#I promise you that right now my wip doc of the chapter looks like a wall covered in sticky notes and string

[tally-ace]

Sorry guys, abandoning my passion project zelda au that I love with my entire heart to write homoerotic final fantasy seven vampire aus

[campfam4lyfe]

Got any campfam aus or ideas in the works?

hey anon! I wouldn’t say I have any ideas in the works, because I have what I like to call commitment issues when it comes to writing fic.

This means that while I have an abundance of ideas, outlines, and wips in my Google docs for the fandoms I’ve been in. I’ve never actually finished a fic and posted it.

In fact, the only single time I have, (diff fandom!) I am not counting properly, because it was a collab with a close mutual, and a lot of the legwork was them. I had the initial plot bunny and was going to leave it as a one off tumblr post, but my mutual rlly liked the idea and we bounced drabbles and such back and forth. We wrote a bunch of snippets and put them together in a doc, until we had cohesive chapters, as we filled the empty spaces with more and more work, ending up to a total of 18 chapters. It took us a year and a half to post it, and that was mostly my fault, as where my mutual had finished most of their allotted sections, different hyperfixations kept pulling me to other unfinished works. This is why I won’t promise anything—I don’t want to disappoint anyone.

But, that being said. I do have ideas, hcs, and aus! One that is currently consuming me, was actually inspired by this one other post I saw recently. (When I find the post ima link it dw!) OP of the post was saying that there should be a Carmen Sandiego au for CC and I jumped on that SO fucking fast anon. I LOVE Carmen Sandiego, and have since it first aired when I was in HS.

So. Here’s some of the Carmen Sandiego au thoughts copy/pasted from my Google docs. (Yes I do always write out my outlines as if I’m taking to someone but that’s bc i sometimes end up sharing the doc link with some friends)

JWCC Carmen Sandiego AU:

Y’all know Kenlynn is my JAM and so is RedCrackle. So obvi I thought of mixing the two right? But here’s the thing. While I love Carmen/Gray, I am also in love with Carmen/Ivy and Carmen/Julia.

So with that in mind. Kenlynn is going to take a backseat for a second (meaning tho they'll become a thing and obvi they will bc they are a constant to me, theyre not the center of this), and my fave girls YASAMMY will be at the forefront of this au.

I’m thinking. Carmen Sammy. But I’m not entirely sure about whether or not that’s what I want? It could be argued that Sammy’s love for her family is a core driving force in her character, and Carmen doesn’t KNOW her family. But also—a huge plot point is that she’s looking for her mom. So. Tentative Carmen Sammy.

MANTAH CORP AS VILE MANTAH CORP AS V.I.L.E MANTAH CORP AS V.I.L.E

So I figure not everything is going to be one-to-one. This means I am placing Kenji in the role of Gray/Crackle. His story is going to be different tho, bc whereas Gray was a recruit, with MANTAH CORP AS V.I.L.E that means Daniel is already on the board. So kenji trying to make his dad proud? More likely than you think.

(I just wanted my Sammy&Kenji besties. Bestie betrayal can be just as good as romantic betrayal)

I’m sure you know where I’m going with this if we’re not going the redcrackle route. Thats right. YASMINA JULIA.

I considered at first, YASMINA CARMEN and SAMMY IVY, but in the end the need for Sammy Carmen was too great.

So I also considered Dave and Roxxie as Chase and Julia but, I decided to scrap that idea for now. You know me, at some point I might revamp most of the au anyways lol, now is not a time for fine tuning it’s just a tentative starting point.

Torn between DARIUS as Player or Brooklynn as Player. I considered Ben of course, but I think we need to put him on an island at some point—he needs a Bumpy, no matter the universe.

WAIT. REVISITING BEN AS PLAYER. BECAUSE DARIUS AND BRAND AS ZACK AND IVY. This means no Carmen/Ivy vibes but since we ditched the Gray/Carmen as well in this au I think it’s fine.

Ben still has to end up with Bumpy somehow tho? Original Ben plan, when Darius was a Player candidate, was Ben is also a V.I.L.E recruit.

V.I.L.E having a faction that deals with genetics and cloning (in addition to like. Kash and his robots) and ending up with a dinosaur—Bumpy! And that being Ben’s flip to the other side/Team Sammy. He defects and steals Bumpy on his way out.

Okay I’m a little too attached to that, so yeah. V.I.L.E recruit Ben, so Brooklynn as player??

Oh! She doesn’t have!!! IRL friends!! Brooklynn being an Internet famous vlogger as in canon. So we get that running gag of Sammy and Brooklynn always being in contact and Brooklynn being a big part of the heists through investigative work and such, yet she’s constantly on the other side of the globe? Sammy needs to be in Sydney but Brooklynn is in New Orleans. That kinda stuff.

Works with Brooklynn having traveled all over the world, she can also do those factoids player does—she’s got the deets.

Oh!???? THATS HOW WE GET MY FAVE DUO OF DINOSTAR BESTIES!!! They both love their facts. They’re nerds.

Mae as shadowsan? Tentatively?

Okay. Player Brooklynn. Except instead of being home most of the time, she’s usually on the go. She’s talked to kenji a few times during Sammy and Kenji’s V.I.L.E recruit era.

Kenji as the Gray of this au. he’s a V.I.L.E legacy. he became friends with sammy his recruitment year, and he'd talked to brooklynn a few times, due to sammy introducing them because kenji was curious about whether or not sammy has friends in the outside world, and sammy noticing brooklynn feeling a little left out/jealous that sammy had friends she was hanging with in person rather than over a phone call.

kenlynn kenlynn kenlynn

does he recognize her voice from her vlogs? does he even watch them? i dont think hed be a brooklander, guys got a lot on his plate and thats impressing his dad

ben is a V.I.L.E. recruit. maybe a bit of mime bomb, in that he was. not as close? with the other recruits. i do think having ben come in as a recruit the year sammy defects would be cool tho. so he doesn't know her as "black sheep" or whatever code name V.I.L.E refers to her as. he'll first meet her as Sammy.

yaz as JULIA!!!!! a junior agent? a former athlete. trying to make it make sense, but i think it fits.

omg. yaz. is alex rider basically holy shit

was thinking of dave as chase, and decided that i was going to keep it.

roxxie as the Chief.

mae as shadowsan.

yes. it IS because i want a roxxie/mae/dave love triangle and that need's final form was ot3

DARIUS AND BRAND AS ZACK AND IVY. i dont want their mom to be dead. but i dont know WHAT happened to her and why theyre involved in this life of crime? i love the og carmen&ivy&zack meeting. and i love that they were involved with racing. trying to find a way to incorporate it and make it make sense

important question.....is darius and his dad's great shared love still dinosaurs?

OR IS IT CARS? RACING?????? BRAND BEING INVOLVED IN THE RACES BC IT WAS IMPORTANT TO DARIUS AND THEIR DAD AND DARIUS CANT DRIVE YET

AND. SAMMY. AS CARMEN!!!!!!

okay so carmen's dad was a former V.I.L.E. agent who left it all behind for the woman he fell in love with right? well. obvi this au isnt a one to one. like there clearly have been changes in characters and dynamics. but i think involving elements from this could work. lemme map it out to make sense

okay so in cc sammy spies for mantah corp despite her parents not wanting her to. meanwhie carmen's dad defects from V.I.L.E., i think shadowsan was there and so was the chief and he dies.

okay so--sammy's dad was a V.I.L.E. agent, fell in love, defected. V.I.L.E. catches up with him, and does A.C.M.E. and in the fallout, the house collapses. A fire? an explosion? they think sammy died. (im not killing off sammy's dad bc damnit she needs a happy ending)

yaz losing faith in the system and having her hot girl summer being romanced by the pretty thief she's supposed to be catching

ben ditches VILE/Mantah Corp with Bumpy and meets Darius at some point--oh!!!

mae/shadowsan joins Team Sammy at the end of s1 i think? okay, so, when she joins, she brings ben, a fresh defector with her.

obvi ben left after he stole bumpy from them

at some point during their occasional talks, kenlynn became friendly with each other. then The Train scene happens. and kenji is promptly deemed a disappointment and dealt with the way gray is.

brooklynn ends up coming across a memory-wiped kenji during one of her vlogs. he doesnt know he knows her, just that something about her voice seems familiar.

brooklynn brings it up and the other are Concerned but also have a lot on their plate rn/dont truly trust him again or are unclear on whether or not they should. darius/brand bc their experiences havent been good so far, and sammy doesnt want to risk them. but he was still one of her first friends. shes torn

brooklynn making contact with him. smth smth she ends up needing a camera man for one of her vlogs and kenji volunteers. they grow closer during her sporadic visits. he asks her out.

DANIEL KON HAS ENTERED THE CHAT. SAMMY NEEDS BROOKLYNN TO DO HER THING. SHE MISSES THE DATE.

Meanwhile, that entire interactive ep??? of carmen sandiego with the julia/carmen??? THAT. THAT HAPPENS. YASAMMY DANCE AND WE GET THAT SCENE YOU KNOW THE ONE

[nerdieforpedro]

Weekend Update 02/11/2024

Nerdie! It's the middle of the month, how are you?

Good. Nothing to complain about. Mainly relaxed and then worked Thursday and Friday. My orientee made me laugh.

Oh? How so?

She said that now that she's had some different preceptors she enjoys my balances of being a bit hands off since I know she's experienced, but still checking in during the shift to see how things are going. (Puffs out chest and also wonders if that's a good or bad thing.)

I mean, if she said it's fine, it should be fine right? Now did you do anything writing this week?

I did a bit. Not as much as I normally do. I'm gearing up for projects I have either agreed to or planned for myself.

My two fics are quite different. One was silly and sweet and the other was filth. Nerdie in a nutshell really:

Is it for the wallet of the shoebox? (Tim Rockford x plus size female reader) Tim being silly in a bookstore leads to a serious conversation and a partial photoshoot at home. Comedy and domestic fluff with slight spice.

One Pass for the both of Us (Lucian Flores x female reader x Benny Miller) You and your boyfriend Lucian have the same hall pass. All smut with sweatpants and gold chains.

Working on two things I promised people. One requested fluff and the other action and smut.

I decided to start a new series (because clearly I don't have enough - Dieter, Frankie and Tim give Nerdie a death glare) 👀 because this Pedro character was in my WIPs way before the three of you! Might even help me brainstorm…

Two Hearts by the Ocean will feature Javier Gutierrez x Abigail (plus size OFC). The vibe is sweet summer romance. Mainly fluff every Wednesday, not sure how many parts, at least five. Let me know if you'd like to be tagged for it. I have a few people in mind but if you'd like to be added, let me know. 😆

Roc & Doc and Weddings 101 with Dieter are still ongoing, no worries. Tim and Dieter have calmed. Frankie is a bit pissed still but you have the longest masterlist Fish! You don’t care…well. Okay. 🫡

I might be trying to figure out how to write Ezra. I love reading fics with the man, but his speech patterns have so many nuances to it. I've been studying @morallyinept aka Jett's Pedro Pascal Character Database that she's been compiling and her entry on Ezra from Prospect has been invaluable. It's an excellent reference for Pedro character fic writers or if you just wanna know more. She also has one specifically on Ezra’s speech patterns that I swear I’ve read at least four times.

