#I might be late because one or two tagged me in this in february this year and six months later I'm finally doing it :)

[thasorns-moved]

make a list of songs starting with each letter of your username

was tagged by: vish @puppy-phum and with a similar game by bru @pondsphuwin and linnea @gawincaskey thank you so much lovelies. It was fun and interesting to hear your choices <3

t: the color violet - tory lanez

h: holding on - ali gatie

a: addicted - pixy

s: stay with me - sf9

o: obsessed - ayumu imazu

r: remember my name - mitski

n: nur ein wort - wir sind helden

s: slay - everglow

tagging: @loveisactivated @jimmysea @itsallaboutbl @yakdee

[mermaidgirl30]

✨New Beginnings✨

Joel Miller x fem! reader

Series Masterlist Part 1

A/N: I loved writing this, it was so soft 🥹 This can be read as a stand alone, but it is a continuation of my fic Fortnight! I hope you enjoy! This is the ending I wanted for them 🥰 Might write another little cute one shot for them in the near future because I love them so much. Thank you to @mountainsandmayhem for beta reading and helping me with the mood board 🩷

Summary: You’ve spent the last three years healing, growing, and letting go. During a day at the lake, fate steps in when you run into Joel without a wedding ring on.

Word Count: 2.9k

Rating: 18+ Only

Tags: fluff, flirting, making up for lost time, old flame, no use y/n, reader sees Joel again after 3 years, reader has a dog named Sammy

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

The summer breeze of Austin rushes through your hair, the smell of fresh oak, the sloshing sounds of lapping blue water, and the feel of new beginnings permeates throughout the air. Summer. Your favorite time of year, your favorite place to be. Georgetown Lake. An escape, a picturesque safe haven where you can sunbathe and let Sammy, your golden retriever, pounce around the clear water as it splashes against his sandy fur. 

   You’ve been doing okay lately, healing, moving on like you should’ve a long time ago. After sulking around the house days after the mail incident with Joel, you knew it was time to do something, anything to make that pit of sadness wash away. You couldn’t face Tess again, face him, not after you broke down in tears the moment he slipped his calloused fingers firmly around your wrist. It was too much, too soon, too fresh. Even though it had been years since you’d broken up. You never quite got over him, his face, his eyes. But It was way past time, the time to move on.

   So you moved, put a sign outside your house to let everyone know it was on the market and sold to the first offer you got. You remember Joel’s face after he saw the posted sign in your yard full of dying roses. He looked so sad, the flecks of his dark irises shining in the February chill as you caught his eyes after hammering the sign in the soft ground. You were wilting more than your red roses, and you needed a breath of fresh air, a way to thrive and grow like your flowers used to be. It was your sign to flee.

   After you sold your house and moved half an hour away, you could finally breathe, the wilts of your lilting petals starting to bloom and thrive the longer you were away from them. 

   You saw the pictures of their wedding on social media, saw how truly happy they looked. You remember shedding a tear or two looking at the photographs, at her flowing wedding dress, at their shared kiss after saying their “I do’s”. It was enough to send you spiraling, enough to make you drop your laptop and crack the screen. And that was the last time you saw Joel Miller. There was no sense in dwindling over what if’s. It was over, done. You swore you’d never see his face again in the city of Austin. He was the past, you had to look towards your future.

   You got a new job, working for an environmental engineering company and helping with tracking the bluegill and catfish populations in the lakes around Austin. You liked working outside, loved being near the water. You always felt at home out on the lake with the soft sand sinking between your toes, the calm breeze always blowing away any worries of your messy life. But it wasn’t so messy anymore. It was peaceful, bright, made you feel alive. 

   You throw the damp tennis ball again, laughing at the way Sammy flops into the water and splashes around, eagerly fetching the soaked ball as he brings it over to you again. 

   “You ready, Sammy? Go get it!” you yell as you toss the ball back towards the water. He shakes his soaked fur and makes a run for it, but he stops half way and perks his fuzzy ears up at something in the distance. “Sammy?”

   You watch him pant happily and make a dash for it in the opposite direction, barking at nothing you can see. “Sammy!” You follow after him, sprinting behind as you hear his chipper barks and feel your hair blow back behind you as you chase after him. 

   “Sammy, come on! This isn’t like you,” you breathe out as you run until your legs feel like jello and feel as if you’ll pass out at any second. 

   Your bare feet drag through the sand on the shore, your breath feeling as if it’s on fire as you run and run and run until you finally see his giddy, long tail and golden paws that leap up off the ground. What’s got him so excited? He never runs up to strangers. 

   “Sammy! Come here, boy,” you clap your hands together as you walk towards whoever he’s got wrapped around his cute, fluffy face. 

   “I’m so sorry. He’s not usually like this. I…” You freeze, your breath hitching as you stare at the man that fully consumes your vision. Joel. 

   He looks over at you, a warm smile curling against the edge of his plush lips as his golden brown eyes crinkle down at you. It nearly takes your breath away. He looks so… good. 

   He’s filled out more, his flexed arms and broad chest clinging to his white t-shirt, corded veins twisting down his tan arms almost like you remember. He looks more buff, more healthy, like maybe he stopped drinking that amber colored whiskey he used to love. His grey threaded curls are grown out, his doe brown eyes more shiny, more alive than the last time you saw him. And he looks like he’s happy, so happy. It’s amazing what three years of not seeing him can do to your own mind. The sight of him almost makes you dizzy, delusional, like maybe this is fate. 

   “Joel?” you whisper out, your voice shaky and breathy as your eyes slide down his blue swim trunks, his leather sandals, his tan skin that seems to glow like glitter under the orange beams of the sunlight. 

   “Yeah, it’s me. Nice to see Sammy’s doin’ good. Guess he remembers me,” he chuckles as he bends down and scratches the back of Sammy’s fluffy ears. Sammy jumps up and licks the side of his face as another infectious smile takes over Joel’s glowing face. 

   Joel laughs as he wipes the slobber from his greying scruff and stands back up, bright eyes blazing through you as he flicks his gaze slowly over your figure. You feel a little self conscious standing in your too short denim shorts and baby blue crop top as you fold your arms nervously over your chest. Why are you so nervous?

   “It’s uhh… good to see ya. How ya been?” he asks slowly, rubbing the back of his neck as his hand drags through the curling strands that sit against the nape of his neck.

   “Good. Yeah, good,” you nod as your fingers dance nervously up and down your scorching arms. “What about you?” 

   “Yeah, I’ve been good, too. Busy, but that’s always good. Been workin’ a lot, contractin’, the usual.”

   You nod your head, watching the way his heavy gaze never leaves your eyes. Suddenly, it feels too hot, too intense. That spark simmers low in your stomach, that strong pull that you always felt when you were around him. It’s almost like you were meant to meet here like this, unplanned. Maybe it was fate. Maybe… but then you remember Tess. Where was Tess?

   “You, umm enjoyin’ your new place? House, apartment, wherever you moved?” His tone is gentle, like he’s genuinely interested in how you’ve been, where you moved. And it feels strange, but also like it needs to be asked.

   “Oh, yeah. Actually, I love it. I moved just a few miles from the lake. It’s so peaceful, being able to come out here whenever I want to.” Your eyes flick over the calm water, examining the gentle ripples of the clear lake, but then Joel’s deep voice brings you back to the present. 

   “Sounds like you’ve been doin’ good.” He gives you a lazy smile, one where it’s crooked and soft and so serene that you can’t help but smile back. 

   “Yeah, I really have.”

   “That’s good, real good,” he says as he nods his head, just continuing to stare at you in awe. And it’s like you’re just seeing him for the first time, that summertime glow just sizzling off his tan skin. 

   Your eyes wander over him, lapping up his broad muscles and dreamy smile and untamed curls. He looks so handsome. You don’t know what it is, but something brand new seems to shine through him. 

   “You look… different,” you say with narrowed eyes, trying to assess what exactly is different, but you’re not sure what. 

   “Yeah? That a good thing or bad thing?” he chuckles as he runs a hand straight back through his lush curls. The action makes your breath get caught in the back of your throat. 

   “I dunno. Think it looks good on you, whatever it is.” You smile nervously up at him and bat your eyelashes flirtatiously. 

   “Yeah?” he smirks as the flecks of his dark eyes glisten under the rays of the hot sun. 

   “Yeah,” you reply bashfully. “You seem more… happy.”

   He chuckles as he shoves his thick fingers into the pockets of his blue shorts. “Guess that’s what happens when a man stops drinkin’.”

   Your eyes grow wide as your mouth drops open. “You? The Joel Miller has stopped drinking his precious whiskey?” you ask dumbfoundedly. 

   “Mhm. Mostly. Haven’t touched a bottle in three months. Been doin’ good, feelin’ stronger, more sharp. Even been hittin’ the gym.”

   You smile warmly over at him, your eyes alight as you drop your arms to your side and nod, his words taking your breath right out from your chest. “Joel, that’s so great. I’m so… so… proud of you.”

   He nods slowly at you, the dimple indenting the middle of his cheek as his crooked smile makes you feel things you haven’t felt in a long time. Like there’s hope. “Proud of me, huh?”

   “Yeah,” you whisper out. 

   “Well, that’s sweet of ya to say, darlin’.”

   Darlin’.  He hasn’t called you that in so long, you almost forgot how good it feels to hear seep off his sticky sweet voice, that gravelly lull that soothes your racing pulse in your chest. 

   You suddenly notice his left hand, tracing every inch, every tan speck of his thick fingers. It’s unusually bare, no gold ring like in the wedding pictures you saw online. It’s gone, vanished. Was Tess and him, dare you say… over?

   He watches you assess his empty ring finger, his eyes flicking over your narrowed, confused face as you stare so hard that you think your eyes might fall out onto the smooth sand. 

   You open your mouth, drawing air into your tight lungs, until you release the words you’ve been wondering this whole entire time. “Are you and Tess still…” You can’t even finish your sentence, afraid that maybe he’d just left his ring at home or left it at the jewelry shop to get polished up. 

