#I’ll edit the tags if it’s not chapter 56 I’m on

[blep-23]

Already know where the next dagur interaction is going Lmao. It’s not even this chapter.

[whosbex]

*drops my pile of questions like a stack of heavy books* I decided to ask a little of everything:

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

13. What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

17. What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

18. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

19. What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

20. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

22. Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

23. Best writing advice for other writers?

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

29. What’s your revision or editing process like?

31. Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

33. Do you want to be published some day?

34. Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

38. Would you ever write commissions?

39. Share a snippet from a WIP.

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

41. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

46. How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

47. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

48. What do you look for in a beta?

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

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

55. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

56. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

57. Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished? 

58. What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc) 

60. Have you had a writer you admire comment on your fic? What was that like?

62. Thoughts on cliffhangers?

65. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

67. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

68. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

70. When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

71. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

72. What order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

73. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Okay so I’m not even gonna number these cuz this is a lot 😭.

My creative process is like an on and off switch. Due to ADHD I’ll have an idea for a long time decide to map the story out then procrastinate…for a very long time

TBH I get inspired by other people’s fanart and fanfics.

Now pls don't copy your Auntie Caspian over here but I really just do what ever POV I want to do and feel in the moment if I want to change it I just go back and write it all over again if it's not too late.

If I do receive feed back I feel great! I really enjoy seeing comments and stuff and when I don't I feel fine but kinda overlooked if I'm being honest.

Prep the storyline and lore before anything. If you have all that sorted out you'll be given the liberty to choose what you want in the story or not.

When I have block I just make fanart or make the chapters in my head until I make myself so excited that I want to write again.

Really depends right now I'm doing a DK Fam AU/what if series but IDK what to call it except that (if ya'll have any suggestions pls DM me)

I only have one fic on AO3 so it would be tangled and tts characters lol

One thing that I have noticed( other than always finding a way to add Hispanic/Filipino culture in my fics) is that I tend to be very descriptive about surroundings and how the character feels.

Um I'm fairly new so idk about a lot of genres but all I know right now is that I will never make a story where the main character or any characters that have made it to the end to have a bad ending,if that makes sense. Like I want them to be happy after all the trauma I put them through.

Best advice: to plan things out and to have a draft

Worst advice: that I can't wing it. I do think planning is important but sometimes the best ideas come last minute.

Favorite part of writing: that I can put myself in the characters and what they go through and that I can use it as therapy for myself.

Least favorite: actually writing XD jk but kind of not lol. I also don't like how long editing can be but it's more fun when you can do it with a friend/beta reader yk?

It's long I can tell you that. If I don't have block editing is probably whats taking the longest.

I start with the characters and as I find out who the characters are then I make the plot as I see fit for them and how it can make them stronger and better.

YES ABSOLUTELY!!! I hav this OG story I'm working on and I really want it to be published some day and hopefully that day will be reality!

That I have improved and that I have put a few chapters out.

Depends on what they ask for.

Okay so a small thing I'm doing for my 'What if series' for tts is that I'm making Andrew a good guy and prince of Saporia. and I am also doing a lot of lore for that and giving him an angsty back story.

I'd like to see some Cass and Andrew fanart or some art of the DK cousins which would be Eugene,Cass,Varian and my two OCs Elana and Caspian.

Yah I would re-read fics I haven't because I have a lot to read but I would.

Angsty and wholesome. I wanna try to add a smidge of dark romance but I'm not that good at it so I might practice on that before I publish anything lol.

It's not too long but it can be painful. (if yk yk)

I like them to be honest but not mean when it comes to constructive criticism. and if you have any ideas for the plot or story I honestly would like to hear them out!

YES!!!! I like to respond and see what y'all think. I haven't gotten many but I do like to respond.

How I put a piece of myself in my characters.

It goes back and forth between my OCs and Cass from tts.

How detailed I can be.

I wait until I finish the chapter then I edit.

The lore planning.

She haven't commented ( at least i don't think she has) on a fic but they've helped me brain storm. And it felt nice and cool that I can call her a friend.

If I'm making a second book then yah I like cliffhangers,BUT THEY ARE SO PAINFUL AT THE SAME ASS TIME!!!!

Cass and Andrew scenes,Saporian lore,and Andrew's background. And ofc Erin and Hector moments.

I don't mind prompts.

Look at other people's work.

I'm very enthusiastic,and most of the time others say they can tell lol.

Honestly I don't think I've come across this problem the only thing I have trouble is finding the right words to put the scenes is play.

I write the scenes I'm excited for on paper and then write start to finish on my lap top.

What I think makes me stand out are the characters I create. All of them have either a part of me or have gone through the things I have or are modeled after people in my life.

[ginneke]

55, 56, and 57 for the fanfic ask game! ⭐

(From this ask post.)

55. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

It’s a love/hate relationship, but Revali.

He can go from delightfully caustic to making me want to throttle him in the space of a few sentences – usually after he’s shredded yet another key plot element. He’s stubborn and ridiculously opinionated, and I usually end up with a long list of things I’m absolutely not allowed to write about, because he doesn’t want them known. (At which point I shrug, slap the “unreliable narrator” tag on him, and try to trick him into revealing some of that stuff as a reread bonus.)

I wouldn’t say that I’ve been swayed by people’s reactions to my writing of him, but I do find it gratifying when people like the way I write him! (Shout-out to @coconi for the times they’ve said they can read his lines in S.C.’s voice, lol.)

56. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

I’m a slow writer. I’ll confess it. But I’m glad that at the end of it, my stories do more or less come out just the way I want them. And I’m glad that it means I can go back and enjoy my own fics, bar a bit of wincing here and there where I wish I’d spent just a little more time on it.

57. Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished?

Oh, I definitely edit as I write, and in the best case scenarios that means that the fic’s almost entirely ready to go once I reach the end of the story / chapter, just a beta read and (hopefully minor) polishing left at that point.

In the less-good scenarios, it’s still helpful: if I’m stuck it’s for a reason, and I definitely find a lot of worth in the notion of, “If it’s not working, try changing something 10 lines back.”* Invariably, the scene needs revisiting from another angle, and it’s better to find that out now!

*not always literally 10 lines back. Sometimes the ideas are in the wrong order, or there’s just the shade of something wrong in it that playing around will uncover and enable me to fix.

[barbwritesstuff]

I posted 1,568 times in 2021

1122 posts created (72%)

446 posts reblogged (28%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.4 posts.

I added 42 tags in 2021

#rec list - 6 posts

#fanart - 6 posts

#youtube - 6 posts

#oc - 6 posts

#crying wolf - 5 posts

#update - 4 posts

#i will update when the moon is full - 3 posts

#for the sergi fanclub - 2 posts

#vampires - 2 posts

#not werewolves - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 76 characters

#i guess i should actually spend some time trying to figure out how tags work

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Happy New Moon!

I hope you enjoy this dark, spooky night. I'm spending it locked away in my cabin, working on the update. It's going to be a steamy one!

Thanks for all the fun asks you guys have sent me over the last month.

Unfortunately, I am (due to a series of bad life choices on my part) poor, so if you have any spare change, and if you've enjoyed Blood Moon, I'd really appreciate it if you could send it my way.

But, if you can't, that's perfectly fine too. I really appreciate all the people who have been sending me spelling mistakes, typos, and bugs. It might not seem like much, but you're really helping Blood Moon become a better game, and I am so grateful for that.

265 notes • Posted 2021-12-03 21:02:36 GMT

#4

Happy Full Moon!

The update is live. You can read it here: Blood Moon Demo.

288 notes • Posted 2021-08-22 11:23:59 GMT

#3

Happy full moon!

The update is live! You can check it out here.

A lot has happened to me this month. The biggest of those things is I have moved. I’m not in South Korea anymore, I’m in New Zealand.

I’m still getting used to saying kia ora instead of annyeonghaseyo, but I’m happy to be this little bit closer to home.

A side effect of me being so close to the dateline though is that the full moon might happen on a different date for me than for you. So, I’m sorry if this update feels late. I (as I always do) waited until I saw the moon before posting. It's beautiful here. I hope it's beautiful where you are too.

But, now, onto the serious stuff.

This update is a little different. I’ve been trying to figure out ways to make the final chapters as good as they can be without overwhelming myself. I’ve also been trying to find a way to give the ROs from Pack B a little more screen time. Part of this process has unfortunately involved removing some segments of the story, and changing existing ones. In particular, I have changed a lot in Chapter Nine. Hopefully, when you read it, you’ll understand why.

It’s also not finished. I’m in the middle of this editing process, so it’s a bit messy, and there are bits that may not quite make sense. I’ll try my best to have those cleaned up by next month.