It's me, I'm the problem. 😭 I’m either overthinking or not focusing on the right parts. Ugh…

Fics I read this week: ( I took time off work and had plenty of time to read - still didn't get to everything. 🥸)

Movie Night by @munsonownsmyass (Zach Ellison x reader)

No game at all (but I can do this) by @for-a-longlongtime (Marcus Pike x Tim Rockford - Frankie Morales floating in thots)

Wouldn't It Be Nice - Chapter one by @lady-pug (Agent Whiskey x female reader)

02 x birds - Frankie Morales x reader by @trulybetty

Mon Amour by @saturn-rings-writes (Jake Lockley x black female reader)

The Stars by @youvebeenlivingfictional (Poe Dameron x reader)

Mutual by @morallyinept (Ezra x female reader)

Dinner Party by @lavendertales (Steven Grant x fem reader)

The Mercenary and the Whore by @absurdthirst and @storiesofthefandomlovers

Comedy of Errors (MK Spring Bingo #3) by @soft-girl-musings (Steven Grant x GN reader)

03 x snowfall - Marcus Pike x reader by @trulybetty

Ambrosial by @spacecowboyhotch (Din Djarin x fem. black reader)

Half of you - part 1 and part 2 by @foxilayde (Santiago Garcia x female reader)

God Speed by @magpiepills (Tim Rockford x female reader)

Not for nothing @magpiepills (Ezra x female reader)

Perfect Fit by @lowlights (Frankie Morales x plus size reader)

To the Flame - chapter 5 by @pedroshotwifey (Dark Javier Peña x female reader)

Come back to me by @reallyrallyauthor (Poe Dameron x female reader)

If you’re not looking at @immarocketman ‘s art, then I feel sad for you. It’s beautiful 🤗 They put out a sketch of Din/Cobb this week that’s apparently going to have a fanfic written about it by @theywhowriteandknowthings

There was also an excellent head cannon about Sarah’s younger years by @clickergossip that resonated with me on Black girlhood. ☺️

That's about it until next week! 🥰

Stay hydrated and safe!

Love Nerdie 💜

[theskeletonprior]

Write Time: Day 14

This month, my goal is a cool 30 000 words written. I’ll be carrying on with more RAVENOT. If you’re curious, you can take a look at my WIP intro right here. And if you’re really keen, you can read the first chapter (sort of a pilot as I toil) right here! Now onto the daily ramble.

Not much to report, yet today. I made a major milestone, and I'll just keep going. I have a character I'm about to introduce that I'm so excited for, which feels pretty good. Let's see... Ellipsus continues to treat me well, and its load times are not as egregious as Google Docs tends to get when my document breaks the 10k mark. I have some travelling to do today so I'm not sure what that will mean for my count, and a busy weekend ahead, but I do know one thing: I'm determined to keep going. And now, this.

"I can incite you to remember what befell you in this place. To do so, may help me find the one who hath used you so evilly… But it will be painful. Will you remember for me, even so?" For all of their whimsy, there were few amongst the fey who would not trade for revenge. This one was no exception. His gaze flared bright with lichlight. "When you find them… What will you do?" he asked. "Will you kill them?" "If I must. I will strip them of their power to do again what was done to you." "Say you will kill them." The freshly blossoming impulse grew strong, then. Almost enough to become dangerous. Ravenot laid their fingerbones on the fey's brow. "Settle." The body stirred, weak, but as if he might sit up. Ravenot held him still. "I do not make promises," he said. "And I kill only when I am left with no choice." "I leave you no choice. Say you will kill them." "You are a poorer bargainer than once you were, I wager," said Ravenot. "I will bring you out into the light. Be still." The Risen fey grumbled, but he hadn't the strength to do much else, even with such a burgeoning impulse. It would be risky to plumb this poor soul for what he remembered. His impulse might grow stronger, then, and there was potential that his fury might burn his body away, leaving only a shade. Ravenot considered this, and lifted the fey up into his arms, bearing him out of the cavern and into the daylight. It was summer, still, when they emerged, and Ravenot stood still for a moment, to let his passenger adjust, before he set him down at the foot of a nearby tree. "I have some things to prepare, if I am to help you," he said. "Rest, 'til then." "Rest…"

Until next time!

Taglist: @alexanderflowerbird @void-botanist @carmillasboywife @ceph-the-ghost-writer @wintherlywords

As always, let me know if you’d like to join or leave the taglist, and I’ll act accordingly. You can reply right on this post, if you’d like. Divider by @/strangergraphics, from this set: here. Thank you!

[hell-much]

Hope you are doing well 😃 thank you so much for sharing your stories this year! ❤️ ... now im curious 😅 with the posting AO3 wrapped: can you answer #12 and #20 👀

Thank you so much for the ask, dear anon! ❤️I honestly wasn’t expecting anyone to send me any questions 😊 And awesome questions you picked!

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

Way. Too. Many. I have a total of 5 WIPs in the works at the moment. And most of them have been sitting in my files unfinished for way too long.

So, obviously Insidious Intent is something I hope to finish early next year. I have about 28k words written in draft, but this fic has a way of doubling in size when I get to editing, so we’ll see how big it gets in the end..

Then I have an epilogue for Once In A Lifetime in the works. Possibly a sequel, depending on how much that goes out of hand. Right now I have about 15k words written, but I’m not entirely sure if I’m happy with the way I have been taking the story.

Something I had in a first draft for a very long time is a new installment for the Corporate AU. The angsty bits in between earlier stories that we’re still missing. I have a full story map and about 10k words written there.

Almost as long I have a third part of the Parent Trap AU in the works. Here I’m currently looking at 7k words and I’m so frustrated every time I open the document because I would really like to know how it continues lol

And last but not least there is also the epilogue to More Than Friends. We almost have that ready, except for the very last few scenes. And I’m embarrassed to say I’ve promised my wonderful co-author that I’d take a look at it, but then I started writing something else instead. (@cerseiwondered: I’m sooorry! I said I'd get to it and then I didn't. But it’s my top new years resolution for next year, I promise!)

Aaand there are two more prompts I have something vague in mind for. For one the jealousy prompt, where I’m dabbling with the idea of writing a short (tiny!) ficlet for the Risen From The Ashes verse. And then @khaleesi-in-the-north set me up with a prompt for a fic idea she had and I’m now stuck with to write.

So yeah. Safe to say it won’t get boring. And that I might need to quit my job to get to it all haha

20. Which work of yours have you re-read the most?

Love that question so much, because I swear to you, no one re-reads my own fics more often and more happily than I do.

Typically I will re-read my works a good thirty times in the week after publishing. lol So for this year, it’s definitely Once In A Lifetime and Satisfaction I re-read the most.

But something I will return to regularly for re-reading is Risen From The Ashes. Not the whole thing, but some of my favorite chapters in specific (17, 22, 23, 34, 40-47). I’ve honestly re-read them more times than I can count.

The Partent Trap AU is my personal feel-good story, so that I read a couple of times too this year.

[annawayne]

Henlo, it's a me, Moon!

🛠🌞💖🧐🦅🤲✅🤯

Hii, Moon, thank you for asking! T_T

🛠What tools/programs/apps do you use to write?

Oh, just Google Docs, Eb Garamond font, 14 font size. I write both from my laptop and from my phone when I'm in bed and have a sudden inspiration. But also I have a notebook and in some coffee shops or in parks I can write some stuff. Here is the first chapter of BMSS, heh.

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

I WOULD LOVE to have one in the morning but now it's quite chaotic times for me, so usually I write in the evening or the whole day when I have the day off. But my ideal time is early morning and evening.

💖 What made you start writing?

I also already answered this, so I'm just doubling this answer of mine ^^

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

Hm, depends. For BMSS I do quite a big research of period-authentic traits like slang etc. As I'm both an art and history enthusiast, for these two topics there are not a lot of research, more like checking details :) For one shots…no, but for some I'm going to HAVE to do one…concerning some medical stuff👀

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

Oh, I also answered this, so here it is!

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Oh…Okay! Here it is for "Wasteland of (our) promises)"

His words were always the waves. Calm under the bright sun of his smile and wild dancing with thunder through his gritted teeth; transparent with the softest breeze of his gaze and muddy with the hesitation within his gestures. And his words were always an untamed power, only he could find the way to have infinite water in his hand. “If there was anyone left with the power of the Titans, we’d be using that power to protect ourselves right now,” his talk shine in colors borrowed from the sea - brave and free - flooding everyone's minds with the salty air of his intention. “Instead, even after having guns pointed at our heads, we’re still powerless humans,” the storm is rising with each step, his voice drops an octave, right to the bottom of the sea. As his figures pass by, a second, a flash glance over her moonlight crystal eyes leaves a short message. “I’m here,” the whisper of the evening tide rings in her ears, and Annie can’t look away from him, him, him - so radiating and dashing. His back, suddenly so broad and so strong, is the only thing she could see just in front of her. The wind plays with smoke and embers, disturbing his locks in a steady motion, and her fingers tingle with the sparks of the memory of how her hands were lost among the golden of his hair before they parted ways. Annie almost doesn’t hear his voice, deafened by the savage beating of her raging heart against the ribs, but his words are the sharp sword cutting the dense haze of her tumult with the assertive tone. “This is above all the proof that we are just humans now.” Are they? Can the human heart throb so fast, almost aching, agonizing? Can the human body survive all the avalanche of emotions when she saw him alive, so full of life and determination? Can the human body survive the enormous fear when he puts himself in front of all of them? Can the human, just ordinary human, be so brave, so selfless and so smart and so stupid at the same time? Are they just human now? Can they be just humans? Can she?.. Is she?..

And this one for BMSS chapter 4:

“Oh, shit,” the low hiss chases the soundless motion of the shaving blade along his jaw. The skin immediately responds with a light, somehow between pleasant and disturbing, tingle, and a few drops of crimson red fall right into the painful whiteness of the sink. His eyes lazily follow the stream, that repeats the curve of the basin, outlining its way right to the bottom center, not rushing to wash it away. Armin was never very handy with the razor blade that always remind him of some instrument of homicide rather than a tool for a gentleman to look neatly. The pale, dry sigh that lacks emotion the same way as his life lacks purpose leaves his lungs, and his hand places the shaving blade on the table near the sink. Tentatively, Armin’s still sleepy gaze meets his reflection in the mirror, observing the straight red line on the right corner of his jaw that looks far too tidy for the cut. Maybe, the war taught him well, as the old habits die hard.

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

AGRH, MY NATURE COMPARISONS. Some of them are intentional, but some of them are just accidental, and when I reread it, I just feel this "OH COME ON NOW FOR REAL" moment. And also text formatting. I realized I do it sometimes also on purpose, but sometimes I feel like I HAVE to do it.

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

Hm…comedy, I guess :D I mean, I didn't write anything comedy related, and, honestly, I really don't know how to write something light and funny, just have NO IDEA.

[gayhoediaz]

12 and 29? 🫶🏽

12. how many wips do you have in your docs for next year?

oh, it depends on what we're considering a wip. if we're talking stories that have actually been started, but won't be finished until next year then it's two! one of them is an explicit three chapter story exploring their sexual hang ups, and figuring out the best way to communicate their needs. the other one is a patrick x richie fic that i work on whenever my looking hyperfixation comes back around - it might not even be up in 2023 tbh, we'll see. most of that fandom has moved on, so i'm just writing it for myself. (except for @dickley-buddie who i dragged down the rabbit whole with me this year and i'm very proud of that mwah) i'll post it when it's finished, for sure, but we'll see when that might be. if we're talking planned or outlined wips, then it's a lot more. i'm finally gonna work on that private chef au i promised everyone like six months ago. i haven't forgotten about it, i just want to have enough time to dive into it, because i'm really excited to write it!

29. favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

oh god. i need you to know that once i post a fic, i don't remember anything about it. and i have written a lot this year, so i genuinely have no idea. that being said, i am partial to this entire scene in grow as we go:

“You look very pretty, by the way,” Buck says, eyes wandering over Eddie’s face, and up to his hair, his hand soon following - but Eddie flinches away, putting his own hand up in between them as a barrier. 

“Hey, you’re gonna ruin it - she’s very expensive,” he says, barely getting through the words before they’re both laughing - warm, bright chuckles bouncing around the room. When they start to trail off, Buck bends his arm a little bit more, tugging Eddie closer, as he places his other hand on the side of his face, nudging their noses together. 

“I’m very sorry.” 

“You better be,” Eddie hums, right as Buck grins and goes in for a warm, languid kiss - not too much, just in case they’re interrupted, but certainly more than a peck. He pulls away, only to be tugged back in for another one - and then a third, Eddie’s arm coming to rest around his waist. 

