of them both when they first went to sleep.

How odd.

Well, Virgil thought as he let himself relax between them, it could be worse.

He heard the click of a camera mixed in with coos and giggles that sounded suspiciously like Remus and Remy.

Virgil had jinxed himself. It got worse.

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #virgil sanders #janus sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #remus sanders #logan sanders #remy sanders #crack fic #sanders sides art #rowans writings

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puredramione · 4 years ago

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My 2020 Reading List - Dramione

This year, I’ve read way more dramione than I’ve ever read, and I’ve been reading it for 7 years now. I even read things, tropes, I had never bothered with before. 2020 may not have been a kind year, but in the dramione community it has been a wonderful year of reading for me. Please be aware I may spoil some plot lines to dramione fanfictions you haven’t read yet. I have tried not to as best as I can. But anyway below is 20 fics I’ve read this year that have been there for me when I needed them. No particular order. Just a lot of love for these fics.

Wait and Hope - by @mightbewriting - memory loss is one of my favourite tropes but this story. I have never cried over a couch before. But this story. From the moment she first awakes in St Mungo’s to that beautiful ending, I was hooked. I loved how the story left me with not really a care about whether or not Hermione got her memories back. Those bloody text messages 💔 a journey I’ll never forget.

The Unofficial Diary of an Omega - MrsRen - my first time reading anything omegaverse. It still isn’t my favourite trope. I much prefer Veela for some reason 🤷🏻‍♀️ but overall it was a good story, just not my thing.

Apple Pies and Other Amends by ToEatAPeach - I actually gave up on this story the first time I read it. Unsure as to why because the story as a whole is just amazing. Baking and dramione? Yes please! Also dealing with their psychological trauma after the war? Heck yes! The relationship in this story develops at a lovely pace. There were moments I was on edge, others I was smiling ear to ear whilst reading this. Definitely one of my favourites now.

In Search Of Sunrise - @indreamsink - actually just reread this and I still get that warm feeling in my chest. So turns out my break up hasn’t made me lose the ability to enjoy dramione falling for each other. Anyway, the story was so heartwarming, like if I were to describe it as anything I would describe it as a hug. The best non-date fic there is.

Sex and Occlumency - Graendoll - this was the start of my slippery slope into reading smut stories. Like I had read smut before, obviously but I didn’t pay it much attention, normally just swiped past 😂 but this one was a completely different story.

Manacled - @senlinyu - this is truly the most beautifully haunting story I’ve ever read. I remember when I first started reading it, I thought to myself, how the hell could I ever ship dramione in this world? Then those flashbacks. Fuck those flashback chapters were a punch in the gut. The way everything links and connects. I love it’s realistic ending. I often think of this story in the shower cause I had to force myself to go shower whilst I read this cause I honestly couldn’t put it down. And SPOILER, but I laughed so hard at a certain characters death even though I probably shouldn’t have but she was such a bitch. I get flashbacks myself of this story. I’ll be in the shower and I’ll remember a certain sentence, a certain scene in my head as if I truly walked with Hermione on this heart wrenching journey. But fuck manacled Harry, I hate that boy.

He Becomes by @abromaposts - I needed this story. This was the first thing I read after Manacled. Draco Malfoy looking after rabbits with the sole reason being to get close to Hermione, yes please. Rabbits are my favourite animals. It’s just so much fluff. And after Manacled I was grateful.

The Right Thing To Do - @lovesbitca8 - this was the bookshop, slow burn, fluffiness I needed in the summer. The start of a truly wonderful universe. Idiots in love, I’ve never went through so much second hand embarrassment. Every interaction between Hermione and Lucius was fantastic. Especially the final one! Every character was written to a way that I loved them so much. Plus this story makes you think (like the rest of the series) it doesn’t spoon fed you information.

All The Wrong Things - @lovesbitca8 - I never thought I’d be into first person POV. The last thing I read like that was The Hunger Games back in school, many years ago. But I truly felt as if Draco were telling me the story. I love how it filled in things we never seen in the first story. I love Draco’s characterisation. Unlike TRTTD, this feels more lighthearted. Could just be the horny Draco though and his dramatics?

The Auction - @lovesbitca8 - this story. where do I start? When I started reading this story I was in a completely different life. This story has seen me through a terrible time in my life. Honestly the last few chapters before the final chapter were a blur and I had to go and reread them cause my head was all over the place but the story. This story, on it’s own, I would say is better than any fiction I’ve ever read 🤷🏻‍♀️ it grips you, pulls you in. Every question you ask, you get answered with a ribbon and bow. I cannot express my love, for this story and for the hard work that has went into it. The characters in this world so vastly different yet similar to the ones we already learned to love. I could write a love letter to this story.

Hindsight by @floorcoaster - if you haven’t been following this year long, monthly updated story, then you’ve really missed out. Each chapter is a month of the year. The story starts with Hermione planning to trim down her calendar for the year ahead. Although it’s fiction it gave me a sense of hope for my future. I had started this year on a different note than Hermione, and I’m now ending it on a different note as well. I think this story does a good job of capturing the passage of time and just how quickly things can change. I also really love these adorable idiots in this story.

Bring Him To His Knees by @willhavetheirtrinkets (WIP) - the best co-worker, friends to lovers, fake relationship story I’ve read. No question. I sent @magicaltraveler3 a tearful voice memo after that last chapter that was posted (chapter 20). It isn’t the first time I’ve cried at a fanfic, but it is the first time that I predicted something bad would happen, but I didn’t expect the bad thing to be what it was. I can’t wait to see where this story goes. At this point I have completely forgot about the murder plot. I know it exists, and we’ll get back to the murder but I’d honestly read the characters in this story eating breakfast.

The Flat In Bath by @adaprix (WIP) - this was the first story I got into that ada has wrote. Instantly I was fascinated with the use of “flat” over “apartment”. Being Scottish I knew this was someone British. Anyway, a very interesting story and I can’t wait to see how the rest of it plays out.

Good by @lovesbitca8 - I am dying for the update of this story. As so many are, it is 🔥🔥🔥 all I can say. I can’t wait for the update!

The Erised Effect by @adaprix - When ada first told me she was thinking about writing a story about Pansy and Hermione working in a sex shop together. Telling me about having the idea of them meeting in the pub and how she “needed to get some filthy smut out of your system”. I didn’t think it would be my thing. Boy, did she prove me wrong!

The Cell by WrathOfMacy - I don’t know how I came to read this one. But damn, this was a good one (who am I kidding they’re all good ones). I’m still reading through it though. It’s a warfic in which Dramione end up locked in a cell together. The relationship builds nicely. I cannot wait to read more of it.

The Melody Of Touch by @magicaltraveler3 - I never knew I needed a dramione story like this story. I love that there is so much musical imagery incorporated into it. I haven’t read anything like it before. The story, the smut, the taxi and the freaking art work. It is everything!

Every Day, a Little Death by @lovesbitca8 - I’ll be honest with this one. I read the first chapter and the last chapter 🙈 BUT only cause everyone scared me so much. I plan to revisit. SPOILER. I may not care too much that Hermione cheated. Just me? Like yeah I hate cheating and she shouldn’t have done it, but like she admitted to it, and was very regretful for it. Anyway, the chapters I read were very interesting I look forward to revisiting it sometime.

Away by @indreamsink - written for the romcom fest and I got to say I think this one may be my favourite from the fest. Not only do you get dramione but you get the amazing side pairing of Harry/Pansy, which this year has really became my favourite side pairing. It’s like reading two love stories at once, I was interested in the dramione plot line obviously, but I was equally interested in the hansy/potts&pans plot line.

The Path Unexpected by @magicaltraveler3 - this story is a cute little domestic dramione fanfic. And I lived for it. It shows dramione going through the process of having a child and honestly, they’re so damn cute in this fic. The fanart is next level also!

#my 2020 reading list #personal #dramione #dhr #hermione x draco #draco and hermione #d/hr #draco x hermione #fanfiction #draco malfoy #hermione granger #hermione and draco #fanfics #dhr fanfics #2020 reads #reading list part 1 #2020 was crap but I had dramione #dramione writers are the best writers #my thoughts

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daintyduck99 · 2 years ago

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Oh no, Ash, that's the worst timing! I hope you feel better, soon! 💕💕💕 For the Asks: 1, 4, 10, 16, 21 and 26

1. How long ago did you start reading fanfiction? Writing fanfiction?

I was definitely in middle school when I started reading it, but I didn't start writing it until the end of high school. I guess I've been writing fanfic for about eight years, although all of the early stuff has been orphaned.

4. Link your three favorite fics right now.

oh it's not real (if you don't feel it): an explicit Chrissy/Eddie Stranger Things fic where they have chemistry together, it's very sweet and the language is beautiful and the Joyce cameo is everything

A Cornstalk Fiddle: Someone wrote an amazing Devil/Johnny fic based on the song The Devil Went Down To Georgia. It reads like an Appalachian folk tale and the imagery is so gorgeous

so take the wheel and i will take the pedals: A lovely Stranger Things fic that explores the development of Steve taking on a big brother role for the kids

10. What’s your favorite fandom, pairing, or character to read fic for?

I read for several fandoms, but my favorite is probably A Song Of Ice And Fire/Game of Thrones just because people get really creative with the lore and the fantasy setting and the vast amount of characters. I always have at least one ASOIAF tab open on AO3.

16. Do you research for your fics? If so, how deep of a rabbit hole have you gone down by accident when researching?

I do so much research for my fics! Sometimes it's just for some small detail, but it's usually to inform the plot or to integrate important background information. The deepest rabbit hole so far has probably been pirate culture (some of which I ignored anyway and also it was for a smut fic so I really didn't need to spend that much time looking into it but IT WAS SO INTERESTING).

21. What’s your least favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

Writing the ending/being almost done with a rough draft. Endings feel so delicate and for me it's usually the most stressful thing, even for prompt fills. Even with a rough draft, where I have every intention of rewriting parts, the ending really bothers me if I don't basically nail it the first time.