Thanks as always for all your support. You guys are honestly incredible. I’m sorry if this update wasn’t what you were hoping for. I know it’s not Chapter 11 or 12, but hopefully by editing and tightening up other chapters those final chapters will be really good when they do come out. 💙

314 notes • Posted 2021-10-21 09:20:02 GMT

#2

410 notes • Posted 2021-09-13 14:28:56 GMT

#1

Okay so totally random thought: Werewolves that behave like stereotypical vampires! Living in an old castle, wearing either old style clothing or well tailored suits, talking about history like they lived during it... turns out they are just all massive history nerds who like dressing up.

Hunter: "Ah-ha! I've got you now! Take this!" *rips down the curtains*

Werewolf: *blinks*

Hunter: *blinks*

Werewolf: "Why did you just ruin my drapes?"

Hunter: "You're not burning up?"

Werewolf: "Oh... you thought I was vampire. Ah. I see. You just tried to kill me."

Hunter: "Wait... so... you're not a vampire?"

Werewolf: "No." *takes off glasses*

Hunter: "But... the castle."

Werewolf: "I've spent years paying off the mortgage." *undoes his cufflinks*

Hunter: "What about all the bats?"

Werewolf: "Yes... we've been having a bit of a problem with them this year." *takes off his fancy tailored waist coat*

Hunter: "And the bottles of blood?!"

Werewolf: "My boy, it's Shiraz." *pulls out his belt*

Hunter: "So... I was wrong. You're human?"

Werewolf: "Well..." *eyes start to glow gold* "I wouldn't say that."

518 notes • Posted 2021-09-26 13:13:57 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[painterofhorizons]

Meeting Strangers - General Timeline

While there is a general masterpost for Meeting Strangers//Spiegelbilder with stories I’m working on, I needed a somewhat simple timetine that covers the major milestones, so here we go. I’ll be adding links to posted chapters and/or WIP posts to the single events. Things with * are currently worked on most and likely to be posted next. There’s a lot of unrelated oneshots to be found in the other masterpost, that are not linked to these major milestones and thus not listed here.

You can find all posted chapters on AO3 here. General rambling and WIPs on tumblr under this tag. Edits for characters/places/scenes found here.

1956: David Stephen Rossi is born May 9th 1974: Dave enlists with the military age 18, Alex Dancy is born Nov 16th as Alexandra Anatevka Orlowa in New York City to an American father and a Russian mother 1976: Alex’ family moves back to Leningrad, soviet Russia, to care for her grandmother after her husband passed away, Alex grows up in Leningrad 1978: somewhere along the way Dave gets married to Carolyn Baker Rossi, they have a son named James David who dies the same day he is born (April 26th), Dave is 22 1983: after their marriage has been difficult for months already Carolyn leaves Dave after he repeatedly forgets their special dates, Dave is 27 1985: Dave lives a summer marriage with Hayden Montgomery, the marriage only lasts some happy months spend together in Paris (he’s 29), Hayden ends it

1987: in February Alex’ grandmother dies, Alex is 12 1988: on Christmas eve Dave is witness of a nightmare case at work that will haunt him for decades (s03e14), while Alex gets in serious trouble with the local police in Leningrad/St. Petersburg 1989: Dave has a very short Las Vegas marriage with Krystall, his black jack dealer, the marriage lasts 48h; the same year Anya, Alex’ bigger sister, dies, and a little later her father leaves her mother with two small children and a troubled 14yo 1990: in March Alex’ gets thrown out of home by her mother, after some troublesome months she finds a new home with streetworker and ex-cop Yuri Volkov in a condemned house where he runs a safe place for street children** 1991: Alex starts working in a factory, while the USSR falls apart 1992-94: Alex goes back to school and graduates while working at the factory, age 17-19

1995: Alex moves from St. Petersburg to London to study social work after meeting a social worker in a foreign committee visiting St. Petersburg 1997-2007: Dave goes into early retirement to write books about his work with the BAU and do private counseling 2000: by accident Dave and Alex run into each other for the first time while he’s on book promotion tour in London (—> The First Chapter), Dave is 44, Alex 26

2003: after staying loosely in contact Dave tells Alex about a job opportunity in the States, which she ends up taking, she moves close to Washington DC and helps build the FBI’s Victims Assistance Unit, she also joins the local BACA chapter (Bikers Against Child Abuse) and volunteers at the BACA run youth club “Safe Haven”** 2007: on Halloween, Dave rejoins the BAU age 51 after Jason Gideon left with short notice (s03e06) 2008: the relationship between Alex and boyfriend of several years Frederick Fry goes down with violence, leaving her in a pretty messed up head space (—> Enough**), her superior at the VAU suggests taking a temporary job opportunity at the West Coast, Alex spends ten months at the West Coast to help build another VAU office (Alex is 34) 2009: Alex returns to Arlington, VA, and ends up in a chaotic summer relationship with long time BACA friend Tonks, they have the summer of their lives but end up parting because Tonks falls for someone else (—> A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

2011: when Emily Prentiss “dies”, Alex joins the BAU to fill the vacant spot 2012: Dave throws JJ’s wedding (big party), later that year he and Alex end up in a friends-with-benefits kind of relationship (he’s 56, she’s 38) 2013: Alex gets shot at work, while she’s on sick leave she decides to quit with the BAU and go back to the VAU; Emily joins back with the BAU

2014: Alex&Dave decide to finally screw “no strings attached” and enter a committed relationship**; Alex starts being stalked 2015: the stalking case goes down horribly, leaving Alex at rock bottom (—> City of Blinding Lights series), a hard year ends with Dave proposing to Alex**

2016: Dave&Alex buy a house together 2017: after an unplanned pregnancy Alex loses the child in the first trimenon, both Alex and Dave have to deal with child losses they suffered in their past ( —> Another Life**) 2018: Vick, a teenager Alex knows from work, moves in with Alex&Dave temporarily and later becomes a permanent family member (—> Family is Something You Chose**), Dave is 62, Alex 44 2019: when Alex’ mother dies, she has to go back to her past

[writerpyre]

I posted 899 times in 2021

83 posts created (9%)

816 posts reblogged (91%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 9.8 posts.

I added 801 tags in 2021

#pyre talks - 229 posts

#thunderbirds are go - 121 posts

#thunderbirds - 114 posts

#good things - 74 posts

#virgil tracy - 58 posts

#scott tracy - 54 posts

#gordon tracy - 44 posts

#john tracy - 44 posts

#alan tracy - 32 posts

#fandom - 31 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#i wasn’t going to reblog until the second last comment cos i’m not a person who likes snails beyond their cool carry-home-on-back-nonsense

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Intro/Fic Masterpost

(Updated as of 17/08/21: Dead links have been repaired and minor edits made to layout)

 So, I’ve been in the Thunderbirds fandom for officially a decade now, and my first fic series isn’t complete yet. Life gets in the way, as we all know, but unless I specifically have a note on any of my stories on FanFiction.net or Ao3 that say they are abandoned, I always intend to get my stories completed. At some point. 

 I hang out on Tumblr to vent, muse and interact, mostly about fandoms. These include Thunderbirds (all three iterations), BBC Merlin, Harry Potter (I refuse to support R*wling in any form since finding out what an a-hole she is), Marvel MCU, Star Trek TOS/AOS and the Shadowhunter Chronicles. I do post stuff of my own, but recently it’s just been hop-on-tumblr-to-ignore-the-real-world shenanigans. *grins sheepishly*

 Please feel free at any time to drop me a DM here on Tumblr, or on either of my pages at the links above. I’ll always do my best to reply. I may not be actively posting content, (especially with the last two (six) years being a f*cking sh*tshow) but I’m constantly lurking (and working on things as the muse permits). *Waves excitedly* 

************************************************************************

 This is a masterpost of all my fanworks, whether they are writing, traditional art/digital renderings that I am happy with, etc. Others will be added as they’re completed.

Click here for a bit of waffle about what I’m trying to achieve with my Thunderbirds ‘Bound’ Universe.

These are my fanfic stories to date. All except one are Thunderbirds so far, and this will be updated as each new fic is added, as well as any supplementary material I create. All these links are for fanfiction.net, but I am currently in the process of uploading all of my stories to Ao3, for those who prefer that site’s format.

 Happy reading, and thank you!!

THUNDERBIRDS:

The Bound Universe:

‘The Bound Series’:

Bound: Part I - Bound

Bound: Part II - Determined

Bound: Part III - Fulcrum - In Progress

‘The Bound Series’ - Promotional Pieces

The Bound Series Official Trailer

Bound Series Banners

Bound Series Aesthetic Post - John

Bound-Verse Oneshots: (In chronological order)

For Jeff and Luce (a songfic, my own lyrics, and put to original music - if you wish to hear it, you can find it here.

Red Holly and Hot Cocoa

A Little Family

Amissus Gemina

The Trip (More of a multi-chapter, but didn’t fit in the categorisation. :D)

Sunlit Days

To the Stars

Pater Et Filii

Itchy

See the full post

28 notes • Posted 2021-08-07 07:56:02 GMT

#4

This time ten years ago I fell headlong into the Thunderbirds fandom.