When they part, Buck stays right where he is, leaning his forehead against Eddie’s temple, listening intently to the sigh that leaves his lips. 

“What?” Buck asks quietly; Eddie brings a hand to his hair, resting some of the strands in his palm, looking down at them for a second before he turns to meet Buck’s eyes. 

“You think she’s gonna be mad?” 

“Yes,” Buck says without a single second’s hesitation. “She’s six. She’s gonna be mad at you,” he nods, as he tucks a strand of it behind his ear (making very sure to stay away from the butterfly clips.) It’s long now - really long - past his waist, in fact. Eddie could probably have cut it a little bit at some point, but Buck knows that he would never do that - this was never really about having long hair, as much as it was about not cutting it. Once he cuts it, he’s cutting it. 

Eddie huffs a laugh, teasingly knocking his temple against Buck’s. 

“Maddie can take over your chair, Jee’s getting too old for butterfly clips,” Buck shrugs then, only to have Eddie turn his head, a deep frown line developing in his forehead. 

“Too old for butterfly clips?” he asks, an extremely dramatic look of offense on his face. “Excuse me?” 

Buck tilts his head back with laughter, Eddie’s soon joining in, bouncing against the walls of their happy home. 

ao3 wrapped (writers edition) 📝

[v5hadow]

WIP Wednesday

Royal Strikers: Chapter 1 Scene 2.3

haha.... Not where I wanted to be when I posted this, as the end still has a (need to write this here) thing still and definitely needs a little smoothing, dialogue tagging, action, etc. especially towards the end. but man it's close enough after most of a month for an initial post. I'm already guessing next week is either a filler-ish bit or the next section of Futaba's Lost and Found Services since the ending of the next major scene eludes me and has for a little while. And today one of my tarot deck also was a snarky little thing about this story it seems. Like needed sass, but that isn't the deck to do that normally.

Yuuki looked up and behind him to look at Akira as he said, “And well, Akira’s here and is supposed to be hanging out with his friends all summer. What are his parents going to care if he, and by extension Morgana, is in Tokyo or Kyoto or wherever?”

Akira took a deep breath in. “That’s… true.” 

“Can confirm, they did literally say ‘have fun in Tokyo or whatever.’” Morgana tried teasing between purrs.

“Soooo. What is your mom going to say about a few weeks of skipping rehab?” Ann asked as she toyed with the small knitted doll of a red cat.

“Mom seemed fine if my docs were,” Ryuji answered while waving his hand. “And I already promised my docs I’ll be doing the exercises I can outside of their offices and to not overdo it.”

Makoto added the question of “What about grades or money?”

Ryuji looked at Makoto seemingly confused on the question but responded, “Eh, I can likely still do so? Mom’s normally pretty good about most things involving me and school, and she’s never really questioned too much about money?”

“Just using Aki and-“ Yuuki started before stopping as he got squeezed by Akira with the arm around his waist. He flusterly continued, “Nii…Makoto’s presence in the group should help you.” 

Ryuji leaned back into his chair, about to tilt onto two of its legs. “You all are way too worried for no reason.” 

“And you two don’t have to be so attached right now.” The grumbling from Morgana caused the two to shift, Yuuki slightly away, only to keep a grip on Akira’s hand. Akira near immediately adjusted to use his partner’s shoulder as a pillow and finished with sticking his tongue out at the cat-like monster .

As the boys moved, Futaba gave an especially rough pat as she told him, “You have no room to talk, Morgana.”

Haru hid a little laugh before telling the protesting creature “Mona-chan, you’ve been getting pets from Taba-chan and I since we came up here.”

“He’s just jealous about not getting much attention from Lady Ann in comparison to her omiyage,”Akira quipped. 

Ann gave an exaggerated sigh, though still smiling as she stated, “If he wants pets, all he has to do is ask.” Morgana very quickly left his space with Futaba to twirl around Ann’s legs before eventually ending up in her lap getting more pets.

“Frankly Mishima, I'm surprised you aren’t the most free since Akira is here.” Yusuke said as he closed his sketchbook.

With a slight wince, Yuuki explained, “I have a summer job my parents insisted I get. Otherwise yeah, I probably would be.”

Haru quietly asked, “Do you think they made you get a job to keep you away from Akira?” “I’ve met them and yeah totally possible.” Ann’s voice held a fiery dislike. 

“Agreed.” Ryuji also not looking especially happy. 

“Maybe, I don't know. I think they think I’m getting up to something scandalous since I stopped being volleyball captain a few weeks ago.” Yuuki received a few sympathetic glances and a squeeze of his hand. 

“Remind me how that happened again? The becoming captain bit.” Ryuji asked.

“Dr. Maruki.” Yuuki quickly interjected before anyone else could answer. 

“More like all the team recognizing him as the one who did the most after Shiho jumped to correct things. It happens to be close timing though.” Ann insisted.

Makoto backed Ann’s statement up with the fact, “You wouldn’t have still been captain if it was just Maruki’s doing, Yuuki-kun.”

“I didn’t do that much! I barely apologized to everyone I hurt because of Kam-him. And I’m still pretty bad at volleyball.” Yuuki curled a bit into himself, breaking Akira’s hold on his hand while doing so.

“You are good at making sure tasks get done without hounding people about it and just generally organized.” Futaba listed off.

Akira scooted Yuuki back over to hug him as he said, “You looked pretty good whenever we caught your practices.” 

A small raise in Yuuki’s mood began as he denied their claims.“You are very biased.”

“And you have that one video I saw!” Haru tried her hand at arguing the point of Yuuki’s skill.

“Star player of the match of several games during the spring, apparently.” Makoto agreed.

“Between you and Sumi, at least I’m not the only sports person!” Ryuji raised his fist for a bump.

“You all have way too much confidence in me.” Ryuji started to lower his hand which brought with it his mood. Yuuki rolled his eyes before finishing the fist bump before Ryuji could finish pulling his hand away. He then said, “I still can’t believe, of all the things that happened around New Years, that’s the thing that stuck.”

“I find it refreshing that you have the everyday recognition of what you’ve done. Most things the rest of us have done ebb and flow with our popularity. Even worse as a group.” Yusuke spoke up.

Yuuki sighed before reminding everyone, “On the note of everyday and thieves, I’ll also have more moderating to do too on the Phan-site due to everyone ELSE being off for summer too. It’s quieter, especially compared to last year, but not something I can completely ignore.”

“Hey, you’ve got a team to help with that!” Futaba loudly announced while pointing at Yuuki. She looked around the room before shrugging as she continued, “Not that anyone here but me is really gonna help with it. But Chihiro-san and Midorikawa would be very disappointed.”

“Aww, Yuuki, you sure can’t put it down for yet another vacation for us?” Akira teased while pulling Yuuki even closer again.

The smaller boy pulled a little away before smiling at his boyfriend. “I’m sure, but I’ll definitely be trying to keep it down.” “Though holidays never seem to work out in our favor.” 

“Yeah, Christmas Eve sucked from every direction.” Ryuji nodded along.

Futaba agreed, “The site’s backlash didn’t help and beyond then things got weird.” 

Ann added, “Everything third semester was weird.” 

“Agreed.” Haru nodded. 

“Golden Week I know was pretty rough for you, Akira.” Makoto sympathized.

Akira shook his head as he said, “My hometown is pretty weird every so often at that time of year, but was thinking Hawaii.” 

“Wow, do you guys have shit luck.” Ryuji joked.

Yuuki grumbled out, “We weren’t even-“

Ryuji cut off his friend, saying, “Yeah, yeah we know you were sorting your head back together after your boyfriend talked to your Shadow.”

Yusuke attempted to correct, “Ryuji, I believe he was referring to you and Ann having to bunk the night in their room.”

“Oh, I thought you were going to say something about when Ryuji dragged the three of you to hit on girls.” Ann added.

Yuuki practically squeaked out, “When do you all think we got together?!” He then fairly quickly covered his mouth and cheeks with his hands.

A cacophony of answers, most seeming to indicate last summer. 

Haru was the last to answer, stating, “Oh I thought it was right before you all met me, while I had Morgana.”

Said cat laughed as he lept on to the table. “Closer but nope, it was while Akira was in hiding.” 

“What do you mean December?” Ryuji shouted. 

Futaba rolled her eyes as she corrected, “It was November.”

“How, how are Morgana and Futaba the only ones even close on that?” 

“Did Akira ever tell us?” Makoto questioned the rest of the group.

“He literally told you all to leave right before their first date!” Mongana defended.

“Seriously, Aki.” Yuuki muttered as he buried his face into his boyfriend’s shoulder.

Ryuji defended his assumptions, “I thought he meant their first since he didn’t die!”

“Same!” Ann seemed to express for most of the rest of the group.

“The only time they almost went on a date before November got almost immediately crashed by Shinya.” Futaba almost cackled from her spot by the window.

Ryuji rubbed the back of his head as said, “Felt like I’d run into those two near Takeshita Street almost every time I was at Harajuku last year.”

“I thought the planetarium… No, nevermind.” Makoto shook her head. 

Morgana rolled his eyes, before explaining, “Yuuki always had a Phan-site excuse, right?” A round of agreement from everyone. “And you all would join and neither ever argued?” 

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Ryuji narrowed his eyes

 “Not much, just all of you, including Sumire-chan and Akechi, had more successful potential dates than the lovebirds?”   

Neither of the boyfriend pair paid much attention once Morgana took control of the conversation. Instead Akira focused on reassuring his partner. “What, if anything it’s funny they think we were dating for longer than we have been.” Akira shrugged, mostly with the shoulder the smaller boy wasn’t on. “That’s a lot of almost dates they can think of honestly.”

“It's not really funny, it's more-” The alarm of a phone rang out in the middle of his sentence. Yuuki finished his sentence as he fished his phone out of his pocket as he stood up, “Frustrating.” 

“And embarrassing?” Akira softened as he asked.

“A little?” Yuuki then raised his voice back to something the entire room could hear as he shut off the alarm, saying, “And unfortunately, that alarm was my signal that I have to head out.”

Ryuji patted his friend’s arm as he confirmed, “Junes, yeah?” He got a confused nod but definitely didn’t stop a smile from starting to come back.

Both boys sitting on the crate bench were up and approaching the stairs.

“Good luck!” Makoto offered.

“Take no prisoners!” Haru playfully encouraged.

Futaba leaned back, taking up more of the ledge. “We’ll likely just shoot the breeze until dinner, so don’t worry.”

Yusuke took that moment to interject, “In that case, let us speak of modern art and-

“Anything but that. Hey Yuuki, I'll join you!”

“You want to potentially end up in front of a grill?”

“Yeah, nope. See ya.”

“At least it isn’t the bear mascot costume.” Akira’s jovial mood spread confusion across almost all the teens.

Makoto expressed her disbelief with a “But the mascot isn’t a bear?” 

“Where in Japan do they have a bear mascot?” Haru tilted her head to the side. 

“No idea but apparently Inaba. But I need to go before I miss my train.”

“Bye, Yuuki!” Ann smiled and shot a fast directing glance at Akira before returning to the departing Thief, who took a deep breath. She then quickly tried to bring the focus on to herself and a modeling gig she did in a Junes a few months ago.

“We’ll talk more tonight?” Akira softly asked.

“Definitely.”

“Stay here?”

“Of course. All you had to do is ask.”

(insert yuuki kissing corner of akira’s mouth, Akira fully on lips) 

“Stealing kisses now?”

“Only yours”

Akira was slow to tune back to the world around him as he sat back down. The group had moved on to listening to a story of Yusuke getting cheap vegetables but was swiftly interrupted by Ryuji asking their leader, “Your hometown for real has a Junes with a bear mascot?”

[estrellami-1]

Hell yeah @finntheehumaneater I love these!!!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

59, but I have 73 here on Tumblr, only two of which are cross-posted to ao3. I do have plans to cross-post more, though!

