#I realize those aren’t the songs’ names but you get the idea

[tawneybel]

The second time I watched Skinamarink, I realized the “I’m a Frizzly, Grizzly Bear” song was the ‘30 equivalent of “I’m a Gummy Bear.” 

[chaoticbardlady99]

Could I request a fluff fic for Astarion falling for a tav reader who's a bard and an amazing singer? Maybe he can't sleep, so he goes for a walk and finds reader singing to themselves, and he sits and listens, slowly realizing how hard he's fallen for them?

Thank you so much for putting this in my inbox! I hope you enjoy!

Astarion x GN! Bard Reader

I used the songs Nobody Knows Me At All by the Weepies and Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls because I am a cliche.

  The moon glows brilliantly throughout the night sky and the stars don’t seem to realize how lucky they are that they don’t have to deal with feelings and masters and all the other terrible side effects of being a person. 

 In spite of his name sake, Astarion does not have the luxury of being blissfully unaware of the horrors life has to offer. It didn't bother him so much- he took each terrible thing as it came and rolled with the punches. Whatever it takes to keep him alive until the next day- it’s essentially his life motto. 

  Another thing stars aren’t burdened with- the need for rest. 

 Traversing into the Shadow Cursed Lands is the last thing Astarion wants to be doing and while he was already worried for himself, he found he has an entirely other worry weighing heavily on him. 

 Where in the hells are they? He thinks, its been an hour and a half now since they wandered off! 

 He is trying to not be so clingy and weird- you don’t seem to mind his company and his overbearing ness, but the others had been teasing him and he was rather sore about it. 

 They called him a lovesick bat amongst other things and he is not lovesick. You are a means to an end, nothing more and nothing less. Granted, no one else needs to know that.

 Sleep continues to elude him as he waits impatiently to hear your footsteps walking back into camp or your scent to come rolling over him from the breeze.

  It’s probably only been 30-45 minutes- realistically- but Astarion has found himself becoming very preoccupied and aware of your safety. 

 You are a squishy mortal- your heart needs to beat and you need to breathe or he will lose you and he can’t fathom the idea of not having you by his side.

 His idle feet drag him to the forest, no longer able to sit and wait for you to make a reappearance.

 I just need to make sure they are safe, he thinks, because otherwise I am not sure they would keep me in the group- yeah! That’s why I’m doing this. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

 While most feel terrified of the darkness of the wilderness at night, he feels comforted and engulfed in it. He loves the sun, but unfortunately, at the end of the day, he is still a creature of the night and that is where he technically belongs.

 He supposes that’s another worry he’s had lately- an intrusive thought really- but what happens when this journey ends? You and the others assured him that they will free him from Cazador forever- Astarion even became a bit emotional when Gale said, “and he won’t find you alone!” when Astarion brought up the dangers of keeping him in the group. 

 You have rallied around him this whole time and stuck your neck out for him more often than not. The two of you have indulged in each other and been enjoying each other’s company, but right now he’s here and you may just not be attracted to the others.

 What happens when everyone gets back to Baldur’s Gate? He’s seen you in pubs before and playing so the bar goers can stay on tune with the singer. You have your own little following of people who crave your attention and while you have told him it all makes you uncomfortable- those people would be a far more appropriate life match for you than a Vampire. 

 Astarion’s ears droop on their own at the thought. He thought he got out of the childish elven habit of slouching his ears long ago when Cazador beat it out of him- you seemed to have brushed off some of the vines. It’s like old parts of a factory are slowly being restored and as it is, he finds pieces of himself he subconsciously knew were there, but are new to him again. 

 For example- he loves a good practical joke just for good fun. He bought a cushion of sorts from Mol and put it where Lae’zel sits- covered with a blanket. She sat down on the log for her watch as quite literally everyone was sitting down to eat dinner. He fell off his seat he was laughing so hard- it was worth being chased up and down a few trees. 

 He also enjoys dancing for fun- you dragged him around the fire during the night of the Tiefling party and taught him more informal dancing and less of the stuffy shit Cazador forces him to partake in. You growled at anyone who tried to cut in- it was rather funny.

 You are also quite the fan of the occasional shenanigan and he finds himself smiling at the memory of your baby hairs stuck to your sweat slicked skin as he kept watch for guards while you graffitied Vlaakith’s painting or when you waved at her instead of bowing.

 Life is fun with you- he forgot why people enjoy being alive so much outside of not feeling ravenous all the time. He feels alive with you and the idea of you and him never seeing each other again for your entire life scares him. He doesn’t want to stumble upon an obituary some time in the future and ‘remember’ the person who saved him.

 He wants to be at your side and it terrifies him, but it would be worse to be away from you.

 Feelings- it’s disgusting and he does not like it. 

 Your scent becomes stronger on a more beaten path and he feels his alarm bells going off- jolting in the direction he believes you are and praying that every God actually hears him as he silently begs for you to be safe. 

  Your melodic voice and the sound of the babbling brook melts the worry in his body. Astarion’s pace slows slightly and he feels that annoying warm glow spread through his body. 

  You are sitting near the bank with your laundry in hand- Scratch and the Owlbear cub are laying down together nearby, one of the pup’s ears upright to hear any intruders. 

 It brings him some comfort that you have Scratch and the little cub- he isn’t sure he would fuck with an Owlbear Cub or approach a Bard with a bewitching voice calling out into the night like a Harpy’s song.

 “When I was a child

 Everybody smiled

No-body knows me at allllll

 Very late at night and in the morning light

  Nobody knows me at all

 I got lots of friends, yes, but then again- nobody knows me at all-“

 You stop suddenly and stare up at the moon and Astarion is completely enraptured with you and your singing. He feels charmed and he is entirely okay with it. 

“I suppose that’s not necessarily true,” you say softly, picking at the grass and smiling to yourself. 

 Oh your smile- he feels himself slowly melt into the grass like a smitten school boy and his own grin dances across his lips. 

 They are talking about you, the thoughts sends shocks of happiness and twinges of guilt, your plan worked.

 He should be thrilled, but he could honestly give a shit less. He is too busy listening.

 “And I’d give up forever to touch you

 Cause I know that you feel me somehow

 You’re the closest to heaven, that I’ll ever be

And I don’t wanna go home right now.”

 If his heart beat it would be pounding in his chest right now. 

 Your face is so relaxed, but he adores the furrow of your brow as you concentrate on hitting all the right chords and remembering the lyrics.  The song is beautiful but he is certain it’s only because you are the one singing it. Anyone else singing a love song would make him feel nauseated. 

 Astarion feels centuries of heaviness roll off his body with every note and sweet omission of trust. 

 He is hypnotized by your lovely fingers plucking the chords and he feels the ghost of your hand in his- you had taken it in your hand while everyone walked through the forest. Your hand had felt perfect in his own and he felt like a young, giddy, new person again. You always make him feel like that though lately. 

 “And I don’t want the world to see me

 Cause I don’t think that they’d understand

When everything’s meant to be broken

 I just want you to know who I am.”

  Astarion had lost all hope- truly lost it all- before the Mindflayers had kidnapped him. He felt more hopeful once he landed on the beach, but that hope was also laced with overwhelming fear. 

 Lately, he has been more present in his day to day. He is happy and full most days. He wakes up near you or to the sound of your laugh instead of the screams of his siblings or angry commands from Cazador or being yanked out of bed by either Cazador or Godey to be dragged off to the Kennels or Gods only knows where. 

 Astarion has actually been trancing for four hours straight without interruption these days and he even fell asleep a couple of times- his body finally feeling safe enough to completely shut down for a while. He woke up feeling stronger than ever and your heartbeat echoing through his ribs. 

 You had been more than happy to let him share your tent at night after he had barged into your tent after a particularly bad trance. It had been shortly after killing Nere in the Underdark and before entering the Crèche. He has basically been sleeping there every night since and he gets to enjoy your company- and all to himself!

 You with your wild morning hair and sleep ridden breath- it’s a gift he has never been given before. Astarion is grateful for every morning he has gotten to wake up next to you and you are alive- so vulnerable and warm with sleep. 

 He adores the way you tiredly blink at him as you become more aware of the world. You have begun to leave a sleepy kiss on his lips in the morning and he finds himself looking forward to it; and the mornings you forget, he steals a lazy morning kiss from you. It’s like Gale and his coffee, he can’t start his day anymore without that first kiss in the mornings. 

 You continue to sing- your voice strong and full of passion. Happy tears make your eyes glimmer and sparkle under the moonlight and for once, he doesn’t hate being a creature of the night because you make nighttime seem ethereal and lovely; enchanting and whimsical; a luxury to witness. Astarion is positive you could make even the most dingy corners of the world look beautiful from blessing it with your presence alone. 

 You finish your song and he decides he cannot take being away from you for another moment longer so he backtracks just a bit.