26. What’s your biggest distraction when writing?

Listening to music! I can't listen to music and write at the same time. I love music so much I could eat it and it's all I can focus on if I try to do both. My brain is like "Oh instant dopamine and not the kind I have to work for? Yeah I'll be over here thanks"

#thanks babe ❤️❤️❤️#fanfic writer asks

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woeisme-iamwoe · 4 years ago

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an absolutely massive Haikyuu!! fic rec pt. 1

I went through my entire ao3 history because I’m insane, AND here’s my favorites. (There’s not a lot of aus because I’m not a huge fan of them, and there’s no sad endings. I’m a hopeless romantic leave me alone. There is angst though! Lots)

Beginning with SakuAtsu (I’m a hoe for Atsumu):

Hide and seek, by badreputation (10k. E. canonverse)

It sure is a good thing Atsumu doesn't have a latex allergy

It’s just a fleeting infatuation. As long as he pushes through it he’ll manage. So what if nowadays there isn’t a night where he doesn’t dream of Sakusa pinning him down on his own bed, in the shower or make Atsumu go down on his knees in the hallway? Those are just pesky details.

Some Memories, We May Keep, by mika60 (31k. T. canonverse)

This is canon, fight me on it.

The missing panels, the missing games, the missing moments.

The them we never saw.

*Now complete! :)*

every action has an equal and opposite reaction, by akanemnida (10k. T. canonverse)

Miya Atsumu gets a modeling contract with Calvin Klein, which sets Kiyoomi's heart in motion.

(Or: Sakusa Kiyoomi realizes that the rules governing the universe are absolute rubbish at explaining matters of the heart.)

Ass-fingering as a prelude to relations of the emotional kind: a case study, by neverwere (2k. E. canonverse)

Fucking hilarious, the imagery is absolutely hilarious.

"Marry me, he thinks, as he comes around Sakusa's fingers and all over himself.

This. This is exactly why you don't let strangers or very attractive teammates finger you out of the blue.

Everyone knows that the ass is the shortest way to the heart."

When it comes to sex, Atsumu has rules. Guidelines! SOPs! He swears they work, they've always worked.

Until they don't.

parallax error: angle of inclination, by min_mintobe (10k. T. canonverse)

But now there's the one person Atsumu'd promised himself never to touch. His eyes leave Atsumu breathless with guilt at seventeen, and he spends the next six years safe in the satisfaction of making things right.

Feelings, of the physical kind, and one kiss.

ft. competitive spirit, childishness, and late night conversations.

Atsumu POV.

autumn ends, but we remain, by wolfsbvne (5k. T. canonverse)

Author says in their ending notes that they're not an ‘author’, but methinks they should write more and pursue that career path because this was wonderful.

atsumu stares at his ceiling at 2am. he stares until he can make out designs in his popcorn ceiling. a cat there, an onigiri here, and then something that suspiciously looks like a mop of hair, triangle eyebrows, and oh those two bumps are moles right above what atsumu just mapped out as an eye.

(or, atsumu is in kind of in love. sakusa is maybe in like.)

I left a taste in your mouth, by emso (26k. E. bodyguard au)

Because obviously

Sakusa fixes him with a vague expression of something like distaste. There's a scathing edge to his tone when he speaks. "Contrary to what you seem to believe, not everyone who meets you is instantly dying to get into your pants, Miya."

"Lucky I don't really care right now what 'everyone' wants to do, then." Atsumu swivels his mug around on the tabletop a few times, and then brings it to his mouth to drain the last few dregs of his latte. Over the rim of his mug, he adds casually, "Just you."

Whoa hey Bodyguard Omi, I think Spoiled Rich Kid Tsumu might possibly have a teensy crush on you.

How do you know you're in love?, by spiritscript (12k. T. canonverse)

Pure art

“So, how did you know you were in love? How did it feel?” Atsumu felt nervous asking this, a slight wiggling in the pit of his stomach, unable to look at the man beside him who rolled his shoulders in an attempt to reset his posture. “I mean, you didn’t resonate with what I said, so, what is love to you Omi-kun?”

Atsumu thinks he must be in love with Hinata Shouyou and so asks the best person he knows to help him understand his feelings

san'yo expressway, 6:17 pm, by yamabota (13k. T. canonverse)

Of violent forethoughts, and handheld car vacuums.

Atsumu tilts his head to watch a slice of orange light bend over the impassive planes of Sakusa’s face. He is absolutely, ruthlessly beautiful. It makes Atsumu want to punch something—put his foot through the windshield—scream, maybe.

Kiss him again, maybe.

They have 344 kilometers to figure this one out.

Different Kinds of Dysfunctional, by DeathBelle (Series, 5 works. T-E. Canonverse)

Honestly, I think this one is kind of famous amongst Sakuatsu readers but I can’t not include it. If I recall correctly, this is the fic that got me into Sakuastu, so thanks, DeathBelle. The characters are portrayed really well (i.e. Sakusa is disgusted and confused, and Atsumu is a little shit). You’ve got a good balance between conversations and descriptive thoughts and all-in-all it’s just a really good read.

Atsumu said into the heavy silence, “You can’t say you’ve never thought about it.”

"Thought about what?" said Sakusa.

Atsumu smiled to himself, smug. "You know."

"No, I don't."

"You know. Of course you’ve thought about it. There’s no reason to be ashamed, Omi-kun. I’m a real catch.”

Sakusa was appalled. "You're disgusting."

"You flatter me. I'm not judging you. I can't lie and say I haven't thought about it, too."

Sakusa shifted, slowly, to peer over his shoulder. He wasn’t scowling, but his expression was unreadable. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Atsumu wasn't joking, and he was about to get more than he bargained for.

i'll do anything you say (if you say it with your hands), by liliapocalypse (7k words. T. canonverse):

Oh, god. This one was so cute. Super fluffy. Loved the metaphors and symbolism. Sometimes you just can’t say things out loud.

When a bad injury shocks the whole V. League, Sakusa finds himself paired with Atsumu for more rigorous assisted stretches before every training. Atsumu then finds himself writing random letters on Sakusa’s skin to soothe the spiker, forcing Sakusa to reevaluate how his touch aversion became an irresistible yearning for more, and how the boy with the annoying hair somehow brought that hunger to life.

Or, the fic where Atsumu mindlessly writes a confession on Sakusa’s back when he thought Sakusa wasn't paying attention. Sakusa always did.

mortality is found is the flesh of your sins, by novrik (10k. M. canonverse)

This is literally my favorite fic of all time. Not just of Sakuatsu, not even of the Haikyuu fandom. Ever. Favorite fic ever. Listen, I’m an atheist, but this fic took me on a religious experience that I haven't come down from yet. The symbolism had me actually shivering, and I had to put my phone down quite a few times. Just, oh wow, just read it. I’d like to share my favorite line; ‘And if Sakusa is Eve, if he takes a bite, what then? Perhaps, he is a little afraid of the knowledge he will gain’. My god, author, if you ever see this, this is not only a plea for you to continue writing, but also an offer of marriage. Your hand, author?

dickhead one, sakusa kiyoomi. dickhead two, miya atsumu. neither understand how to communicate.

Pray tell, why are you drawn to him?

Are you drawn to him in the way he looks beautiful even when crying?

When his eyes are red, shiny tears streaking down, lips quivering, is he beautiful?

sakuatsu domesticity simulator, by pseudoanalytics (75 words. T. canonverse)

75 words because it's actually a digital art simulator. An interactive fic! How frickin’ cool is that? The art is so beautiful and I love the plotline and ugh, just everything. Please read, or watch, or click around, yes. Good.

Update: artist created another interactive fic and of course it is wonderful. SunaOsa this time! https://newttxt.itch.io/cheesecake honestly just check out @newttxt their work is amazing and I love everything they do.

a vaguely interactive mixture of fic, art, and html, where you too can experience the inherent romance of a big fat jerk and a too-blunt jerk attempting intimacy

***

(this is the result of letting the sakuatsu brainworms really get to you...)

Pas De Deux, by hatsuna (19k words. T. Ballet/college au)

There's just something about prim, proper ballet Sakusa and human-benign-tumor Atsumu that makes my heart burst. Seriously gorgeous writing style, loved every second. By the same author who wrote ‘liminal spaces’ (which is also just perfect) so that should give you a good idea of the style.

The mystery athlete gives Kiyoomi a once over in the mirror. “Yer pretty tall,” he observes. The twang of an accent rasps low in his throat. His brazen eyes drift to Kiyoomi’s legs, and something like exhilaration glints gold in his gaze. “Good quads, too. Ya ever played volleyball?”

Ah. So it’s volleyball.

“I’m a dancer. Ballet and contemporary, mostly.”

the affective presence of our black and white reruns, by kozumess (19k. E. canonverse)

Beautiful, classic misunderstandings, my heart actually physically ached at that one scene (you’ll know the scene when you come to it). Kiyoomi is so refreshingly relaxed(? Is that the right word to use? We all know Omi never truly relaxes).

but the want, it's always there, constant like the static playing on every television channel, present even when the station disconnects.

cut the conversation, just open your mouth, by meeksoo (E. 16k. canonverse)

Absolutely filthy...BUT WITH FEELINGS! Completely nails the Sakuatsu dynamic, and protective ‘Tsumu? Love it.

Sakusa opens the door. He always does.

They’re teammates first, barely even friends. But they hook up on the regular and it works. It’s simple, easy. But then a fan gets too close, Sakusa reacts, and Atsumu is swept up in how quickly things can get complicated.

As Atsumu palms himself over his briefs, still feeling off, he realizes it’s because he still wants it. Him. Sakusa. Even after already having him earlier.

He should probably feel self-conscious, mildly ashamed even, that he’s panting ‘Omi Omi’ into the dark beneath the steady thrum of the AC unit when Sakusa’s right down the hall, probably good for it if Atsumu ended up back at his door. Instead, he lays there, writhing and sweaty, alone in his hotel room bed thinking about Sakusa and touching himself.

Afterward, as cum begins to cool on his chest, Atsumu really can’t help but face the fact that things may be getting complicated.

the hands that beckon me to come, by Ellieb3an (4k. E. canonverse)

So hot, what the fuck!

The toss, the run, the spike-serve at the end of it all—Sakusa sees it happen in perfect clarity as if time has slowed and his vision narrows to the center where just Miya exists, all powerful muscle and extraordinary skill and that air of confidence.

Sakusa isn’t one of the best receivers in the league for no reason, so his body moves on muscle memory, forearms absorbing the sting of the hit. It’s not enough. But his eyes are still on Miya—on the way his shorts ride up his muscular thighs as he lands, on the bead of sweat dripping down his forehead, on the clench of his fist thrust into the air—when the ball ricochets out of bounds.