What a freaking wild ride this last decade has been. Tenth anniversary of the publishing of Bound I is in March and I’ve still not completed the series lol. Not only that but it’s weird to think I somehow managed to read the entire archive of FanFiction.net in four months on my first summer after starting uni. No damn way would that be even a remotely human possibility now, and when I remember my posting schedule back then, phew I don’t know how the hell I made that one work. I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve made and the connections I’ve forged over this shared love of five brothers and their incredible calling.

This fandom, across all three incarnations of Tracys, and the amazing, talented, brilliant creators that make up the many arms of it have supported me through so many traumatising changes in my life. I will forever be in awe of how we band together, embrace, support and utterly embody the very core beliefs of International Rescue. I just needed to marvel at that.

Here’s to another ten years. Just wow.

30 notes • Posted 2021-10-28 03:59:31 GMT

#3

See the full post

46 notes • Posted 2021-03-07 07:21:03 GMT

#2

Fantastic. COVID Lockdown Number Fucking Five.

56 notes • Posted 2021-07-15 07:22:57 GMT

#1

Demi Lovato having come out as Non-Binary has just made me feel seen in yet another way. Don’t know them personally but I am so proud for their coming out! Hard enough to do it when you’re unknown and scared, let alone being a voice to so many people.

As always Demi is an incredible human, come through so many challenges in their life and still standing tall.

106 notes • Posted 2021-05-19 10:52:18 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[ahiddenpath]

Survey Results + Writing Plans/News

SURVEY IS IN!  More on that and my writing plans beneath the cut- PLUS my (tentative) ideas for a (potential) Digiwrimo event during Nanowrimo in November!

So the results are as follows:

Tri: Integrity Lens: 5 votes

Chosen Minor Arcana: 4 votes

Koushiro/Tentomon/Taichi oneshot: 3 votes

Four Years Profiles and Book Binding After August: 1 vote each

Thank you all so much for your feedback and interest!  I truly appreciate it.

I took the results and tried to figure out what to do, and my stunning conclusion is...  That I’m a crazy person, lol!  I can’t possibly keep all of these balls in the air, so here is what I’ve decided:

First priority:  Finish the last Four Years chapter before the hiatus.  It’s sexy, which means I’m struggling with it, but...  Gotta finish that first.

Second:  Write the Koushiro/Tentomon/Taichi oneshot for Odaiba Day, make any art/grab screen shots for it.  I at least want to draw a cover image with Kou-chan and Tento-chan.

Third:  Tri: Integrity Lens.  I have 19,000 words for Ketsui, which means that, while I have a fair amount...  I don’t even know if it’s halfway done.  Probably about halfway?  So I’ll have to decide, do I wait until I finish the whole thing, or do I post the “Mimi” half every other week, pause, then post the “Jyou” half?

I am seeing much more interest in the tarot/Minor Arcana than I expected, frankly!  So I will get to that, but for now, it will just be in the “what exactly am I doing” stages.  I might pick a single card for the twelve Chosen, I might make a post per character and talk about any/every Minor Arcana I think applies to their arc...  I don’t think I can do the whole Minor Arcana (56 cards).  Like, I just don’t think there’s a good match for every card.  So the approach is more complex than the Major Arcana (pick one card per Chosen, essentially). 

What I’m getting at here is that you might not see much new material from me until Odaiba Day, when I will post my oneshot (other than the FY chapter I’m working on now).  July is going to be dedicated to the oneshot and working on TIL.  Hopefully I finish the FY chapter before July- I’m not kidding when I say that sexy stuff is the hardest stuff.

I’ve been posting consistently since January 2021, but now I need to take a pause and sort out my next step.  I can’t say I like it, lol, but it has to be done!  

Digiwrimo

I will probably make another standalone post for this, since I’m sure a lot of my followers don’t follow my fics (which is perfectly understandable, no shade).  BUT YOU BABES GET TO SEE IT FIRST, also please help me bounce ideas around, lol!

SO HERE’S THE THING.

I have always wanted to have Nanowrimo buddies, but joining Nanowrimo is a hard sell.  Basically, entrants try to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November, or 1,667 words/day.  It’s brutal, and a lot of writers (reasonably) don’t want to touch it with a ten foot pole. 

I would love to create with my fellow digimon fandom writers for a month, so I wondered...  Would anyone be interested in a modified Nanowrimo, aka Digiwrimo?  Here are my ideas:

Setting goals

Entrants are encouraged to set individual goals that fit their needs.  Sample goals include:

-Word count:  The traditional 50K, 30K, 20K, 10K, 5K written in the month of November (or whatever month we decide on, it actually... does not have to be November).

-Writing habit/session goals:  Make a promise to yourself to write for 60 minutes a day, 30 minutes a day, 15 minutes a day every day in November.  They say it takes about a month to establish a habit, so this could be a fun way to set up your daily writing habit!

-Project goals:  Finish that oneshot you’ve been meaning to write in November!  Write 1, 2, 3 chapters of your fic!  Write that meta collection/drabble collection!

There are no prompts/rules/shipping restraints/season restraints/canon or au restraints for your projects.  It just has to be digimon content of some kind.

If we work together, it’s much better!

-Discord for Digiwrimo with weekly write-ins 

-Declare your project and share updates on the Discord

-A Digiwrimo blog to reblog all posts tagged with an agreed on tag

Share your work

-Digiwrimo entrants are encouraged to edit/complete their Digiwrimo manuscripts for a month or two.  Then, anything posted on personal blogs with an agreed on tag will be reblogged on the Digiwrimo blog for signal boosting.

Those are my initial ideas!  I have no idea if people would want to do this, I just...  I’ve heard a lot of variations on, “I want to try Nanowrimo, but it’s just too much.”  I thought this event might be helpful for people?  But I’m also not sure if I’ll have time to run it and do my own Nanowrimo project, so I would need help, I think.  (Or it could take place outside of November and Nanowrimo, so I don’t make myself crazy trying to do both).  I also would love any ideas!  For example, I’m not sure what one does at a virtual write-in on Discord.

Would anyone be interested in this?  Or maybe there are just way too many events lately?  Let me know :D

[amltradestar]

Update on GOAWNL

Yo, BBS here with an update. I’ve recently taken it upon myself to start revising some of the old pathways for various reasons. I wanted to inform you all of this as it may affect your choices and will affect the speed I’ll be producing new chapters. These are the recent updates I’ve been making to GOAWNL:

Grammar and punctuation mistakes are being fixed.

Increased Immersive interactivity. This consists of edits to dialogue, larger use of chance rolls with dice, more decisions to make, and other tweeks to give readers greater freedom.

I’ve taken down the Multi symbol and replaced it with Gen, as no routes currently explore relationships. Once there is a route that touches upon it, I’ll add it back in as well as the tags to indicate what type of relationship it is.

Routes have been added in. This is essentially a save point mechanic and records a certain arc of your journey.

To go along with Routes, to be able to get back to the start of a Route (rather than scrolling through the chapter selection or clicking PREVIOUS multiple times) there is a new link provided in the notes sections dubbed RELOAD. It’ll take you straight to the 1:1 chapter of your current Route.

Chapter titles now go by the current Route you’re on with the additional number indicators showing both the chapter of the route and branch. Ex) BIG WALL 3:7 is the 7th branching pathway for the 3rd chapter of the BIG WALL Route.

To make it easier to track your choices and Routes, the End Notes will show all the chapters you’ve been through with links leading back to them. Once a Route ends, the links will disappear but the chapter numbers will remain up like saving a game. Links will reappear on the new route you start to make for yourself.

With more choices added to older chapters, new chapters have been put up.

These are all the current revision choices I’ve taken upon myself to do. So far, the chapters that have been updated are: 1, 2, 4-5, 8-9, 17-21, and 47-56.

I’m half way through the LOST ROUTE with my revisions. So, for now, chapters may appear janky for a day or so as I edit them. Also, you may receive notifications that I posted a new chapter throughout the month but, unless it’s the 1st of the month, it’s just me updating pathways. The current path map is not accurate while I’m editing, so don’t trust it for now. I’ll make a new map as soon as I’m done with updates.

Dat’s all for now! Thank you for yer patience!

[tottwritesfanfic]

Fanfic Authors Tag Game

Thankee for tagging @moramewhq​

AO3 name(s): Tottwriter, [REDACTED] Fandoms: Haikyuu!!, Digimon (a little lapsed, but I still tinker with my WIPs!), sliiiightly BNHA, and I have a TUA wip which I will someday resume. I try not to venture into new fandoms but, you know...I fail. Number of fics: I have 56 posted works, but also, uh... a few which I haven’t gotten to posting yet.