“Darling?” He calls out with a fake worried voice, “are you okay?”

“I’m over here!”

 With a big, stupid grin on his face, he half skips half walks over to your spot under the tree.

 You are delightfully rosy with blush and your eyes light up upon seeing him- Astarion doesn’t think that will ever get old. You are the first person to ever genuinely be happy to see him and he laps it up like Scratch drinks water after he has a fit of zoomies. 

“I am so grateful it’s you singing- I began to feel charmed and feared the worst!”

 You roll your eyes at his comment, but smile widely anyway and put your luteto the side, taking his outstretched hand. 

“I am so glad you find my singing appealing,” you say breathlessly, “I will have to work harder to truly charm you next time.” 

“Oh- you may consider me thoroughly charmed, my Sweet,” he presses a kiss to your forehead and you giggle, “anymore and I might become your Thraul.”

“That wouldn’t be good at all!” You exclaim, “you would agree with me on everything and it would be terrible!”

 Astarion throws his head back with laughter- it’s not even all that funny, but the way you embrace his personality and find it enjoyable fills him with so much joy. 

 You pull him out under the moonlight and he cocks an eyebrow at you- you respond with a cheeky grin.

 “Magistrate Ancunín,” you say sweetly with a bow, “I thought I might have seen you across the dance floor this evening.”

 Astarion smiles, “Ah! Your highness- how lovely it is to see you, my Dear. I was so hoping you may be here tonight- everyone else is so dreadfully dull, as you already know.”

“Believe me,” you roll your eyes and wave your hand, “none of them find my jokes or my stories entertaining.”

“Perish the thought!” He puts a hand to his chest in faux surprise, “They should all be sentenced to death!”

 Your eyes widen for a moment before you snort and join in.

“I so agree,” you snap your fingers, “there- it’s all been magically taken care of. I am the most powerful Highness known to the realms, after all.”

“Oh your majesty,” he pretends to be on the verge of feinting, “no one has ever done something so wonderfully romantic like this for me before- however can I repay you?”

“You could repay me by giving me this dance?”

 He hears your heartbeat race slightly and you look a bit nervous. It’s such a bizarre thing for you to feel. Of course he will dance with you. It would be criminal not to.

 Taking your hand- he pulls you to him and wraps your arms around his neck. His fingers greedily cling to your hips as you sway together back and forth. 

 You hum as the two of you have your foreheads pressed together and your eyes closed- the only individuals privy to the moment being the moon and the sleeping animals. 

 Astarion appreciates how your voice always reflects your feelings- the happiness in your tune is pleasant to his sensitive ears. 

 Eventually it’s the sound of the river that you both sway to and he barely catches your sentence.

“I am surprised you came looking for me,” you say with a yawn, “I thought you would be asleep by now.”

 He shakes his head, “I couldn’t.”

“Bad trance?”

“Something like that,” he quickly tries to change the subject, “why are you still awake?”

“I wasn’t able to sleep and decided I wanted to enjoy the moon and the ability to sing so freely,” you sigh, “Gods only knows when we’ll see it again.”

 Astarion hums in agreement- taking your callused hands in his and tracing the line of your hands. This seems to help you relax and it does bring him quite a bit of happiness to be able to help you relax as much as you help him. 

“I- I am really scared,” you look up at him with tears in your eyes, “I’m scared to go into the Shadow Cursed Lands. I have heard the stories and the lands are haunted by the cursed dead- people who had lives- who had stories.

“I am scared I could end up joining them,” your lower lip quivers so adorably, but he doesn’t like the words you are saying at all, “if I make one wrong move or we all get separated-“

“Stop,” he says, his voice thick and his chest heavy with an emotion he can’t identify, “I won’t allow that to happen. I can assure you that you will be rather irritated with me by the time we kill Ketheric- I don’t think I will be able to allow you to be out of arm’s reach.”

 He says it, but the actual reality of the comment doesn’t hit him until a couple seconds later. 

 Fuck.

 You smile brilliantly at him, “I hope you are ready for the same treatment.”

“I would be offended if you didn’t!”

“Well, we certainly can’t have that!”

 You lean forward and leave a kiss on his lips that takes his breath away- he follows you as you pull away, not ready to be without your lips on his. Astarion smiles against your mouth when your breath hitches- he loves that sound.

 And he is terrified to lose you.  

 Astarion fucked up his own plan- well okay, not really, but he did kind of. You have fallen for him, that much is obvious, but he was never supposed to fall for you! 

  The swaying continues- even as your body becomes heavier and heavier with sleepiness, Astarion feels like he’s dreaming and also simultaneously having a nightmare.

 He needs to rid himself of these feelings before they become all consuming- before he goes and does something stupid. 

 Maybe I give myself some space- sleep in my tent tonight? His chest tightens and he cannot breathe,  no, that won’t work. I- I don’t want to do that. I could push them away- get them to break things off with me.

 That thought makes him feel even more ill. Being near you brings happiness, comfort, and warmth- even when he is feeling extremely confused and uncomfortable with his feelings towards you. 

 You see the pieces of him he doesn’t often let others see and instead of despising him, you smile at his jokes. You laugh the loudest out of everyone- even at the jokes that maybe don’t deserve it. You are patient when he is grumpy, unreasonable, and rude. 

 You have become important to him- more important than he ever intended for you to be.

“Let’s go back to camp,” you say with a large yawn, “I need a little bit of sleep- we have a hell of a journey ahead.”

 Astarion helps you pick up your things and he carries your bag for you. You hold his other hand and you both chat as if you have spent years together rather than mere weeks- both of you grinning from ear to ear.

 You eventually wind up in each other’s embrace in your tent and you are snoring softly. Always making music as he likes to say. 

 The nighttime eventually pulls him back into his own trance, but this time, his trance is filled with happy memories of your adventures together with every melody you have ever sung prancing through his head.

[ronearoundblindly]

Hideout (1)

touch-starved!Nomad Steve Rogers x motel employee!Reader

Puppy, (see premise post or series)

Summary: An ultra-shy man named Grant arrives with various friends to your family-owned motel. He opens up slowly over the months...and grows a fantastic beard. 🤭

While this part has no mature situations, this series will be 18+ only. MINORS DNI. This is mostly pure setup for the smut in every future chapter. Your media consumption is your responsibility; please choose for yourself if these matters trigger you. If so, there is plenty for you to read on my Light Masterlist, but this work is not it! WC ~2k

He first arrives with only his friend—two fit fellas, one white, one black. They pay in cash, share a double room. The most information you get is Tom Smith, the more open of the two, joking that you’ll have to excuse Grant’s shyness.

Grant doesn’t seem to respond to his own name.

He’s a beefy blond, and your impression is the man doesn’t need to have a lot going on up top to get by in life. You do try not to judge, though. Your job is more about keen observation and recognizing the needs of your guests.

These two guests need privacy. They aren’t unfriendly, but they are not chatty. They go as quickly as they came. One night. The room is slept in, but they were clean enough.

The next time they show up they need three rooms, but you only have two available. Tom and Grant bunk up again, and a couple are with them who do not come into the office. The woman has beautiful auburn hair that she covers with a ball cap, and her very tall beau—whose hand she holds—shields himself in far more clothing than necessary this time of year.

They all sleep (you assume) during the day and only socialize at night when the other guests aren’t around.

Not that the party is loud; they simply seem more at ease when it’s harder to see. They stay three or four days, leaving rather suddenly early one night after paying for the time already.

Sporadically, this continues.

Once it’s only the couple. She is very reserved and he is very awkward, but again nice enough. They stay for nearly two weeks, enjoying hikes in the area, always holding hands. The woman relaxes significantly. It’s quite lovely to see.

Mister and Misses Durham, you know them as. They don’t always respond by name either.

Another visit makes five guests with the addition of a beautiful young woman. Her hair is cropped and bleach blond, and she is by far the most at ease.

It’s this visit that you realize they are just staying in their rooms during the day not sleeping, and you find the karaoke machine to take to Tom’s room.

He’s thrilled, thank goodness, because you don’t normally offer up activities to those who don’t ask about them, but Tom bangs on the doors of the other two (you think) couples so they can join him.

You’re about to leave when he asks you to do a duet with him.

Grant throws out that Tom enjoys Marvin Gaye. It’s the most you’ve heard him say, ever.

“I do,” Tom agrees, “but I don’t mess with the master.”

So you have the idea to sing Marvin Gaye—the song—with Tom as Charlie Puth and you as Meghan Trainor.

It’s quite a lot of fun, belting as best you can, finding Grant’s intense gaze on you for the lyrics:  I’m like a stray without a home… I’m like a dog without a bone…

Just as quickly, however, you have to go back to the front desk. Duty calls and all.

You make sure they know the machine is all theirs for as long as they want. Their rooms are too far down the line of the building to hear if they do enjoy it for long, but you get no complaints about noise. You hope for the best.