***

Atsumu stays late at practices to work on his new third serve, even when his frustration with it starts throwing off the rest of his game. Sakusa notices and starts hanging back to secretly watch him from the gym doors. He’s fascinated with Atsumu's determination... and more than a little turned on by it, too.

you're the flame i use (when it gets dark), by starkartifices (55k. M. canonverse. Ongoing)

Everything is the same except the Sakusas are super rich.

“Oh, if you want dear, you could bring a plus one. Though, I doubt you have a partner yet.”

“I do actually.”

“What was that, dear?”

"I do have a partner, I mean."

alt title: crazy rich sakusas

the inherent romance of classical conditioning (or; the fine art of emotional recognition), by pseudoanalytics (13k. E. canonverse)

Ah, yes. A Pavloved sex life. A Pavloved LOVE life??

It's stupid. Atsumu isn't a romantic, no matter how many times he's imagined laying Sakusa out and finally really touching him.

So there's no explanation for why Atsumu is constantly stuck thinking about brushing his fingertips against the meat of Sakusa's palms or the prominent tendons in his freaky wrists.

There's no explanation for why doing dishes sets off a warm burn in his ribcage, or why when he smells disinfectant he inhales like he's walking past a bakery.

Yer doin' this to me, he thinks furiously, as Sakusa derails his thoughts with kisses that come more and more frequently now. Yer conditionin' me, and I can't stop it.

flutterbird (a collection of sakuatsu oneshots), by wordstruck (5 works. T-E. canonverse)

Works 1-3, I think follow a linear story, whereas the last two don't.

All sakuatsu works are just the angstiest, most miscommunication filled pieces of absolute gold and this one is no exception. Wow. These men are assholes and they bring out the worst in each other, but I’ll be damned if they’re not soulmates.

Collection of SakuAtsu fics. Several fics are loosely set in the same storyverse. Not necessarily directly connected and can all be read as standalones.

#haikyuu!!#sakuatsu #haikyuu fic #haikyuu fic rec #sakusa kiyoomi #atsumu miya

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practicalmagicintuitions · 3 years ago

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A little something about tarot for beginners and everyone who is interested.

I planned this post for a long time, mainly for tarot newbies, someone who wants to start or just interested in how works. It won’t be a Tarot 101, definitely not. More likely, how I work with the cards.

DISCLAIMER: If you are underage I cannot and I won’t give you any ideas how to hide your practice from your parents or guardians. I know tiktok is very popular, but be careful because there is way more misinformation than any other SM site.

First, you obviously got familiar with the basic meaning of the cards, the build of the deck. You will learn the suits, the arcanas, the court cards, the numerology groups, and a few keywords. But this comes with practice. This doesn’t mean you can only draw your first card after you learned all of those things. No. When you buy your deck, look at each card carefully. Do not turn into a companion book or the internet immediately. Think about the card, make notes into a journal or a paper about what you feel, notice when you look at the image. Makes you happy, makes you scared? Is it dark, it is light? And after that, you can read what the book says.

Tarot is about storytelling so your intuition, your memories, your feelings are very important.

When someone is saying tarot has fixed meanings… this is not entirely true. One card can have many many meanings depending on its position or the surrounding cards. Yes, Death card won’t mean your soulmate is coming on a horse, but it’s also 99% won’t mean you are gonna die.

If you want fixed meanings, you should read Lenormand instead. In Lenormand, there are certain combinations with fixed meanings, there is no place for intuition. The pictures on the Lenormand cards have aesthetic purposes only they don’t have additional meanings. Tarot is intuitive. It means you combine the meanings of the cards and above that, you are using your intuition AND the pictures on the cards. Movements, colours, directions, animals, flowers, symbols etc.

What do I mean? I’ll show you.

Those are the Fools from the classic RWS, the Modern Witch Tarot and the This Might Hurt Tarot decks. Look how similar they are at first. They are representing the carfree, daydreaming attitude, the journey. They all have a companion, a dog etc. You can fairly read those the same way. Of course, there are differences, the big city instead of the mountains, backpack etc, but I think those are amazing starter decks.

I think I wrote in my first tarot post that even many people do not like the classical RWS deck, because the images seem ugly and there is no diversity, for me that is the basis and I think everyone should have own it. But if you absolutely don’t want to because you don’t like it at all, those 2 decks, the Modern Witch Tarot and the This Might Hurt Deck seems a good starter deck. RSW was not my first deck, I haven’t started with it, so you can buy it later on if you want and start with the deck you like more. It is very important to choose a deck that speaks to you. Tarot first and foremost is about your personal journey or helping others if you are reading for others. What I am doing here in tumblr is fun, a good practice, it is testing my abilities but tarot is not only for knowing more about our celeb crushes. It is a guied to ourselves.

Let’s see more examples with pictures. The RWS tarot and the New Vision tarot.

New Vision tarot recreates the RWS imagery but as you will see gives a different perspective to the cards, therefore gives a new layer to them. I heard the deck has only a little white book, not a real guide, which is a shame. I think it’s an interesting concept and you could deliver very different readings than with a standard RWS. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this deck to a newbie but it’s interesting so I show you. You can see how different those images, how different intuitive messages you can get.

Same-ish concept is the Vica Versa Tarot. Based on the ratings it is more usable than the New Vision Tarot. This deck has pictures on both sides and the meaning varies depends on this. This is also a very RWS based deck so it is very interesting to me. Not in the near future, but I want to purchase this deck.

I will show you a few more examples of cards that are less based on the RWS system (or not at all) therefore you need you and your intuition more.

RWS, Gentle Tarot, Wild Unkown, Shadowscapes

I hope you understand now how important it is to use your own intuitions, feelings, experiences and find the style that suits you. Personally, I prefer the more earth-based, pagan or darker decks (not too dark though, I should say more serious) but you can find all pastel pink, fluffy decks too. There are literally thousands of decks on the market in every style. But those are not cheap things, if you cannot connect you won’t be able to work with them. If you like a deck, go to youtube, search for a flip through. Look at the cards carefully. If you still like it, amazing. However, if you bought a deck and it turns out not for you you can still sell it online or if you are really lucky you have spiritual stores or fairs in your area where you can sell or change it for something else.

Connecting the cards it’s not easy, but one of my most spot-on reading was when I let my intuition work completely. I remember I pulled the cards and I started to collect the information about what they could mean. And I felt it makes no sense left to right but right to left I understand it crystal clear. I was hesitant because you have this preconception you have to read the cards in order, but guess what, you don’t have to. I will link an excellent video about it, I found it after my reading and it was a light bulb, aha moment for me. This youtube channel is not for beginners, but I recommend watching this video, you will understand what I ment and it will help you.

The other thing, yes, in western culture we read left to right but this is only one way you can do it. You don’t have to stick with it in your readings. In the most popular spread in the Celtic cross you read the last 4 cards from down to up. And on the standard RWS deck (as you can see on the first picture above), The Fool starts his journey and he is heading from right to left. Isn’t this amazing? And the Major Arcana is about The Fool’s journey. Aka your journey.

*( I cannot link here, in the middle of the text, so it will be video 1 at the end)

So don’t be afraid, be free, make your own meaning, rituals. This is your tarot journey, no one else's. Yours. Don’t let some bitter, “I know better, you are wrong” people take your enthusiasm away.

You can read many books and sources but it doesn’t mean you will understand the cards. You cannot read the cards mechanically. Keywords are helpful at the beginning but after a while you have to leave them behind and use your intuition.

99% of the tarot readers have difficulty with Court Cards. Those are basically people on the cards, doing very little. Some readers read them only as a person, some of them read them as an influence. Just because there is a man on the cards this doesn't mean it represents a male in your life. So it’s hard.

One exercise which is fun and you can make it easier is that you try to pair them with people in your life. Do you have an impulsive brother who is flirty and rushing things? Knight of Wands. Do you have a mean female boss, who is gossiping and bitching? Queen of Swords rx. Of course, this is very basic, but it could help and it is fun.

If you don’t want to use your family or acquaintances, use tv series instead. I think Game of Thrones is amazing for this. It has so many different characters. Many of them are even changing. Jon Snow went from Knight to King, Arya from page to Knight, Sansa from Page to Knight, from Knight to Queen.

The second type of exercise is similar just with the minors. Choose a movie and try to tell the story with the minors. People met, fell in love, getting married, broke up, fighting over money during the divorce etc. All in the cards.

Pulling a card daily is amazing in every way. People recommend doing this in the morning, however I like to do this at the evening. Firstly, because I am a night owl, mornings are painful for me and I don’t have time in the mornings. But the most inportant reason is because I can be anxious and easily stressed out. If I pull the Death at the mornig I will stressing out the whole day. However if I pull this at the evening as a summary of my day maybe I will realise immediately, “oh, my favourite tv show was cancelled, bummer.” or “ I have a new teamleader at work or school, so this is a new cycle for us” I think this gives you a bigger and clearer understanding how those cards are fit into your daily life and what are they meaning for you personally.

When you choose to do any kind of divination it’s crucial to protect your energies. So it’s inevitable to start meditating. The other two practices which I highly highly recommend are called Grounding and Circle Casting. Don’t be scared, those are just higher forms of meditation that help you to keep the balance, but those are also a must if you decide to do another type of Energy Work, for example of Energy Manipulation. I will link an excellent video about it. This YT is also an amazing resource if you are interested in Wicca. You don’t have to! This channel is amazing anyway. Personally, I am not a Wiccan either as I am not celebrating Wiccan sabbats like Beltane or Imbolc, but I love this channel so so much.

*I cannot link the video becuse she’s blocked this option but this is her site. Go and check her Centering and Grounding ║ Witchcraft 101 video, it was uploaded on July 10th in 2019

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFz0Rtv2bh86aUy_5_YsGLw

There will be a point when someone wants to scare you that tarot, divination and spirituality are evil. It is not. Tarot is a piece of paper with pictures on it. It’s not deviant or anything. The cards have no intentions or consciousness, they are just cardstock. Not bad or good. What can make it harmful is the unethical people. Someone who wants to bribe you to pay a big amount of money because “you are cursed” or is someone trying to manipulate the readings to scare you or make you do something. If your intentions are good, have a moral and you protect your energy, you don’t have to be afraid.

In my experience usually people who are heavily involved in churches or Christianity try to push that the tarot and spirituality are evil. Of course not all of them, I know many professional tarot readers who are also Christian, love Jesus etc.