1. Fic I spent the most time on:

Um. Oh jeez. I mean, I guess nothing has overtaken Hope’s Fire just yet, because that’s the monster. Hopefully nothing else will? XD

2. Fic I spent the least time on:

Well this is genuinely a toss-up, because I have a few which I wrote for 20 minute prompt game fills, and then hardly even bothered to edit before they were thrown up on Ao3 without a backward glance.

Annoyingly, some of them are among my most popular works.

3. Longest fic:

Hope’s Fire! As I said, it’s the monster, currently clocking in at ~144k. My longest completed fic is The Ocean’s Curse though, which is 62.4k!

4. Shortest fic:

Okay so my shortest fic is actually a bit of weird experimental stuff I wrote for Starbound, which you will note I did not list in the fandoms above, lol. It’s old and weird and 351 words long... I don’t think anyone wants to read it. You don’t want to read it.

5. Most hits:

Hope’s Fire! It’s not really surprising tbh, given how long ago I started it and how many chapters it has. 

6. Most kudos:

Hope’s Fire wins this one too! I bet you’re all really shocked to learn this.

7. Most comment threads:

...imma give you lot one guess. 

8. Favorite fic I wrote:

fuck. Er. I dunno? I mean I write because I like writing them, you know? But honestly if I have to narrow it down... Parallel for the ‘serious’ fics, and either Press Play or (Not) Moving On for my more lighthearted stuff. It’s hard to pick when I swing between such tone extremes!

9. Fic you want to re-write:

I mean this is probably gonna sound really dumb but...kinda also Hope’s Fire??

Hear me out tho, because it’s complicated (and also I sorta already am). This fic started in 2015. I love it wholeheartedly, and I keep coming back to tinker and I wish life would stop throwing so much shit in my way and let me devote a bit more time to fic-writing so I continue it properly. 

But the periodic and spaced-out returns have meant that every time I knuckle down I end up re-reading the whole fic for continuity and tone reasons. You can probably see where this is going. Each time I read my old opening I cringe. It’s just not up to the standards of my writing today and it bugs me.

If I’m being brutally honest, part of the reason I haven’t updated it in so long is that I keep getting distracted going back and tweaking/fixing old chapters rather than focusing on new ones. It’s a bad habit but one I just can’t seem to kick.

10. Share bit of a WIP or a story idea you’re planning on:

You know, I’m actually gonna give two. I’ll drop them below a cut because this got long, but I know I have both Digimon and HQ peeps here and it’s sucky to be in the fandom that doesn’t get the love. I can’t promise when I’ll manage to get either of these posted (I’m trying to avoid adding more works to my Ao3 until they’re actually, you know, finished) but...they exist!

First up, we have Fun and Games at the Adventure Cafe

Yes, this is exactly what you think it is:

The notice on the door said “HELP WANTED” in large, sensible font.

The addendum “Enquire Within” sat below it, equally formal.

Scribbled underneath in scruffy handwriting was just one more addition:

     ‘as in we’re hiring. dw we know what we’re doing.’

   The notice on the door the following morning was back to plain old:

     HELP WANTED      Enquire Within

…It lasted half a day or so, at least.

As Sora remarked later, it was a wonder they got any applicants at all. Then again, as Taichi remarked, it wasn’t as though a lot of places were taking on extra staff—which was something of an oddity as the summer approached.

“It’s that swanky place round the corner,” he said with disgust, peering out of the window. “Bastards are driving everyone out of business.”

“But not you guys, right!” piped up their current interviewee. “You’re doing great! Honestly, as soon as I saw the sign I knew I had to apply. I’ve always wanted to start my own ramen business, and I figure I ought to start out with a popular place like this and get some real experience in the industry, you know?”

“Er, yes. Right,” Sora remarked, looking over his application. “Well, Daisuke, I will have to warn you that as a new hire you’d be working front-of-house rather in the kitchen, but if you’re okay with that—”

“Eh, just tell him he’s hired already,” Taichi replied, turning back to face them with a grin. “Yamato could definitely use a hand in the kitchen sometimes, so taking on a future all-rounder makes total sense.”

From the look Sora shot him, it perhaps didn’t, but Daisuke was already practically leaping to his feet with a grin, exclaiming that they could totally rely on him, and he absolutely would not let them down and could start the next day if they needed him to.

Next up, for my HQ peeps, here’s a little snippet from Connection Problems, my longtime langushing halfway chatfic. I’m not sharing the chatfic stuff because formatting tumblr is hell, though. 

Kenma always suspected that being a third year would turn out to be a pain, but he’d rather hoped his fears wouldn’t be realised within the first few weeks of the school year. Really, it’s bad enough that Kuro, Yaku and Kai have left, and that everyone else nominated him for the role of Captain (he’d talked them down to being Vice Captain instead, but that, apparently, was as low as they were prepared to go). He does not need Taketora constantly pestering him about—of all things—a chat group as well.

“Come on, I thought you and Kuroo were like, joined at the hip or something! Don’t try and act like you don’t miss him now he’s at university.”

He shrugs. “I have a phone. We’re keeping in touch.” Because, really. That’s all that matters, isn’t it? Why does everyone have to complicate things so much?

“Yeah, but, it’s not the same, right? Besides, what the hell! You spend all that time on your phone as it is. And even Fukunaga joined, right?”

Kenma glances over at Shouhei, who nods, grinning sheepishly. Drat.

“Still, I don’t have that chat app you all use,” he says. “It’s too much trouble setting it up, when I can message Kuro just fine.”

That should have been the end of it. Any rational person would have seen that it was no good, and left him in peace. Kuro would have, certainly. Not pushing—never pushing, actually. Just nudging him along a little, and even then, only when it comes to volleyball. He’s learnt all of Kenma’s limits over the years.

But the thing is, Kuro isn’t there any more. It’s just himself, Taketora and Shouhei, and okay, Shouhei never pushes—he hardly ever says anything, for that matter. But Taketora is clearly some sort of demon and he, Kenma, is being punished. Maybe he really pissed someone off in a previous life. Maybe this is a penance so he can piss someone off in his next life with a free pass. Either way, the badgering doesn’t let up.

Kenma holds out until the 27th of May. Seven weeks of hassling is more than enough for anyone.

Aaaand for tagging how about: @ahiddenpath, @humandisasterbuckybarnes, @mooifyourecows

[wingsonghalo]

2 and 5 for project matchmakers? Your writing is GODLY

A response once more to this!

2. What scene did you first put down?I’M SO GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE I ACTUALLY HAVE A CHATLOG WHERE THE VERY EARLIEST IDEAS THAT WOULD BECOME PROJECT: MATCHMAKERS EMERGED. THE ANSWER IS: A WHOLE LOT OF THEM (shoutout to @ittybittytoostormy for being my muse here on Skype)

1) [12:16:27 AM] WingSongHalo: And I could totally see Phoenix reacting like “dammit Trucy not again” like what if she’s hitched a ride in Edgeworth’s car to crime scenes because the defense can’t be at those crime scenes but the prosecution can so Trucy tags along and does scouting for her Daddy and Edgeworth makes notes about the case rather more loudly than he needs to and Trucy furiously scribbles them down in a notepad. Later,“Trucy where in the world did you get all these statements??”“It’s maaaaagic!!”“…Trucy you need to stop coercing Edgeworth into helping us.”“How rude!! I never have to coerce him, Daddy! >:T”[12:17:04 AM] Stormy: oh my gfucking godhs that is so cute its making my heart hurt

2) [12:27:23 AM] WingSongHalo: Oh my god. What if Kay shipped them.[12:27:31 AM] Stormy: you know she fucking woud[12:34:59 AM | Edited 12:35:29 AM] WingSongHalo: What if Kay stumbled upon a diary where Edgeworth chronicles all of his cases, and Edgeworth of course has his own notation system, so he refers to Phoenix in his notes as “P.” and Kay’s like “HEY MR. EDGEWORTH WHO’S THIS MYSTERIOUS ‘P’ PERSON? YOU SURE WRITE A LOT ABOUT HIM”[insert that entire scene from chapter 3][12:37:23 AM] Stormy: you NEED TO FUCKING WRITE AND PUBLISH ALL THESE FIC ALL OF THEHM SO I CAN FAV[12:37:56 AM] WingSongHalo: IF YOU INSISTI’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE (WRIGHT?) A WRIGHTWORTH BUT I NEVER SEEM TO COME UP WITH FIC IDEAS UNLESS YOU’RE AROUND SO[12:38:18 AM] Stormy: NO YES YOU MUST PLEASE IM OBVS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTS THIS[12:38:27 AM] Stormy: I WILL STAY HERE ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT IF YOU NEED