Later that night, Grant comes by the office, carrying the machine with a smirk on his face and the most genuine appreciation on his lips. He has a lovely deep voice you never knew about.

He just talks to you.

It’s all superficial conversation about the area, the weather, what activities you like on your days off, but even that seems a struggle for him.

Tom was not kidding. His friend is extremely shy. He has trouble thinking up casual questions. He can’t look you in the eye until responding, and he doesn’t give more than a few words in answer to anything.

You laugh--you have to—when Grant asks if he can walk you to your door, which…is ludicrous because you live in the house a whopping fifty meters past the main motel. Your family has owned and run this place for three generations. You’ve walked that path your whole life.

“I like walking,” he shrugs, though from the sheer muscles on him, he does way more than just walk. “I was gonna do a lap or two anyway.”

“Well, I have to wait for Clark to show up, but—“ you look him up and down “—okay.”

Grant is so sweet but so stiff. He holds himself with purpose when actively thinking, but you catch him having these distant moments. He withers like a violet, a shell that’s too small for his big body. He seems lost and lonely.

You’re glad to do whatever keeps him company. Your goal for the night is to make Grant smile as much as humanly possible, but that’s difficult when he won’t let you know anything about him.

Twenty minutes later, Clark, a local stoner kid who hardly looks up from his phone, waltzes in, stepping around Grant like a wall that’s always been there and throwing a “hey, man” out with zero regard for a response. Classic Clark. That’s why he’s on night shifts.

So you grab your bag and let Grant hold the door open for you.

Maybe you’ve been watching the Durhams too much when they come around, but you feel a compulsion to hold his hand. You don’t, obviously, because you only just heard this guy speak for the first time today. It would also be incredibly awkward to hold Grant’s hand in the dead silence that follows on your way up the gravel path.

You’re so consumed by figuring out what to say next that you don’t notice till the beast is right there.

An elk walks right in front of you, taller than Grant. From this angle the animal blocks the entire view of your house it’s so big, and you jump back, slamming into your startled escort’s chest.

You both freeze as it moves slowly at a diagonal to the other side of woods, bringing it and its gigantic horns closer still.

It squawks like some sort of awful banshee and stamps huge hoofs. You throw your weight backward and spin to flee, clambering over Grant’s body.

Why you’re so scared, who knows; you should be used to the wildlife, but no creature has ever done this before.

The most shocking thing, however, is how strongly Grant tries to hold you immobile.

The harsh grip on your waist and the way he hisses through his teeth for you to stop should be your hint, but instead you cling to him harder, asking quietly if the animal is gone.

“Uh…” Grant tenses against you. “It’s…it’s just—“ he shudders when you wriggle “—yes, gone,” he bites out, pushing you away by the hips.

He takes a second to breathe, buries his hands in his pockets, and leans forward, gathering himself.

It was scary. That could have turned nasty very quickly. You were lucky Grant was there and calm…except he was sorta the reason you were distracted in the first place.

Finally composed, he sighs and motions forward. “Let’s get you home.”

Two months later, Grant’s initial five o’clock shadow has come in nicely.

You’ve learned the routine of their check-in. There’s only one room available, unfortunately, but if they stay more than two days, there should be another open.

Tom shrugs and offers a playful, “we’ll see. We go where the wind takes us.” He smooths his palm over a fresh fade at his nape and the sharp angles of his goatee.

“And you, I see, have stopped in for a cut with Terrence in town. He loves the three slices like that.” That's how the barber marks his work. Terrence's shop is very popular.

“It’s a good signature. Wish I could'a convinced this big lug to get a trim.” Tom elbows his friend who stares at his feet.

Grant runs his fingers through his golden locks and swallows. “Yeah, well, maybe next time.”

Without realizing what you’re doing, you stand on the rungs of your stool behind the counter and reach for his lusciously full beard.

“Don’t you dare get rid of this,” you chide, fingertips grazing the skin of his cheek beneath the course yet soft hairs.

You should apologize. You should let go and sit back down. You should professionally hand them their key and be done with it, but instead, you linger, watching his blue eyes darken with a primal devastation.

He’s prey caught in a cage.

You release Grant’s face with an awkward laugh and a shake of your head.

Tom makes his own, very knowing face, and winks.

“You should do that more. Touch him. He could use it.”

Grant clears his throat harshly and blushes, mumbling something about which room number you said they had and that he’ll bring the other bags from the car. He leaves. Tom takes the keys with another wink and a sassy tap on the hardwood.

“Thank ya, ma’am. We appreciate it.”

It’s about twenty minutes later when your pen rolls off the edge of the counter, you find a small duffle left where Grant stood.

“He was joking. It was a joke,” Grant blurts when he finds you standing there to give it back.

You just smile and say Tom isn’t wrong.

“So, if you ever just want a hug…” you mutter, taking a chance to scratch at his bearded chin again. “Not like you’re gonna hurt me.”

He looks back inside, as if seeking permission or checking to make sure his friend is still in the bathroom, singing in the shower.

Grant can’t seem to meet you halfway, but he does inch forward, struggling to word a simple ‘yes.’

The tentative embrace starts with only the top of his chest touching you, bent so his butt is out, no pressure on his hands at your shoulders, so you push a little more and a little more. You get close enough he needs to wrap his arms around you instead. He has to stand straight so his chin doesn’t poke your forehead. He whimpers slightly when your own arms encircle his tiny waist.

A few breaths later, he relaxes into a lovely full-body hug, his rough fingertips on your bare skin where your shirt bunched up. You’re both being human, no more, no less, tangled in simple comfort.

Grant tucks his face into your collarbone suddenly and squeezes, not so hard that it hurts but not gently either. The move tickles you with his beard, your hands pawing up his back as you giggle, and he whines like wounded prey.

“Hey, it’s okay,” you soothe. “I can be here, if you want, to hold. It’s okay.”

That has the opposite effect you intended, knocking him out of some soft reverie and launching him back a foot, a necessary but unwelcome distance.

Grant looks guilty, needy, and resigned as he thanks you for returning the bag and sees you out the door.

dividers by cafekitsune and firefly-graphics

A/N: This will be the shortest (probably) of all the parts, and yeah, we get into some smuttier moments pretty quickly... Stay tuned!

[Next Part: Sweet Baby]

[Main Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

@supraveng @1950schick @patzammit @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @yiiiikesmish @ashesofblackroses @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory @brandycranby @buckysprettybaby @ellethespaceunicorn @rogersbarber @spectre-posts @bucky-fricking-barnes-reads @fallinallinmendes

[sugar-crash]

🏎️Turbo (Wreck-It Ralph) x (gn) Reader🏁

(First Date Edition!)

(Picture’s not mine)

(Request here! This song is getting popular all of sudden for some reason?? Like I’m glad it’s getting the recognition it deserves it just surprises me how quick songs get popular. Already brushed upon this idea but getting into deeper detail is something I’m all for ngl)

- Again he’s not much of a date guy, not wanting to put much effort into anything, having the idea that just because you guys are a thing now he doesn’t need to... He’s an idiot if I haven’t established that fact enough.

- He eventually gets it through his thick skull that doing nothing romantic with you is unacceptable and slowly attempts to be more of a boyfriend and not some guy you hang out with and kiss in private.

- Dates with him even after his “mind-bending epiphany”, there’s an effort now but it’s executed in a very lax manner, like getting you some food after hours and chatting with you while sitting on the roof of his kart.

- I think sometimes dates are either planned or rather spontaneous in a “may as well” kind of way, like, you’re here, he’s here, date time.

- His stubborn nature tends to make him insist on having dates in either his own or older games for the sake of being somewhere familiar… This is understandable but he never frames it that way, calling a game you suggest you guys go to as “brainless” among other things.

- He takes great pride in his game so it’s one of his main hang-out spots, usually orbiting around the idea of simply staying in Turbo Time and showing off his large and ever-growing display of trophies to you for the umpteenth time.

- That cocky part of his personality lets itself known during your dates… Honestly lets it be known in general so not much of a difference, except he’s trying to get your attention rather than other people.

- A more covert part of himself yearns for your approval, seeking it whenever the chance arises, he realizes dates give him a reason to get it. Becoming more keen with the concept as he gets your undivided attention.

- I think the first official date between you two was in Turbo Time, again not a very romantic one but there was an effort and he expects to be rewarded for it, kisses are acceptable payment.

- Bring some food with him so you two aren’t just sitting there doing absolutely nothing… It’s kinda awkward at first because you two are just eating in silence for like a good minute before someone breaks the ice and that innate ability to talk about stupid things between the two of you is activated.

It probably ends with you guys kissing in his kart, a surprisingly pleasant end that is quickly ruined when a smug look makes its way onto his face and you have to push his face away with a scoff.