   He lets out a heavy sigh and shakes his head. “Nah. We ended things last year.”

   “Oh.” You’re dumbstruck, your mouth agape as he says the words you were almost too scared to hope for. Not that you wanted things to end badly between them, but somewhere deep inside you still wished that maybe one day you could find each other again. And as fate twisted its tethered vines around the two of you, it seems like this was meant to be. 

   “I’m sorry, Joel,” you say with tight knit brows. 

   “Don’t gotta apologize, wasn’t your fault.”

   “I know, but still. I’m sorry things didn’t work out.”

   He shrugs his broad shoulders and gives you a tight lipped smile. “After gettin’ married, we jus’ realized we wanted different things. Things weren’t the same as before, and we decided it was better off if we went our own separate ways. There’s no hard feelings, jus’ was better off not bein’ together. We gave it a good two years, but ultimately it jus’ didn’t work out, and that’s fine. Had a lot of growin’ to do after, found my own pace again. It was the best choice. I’m much… guess you could say happier now.”

   “Oh, well that’s good. I’m glad things turned out for the best.”

   “Me too.” 

   You give Joel a small smile, and he sends a dreamy one back your way, all crinkled eyes and that crooked smile that makes you dizzy every time you look at him. 

   He shifts his weight and digs his heel into the soft sand. His eyes look down towards the ground, then flick slowly up towards you, almost like he’s nervous. 

   “Hey, do you maybe wanna go grab some coffee this week with me?” His hand scratches the back of the scruff on his neck nervously as his jaw ticks from the building anticipation. 

   “Houndstooth Coffee?” you ask with a raised brow. 

   He chuckles warmly and nods. “‘Course. Only the best.”

   You smile in reply. “Okay. Yeah. I’m in.”

   “Great.” 

   You both stand there in the heat of the afternoon, gentle smiles pressing against both of your lips as Sammy barks and runs circles around you and Joel. 

   As if Sammy is trying to intrude on the awkward moment between you and Joel, he jumps up and presses his damp paws on your back which knocks you off balance and sends you lurching forward. 

   “Sammy!” you whine. As if on cue, Joel reaches out and catches you, wrapping his strong arms around your hips as he balances you back on your feet. 

   “Whoa there, easy now,” he chuckles as he lingers his big hands on your shimmering skin. Your mouth parts open, and you gasp as you look up to find kind, dreamy brown eyes staring down at you, almost like he’s mesmerized. And for the moment, it feels like the first time the two of you ever met, almost magical, but this seems new. 

   You hook a strand of hair nervously behind your ear and laugh. “Always showing up at the right time it seems.”

   “Yeah, seems like it,” he smiles kindly. 

   You stand there breathing his air, feeling a little dizzy at the smell of his woodsy scent, no more whiskey fragrance lingering in his sandy hair. You feel the tension, the chemistry just bursting at the seams. And you know now that this was fate, it had to be. 

   Joel gives Sammy a couple more scratches behind the ears and then looks over at you with a crooked smile. “Well, it was good seein’ ya again. Been a long time,” he sighs while you nod in response. 

   “Yeah, it really has…”

   Another long minute goes by and then he’s taking one hesitant step back. “Well, guess I’ll let you get back to it. I’ll umm text you about coffee.”

   Before he can take another step back, you hold your hand out as if to reach him. “Wait.” He ticks his jaw and knits his eyebrows together as he waits for you to finish. “Where do you think you’re going?” 

   He smirks over at you. “Jus’ thought I’d let you get back to enjoyin’ the lake. Figured I was interruptin’.”

   You shake your head. “No, not at all. Please, stay.” You give him your best puppy dog eyes, and he chuckles in response as his dark brown irises seem to glow in the sunlight.

   “Always knew how to get me with those big, beautiful eyes.”

   You crinkle your nose up at him and bag your eyelashes sweetly up at him. “What, like this?”

   He just crosses his broad arms over his chest and smirks over at you. “Mhm. Jus’ like that, gorgeous. Jus’ like that.”

   Your cheeks heat up as you feel the crimson blush taking over, lingering your fingers against his wrist as you ask sweetly. “So, will you stay?”

   Joel nods and smiles. “Yeah, darlin’. I’ll stay.”

   And he does stay, until the sun starts to slip under the fluffy clouds. He stays the entire afternoon, walking along the shoreline with you, playing fetch with Sammy, catching up on lost time together, starting fresh. It’s almost like he never left, picking up right where you left off. And maybe it was supposed to be like this. Like you had to fall apart to fall back into one another. 

   And when the sunset starts to fade to light purples and pink colors in the distance while you sit on the edge of the wooden dock, he leans over and kisses you softly. It’s like the world fades to black, and there’s only you and Joel getting lost in one another. His hands cradle your face softly, his plush lips melting into yours as you taste him and let the syrupy taste mix in with yours. 

   This is how it was supposed to be, how it was always supposed to be. You had to find each other later in life, begin again, have this special moment in time. It was fate, always had been. He was always the one for you, and this just solidifies it. 

   When he breaks the kiss, you lean against him while he wraps a large arm around you. You gaze out to the calm blue water and take a breath of fresh wildflowers in the air. “Joel?”

   “Hmm?” he hums as he looks down at you. 

   “Thank you for staying.”

   He leans down and presses a soft kiss to the top of your head. “‘Course, sweetheart. I’m not goin’ anywhere. Gonna just stay right here with you in my arms.”

   You lean your full weight into his warm chest as he scoops you up into his lap and hooks his arms around your waist, his lips lingering against your jawline. You take a deep breath and smile as you look out against the misty lake. You were finally home, with him. 

   Your forever. 

Tags: @laurrrra @yesjazzywazzylove-blog @littlevenicebitch69 @honey-dip-24 @sawymredfox

@orcasoul @thundermartini @solllaris @vivian-pascal @jessthebaker @vie-is-punk

@hoeruiner @la-vie-est-une-fleur29 @amyispxnk @morallyinept @milla-frenchy

@laramc-02 @keylimebeag

[its-tin]

My shot at @abbeyofcyn’s CTIYS!

Fun fact this is actually my first time ever doing something like this (or even posting art in general) and I might have gone a bit overboard with it. I coloured it twice because I had two ideas wanted to try both. My finger needs rest and I can’t fathom that Ibis is telling me that I spent 16-nearly-17 hours on this lol. But! I’m happy I did. This was so much fun to do! I only recently started with digital art and I decided to try and do new things with this. Who knew shading could be so enjoyable? I also found it very entertaining to try and shove as many small details as I can into this (an example being in the first one, Donnie’s bags (?) actually being Leo’s (he has them in the show :] ) that he *cough* borrowed to store interesting things he finds in the apocalypse).

ANYWAYS ENOUGH YAPPING HERE IT IS!

First one (what I call my normal attempt): “Gold”

(I actually forgot that his mechanical arm is green too and only realised it when I was late into the second one lol) I wanted to emphasise with the colours that they are still in the apocalypse, but it’s but brighter with those you care for. They’re the most valuable thing in the world, and hence, Gold! I also wanted to try doing a golden hour scene and MAN did I struggle. But, I’m proud of it :)

Small trigger warning! The next one contains a bit of blood and implied death.

Second one (Angst tehe): “Hollow peace”

(MY QUALITY NOOOOO-) This was actually my first thought on the CTIYS before I changed my mind and started on the other. I had the thought that maybe Leo “failed”, losing them in some recent battle and now is just chilling with their ghosts and ow that hurts saying aloud. They stumble upon a new area, and it’s so peaceful and beautiful, but Leo can’t enjoy it. He wouldn’t even know how to. He can’t remember how to feel, how to think beyond ‘survive’. He’s failed everyone and everything. He cries without knowing for what. He’s a husk caring for the hauntings of his kids, they’re the only thing keeping him alive. And as long as they’re still here, still smiling at him despite him being a monster and failing them, he still has a purpose. He will live on.

Wow I talk a lot. Anyways go follow @abbeyofcyn they’re super cool and post amazing art. They inspire me so much on so many different levels and I am very happy to be able to do this. Rad person with stunning fanart and stories.

(Incredible line art done by @abbeyofcyn (sorry I’ve tagged you thrice in one post))

And here’s the link to the Original Post if you want to try yourself! I recommend, but you do you. :D

Thanks for listening to my rambles and have a lovely rest of your day/night! :]

[nicohischierz]

right where you left me: brandt clarke

tagging: @ivy-34, @francesfarhadi, @hzstry8, @cixrosie, @itsnotgray, @estapa94, @trevs-swiftie, @heartz4hisch you want to join the taglist let me know!!

warning: death, pregnancy

when someone mentioned the name brandt clarke, people immediately think of the unique laugh he held.

the laugh gone unheard ever since that night.

february 14th.

the day of love. the day that was made to be celebrated with the one you love.

all of that didn’t matter to brandt anymore as he had nothing to live for.

he didn’t have anyone to make dinner reservations with or to buy chocolates, that he’d end up eating, for.

the one thing that didn’t change was that on the 14th of february, brandt clarke would always buy a bouquet of flowers for the girl that held his heart.

you and brandt met through his teammate alex. the older boy being a good friend to your brother and him keeping an eye on you.

alex’s intention of introducing the two of you was purely to help each other settle into being away from family. he never expected that would blossom into a wholesome relationship.

everyone remembers the smile on your face when you and brandt made it official. the pair of you walked into a kings event hand in hand with smiles spreading from ear to ear.

it was the happiest your brothers had seen you in a long time.

brandt fit into your family quite easily.

with your brothers in the league alongside him, brandt found conversation easy to carry out and his open personality made it hard not to be his friend.

moments spent with you were the happiest brandt could ever be. those moments topped the ones he made on the ice.