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

479,413. Probably somewhere in the 750k range , maybe edging on 1M, with everything on Tumblr. I guess we’ll see if I ever get around to cross-posting!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now it’s pretty much solely Steddie, but I’ve done some Solangelo recently. So ST and PJO.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Oh, geez. Okay. On ao3 it’s home is people, not a place in first, but I’m not sure if that counts because I really just collabed on the last chapter. Fics that I wrote alone, in order it’s No Emergency Here, Falling, The Peter Parker Card, Behind the Screen, and Looking Up. I’m not even going to try to figure out what it is here on Tumblr, but I’m fairly certain my top two (both with 4k notes) are If I Should Stay and Falling.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I definitely do my best to, but I’m sure there are some commenters I’ve left high and dry. If that’s you, I’m sorry! I promise I love you!

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest end?

I honestly don’t write angst much—I prefer happy endings, please—but I think that honor would have to go to Ever Gotten Your Heart Broken?.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uh… like everything else I write, pretty much? Idk. Maybe Falling, or maybe Day 7 of Steddie Week 2023.

8. Do you get any hate on fics?

I think maybe I have once? Honestly I can’t remember. But if your life is so miserable the only pleasure you can derive is from making other people feel bad about themselves, I pity you. I don’t take it personally.

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

No, I’ve tried I think once and sent it to Awesome Best Friend so we could both laugh about how objectively terrible it was. 😂 think about a sex scene with two guys where the words “dick” and “cock” were never used. I think I used “member”. I can’t remember. But I’m thinking about trying again soon, so I guess we’ll see!

10. Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I’m not opposed, but the opportunity hasn’t ever really presented itself; I don’t read a lot of it, so I don’t write it. I know for a minute I was discussing a Marvel x Leverage crossover with a friend, and in the works I have a Marvel x PJO crossover, but that may very well never see the light of day.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Once again, not to my knowledge!

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

Define co-written. I think the closest I’ve ever gotten to a published work is home is people, not a place, but I know I’ve got a few Google docs with some friends. I haven’t even looked at those in at least a month, though; even longer for some others!

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

Honestly, it changes. At this very moment, it’s Steddie and platonic Stobin. I was obsessed with Stucky for years, but I’ve loved Percabeth for the longest. Solangelo is a more recent obsession; that started just before Steddie, if I remember correctly.

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

Hmm… I’m tempted to say If I Should Stay to be funny, but I’m going to finish that one. In the works I have a deaf!Steve fic that I’m currently very excited about, but I’m waiting to finish iiss. I also have a fae!Steve one that’s in the same boat.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. Definitely. If I could do an entire fic that’s just dialogue, I probably would.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably action. How is it I can read it all the time, yet have no idea how to write it?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Uh. No thoughts? I’ve done it a few times; usually Spanish, sometimes Italian or Russian, maybe German or Romanian at one point? I typically try to stay canon-compliant, so it’s very rare that I write anything in a language I don’t understand. But I do sometimes, and yes, I’ve had to use the Forbidden Google Translate, but if a speaker leaves a comment saying “actually that would be said this way,” then I’ll change what I wrote.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It was terrible, I was 12 and had access to Wattpad. 0/10 do not recommend. Thankfully I never posted any of it! If you’re looking for the first fandom I ever posted something for, that would be Marvel.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Oof. They’re all my babies, don’t do this to me!

…Falling. Hands down. Nothing will ever compare. It’s my Magnum Opus and all that.

This was so fun!! Open tag for whoever wants to do it! ❤️

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by the ever wonderful @slavicviking. Thank you SO much!! I kept seeing everyone do it and wanted to, but I wanted to be tagged so thanks!! :D

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

30, and 29 of them are Steddie fics lol

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

138,437, holy smokes. Steddie really got me writing!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Steddie. I won't even pretend it's Stranger Things because I'm not nearly as hype about the show as I am just Steddie so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Class of '85

Assuming Makes an Ass of You (And Me)

Bad News First, Eddie

Shovel Talk(s)

The Interview

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes. I didn't at first, but I respond to every single comment I get now. Either to thank them for commenting, or answer the musings people have, or just to respond with a heart so they know I saw/read their comment and appreciate it. 'Cause I do. I appreciate every comment I get, even if it's just a lil heart emoji or them saying the word 'kudo'.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't do angsty endings. Angst with a happy end or bust!! However, I did post this lil thing about Steve thinking about karma and the balance of the universe and how he's happy to give up all the good things he has in life if it means Eddie will get them instead.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

They all have happy endings but I'm gonna go with Bad News First, Eddie simply because of how sad the beginning is.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not that I'm meant to see, but Tumblr's tag system is garbage so sometimes you come across a post not meant to been seen. Saw people trash talking The Interview before the last chapter was out, and seemingly having missed the 'unreliable narrator' tag.

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

Not typically. I've written suggestive themes and one explicit BJ but for the most part, no. If I wrote longer, chaptered fics I might write more smut, but I just write oneshots where it's because I had a specific scene in mind, or minor conversation to have, and I don't ever just want to write smut for the sake of smut.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope. Never crossovers. I will do other media AU but it will never be about including the characters of a different media. I just want the worldbuilding from a different show/movie sometimes.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. How do you even go about learning if your fic was stolen??

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

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

Kinda??? @rebelspykatie wrote an angsty lil thing that made me sad, so I wrote the start of how it could be fixed, and @steviesummer wrote the wonderful ending. We didn't plan to write the fic together but I think we did an awesome job.

Also I am always down to colab/co-write a fic. I've never done it before but might be fun to do!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Steddie. Obvy

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh this questions just here to drag me through the mud, huh? I have a very ambitious Outer Worlds-esque AU I've planned out but starting the writing process has been.... hard. It may never see the light of day and I'll be sad forever about it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I don't know? Never really thought about it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Being able to tell a long-form story. I just don't have the patience/capabilities at the moment to tell an entire story instead of just the scene that's in my mind.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Oh. Can't say I have given it much thought. The only fic I've written with another language in it was a conlan (Tolkien elvish), and it wasn't in dialogue. So I can't say I have any thoughts in particular about this.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Digimon. I loved Digimon Adventure as a kid an as a little girl, I was sad that their wasn't more Hikari in the show. So I wrote my own fic that featured her and Tailmon becoming best friends with my self-insert and her digi-partner, which was Wizarmon reborn.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh, that'd be Porcelain Steve. A completely self indulgent fic with the fairy tail element to it. I had so much fun writing it!

This was fun!! I'm gonna tag: @i-less-than-three-you @nburkhardt @afewproblems @skepsiss @finntheehumaneater @steddierthings @rebelspykatie and @steviesummer (sorry if you've already been tagged/done this)

[shoichee]

Sneak Peek

To apologize my hectic schedule and not fulfilling my promise(?) of releasing that Kise enemies-to-lovers!/soulmate!/manga kise!au fic series for MONTHS, here's a little ~preview~ of the first chapter. I literally have 38 damn pages of this WIP and it's only in chapter FIVE in my docs and not even half way through this plot??? I hate myself LMAO I PROMISE YALL I DID NOT DITCH THIS PROJECT

current 🏷: @nadav-ii @carinacassiopeiae @kendrex13 @roppongiperfume @thesongstressayre @kimigiri09 @takatul @evierena @one-one-one-one

A/N: The brunette that flirted with Haizaki is nameless, so I just named her Hana. Yeah, no creativity on my end, anyways--

[Kise x fem!Reader]

First Section:

Addressed to Kise Ryōta:

You will meet your soulmate in a place where there are many other people. You will have your first real encounter with them in a place where you always spend your time through the years. Be careful to keep track of where you are at all times. Your soulmate is always with company, and they are never lonely. You must be careful to not actively seek out for your fated encounter, for you’ll certainly miss them. You must remain committed and seek out things that keep you steady and motivated. Only then is it possible for your soulmate to come to you instead.

Kise would like to think he’s a romantic at heart—cheesy guy even, but on the other hand, he actively scoffs at the letter’s content… that he’s had memorized for years now. He has no choice on the matter of whether or not he’ll remember it. Not when his “letter” was just a measly paragraph. He remembered being awfully jealous and whiny of his past classmates bringing their 2-page letter to class to show off and getting the “ooh’s” and “ah’s” from everyone else. That was one sure-fire way to distinguish yourself from the crowd and make a name for yourself. Over the years, Kise’s learned that it would become a separate type of “popularity hierarchy,” whereas those with the most elaborate, mysterious, or unique soulmate letters are the ones at the top of the social ladder. Bonus points if it somehow involves all three factors.

———

Second Section:

It’s utterly stupid. Who does this sender think they are to decide how Kise gets to live his life? What type of sadistic game were they playing by forcing the other soulmate to have the other half of the information, which would be, no doubt, just as annoyingly cryptic?

He stopped denying all the rumors of a girl claiming to be his soulmate; for every rumor he clarified and quashed during his naive youth, three more sprung up the next week. Ignoring them sounds counterintuitive, but when he allows the many rumors and girls to multiply and fester, the number of annoyances are still relatively the same: nearly infinite.

Such has become the life of Kise Ryōta.

———

Third Section:

He walks with such controlled anger brewing within him that he almost didn’t notice another girl walking past him. Almost.

“Hana-chan!” a voice called out. He presumes that the brunette is who the voice is looking for. “Why’d you ditch me like that? You left me with these boys all alone! You know how starved they are—They totally looked at me like a piece of meat!”

“Aish, (y/n)-chan!” He hears her annoying voice echoing behind him. He walks faster. “Don’t you know you have that charm? Can you blame them?~ I wouldn’t, hehe.”

“Mou—! Hana-chan!” You speed to Hana, completely ignoring Kise as you storm past him. “You’re mean!”

He takes a quick side glance at you before his scowl turns harsher.

Who the hell in their right mind is friends with that bitch??

“Sorry, sorry!~”

But Kise can obviously tell she isn’t sorry in the least. He’s even more pissed off when he hears you pleasantly laugh with her, completely accepting her half-assed apology.

[addictedtostorytelling]

Hey!

I’m back with a question this time : ) Huge fan of your series Happy Accidents - read it at least a dozen times. Any plans to continue it? It’s some of the best GSR fic I’ve read & so I’m tune with their characters with a slightly different scenario playing out than canon but I love it!

Thanks for sharing! Chelsea

hi, @chelsshearman!

thank you for your kind words! i'm so glad you enjoy the accidentsverse so much. to know that you've read those stories multiple times means a lot. ❤

as for your question, well—

at this very moment, there are about 70-odd pages of the next installment of the accidentsverse sitting in my docs folder, and those 70-odd pages focus on the part of the story where the rest of the team finds out the good news.

i've been slowly—and that is the operative word—working on the story, piece by piece, and i very much intend to finish it.

of course, in classic aj fashion, i can't promise that it will be ready to post anytime soon, not only because i'm a slow writer in general but also because a) i'm really busy with work right now, so i don't have a lot of time for fic atm, and, b) i am simultaneously writing the next chapter of "something in you i believe in" (my canon-compliant s5 wip), and my priority is to finish/post that before the next accidentsverse fic.

but i will get it done eventually.

promise.

in the meantime, may i interest you in a sneak peek to tide you over?

under the "keep reading," if you're interested.

__

She hadn’t intended to still be sitting on the floor when he found her, not when she knows that seeing her this way will worry him. However, despite her best intentions, when his shoes appear in her view on the tile, she is still down, hunched over, breathing shallow breaths through an open mouth, head hung between her knees, back curled against the cupboards below the sink, body shaky and hot under the skin. Her skull throbs with each hard lub of her heart, sour wets her lips, her throat burns with acid, and reflexive tears sting in her eyes. There is roiling in her stomach.

To prove how okay she is, she forces herself to look up at him when he stops in front of her, even though just the act of raising her head worsens the turning in her belly. Wipes her mouth on her wrist. Tries to smile, though somehow she gets the sense that whatever expression she actually manages might be closer to a grimace.