- Has a tendency to belittle anything else you have planned that doesn’t include him, calling them inherently stupid under the guise of a joke… A very unfunny joke.

- He’s a bit (really) toxic if that hasn’t been hammered in already, having the ugly habit of only thinking about himself and what others could do to help him.

- You’re no exception, taking him a while to adjust to having to think about you and what you may think about something, with those dates being a good example of that.

- His downright horrid perspective is baffling and shows you how this guy was created to be a winner, just not a noble one.

- Talking about winners, I think he calls himself as such when talking about your relationship, especially after this special date and high off of the emotions it warranted from him.

- That date specifically is the start of an era between the two of you, really puts things into perspective for Turbo— That now he isn’t as invincible as he originally thought, that there’s things beyond just winning.

- It wasn’t about winning in the first place, it simply gave him what he craved the second he got the taste of it when his game got its La first-ever quarters by a gamer whose name has been long since forgotten to him, power.

- Those attempts I think in a way give him this idea that “following the program” is something he doesn’t need to follow, he’s Turbo— And having a relationship with someone so… Different to him is something his programming was initially opposed against, only for it to work for you two… For the most part.

- He’s Turbo and can do whatever he wants with you by his side, whether his intentions for the natural order of things around him are good or not.

(Kv fvb lcly aopur aoha aol nhtl johyhjalyz pu Dyljr-Pa Yhswo kylht vm zvtlaopun tvyl iba ulcly cvpjl pa?)

[sixosix]

END NOTE | THAWED

a little love letter to my readers

to start off, i know that the series is based off the entire reputation album, but i like to think that this whole series was written around call it what you want.

how it started LMFAOOO

This was previously titled ‘melt’ before i was like ‘nah ill make it, like, thaw” and earthtooz went, “Thawed?” little did earth know,, that name would literally take over my docs,,, my tags,,, my ENTIRE account

A message to my readers: From the bottomest bottom of my heart, if you have reached this series until the very end, thank you so, so much for reading. Read that sentence again. And again, until you realize how grateful I truly am as a writer. Thawed is such a big project that I still can’t believe I was able to even start. I genuinely never thought it would garner this much attention, and in all honestly, I was intimidated by it, because I had no idea what I was doing, and I was afraid I would disappoint.

This entire project was intimidating, and I considered so many times to just drop it and end it on chapter five. I struggled so badly to write after I introduced the characters, and I thought: “well, that’s it. I guess it was fun.” I even told my friends that I would do that; and yet 14 chapters later, look at where we are now 😭

Writing it was so exhausting. Working on a series while studying as a student really makes it difficult to remember details about my own story T__T I had to reread Thawed so many times to the point where I don’t even like it anymore.

But I know the reason why I decided to continue it! It sounds so horribly cliche, but it’s true. It’s thanks to all your overwhelming support :( Each ask, comment, reblog—they all fueled me more than you think. All those replies of even incoherent gibberish made me realize that, ‘hey, someone read it and liked it enough to send an ask about it. Maybe I am doing something right!!!!’

some thawed extras for readers who are interested

If you haven’t noticed, the chapter titles aren’t actually accurately about the chapter. Those titles were taken from the songs in the Reputation album, in order. And the chapters are loosely based around them!

reputation is, like, widely known as the edgy album from taylor, but in reality its such a big love letter and i know that other people noticed that, too! i think it’s very fitting to the story of thawed: it’s dark and messy, but at the end of the day, it’s a love story. do you get what i mean hehe. i hope that’s how the series came across…

im sorry if aether doesnt appear in the last chapter :( in my head, mc is coming home. and by then i dont think aether would be in fontaine at all! but rest assured they definitely have met up twice or thrice while in the other regions heehee. Also aether will ofc be there for their weeding. 🙏

i have nothing much else to say aside from thank you for reading! i hope u enjoyed thawed as much as i did

[bronanlynch]

N, O, and Y for the ask game ^^!

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

these are gonna be abt gundam sorry

more femslash (ok this one is just true in general for every fandom. but for gundam specifically, I do love sulemio and I genuinely love how excited so many people are to make fanworks abt them, but looking for content of any other f/f gundam ship is. bleak)

anything abt gundam x. where is the love for the only au to understand the newtype metaphor? for jamil neate, the amuro clone in his quattro era with his doctor bf and his former enemy pilot bf? for the two women who go on a date (not realizing at first that they're on opposing sides~) and then later move in together with their respective beards? for my best friend carris nautilus?

analysis that engages more with char (and hathaway, who gets a fair bit of this treatment as well) as characters with political beliefs that inform their actions. these are both characters with strong ideological convictions that they act on in fairly major ways, and it's confusing to me how much discussion I see of either of them that doesn't take that into account (like I thought that was part of the appeal of gundam, I thought we all liked that it was a political story and found that incredibly interesting, everyone seems to love dunking on people who try to claim it's supposed to be "apolitical" and yet. where is the in-depth discussion of characters' political beliefs) (also in general more analysis, particularly of char, but also of hathaway and quess and bright and amuro and orga and mcgillis and kamille and haman like. everyone tbh, that engages more directly with the text instead of seemingly relying on like. fanon and fandom telephone games and memes lol) (also more shippy char content that does more with char's motivations/beliefs/etc instead of making it seem like he would stop caring abt any of the things he cares about the second he had gay sex. tbh that is a thing I'm generally not a fan of like. for any character in any fandom, this idea that characters will stop having problems or caring abt things other than their partner once they're in a relationship. especially with how often it's emphasized that it's the person being designated ""the bottom"" who gives up their personality and motivations and beliefs once they've had sex. like. c'mon. how is that not straight up homophobic. please. anyway)

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of? currently most of the music I listen to is 1) anime openings/endings 2) my own fandom playlists and 3) the 3 days grace cd I have playing on repeat in my car. which is not very conducive to having interesting answers to this question unfortunately. however I do think in a world where fe3h is an anime there would be an absolute banger of an amv abt dimitri set to animal I have become

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)? @duckswithwings has told me so much absolutely bonkers dragonriders of pern lore over the years. also shout out to everything I've learned abt rainworld and pathologic from @omnipah (those all kind of feel like cheating bc they're all things I get told abt directly rather than absorbing it from my dash. a better example of dash osmosis would be all of my secondhand knowledge of jojo from @misspickman's posts to the point that I have literally had a dream in which I was going for a haircut and the reference picture I brought was uh. Idk the character's name but they have a bob and apparently my subconscious decided that was the haircut I needed)

[atzjieun]

mixtape: sophie

sophie is the first solo mixtape of ATEEZ’s Jieun and was released on December 28, 2024. The mixtape consists of three tracks, all written by Jieun and meant as a birthday gift for fans.

TRACK LISTING

Day/Night (feat. Hongjoong) 

Lyrics: Jieun, Hongjoong

Music: Jieun, Hongjoong, EDENARY

Once Upon A Time

Lyrics: Jieun

Music: Jieun, EDENARY

Weather

Lyrics: Jieun

Music: Jieun, EDENARY

PUBLIC RECEPTION

There was no prior announcement regarding the mixtape’s release– everything was posted at midnight on the 28th 

Atinys were shocked, to say the least. Some even thought that it was an accident and joked that an intern was gonna get fired

But then Jieun posted the album cover and all the members reposted it, so they realized it was on purpose

Atinys have been begging for more writer Jieun since Eternal Sunshine, so to say atinytwt blew up was an understatement

#JOLO #sophie #JieunSolo all trended on her birthday along with her birthday tags

People recognized Day/Night because she once played a few seconds of it during a live back in 2023!

But Once Upon A Time was by far the favourite amongst atiny and even locals

It ended up going semi-viral on tiktok and instagram as people were posting cute winter videos with the audio

Jieun joined the trend and posted some cute videos of her and the boys <3

Once Upon A Time ended up peaking at #9 on MelOn, which felt very fitting

Overall, the mixtape was very well-received by the public and loved by many, which gave Jieun more confidence to hopefully release more music in the feature

JIEUN’s MESSAGE

Hiii atiny~ It’s Jieunie 😊 Can you already believe it’s my 6th birthday with atiny? I feel like every year I learn something new on my birthday that I get to take into the next year since it’s only three days before new year’s. This year taught me a lot of things and gave me so many fun memories that I’ll cherish forever, like meeting atinys from around the world and getting to explore new cities. If there was one big lesson that I learned this year, it’s that things aren’t always as they seem, so you should always try to see the whole picture first. This can be applied to so many things, so treat those around you kindly because you only see what they choose to show you. 