“this is my boyfriend brandt, he plays for the la king,” you introduced your boyfriend to your parents and brothers.

jack, quinn and luke shook the boys hand and welcomed him into their group. jack and luke already knew his brother so it was only quinn that didn’t know the boy at all.

but alas, after spending the summer together and visiting each other during games, the hughes brothers formed a strong bond with brandt.

a bond that continued after everything.

the brothers weren’t the only ones that loved brandt. your parents did too.

ellen and jim hughes were ecstatic to meet the boy that captured their little girls heart.

they met brandt when he surprised you with a bouquet of flowers after coming back from a road trip. the kings had only landed an hour ago but the boy drove to a flower shop before going home just because he missed you.

that was how your relationship with brandt was.

it felt like a dream that neither of you wanted to wake up from.

but brandt’s dream turned into a nightmare in a matter of minutes.

february 14th was planned to a t.

brandt had ensured that you were pampered throughout the day before meeting for dinner at one of your favourite restaurants.

sometimes, he felt like he was still there sitting in the corner before his phone rang.

“hey babe, i’m just heading to the restaurant now. i cant wait to see you, i love you!”.

“hey babe, it’s raining real bad so i might be a little late but i’m almost here, i love you,”

when his phone ring with an unknown number he answered.

“hello?” he answered.

“hi is this mr brandt clarke?” the nurse asked.

brandt gulped.

“yeah this is he,”

“sir i’ve got one y/n hughes who was rushed to the emergency room and you were listed as her emergency contact. would you be able to make it to los angeles general hospital?”

brandt agreed and slowly got up from the table. before entering his car, he called your brothers.

“she’s in the hospital and i’m going to see her now,” he told them, not explaining anymore.

jack sent alex to follow brandt in order to know more about his sisters situation.

“i’m here for y/n hughes,” brandt went up to the front desk. alex had met up with him at the hospital and promised to be by his side.

“mr clarke, i’m so sorry but miss hughes didn’t make it,” the nurse expressed solemnly.

brandt felt the room spinning as he grabbed onto alex. the older boy almost buckled under the defensemen weight as well as the shock he experienced.

“she experienced some complications during labour …”

the nurse was cut off by alex. “she was pregnant?” he whispered.

the nurse gave a sad smile. “we believe she had a cryptic pregnancy as she had no idea either,”

“is the baby okay?” brandt asked.

the nurse nodded. “we’ve got another doctor doing some check ups but she seems to be doing well.”

alex and brandt let out a breathe of relief.

the two boys went back to their own apartments and awaited the arrival of your family.

ellen was quick to pull brandt into a hug as she sobbed for her daughter.

quinn gave the boy a sad smile. he knew of the velvet box that would’ve sat inside brandt’s jacket. the way it felt heavier after the news.

“she was pregnant.” brandt announced.

“it was a cryptic pregnancy so neither of us knew but she named the baby callie before she passed,”

ellen sobbed even harder and grabbed brandt’s hands. “whatever you want to do, we are here for you,” she reminded him.

callie was a carbon copy of her mother.

they had the same features and personality but most did say she got her laugh from her father.

on your birthday, brandt took callie to visit your grave with ellen and jim. callie was only a couple months old but she knew inside that this person was important to her and her family.

ellen took callie off brandt’s hands for a couple of minutes, in order to allow him some time to talk to you.

“callie looks just like you. i figured out why you named her that too, callie for california, the place we met.” he paused, looking up to the sky.

“sometimes i think i’m still at the restaurant waiting for you to walk through the doors. i remember the corner i was sat in and the feeling of dread when i got the call,” his voice wavered slightly towards the end.

“i just miss you so much and sometimes i’m stuck right where you left me,” he sobbed.

[cecilysass]

Shine On (7/16)

Read on AO3 | Tagging @today-in-fic

Chapter 7: Across the Parking Lot

Stern’s Bakery Arlington, Virginia February 22, 2015 3:30 pm

Inside, the bakery is warm and smells of yeast and vanilla. It’s an old-fashioned looking place, with chrome tables, a glass counter and specials hand-written on a chalkboard. An older man is sweeping as they come inside, and he gives them a friendly nod. He leans his broom against the wall and walks behind the counter, seeming to anticipate their order.

“Why don’t you grab a place to sit, Scully? I’ll order for us,” Mulder suggests, although they’re the only customers, so there are plenty of tables. He lowers his voice for the benefit of the employee. “Doesn’t seem like this is the type of place to have lattes though.”

“I’ll just have coffee,” Scully says, as she turns for a table. Mulder doesn’t like the wooden expression that is still plastered across her face. She’s not acting like herself.

“Good afternoon,” the man says. He’s got thinning gray hair and an impish smile. “Welcome to Stern’s. You should try the doughnuts.”

“Thanks,” Mulder says. He’s eyeing the pastries in the case. It’s late in the day, so they’re pretty picked over, but he’s tempted anyway. “Two coffees, two of those maple doughnuts please. No—three. Three doughnuts.” He turns around and looks at Scully, who is sitting at a table next to the window, watching the car across the lot. He lowers his voice. “And… do you have a cake? Like a birthday cake? Chocolate maybe?”

“Of course,” the man says jovially. “We have chocolate birthday cake. Would you like something in particular written on it?”

Mulder frowns. “Sure.” He picks up a pen on the counter and writes “Happy birthday, Scully” on a napkin. “Can you do that?”

“No problem. Piece of cake.”

Mulder acknowledges the corny joke with a lukewarm smile. “When you’re done, can you just box it up so I can take it with me?”

“Of course.” The man leans forward conspiratorially. “Smart idea, picking up the wife a cake.”

Mulder shrugs. “It wasn’t mine.”

Before coming into the bakery, Mulder had walked back to the car to hand Jackson his coat. He knew it’d be cold in the car with the engine off, and he might need an extra layer. Scully had walked ahead, and Mulder knew she was upset. He couldn’t help but worry about it, even though he was dimly aware Jackson could be reading his thoughts.

“We can’t stay long,” Mulder had said to Jackson, tossing him the coat. Jackson spread it over him like a blanket. “If you get too cold, come find us.”

“Yeah,” Jackson had said blearily, as though that wasn’t very likely.

“I’m sorry you’re not feeling well,” Mulder had added.

“Get a cake,” Jackson had mumbled, flopping down, his eyes already closed.

“A cake?”

“Birthday cake.” Jackson, opening his eyes a sliver, gestured a little in the direction Scully walked in. “It’s a bakery, right?”

Mulder had been surprised. “Right.”

“She was hoping you were surprising her for her birthday. She was hoping you called her because of that. Not bringing her a long lost kid.”

The words appear in Mulder’s mind from nowhere. She imagined reservations at a restaurant.

Mulder leaned over to meet Jackson’s barely cracked open eyes. He spoke very deliberately. “I don’t believe for one second that you saw in Scully’s mind … any disappointment. No fucking way.”

Jackson had stared back at him a second. Those green eyes that could see right into you. Literally.

Then he lay his head down and closed his eyes again.

Now, as Mulder carries two hot coffees and a bag of doughnuts back to their table, he can’t help but marvel at the idea that Scully might have been hoping he would surprise her for her birthday. What could that possibly mean? They aren’t together. Spending time together, celebrating birthday dinners together—that definitely isn’t what she acts like she wants from him. What does that imply? Is she holding things back? Is he maybe not getting the full picture?

It’s not really the most important issue right now, Mulder supposes, but it’s on his mind. And possibly Jackson’s, too, if Mulder dwells on it too long.

“Coffee,” he announces to Scully as he places her cup down in front of her. “With cream. And here is your nasty sweetener.”

“Thank you,” she says, stilted, pulling the cup and the small yellow packets of sweetener towards her.

“I got you a doughnut,” Mulder says as he sits across from her. “They’re maple. They look really good.”

He withdraws his own doughnut from the bag with a piece of butcher paper, then holds the bag out towards Scully invitingly. She stares at it blankly.

“No, thank you,” she says.

He shrugs, and takes a big bite of his. It is good, yeasty, light and chewy, with a generous slathering of maple glaze.

“So,” he says, through his mouth of doughnut. “There are a couple of things I need to fill you in on.”

“How did he find you?” Scully asks. “How did he know to come to you?”

“That’s one of them,” Mulder says, chewing. “It seems that someone helped him find me, but he won’t say who.”

“What?” Scully sits up like a rocket, and Mulder knows her well enough to be able to observe the muscles in her neck and shoulders tensing. “Mulder—”

“I know,” Mulder says, nodding. “I know. It scares the shit out of me, too. It means someone knows who he is, someone likely knows what he can do, and someone knows his connection to us.”

“We’ve got to make him tell us,” Scully insists. “It’s too important. He can’t keep it a secret.”

Mulder takes another bite of his doughnut and regards her skeptically. “Do you remember being thirteen, Scully? It’s not as easy as ordering him around.”

“But Mulder, this is a life or death—”

“You don’t make kids that age do anything.”

Scully stops, then seems to slowly deflate. “You’re right,” she says mechanically. “You’re right.” Her shoulders slump. “Especially if you aren’t really their parents.” She grips her coffee tight, and her eyes drift back out toward the parking lot.

Her defeated expression makes Mulder want to punch a wall. Once again he’s awash in the same old corrosive feelings about William: guilt, regret, heartbreak. The same feelings that he knows all too well can take him down, make him give up entirely.

But he can’t do that now, can he? The kid is here. He needs him right now. At his Agent Mulder sharpest.

He looks at Scully tentatively, wondering how to coax her back to her sharpest, too.

“You know,” he says to her. “It sounds like he had good parents. Like they did a pretty good job.”

Her eyes lock back on him. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” he says. He thinks of Jackson’s eyes, the feeling of warmth when describing his dad’s woodworking and his mom’s preschool. “He was loved. He felt loved.”

Scully stares back at him, and he waits, watching her eyes well up with glassy tears. He knows that Scully crying is an act that needs to be given its own space, an act that can neither be rushed or stopped. He reaches forward and envelops her hand in his.

“That’s so… I’m glad,” Scully says, her voice barely more than a whisper. She picks up a paper napkin with the Stern’s logo on it and dabs her eyes with the hand that isn’t holding Mulder’s. “But they were murdered, Mulder. What if the people that murdered them are the same people that brought him to you? What if they have an agenda we don’t understand? And what will become of him now? He’ll have so much trauma.”