3) [12:49:30 AM] WingSongHalo: What if. What if Pearl. Found out Mr. Nick was dating someone (because Trucy whispers it to her one night). And gets really mad and starts spying on him and is determined to figure out who the foul little temptress is. And she’s like “Goodness, Mr. Nick sure does talk with Mr. Edgeworth a lot on the phone” and “Wow, they even meet outside the courtroom all the time. I’m glad he has such a nice friend!” and “WAIT DID I JUST SEE MR. NICK TAKE MR. EDGEWORTH’S HAND”and then she accidentally becomes a yaoi fangirl, thinking “oh no, imagining Mr. Edgeworth allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of Mr. Nick is such a nice idea…!” and then finally weeks later she manages to finally say “Mr. Nick!! I’ve been meaning to say this for a long time, but um…congratulations!!”[12:52:30 AM] Stormy: OMG WING I PRETTY MUCH HAD THE SAME HEADCANON LIKE HOW COULD SHE NOT NOTICE HOW MUCH TIME THEY SPEND TOGETHER AND START THINKING OH CRUD I MADE A MISTAKE WHEN I WAS A KID AND THIS IS LITERALLY PERFECT SHES SO ADORABLE SHE WOULD ACT JUST LIKE THAT MY POOR CHILD[12:56:30 AM] WingSongHalo: IMAGINE HER JUST GATHERING “EVIDENCE” THAT THEY’RE DATING, WHICH BASICALLY BECOMES HER YAOI FANGIRL SCRAPBOOK, AND SHE PRESENTS IT TO HIM LIKE “TAKE THAT!”[12:57:40 AM] Stormy: OH MY GOD THAT IS CUTESTS THING IVE EVER HEARFD[12:58:42 AM] Stormy: THIS BETTER BE A FIC TOO YOU ARE ALSO WOKRING ON PUTTING TOGETHER TO PUBLISH CAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE[12:59:40 AM] WingSongHalo: OKAY OKAY I’LL START WRITING IT TOMORROW IT WILL BE ABOUT PEARL, TRUCY, AND KAY ALL SHIPPING WRIGHTWORTH IN THE END, ATHENA, MAYA, AND APOLLO ALSO HELP THE TWO IDIOT LAWYERS TO GET TOGETHER

Other scenes that were pre-written:-Maya suggesting “PLSNO” and “EWUGH” and “STOP” as names for the group-Trucy “convincing” Apollo to join P:M-Athena Mood Matrixing Phoenix-The Voicemail-The presentation of the unicorn-The moment Ema walks in on them in chapter 14

If anyone wants to see more of these chatlogs please let me know because I’ve been considering doing a sort of Behind the Scenes feature on P:M for Patreon??

5. What part was hardest to write?

Oh gosh. Umm, the case. Definitely the case. I spent hours just staring at a blank planning document until my head literally hurt. I thought about Cayley, about whether she really had killed herself or not. I thought about the names of all the kidnapping victims. I thought about “the twist” that would enable me to extend the mystery more than a few chapters. I thought about how I could still make it a surprise that Trucy would be kidnapped even after we knew the criminal’s MO. I thought about how each girl would survive after being dumped off in uninhabited places of the Los Angeles area, which also needed to be researched. And I did a LOT of research on soil sample forensics, LOL.

Thanks so much for asking, hon. You’ve always been so sweet and I love you

[vixenfur]

Tagged by @crazyloststar! :D

Author’s Name:

vixenfur - it’s my warrior cats OC character I made up when I was 9 years old!! She’s been my online alias ever since!

Fandoms you write for:

Primarily: Owari no Seraph, Diamond no Ace & IDOLiSH7

Occasionally: Ookiku Furikabutte, Nitro+Chiral works

Past: Tsuritama, Saw, Kuroko no Basuke

Future: Yuri on Ice and maybe even Neon Genesis Evangelion (hopefully!)

Where you post:

My fics can be found on my AO3 and sometimes I will do drabbles here on tumblr.

Most popular one-shot:

New Perspective

Fandom: Owari no Seraph

Pairing: MikaYuu

Rating: E

Words: 6,811

Summary:

Yuu grows up referring to Mika as his brother, unknowing of Mika's feelings. When he begins to fall in love with Mika, he figures that his feelings are wrong, that they're taboo and should be kept secret. It isn't until their fourth heat, when they're unable to suppress their hormones, does everything come to light.

Most popular multi-chapter story:

Unwritten

Fandom: Owari no Seraph

Pairing: MikaYuu

Rating: E

Words: 142,722

Chapters: 23/23

Summary:

While being forcefully dragged to KFC by Lacus- a man who had a black pit of a stomach- Mika had a once-in-a-lifetime, Snapchat-worthy experience. The guy in the left lane had no shame. He was unintimidated by a stranger with a phone and he continued to sing the song Unwritten confidently. Lacus found the experience hysterical.

... Little did they know they would run into each other again hardly an hour later- Yuu was in desperate need of a haircut, according to Shinoa.

He was dropped off at Sanguinem Salon, and was a little mortified to find out that the hot guy he just sang horribly to was Mika, the one holding hair-trimming scissors behind the chair.

Favorite story you wrote:

Angel of Music

Fandom: Owari no Seraph

Pairing: MikaYuu

Rating: E

Words: 126,740

Chapters: 20/20

Summary:

He was before Yuu now, exactly as Shinoa and the others had described- tall and well-dressed in a peculiar, dark style. Over his shoulder was a black cape that trailed behind him, making him appear even more ghostly than ever.

Half of his face was hidden beneath a beautiful mask; a creamy-white and black one, adorned with delicate wisps of gold. Daintily painted just beneath one eye and above the other were a few measures of musical notes.

Blond hair framed his face, nearly shielding the unmistakable gleam of red in the left eye- the one on the side that was covered by the mask. Yuu’s heart stopped as their gazes met.

The uncovered eye was cerulean. Yuu could recognize that color anywhere, at any time. It couldn’t be- it was simply impossible. There was no way for this to be true, yet there he was, standing before Yuu with a fervent stare swirling darkly with emotions Yuu had never seen in his life.

Yuu felt his throat go dry as he whispered the name of the nearly unrecognizable man before him- the one who was, somehow, once his childhood friend.

“Mika…?”

--

The Phantom of the Opera: Owari no Seraph edition.

Story you were nervous to post:

Meet Me In The Dark

Fandom: IDOLiSH7

Pairing: IoRiku

Rating: E

Words: 11,565

Chapters: 1/1

Summary:

Newly-appointed Ainana Police Officer Riku Nanase has a secret that he mustn't reveal- one that could get him fired.

However, when his secret is discovered, the result is far more rewarding than he could have ever dreamed it would be.

--

The Ainana Police event: filthily reimagined.

((I was super scared to post for a new fandom after so long of almost totally OnS!! And then I got some backlash from it on twitter so it was kinda rough tbh ;; but I still want to write more IoRiku someday))

How do you choose your titles?

Songs!! My fic titles are almost ALWAYS referencing a song title/a lyric/etc. Only sometimes do I coin something totally random/original.

Do you outline?

Almost always. Even when the fic is going in a random direction (i.e. Unwritten) I plan at least 3 chapters in advance so I can have a feeling of mini-arcs and whatnot!

How many of your stories are…

*complete?

83 [including collabs]

56 [excluding collabs]

*in-progress?

3 [including collabs]

1 [excluding collabs]

Coming soon:

- Surprise at the end of the month~

- “Deadly Intentions” project

- Empire of Scarlet with Zeta & Lysia

- I’m Still Here with Alex

- OnS Gift Exchange piece in October

Do you accept prompts?

Yes, sometimes I do! I have some still sitting in my inbox OTL but I will finish them up soon I promise. I’ll make it clear when I want prompts in my inbox :3c

Upcoming story you are most excited to write:

Empire of Scarlet, which is an Ancient China MikaYuu AU that I’m collaborating on with Zeta and Lysia! We’ve already gotten started behind the scenes but I’m so hype for everyone to read it. It’ll be a blast. It’s not based on anything besides our own original ideas and some historical fiction!

Tagging:

@zeta-jane @hannaadi88 wow I don’t know any authors on tumblr only twitter OOPS LOL well if you guys wanna do this feel free! :D

[yszarin]

Fanfic Author Asks

I was tagged by @flammenkobold! thank you <3

Author Name:

Arazsya

Fandoms You Write For:

Mostly The Magnus Archives and Rusty Quill Gaming at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll get back to that Whitechapel WIP eventually.

Where You Post:

AO3, mainly. lots of the Edward/Tjelvar stuff ends up linked in a gdoc in a Discord server, and very very occasionally tumblr.

Most Popular Oneshot:

Last Post - TMA, Jon/Martin. Jon is put into Archivist Storage in the Lonely. Apparently, “RUDE”.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story:

House of Red Dreaming - Whitechapel, gen, S4 continuation. The team are sent to a remote team building exercise in Wales, because, you know, they did so well with that last one last one. 

Favourite Story You Wrote:

At the moment, probably In Sunlight - RQG, Edward/Tjelvar. After the remnants of the LOLOMG leave for Japan, Edward embarks on his own quest - for Tjelvar. I finished it, there were some absolutely lovely comments, it has Lho’s gorgeous art in there. Tjelvar gets to pet a cat.