She reaches for a joke, wanting to lighten the moment. “Any chance I could convince you that I’m down here because I lost a contact lens?” she deadpans.

Grissom is too anxious to be playful back or even, in his literal way, to object that she doesn’t actually wear contact lenses. His brow furrows in deep concern as he takes in the tableau before him. “Honey, what happened? Are you not feeling well?”

She winces. “Can I still call it ‘morning sickness’ if it comes on after 10PM?”

As before, her attempt at humor goes unacknowledged. Grissom furrows his brow even more deeply. “You’re having morning sickness now?”

“Seems like.”

More brow-furrowing from him. “Did you throw up?”

She winces again. Leans her head back against the cupboards behind her. Taps the crown of her skull dully against the wood. Groans, never mind her efforts to downplay. “Twice.”

“Just all of a sudden?”

He’s not expressing incredulity but rather surprise at the rapid change in status quo.

For the past few days, her breasts have ached; she has been averse to certain smells, mostly those from hot foods; and she has constantly carried a ferruginous taste in her mouth, as if she had been sucking pennies like lozenges, but until just now, she hadn’t actually actively been sick—only occasionally queasy. Really, so far, the worst part of everything, physically speaking, had just been trying to find meals that sounded even vaguely appetizing. Otherwise, nothing had been too unbearable. 

(The doubt has been much more pressing than any physical symptom.)

[wanderingaldecaldo]

For the weird writer questions: 7, 13 and 32.

Thanks for the asks @morganlefaye79!

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

Seeing a story I'd imagined in my head come to life, and then being able to read it myself? I will never get over that magic.

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

Hard: dealing with death and loss. I think this goes back to losing my grandfather when I was a teenager. He was a very important person to me, and I suspect I've never fully processed his death. That being said, loss was a major theme in NOGLY so maybe as I'm getting older, I'm able to address it.

Easy: cars, which is perfect since I tend to write about Nomads. 😂 I've been interested in cars since I was a kid and I love to write scenes involving them. In fact, I'm gonna drop some excerpts after the cut!

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

This one has really stumped me. I've been racking my brain and staring at my bookshelf, but I cannot think of one in particular. I'm not generally good at remembering details -- hello friends who help me look over my delivered comms to make sure I didn't miss anything lmao -- and I have to read things twice before I start to remember specifics, which is why I rely heavily on outside sources when writing fic. 😩

Instead let me just answer a more generic "what poem/novel/fanfic" do I return to: Persuasion by Jane Austen, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald.

The promised car scenes!

From No One's Gonna Love You, Chapter Five:

Mitch pushes the Coyote faster, harder on the hilly two-lane highway, the wheels leaving the ground as he crests a few larger hills and squawking as they touch back down on the pavement, until he ignores a rusted, shot-filled warning sign for a curve and nearly launches the car at the guardrail. Reflexes take over—he brakes and downshifts with one hand while yanking the wheel with the other, and the tires scream until the car comes to a stop with the bumper inches from the dented metal that wouldn’t have prevented him from flipping and rolling down the slope. Undoubtedly he’d survive the tumble, but then Pan’d know just how bad an idea it was to let him out of the doc’s care early, and he’s gotta be the responsible one, that’s his role now.

And here's my favorite, from a WIP that may never come to fruition, a Mitch/Claire slowburn. I wrote the full scene for one of the prompts for MoxWrites2077 from Lizzie's:

He’s gotta give her credit, she knows how to drive this machine. He runs the previous laps simultaneously and somehow Claire has coaxed a few split seconds out of the Beast on the straightaway through the first canyon and the rough terrain after, but she’s going too fast for the turn into the next canyon.

“Goin’ too fast,” he cautions.

She ignores him, the muscles of her jaw clenching and fingers whitening on the steering wheel, and she heads into the turn at full speed. Mitch grabs onto the console as the truck starts to skid and they hit a rock and the left wheels lift off the ground while the right side fights for purchase on the sand. They hang suspended for what feels like a minute but is really only a half-second before the driver’s side drops back to the earth, the suspension groaning as it absorbs the weight.

She whoops as the Beast settles out and she guns it through the dried creek bed. Mitch shakes his head at the good luck that kept them from flipping. She’s down five seconds on the Colby by the time they head into Biotechnica Flats, but it’s the next turn he’s worried about—it’s asphalt but with the sand it will be slippery as an oil slick.

The Beast devours the pavement and he debates not saying anything at all, but he can’t do that—he’s gotta try to warn her, even if she doesn’t want to listen.

“Next corner is slippery, might wanna slow down.”

Again Claire ignores him. By the time she starts braking for the turn, it’s too late. The wheels turn but can’t catch hold of the pavement and they’re heading straight at one of the steel girders. She slams the brakes and the wheels lock and she yanks the steering wheel harder. The nose starts to turn but they’re going too fast and the Beast barrels into the girder. Time slows and reduces the crash to the smallest components—the shriek of the fender as the metal rends, his body moving forward from inertia before the restraints snap him back and knock the air from his lungs and the back of his head strikes the cab wall, the smell of burnt rubber from the skidding tires, Claire’s skull cracking against the frame and her cry of pain.

At last the Beast stops. Mitch blinks then looks over at Claire. She’s gripping the steering wheel like it’s a lifeline and staring out the windshield, her breath ragged. He touches her shoulder and she starts, looks at him. Blood oozes from a gash over her left eye.

“You okay?”

Blinking, she nods. She makes no move toward the shifter so Mitch moves it to park. That snaps her back to reality and she slams her hands on the wheel.

“Fuck!”

“C’mon,” he says, releasing his harness. “Let’s take a look.”

[seriouslyhooked]

The Best Bad Idea

Three-part CS AU where Emma and Killian are doctors working at the same hospital (world without pandemic). They’ve yet to meet, but Emma has definitely seen the sexy Dr. Jones in her travels at Mist Haven Medical. It’s generally a bad idea to get involved with a colleague, but a little fantasizing never hurt… right? Inspired by the song ‘Bad Idea’ by Ariana Grande and a TV couple who set the bar for true love stories. 

Available on FF Here and AO3 Here. 

A/N: Hey all! Here is a little something I made instead of being a responsible writer and finishing my other projects. I’ll be back to my other WIPs soon (God willing), but in the meantime here’s my 1000th attempt at writing a Captain Swan meet cute. I needed to get some words on the page, and this is the result. Hope you all enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, Thump. Steady, sure, and even. A solid pulsing sound with no inconsistencies and no delays or false starts.

In this particular patient, that fourth set of beats was the most important. Prior to his recent operation, Earl MacDonald’s heart had been weak and skipping needed pulses, then constricting far too harshly on every fourth measure. That type of arrhythmia had potentially disastrous consequences, but those worrying beats were seemingly behind them. The rhythm Emma heard through the stethoscope was a regularly circulating drumline, the tell-tale song of a heart that was working, and working well. Her surgical intervention had been successful.

She gently released the breath she was holding, a sign of the stress that she carried while waiting for patients to recuperate. Emma never let the patients see her sweat, but she had been worried on multiple levels in this case. Earl was going on 80, and not a logical contender for intensive cardiac mediation, but Emma’s gut had told her he could handle it, and she was rarely ever wrong. Earl forged through the surgery like a much younger man, and his outputs post-operation had all been extremely encouraging. It was shaping up to be another win, another life saved thanks to the power of medicine, and that filled Emma with real joy. She always did her absolute best to create good outcomes, and this time there was so much more on the line than one life. This was a man who was loved and cherished by the people closest to him, and who would be sorely missed if something were to happen.

“Anything you want me to note for the chart, Doctor Swan?” 

Emma bit back a witty retort at the pointed use of the word ‘Doctor.’ She was one of the few surgeons in this hospital who didn’t care what people called her, as long as they called on her early enough to actually save the patient’s life. But with Belle, a person Emma considered a dear and true friend, there was an added lilt of sass when using her title. Her friend was one of the nurse practitioners that Emma had been working with for years, since the day she landed here as a medical intern, but despite their differences in degrees, Belle was easily the most well-read and brilliant resource when it came to medical literature in this hospital.

“Just that Mr. MacDonald is healing nicely.”

“Did you hear that Lorraine?” Earl asked, with a Cheshire cat smile on his face, and the glint of true pride in his eyes. “Doctor Emma says I’m healing nicely.”

“Hard not to hear, seeing as I’m right beside you,” Loraine quipped, but she squeezed his hand affectionately, and offered a warm smile to her husband all the same.

“You know, usually being dubbed ‘nice’ is the kiss of death for a man.”

“Earl!” Loraine chastised, clearly not liking his word choice. Earl smiled wider, looking almost boyish in his delight.

“Well, so to speak. But I was going to say that I think we can make an exception this time. I’ve never been so happy to be referred to as ‘nice’ in my life.”

“Technically Doctor Swan was referring to your vital signs, Earl,” Belle taunted from across the room, holding back a smile Emma knew she was bound to let loose soon enough.

“Aw come on, you both know I am your favorite patient. I mean I’m not exactly pressed for competition. Have you seen the people on this floor? Good grief.”

“Ignore him, ladies. He’s all talk. He hasn’t left this room since we got here,” Loraine said, rolling her eyes, as if these antics were a constant occurrence. Based on her small window of experience with Earl, Emma would believe it. “Every meal, every visit, every moment has been within these four walls. Even his PT has been in here.”

“His PT has been here?” Emma asked, surprised that Mary Margaret, their head Occupational Therapist, had allowed for that. She was normally a by-the-book professional, and Emma never knew her friend to provide rehab consults outside of her studio.

“Yup. I told Miss Mary Margaret that I had a wife to keep an eye on and she relented.”

“No, actually what you said was, ‘Excuse me, Ms. Blanchard? You probably heard I just had heart surgery. Well, the thing is, my heart is sitting in this room. I’d like to be with her. Doesn’t seem right to be separated so soon, given what we’ve been through.’ Then you pointed at me, and used your puppy dog eyes on her. Next thing I knew, she had lugged enough equipment to fill the room here. No questions, just action.”

“I bet she ate that right up,” Belle said with a wink. “Mary Margaret loves nothing more than love itself.”

Belle and Mrs. MacDonald discussed Mary Margaret’s love of love, and Earl’s improved mobility, for a few more minutes while Emma continued checking his stats, but ultimately Earl’s patience was wearing thin. He really only had one thing on his mind, and he was now determined to ask about it. Emma was honestly shocked that he managed to wait this long. She knew it was only a matter of time and she was ready for the showdown.

“So, what do you think, Doc? Am I making it home in time for the party?”

“The one for your grandson on Sunday?” she asked, noting the three-day window between now and then. She had heard about this party non-stop, since the moment Earl woke up from the procedure. It was a central fixation for the old man, a celebration that would host his entire family, and a goal he had been carrying for over a week. Earl nodded and Emma hesitated for a few seconds, before smiling and giving the good news away. “Yes, I am confident that Jayden’s ‘Pop Pops’ will be in attendance when he turns four. But you know the rules…”

“I know, I know: no good food, no strenuous exercise, no having fun.”

“Earl.” Just the utterance of the old man’s name from his wife was enough to have him looking like a kid with his hand caught in the candy jar. Emma and Belle both chuckled at that child-like expression. It was hard not to; the old married couple was just too sweet.

“I’m sorry. I know this is serious, but what is life if you can’t have a little fun?”

“Fun comes in all shapes and sizes, Mr. MacDonald, and despite what you may think about your prescribed lifestyle changes, you’re forgetting two things. First, most of these less-alluring prescriptions will be temporary, and second, you’re a man who clearly loves a challenge.”

“Oh yeah? And how do you know that, Doc?” 

“Well for one thing, you somehow landed a lady as remarkable as Loraine. There’s no way she came easy with these corny jokes of yours. You must have worked harder than you ever worked in your life to persuade her to give you a chance.”