“Well…” Mulder finds he can’t quite speak aloud his little fantasy, that Jackson might come live in his house, at least some of the time. That he might get to be a dad to a teenage boy, at least a little, and help him heal. That Scully might get to know her son, too. He knows it’s probably childish and unrealistic, and he isn’t sure of the effect of sharing it with Scully. “I don’t know,” he finishes. “But he has us now. We can watch out for him. I think we need to, given the unknowns.”

“You said you were certain he wouldn’t run off,” Scully says, releasing his hand, tilting her head and scowling. She knows him well enough to know where there is more to find out. “What else is there you haven’t told me?”

“Yeah,” Mulder says. He takes his last bite of doughnut, nodding slowly. “There is another thing.” He takes a swig of his coffee, considers his words carefully. “The telepathy I experienced, after I touched the artifact back in 1999… it seems to be back. In some form. Around him.”

Scully stares at him. “What are you saying? You’re reading thoughts?”

“Not everyone’s thoughts,” Mulder says. “Not like before. Just his. And not just his thoughts, but his feelings, too.”

Scully seems to be speechless.

“At first I thought it was my imagination,” Mulder says. “I thought since he was reading minds, I was remembering what that was like. And you know, I was trying to imagine what he was feeling. How scared he was. How overwhelmed, by all this big emotional stuff he was having to deal with. But then I started to understand. It wasn’t my imagination, and it wasn’t just empathy. I’m definitely hearing flashes of what he’s thinking, and feeling what he’s feeling. At least sometimes.”

“Have you… told him this?”

“No,” Mulder says. “No, but I’m going to have to. Obviously. Hard to keep secrets from a mindreader.”

Scully’s lips draw together tightly. With a jerk she tugs on the bag of doughnuts and fishes one out. She starts violently ripping off pieces and eating them. “And you’re not feeling sick, Mulder? Your head isn’t hurting?”

“No,” Mulder says. “Not like before. Not at all.” He watches her anxiously devour the doughnut. “I’m not as good at it as he is. For me, it’s just every once and a while. I think I’m feeling it when it’s especially intense for him.”

“Give me examples.”

“Well, I was just … he was walking upstairs in the house. Up to the guest room. And it just appeared in my head, his thought: I wonder what it would have been like to grow up here.”

She stops chewing, her eyes wide. “He thought that?”

“Yeah,” Mulder says.

Her lip trembles again. She places the doughnut back on top of the paper bag, looks down at it.

“Scully,” he says. He reaches out for her hand again, but she slides it away.

“So he can read my thoughts and feelings, and you can read his,” Scully says in a rough voice. “And I’m in the dark.”

“Scully,” he tries again.

“No,” she says shortly. “No. I know I’m being ridiculous.”

“It’s only natural for you to feel—”

“No. Forget it.” She shakes her head, smooths back her hair, and she seems to transform before his eyes into the respected doctor at Our Lady of Sorrows. “We need to pay attention to you, how you’re feeling,” Scully says, all business. “The last time you had this ability, it didn’t end well.”

“It doesn’t feel like that now.”

“Don’t hold anything back from me,” she says firmly. “If you’re in pain, speak up.”

“I will,” Mulder promises.

“Why does he have that effect on you?” Scully wonders.

“I don’t know,” Mulder says. “I’ve been thinking about it.”

“He didn’t when he was a baby.”

“Or maybe he did,” Mulder says gently, “and I didn’t notice. When we were all together, he was so small, and everything was so emotionally intense. I might not have realized that his feelings weren’t my own or that I wasn’t simply guessing what he wanted.”

And I wasn’t around long enough to really find out, Mulder thinks. He can tell the same thought is passing through Scully’s mind, because her eyes drop again.

They’re both quiet a moment.

“We should contact Skinner about how his parents’ case will be investigated,” Scully says. “Hopefully he can get the Bureau to look into it. We need to make sure there is someone we can trust on it. And if we can, it would be good to get access to the local law enforcement’s notes on the case.”

“We’d be able to get more access as F.B.I. agents,” Mulder points out.

Scully regards him warily, sipping her coffee. “What are you saying, exactly?”

“We could ask to be reinstated.”

“On the X-files?”

“Sure,” Mulder says, “or anywhere. So we can be back in the game. Find out what we need to know. It would also give us more reason to hold Jackson in our custody.”

He’d expected Scully to scoff at the idea, but to his surprise, she doesn’t. She nods slowly, picking up another piece of doughnut and nibbling at it.

“It’s a possibility,” she says, after a moment’s deliberation. “We’d have to talk to Skinner and see what he thinks.” She looks sideways at him. “And we’d be partners?”

“I can’t imagine a new partner would put up with you, Scully,” Mulder says, shaking his head in mock disapproval. “You’re very eccentric.”

To his great relief, she smiles a little. He can’t believe that she’s even entertaining the notion at all: of going back to the FBI, of going back to the X-files, of possibly being partners again. His heart aches to think of it. He’ll never be able to keep these kinds of thoughts under wraps from Jackson.

“When we finish our coffee, let’s take him back to the house,” Scully says. “Maybe we can call Skinner there.”

Mulder nods. “Agreed.” His eyes study her. She’s gazing out the window again absently, looking towards the car, her long hair winding around her face. She looks like a woman in an Italian fresco, pensive and luminous, he thinks with a lump in his throat. He’s never known anyone more beautiful.

“Mulder,” she says, her voice wobbly, still staring outside, “is he …okay? From what you’ve seen?”

He considers how to answer the question. “He’s a good kid. He has good instincts, I think,” he says. “But he’s hurting. Grieving. Scared. And thinking about you and me—what we mean in his life—is a big bunch of extra shit to deal with.”

“Especially me,” she says softly.

“Especially you,” he agrees. “But that’s in part because he’s thought about you for a long time, Scully. He’s seen you before—in visions.”

She looks at him again, surprised. “What kind of visions?”

“You’re going to have to ask him. But he mentioned you calling out for him.”

He sees her react, pulling back slightly. She takes a sip of her coffee, nodding stiffly.

“Are you okay, Scully?”

“I’ve had dreams like that before,” she comments. “I wonder if he was seeing my dreams.”

“Maybe he was,” Mulder says in wonder. And the curious part of his brain can’t help but give that some thought, because what a fascinating thing: that Scully’s dreams would be picked up by a telepathic biological son all the way across the continent like a ham radio.

“I wish I’d had regular visions of him,” she says. She turns again to look out the window. “All those years… I would have liked to have seen him in my dreams. Gotten updates.”

He knows she would have. He knows it intimately: the sting of her longing for William, her bottomless regret.

His instinct is to climb around to sit next to her, to put his arm around her to comfort her, but he doesn’t know if she wants that from him anymore. He wishes she would ask.

He wishes she would say his name and pull his arm around her and rest her cheek against his chest. He wishes she would let him hold her for an hour, for longer, for all night. He wishes he could read her mind.

***

In the car, Jackson is breathing in, counting to four, holding for seven, breathing out. He tries to do it exactly like his therapist said, but he knows this probably isn’t the kind of mental distress his therapist had in mind.

He presses his eyes shut and tries to quiet down his shine. If he wanted to, he knows he could shine into their thoughts with no problem—the bakery isn’t that far away—but he has no desire to. He wants quiet. He wants peace.

Even so, it’s not entirely quiet and peaceful in the car. There are steady low level emissions of emotion from Scully even from across the parking lot. A constant background hum of anxiety and tension.

Jackson understands anxiety, obviously. The part of him that’s teetering on adulthood understands why she is anxious. He can even sort of sympathize. The part of him that’s still a little kid can’t help but wish she felt more … joy.

Isn’t she happy at all to see him? Mulder said she had really wanted to for a long time. But instead, every emotion she has about him—every thought, every memory—is twisted up with a kind of pain Jackson can’t even comprehend. He knows her life has been difficult; he has seen enough in her memories and Mulder’s to grasp that.

He just wishes she could somehow see him separate from all the sadness.

He sits up on the seat, Mulder’s coat tucked around his legs. He knows he needs help. He just hopes he can get it.

He massages his own temples with his fingers and tries again to relax, clear his mind.

Hey. Hey. Are you there?

He tries to project his thoughts outward in the way she taught him, thinking of them like they were radio waves.

You told me to check in. I’m checking in.

He wonders if there will be any sign whether this is working. He pauses a moment, and only hears a horn honking somewhere on the street behind him. Of course not. A sign would be too easy.

I need help. I’ve done everything you’ve said. I haven’t told them anything. But I need your help.

He waits, clearing his mind again to prepare, to make room for any response. He listens to the sounds of the busy road, to engines whirring past, tires screeching. Dimly his shine is aware of minds in each of the cars, busily going about their lives.

There isn’t an answer.

Are you getting this? Are you there?

I need help, Rose.

Rose?

He curls back down on the seat under the coat, frustrated. Maybe she can’t talk right away. Maybe the answer will come later.

He closes his eyes and enjoys the relative quiet, listening only to the sound of his own inhale and exhale.

Even in the stillness, from across the parking lot he feels the continuous thrum of Scully’s worry, a low droning buzz like a bee hive.

As he breathes in and out, he realizes it’s not just her worry he’s feeling. It’s shot through with something else, some different emotion. Something deep and fierce and glowing hot. Something he suspects must be the way Scully loves.

***

[camellia-salazar]

January's Set of Fan Art/Doodles

OH GOD I ALMOST FORGOT TO POST THIS!! Good thing I just remembered before it was too late. I didn't get to draw and post this the day of but at least I got to post it before January ends.

I also tried to match the art style just like with other characters from other shows and stuff.

The set of Kindergarten fan doodles took forever to finish. It also felt forever getting back into the game. Idk why I put it off for so long I loved the game so much back in 9th grade.