Maybe also Autumn - TMA, Jon/Martin. Jon dwells on an absence. Not to base my opinions of my fics on the ones that people have been nicest about, but someone once told me it made them cry at work and I ascended.

Story You Were Nervous to Post:

... all? but probably more so with exchanges, at least if I’m just yeeting stuff out into the void no one’s going to feel obliged to read it. I do remember being particularly worried for Last Post, but right now, almost certainly the one for the exchange where the reveals are this coming weekend and I still have editing to do.

How Do You Pick Your Titles:

badly. they’re usually usually chosen twenty minutes before the exchange reveals, from whichever song I was listening to at the time. occasionally they occur during the fic but not as often as would be convenient. 

Do You Outline:

yes. down to the scene. which probably sounds very organised but a lot of the bullet points will end up being [something something romance???].

How Many of Your Stories are complete:

Of the ones on AO3? 56/61. in general? so few one day my gdrive will stop taunting me.

In-Progress:

Exchange fics, zine fics, the rest of my TMA big bang fic, last year’s TMA big bang fic I swear.

Coming Soon:

NaNoWriMo! currently have four projects on my list of potential ones to work on, including one where Edward is transformed into a golden retriever, and every time Tjelvar tries to get help from one of the churches he’s faced with “have you tried true love’s kiss :/” (which is going to lead to probably hours lost to d20pfsrd trying to work out what would be internally consistent with a pathfinder-based universe). Also two more Edward/Tjelvar fics and a very vague Stellar Firma idea. 

Do You Accept Prompts:

I accept them but they may not be written a) well b) quickly c) at all. Preferred fandoms are RQG and TMA, preferred ships are Edward/Tjelvar and Tim/Martin (also any platonic RQG or TMA, or Jon/Martin, Jon/Martin/Tim, Martin/Mike or Melanie with any female character).

Upcoming Story You’re the Most Excited For:

... probably the dog!Edward fic described above. I have basically no plot yet but I know he’s a very good boy and the postman is EVIL! There’s also an Ed/Tjelvar series in the works but I’m really going to need the world fixed, so if the party would be so kind...

Tag Five Fanfic Authors to Answer These Questions

@through-a-sea-glass, @an-anonymous-friend and @ineverhadadoubt. No pressure to do it, and if anyone else would like to, please do!

[celtfather]

Singing Scots Gaelic #554

A glass of beer and some outstanding Celtic music, plus learning Scots Gaelic with the Celtic Rock band Syr. It’s today on the latest Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

The Gothard Sisters, Telenn Tri, Wolf & Clover, Runa, Matt & Shannon Heaton, The Gatehouse Well, Coast, Lilt, Tom Eure, Syr, The Rolling Kings, Songs for Ceilidh, Hunting McLeod, Kyle Carey

I hope you enjoyed this week's show. If you Heard a song, tune or artist that you loved, I’d like you to share this episode and tag the artist on social either on your page or in a Celtic group you’re a part of. Include the show time so they can quickly listen and enjoy.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is here to build our diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you.

Musicians rely on your support so they can keep creating new music. If music in this show inspired you, you can buy their CDs, digital downloads, shirts, pins, and other merch. You can follow them on streaming and see their shows. More and more Celtic musicians are on Patreon, just like this podcast. And of course, I always appreciate it when you drop artists an email to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast.

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VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2022

This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2022 episode.  Vote Now!

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

0:08 - The Gothard Sisters "Willow's Waltz" from Story Girl

5:01 - WELCOME

6:15 - Telenn Tri "Glass of Beer / Lochaber Badger / Ash Plant / St. Kilda Wedding" from Mouse in the Kitchen

11:00 - Wolf & Clover "An Rógaire Dubh" from Twelvemonth and a Day

14:55 - Runa "Runa Alumni Set" from Ten: The Errant Night

20:17 - Matt & Shannon Heaton "Demon Lover" from Tell You in Earnest

24:08 - FEEDBACK

28:34 - The Gatehouse Well "Breaking Ground" from Undone

31:56 - Coast "River (Acoustic Version)" from On This Day (Acoustic Version)

35:12 - Lilt "Deirdre Hurley's / Open the Door for Three / The Gathering" from X

38:56 - Tom Eure "The Carving Tree" from The Coin The Prayer The Crow

42:49 - THANK YOU PATRONS

44:33 - CELTIC STORIES “Albion II”

53:14 - Syr "Albion Ii" from Sentinel

57:57 - The Rolling Kings "In Through The Narrows" from Raise A Glass

1:00:04 - Songs for Ceilidh "Finnegan's Wake" from Beneath the Waves

1:04:51 - Hunting McLeod "The Congress" from Leod and Proud

1:08:45 - CLOSING

1:10:38 - Kyle Carey "Wind Through Casper" from North Star

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. The show was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather. Subscribe through your favorite podcatcher or on our website where you can become a Patron of the Podcast for as little as $1 per episode. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

Greetings Celtophiles

WELCOME TO CELTIC MUSIC

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. I’m a musician and podcaster. I want to introduce you to some amazing Celtic bands and musicians.

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We have another Celtic Story today. That’s where a band shares a story behind their music. This time it’s by the Celtic Rock band Syr. They share the challenges of writing a song in a non - native language, Scots Gaelic.

Oh! And you may also notice I’m letting others introduce the latest episode. If you would like to do so, email me. I’ll send you instructions. And if you’re band, I can also send instructions on how to submit music to the podcast and how to share your own Celtic Story with the show.

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My latest CD features Sci F’Irish music. That means it is original songs fusing pop culture themes with Irish drinking songs. There are some traditional music on the album. But mostly, it features songwriting by Marc Gunn with guests including: Screeched Inn, The Muckers, Jamie Haeuser, Sam Gillogly, Nathan Deese, and Mikey Mason.

Selcouth means, “when everything is strange and different, yet you find it marvelous anyway.”

The album is not completely Celtic and it’s not just science fiction and fantasy. It’s a fusion of the two. It’s heartfelt and a lot of fun.

It’s now on sale in my Bandcamp store. Check out Selcouth now.

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A special thanks to our newest Patrons of the Podcast: Henry C, Patrick D, Davida K, Stan B

HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Go to SongHenge.com. That takes you to our Patreon page.

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TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through its culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos. Learn more about the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/

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Rey Glunt commented on Facebook: "I was just listening to this one walking the dog tonight!! Good stuff!!"

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Peter Bengtson sent a photo: "On my morning walk, this is only about 1/2 of the painted rocks at this house. Zoom in for detail"

And another: "My morning walk close to the Catalina mountains. Beautiful sunny (but cold), listening to episode 548  -  very nice"

Michael R. Gorman emailed: "Marc,

I hope this email does not come across as too strange, but before about 45 minutes ago, I had never heard of you. I was searching Pandora for some traditional Celtic music to play as a background to a personal spring/renewal ritual I felt compelled to do on this cool California night. When I happened upon your Podcast #196, I immediately knew I had my background music. I thought your talking would be a distraction, but it was not at all, like an extension of the music of the ancestors.

I won't go into detail about my ritual tonight, other than to say this ritual marks the end of a very long period of trial and pain in one of my life's dark valleys, but the thing about valleys is that there are always the hills beyond to climb if you can just keep walking. I did, and tonight is like a new birth from the cauldron of the Cailleach. I have not cut my hair in ten years until tonight (by no means short, but shorter), a show of faith in renewed growth, and to offer a red - blonde lock as tribute to the ancestors. I don't know much about you or what your spirituality may be, but I felt the need to thank you for being with me on this small milestone in my journey. I look forward to getting to know you better through your work. And thank you. Blessings of the Tuatha de,”

Check out this episode!

[lesbian-sora]

Only Fools

Summary ~ School is hard. School is harder when you’re a loser who has more bullies than friends. School is even harder when you have a crush on the most amazing guy in the world, even if your friends can’t see it. School is damn impossible when your friends coerce you into participating in the school play with the most amazing guy in the world. 

Dan and Phil’s experience falls into the impossible category, but maybe together (with some help from the King himself) they can make it out alive and well.

Tags ~ Fluff, high school AU, friends to lovers, theatre kids, mutual pining, slow burn, slight angst, not actually unrequited love

Words ~ 7106/~35K

Warnings ~ Swearing

Rating ~ Teen

Author’s Note ~ Hi guys! This fic was originally supposed to be one of my fics for Phandom Big Bang 2016, but things came up. I recently blew the dust off of it, and I really liked it, so it’s getting revamped and published! Updates will most likely be once a month for the next 4 months (I may up that posting schedule if writing/editing goes well and people actually like it) and I look forward to all of you getting to read it! Also, this will be my first chaptered fic that I’m posting one part at a time, so that’s exciting!

Prompt me!

Buy me a coffee!

Next chapter!