The laughter from the older couple was boisterous and heartwarming, and Emma knew she was right on the money. At this point, she had the ability to sniff out true affection, and these two had it in spades. Many couples she saw facing emergency room disasters together didn’t have the same good luck.

“You got that right, Doc. You know the first time we met was at the -,”

Earl’s story was unceremoniously interrupted by the crackling of the PA system specific to this room. It buzzed for a few moments before a message was delivered in a saccharine sweet voice that sounded nothing like the announcer’s normal tone.

“Paging Doctor Swan to the Nurse’s station. Doctor Swan to the Nurse’s station, code 741.”

Emma waited for the feed to cut off and began to tell Earl to please go on with the story, but the call came out again.

“Paging Doctor Swan to the Nurse’s station. Doctor Swan, code 741.”

“You know she’s just going to keep doing that until she gets her way,” Belle murmured. Emma nodded. It was no use. What Ruby Lucas wanted, Ruby Lucas got. That just seemed to be the way of the world.

“Belle, would you mind telling Ruby I’m with a patient at the moment? I will be there when I can. She can always proceed without me.”

Belle snorted out a laugh, knowing that last part would never happen, but gave a swift affirmation that she would relay the message before waving goodbye to the MacDonald’s and promising to see them soon. As her friend headed out, Emma sighed, knowing there was no way Ruby was going to give things up that easily. She had a matter of moments before some new tactic would be deployed.

“I’m sorry about that. You were saying?”

“Eh it’s kind of a long story, and you’ve got places to be, Doc. Just know, true love won out in the end with me and my Loraine. It always does.”

Emma couldn’t deny that their love appeared true even after their fifty plus years together. She personally had never experienced a love like that, but she was wondering more and more if maybe it was out there, somewhere in the later chapters of her story. For years she thought herself above that kind of need. She found validation in herself and in her work. She dedicated herself to helping others, and that had always been enough. But the loneliness that became a constant when she was growing up in foster care still lingered, and she wondered if someone might ever come along who could inspire her to take a chance and risk her heart.

“You know, I actually worked as a nurse before my kids were born,” Loraine commented easily. Emma nodded and smiled as she checked the last of Mr. MacDonald’s IV drips. Emma was aware of the older woman’s solid medical understanding. Loraine had continued to demonstrate it the entire time her husband was admitted in this ward. “I’m trying to remember if I ever ran into a code 741.”

“Oh, uh, I think – well, erm, I mean you probably didn’t,” Emma said, hoping she didn’t turn beet red at the passing comment from the older woman. She was already stuttering, which was completely out of character and eighty shades of embarrassing. Loraine’s words feigned ignorance, but her eyes told a different story. Still Emma tried to play it off. “It’s really not a big deal. Just a non-emergent protocol.”

Another alert sounded, but this time it came through the ceiling unit reserved for announcements to the wider reaches of the hospital. “Attention to all surgical ward personnel. We are paging Doctor Swan to the nurse’s station. Doctor Swan, you are needed at the nurse’s station immediately for a code 741.” The talking stopped, but the air crackled signaling that the line was still live. “Immediately.”

“Sounds pretty urgent to me,” Loraine replied. The curiosity in her gaze told Emma that the older woman was onto them, but it was Earl’s comment that cut too close for comfort.

“When I was in the war, all of our numeric codes corresponded to letters. So 7 was H, 4 was D, 1 was A. H – D – A. HDA, now what could that be….?” Uh oh. Now Emma really had to get out of here before she accidentally admitted Ruby’s code’s meaning – Hot Doctor Alert. That would be the cherry on top of a full-blown mortification sundae.

“All righty, well like I told Belle, all your scans look good. Doctor Whale is on shift this evening during the next series of rounds, so I’ll make sure your file is ready for him.”

“Of course, dear, and good luck with your doctor, er – I mean – code.”

Emma stammered out something like an ‘okay thanks,’ while leaving. She tried to get her bearings once she was out of sight of the room, but she had nowhere to go. Everyone on this floor had just heard her page, and there were bound to be at least a few who understood the meaning. She was so embarrassed, and more than a little ticked at Ruby. She was supposed to be her best friend, but she was always pulling these crazy stunts. They were mostly harmless, but for Emma, who hated being the subject of hospital gossip, it was anxiety inducing to say the least.

“Please tell me that you did not just broadcast that to the entire hospital,” Emma said, arriving at the nurse’s station with a sense of urgency, and watching some of the other nurses scurry off to avoid the confrontation. Ruby, however, was unfazed. Actually, the nurse manager just rolled her eyes, grabbing her bag and phone from her cubby, as if Emma was the one who was annoying and not the other way around.

“And here I was thinking we were the best of friends. Soul sisters, kindred spirits, friends for life. But no, ye of little faith, you actually believe I would broadcast the hot doc alert to all of Mist Haven? What kind of friend would do that?”

“But if you didn’t… then how did you…?” Emma’s questions trailed off, but her arms flailed towards the ceiling and the look on her face spoke for itself – how had Ruby used the hospital wide PA system without actually broadcasting to the entire hospital?

“You know Tink up in nuero?” Emma nodded, well acquainted with the nurse manager who had Ruby’s job on the fifth floor but with a specialization of the brain and nervous system. She was a tiny woman, but she ruled that ward with more than capable hands. “She and I bribed the IT guys to make the nurse managers an override. Now we can circumvent the PA software whenever we want. Bring some of you more stubborn Doctors to heal when it comes to answering our pages.”

“That’s… well, actually that’s genius,” Emma admitted.

“I like to think so,” Ruby teased, offering a genuine smile. The two friends laughed at all of this, and Emma felt so much better knowing that their secret was still relatively secure. The last thing she wanted was everyone knowing how she was spending her lunch breaks these days.  

“Gus, you’re holding down the fort while I’m gone, right?” Ruby asked, her smile turning slightly wicked with the purposeful jest aimed at the new nursing aid sitting behind the desk.

“Me?” The new hire replied, suddenly white as a sheet. Emma had never seen the man so stricken, and as a new nurse he had plenty of high-stress moments to look alarmed during. “I – uh – well – I -,”

“It’s called comedic relief, Gus. Commonly referred to as joking. Do me a favor, learn about it by the end of shift, kay?” Ruby pivoted to the person she actually trusted to man the fort. “Thirty minutes work for you, Belle?”

“I’ve got it handled.”

“Excellent. We’ll return with a full report,” Ruby said, grabbing Emma’s arm and moving them down the hallway before Emma could even say goodbye. “Newbies – can’t live with them, can’t pawn off scut work without them.”

“You are terrible. And yet… the look on his face just now…? Priceless,” Emma acquiesced. “But seriously, Ruby, can we PLEASE find another way to page me for this? My patients are not stupid, and the code isn’t exactly original. It’s kind of…” Ruby’s grin was so big that it stopped Emma in her tracks. She was currently trying to hold her friend to account, but Ruby looked like she’d won the lottery. “What?”

“You are so totally into him! I mean listen to you right now.”

“I didn’t say anything!” Emma said, feeling her cheeks flush against her will. 

“Exactly,” Ruby said. “You’re telling me to be more discreet when I send the bat signal, but you still want me to send it. Do you realize how unlike you that is?”

“Despite what you may think, Ruby. I’m a doctor, I’m not dead. I can appreciate a hot guy now and again.”

“Doubtful. Remember last month when all those pro hockey players were here after Ocheski collapsed on the ice? You had a room full of crazy sexy men. Like virile, hot, muscled men who get paid big money to beat each other up on the ice. Most women would die for that chance, and to make it even better, most of them were hitting on you. And what did you do? Nothing. You didn’t even blink.”

“They were not hitting on me,” Emma affirmed, but the words were hollow. They had been trying to flirt with her. A few had even attempted to get her number.

“They were hitting on you,” Ruby said adamantly.  

“He was a patient, and the rest of them were essentially his family. You know I’d never cross that line. Doesn’t count.”

“Fine, then what about Dr. King? When he came for that conjoined twins case last year, you had no interest. Zero. Zilch.”

“King was an asshole, you know that,” Emma said, belatedly catching her use of profanity and checking that no patients were around. Luckily the coast was clear.

“So? You didn’t have to marry the guy. Hot is hot, honey. That’s just how things are.” 

Emma barked out a laugh at even the thought of marrying someone like that. Arthur King was just about the worst person she could fathom to spend a life with. He was narcissistic and carrying around one of the biggest god-complexes she’d ever seen, and she was a surgeon, so she was an expert on god-complexes. 

“Your face really says it all, Emma. I mean honestly, poker would be a terrible game for you to take up. Your contempt for King is obvious, but, meanwhile, as soon as I mention Doctor Jones… aha! See, totally shifted.”

Emma didn’t know what to say to that. She could try and protest, but her friend knew her too well for that. The best thing to do was say nothing, and she was saved by their arrival at their destination. The coffee cart in the center of the action, near the entrance of Mist Haven. Here was where the wards crossed paths. Her surgical wing met up with the specialties departments, the ER, the community clinic, and more. It was also swarmed with both hospital workers and visitors. Typically, this was the last place she wanted to be, but recently it had become a highlight of her day.

“Emma? Ruby? What’s brought you out here?” a voice asked. It was Mary Margaret, and given her street clothes and jacket, Emma would guess she was just starting her shift.

“Haven’t you heard? There’s fresh meat from the ER. Two showings a day, but we favor the afternoon delight.”

“Oh right,” Mary Margaret said, nodding, like Ruby’s words were totally normal, and for Ruby they were. “I heard about the new ER Chief. Doctor Nolan? I meant to get down there and bring him something to welcome him, but I’ve been so swamped this week. My caseload is crazy at the moment. I hope he won’t think too badly of me for being a bit late.”

“Mary Margaret, literally no one in a hospital brings people cupcakes as a welcome gift, especially not new guys in other departments.” Ruby was not wrong. Hospitals were hardly the most happy-go-lucky of places. At least not usually. “Believe me, the man will be grateful whenever they come. If he even eats them. He’s fit – like fit, fit. Keto diet and a personal trainer fit. The kind of fit that makes you -,”

“Careful, Ruby,” Emma teased. “What if Graham heard you saying that?”

“God, I wish. You know how worked up he gets, and how he works out his frustrations.” Ruby’s tone was dripping in suggestion. “It’s one of the many reasons I live to drive him crazy.”

Emma and Mary Margaret laughed at Ruby’s apt assessment of her relationship with her boyfriend. Ruby had been dating the fireman for almost a year now, since he came in on one of the ambulance bays with a victim he’d rescued from a fire, but Ruby was hardly the predictable type, and Graham seemed to love that about her. They were still going strong despite her willful, wild child nature, and Emma suspected they may be built to last.

“Doctor Nolan must really be something to get you out here, Emma,” Mary Margaret said, moving forward in the line, inching ever closer to the mediocre coffee the cart promised.  

“Ha! Hardly. Emma’s not here for Nolan. She’s here for Jones.”

“Jones?” Mary Margaret asked.

“Girl, where have you been? Doctor Killian Jones, trauma surgeon extraordinaire. Chief Mills brought him here for a ‘collaboration’ with the ER, but she’s totally trying to recruit him for head of his own department. Turns out he and David Nolan are old friends. Same medical school maybe? I don’t know, no one’s gotten me those details yet. Anyway, Regina hardly leaves him alone. She only misses this little window because she’s hooking up with Doctor Locksley in the supply room on the 2nd floor.”

“She’s WHAT?!” Emma and Mary Margaret yelled at the same time and Ruby looked aghast for the first time today. Some other hospital staff in the area glanced over, but no one paid much mind beyond a head nod. Everyone was absorbed in their own need for caffeine, and no one was the wiser of the bombshell Ruby had just dropped.

“Oh shoot, I wasn’t supposed to say that. I promised Ella, damn it!”

“Ella, her assistant? I thought she quit,” Mary Margaret stage whispered.