Shit I failed to change the Hexley twin's sleeves back to long hhh

Characters from my January interests (besides Willow I just wanted to draw him). 4 characters I drew because of reactions, 3 because I got into them myself, and Alastor for both and because I'm also watching Hazbin Hotel with my parents and sister. Also I miss Geologist Randy, ngl. 🥲 And I didn't even watch 101DS yet I'm watching the 90s show first and there's like 65 episodes 💀 AND THE SECOND MOVIE AFTER 😭 idek if they matter for 101DS

I just felt like drawing them. Probably my two most favorite villains of WC. They were also the two most heart broken. Huh.

Just a quick draw of Hollyleaf (or Hollypaw cause of no scars). Nothing much to say on it I just drew her, just because.

Thanks for viewing my fan art! Hope you had a great January 2024!! 💖✨👋

Read more down below if you want to ⬇️:

Oh and I also drew Warrior Cats x Hazbin Hotel AU. I had a blast with that, so if any one wants to see it let me know. (I also made a Warriors x BJHM AU a while back, not as proud of it as I am of WC x HH but I might show you that one before the other one just because its older).

There was gonna be another page of fan doodles but my tablet died and I don't think I'll have enough time to finish it when it's charged before midnight (my fault for putting it off tbh). So I'm gonna post it for February. Thanks for waiting on me to post it. Man am I hooked on new content this month and probably next month too. Can't wait to watch em.

I got a few sort of new fan art that I'll post next month just because I want to put in tags for them.

But anyway thanks again! Cya in February!! 💖✨👋

(curse the tag limit... Why couldn't it be 50 tags instead of 30?)

[illarian-rambling]

@davycoquette with the fun question games again!

Get to Know the Writblr

Gonna put this under a cut because it got long, but feel free to treat this as an open tag if you want to hop on!

On the Tumblr Writing Community:

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr?

Since the beginning of the year, maybe? Sometime in February, I think.

What led you to create it?

I was feeling pretty lonely having no one to talk to about my writing. None of my real-life friends are writers and I'm really terrible at expressing my interests verbally, so I figured online might be the place to go. So far, I've been right!

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community?

Oh, the people, for sure. It's incredibly rare that I come across anyone being less than supportive on here. No matter our skill level, I really feel like every writer on here has a sense of being in this shit together.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

Hmmm.... I'm pretty open about sharing things about myself, so idk if there's anything major I haven't touched on yet. I wake up at 4am every morning for work, so if you see me posting at an egregious time, that's why. Also, if you ever want martial arts tips for your fight scenes, I'm your gal!

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

I love it when people make memes of their ocs. Makes me giggle every time.

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today?

You gotta interact with people. I know it can be scary, but even a reblog with no tags can make another writer smile. Chances also are, if you leave a nice comment on someone's work, they might check you out and leave a nice comment on yours! A community isn't a community unless you go out and commune :)

WIP it Good:

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

Lately, I've been juggling writing my first draft of Mortal God book 3 (tentatively title being The Machinations of Machine and Man) and going over @kaylinalexanderbooks lovely comments on MG1. My ghost ship project is also on a low simmer in the back of my brain, but I'm trying to leave that until I'm done with MG3.

How long have you been working on them?

Good lord, I started MG1 about... almost two years ago now? Damn, it feels like it's been so much longer. But hey, three book drafts in two years ain't bad! Honor's Outcasts, which is largely written by now, I started about three years ago.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

The two main characters of MG started as a vague daydream, which then became two important dnd npcs along with MG's main villain. I ended up liking them all so much that I wrote a short story which became *drumroll* three entire books! A lot of my inspiration came from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and the Foundryside Trilogy of books. I can't think of anyone specifically who inspired the characters, except that Astra was originally based on the archetype of the silent wandering cowboy/samurai as seen in a lot of Kurosawa films and old westerns. For anyone familiar with her, uh, things changed quite a lot.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

At least ten percent of my brain's storage is dedicated to my wips at all times. As for how often I'm actively thinking about them... it's also quite a lot.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

"Uh, fantasy stuff?" is my go-to.

What do you want to say (if it’s different from what you do say)?

I really wish I had the ability to explain my wips as succinctly with speech as I do with writing, but alas. I would want to give a nice, book jacket blurb that doesn't give away too much of the crazy shit.

Let’s Rotate Blorbos:

Name any characters you created.

I think I'm really good at names, so we're gonna go down the list!

Izjik Meautammera

Sepo Kaiacynthus

Twenari Undetasib/Devaris

Djek Kagura

Astra DuClaire

Mashal Darezsho

Ivander Montane

Elsind Cavernsight

Duchon Avymere Kalaphon Spearsong III

Faalgun Falani

Nyda Burningrock

Kaulakri Ondohuroata

Pashananath

Anarac Fifth-Blood

Who’s the most unhinged?

Unhinged in terms of violence? Sepo for sure. Unhindered in terms of sheer chaos? I'm gonna go with Izjik and Djek as a duo. Between both of their high charismas and low intelligences, along with their combined expertise in fighting and creative uses of magic, they're unbeatable.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

Probably Izjik. I've been writing in her POV for the longest.

Do you ever cringe at them?

Sometimes yeah, when they do something real stupid. But, then again, I did make them that way.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters?

I think I know my characters really well and base my plot around their motives, so there really isn't a huge need for control.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters?

PLEASE!!! FEED ME ASKS! I'LL TAKE ANYTHING!

On Writeblr Engagement:

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account?

Probably creativity. I've read a looooot of fantasy/sci-fi, so if you're doing something I've never seen before, I'll probably give you a follow.

What makes you decide against following?

Any kind of hateful rhetoric or someone who doesn't want 18+ interaction. Other than that, I think it's important to follow people who write different genres or have different methods than me.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

I wouldn't say so. I get a little shy doing that.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

The characters of @kaylinalexanderbooks @mk-writes-stuff and @somethingclevermahogony all have a little place in my brain. Favorites from each include Robbie and Akash (not to be separated), Narul and Bop (love me a good living weapon/teddybear of a dude team-up), and Nellie and Stellaris (their earnest kindness makes my heart happy). If you haven't yet, you should go check out their stuff and see for yourself!

And with that, thanks for reading! Go out and have yourself a bitchin day <3

[oonajaeadira]

questions tag game

Lol thanks for the tag, @insomniamamma, @grogusmum, @katareyoudrilling, @toomanytookas, and @ace-turned-confused. I missed playing games!!!

Do you make your own bed? Only if I have rehearsal that day. My rehearsal studio is in my garage and the only toilet's inside the house. Our back door goes directly into the bedroom, so if people have to pass through our bedroom, I'd like it to look neat. But otherwise no. I actually like to throw the covers wide and let the sheets air.

Favorite number? Truthfully, numbers are weird to me. I don't get 'em. It's a long story. I guess the only one that catches my notice is probably 17 because my birfday, but I don't know if I'd say it was a favorite.

What’s your job? I work with performing artists. Fewer than 300 people on earth have my job and probably fewer than half of those even use the same job title. But I love love love my job; I'm good at it and it feels like I was made to do it. I get to spend my days working to make it more accessible for artists to present their work, organizing arts events, and fighting on their behalf to keep arts programs running.

If you could go back to school, would you? A few years ago I might have said yes. But now, probably not. I'm content to take classes, but I don't have the time, money, or energy. I wouldn't want the pile of checkboxes and deadlines again, that's for sure.

Can you parallel park? Pretty well, yes. Bonus for being able to parallel park in February when the snow's all built up on the side of the road and I have to gun it through plow drifts.

Do you think aliens are real? Statistically speaking, the probability of there deffo being aliens is astronomically high. (See what I did there)

Can you drive a manual car? Yes. I learned in/took my test in/first owned a stick. My dad taught me to drive and wanted to make sure I could always drive whatever vehicle I got in. It was his way of protecting me--if I ever got in a scrape and suddenly needed to drive a car, I'd be able to, no matter what. It actually came in handy in college because I was a pretty straight shooter, so my friends could drink and toke and I was always there to drive them home, even if it wasn't my car.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Most of my pleasures are guilt free because idgaf. But I do love staying up late knowing that I'll be tired in the morning. And I do love having a lazy day even though I know being sedentary isn't good for me. I love love love flying when I go on vacation, but I know my carbon footprint is deep. And I love shopping on Amazon and Shien and...well...*capitalist guilt*

Any phobias? Centipedes. Stick around my blog and you'll hear me scream about it often enough.

Favorite childhood sport? I was a water baby, so I loved swimming and would get into the water any chance I could. I was on swim team and gymnastics team in junior high. Loved riding my bike anywhere I could get to. And I was big on roller skating and downhill skiing...until I found theater and then I couldn't imagine risking breaking a bone and being in the wrong kind of a cast for six weeks....

Do you talk to yourself? All. The. Time. In the third person. Both admonishment and praise as well as practicing imaginary conversations with others. Sometimes it's a back and forth battle between two voices that are both me playing devil's advo. And sometimes I talk out fic dialogue in the shower or in the car. I get caught at it all the time. Whoops.

Tattoos? One on my back that I'm thinking about covering up with a Darksaber/watercolor tat. Now that I'm at the point in my career where I don't have to keep my body "marketable" (an actor's life is bizarre, yo), I'm thinking of getting a set of matching forearm tats.

Favorite color? Lemon yellow.

Do you like puzzles? I love brain puzzles. Sudoku, crosswords, anagrams, logic puzzles, escape rooms. Complex scheduling lol. Anything you have to think through. I usually wake up and play my way through most of the New York Times daily puzzles first thing in the morning. I am not as fond of trial-and-error puzzles like jigsaws and rubiks though. Those just feel like work to me.