Anyways, I’m really excited to share these songs that I’ve been working on for a long time. Day/Night can be interpreted in multiple ways, with the main theme revolving around the feeling of being tethered to your past. This could come in the form of a past relationship, or past mistakes that continue to haunt you despite how many days and nights have passed. Another reason it’s called Day/Night is because Hongjoong-oppa and I wrote this song together during a really long writing session that went from the evening to the morning LOL. It was originally supposed to be just a solo song, but Hongjoong-oppa has helped me become the songwriter I am today, so I made him sing :) 

Once Upon A Time is the most recent of the three songs. It almost didn’t make the cut! But I love this song a lot and worked really hard to finish it so I could include it in the mixtape. During the writing process for this song, the chorus was the first thing I wrote. I realized afterwards that almost the entire chorus was in English, so I just decided to write the rest of the song in English to match. It took me a while to decide on a name for this song and for a while it was just untitled because I couldn’t think of a name I liked. Some of the other names I had were “Fairytale,” “Lonely Night,” and “Hug Me,” but I think Once Upon A Time fits well. 

Weather is an older song that was written back in 2021 while I was bored in quarantine. Like me, this song has grown a lot through the years. I struggled a little bit when it was first written because I had a clear idea of how I wanted it to sound, but I wasn’t very good at guitar back then so I couldn’t meet my expectations. Almost three years later though, I’m proud of how far it’s come. I’ve never been good at expressing my feelings, so instead I wrote this song for the people that I love, whether it be my members, my family, or atiny. It’s important to remember that no matter how difficult things get or how much life changes, love is always going to remain, so it’s important to hold onto it and give it while you can. 

With that said, this mixtape is my gift for atiny who have always given me so much love. I hope you’re all staying warm these winter days and spending time with your loved ones this holiday season, but for those that are unable to, I hope you’re still taking care of yourself. This message is already way too long, but I just want to say one more thing: Thank you for always being there for me. Stay safe and remember that you’re loved. 

– Jieunie <3

[queer-scots-geordie-dyke]

"That spring in 1971 I was in second grade high school. Suddenly, politics or what we thought was politics, stopped being so boring. In a delayed, faint echo of the 1968 movement in the West, revolutionary ideas were making their way towards our forgotten little corner of the world. Suddenly, every walk back home from school became slightly dangerous. People were gathering in the streets, shouting “We want democracy” and “Stop totalitarianism!” and “We want reforms” and “Liberty for all political prisoners.” Every day there were fights in the streets of Zagreb, with the police brutally attacking protesting students.

At home my parents were contemplating signing petitions for the liberation of dissident writers imprisoned because of their political views. Since they had been imprisoned themselves by the Communist regime, they were always very cautious about any protest. “Stay away from politics,” was their main advice. Before the events of 1971 there was no need for that advice since I didn’t have any interest in politics anyway. Who cared about those boring Communist politicians, all in their ill-fitting grey suits, indistinguishable one from the other, talking in a language that put you to sleep as soon as you heard it!

But all at once and without warning, everything changed. What was happening in the streets was real and exciting. I desperately wanted to be a part of it. We, the kids, were, of course, automatically and unquestionably, on the side of the protesters. We were, of course, against the police who were beating the demonstrating students. We were, of course, against totalitarianism and pro democracy. There were no dilemmas. We were all for freedom.

But things in the Balkans are never black and white. As they aren’t anywhere in the world, we would learn later.

The pro-democracy protests included another element that wasn’t too obvious to a second-grade high school student. Not only were the students requesting democratic reforms; they were also questioning the federal structure of Yugoslavia, asking for more autonomy for each republic, in this case Croatia. I went to a student meeting, my cheeks burning with newly-discovered political passion. I was puzzled when I realized that the meeting was being held in a Catholic church and that one of the speakers was a Catholic priest. Hm….

Since the beginning of my life I had listened to passionate anti-religious rants at home. My mother would get physically sick inside churches; my father was an outspoken communist who loved to quote Marx’s sentence about religion being the opium of the people; my grandmother thanked the priest who chased her away from the Church, thus saving her life. So now, wanting to join the exciting political movement, I was suddenly faced with the other constituting element of that movement: religion. And, yet another one: nation. I didn’t know anything about either. As for nationality: I was a Yugoslav. That’s what I would write in all my documents. Yes, we lived in the republic of Croatia, but I saw it as an administrative category, something to do with the general organization of the state of Yugoslavia. We did learn about the existence of different ethnicities at school, but I didn’t feel it affected me in any way. I saw any discussion about nationality as something regressive and belonging to the uneducated peasant masses.

We were taught (and I was totally buying it) that our society had triumphed over all those destructive forces from the past, forces that had killed millions of people in the last war, that had set up concentration camps and slaughtered children in the name of ethnic purity. Who would ever want to go back to those “dark times?” It turned out: almost everybody.

At that students’ meeting in the church there was no discussion of freedom and democratic reforms. To my absolute horror, I heard students singing songs from the Second World War, songs sung by the Ustashas, the Croatian Fascists who had killed my Jewish grandfather. “Zovi, samo zovi” (“Call us”) was a battle song of the Ustashas. Why were these exciting young people with glowing eyes singing it? I couldn’t understand it. I ran out of the church, scared."

- Mira Furlan, Love Me More Than Anything In the World

[spacerhapsody]

It has recently come to light that my deepest, darkest (Digimon) fandom secret is that I didn’t always ship Taito, and @hazelestelle was kind/curious enough to ask the following question in that shipping ask game:

18. A ship you never thought you would ship but do.

Buckle up, kids, because it’s time for a (long) trip down memory lane.

The year is 2002, and after about a year of exploring the internet via small guestbooks and messaging boards, someone finally pointed me towards the central German anime site. And while I think I had seen a couple of people publishing their own stories online and had written one or two myself, I hadn’t realized before that the concept of fanfic was a whole thing, let alone how much of it there was out there.

I also didn’t know yet that you could properly ship things that aren’t canon. Back then, I thought Yamto and Sora were really cute together (probably I mostly thought Yamato was the coolest person ever and was using Sora to heavily project onto), and apparently so did other people, because I easily found and read quite a few stories about them.

Now what you have to remember is that tags or any kind of useful sorting system just wasn’t a thing back then, which is how I ended up with a sliiightly different story, but I didn’t know that yet.

The fic was labeled with all kinds of warning – but I had absolutely no idea what any of those words meant. I’d only just discovered that Taichi and Yamato were Tai and Matt’s Japanese/actual names and just figured “Taito” and “Yamachi” were other (nick)names for them, and since it was popular to just throw random Japanese words into your fic at the time, and half of the time people didn't even use them right, I didn’t bother to look up what “Shounen-Ai” and “Yaoi” meant.

So I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading, and after a couple of chapters I might have found it a bit weird that Sora was so little in it, but apparently I’ve also always enjoyed a good slow-burn, so I kept on reading. I don’t even remember when I realized that there was something going on between Yamato and Taichi, but I do remember that I was fascinated, and that I couldn’t stop reading, especially once it became obvious/something actually happened between them.  

(Why do I care so much about queer people, says queer person years before she figures out she’s queer herself, etc.)

Anyways, the story was long (and my internet time limited), so it took days, if not weeks of surreal summer evenings until I was done, but I read the whole thing.

And for whatever reason… I took this as my sign to start shipping Daisuke and Ken (and a variety of DBZ characters). XD

I’ve absolutely no idea why that was what I took away from the whole thing, it’s not even that I disliked the ship (yet), I always kind of understood why people were shipping them, maybe it was simply because Digimon 02 was much more present in my mind than the first season at the time?

But then I started looking for Daisuke/Ken stories (again, without a lot of help from the websites themselves), and it was an absolute nightmare.

You simply couldn’t find anything that didn’t have Yamato/Taichi as the main ship instead, that didn’t feature them as the reason Daisuke and Ken were figuring themselves out, or didn’t have them as the “older, wiser” couple at least one of them went to for advice, and I was steadily growing more and more annoyed by them.

And it was like this for years. I think it got even worse (Adventure, and thus Yamato/Taichi, has always been more popular than any of the 02 characters, and even more so after they lost their momentum).

They just were everywhere, in every goddamn fic, no matter what other pairing you were actually looking for. I was once reading some football RPS, and when the guys in that story were listening to the radio, the host mentioned someone had called in and asked to play the previous song, from Yamato to Taichi (or the other way round) – you can’t even make that shit up.

At this point they just annoyed me so much that I made a point of not shipping them, and I think I’d also reached a point where I was a bit tired of the whole “they’re rivals/always beating each other up, so they obviously are in love” trope.

I also discovered Taichi/Koushiro (which I still think is an amazing ship that at least the German fandom has always been completely sleeping on), so I had even more reason to not ship Yamato/Taichi.

And I honestly think it would always have been this way, but then tri. happened. And hit me with full force. Because they were older, and somewhat calmer/less aggressive around each other, but still very much themselves, and most of all so blatantly obvious.

I was still in denial during most of part 1, but I already knew when Mimi shoved them into a Ferris wheel cabin and declared the group had brought them together that I was fighting a losing battle, and by part 2 with the entire onsen visit and the bickering afterwards, it was over.