What you should know and maybe this could give you a little comfort or calm that we are all spiritual beings. All of us are made of energy. We are so much more than flesh and blood and bones. Everyone is attracting or have spirits in their life even the most hardcore churchgoers have. You are not bad or evil just because you use divination. Always your intention is important and that you seek the light side of spiritualism.

I hope you liked this post, it becomes my baby and I am really proud of it and I hope you will find it useful or interesting. In the forseeable future I am not planning anyithing similar but I am open to questions as always. Maybe I will have an answer.

Be Blessed.

youtube

#tarot #pmitarotreadings

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jenivi7 · 3 years ago

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writing tag game!

Thank you @clyde-side and @bdeblueyes for the tag!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

22 plus a small handful on ff.net that I still intend to move over to AO3.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

30,445! I’m surprised it’s that much considering how short most of those stories are. (And it’s a little deceptive since it doesn’t include the 80k monstrosity that is Ryou and the Thief. That one’s probably going to stay on ff.net though.)

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Those Things He Keeps for Himself (Total agreement. Personally I think this is the best thing I’ve written so far.)

Human (Was at #1 until very recently! I attribute this entirely to the story being on @shinayashipper’s Rivalshipping Rec List. Thank you Red! <3 )

Black (From when I wandered into Homestuck fanfic for a brief time! I’m still stupid proud of this one though.)

Ghosts, Goths and Other Anxieties (original short story) (I swear I’ll get back to posting the big bang version soon)

Finality (This one’s so old but I guess people still like their tendershipping! I mean, same~)

4. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do try to respond to everything! I so appreciate when other authors respond to me and do my best to return that good good energy. Also I genuinely like chatting with people (especially about something I wrote lol) even if I get overwhelmed sometimes and can be slow ^^;

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

This is a tough one cause when I start a story, it’s usually with the goal of giving the characters a happy end but it’s probably Coffee and Cigarettes. It was for a pairings competition where the random pairing was Mana/TK Bakura and I gave them a weird little break in the middle of canon where they both know what’s about to happen and it just came out sad. NO WAIT I’M WRONG. Lol I just gave my story list another look and it’s definitely Crazy for You! That was an insane asylum AU that’s ABOUT everything going straight to shit.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Oh goodness, almost all of them! I love a happy ending. Like, the story doesn’t have to be all fluff, it can have an impossible looking problem or be about two people who just don’t go well together but I love a good, satisfying resolution. Most recent happy ending is No Betting, just a bit of adorable, domestic, peachshipping fluff. Favorite happy end is probably A Million Missed Chances, Mai/Valon. I feel like Mai is a challenging character to give a happy ending to. She’s just stubborn like that <3

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

So, I haven’t written a crossover yet by myself but @miss-moberg and I will often throw around ideas for ones where we will use YGO characters or parts of the world building or magic system to fix things we don’t like in other canons. Right now we have a RP that’s a BNHA/YGO crossover where… oh, spoilers for BNHA: instead of going crazy and faking his own death, Toya grabs both his brothers and just fucking leaves. They run away to Domino, get picked up by Ryou and Akeifa (TK Bakura) and it quickly becomes the found family story I didn’t know I needed. We do some wild things blending the two canons. Domino is this little pocket where shadow magic keeps the hero and villain nonsense out and the citizens are pretty ok with it. Yugi and Atem are the city’s guardians. Ryou and Akeifa are not allowed to use shadow magic though they have access to it. I think Ryou and Yugi had proper quirks that they sacrificed to the shadows at some point, each for something different thing that they wanted or needed. Oh! We have quirks being derived from shadow magic at some point in the distant past and the shadows are always happy to take a quirk back to fulfill a wish or desire. They’re tricky though and usually corrupting. Very classic fairytale where it’s a thing you don’t want to make a deal with. Seto is quirkless and basically runs the city behind the scenes. He can’t deny the existence of heroes and villains but still refuses to believe in magic. This always gives Atem a headache when they have to coordinate to protect the city. Which is often.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

A couple criticisms but no outright hate I don’t think. Or if I have it was so long ago I don’t remember. I was on ff.net at the worst times too and somehow all the hate just passed me by.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I love smut so much but I rarely write it. For stories I just usually end up with one or two erotic sentences. RPs are the exceptions to that though and are where all the good stuff happens. >.>

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope. Haven’t had one stolen, haven’t had one taken down. I’ve stayed small enough to fly under the radar for both things luckily enough!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I wish! Man that would be amazing <3

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Ryou and the Thief is a cleaned up version of @miss-moberg and my very first RP. (And the only RP of ours to ever hit an actual ending.)

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Puzzle with Gemshipping very close behind though I ship many, many things.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Phoenix. It was one of my very first fanfics started almost 15 years ago and while I’d love to finish everything, that one’s just not going to happen. It’s been too long and I’ve grown way too much as a writer to go back to it now.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think it’s dialogue. And maybe the ability to be amusing. Not funny-funny but like, lightly humorous when setting scenes or winding up to something.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

RUN ON SENTENCES. Sometimes they get away from me a bit XD

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Haaaa, actually when I first started writing fanfic I would throw in Japanese phrases and honorifics and looking back, it’s pretty cringe. BUT I can appreciate it as it was originally intended: learning and practicing a new language. If it makes sense for the character or situation though it’s really cute, like in Allargando by Slaycinder where Atem uses Arabic endearments for Seto. (Have I gushed about that fic on my blog yet? It’s so good.) Ancient Egyptian is the exception to everything I just said. I absolutely LOVE when someone takes a stab at putting ancient Egyptian in their fic. I go a little feral for it and it was the hardest but the most fulfilling thing about writing Ryou and the Thief was doing all the research write actual AE dialogue for Akeifa early in the fic.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Yu-Gi-Oh. I’ve done a handful of things for other fandoms but Ygo is the one I keep coming back to and definitely the one I’ve written the vast majority for.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh no this is hard! They’re all my babies and I love them! Probably my favorites have been listed in previous questions already. Ryou and the Thief because of the sheer amount of work that went into it and the fact that we ran the boys through a whole ass adventure, Coffee and Cigarettes because it’s such a fun, quirky little thing with a great atmosphere and Those Things He Keeps For Himself because I feel like I was able to really capture the idea in my head effectively and there’s some great imagery in it.

TAGGING: Oh my god this took me so long to finally sit down and complete that probably everyone I would tag has done it already! So not tagging anyone this time but please do it if it seems fun!

#tag game #writing #putting this in jenific because it has so many links in it #jenific #ygo

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melforbes · 3 years ago

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ask meme. what if. patching up. no I still haven’t seen source material

the way i completely forgot about this ask until i wrote like two paragraphs in this and was like oh shit lmao

the source material is getting an hbo series bb you're in luck also ignore anna whatever as tess yes i respect her as an actress yes she is talented in a bunch of things i have not seen but ms annie wersching is the only tess in my heart and also if i have to endure tess being reduced to a powerbitch stereotype i will start foaming at the mouth. but also i have no feelings about this whatsoever <3

WHAT IF: i will pick an important choice or event in my current project and write three sentences (or more?) about if it’d gone done differently

hmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMm

this is hard because i kind of had a stupid amount of confidence in the decisions i had them make in this and because i have ~a lot of experience~ in flying by the seat of my pants with writing lmaooooo a lot of the time with this ive had some degree of foresight when it comes to certain plot decisions. the only reason i have this in the first place is that with other things ive had kind of sort of plot revelations and then been like "well if i'd set that up three chapters ago it would have a huge impact i think but instead i guess it's just going in this one for a smaller impact" so i think i learned my lesson haha. also because this pairing nowadays has a small and sparse tag i really intentionally put in stuff to make it interesting (maybe the wrong word) to reread. like not Interesting interesting but i wanted there to be certain details that are more relevant on a reread than on an initial read because whenever i read stuff in small tags i tend to read it Multiple Times lmaoooooo and it's like if anyone like me is out there I Will Feed You. I Will Give You Food. you see i have this problem in which im like i dont want to act like i put thought into this because That's Embarrassing and i also dont want to seem like i take this too seriously because That's Embarrassing and also i dont want to act uppity or pompous or something But At The Same Time i do put a lot of thought into certain things and i feel like mentioning that and i dont really want to judge myself for that. it's complicated but also super uncomplicated. where was i going with this

OH right. so most of the plot decisions were made super concretely. like pre breakup arc in the nightmares chapters (which came out so much worse than i intended alkdjksjad;glksjg) when tess and joel talk about ellie Knowing (also legit it is such a trip to me that you dont know the context of that. a trip in a good way) she says we every time and he only ever says i even when she points out that this would affect both of them, and at one point i think he says that tess doesnt understand baseless violence which is 100% untrue, and then there's a bunch of window imagery i put in starting there because im a freak. so like For Once In My Life a lot of this was as planned as it could be. on occasion there's been Plot Revelations that get wedged in (the radio interlude chapter, which was a bit of an inelegant seam between prewritten things that didnt mesh well) but for the most part ive got tits out into every decision. like tess and ellie disagreeing about joel's choice was very planned though i imagine that kind of conversation could be executed many different ways i had my one way and stuck to it. so either way

where was i going with this. did i have a point.