.

tagging: @feathersandfoxtails @songsformonkeys @yespolkadotkitty @julesonrecord @writeforfandoms

@honestly-shite @lowlights @ithinkwehitametaphor @moonlitbirdie @the-blind-assassin-12

[mizgnomer]

Behind the Scenes - The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End (Part 18)

Excerpts from The Writer’s Tale - The Final Chapter

From Russell T. Davies to Benjamin Cook, Thursday 31 January 2008

I know what’s really preying on my mind, though, and stopping me moving onto the Christmas Special. Julie said, ‘That scene on Bad Wolf Bay isn’t working, is it?’ And she’s absolutely right. I love a good note, because it’s like someone has articulated the voice at the back of your head. That scene doesn’t work. I have always known that, from the moment I typed it out, but I don’t know how to fix it.  [...]  The hardest thing of all in that scene - and Billie might yet have problems with it - is getting Rose to walk away from the TARDIS in the first place. That, indeed, is the problem with the whole scene, that Rose has to act out of character to stay on Bad Wolf Bay. She’s utterly, marvellously selfish, and would push past anyone to get to her Doctor.

From Russell T. Davies to Benjamin Cook, Saturday 9 Febuary 2008

[Russell has a bad case of the chicken pox...] I’m itchy, scratchy and tired, and I still have to rewrite 4.13. And I just realized my plan to make the Bad Wolf Bay scene work - the one involving Voidstuff - won’t work, because I’d forgotten that Mickey has to be free to stay in our universe.  Bollocks. Julie’s upset. She’s saying, ‘Leave Mickey in the parallel universe,’ and I’m saying, ‘Too late! We promised Noel that we’d bring him back in Torchwood Series Three.’

From Russell T. Davies to Benjamin Cook, Monday 18 February 2008

The Bad Wolf Bay scene still isn’t working, but do you know what? No one’s giving me good notes on it, when they should, so sod it. It’s slightly better now, and I’ve cut the kiss between Rose and Doctor #2, but it still sucks.

From Russell T. Davies to Benjamin Cook, Saturday 1 March 2008

I’ve rewritten Bad Wolf Bay again. Finally, I’ve got it right!

Basically, I’ve given more of the decision to Rose, put her in control, and used that control to push away the original Doctor. And the kiss is back in!  Then the scene finishes as before: Rose saying, ‘No - !’, as the TARDIS fades away. Doctor #2 taking her hand, and a wide shot of the now-empty beach. Julie is happy, David is happy, phew, good. Series Four, final rewrite, done.

From Benjamin Cook to Russell T. Davies, Saturday 1 March 2008

Never mind Julie and David... are you happy with it, Russell?

From Russell T. Davies to Benjamin Cook, Saturday 1 March 2008

I am delighted. That is such a weight off my mind.  Knowing it wasn’t working was driving me mad. It hung over me, during Chicken Pox Fortnight. Literally, all the time.  I tell you what helped: I watched the footage of the 4.12/4.13 read-through. They filmed it for Doctor Who Confidential, then edited it together fast so that I could see it - and they had to read the first draft of 4.13, because that’s all I had written. It was so slow!  I could see what worked and what didn’t, and I realized how good the kiss was, but equally that the kiss had no consequence. That’s why it wasn’t earning its place. But it’s obvious, in the end, isn’t it? The scene is about Rose choosing between two Doctors. So, on the last draft, finally, I’ve written clearly, obviously, Rose making that choice. Rose is in control.

The rushes have helped, too.  When Rose is in the TARDIS with Doctor #2, Billie is looking at him with sheer lust.  As only Billie can do! That, too, puts the power into Rose’s hands. The mechanics start to work...

Link to [ part one ] of the Stolen Earth/Journey’s End Behind-the-scenes posts or click the #whoBtsStolen tag, or the full episode list [ here ]

[foreverrandomwritings]

Also “you can hold my hand, if you want.” With Javy??

You and Javy and his friend Jake

Summary: 1 writing prompt for my mini celebration. This is based of the tiktok trend of “You and me and me and you and your friend Steve”.

Pairing: Romantic Javy "Coyote" Machado x Reader Bromance Javy "Coyote" Machado x Jake "Hangman" Seresin Platonic Jake "Hangman" x Reader

Warnings: Fluff, swearing, mentions of death, blood, gore and other stuff of the sorts.

Word Count: 1090

Masterlist Series Masterlist

When you and Javy started dating the two of you did everything together. Grocery shopping, laundry, going out to eat, watching movies, brushing your teeth, going to get mani pedis, having lazy nights in and eating way too much food for two people. One would venture to say it was the honeymoon phase. But you guys had been together for 2 years now and it was still like this. Just now it was you and Javy and his friend Jake. 

Jake had started doing everything with you guys about 6 months into your relationship. You never minded much. You didn’t have many friends of your own and the strapping blonde was filling that void nicely. He never invited himself along to your escapades and always checked to make sure you guys were sure you wanted him to tag along when you guys invited him. At this point it felt empty without Jake along most of the time. 

So when you had found a haunted house open in a town over in the middle of February you texted the group chat your trio had and let the boys know. They had both agreed instantly and that’s how you found yourself in line for the haunted house with the two pilots. They had been talking about the haunted house all week and how excited they were. They were joking and poking fun at you the whole time because they figured you would be terrified. You hadn’t told them that you had worked at a few haunted houses in your late teens, early twentys and that they didn’t phase you much anymore. 

The line was moving quickly and you guys were two groups away from going inside. That’s when you saw Javy getting antsy. He was going back and forth from one foot to the other, playing with the pocket of his jeans. You leaned into his chest a little and asked if he was okay. He puffed his chest out a little and looked down at you. “Of course I’m okay Sugar. I’m just worried you might get a little scared. You know you can hold my hand, if you want.” he told you, pulling his hand from his pocket holding it out to you. 

You gave him a huge smile and grabbed his hand. “I would love to hold your hand honey. My big pilot boyfriend protecting me sounds amazing.” you pushed up on your toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Then you were moving up in line and only had one more group before it was the three of you. Jake looked perfectly poised like always. Even in jeans and a t-shirt he looked authoritatively laid back somehow. He always looked professional and carefree in the weirdest way ever. 

Him and Javy were pushing each other and betting on which one of them would be screaming at the end. Then you guys were walking in. You were still holding Javy’s hand and he had walked in first, Jake was behind you. The three of you walked through a room of creepy bloody patients first screaming and crying begging for help out. Then there were nurses who were asking if they could give you guys an exam with a bunch of weird instruments on the tables next to them. As you guys were about to exit the room a nurse had jumped out at the three of you. Which made Javy scream a loud “Fuck off” and jump behind you with Jake. 

The next room had doctors that looked completely demented. They were trying to coax you into lying on their tables for surgery. A body was already on the table with the guts hanging out. Then suddenly the body popped up screaming with blood spewing out of its mouth. That had made Jake scream and grab ahold of your other hand that wasn’t wrapped around Javy’s. The final room was the Morgue which was eerily quiet. You knew the boys were taking deep breaths trying to calm themselves down thinking that this was the end. Their hands had started to let go of yours when four of the cold freezer doors slammed open and zombie-like figures came crawling out. The boys jumped about 3 feet, screamed, squeezed your hands and shoved you forward.

You were a giggly mess at that point. You led the boys out of the building. Neither letting go of your hands. When you finally got out and the lights from outside the building were shining on the boys' horrified faces you lost it. The loud laugh you let out had both of the boys letting go of your hands simultaneously. “You should see the looks on your fucking faces right now. I thought you guys weren’t scared. What happened to the two of you protecting me from all the big bad scaries in there?” you barely got out as you were bent over laughing. They just looked at you unamused. 

“I was definitely not scared. I don’t know what you’re even talking about.” Jake replied to you grumpily turning to Javy for help. Javy threw an arm around his blonde friend’s shoulder and turned to you.

“We have no idea what you’re talking about and we will deny everything if you dare speak of this to anybody.” he quipped at you with a serious look on his face. 

“Okay, okay, okay, I’m sure that those were somebody else's screams coming from behind me then. Two other people were gripping my hands and shoving me out of the building. It definitely wasn’t you two scaredy cats.” you assured them nodding your head. 

“Yea that definitely wasn’t us. Got no clue who it could’ve been. But since we're out can we leave now?” Jake asked you quickly. That made you shake your head. 

“Sure I just have to run to the bathroom real quick. Why don’t you guys head to the food truck we passed on the way in and I’ll meet you there?” You questioned them and they both agreed turning and heading in the direction of the food truck. You turned and headed in the direction of the booth selling pictures of the groups that had gone inside. You found the pictures of the three of you in the final room and purchased them. They showed the boys jumping, screaming, holding your hands and pushing you forward. You knew the pictures would come in handy one day. Then you were walking to the food truck to meet Javy and his friend Jake.

A/N: I loved writing this and I think I might write a tiny series about the trio if anyone would be interested in that? Likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated! I had so much fun writing this thank you @sylviebell for the request!

[my-mt-heart]

I want to address a few things that Norman said in Le Parisien. The article isn't free, and I'm not going to encourage anyone to pay for something they might not like, but if you do want the link, DM me and I'll send it. Thank you to the person who read and translated this:

Defending himself against others trying to throw him under the bus is one thing, but denying all responsibility for the title accomplishes absolutely nothing except further insulting a significant portion of Daryl's fanbase. These fans, specifically Carylers, were all paying close attention when he said the exact opposite on Jimmy Kimmel. Watch at 8:45:

The video is from late last year. Melissa's negotiations for S2/S3 started last summer and her deal closed at the end of the year per my sources, which means there was (at least) a loose plan to bring her back before S1 started shooting. Norman confirms Pilgrim was a working title at some point, but he doesn’t mention Raise the Dead, which was more than likely planned as the official title of the show while they were shooting between October '22 and February '23.

I bring up the timeline because even if you believe Melissa was always part of the French spinoff, Norman’s other favorite narrative right now, the implication is still this: Norman, AMC, and the other EPs were fully aware that Melissa was coming back when they officially landed on a title excluding her. You could argue Daryl has the most name recognition from being the most marketed character or that his tags on SM have 6 billion views or, hey, let’s make it 6 trillion (how much of that overlaps with Daryl and Carol content btw?), but as we saw, that doesn’t guarantee all those viewers will watch the show, which is how AMC makes money. If there are two leads on the show, naming it after one lead doesn't make any sense from a marketing perspective because AMC is missing out on attracting more audience, promoting two characters and their chemistry instead of just one character.