“Oh she did. Made it a whole two months, which, you know, makes sense given the fact that Regina is a nightmare. But the last week she was here, she learned a crucial secret regarding her Majesty. She spilled last week at The White Rabbit, but I promised her I wouldn’t tell until she’s settled at her new job at GMH. So you did not hear this from me, and I did not hear this from her, capische?”

“I can’t believe the Evil Queen is dating someone,” Mary Margaret said, deeply disturbed by the idea. She shuddered at the thought, and this was someone who loved love. But love and Regina Mills didn’t really feel like concepts that belonged in the same sentence. Scratch that, they didn’t really even belong in the same book. “She’s just so…”

“Evil?” Emma responded. The nickname worked for a reason, after all. The hospital Chief was downright tyrannical.

“Exactly.”

“Well dating is a stretch. She’s screwing someone. But then again, who knows. Ella said she actually saw her smiling in those final days. And not that evil one she’s famous for. Like a real, genuine, I have a heart, smile.”

“No way,” Emma said at the same time Mary Margaret murmured, “Well would you look at that.”

“Don’t worry. I’m on the case. The temp is a totally easy mark – Sydney something. I’m buying him lunch tomorrow. I’ll have the whole story before you know it.”

“Won’t Graham be proud,” Emma chuckled, but her joke fell on deaf ears as something caught Ruby’s attention across the way. Her friend’s countenance changed immediately, putting Emma on alert.

“Ooh, they’re coming! Act normal.”

Normally, Emma would have laughed at that command, but she was too busy feeling the spike of adrenaline at the impending arrival of one Doctor Killian Jones. He really was a world-renowned trauma surgeon, who was working on a number of cutting-edge techniques that saved lives and gave critical care patients better chances to recover. She had actually heard of him a few years ago when reading about a new procedure to treat arrhythmia in patients with traumatic injury. He engineered it in the field, while serving in the British naval forces, and his paper had been circulating in cardiac wings around the country, but she never saw the man before last week when he arrived in Boston.  Suffice it to say she could not have imagined that this marvel of modern medicine would also be so roguishly handsome.

Spotting him today across the great hall, Emma was struck again by just how attractive this man was. She couldn’t even comprehend it really. All she knew was that she had yet to find a fault in him. Every day she’d stolen secret glances, and every time he proved better than her memory. It was crazy, and very reminiscent of schoolgirl crushes and teenage day dreams, but she couldn’t help the way she felt. It was intoxicating, and despite her best efforts, she was powerless to turn Ruby’s invites to the show down when she could witness this each and every day.

The first thing that she’d noticed about him was his general presence. His posture was strong and straight and assured. He looked ready for anything, but somehow laid back, like he was totally in control. People naturally parted when he walked by, as if he silently willed the flow of the hospital traffic. Ruby called it swagger. Emma called it… well something not quite safe for work. Couple that general aura of authority with the classically gorgeous features of his face, and Emma was lost. On that first day (and okay, maybe on the others as well), she actually felt her knees get weak. She always thought that was a bogus cliché, but nope, it was real, and she was the proof of it. From there she was hooked, and over time she’d chronicled more and more things to like about him.

Yesterday it had been his hair. As she watched him across the atrium, she noticed that the shade shone bright in the sun, but that it was nearer to midnight than any color brown. It was slightly longer than most of the other male doctors wore theirs, but not so long that it looked unkempt or unprofessional, at least not yet. She knew for a fact that the military never would allow for such a style, and it felt like a bit of rebellion, or maybe a lack of care for what others thought. Both sent a delicious thrill through Emma, even though she had no real confirmation one way or another. Maybe he was just lazy, but that wasn’t how she imagined him…

And oh boy did she imagine him. At first she hadn’t meant to. She just had these flashbacks to seeing him that she carried through the day. These visceral visions always started the same: he would walk by, looking downright delicious and impossible to resist, then he would turn his eyes her way here in the middle of the hospital hustle and bustle. She’d feel caught in his stare, sense the hunger even from the distance, and her heart would quicken to a maddening crescendo as he walked her way. The rest of the world would fade from view, and it would feel like they were the only two people alive. Her gaze would stay transfixed on his almost cocky composure and the hard line of his bearded jaw. The attraction in his blue eyes would light a fire in her, and then, without so much as a word like ‘hello’ or ‘nice to meet you,’ he’d pull her into his embrace and kiss her senseless. She could practically taste him on her tongue, and yet she’d never even heard him speak. People who had, who were later interrogated by Ruby, mentioned that he had an accent. British or Irish, or something along those lines. That tidbit had played oh so sweetly in Emma’s mind this week. God, she’d love to hear him say her name -,

“Emma,” a voice beside her said, but it didn’t pull her out of the fog. “Oh my God, Emma, he’s looking right at you.”

“He’s what?” Emma said, blinking back to reality before finding that Doctor Jones was looking this way. She’d been so busy fantasizing, she stopped paying attention to what was right in front of her.

In the middle of the room, the man who had intrigued her for over a week was standing totally still, disregarding the swarm of people on all sides. His entire attention had shifted from the task ahead of him, and he was looking at her, staring with a blend of intrigue and something Emma couldn’t describe. Doctor Nolan had stopped as well, but he was clearly confused as to the delay. He seemed to ask his friend what was wrong, and Emma watched spell bound, as the lips she’d envisioned kissing her moved in some kind of unheard reply. She couldn’t make out his words, but she shivered at the passion and determination etched across his being. David then looked their way, and Emma knew that Doctor Jones – Killian - had asked about them. No, forget that, he had asked about her. He was looking right at her, and that spark of heat and desire she’d always imagined was nowhere near as tantalizing as the real thing. He was looking at her with the same hunger she’d reserved for her wildest imaginings. Holy crap, what was she going to do?

“Ruby?” she asked, her voice squeaked out in alarm. She tore her gaze from the approaching object of her desire and looked to her best friend with overt confusion and mild panic.

“Took him long enough to spot you. It’s been almost a week. I thought I was going to have to hire a marching band or one of those giant arrow guys they have at outlet malls.”

Emma didn’t understand, and then it dawned on her – her friend had planned this. Emma looked at Mary Margaret, but she was still staring in the distance. Only when Emma followed her gaze did she realize that Mary Margaret wasn’t looking at Killian. She was looking at David.

“Hey, ladies, you looking to order, or what? I ain’t got all day!”

The three of them jumped at the barista’s interruption and Mary Margaret surged ahead to the line. She rattled off an order, giving way too much money to the attendant while grabbing her cup with shaky hands. Then she looked at David and back to Emma with an expression that said Mary Margaret may just bolt. Ok, what the actual hell was going on?

Before she could begin to answer that internal question, Doctor Jones and Doctor Nolan were within ear shot. Emma wracked her brain for something to say when they finally got here, but was spared when David broke the ice.

“Doctor Swan,” he said with a head nod and a polite smile. They knew each other peripherally at this point. Emma had consulted on numerous ER cases since Doctor Nolan started his new position. But she wouldn’t call them friends. They were very much acquaintances. “I heard Earl MacDonald is recovering nicely. He most definitely has you to thank for that.”

“And you too,” she said, offering credit where it was due. “A quick diagnosis makes all the difference. I’ve noticed the ER is filled with them since you started.”

“That’s kind of you. I don’t believe you’ve met my friend, Doctor Jones.”

“Killian,” Doctor Jones said immediately, before offering a heart stopping smile of his own. Emma had yet to see the man smile, and her heart skipped a beat, the rhythm of her pulse skittering in an almost blissful way. “A pleasure to meet you, Swan.”

He offered his hand to her, and Emma took it, shaking in greeting even though it was uncommon for doctors or nursing staff to do so. Chief Mills stressed that germ management was a top priority at Mist Haven, and she’d come as close to banning the practice as was legal in the state of Massachusetts. Usually Emma didn’t mind, but germs were the farthest thing from her radar when their fingers touched. Instead, Emma was filled with the zapping sense of promise and a thrill of warmth that made her head swim.

“Emma,” she whispered. A beat passed between them, and Emma lost herself for too long. Only the clearing of a throat beside them brought her back to the moment. She let go of his hand, but tracked the slight disappointment on his face when she did. It filled her with a rush of something long forgotten. A sense of peace and elation she hadn’t tasted in years. “Um these are my friends, Ruby Lucas and Mary Margaret Blanchard. Ruby’s the head nurse in the cardiac unit. And Mary Margaret runs OT for the surgical division.”

Emma tore her gaze from Killian, watching her friends make their greetings. Ruby handled her own completely, and Mary Margaret seemed to have gathered her courage, but now it was David who looked shocked and spell bound. Everyone appeared to be thrown off kilter, and it was only Ruby in control of herself. To say her friend was positively delighted with these new developments would be an understatement. That glee rang out clear as day in her invite to both the attending doctors.

“So… Doctor Nolan, Doctor Jones, any way we could convince you to join us? The coffee’s just all right, but the company’s not half bad.”

Both men agreed immediately, and Emma fought her hardest not to blush. It was hard though, and her pulse was racing in the face of this development. Killian came to stand by her, the space between them so small but still too much to bear. She tried to get her bearings as the cranky barista handed her a latte. She struggled to think of something – anything – to say, but she was tongue tied. Instead, she looked at Killian, finding an openness in his expression that said he felt the same exact way. That gave her comfort and removed some of the tension from the moment.

“The hospital’s been buzzing since you got here,” Emma offered, waiting with him while he ordered a no nonsense coffee of his own. “A lot of people are hoping you’ll stay on past the month.”

“And you, love? Have you such hopes?” his words were earnest but laced with an almost cocky easiness that sent Emma’s mind humming in delight. Still, she played it cool. At least she hoped she did.

“Jury’s still out,” she replied, smiling when he looked a little crestfallen. “Well can you blame me? I hardly even know you. Still haven’t seen what you’re capable of.”

“Only a matter of time, Swan. You can trust in that.”

His words may seem benign, but they were loaded with hidden meaning, and Emma knew he meant each one. She swallowed harshly, thinking of the things he might be capable of. Damn, was it hot in here? Or was it just the devil on her shoulder spinning another one of those dirty dreams of hers?

When they’d all gotten a coffee, the five of them moved off to the patio just outside, reserved for hospital staff. The grounds were manicured beautifully, maintaining an oasis that seemed totally disconnected from the hectic nature of the hospital. This was one of Emma’s favorite places here, and she was surprised to hear that neither David nor Killian had been here yet. They all spent a few minutes making non-threatening small talk, with mostly Ruby moving the conversations along. But despite the fluttering feeling she was grappling with, Emma couldn’t say she hated this building anticipation. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed herself so much. She was seated next to Killian, fully aware that all of his attention was devoted to her, and she reveled in it. At one point, while the others were talking about something with the OT department, Killian whispered to her and her alone.

“This might be presumptuous of me, love, but I find I’m helpless to resist. I was wondering – that is, I was hoping that perhaps, you and I, we could…” His eyes looked from hers down to her lips, and Emma wet them absentmindedly. She heard a low growl, and realized it was coming from him. She shifted in her seat, turned on in a way she had never been before. Instinctively she moved closer, sensing the sinfully sweet current between them, like lightning just before it cracked across the summer sky.

“We could…” she continued, hoping he would elaborate and put into words what she herself was wishing for.

“That we could -,”

“Paging all staff to the ER. All staff to the ER for an incoming trauma, category 4.”

This time the PA was most definitely broadcasting a hospital wide announcement, and the irony wasn’t lost on Emma. Ruby looked positively forlorn at the interruption, but it was somewhat poetic after how they’d gotten here.

“Category four,” David repeated, standing immediately, prompting all of them to do the same. “We haven’t had a four since I started. We’re gonna need all hands on deck. Killian?”

“Aye, mate. I’m with you.” He looked back to Emma, and only had time for the swiftest goodbye. “Until next time, love.”