OKAY. let's see. i think one of the big ~emotional beats~ so to speak was the ambush chapter and i think that's the favorite because that's usually where people comment if i remember correctly and initially i wasnt going to go with that tone At All haha. years ago i wrote everyday domestic scenes of mulder and scully from x files and had it all on this blog and it was plotless but largely in the same overarching universe (i say as if it was legit ever That Deep) and after writing this as a oneshot and being like you know? Kind of feel like doing that again. i figured i would just follow the same largely plotless path of legit just domesticity and leave it at that. and i think the first like five chapters are tonally different from the rest because i'd never really intended for it to have plot or really any depth whatsoever. in the end like. How do i say this in a way that wont be interpreted as uppity or something asldkjgalsdgjk like. when i did those mulder scully scenes i was very much a beginner and i think i didnt realize just how inherent that beginner-ness was to the concept itself. which isnt a bad thing! like people had fun with those so far as i remember. bizarrely enough i think people might still read those which. cringe. but you kno!!! but with a few years of distance from that kind of concept i think it was hard for me to Not try something else. especially with this universe in which it's just dense with storytelling opportunity. and also i felt as if the first few chapters were just like super super lighthearted and i wanted some angst factor. which is why in the end the angst factor plot itself is flimsy as fuck. like i did not care WHY they got attacked i just wanted that sweet sweet hurt/comfort cup of tea u feel. and after that i didnt really go for the plot too much But i did edge toward it a lot more. like i mean ultimately this is a romance like it was not intended to be plot heavy ever But it's more plot heavy than it couldve been. had i actually written it as i'd intended from the start i think it wouldve gotten old really fast. like nothing but lighthearted domesticity doesnt make sense in this context. for the first few chapters it doesnt necessarily kill the whole thing imo because like. that's the first few chapters. but after then if there was never any ~deeper thoughts~ i think it wouldve gotten reductive super fast.

hmmm what else. Because i am deciding to talk too much on the internet now.

oh in theory the whole breakup arc couldve been omitted and now in retrospect im like it's hilarious that like the next chapter after they got married i immediately peppered in hints that they would break up lkajsdglaksjgdlkj like wow. That lasted a long time. but like i mean i think with them it fits that they would do something like get married before they even said that they loved each other. like i can see them doing a massive workaround instead of doing a small and simple but vulnerable thing. makes sense 2 me. and like they definitely couldve stuck together in the end but 1 theres interesting storytelling in how maybe joel was too stubborn or maybe they grew apart in certain ways or blah blah blah and 2 I JUST LOVE A GOOD BREAKUP AND THEN RETURNING TO EACH OTHER ARC OKAAAAAAAAAY. legit. favorite trope. if i ever experienced that in real life i would claw my eyes out but in fiction it makes me FERALLLL. and also like i mean i lov these two for their dumb quirks but also like it would be a lil wrong to say there wouldnt be consequences for like. Not communicating haha. also again like the world this game is put in is so full of storytelling opportunities and im like Must Take Them All. like joel is stubborn as hell and shuts down when he's overwhelmed and there is growth in the first game (and in the second too but thats not really shown as much and is more left for the player to fill in the gaps i think) but also i think it would be super easy to regress in that sense and i had fun with putting him in those situations. and it's also super fun to have an additional person for the joel and ellie plots to bounce off of. like joel and ellie are two very stubborn people and having an extra person there to be like You Blithering Idiots has been a good time. im getting sidetracked. like it was fun to answer the question of how these two in a marriage neither of them can fully substantiate would communicate in hard times and the answer i personally found was that they both would end up breaking things. which was fun to write!!!!!!!!! but in theory couldve been prevented. maybe i just cant imagine this a different way haha. like Joel And Tess Learn Healthy Communication Skills Over Time. am i mean for saying that doesnt sound probable aldskjgalskdjgslkgj

OH LMAO THE MARRIAGE PART. that was also a big decision i guess. i wouldnt make it go differently alksdjglasdjg like. i definitely couldve written the context around that many different ways bc again this whole is full of opportunity But a frankly premature wedding just feels right to me. especially with like going from being stuck on survival to being safe for the first time in decades. and then having that sense of safety get boring and wondering why there was that super fast wedding in the first place. cant really imagine it going differently

there is later unposted stuff that could def have gone many different ways and that i tried to make go different ways but that would not be right to talk about akldsjaslkgdjsg so.

this got too long sorry <3

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shemakesmusic-uk · 4 years ago

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Wallice has shared her subversive new single 'Hey Michael'. 'Hey Michael' amplifies her blood-thirsty nature, a revenge anthem that finds Wallice turning into a worse villain than her erstwhile love interest. A song about toxic tendencies and how they manifest in our lives, 'Hey Michael' twists and turns around American Psycho imagery. Wallice labels "a revenge anthem for anyone who has encountered a gaslighting, manipulative person. It’s what I wish I would have said to all the ‘Michael’s’ I have met in my life. It can be substituted by many names, we all know or have met a ‘Michael’ though. Somehow the world revolves around them and they just can’t catch a break, because they never do anything wrong and it’s usually your fault. You should have listened to your gut instinct and swiped left on this Michael. This isn’t a man-hating song, it’s just something many people can relate to. Sometimes it’s embarrassing to admit just how bad a friend, date, or romantic partner was and a lot of the time, I would just smile and laugh off stupid remarks but when I think back, I wish I had told them off. But at the same time, my persona in the song is not the best person either. I literally say: I think I want to start a fight, which one is your girlfriend? The whole song is funny because I am so focused on how shitty Michael is that I don’t even think about how shitty I might be as well." Directed by Phil Stillwell, the video takes place at a house party, with Wallice interacting with various 'Michaels' before her behaviour spirals into something much, much worse. [via Clash]

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In the same vein as Massive Attack’s suburban groove and social commentary in the mid 90’s, KITA have captured the rhythm and heartbeat of suburban Pōneke; a city abuzz with a vibrant music and dramatic performance scene in their brand new track and official video, ‘Private Lives’. Weaving together elements of vintage rock, pop and soul, and warm hints of synth, KITA have created a skin-prickling piece of magic with ‘Private Lives’, a deeply beautiful track penned in 2020’s lockdown, that delves into the unknown of what happens when the blinds are shut – the parts of life that are unseen by others. "Standing from my kitchen window during lockdown in Aotearoa, sinister thoughts entered my mind about what could be happening behind closed doors for people”, says front-woman Nikita 雅涵 Tu- Bryant. The video tells the story of a father and daughter’s relationship amongst snapshots of everyday life and its monotonous anonymity, while things aren’t always what they appear on the surface. Late at night the father can finally reveal his true self, adorning makeup and sequins, only to be spied by his daughter. The two then share a special moment of dressing up and dancing together, a true celebration of individuality, self-love and the beauty of self-expression.

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'Just Chemistry' is the third single from Dance Lessons, a London-based, female-fronted and produced trio, creating what they define as Serrated Pop. 'Just Chemistry' is a delicate hymn to the unspoken. Dance Lessons return with their signature sound – minimal production, sleek vocals and intricate arrangements. Ann says: “'Just Chemistry' is about the over-complication of our relationships. It’s about the things that are left unsaid in-between the awkward text messages and conversations, and how the absence of knowing can be misinterpreted as doubt. Last year was a difficult one. For a long time, I felt at the mercy of my emotions. I doubted where things were going. I lived in the future and found it hard to commit to the present. But these moments of not knowing can be equally thrilling and beautiful. And that’s what the song is about: finding beauty in the unspoken. In most cases, it’s chemistry that makes us fall in love. Things end, all is temporary. Let’s not go to war with one another over it.” Nat says on the video: “A friend told us about this weird and wonderful house in North London that feels a little like stepping into an acid trip. We obviously wanted to check it out. It’s completely surreal, all over the place (in a great way) and generally eclectic, which felt inherently us. We instantly wanted to do something there and asked the owner for permission to shoot a music video. We filmed during lockdown and were let loose embracing all the oddness of it. Ann also designed and created the outfit she wears in the video, something she does with most of her wardrobe. It was shot, directed and edited by our hugely talented friends Ben Hanson and Simon Frost from Borderland Studios.”

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Returning with her first offering of the year, North London’s rising star Laurel Smith is ready to reveal her anticipated new single, ‘Out the Cage’ accompanied by an action packed and thrilling cinematic style music video directed by Jeremie Brivet and Jai Garcha. Sticking to her winning recipe of moody, dark, electro-pop production paired with effortlessly edgy tales of narrative lyricism, ‘Out the Cage’ is the next huge single from the young, innovative artist that is sure to follow the same trajectory of success as its predecessor, ‘Game Over’ released late last year. A songwriter and recording artist, Laurel Smith has been writing songs since the age of sixteen. With each single she’s released, Laurel has continued to adapt her sound and aesthetic, consistently honing her craft and evolving her brand. She has carefully carved out her place in an ever crowded industry and proceeds to turn heads at every corner. “‘Out The Cage’ is a song about breaking out from your constraints, both physical and mental. Although it can be interpreted in any way, when I wrote it I created a story around a bored housewife, falling out of love with her husband, she fantasises about tying him up and leaving him to be a badass assassin in a video game type world, roaming the city at night and living a life of unpredictability and excitement”.

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Hailing from the Philippines, singer-songwriter Laica is coming off a breakout 2020. Now the 21-year-old is gearing up for the release of her debut album I’m so fine at being lonely. The first single off the project, 'love u lately' is here, accompanied by a music video directed by Cooper Leith. 'Love u lately' is a relatable and infectious track. The song revolves around dating, understanding mixed signals, and the confusion that surrounds that world. Lyrically, Laica walks us through her experiences here, voicing her thoughts and frustrations about someone who she just can't seem to read right. Production-wise, the track is carried by a pulsing synth and a groovy bass. Together, the track feels upbeat. The vibe created by the production stands in contrast with the more emotional lyrics, making the track complex and interesting. The music video takes the concept of 'love u lately' to the extreme, in a fun and playful way. Laica is seen capturing her dream boy and attempting to use witchcraft to finally win him over. The video has a very DIY feel, which could serve to add to the reliability of the track. It’s a great extension of the track and taps into everyone’s most fantasy-driven realities. [via Earmilk]

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At first, Emily C Browning wasn't sure what to think. Spurned, rejected, and cast aside, she was angry, furious, and - at times - utterly bereft. Usually she'd utilise songwriting as a vessel for her emotions, but when she was so conflicted, and feeling so negative, that it just didn't enter her mind. The Christchurch, New Zealand artist needed to take a step back, and when she located some perspective, she was ready to act. New single 'I Wasn't Into You Anyway' is a soaring slice of revenge, one that finds Emily C Browning taking full control of her music. Her first solo production credit, its reminiscent of those surging, empowering Maggie Rogers bops, while also containing similar DNA to Sharon Van Etten's work. Lyrically, it's absolutely her own creation, with Emily leaning on those often-hidden feelings. She comments... "Everyday for a month I wrote in my journal: I want to write a song about feeling rejected. But I couldn’t figure out how to keep it light and funny, it can be quite a painful topic and I didn’t want to sound too heavy. But I kept working on it everyday and came up with this song. I then spent another month recording it, trying to capture a sound that stayed upbeat and playful. I put so much time and energy into the song that I ended up completely forgetting about the person who rejected me in the first place (honest, I swear)." [via Clash]