Read on AO3

                                                     Act I Scene I

There honestly weren’t very many people Louise Pentland disliked. She was bubbly and personable, meaning she got along with just about everyone she came in contact with, and she quite liked it that way. Everything from her approachable smile to her mothering attitude made it so people were drawn to her and she to them.

That being said, she absolutely despised Phil Lester.

Was it unfair, petty, and totally unreasonable? Absolutely. In all honesty, Phil would probably be voted nicest guy in the school, if anyone were to take a poll. Was he was a bit weird? Most certainly.  However, it was a completely harmless weird. It was quirky and odd like that store on the edge of town that dealt solely in the manufacture and sale of cat-themed gnomes. If she were to be straight with herself, she would admit that Phil had never knowingly or unknowingly harmed, damaged or even seriously upset herself or anyone she remotely knew, simply because that wasn’t the type of person Phil was. No, her dislike of Phil wasn’t his fault, and he had no idea it was even happening. Her dislike boiled down to one thing and one thing only.

“Louise! You’ll never guess what Phil did today!” Dan gushed, collapsing in the seat next to her.

Louise didn’t bother to look up from her compact where she was very carefully reapplying her lip gloss. She knew Dan was flushed lightly with a wide, dopey smile and that his eyes shone as if every star was compacted down into glitter that was dumped into hot chocolate. He always looked like that when Phil was brought up. Which was a lot. “I’m guessing from your normal reports that he was walking down the hall and breathing.”

“No,” Dan scowled and wadded a bit of paper into a tiny ball and flicked it at her, offering a sheepish grin after it landed in her makeup. “I actually talked with him a bit today.”

“Dan, we’ve discussed this before. Saying ‘Hi, Phil!’ and then hiding your face and running away before he can respond doesn’t count as talking to him.”

“Someone’s in a mood,” Dan pouted. “And I’ll have you know this was a totally real and legit conversation we had. Some dick head knocked into me on the way out here and Phil saw and helped me pick all my stuff up and everything. He even gave me his hand to help me stand up!”

Louise cocked a brow. “Really? Honestly, Dan I almost didn’t think you had it in you,” she said, ignoring his squawks of protest. “What all did you boys talk about?”

“He saw my piano book and asked if I played,” Dan said dreamily, the look on his face making it more than apparent that he was reliving the moment in perfect clarity again and again until it was ingrained in his memory. “And so I told him yeah, but I was awful and then I thought he was going to just leave but he walked with me almost the whole way here and he saw me in the play last year, Louise! He saw me and remembered me and told me I did a good job! Oh my god, it was probably the best moment of my life.”

Louise rolled her eyes, but smiled good naturedly, more than pleased over how happy her friend was. However, there was one thing that always bugged her about the whole situation. “Dan, darling, why Phil of all people? I mean he’s nice and all, and, sure, he’s not awful to look at, but he’s just so strange. Saying you could do better is probably the understatement of the year.”

Dan looked at her, glaring at her as if she’d just spat in his mother’s face and told her that her cooking was a disgrace (which she hadn’t) and he was personally offended (which he probably was). “Okay, first of all,” he started and Louise took a deep breath, already regretting her words and preparing for the sermon that was soon to follow. “Phil Lester is an unusual beauty so rare and perfect and we don’t deserve him. Second, he’s got an absolutely brilliant mind and we should all count ourselves lucky to hear anything that brain decides to gift us with. Third-”

“Mr. Howell,” Mrs. Bronwell interrupted from the front of the room, “as much as I’m sure we’d all love to hear you expound on the virtues of Mr. Lester, I, personally, get paid to teach you math, and I’d quite like to do so at this moment. If that’s not an imposition on you, of course.”

Dan blushed bright red all the way from his collar bones (and possibly farther, who knew) to the very tips of his ears. “Sorry, Mrs.,” he said, sinking down a bit more in his chair. “I’m done.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that,” Louise scoffed, quite unintentionally. There were a few scattered titters around the room and Dan gave Louise a long, hard, stare. The whole school probably knew about Dan’s crush on Phil just from him talking loudly and passionately about how wonderful the other boy was at any chance he got, so it’s not like there was any new gossip being delivered so he didn’t really feel the need to be properly embarrassed. But, the sting of betrayal was still there and he was sure to let her know he felt about it.

“Thank you for your contribution, Miss Pentland,” Mrs, Bronwell smiled, “but we really must get on with our lesson. Now, today we’re studying logarithms - James, don’t you roll your eyes at me. Yes, I saw you just fine.”

Now that the lesson had begun and he was finally free of all judgement, Dan let himself drift off quite happily into his thoughts, where his daydreams once again found themselves centered upon the subject of Phil Lester. How kind his smile was when he was offering him help. How he seemed genuinely interested as Dan flushed and fumbled over the explanation of his mediocre piano skills. How his hand was so soft but sure and he held Dan’s own and pulled him to his feet. As his teacher went on about the ins and outs of math things he didn’t care about Dan drew little doodles, of hearts and Phil coming to rescue him from the horrors of sports. He sighed happily and looked out the window thinking about Phil Lester, unknowing that somewhere in the school Phil was sighing happily and looking out a window thinking about Dan Howell.

                                                     Act I Scene II

“I found out he plays piano, Peej!” Phil beamed, waving his hands around for emphasis. “That’s so impressive, honestly. I wonder if he can play anything else.”

“I think I heard somewhere that he plays drums, but that could just be a rumor.” PJ paid the conversation little mind, far more focused on the poster he was designing for the school play.

“Eh, he seems the type,” Chris added helpfully. “You know: loud, obnoxious and in your face.”

Phil scowled at his now snickering friends. “He is not. He’s always really sweet and quiet when I talk to him.”

“Yeah?” Chris challenged. “Well, I had a history class with him one time and his own friend asked the teacher if he could change seats because Dan was distracting him too much.”

“Sean said that one time when they were taking a chemistry exam Dan started singing the periodic table. Out loud,” PJ added helpfully.

“He’s boisterous, maybe,” Phil conceded, “But he’s probably hilarious which is why his friend was so distracted and besides, learning a song to memorize the periodic table is pretty smart.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “Mate, we could tell you that Dan killed Mother Theresa and you’d just say ‘I mean, she probably deserved it.’” PJ chuckled next to him and Phil simply shot him another dirty look. “Anyway, as much as you love talking about Dan we really ought to move on because me and Peej, well, we don’t enjoy it near as much as you.”

Before Phil could argue PJ chimed in with a, “Help me decide on which one of these posters is better. Mr. Walters wants them up by this afternoon so people have plenty of time to sign up before auditions next month.” He showed them a couple of hand drawn posters, one featuring a more 60’s theme with psychedelic rainbow patterns and little people scattered all around doing various theatre things whilst the other  was more focused on space, complete with little aliens all over it. Both said in clear letters “Join this year’s spring musical! All You Need Is Love: A 60’s space drama written and produced by PJ Liguori and Sophie Newton. Auditions after school in the auditorium on 8/8”

“I like the space one,” Phil said.

“No, no. The 60’s is way better,” Chris argued. “It’s more fun looking and approachable. Everybody likes the 60’s.”

“No, everybody likes space,” Phil insisted.

“No, you like space, you big nerd.”

“I think we should ask the cards.”

“Phil,” PJ groaned, “you can’t rely on your tarot cards for every decision you have to make.”

“Yes, I can. I asked the cards and they said it was fine,” Phil smirked, pulling out his deck of Pokemon cards. He was honestly rather proud of them; he had spent an entire afternoon dedicated to learning each of the 56 cards in the full tarot deck and assigning a Pokemon to each one, then an entire month (and more money than he’d care to admit) collecting every single card until his deck was finally complete. He closed his eyes and focused. “Alright, we’re just doing a yes or no question so we can just use the Major Arcana, or would you rather do a full reading with all the cards?”

PJ rolled his eyes, but said, “Just the Major is fine. You can do a full reading when it’s more important decisions.”

Phil nodded, separating out the twenty two cards needed. “Okay, PJ, I’m going to start shuffling. Focus really hard on your question and when you think it’s time, tell me to stop.”

PJ closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply and said, “Stop.”

Immediately, Phil quit shuffling and laid the cards out in a neat row. “Is this good, or do you want me to shuffle again?”

“That’s fine. My question is ‘Should I use the space themed poster?’”

“Alright, choose a card.”

PJ chose one fourth from the left and Phil flipped it over, revealing a card of Mew. Phil grinned, before announcing: “You got The World, which talks about your conscious and unconscious joining and how you’re facing an important juncture that will make your path for the future clear. It also means that you’re going to gain true insight to the nature of yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah, but is it a yes or a no?” Chris said impatiently.

“It’s a yes,” Phil said with a smug smirk.

“And how do we know you’re not bullshitting us to get your way?”