Emma and her friends watched them go, running towards the ER. Belatedly, they realized that if a trauma of that magnitude was coming into the hospital, there were bound to be surgical cases flooding their ward soon enough. They hustled back to their wing, focused once more on their jobs and the lives on the line that they were sworn to help heal and make better. But Emma still carried that moment with her for the rest of the day, and when the shift was over and done, and she’d done all she could to help the people in her care, she was left wondering what exactly Doctor Jones was hoping to ask, and when, oh when, he may try to do so again.

Post-Note: So there we have it. This was originally going to be a oneshot for my CS mixtape series, but alas, the muse wants what she wants, and this time that’s a three part mini-story for all of us to share. Hope that you guys have enjoyed so far and I would love to hear what you think! As always, thanks so much for reading, and I hope you are all staying well in this crazy time! xE

[simonxriley]

WIP Day

I was tagged by the wonderful @r6shippingdelivery. Thank you! 💜

Tagging @playstationmademe @nightwingshero @xqueengrimmrux @statichvm @chrystallenex @chazz-anova and anyone else that has a wip they’d like to share!

I have two things this time. The ongoing chapter to Jade Helm and the unnamed Hattie x Reynolds one-shot. 

Unnamed One-shot:

A few hours passed and SG-3 should be coming through the Stargate any minute now. Just the thought made her heart skip a beat. It’s been three months since she has seen his face, she couldn’t wait to lay her eyes on him once again. 

As happy as she is to see him, she wasn’t looking forward to talking about why she did what she did. But as the thought lingered in her mind an all too familiar voice was heard coming towards her. 

She turned her head to see Albert walking towards her, still in his tactical gear. He grabbed the stool beside her bed and sat down, taking her hand into his. “What the hell did Ba’al do to you?” 

Hattie sat up, giving him a soft smile. “It’s a long story that I don’t feel comfortable telling you here. I want you to know this was for the best.” 

He looked taken aback by her words, how could this be for the best? She looked like she was put through the meat grinder multiple times. ‘Best’ doesn’t seem like the right word to use. 

“I don’t understand.” 

“I know. You will once I tell you.” She looked over at the doctor, hoping she would give her the okay to go to her room. “Doc, do I have to stay here? I can rest in my room.” 

“I don’t see why not. As long as you take it easy and actually rest.” 

She began to leave her bed, “I will, I promise.”

Jade Helm

“You’ve made some good points, but. Being calm is just who you are, moya sladost’. I’ve barely seen you lash out at anyone that doesn’t deserve it. It’s one of the many things I like about you!” 

“I appreciate that, kotyonok!” 

She gave him a big smile, that meant a lot to her. However that smile slowly faded as her eyes glanced over to a generator a few feet behind Alex. “I found a generator.” 

“Me too.” said Doc

She walked over to it with Alex right behind her and flipped the switch, hearing the roar of the engine. She was about to say she turned hers on, but with the sound of the other one starting she didn’t need to. It became loud enough to make it clear. 

Once the two generators were started everyone made their way to the truck with the crane attached to it, Jordan turning it on. As the crane slowly moved to the car blocking the gate from behind, the all too familiar sound of roaches approaching filled the air. 

Everyone dispersed like a flock of birds, fanning out within the yard. Skylar went towards the generator she turned on with Alex right behind her.

[ladyfeldspar]

Fic Writer Interview

Tagged by @lonereedy AND @xenolith1245 and here to do this before I get tagged a third time. 😂

Name(s): eksley05 / LadyFeldspar / Kelsey

Fandom(s): South Park always and forever

Where you post: AO3 (why yes that IS a clickable link) and kind of FFNet although I'm slowly tapering off posting over there because AO3 has won me over

Most popular one-shot (by kudos): Uhhhhh, looks like it's Columbia, aww, a Creek oneshot I wrote literally because I wanted to write Tweek being sassy working in a drive-thru.

Most popular multi-chap (also by kudos): Ahhh, my babyyyyy, You're My Number One, another Creek fic about high school crushes and lists - centered around THE list. You know the one. It's a WIP though, sorry not sorry in advance if you read it and want more. I'm working on it!

Favorite story you’ve written so far: Oh, God. You're My Number One is really special to me, but Wrong Number (another WIP) is just so much fun to write. If you want my favorite actually COMPLETED fic of mine...again, oh God, but let's seeeeee. 3...2...1...Go. might be it, one of my collabs with @tweekwearingcraigshat aka StripetheGuineaPig because it was just ridiculously fun. Or maybe Blastoff, my E-rated Creekovan, because ugh, do I ever love that one.

Fics you were nervous to post: Every one of my three E-rated fics...but probably mostly Lollipop, Lollipop because it was the first one.

How do you choose your titles?: With a side of a lot of whining and complaining. 😂 I can't do titles first, I have to write the story and see what comes from it. There's nothing quite like that moment when you come up with the perfect title and your whole world falls into place.

Do you outline?: No. 😂 Not usually. For You're My Number One, I have a Google doc that's just a bunch of scattered thoughts of things that I may or may not put in it, most of them ones that I typed out half-asleep at 4 in the morning. And sometimes if I think of something that's too good to risk forgetting, I'll text it to myself or something, but usually I just go and see what happens.

Complete: 23

In-progress: 6, but two of those are just like, prompt collections I may or may not get to. One is a spinoff of something I wrote in 2008 that's on hiatus, pretty much. Then there's You're My Number One and Wrong Number, AND my other collab with @tweekwearingcraigshat, The Bachelor: A Bathroom, Um, Love Story?, that you should DEFINITELY be reading if you're not already.

Coming soon: More of all my WIPs, I promise! Wrong Number might be first to get updated, but they all have chapters partially done right now, so...the race is on!

Not started: ...So many things. Just wait. I have a list.

Prompts: I just (and by just I mean at midnight last night) posted a oneshot for the sp creek server's July prompt: rings! It's Always Been You.

Upcoming work you are most excited about: Shhhhhhhh, that's a SECRET.

Taggiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnngggggg @tlinrookie , @tweekwearingcraigshat to keep the harassment chain going!

[wonderofasunrise]

32 or 61 for Kerry/Susan please ❤️

#61 - "I'm pregnant."

Okay, I'm letting the cat out of the bag now - I have a WIP, a passion project of some sorts in the form of a multi-chapter Kerry/Susan AU fic. I've been working on it on and off for months, writing whatever I can come up with out of order (a process which involves at least three different Google Docs files for notes etc and not-so-subtly tweeting about it every now and then), and I can't promise anything because I just...well, suck at planning things ahead especially when it comes to writing anything lengthy (unless it's an academic essay *laughs nervously*). Fingers crossed I will be able to post the whole thing someday - if and *only* if I manage to finish it in advance, because I love the idea so much I don't want to take the risk of posting it early and writing as I go along...only to (God forbid) abandon it. I don't want to give away too much, but hopefully you'll get the gist from this excerpt of one of the chapters I've managed to finish:

“Susan?” a voice calls me almost immediately as I step out of the cubicle. I look up in a swift move to find the source of the voice, and sure enough my head starts to spin again. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see none other than Kerry Weaver—her bright red hair kind of gives it away—with a very concerned look on her face, which I try my best to ignore.

Slowly, I make my way to the nearest basin, and just as my hand is about to turn the faucet another wave of nausea surges over me. Please do not vomit, please do not vomit, it was bad enough to storm out of a fucking trauma but to vomit in front of Kerry of all people…?

“Are you okay?” she asks just as my nausea passes, the tone of her voice as concerned as her expression. I know that at this point even saying a single syllable will bring back the nausea, so I simply nod.

“Are you sure? I was in the trauma room, and I was just as surprised as everyone else to see you storm out like that…”

“Yes, Kerry, I’m fine,” I suddenly snap, though immediately I can feel guilt lingering over me as I know Kerry is genuinely worried. Say what you want about her, the woman does care about the wellbeing of her colleagues (or employees? Whatever.). I glance at her while putting some water into my mouth, somewhat grateful that I don’t see any sign of her being offended. If anything, her expression grows even more worried, and I know that at this point there is nothing I say that can ease her concern.

“Okay,” Kerry says, seemingly giving in. “It’s just—you normally have the best composure of the lot, and I never expected a trauma to affect you that badly, that’s all…Susan? Can you walk?”

Her concerned tone returns as soon as she catches the sight of me dropping to my knees, no doubt thanks to me turning around too quickly after I finished my business in the sink. Instinctively one of my hands travels to my stomach, and I pray to all that’s holy that the gesture somehow goes unnoticed by Kerry, who is now kneeling next to me, her crutch abandoned, with one of her hands on my back.

“Can you stand up?” she asks in a tone that I would never expect Kerry Weaver to use when speaking to an adult. I nod, though I myself am not quite sure. I try anyway, with one of my hands still firmly on my stomach and the other holding onto Kerry for support. Once I get back on my feet, I let go of the other woman and I take a deep breath, relieved when no more sign of nausea kicks in. I try to make my way out of the ladies’ room, and I can feel Kerry’s eyes firmly on my back as I turn around—more carefully this time.

“You know, if you’re not feeling good, you can go home and rest,” she says. “I-I would hate to see you not in your prime at work, and more importantly it’s clear you really can do with a rest. We have a busy day ahead, and if you’re...feeling like you’re not up for it, you can go home. I can cover for you.”

I can tell she chose her words carefully, and she tried her best not to insinuate that I am not up for a busy day at work. Heck, she knows I’m more than capable—I’m one of her best attendings, after all, but still…who can really guess what Kerry Weaver actually means?

As for going home and resting, I can’t deny that I need it badly. I barely got any sleep last night, partly due to anxiety ahead of my appointment with Coburn this morning, and who can guarantee that I won’t storm out of another trauma? Still, part of me is trying to fight the urge to go home, because work is the best form of distraction I can think of and at home I know I will drive myself mad over everything, with no one to talk to and all.

“I’m pregnant,” I suddenly blurt out, the words coming out of my mouth far more quickly than I could comprehend. My eyes grow wide at the realization of what I just said, to Kerry of all people, and I try to avoid her eyes so much it’s ridiculous.

Unexpectedly enough, Kerry steps closer toward me, and she puts a hand on my shoulder. Just as unexpectedly, I find the gesture quite comforting, and God knows I have been deprived of comfort for far too long the last couple of weeks. It doesn’t feel as awkward as one would expect, coming from Kerry Weaver, and I sigh as I let her hand give my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“How-how far along are you?” she asks in a tone that can barely conceal her surprise.

“Four weeks. I-I saw Coburn this morning,” I say with a shrug. She nods, and then lets go of my shoulder so that she can focus on looking me in the eye, which always makes for an interesting sight thanks to our significant height difference.

“In that case,” she states matter-of-factly, “You should go home and rest. I don’t want you to feel worse than you already do. Go home, get something to eat, and rest. I’ll cover for you for the rest of the shift.”

Now that sounds more like the Kerry Weaver that everyone knows and loves (though that part is still up for debate, I reckon). At this point I know there is no use fighting with her, so I nod and turn back to the door, silently hoping that somehow nobody will pay any attention.

“Kerry?” I mutter, suddenly remembering something important before we part ways. Letting her know of my pregnancy is bad enough (though it’s by no means a fault on her part); having everyone else know before I’m ready will be a disaster. I have enough on my plate at the moment, and the last thing I need is being the center of the latest ER gossip. “Um…thank you for letting me go home for the day, and I guess—well, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone. I have too much to deal with at the moment,” I say in a voice so low I will be surprised if she actually listens.

But apparently she did, because she nods and puts a hand on one of my arms and gives it a gentle squeeze—which, again, does not feel as awkward as one would expect coming from her.

“Of course,” she responds. “It’s not my call to let people know. It’s yours, and yours only. Don’t worry about it.”

And with that, I mouth a thank you before exiting the ladies’ room, trying my best to forget everything that has happened today. It’s not even noon yet, and too much has already taken place. Perhaps Kerry is right: I really can do with a rest.