Look. I get it. They’re really it. They work so well together, there’s so much there, they’re the blueprint for so many anime ships, they give me way too many feelings. (Help.)

I still don’t really ship them pre!tri., though. Partly probably because of my history with the ship, but also because I like their dynamic so much better now, and because I simply like the idea of people getting together later in life, or at the very least after they’ve at least finished high school.

TL;DR: I never, ever thought I’d fall into Taito hell, and yet here I am, in the year 2k24, absolutely obsessed with them once again. Thank you, Digimon, you’re the gift that keeps on giving.

[sorrygotthesesacks]

hi wanted to drop by and say how much I love your silbek fics and how you write them! ♡ you write them both so well and I'm always so excited to see a new fic from you in the silbek tags, reading ur fics brings me so much joy! You seem to have a lot of ideas for them, if you don't mind me asking what tropes or dynamics do you enjoy seeing with them? and any ideas for them that you've thought of but not explored yet or haven't written down? Go wild when replying to this ask! Looking forward to more of your writing!

I am so happy that you enjoy the way I write them. I do have a lot of ideas…so, so many ideas…but I’ll start with the tropes and dynamics first.

I love the “dating but don’t realize it” or “everyone thinks they’re dating” trope because it is just so them.

I love that everything with them is a competition—not just from Sebek’s side, but Silver’s, too—including kissing!

I love that they just get each other. The training they have been through together has really tested them in ways that even Lilia realizes later was more for a soldier than for children, but Silver and Sebek have fond memories of these times. I love that they have grown stronger together and that their competitiveness has helped them grow.

I don’t think Sebek can picture himself in the Royal Guard with anyone but Silver by his side, and I think the reverse is true as well. As Sebek says in Glorious Masquerade, what could possibly be a threat when the two of them are united? So when I write, I always have in mind that while they are individually very strong and capable, together, they are invincible.

Which is hyperbole because of course they are vincible, but it’s that sentiment that runs through their relationship. They see each other’s flaws, but the respect is there.

And that they are endgame. They are absolutely endgame to me, always.

Ideas… I am including WiPs, with the acknowledgement that to me, a work in progress includes me opening a blank document and writing a description of what I want to explore.

The Tangled AU started off that way, but I have about half of the opening scene written.

I like the idea of subverting the “Silver is in a deep sleep and Sebek must wake him with true love’s kiss” but I’ve not yet worked out how Sebek would be the one slumbering.

I’ve just started to sort out an idea of illustrating Sebek’s journey from childhood to training with Silver, and the evolution of his feelings as they spend time together.

I have a document titled “Sebek compares himself to Silver” where he is examining himself in the mirror and wondering how he continues to lose against Silver despite how much he has trained. It’s a very very rough idea and I’m not sure where I will go with it, exactly. Now that I’ve started sketching out Sebek’s journey from childhood to NRC, though, I think this would fit perfectly in there.

I want to explore Sebek’s year in Briar Valley when Silver is at NRC.

There’s my lost prince AU which I started writing a couple of years ago (I was really trying to get it written before Book 7, before canon smashed everything I'd written to smithereens), but that might not fit what you’re asking because this and others are partly written.

Almost all the ideas I have, I try to capture right away. Cue me walking into work and dictating my idea into my phone, and then...reading it later, trying to figure out what the hell I'd said to end up butchered as it is. (Siri has a habit of dropping words. And of course, Siri struggles with character names.)

I heard a song on the radio a while back, one one of those stations that plays songs from the 80s through today, and some of the lyrics caught my attention, so when I got home, I had to google the lyrics and create a new document so I could copy/paste them:

I got it bad You don’t know how bad I got it You got it easy You don’t know when you got it good

This idea isn’t exactly well formed, and the lyrics aren’t exactly Sebek, but what I had in mind was more of a confrontation between them where Sebek admits that it always seems like things come easy to Silver. Which, of course, he knows isn’t true because he has trained alongside Silver and he knows how hard Silver pushes himself. (This is another idea that might work its way into the “Sebek’s journey from childhood to NRC” fic, if I ever write it.)

I have a rough, vague idea of the first time Sebek is introduced to Lilia’s unique brand of cooking. I’ve only gotten this far with it:

Silver stared into the whirling abyss, one of the greatest challenges Father had presented to him so far. Struggling to conceal the dismay he felt, Silver snuck a glance at his father, who was happily slurping his own serving of whatever this was supposed to be. Soup? A stew, perhaps? Or…worse yet… did Father attempt to bake a cake again?

Right now, I’m working on an entirely brand new fic for Silver’s birthday, but I also have the beginnings of something that may or may not be a response to an ask I received.

And I want to write about Silver and Sebek and satin sheets.

Thanks for the ask; I really love talking about these two!

[cobralilyy]

how’s the vanoè and orv fics coming 🤔

hiiiiiiii lili!!! based on this post i will now be yapping about those WIPs :3 ty for the askkk even though as my beta reader you’d be forced to read this at some point anyway-

ORV: this one’s a modern au for yoo joonghyuk/kim dokja from omnicient reader’s viewpoint! it will be told almost like a 5+1 things, where the story’s segmented (either multiple to a chapter or a chapter focused on each, i’m still undecided about that :p) into pivotal moments of yjh’s life— more specifically, his life with kdj. it begins with “The first time Yoo Joonghyuk realized his life had irreparably changed was on the rooftop of his high school, three weeks after he had met Kim Dokja.” i hope to start each little section in much the same way :>

okay so this one is short. like, 700 words short… but!! i do have a pretty solid idea for it, i just need to actually write it… easier said than done, but here’s a little snippet while i hopefully get going on that:

“It’s lunch,” Yoo Joonghyuk explained, though that should have been obvious. “You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

After a moment, the boy replied, “Why are you doing this?” He glanced behind Yoo Joonghyuk, as though this were some kind of prank.

“You had better make some friends!” Yoo Mia commanded. “I want you to be happy here, too.”

“Do you want it or not?”

For a moment, Yoo Joonghyuk thought the boy was about to reach out. But his hands fell back to his lap as quickly as they had risen, and he shook his head. “No, thanks.” He went back to reading.

BIG BOAT THEORY VANOÈ: this one’s for vanitas/noè archiviste from vanitas no carte (the case study of vanitas)!!! the name big boat theory comes from the kurffew song of the same name, which this fic is based on!! a lighthouse au is rather unusual, but i think it’s an interesting way to explore physical and emotional distance within their relationships. i want to focus (sort of heavily) on the past— mostly noè’s, with dominique and louis, who all used to live in the lighthouse together with the de sade’s grandfather in their youth. (now noè and vanitas remain, manning it together, and yeah you probably get the idea by now…)

this wip currently stands at 3,895 words!! here’s a little excerpt from it:

“No,” he says, “the rice is well done.” Well done in the sense that it was cooked a bit too long. But Noè doesn’t really need to know that.

(Vanitas doesn’t know when he started holding back to spare Noè’s feelings. But, well, it’s a bit late to take it all back now. And besides, Vanitas is usually the one who does the cooking, so it’s… nice, having someone do that for him every once in a while. Even if they overcook the rice.)

Noè smiles. It’s aggravatingly soft. “Good.” Vantitas’ expression dims, then. Just a bit, but it’s noticeable, apparently. When you’ve spent so much time alone with a person, it’s impossible not to notice every little detail, every little change, apparently. “Are you nervous because you’re leaving?”

“As blunt as ever,” Vanitas chuckles, shaking his head like a lecturing mother. He intended to leave it at that, intended to wait for Noè to attempt to fill the silence with something more lighthearted. But when the look on his companion’s face reveals that that isn’t going to happen, he sighs, and adds, “I’m not. Really. If anything, you ought to be worried, not me. How ever will you keep yourself entertained?” He’s joking, taking the easy way out. Of course.

Evidently, his joke doesn’t land. Noè’s eyebrows draw closer together as he says, no trace of humor in his voice, “I thought you said that you would write me letters?” It comes out like a question. Like he really is nervous.

i’m so scared of writing vanitas’ pov AAAAAAA but i really want this to have his and noè’s perspectives

i’m sorry this is so long??? why is this so long??? this is what you get for asking me about my silly little fics (thank youuuu for that :3) sooo yeah, that’s that!!! here’s hoping it doesn’t take me twenty billion years to finish these…!!!

[catenary-chad]

Stex Appreciation Month: Electra

Fav actor: Koffi Missah is the best overall.  I think the MJ/Prince train angle is the most effective characterization for Electra and he looks, acts, and sounds perfect for that approach.  It’s fun and recognizable in the cheap seats in a language you don’t know.  But it also has a lot of potential for depth, there’s a double entendre to be made about the government/big companies conspiring against electric trains for being too successful and certain tropes about electrical powers. 