So. They either manipulated the situation to give Norman and the other EPs what they wanted or, once again, they dismissed Melissa’s/Carol’s vitality to the show. Or both. Regardless, it poses a big problem for me, because Carol's ability to stand her ground against anyone who thinks less of her is what draws me to her character. I can't reconcile that with the obvious tactics Norman and the other EPs use to claim the show for themselves, completely ignoring fans who may be critical, yes, but ultimately just want the story both Daryl and Carol have earned.

Speaking of being ignored, I heard from multiple fans that AMC did in fact send out a survey regarding the title. I can't confirm because I haven't seen the survey myself, but if you're doing market research, you need a target audience, and if you're doing market research on what you know will (eventually) be a Daryl and Carol show, you should probably target Daryl and Carol fans, shippers or otherwise. Not that it's the most appropriate way to choose a title (not even close), but where's my survey? Did any Carylers get to participate? Did anyone bother to check? Because to me, it sounds like the focus group they used for their market research wasn't aimed at their target audience at all. It's possible they did the market research with a sample audience of the flagship show or just Daryl fans who are a percentage of their audience but not all their audience. If they used an audience that incorporated Carylers, Daryl fans and GA — the feedback for that title would've been mixed. If they focused their market research on mostly Carylers, the feedback would've heavily leaned towards having an inclusive title.

So many fans, not just Carylers, hate the title. It's boring, it's offensive, it's pretentious, it's misogynistic, etc. etc. These are fans who want to watch and enjoy the show, who are expected to pay for it, so why don't their opinions carry more weight? Why is there still such a strong disconnect between AMC and Carol/Caryl fans when that's exactly what caused the backlash last year? Why are they not doing everything they can to avoid the same mistakes?

As for this:

Most of it is true except for one important detail. Angela Kang's spinoff was going to be a road show shot and set in the U.S. That's the phone call Norman is alluding to. That's the spinoff Melissa signed on for. To say otherwise makes her look unprofessional and flaky for "dropping out" knowing all along she'd have to relocate, and that's not what happened at all. It's like there's no consideration for his co-workers' images while he's trying to rebuild his own, and that is unprofessional.

To be very clear, this is not meant to be a smear campaign. My intention here is to point out how deceptive the PR/marketing strategies have been and how they're hurting everyone, including Norman. I can't for the life of me see any business sense in repeatedly gaslighting and alienating a profitable fanbase, treating Daryl and Carol fans like they're stupid, or insinuating a Daryl and Carol show can't belong to Daryl and Carol fans. The more Norman talks about the spinoff's inception, the more it ensures people will never trust a single thing that comes out of his mouth ever again, and that sucks because if he just focused on what the audience wants, insisting that Melissa is his equal on the show, talking about the characters in meaningful ways, supporting Daryl's and Carol's relationship, he could sell it easily. Fans should be getting excited for their story, not reliving last year's trauma over and over and over again. Melissa is back and that's exciting, but story still matters. Both on and off screen (precisely why we need someone else on board who can manage all of that really well). I've asked this several times before. I'll keep asking until someone listens. Can we please move the fuck on from the spinoff fiasco?

And change the title.

[meadowziplines]

#IFD2024 Feedback Fest / Femslash February Recs: 10 Femslash Sandman Fic Recs

I have not provided additional cw’s beyond what is in the summary; please check work tags before reading.

Feel free to tag in authors whose Tumblr handles I don’t know!

(G-M)

[G] New Dreams, New Age by AlphaScorpiixx (1k) (Gault/Lucienne): Gault. Lucienne had spoken true to Dream. She never trusted the shapeshifter Gault. Dream had agreed with her, claiming it wasn’t the nightmare’s nature to be trustworthy. Now, with Dream about to pronounce his punishment on her, Lucienne couldn’t stop staring at the expressions on Gault’s face.

[G] Trials of a Shapeshifter in Love by tryan_a_bex (1.9k) (Gault/Lucienne): “Lucienne has been working so hard lately,” Gault explained to the Dream King’s head cook. “I’d like to do something nice for her. I was thinking a surprise romantic dinner over candlelight in the library.”

[G] todas tus luces (all your lights) by marveling_under_an_open_sky (@two-hands-toward-the-sun) (1.2k) (Gault/Calliope): Calliope had always seen people’s creations as facets of their own selves, was drawn to people according to the work of their hands and hearts. And Gault created beautiful, powerful things for the dreamers she held so dear.

*lovingly yeets another femslash rarepair into the pile*

[T] our place in the sun by marveling_under_an_open_sky/(@two-hands-toward-the-sun) (1.6k) (Calliope/Lucienne): “Oh, my love.” Laughter bubbled out of Lucienne’s throat, and she felt so light; no, she amended to herself, she felt heavy with the weight of the woman she loved and who loved her, and it was glorious.

Calliope planted her hands into the mattress on either side of Lucienne’s torso and lifted herself up a little to look down at her, eyes sparkling. The fabric of her pyjamas was soft against Lucienne’s front. Calliope leant down, hair tumbling over her shoulders, and tasted Lucienne’s mirth with her own mouth, savouring it like it was honey, like it was the finest dessert at a queen’s royal table.

I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH OKAY

[T] Flirting with Death by honeyteacakes/@honeyteacakes (5.6k) (Death/Johanna): “Strange,” the woman replied, looking at Johanna thoughtfully. “Normally I don’t meet people until they’re ready to leave with me, but you’ve got time yet.”

“Might be less time than you think. Mind phoning an ambulance, love?”

Johanna keeps getting her ass kicked. Coincidentally, she keeps running into the same beautiful woman. Those things probably aren’t related, right?

(Recommended for those who want to see Johanna be a pathetic little meow-meow and for those who think Kirby Howell-Baptiste might be one of the most beautiful women alive.)

[T] Birds and Bees in the Belfry by Karalyn/@karalynlovescake (1.3k) (Delirium of the Endless/Poison Ivy/Harley Quinn): When you're in an odd three-way relationship with the anthropomorphic personification of delight and delirium, you don’t get to choose your own pet names.

[M] Starts and Stops by goblininawig (11.5k) (Calliope/Johanna): Constantine just wanted to be paid, not to get involved with a mythical entity. Calliope just wanted to be free, not to fall in love again. But that's exactly what happened.

(E)

[E] Right Hand Ladies by Karalyn (2.1k) (Lucienne/Mazikeen): While waiting for their respective bosses to finish their “meeting of state” (a thinly veiled excuse for them to hook up,) Lucienne and Mazikeen commiserate about their jobs, their respective lords, and find an enjoyable way to pass the time.

[E] Sea Change by Cafephile (3.1k) (Gault/Lucienne): "What brings you here, Gault? Not that I am not glad of your company," Lucienne hastens to add because it is true, and she would not want the dream to feel unwelcome.

"Are you?" Gault asks. "You never seemed to like me much before."

Gault visits Lucienne in the library to clear the air. They end up doing far more than that.

[E] East of everywhere is Hell (7.6k) (Ric the Vic/Johanna): Written for the Sandman Femslash Weekend prompt: Meet-Ugly

The day Erica Patel (Ric to everyone except official bureaucracies) learned that, contrary to every rational instinct she had, demons were in fact real and able to possess people, was unfortunately also the day she met Johanna Constantine. At the moment it was a tossup which part made the day worse.

----

(the 10 other fandoms fic rec list is still coming)

also check out the whole sandman femslash weekend collection on ao3 and the tumblr blog dedicated to sandman femslash, @sandmanfemslashfans!

[seblaineworld]

Hey, Seblainers! Hellooooo, everyone else!

Seblainintine's Extended Weekend 2024

A fortnight exactly to go, so without further ado, here's what you need to know.

The Rules

When?

The event runs from Wednesday 14th February until 23:59 (of your own timezone) on Sunday 18th February 2024.

Who can take part?

Anyone and everyone who shares our love of Seblaine!

What can we submit?

Anything, as long as it is Seblaine-related! Fics, Graphics, Gifs, Gifsets, Videos, Manips, Playlists, Lyrics - anything you like as long as it fits the themes! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.

Please remember to use #seblaineworld and #seblainintines2024 within the first five tags, and also put @seblaineworld somewhere in your posts, since we all know just how flaky Tumblr can be about tags!

Please be sensible and considerate. We're all very well aware that not everyone shares our love of Seblaine, and even within our own tiny (but always fierce!) Seblainer Fandom, there are those who don't enjoy mature content, so please ensure you tag everything that you submit, appropriately.

Can I cross-post/combine themes?

Yes! You can combine any of the three themes that you want. And if your contribution does combine multiple themes, just remember to properly tag all themes used. There are no set days for the three themes this time.

As a reminder, your themes for this event are:

Roses and Chocolate

Love Language

Red and Blue

Perhaps you'll want to write about the journey they take to finally getting together, some of our talented angst-loving Seblainers might want to write or illustrate something relating to one or both of them ending up heartbroken - before putting them back together. Or could it be about Seblaine celebrating Valentine's Day itself? It’s completely up to you, as long as Roses and Chocolate, Love Language, or Red and Blue are clearly shown as the main theme. You can, of course, mix two or all three of the themes in one submission if you like.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with. They're on a Valentine's vacation in Venice - the other City of Love in the announcement graphic, but I'm sure all of our incredibly talented Seblainers will come up with some wonderful and imaginative scenarios.

Can I post on any day during the event?

Yes! You can post on any day or all five days.

Do I need to submit something for each theme?

Absolutely not. If you want to contribute something for all three themes, then as stated above, of course you can, but it's not a requirement at all. I know everyone has busy lives, so just do what you can when you can.

Can I post a WIP or work that fits the themes even if I started it before the Seblainintine's Extended Weekend 2024 announcement?