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Alt-pop force Holly Humberstone returns with new single 'Haunted House'. The songwriter's potent debut EP Falling Asleep At The Wheel was a sensation, racking up more than 100 million global streams. A bona fide phenomenon, Holly returns with a single that displays a more nuanced, reflective side to her work. 'Haunted House' digs into childhood, and looks at the way memory can frame the way we construct our identities. She comments: "I wrote this song about the old and characterful house I grew up in. The house is such a huge part of who I am and our family. With my sisters and I moving out and living separate lives, coming home feels very comforting and one of the only things keeping us all connected." Playing with concrete imagery and no small degree of invention, 'Haunted House' connects art to life in an enchanting fashion. She adds: "The house is almost falling down around us now though, and we’ve realised that pretty soon we’ll be forced to leave. There’s a cellar full of meat hooks and a climate so damp mushrooms grow out of the walls. Loads of people have probably died here in the past but I’ve always felt really safe. It’s like a seventh family member. It’s part of me." [via Clash]

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In 2019, the Boston-born and Brooklyn-based indie rock album Crumb released their debut album Jinx. Crumb haven’t yet announced plans to follow that album up, but they’re definitely working towards something. Last month, the band came out with a one-off single called 'Trophy.' Now, they’ve followed that one with two new tracks, and they’re both winners. The new songs 'BNR' and 'Balloon' both fit nicely into Crumb’s comfort zone. The band’s sound is a rich, sophisticated take on psychedelia, with blissed-out lead vocals from Lila Ramani and with some great funky drum action. The band co-produced both songs with Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, who’s done great recent work with people like Father John Misty and Weyes Blood and the Killers and who knows how to make oblique ’70s-style pop sound good. But Crumb themselves deserve a ton of credit for coming up with a sound this layered and weird. They’re the rare circa-2021 band who might remind you of Broadcast. In a press release, Ramani says, “‘BNR’ is an ode to my favorite colors. I had a weird obsession with those colors in winter 2018-2019 and felt like they would follow me around everywhere I went." 'BNR' also has a cool music video. Director Joe Mischo starts the clip off as a hallucinatory reverie, but he turns it sharply towards horror at the end. [via Stereogum]

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Last year, Limerick poet/musician Sinead O’Brien released her debut EP, Drowning In Blessings. It was a unique work, a handful of songs featuring O’Brien’s sing-speak over spindly, post-punk guitars. It garnered O’Brien a bit of buzz overseas, and it left you wondering where she might take her music from there. Now, O’Brien’s back with a new song called 'Kid Stuff.' “‘Kid Stuff’ shows up all different tones on different days,” O’Brien said in a statement. “There’s something alive in it which cannot be caught or told. It is direct but complex; it contains chapters. This feels like our purest and most succinct expression yet.” Like Drowning In Blessings, 'Kid Stuff' found O’Brien working with Speedy Wunderground mastermind Dan Carey. Musically, it hints at a level up moment for O’Brien. There was something alluring and jagged about Drowning In Blessings, but 'Kid Stuff' places her usual approach over a song that is surprisingly groovy — maybe even a little danceable. It comes with a video directed by Saskia Dixie. [via Stereogum]

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Das Beat are made up of German actress and vocalist Eddie Rabenberger and Agor of Blue Hawaii. The pair have just shared their first single 'Bubble' online now and are set to release their debut EP Identität on June 4 via Arbutus Records. Born in Berlin during 2020’s legendary lockdown, Das Beat seeks to blast both boredom and boundary. Dabbling in German New Wave, Italo Disco, Indie & Dance, their sound is unified by vocals from Eddie Rabenberger, sung in German and English. Amidst playful lyrics one finds a strong underlying pulse (das “beat”), pinning down the duo’s meandering atmospherics, dreamy synths, guitars and percussion. The duo is half-Canadian and half-German. Agor (of Blue Hawaii), moved to Berlin from Montreal in 2018. Eddie is a theatre actress originally hailing from a small town in Bavaria. Together they find a strange but alluring symbiosis - like Giorgio Moroder meets Nico, or Gina X Performance meets The Prodigy.

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St. Vincent has fully embraced the ’70s aesthetic for her retro-sounding new record, Daddy’s Home. Now, she’s diving headlong into the animation styles of the era with the video for 'The Melting of the Sun'. Presented as a “betamax deluxe release” rip from “Candy’s Music Video Archives,” the clip blends live action shots of St. Vincent herself with the wavy, intermittent animation frames any Schoolhouse Rock student is familiar with. The psychedelic lines fit a song called 'The Melting of the Sun' perfectly, as do the drawings of the legends mentioned in the song’s lyrics like Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, and Tori Amos. St. Vincent co-directed the clip with Bill Benz, while Chris McD provided the animation. [via Consequence]

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Bay Area slowcore trio Sour Widows have released a new single, 'Bathroom Stall,' from their forthcoming EP Crossing Over, which they announced last month with its title track. The song’s build-up is subtle and poignant like Sufjan Stevens, but Maia Sinaiko’s evocative, sweeping vocals are one-of-a-kind, and the lyrics are graphic and tragic: “Do you remember it like I do?/ Your lips turned blue I had my fingers in your mouth/ And I couldn’t get them out.” Sinaiko said of the song: "This song is about a relationship I had with someone who struggled with addiction, who very tragically passed away three years ago while we were together. It’s about some moments we shared, and how it feels to walk around carrying that person and those experiences with me while the world stays normal. I wrote the song because I wanted to preserve and document what happened to me. to write out the scary stuff and just let it sit there forever. I think its funny that its called 'Bathroom Stall' and that it has that image in it: the song goes from heavy and dark to ordinary and totally pedestrian in a sentence, which feels absurd. And that’s kind of what it’s like to grieve. That’s kind of what’s hard to explain about grief, how absurd it is. Part of you goes to a different planet and part of you stays walking around like an alien on Earth, going to the bathroom and looking at the moon and shit." [via Stereogum]

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As JUNO-nominated singer Kandle Osborne prepares to launch her new project, Set The Fire this spring, she shares the album’s third single, 'Misty Morning.' From being penned on a napkin while abroad to a Vancouver studio, 'Misty Morning' is a sonic journey that echoes soulful vulnerability and an honest reflection of realizing true love. For the video, Kandle reconnects with 'Honey Trap' director, Brandon William Fletcher, to create classic 40s noir-inspired cine-magic, filmed along the Vancouver coastline and within the lush landscape of Stanley Park. Kandle says: “‘Misty Morning’ is my first real love song, captured on a napkin while in Ischia, Italy when I was truly happy. My songwriting usually comes from a place of turmoil and catharsis, but this was simply a snapshot of a perfect, vulnerable moment. In recording it, I wanted to hide behind lush orchestration, but my producer/ best friend Michael Rendall had other ideas. He wanted to strip it down to just piano & a single vocal to take me out of my comfort zone and re-capture the open-hearted feelings I had while writing it. The song and the recording both hold for me a time when I dropped my guard for pure authentic love in spite of all my flaws and failures. In that moment, I felt my true value as a whole person for the first time.”

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On 'Vertigo,' Alice Merton’s first single of 2021, the 27-year-old describes the long road from uncertainty back to self-confidence. It emphasizes the unrest that seizes her again and again, the thought: “Why can’t I just let it go?” These contradicting thoughts and emotions that are so familiar to all of us sum up to an overwhelmingly positive effect - 'Vertigo' leaves you empowered rather than anxious: A powerful indie pop arrangement with distorted guitars, plus Alice Merton’s crystal-clear voice. The result is reminiscent of the British Invasion, with no air of self-doubt. With its energetic live qualities, 'Vertigo' feeds an appetite for summer festivals and concerts that will definitely return at some point. Largely responsible for this is the Canadian producer Koz, a multiple Grammy nominee, who has worked with Dua Lipa ('Physical') among others. Here, too, he adds on to what has already made Alice Merton stand out from the crowd in the past - her classic pop appeal - with an uncompromising and indie attitude. This enables Alice to take another big step: She equally encourages a shaken generation and herself that there will be easy summers again. That you can dance again and lie in each other's arms. That it is absolutely fine to have many facets, to not always be clear, and that strength and weakness are not mutually exclusive.

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Canadian artist Olivia Lunny's new release 'Sad To See You Happy' is a shamelessly poppy track centering an acutely relatable break-up narrative. The Canadian artist follows up her breakthrough success with a bouncy cut to soundtrack 2021’s long-awaited spring. There's a relatable tale of break-up at the heart of the gloriously poppy new single, belied by percussive instrumentation that creates a warm, nostalgic feel. [via Line Of Best Fit]

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After sharing the single last month, Charlotte Adigéry is now revealing the brand new video for ‘Bear With Me (and I’ll stand bare before you)’. The first new music since her 2019 debut EP Zandoli, Charlotte says of the video, “The video is about being confined thus confronted to the way we live. The cruel irony of having the privilege of standing still, questioning and observing my life in all safety while others are fighting for theirs. On the other hand, the video is about trying to stay sane while feeling that the walls are closing in on you. Embracing boredom and finding joy in the little things in life.” Director Alice Kunisue adds, “When I listened to Charlotte’s song and what it meant for her and Bolis, I wanted the video to visually encapsulate that feeling of being stuck inside and confronted to our deeper selves while paradoxically sensing the chaos going on in the outside world without being able to do anything about it. Choosing to film an apartment room from one single angle was a way to reflect that narrowness of thought that we all experienced, but also a constraint that allowed us to explore and develop visual ideas within a narrow system, in a way having to think only inside the box, which artistically was a fun challenge.” [via DIY]

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Millie Turner has shared a video for ‘Concrete Tragedy’. It’s a cut from her upcoming mini-album Eye Of The Storm, set for release on May 16, which also features a rework of breakout song ‘(Breathe) Underwater’. “This video is a visual representation of dancing on your own,” she says of the clip. “Combining the many parts of who we are when we’re by ourselves, I wanted it to feel like you’re entering a world of imagination that comes alive when we express ourselves.” [via Dork]

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Doja Cat and SZA have come together for a new single called 'Kiss Me More.' When the song was announced Wednesday night, the internet flipped out, which is to be expected with these two — especially Doja Cat, who is regularly going viral these days for all kinds of reasons. When it comes to collaborations, she always finds the best people. That includes Saweetie, who appeared on Doja’s recent 'Best Friend' but then claimed that it was released against her wishes. Given SZA’s long history of public frustration over TDE Records holding back her new album, she is probably happy to have any new music out. Despite recent single 'Good Days' hitting the top 10, her restless fanbase is still awaiting a follow-up to 2017’s iconic Ctrl. 'Kiss Me More' is the first single from Doja’s new album Planet Her, scheduled for release this summer. It returns to the disco vibes of Doja’s #1 hit 'Say So,' this time with no apparent resemblance to any Skylar Spence song. [via Stereogum]

#videos of the week #wallice #kita #dance lessons #laurel smith #laica #emily c. browning #holly humberstone #crumb #st. vincent #sour widows #kandle #alice merton #olivia lunny #charlotte adigery #millie turner #doja cat #sza

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potatowitch · 4 years ago

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Thank you for tagging me in this @noire-pandora!