Mykal Rand is basically impossible to beat aesthetically for me.  I cannot look away from the absurdity of how smooth and girly his face is combined with how cartoonishly ripped he is.  Even footage of him on tiny tour stages in beat up ill-fitting costumes is captivating. He’s just so extreme and maximalist yet alien looking.  

I’m surprisingly unpicky on Electra actors as long as they aren’t boring.  That’s the only real crime.  But I tend to prefer ones who have/could pull off Greaseball because I prefer a bolder, louder Electra (and basically require it post 2018 so I don’t forget he even exists with that borderline camoflouge costume)

Fav songs/scenes: Dinah’s Disco because I love watching him get shoved, a nice more intense version of AC/DC, anything involving No Comeback or its leitmotif.  Once again, What Time Is It? is a terrible song but purely redeemed because Mykal is hilarious in it.

Fav costumes: Broadway/Bochum toothpaste is a classic, but I’m also weirdly fond of Late London because I love the cartoony look (especially on Chris Copeland since he went all in on the makeup style to match)

Ships/Friendships: already went over how I view him and Greaseball the other day.

I like to look at pictures from the JPN/AUS tours out of context and think Electra looks cold and lonely and in need of a buddy and Caboose coaxes him into fun bad ideas

Headcanons: 

-I habitually call Electra “he” because it’s what canon does 90% of the time, but view the character as neutral (all of them really).  Electra and the Components are about the only ones smart enough to realize these forms are an illusion and there’s no reason to play by human paradigms, it would be equally stupid if they subscribed to blood type personalities too.  They are VERY smug about this but slowly the message is spreading.  

-I vary in what exact basis I’ll give him but see him as either irl, alternate timeline, or outright sci-fi Amtrak’s choice of successor to the GG1.  He isn’t weak or terribly delicate if the infrastructure works (unless you keep him as 40101 lol), he follows in their tracks of being a huge effortless machine that’ll run away with basically anything you stick on it.  If he actually played it clean, he’d probably dominate going uphill vs Greaseball and especially Rusty, he just doesn’t flaunt strength much in canon because it’s not relevant to the race.

-Electra is a  Fully Automated Bi Space Communist who wants to run catenaries across the Rocky Mountains and Siberia

-If you turn the dials and knobs Electra will morph like a game’s character slider just like how it’s simple to regear electric locos for passenger/freight use.  

Unpopular opinions:  lmao I think all my Electra preferences are moderately to very fandom unpopular.  I’m a contrarian who likes the character for fundamentally different reasons than most.  I’ve vaguely known of the character for years but didn’t really fall in love with him until recently when I saw those 2013 tour videos people either love or hate. Yeah they have the worst staging and costumes but I went “oh hell yeah finally a less problematic alternative to my blorbos Ganondorf and Velvet von Ragnar”.  I think those two names alone make it pretty clear why I like a bulkier, hotter natured, more affectionate and competent Electra than most.  I crave novelty and get bored by oversaturated things so I’m naturally drawn to androgynous characters that aren’t twinks or prettyboys so seeing Mykal vs the more typical tall skinny Electras really made me more interested in the character, even if I think there’s more interesting characterizations than his.  

[acourtofthought]

It genuinely made me laugh out loud! “Shadows disappearing is confirmed good by HOFAS!” I was confused at first thinking when tf did that happen.. and then had a chuckle when I realized they were talking about Ruhn.

I typically stay out of the subreddit, and have their tags blocked on here, but I was curious to see what theories or hints they gathered from HOFAS. Seems like the bulk of it is:

- ruhnlidia “parallel” confirms mate language for e/riel from the bonus (or something like that, I’ve forgotten which precise passage they warped).

- stone mother song is about elain (vast stretch, seems punitive to focus on the song and not everything else that happened in that scene). And is so fucking interesting because that’s a bonus chapter and they’re still claiming BC aren’t canon/down voting when you point out they are. Can’t seem to make up their minds !

- today show article & interview about fans expecting the story to be Az & Elain, and SJM saying there’s a lot to explore in a rejected bond. The first is whatever imo, and the second they seem convinced is about them but I’m more convinced it’ll be Eris & Mor. Admittedly, Helion & LoA is another possibility more likely than e/riel, but their story breaks my heart already and I desperately want them to have HEA

Are there any other arguments you’ve seen/heard of? I’m curious what you think of these three as well!

🧼💖

The Stone Mother argument being about E/riel is just bonkers to me. First off, we have no idea if the song itself is actually based off Native American legend or whether SJM just liked the name. But to take a Paiute legend and claim it about a white women's love story is very cringe to me. I agree with you, I think the rejected bond is going to be Eris and Mor and the effects of an unaccepted bond will be Helion and the LoA. I could see them eventually getting together but for the last however many centuries, they do seem to be an example of a "rejected" bond. And you're right, they have selected very specific lines from the interviews and articles while ignoring the rest. First SJM said she only asks herself those same questions when writing. Is there choice? Is it destiny? What if it's wrong? But she's already written that into the series, where the characters wonder how it happens, is there choice, etc. And every time, the characters have said that it doesn't matter because at the end of the day they still chose one another. Bryce confirms that it didn't matter where her bond with Hunt came from or who it was determined by because it's what she wanted. Nesta struggled with the mating bond because it meant giving up her humanity but in the end she decided she wanted Cassian as her mate. They take that to mean SJM is proving to the reader that she's definitely going to write a rejected bond for two main characters when all she's saying is she makes sure to have the characters ask themselves the important questions so in the end they know without a doubt it's what they wanted and not just something decided by fate. But they ignore SJM saying that characters end up with who they need to be with for the most growth. How her MMC cheer on the FMC and encourage her. These things clearly go against the E/riel narrative but they conveniently leave those quotes out of their arguments. The one big argument I heard going around during the release was how the Cauldron was corrupted therefore Elucien's bond is. So basically.....an event that happened 15,000 years ago and in all that time the ONLY corrupted bond to come out of it was Elucien's? That's quite convenient, don't you think? There is also zero proof that the Cauldron or the Daglan were responsible for mating bonds. So yeah, I imagine all these theories will end up in the graveyard of E/riel theories along with Bread and Roses meaning that E/riel are living together and pregnant in CC3.

[hummingbirdspark]

Feel free to use these ideas if you want! You do not need to credit me, but just let me know you did so I can read it.

Details for the story ideas under the cut

Kidnapped and forced to do maths

Pretty self-explanatory, they get locked in cells equipped with digital blackboards and stuff and can’t leave until they answer enough questions right. Penalties for wrong answers is death. Perhaps opportunities for teamwork?

Kipo and the age of Wonderbeasts au

Might not make sense if you haven’t seen Kipo but Carmilla uses megamute dna to try and make humans able to live on the surface, but after getting kicked out of her burrow, she has to wander the surface, looking for humans desperate enough to accept her ‘help’. I already have a bulletfic for how each of them gets found and mutated

Steven Universe au

Mechanisms as the Off-Colors. Gems thst either rebelled against or were thrown out by the diamonds. They wander the galaxy, and sometimes assist gem rebellions. The moon war was fought over earth’s moon base, between the crystal gems and those loyal to the Diamonds.

Doctor who TMA au

Jon and Jonny were brothers on Gallifrey, and while Jon excelled in timelord school and became The Archivist, Jonny was distracted by paying off his father’s debts and failed, never to receive the title of “the Captain” or 12 regenerations. He didn’t stay mortal for long, as Carmilla found him like in cannon and mechanized both of his hearts. They stole a TARDIS called Aurora and fled to the stars. Many many years later, The Archivist finds his long lost brother when taking his companions, Martin, Tim, and Sasha to the Steamworld Intergalactic Music Festival

False domestic psychological prison

An enterprising young member of an intergalactic authority comes up with a new idea for these immortal criminals’ containment: the only prison the Mechanisms can’t escape is the one they don’t know they’re in. They capture the mechanisms and through a combination of the sedative effects of the Lotus, and some memory altering microchips, they get the Mechanisms to think they are just (mostly) normal people on a normal planet. To make them less likely to escape, they gave them something they never could have had before. Jonny gets respect as the owner of a tailor shop, with workers who call him sir, and trust and obey his judgement. Brian, as a priest is listened to in all his advice and praised for his wise moral decisions. Will they realize it’s a trick? Or stay living this lie forever?

Spaceteam fic

The Aurora gets stuck in a strange wormhole (bifrost?) and she can’t operate anything but basic piloting. Suddenly strange new controls are on the bridge, as well as whole other consoles of controls. Instructions for what to do are provided on screens, but they don’t match the control each mechanism sees on their console. Luckily they’re all within shouting distance, but they will have to learn to work together… as a spaceteam. Set Sigmaclapper to 5! Soak Ferrous Holospectrum! Baste the Emergency Whittler!