Absolutely! I have done this before and feel it's a great way to refresh creativity, so feel free to post anything you've already started, providing it fits the themes!

When do we start posting?

As soon as it becomes Wednesday 14th February 2024 in your own timezone, post your work to your Tumblr blog, and as mentioned above, please tag it #seblaineworld and #seblainintines2024 and make sure those two are in your first five tags. Please also put @seblaineworld somewhere in your post.

If you're going to be posting your work to another site like AO3 or ff.net, post a properly tagged link on your Tumblr.

There will be a Seblainintine's Extended Weekend 2024 Collection added to AO3 next week.

Can I post late?

Yes! I know how time can occasionally run away from us all, so everything posted will be reblogged until Friday February 23rd February.

You haven’t reblogged my work yet!

No problem! Again, because Tumblr can be (very!) erratic, just send us an Ask or message if we haven't reblogged your work within 24 hours of you posting it, and one of us will get onto it right away.

So, that's it! I'm really excited to see all your work, and as always, if you have any questions in the meantime, just drop me an Ask or message. See you all on Wednesday, February 14th!

Ail 💜

[wintersoldeer]

ok i wasn't going to make a post but i do have feelings about until dawn remake that didn't fit under the tags of one reblog

im 15 mins in someone's playtrough of the remake and im still not too impressed BUT ohh my god they changed my least favourite line ("wHeRe's mY SiSTer GoInG?") and i might just have to forgive them everything for that

other than that so far: the people look terrible (like the graphics look nice, but as people...... they don't look like themselves to me.... also. very dark – i cant see anything but that might just be the streamer's settings idk) the longer intro is sooo awkward without any new dialogue. might be the streamer mode with no music tho idk. but goddamn i don't agree with sam's new role in the prank or see why they changed note (i've always thought it was wild that hannah would just start by taking her shirt of, but now it's just.... why exactly does she??) and i miss the fixed camera but that might be just because im not playing im just watching sucks to be chris in the morning with all that on his face...... not the situation where you want to look like that

ok i'll keep watching and liveblog

it is so dark that if i hadn't seen this game being played about 39204932 times before, i wouldn't have any idea what's going on::'D i love the snow falling from the frees tho no subtlety with the fire here i see ::'D

they made the creepy scarecrow postcard look downright pleasant?? it's so darrrrk/there's so much contrast you can't even tell if dr hill's office has cool things on the background

ok i am very into the new intro

sam on the bus looks so good.... but something is off with josh's video?? the movement?? the face?? something???

still no clarification on whether josh wants to party like they are fucking porn stars or party like they're fucking porn stars

did they move this game from february to like april since the sun is still out in the beginning?? they also made the time earlier but im pretty sure that's still a couple of hours too late..... and i take my winter darkness very seriously (but like. the nice atmospheric dark of the original) it's very pretty tho

it feels very.... video game-y now. with the new graphics and especially with the moving camere.

interesting that jess is now mike's girlfriend instead of mike's new girlfriend, an em is now matt's girlfriend instead of mike's ex and same with mike and matt

oh noo the snow ball fight without music is horrible:::'D

oh nooo the sun is finally and very quickly setting i can't seeee anything

doctor hill has a swedish flag on his desk 😂😂

i am not a gamer. but. is the hunting around for a premonition on a totem.... fun? seems like a frustrating waste of time

ok i am an hour and twenty minutes in (chris wandering around the lodge) and i'm seriously considering on just giving up and watching another (third.. this week..) original game let's play instead. mainly because it's so damn dark that it's not pleasant to look at. the flashlight (or lighter or torch or whatever) is for pointing out glinting things, it's not supposed to be the only light source! one of the things that keeps drawing me back to this game year after year is how pretty and atmospheric it is, and the remake... is not delivering.

but at least they don't leave the window upstairs open anymore! that has been bothering me for years

ok i cant do this i give up!! i'd like to continue bc the streamer seems cool, but iii cannot see anything. i'll skip through some random scenes and mourn what could've been and maybe watch another let's play of the original... there might be one or two on the internet that i haven't yet seen

like look at this!! who is that?? where is he??? i wouldn't know

[barnesafterglow]

here is year two of my valentine's blurbs challenge!! my motivation for writing has been so low lately and i'm hoping this will help at least at little bit

just like last year, i'm gonna dump some prompts here and ask y'all to request one (or even one not on here!!) plus a character! i'll be posted one (hopefully) every day from february 1st to the 14th (i'm also starting this so early so i can get ahead on it!!)

i write for most marvel characters, all seb stan characters except tommy lee, jeff gillooly, and steve kemp, all cevans characters except his murderer ones, as well as steve harrington and matt murdock

requests for this challenge are open!

“when was the last time you slept?”

“it’s a miracle you’re alive.”

accidentally admitting that the other is really pretty, leading to both of them getting very flustered

''kiss me and you'll find out.''

only one bed

emotional reunions

spin the bottle

“i can’t pretend anymore.”

“let me give you a reason to stay in bed”

“i never stopped loving you.” “prove it.”

“Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

“If you die, I’m gonna kill you.”

“did I just say that out loud?”

“this feels dirty” “that’s because it is”

“stop distracting me.”

“Is that my shirt?”

“i’ve missed you” “so what are you gonna do about it?”

“that’s my girl”

“If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”

“you have given me enough memories to last a lifetime.”

“my lipgloss is all over your lips.”

“want me to model these for you?”

"i miss you. i know i’m not supposed to, but i just had to see you."

helping your partner undress/into the shower after a night of drinking/during sickness

video call when you are away from each other

arguing about what movie to watch together

pulling your lover closer by the waistband

two characters to discuss a potential third they’re interested in

"friends with benefits? isn’t that like, for friends?"

“keep sweet-talking and this could go a whole new direction.”

no pressure tagging some mutuals!

@demxters @itistimeforusalltodecidewhoweare @notyouraveragemailman @aphrogeneias @sweetascanbee @sweetdreamsbuck @treatbuckywkisses @foreverindreamlandd @writing-for-marvel @fandoms-writings @lavendercitizen @bucky-barmes @inklore @pellucid-constellations @lilacletter @smokeinherperfume @abovethesmokestacks @jen-with-a-pen @thornsnvultures @jadedvibes

[finalgirlkateausten]

"This sounds so cheesy, but be my Valentine?" "It's March." for Ronon/Jen

This prompt made me laugh out loud so I just had to start with it. Set in the canon timeline but no specific episode tag

Jennifer is fighting the losing battle of trying to keep the latest research-worthy medical records organized the way she likes them when Ronon ducks into her back corner of the infirmary, dropping two chocolate bars in front of her. Her interest is instantly piqued, because those never cease to be a hot commodity, even during the weeks when things are calm enough that they can come back and forth from Earth. The two he’s offering are cookies ��n’ cream and a 70% cacao dark, and her mouth begins to water.

“Jen.” Ronon is holding out a bouquet of daffodils and some smaller white and yellow flower she doesn’t recognize, and he has an adorable befuddled look on his face. “This sounds so… cheesy, but, uh. Be my Valentine?”

She opens and closes her mouth a few times, caught off guard by the amount of Earth slang happening. “Um. It’s March?”

“So?”

Jen has a sneaking suspicion Ronon has not grasped the entire concept of Valentines. She tries to tread carefully, not wanting her explanation to come out as a rejection. “Well, Ronon, Valentine’s Day is, like, a specific holiday. In February. It was a few weeks ago… remember when General O’Neill showed up and Colonel Carter put half a dozen marines on kitchen duty for asking why he was here?” Not that she blames the Colonel. She certainly wouldn’t care for military snooping if someone looked at her the way General O’Neill looked at Sam. Almost the way Ronon is staring at her now. Hm.

Ronon falters, the bouquet dipping as he lowers his outstretched arm. “Oh. I’m late, then. Sorry. Sheppard, uh, made it sound like a less specific form of courting, like it was just about being dramatic about showing interest in someone.” He meets her eyes, looking uncharacteristically nervous. “I thought you might like dramatic.”

Jen feels her cheeks heat at the idea of him thinking about how to impress her. "That's so sweet of you," she says, her voice cracking. She steps out from around the desk to take the flowers from him. "I'll get some water for these..." she ends up filling a beaker to temporarily put them in, but it's the best she has right now. "Thank you so much Ronon, I-- you didn't have to do that."

His face falls. "You're not interested."

"No! I mean, yes!" Jen buries her face in her hands. "Yes, Ronon, I'm interested. I've just... never had someone go to this much trouble for me. The chocolate is insane, and the flowers too, I mean, gosh, where did they come from?"

Ronon shrugs. "Some from the botanists, some were native wildflowers Teyla helped me find. I picked all yellow ones 'cause it's so dreary down here." He looks around. "No offense."

Jennifer licks her lips, her mouth feeling dry. Taking a chance, she steps closer and wraps her arms around his neck, even though she has to go up on her toes to do so. "I love them, Ronon," she says. "I definitely like you dramatic. But I-- I like you normal, too."

His eyes might as well be staring into her soul. "Dramatic is more fun." And then he leans down and kisses her so intensely that she doesn't even have the breath to gasp in surprise.

The kiss is insane. She's never felt anything like it. She understands now why romance novels are so fond of the term 'mind blowing'. She dearly hopes nobody gets injured in the next, like, hour, because she's going to need more than a minute to recover, or even better, to keep kissing Ronon. And the he slides his hands down to her butt and bites her lip and her mind just goes blank.

When they part, Jen closes her eyes for a minute, her head spinning. "Holy crap," she breathes.

Ronon strokes two knuckles down the line of her jaw. "You okay?"

"More than," Jen answers, sure she's grinning like an idiot as she looks up at him. "Um. Do you wanna... go for a walk?"

"Absolutely," he agrees. "I just want to spend time with you. Whatever you want to do."

"Well, you took away most of my brilliant ideas with all that kissing," she says, giggling a little, "but getting out of here seems like a good first step."

Ronon slides an arm around her waist, his hand dipping into the back pocket of her uniform pants. "Lead the way."