Year-End Writer’s Round-Up 2020

Word Count for 2020: 15,388

New things I tried this year:

Actually writing fic again? Back in around 2017 I did a few Star Wars fic scribbles but they were never really anything coherent and I gave up after a while. 2020 gave me a new hyperfixation and heaps of time to myself to write, so the inspiration finally struck. I also finally had enough courage to start publishing things, even if I’m never going to be 100% happy with them. It’s been a bit of a learning curve, but the Serotonin I get from people commenting on my fics is so worth the anxiety I get from posting them.

Fic I spent the most time on:

It was Vigilance, and I still ended up hating it and taking it down. It’s going through a bit of a rework at the moment because there are some good ideas in there, I just spent so much time pushing myself to get the thing done and I feel like you can tell my heart wasn’t really in it when you read it. Aside from that, What Remains is the first fic I’ve written where I’m fully expecting it to be a multi-chapter. I’ve spent a lot of time outlining it.

Fic I spent the least time on:

Aside from the little tumblr drabbles, I hammered out In The End and The Other Side pretty damn quickly. I had a flash of inspiration and just went to town.

Favourite thing I wrote:

I love In The End and Homecoming. I’m really proud of the imagery and structure in both of them. I’m also a big fan of some of the dialogue I’ve written in my WIP “nate why u so THIRSTY” (working title) and there’s a gratuitous amount of description of how pretty all the Awakening companions are (besides Oghren and Justice lmao).

Favourite thing I read:

I could go on for hours about the fics that I love and that have inspired me this year, but that would probably be exhausting to read, so I’ll have to narrow it down to just a few (you’re expecting me to choose just one? please).

Among Conflicting Winds in a Frail Boat by rabbit_habits: Honestly, will I ever stop talking about this fic? It’s such a gorgeous exploration of Anders and Fenris’ characters. The imagery is so potent without leaning into purple prose - you can smell and taste Kirkwall, almost - and I adore the use of in-game dialogue. This shit made me weep on more than one occasion and sometimes I still find myself zoning out in the shower to think about it.

May Love Only Last Till Morning by PalavaRakkaus: Apparently the author has never even touched DA2, which I find impossible because their characterisation is so on point. It’s funny, it’s witty, it’s got angst and misunderstandings and two idiots accidentally falling in love with each other and having great sex. Highly recommend.

Lessons in Healing by MittenCrab: I am here for Angst TM and boy does this fic deliver. A very thorough exploration of Anders’ bipolar, his time in the circle, his self-hatred, his relationship with Karl; and some very delicious smut right smack bang in the middle.

Writing goals for next year:

Learn how to write smut. It intimidates me to no end, but there’s definitely bits in my WIPs that I want to actually fill with sex rather than just fading to black; and there’s pairings and tropes that AO3 is lacking that I want to read and eventually I must accept that that means I need to put on my big girl panties and write the damn smut myself.

I also want to get more comfortable with working on longer fics. I have a tendency to run out of steam when writing and if I force myself to write past that point it becomes a massive slog, but I want to try properly outlining multi-chapter fics and even writing scenes out of order if I need to. I’ve got lots of ideas that would span multiple chapters and I’m just very intimidated by that at the moment.

And I want to lean a little back into my poetry roots and incorporate that kind of language into fic. Sort of like ... really long form freestyle poetry, if that makes sense? I’ve written poetry for pairings before, too, so it’s not too far from what I’m used to.

I think Noire has already tagged most of the writers I’m mutuals with in her post, but if you write and haven’t been tagged yet, consider this me tagging you. I’m always down to read new stuff <3

#writing 2020 #my writing #fic writer tag #look my working titles are ... something lmao

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disregardcanon · 4 years ago

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end of year writing meme

time for my end of year writing meme! this has been a tradition for me since 2015 or 16, so i’m excited to keep it up :) i normally do it ON new year’s eve because i write over winter break. but.

i have the depression/anxiety cocktail and have to go back to teaching next monday so i highly doubt i’ll get anything else written or posted by then. sigh

tagging @titaniumsansa @bodhimcbodeface and anyone else who wants to do it

Total Stories Written: 18 on ao3 19 completed total

Total Words Written: i know my ao3 stats are shifted p drastically this year because i updated two extensive drabble collections, but i do have more unposted drafts this year so i’ll just go with it. 96k Average Words Per Story: about 5k as the mean, which tracks Shortest Story: 370 words Heaven on Her Mind Longest: 11,875 words Academia Nuts

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted?

less! i knew i’d write less this year than i have in the past because student teaching and then first year of teaching are both supposed to be hell, but i kind of expected going into quarantine that would give me the time and energy to write.

but NO! in some months of quarantine i wrote less than i did during student teaching, certified most stressful time of my life

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write most?

pairing: cassunzel! coming in clutch at 6 stories

genre: no fucking clue

fandom: tangled was the most by number, but i think jedi fallen order is the most by word count because those two fics combined come in about 13k

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? uh, that’s probably rwby. i always knew that when i watched rwby i’d go feral but i didn’t expect to watch it this year

Did you take any writing risks this year? i think my biggest writing risk was writing a 12k fic with romcom tropes about a platonic relationship no one cares about from a mainly dead fandom

Academia Nuts, the one where merlin and morgana are bickering in-laws and academic rivals

Do you have any fanfic or general writing goals for the new year? i would frankly just like the time and energy TO write. this year has been the most stressful and depressing time of my life and that’s reflected in my writing output. i would like to see more output because i have more energy and drive to do the things that make me happy again

From the past year of writing, what was your…

Best story of this year: the thing with feathers fluttering in her chest the jedi fallen order fic about trilla suduri capturing cal kestis but still eventually deciding to defect

Personal favorite: Smoke Rises, Cinder Falls my personal take on the cinder backstory before it dropped! while i definitely like where the show took the backstory better because the hotel imagery is TOP NOTCH i still love what i did here. i think that i made good use of style and the information that we had, and i think that the salem connection works very nicely

Most under-appreciated: i know calling a fic with 65 kudos “underrated” is a bit ridiculous, but this is for a very large fandom. it might be dead but i still think it could drum up a bit more support :(

Academia Nuts, the merlin and morgana are bickering in-laws and academic rivals fic

Most fun to write: as a reward for being so fucking happy that biden won the election for real, i rewarded myself by writing the pines family reacting to it

Remember, Remember the 7th of November

Story with the single sexiest moment: how about that inquisitor caltrilla au?

I Want You to Want Me

Most “holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you” story: captive caresses, the one where the v shaped polyamory dynamic that i normally do with cassunzel and new dream isn’t so healthy

Most challenging to write: from a technical standpoint that would be academia nuts, but from a personal standpoint...

Scar Tissue, the steven universe fic about connie still keeping secrets from her parents

Biggest disappointment: frankly, nothing i wrote this year can be a disappointment because i put words on a page. however, i will say that i could have polished this one that i wrote years ago up more before i posted it

Holy Ground, the shireen/jeyne poole fic from like 2015

Favorite character to write: i didn’t get stuck on a fandom long enough to get a favorite character to write tbh

Favorite opening lines:

Sometimes, when Rapunzel wakes up in the morning, she likes to pretend that everything is alright. She closes her eyes and imagines that Cass is right down the hall, just like she used to be. Rapunzel will burst into her room as soon as she gets up, ready to plot some new mischief to keep them busy for the day. Cass will roll her eyes, but she’ll go along with it because she secretly enjoys Rapunzel’s plans. She’ll smile when Rapunzel isn’t looking, and she’ll call her Raps with a soft fondness that makes Rapunzel's heart melt.

Jeung

Sophie knows that she shouldn’t be walking home alone at this hour. Of course she knows that. She’s a tiny white girl who lives in Gotham with little self-defense training or experience in athletics. She’s had “don’t walk home alone” beaten into her head for so many years she wonders if those were the first words the nurse said when she came into this world.

Not “it’s a girl!” but “don’t let her walk home alone at night!”

Walk Me Home in the Dead of Night

Favorite closing lines:

“Follow me,” the fairy godmother ordered, taking a brisk step forward. Cinder followed without question, just a step behind. Following, following, following- just as she would be following her until the end of time. Cinder was her protege, after all, and must be prepared to take over the fairy godmother’s work someday.

That day would not come for many years, but it would come. And the fairy godmother would finally have everything she ever wanted.

Smoke Rises, Cinder Falls

Trilla can’t exactly have her second-in-command stay that low in the hierarchy forever. A consort to a queen needs to walk only a few steps behind her, after all.

I Want You to Want Me

Other favorite lines:

She can lead a horse to independent thought, but she can’t make him think.

The Name Game

When Trilla gets back to her room, she grabs the damn cube and throws it against her wall as hard as she can. It doesn’t break, because the holocron is made of stronger stuff than that. Cal Kestis is made of stronger stuff than that.

Maybe she’s the only one in the world who’s so capable of shattering.

the thing with feathers fluttering in her chest

“You don’t have to forgive him,” Fuyumi says, “just don’t kill him.”

“Because he can’t come back from that?” Dabi demands, “a corpse can’t decide that it wants to love its daughter, right?” Dabi watches as the knife twists, and Fuyumi’s facade finally crumbles. She slams her mug of tea down on the table, and they're both lucky that it's not full anymore or the hot liquid would have come flying out.

Justice Without Dispassion

“But you’re a good trainer,” Lillie says, “you’re what I want to evolve into.” Selene shakes her head.

“We're from different evolutionary lines,” she says, “you evolving into me would be like- I don’t know. A Charmander evolving into a Blastoise.” Lillie looks like she’s holding the fur even tighter, and Selene snakes her hand underneath to disentangle Lillie’s hand from the fur and give her something else to clutch. Lillie squeezes her hand like a stuffed Jigglypuff that people carry around to squeeze away their stress.