Summer Camp Councilors

Human au where the mechanisms are councilors at Camp Cosmo, with wacky hijinks, camp names, and songs. Several units of cabins inspired by the 4 story albums, a great spot on a canal with sea kayaking, regular kayaking, sailing, and canoeing. A high ropes and low ropes course, an archery range, and an arts and crafts area are also present for those who aren’t water crazy. Pack up your sense of adventure and extra flashlight batteries! Hopefully the campers won’t get into any drama…

Kofi rat from Small Saga meets Marius

This is for the KofiAssam fans out there! Our very own rat-tailed rover finds themself on a massive metal god dwelling and encounters The Metal Armed God!

Or

Marius Von Raum finds a rat wearing clothing that seems to be able to play the mandolin. Good thing he learned to speak rat when he and Toy Soldier went to that candy planet where Toy Soldier somehow became a prince…

Steam Powered Giraffe roleswap

What if Doctor Carmilla lived on earth and created nine singing automatons that could self repair?

What if Colonel P. A. Walter mechanized 6 humans with blue matter to create a force of galactic heroes, that then forgot their original names?

1920s American speakeasy

Probably heavily based on Lackadaisy. Carmilla’s Speakeasy is a great place to get illegal alcohol, and its secret entrance is inside the Cafe Aurora. The owner, Carmilla herself is illusive at best, and her seeming to only show her face at night has lead to rumors of her being a vampire or witch. Rumors that are only worsened when she gave each of her employees a strange new gift: pins, that she insists are a new part of their uniform to be worn at all times. The purpose of the pins is made clear when Jonny is shot by a rival rumrunner while on a job and comes back from the dead.

SCP contains Brian and Toy Soldier

Brian was on MJE and Toy Soldier was under direct orders from a researcher to not escape. The only question is would Doctor Bright be an expert on immortality, or would letting him know about The Mechanisms be a terrible idea?

Marius backstory oneshot based on the christmas armistice

There are many things Byron Marius expected to hear in the middle of a war. The pound of bullets, the screams of other soldiers, and crash of giant robot mechas overhead. What he didn’t expect to hear was singing.

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht

That’s all, folks

I have way too many ideas.

[irmakkockan]

SWEET HOME REVIEW: A STUDY IN TRAUMA, CGI AND BEAUTIFUL MEN IN BLACK

Season 1 of Sweet Home had everything. A strong, genuinely terrifying story. Monsters that were scary in theory but looked like they had escaped from someone’s mid-2010s gaming project gone wrong. LEE DO HYUN IN GLASSES AND CHECKERED SHIRTS PLAYING A COLD, KIND-HEARTED ASSHOLE WHO SOMEHOW MADE BEING EMOTIONALLY UNAVAILABLE LOOK HOT. A perfectly sculpted Lee Si Young who could kill me with a single glance (and I’d honestly thank her). And, of course, Song Kang looking permanently vulnerable, devastatingly strong, and heartbreakingly sad at all times - an emotional trifecta that he pulled off so effortlessly.

The idea that anyone could turn into a monster at any moment is what made the story hit so hard. You never really knew who you could trust, and yet, in true human fashion, these stupid, stubborn creatures chose to love and protect each other anyway. Just because they fought off a monster or two together, just because they shared tight, broken spaces and impossible situations, they decided to decided to throw caution to the wind and form unbreakable trauma bonds. UGH. Mankind. Humanity is truly just vibes and bad decisions. At its core, Sweet Home asks the simple question of “what does being human mean?” - but, naturally, it unpacks that in ways that feel messy, tragic, and painfully real.

The performances are incredible across the board, but a few stand out: Lee Do Hyun’s portrayal of Eun Hyeok, cold on the surface yet profoundly tender underneath, is devastating. Lee Si Young as Yi Kyung is a force of strength and tragedy, and Song Kang carries Hyun-su’s emotional weight with a kind of quiet, crushing vulnerability that stays with you long after the screen fades to black.

Since I watched this in 2025 - already knowing Lee Do Hyun would return - I probably missed the sheer emotional devastation that first-time viewers must have felt. Watching Eun Hyeok sit there in his stupid glasses and his stupid checkered shirt, listening to his stupid CD player, smiling at his stupid family photo, while the building literally crumbled around him… GOD. That would have kicked off my monsterization - I would’ve sprouted wings out of pure rage and grief.

As for Season 2… listen. People like to call it a filler season, and okay, fine, maybe 80% of it felt that way. Sure, most of it felt confusing, like the writers kept shoving new characters into our faces faster than we could even remember their names. And sure, it was frustrating to have invested so deeply in the Season 1 survivors just to watch them die off without the emotional weight they deserved (seriously, no one will ever be able to justify Ji Su’s death to me). But eventually, you get your bearings again. You adjust to the chaos. Plus, you get to see Lee Do Hyun’s perfect little ass - and honestly, what is this show’s deal with putting naked men on screen? Not that I’m complaining. I’m just saying: if you’re going to objectify, at least keep up the energy.

By the time you hit Season 3, you realize you’re not necessarily here for the epic storytelling anymore. You’re here to watch Song Kang, beautiful and tragic, embrace his monster side with those haunting blue eyes. You’re here to see Lee Do Hyun, dressed in all black, acting like an emotionless robot - and then, when he finally smiles, you want to claw your face off because GOD, IF YOU MADE HIM, WHY AREN’T YOU GIVING HIM TO ME?

Also, the season raises an important question: Is it really a K-drama if it doesn’t have intense homoerotic subtext between two emotionally destroyed men who can’t communicate but would absolutely die for each other?

Anyway. What was I saying?

Right - even though they put Yi Kyung through absolute hell and eventually kill her off, it doesn’t land the same way Season 1 did. It feels more like going through the motions. Still, by the end, you’re smiling through the exhaustion, because you made it. You’re left holding onto those beautiful, devastating memories of Season 1 - of a story about survival, humanity, and love in the face of absolute horror - tucked forever into your little monster heart.

[lightning-and-sparks]

I realized that I use a lot of older songs in TATOTRTT so here is what they mean.

Message in the Bottle - The Police: This song is about loneliness and how it’s hard to reach out and when you eventually do you come to realize that everyone is lonely too and you aren’t the only one feeling this way. Obviously, I picked this song because the subject of the chapter was Jack getting hit with a bottle and it was funny. The bottle itself was also technically a “message.” 

Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd: I love this song so much, it was written about the protagonist's struggle with drugs and how it’s affecting their performance. Originally, I saw it more as some external force trying to fix the protagonist and help them back to their former glory. It felt fitting for a hospital scene. 

Have a Cigar - Pink Floyd: I’ll admit this chapter had the wrong name for a while, I got it confused with something else so I apologize for it saying “lipstick stains on cigarettes” This song is also about the pressure to perform and how it becomes your responsibility to keep entertaining. This chapter has Jack struggle with the negatives of his career and status. Throughout this section, he does toggle with the notion of not finishing the tour

What I like about you - The Romantics: This chapter is more laid back and takes a break from the heavier content and focuses on the dynamic between Si’ha and Wander. Wander eventually confesses to his mother about his feelings and the song is about realizing that he does have these romantic feelings. Also, this song is a banger. It fits with the dance aesthetic too lol

Canary In a Coal Mine - The Police: This is honestly one of my favorite songs ever, a little history on it is that when people would go into the mines they’d bring a cage of canaries. The birds have smaller lungs; they would die if the air was toxic and when they stopped singing the miners knew when to get out. To the canaries, this was a death sentence. Jack in this fic is the canary, when he stops singing it becomes an issue. Wander & co are essentially going into that toxic environment and sparing him from his fate as a canary in a coal mine. 

Cheri, Cheri, Lady - Modern Talking: This song was written when the lead singer saw the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen while on a trip to Miami. The song is about how confusing and difficult love and romantic feelings can be, but how the struggle is worth it. Jack and Wander have those feelings but they’re not able to express it with words, and like the writer of the song; lack the courage to talk to the woman. It’s also about how these feelings don’t care about the timing. Eventually, Jack leaves just like the woman in the song.

Working Man - Rush: I’m a huge Rush fan and had to weave some of them in, this song is about how one must keep on working regardless of how much they don’t like it. They don’t have a choice and need to keep going, their social life suffers and also their mental state. Jack had to get back in front of cameras and while in front of them be someone else. He is pulled away from his friends and doesn’t seem to have any time for anything else.

Call me - Blondie: On the surface this song kind of reads as a love song, in actuality it about a male prostitute which I didn’t even realize till I googled it. Jack obviously isn’t a prostitute but the way he is used and exploited makes him seem like one. Wander’s confession seems like my first idea of this song; which is genuine and a love song about being reliable. By the end that confession gets distorted.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles: I felt that this song had a lot of subtext about being exploited and altered into something you’re not. I feel like Jack is being changed to fit into what he needs to be as he struggles to decide if he wants his career or romantic relationship more.