“But what if I’m stuck at Charmander forever, and what if Blastoise is better than Charizard, and what if I’m just- just not cut out for this?”

Even Gods Like Cuddles

“Do you remember when we were really little,” you say, “and I used to come over for dress up parties. I’d wear your extra princess dress, let you do my hair however you wanted.” You smile, thinking about how cute the pictures that Bianca’s mom took of you two looked. Your mother always said that they’d be good blackmail material, someday, but-

It wasn’t ever shameful, especially not if your mother didn’t make you feel ashamed.

“Of course,” Bianca says, “you were always the best at sitting still. No one else would have let me do their nails and makeup.” You’re not looking at her, but you can hear the soft smile in her voice.

“You were always so indulgent, Hils. I really appreciated that.”

“I wasn’t being indulgent,” you say, balling your hand into a little fist and rubbing your thumb over your knuckles.

“I always- I just,” you say, “I wanted to be that “girl friend” that you always wanted.”

Girl Talk

#end of year writing meme #writing meme #sunkelles writes

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meta-squash · 4 years ago

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Brick Club 1.3.2 “Double Quartet”

According to wikipedia, a double quartet is a musical composition made for eight voices or instruments, or made up of two string quartets, that are often written in a call-and-response style. Also, I’m not quite sure if this is relevant, but wikipedia specifically mentions German composer Louis Spohr in the section on double quartets. Spohr wrote an opera in 1816 called Faust (which was drastically different from Goethe’s plays), to which wikipedia gives this synopsis:

Faust is torn between his love for the young Röschen and his desire for Kunigunde, the fiancée of Count Hugo. He makes a pact with the devil Mefistofeles which allows him to rescue Kunigunde from the clutches of the evil knight Gulf. Faust obtains a love potion from the witch Sycorax which he gives to Kunigunde during her wedding celebrations. Outraged at the sudden passion his bride shows for Faust, Count Hugo challenges him to a duel. Faust kills Hugo and flees. Meanwhile, Faust's first love, Röschen, drowns herself in despair. Mefistofeles seizes Faust and drags him down to Hell.

Again, I don’t know if that is relevant, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless. Especially considering the “lover flees, young woman is ruined” motif. I have no idea if it was popular or even known in France at the time, but it was part of the Romantic movement, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was part of Hugo’s repertoire.

But it’s interesting that Hugo names this chapter after a call-and-response style of music. This chapter specifically is set up that way: we get information on the women, and then the men. Their affairs later on seem to also line up with this call-and-response, at least until the end of the dinner, when one half of the strings drop away and the other four are left on their own.

I don’t know enough about the different areas of France, so I’m wondering if where the men are from is at all important?

Also, who is the “Oscar” Hugo is comparing the group to?

Hugo establishes the men as “insignificant,” which I think is actually quite significant. To the other grisettes, and probably most other grisettes in their circle, these men are (as Hugo explains) common little flings. So to make someone who is insignificant to most, significant to Fantine is an interesting move. Hugo kind of does this with all his characters, on a larger scale. Aside from Valjean and Enjolras, who are exceptional, most of his other characters seem to be relatively normal people who aren’t necessarily special in a big way. The fact that he decides to focus in on them is what makes them special. And yet here it’s Tholomyes’ insignificance that highlights how unusual Fantine’s attachment to him is.

“...and in their souls that flower of purity which in a woman survives the first fall”. I don’t really know what to make of this line considering how a paragraph later he seems to insinuate that all but Fantine have already “fallen” due to their many affairs. (Which he then softens by blaming society for the women’s problems.)

“Poverty and coquetry are fatal counselors; the one scolds, the other flatters, and the beautiful daughters of the people have both of them whispering in their ears, one on each side. Their ill-guarded souls listen. Thence their fall, and the stones that are cast at them. The are overwhelmed with the splendor of all that is immaculate and inaccessible. Alas! Was the Jungfrau ever hungry?”

Hugo referencing the fall of man here, although this time it seems like only the women are punished, and not the men. Also, another Faustian reference, this time Marlowe, with the “good angel and bad angel” imagery. More references to life choices and the whole concept of having two potential paths and choosing the “wrong one.” Like with Valjean’s original crime, Hugo seems to criticize this behavior here while simultaneously pointing out the way that society demonizes these women and hurts them. I’d love to know why he uses the German “Jungfrau” here instead of just saying “maiden” or “virgin.”

We get a lot of information on Favourite in this chapter, and not that much on the other girls. She’s the eldest at 23, born out of wedlock, and has her own home. I love that she’s like Jehan--adding an extra letter to her name for the fanciness of it. We basically get an illustration of her as the sort of “leader” of the group, with everyone else looking up to her. She’s then contrasted with Tholomyes, the men’s “leader,” who is also the eldest of his group, I assume. Favourite seems closer to Bahorel’s “laughing mistress” or Musichetta than the other three; aside from her mother barging in on her life and being a nuisance, she seems much more stable than any of the others, financially (she’s been to England!) and emotionally/socially (her friends all look up to her). (I think it’s interesting that she’s not paired with Tholomyes, who seems to be her masculine counterpart?)

Fantine is “wise” while the other women are “philosophical.” Also, Hapgood translates “sage” as “good” instead of wise, for some odd reason. It seems as though Fantine is wise in the same way that Valjean has that divine element of goodness that can be kindled and relit. It’s something that she is not necessarily aware of. I’m also wondering how Hugo defines “wise” vs “philosophical.” I’m guessing that wisdom is closer to intrinsic, instinctual knowledge, while philosophy is more thought out and pondered upon. (Perhaps these definitions are based on a popular philosophy at the time? If so I have no idea which one.)

In any case, part of what makes Fantine wise is her capacity to passionately and loyally love. Which I think is an interesting move, to praise someone’s social (and possibly emotional) naivete as wise, only for her to be completely ruined because of the person she’s devoted to. Her capacity to love is also the vulnerability that manipulative men see as a good opportunity to latch on to and use her.

This “wisdom” thing is also a weird call considering Fantine’s utter lack of pretense. The other three grisette’s go by fake names, have had a number of affairs and seem more playful than thoughtful when it comes to the affairs with this group of men. Fantine is just...Fantine, and she’s the youngest, and she hasn’t had the experience the other girls have had, and she’s about to make a huge mistake (rather, by this time she already has, and Cosette is an infant). Presumably the other three women learned somehow that their affairs were just affairs, why didn’t they clue Fantine in on this game? Later on we see Favourite thinking that Fantine is “putting on airs;” but she’s also the only one tu’d instead of vous’d and they all know she’s the baby. Are the other three just wrapped up in their own stuff and too preoccupied to think that maybe Fantine doesn’t realize this isn’t a real, permanent thing? Or is this a situation of three older girls being latched onto by a younger one who doesn’t really know what to do, and aren’t really a fan of the burden of being teacher? She’s been in Paris at least 4 years and yet she’s never had friends like these grisettes? I don’t exactly know the social mores of back then, but I assume that having friends then was similar to having friends now: gossip and talk about relationships and flings and one night stands. Interesting that she either never really learned by inference that this might be that, or that perhaps she just blindly assumes that this isn’t like that because this is real.

And here we get Fantine’s backstory, and her symbolism as the Universal Grisette. So many of Hugo’s characters that are blatant “universal” symbols are either orphans or abandoned quite early in life. And so many we get a certain period of their life, then a jump, then more. What happened between infant-Fantine being found and her working on a farm? Hugo does this time-jump with Valjean and the Thenardiers, and Marius, too. I think Fantine’s about 19 when we’re first introduced to her, if my math is correct? Hugo also foreshadows the sale of her teeth and hair here.

“Fantine was beautiful and remained pure as long as she could.” An interesting callback to a few paragraphs ago. Hugo seems to imply that the other girls gave in to those “whispers” quite quickly, while Fantine did not. Part of her purity, too, is her trust and devotion to Tholomyes; she’s not giving in to promiscuity or shallow affairs like the other three, she is genuinely in love.

The way Hugo uses beauty and ugliness is so interesting. “Beautiful” Fantine paired with “ugly” Tholomyes, as with Enjolras and Grantaire, and even to some extent Cosette and Eponine.

What stands out to me is Tholomyes and Grantaire both specifically being characterized as “doubting” and also described as ugly. Grantaire gets the actual word “ugly” while Tholomyes gets this horrible description (weirdly tempered by the fact of his humor and gaiety). I know that technically Courfeyrac is paralleled with Tholomyes, but I always seem to see more similarities between him and Grantaire. The difference being that Grantaire changes and Tholomyes does not. There also seem to be bits of each of Les Amis in Tholomyes (Grantaire’s doubt and ugliness, Bossuet’s irony, Bahorel’s age, Courfeyrac’s womanizing ways, Joly’s illness, etc) but all from the negative.

Tholomyes is described in a really awful way. That “he had a play refused at Vaudeville” and “doubted everything with an air of superiority” always has me reading him as this MRA type loser who thinks he’s better than everyone else and that that’s why people hate him. He’s charismatic, but in a slimeball sort of way. Hugo tempers Tholomyes’ awfulness with gaiety and then immediately turns around ruins that “but he was funny!” by telling us this awful prank.

Oh, and then Hugo stops to interrupt himself with a question about linguistics regarding the word “irony” and whether it’s based on the English word “iron,” like, the metal. Which...???? I don’t really know what to make of? Is he trying to say something here, because if he is, I don’t get it.

“Saint January” is Januarius, the patron saint of Naples, whose “miracle” is the annual liquefying of the phial of his blood. Apparently people gather to witness this annual miracle three times a year (as well as during things like papal visits). Interesting that Tholomyes compares his rather unpredictable and cruel “surprise” with the predictable, annual miracle of the blood liquefying. It makes me wonder whether this is not the first time he has done this (he is 30, after all, and I assume has had many affairs), just with a different group of friends.

We are just as in the dark about the surprise as the women are. Hugo does the same thing here that he often does with Valjean’s thoughts. He remains an outsider to the thoughts of any of the characters in the scene, and remains in a specific location within the scene, so when the characters leave, any following dialogue or action or thought is obscured from him as a narrator.

#les miserables #les miserables meta #brickclub #lm 1.3.2 #les mis #les mis meta #i started writing this at 2am instead of 4am! progress!#except then i went to sleep and finished it at 2:30pm the next day

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