“Well, if you think about it there was the whole conscious, unconscious thing, and he clearly preferred the space one, considering how much time he spent on it.” They looked at PJ for confirmation who shrugged and nodded with a sheepish grin. “Plus if you have the play be ‘you’, having this decision be insight into the true nature of yourself makes sense since it’s really more about space with a sixties flair than sixties with space themes.” Chris frowned thoughtfully, slowly nodding his head before Phil grinned and added, “Also, you don’t.”

“Why you absolute-”

“Stow it,” PJ hissed. “Mr. Bedsole just walked in.” And with that, the three quieted down to focus on the droning lecture about World War II.

                                                    Act I Scene III

“But you said we were going out for coffee today!” Dan pouted at Louise, who, in her defense, looked absolutely heartbroken denying him.

“I’m sorry, Dan,” she said. “I really am, but Chummy says there’s a huge sale going on in Brighton today and I really don’t want to miss it. I promise we can go tomorrow.”

“I do swear that it’s a one day sale,” Zoe added earnestly, looking almost as remorseful as Louise. “I’ll buy you a drink tomorrow to make up for it.”

“That’s all well and good for tomorrow, but what am I meant to do for today?” he whined.

“You could always come with us?” Louise suggested weakly. “We can get coffee at the station to have on the train?”

Dan sighed, quietly enough that the two girls didn’t hear . “As much as I do honestly enjoy going shopping with you two, I’m really not up for a two hour train ride today. However, if you see anything you think I’d like, I wouldn’t say no to some more peace offerings for bailing on me today.”

“You cheeky thing!” Zoe laughed, gently pinching his cheek. “You’re a right mess and a half, you are.”

He batted her hand away with a smile. “Yeah, yeah. Seriously, though. What am I going to do today? My mum's going to be out until five or later and I left my key at home. Do you want me to just wander around Reading lost and alone that whole time?”

“Oh, please,” Louise laughed with an eye roll. “Tyler exists, so you know there’s no way you can be bored for too long.”

“My ears are on fire right now,” Tyler sang, joining them at their table. “What are we talking about? Besides me, of course.”

“Well, someone ditched me to go look at- What is it exactly that you’re after?”

“Clothes,” both girls said in unison.

“Going to that Brighton sale?” Tyler asked with a knowing smirk. “I’d join you, but honestly, I don’t want to.”

They all laughed together before Dan piped up, “Anyway, they’re leaving me for clothes and have put my afternoon activities in your command.”

Tyler winced. “I’m sorry, Dan-”

“No!”

“I have a date!” Tyler defended. “And, boo, you know I think you’re the best thing since sliced bread, but you third wheeling me isn’t going to get me laid.”

Dan cast him a betrayed look. “So, basically what you’re telling me is I’m basically screwed? Carrie’s busy with theatre, you’re going on a date, these two would rather pet garments they can’t afford then get coffee with me, and Sean is probably off sucking face with Signe.”

“You could always just follow Phil home and sit outside like a lost puppy and hope he lets you in,” Tyler suggested, somewhat helpfully.

“Why don’t you actually fuck off?” Dan snapped,as his face turned scarlet. “That was one time, okay?”

“You stood outside his house in the rain for an hour pretending you thought it was someone else’s house before you realized nobody was home.”

“That was two years ago!”

“I still can’t believe it happened at all.”

Dan buried his face in his hands to hide his blushing cheeks. “You guys are the absolute worst people in the world and I hate every single one of you,” he groaned.

Tyler reached over and patted his cheek fondly. “Oh, boo, we know that’s not true. Who else would listen to you wax poetic about Phil?”

Again the three laughed together. “I’m still without anything to do this afternoon,” Dan pointed out.

“Can’t you just break in?” Tyler suggested. “I do that at my house all the time.”

“My mom routinely locks all the windows so mine is the only one open and there’s no way I can get to the second floor.”

“You could hang out with Sean and Signe,” Louise offered. “I’m sure they’d at least try to contain themselves while you’re around.”

“Yeah, but even when they’re not trying to climb into each other’s mouth I still always feel like I’m third wheeling so fucking hard. And not like tricycle third wheel either.”

“Why don’t you just go hang out at the coffee house on your own or go nerd shopping?” Zoe recommended. “You have your phone and headphones, right? Just sit in a corner and ignore everyone.”

Dan let out a long suffering sigh. “I guess that’s my only option, unless I want to go to the library or something.” He sighed and complained, “Why is there nothing to do here?”

“There’s plenty to do, you’re just too immersed in your laptop to experience any of them,” Louise laughed. “Chummy and I can always find plenty to do.”

“You have no idea what a town with nothing to do looks like, sweetheart,” Tyler scoffed. “Jackson was like a third this size and a good hour away from anything even remotely interesting.”

“Yeah, well, this place being better than your hometown is zero help right now. Somebody give me something to do.”

“You could just Google it and do the tourist-y things that pop up,” Zoe beamed. “Me and Alfie did that one time and it was loads of fun.”

“That sounds like a really great date,” Dan agreed, a dash of sarcasm in his tone. “However, since I’m a sexually ambiguous nerd who can’t properly talk to anyone outside of you guys, there’s very little chance of me getting a date any time soon. Plus it’s pouring and I wouldn’t want to wander around Reading in the rain even if I had a date.” Tyler took this moment to mutter about how he’d done it for Phil before, but quieted down when Dan gave him a stern glance.

“Well, whatever you decide to do, I wish you luck,” Louise said, taking out her phone to check the time. “However, Chummy and I must be getting on as our train leaves in less than an hour.”

“Bye, Louise. Bye Zoe,” Dan and Tyler chimed together. The two girls laughed and gave their final farewell hugs before leaving, leaving Dan and Tyler alone.

“So, who is this guy, anyway?” Dan asked, picking at his fingernails.

“Uh, his name is Michael and I met him on Tinder.”

“Phil’s middle name-”

“Is Michael. Yes, I know,” Tyler teased. “You’ve told us all more than once.”

Dan merely rolled his eyes and said, “So, Michael. Is this a guy you might actually like to date or is he just a casual hookup?”

“I don’t know, honestly,” Tyler shrugged. “He seemed nice enough while we were messaging but not exactly my kind of guy, you know? I may just keep in contact with him to hang out with on Fridays when I’m bored because somebody is too invested in Mario Kart to go party with me.”

“Please. You and I both know that I’m probably the last person you’d want to go with you to a party. I’d just stand awkwardly in a corner playing on my phone all night and making everyone who dared to talk to me feel bad because they wouldn’t understand a single word I mumbled.”

Tyler cast him yet another sympathetic look and Dan swore he was going to rip his eyebrows out if another person looked at him as if he was the dog they were leaving behind at the shelter. “Have you considered hanging out with Carrie this afternoon? Like, I know you said you weren’t doing theatre this year-”

“The four hours I spent locked in a janitor’s closet for being in the school play said I wasn’t doing theatre this year.”

Tyler narrowed his eyes at the interruption, but continued. “Anyway, you said you weren’t going to be in the play, but I’m pretty sure they’re just doing like pre-pre-pre-play stuff today. Hanging up posters and the like. I mean, it’s something at least.”

Dan considered his options for a moment. While he had sworn off acting for the year, he really liked most of the theatre kids he hung out with last time. Besides, it was completely harmless and he did always enjoy spending time with Carrie. “Yeah, I suppose. Anyway, if it is horrible I can always pretend my grandma is in the hospital or something to get out of it.”

“That’s the Dan Howell spirit we all know and love,” Tyler grinned, clapping him on the back.

This will be fine. What could go wrong?

                                                    Act I Scene IV

There was no way this was happening.

“PJ, I can’t go in there,” Phil hissed, physically keeping his friend by his side and out of that room. For in that room sat none other than Dan Howell, looking perfect as always whilst he lounged next to Carrie, who was laughing along at something he said. “I thought you said he wouldn’t be here today!”

PJ shrugged, clearly not seeing the problem and Phil had never felt so betrayed. “He said he wasn’t coming back last year, but maybe he changed his mind. Or maybe he’s just helping a friend hang posters. Who knows? You might if you go in there and talk to him.”

“I can’t let him see me like this,” Phil refused. “I took out my contacts last lesson because my eyes were all itchy and the redness still hasn’t gone down and I look terrible.”

“Maybe he’s into the whole robot look.”

“You’re not helping!”

“Look, mate,” PJ sighed. “You can stay and help or you can go home and sulk, but either way I’ve got to be in there to take charge of this whole shindig and I can already feel Sophie glaring at me for being late. I know you don’t look one hundred percent your best ever but it’s a Monday afternoon after school and nobody looks great, and I swear to god if you tell me Dan looks amazing I will never let you borrow my Legend of Zelda games ever again.” Phil gave him a sheepish grin. “And for what it’s worth your face shape works really well with those glasses and the redness is pretty much gone.”

Phil smiled softly at his friend. “You always know what to say, Peej.”

PJ smirked and winked back at him. “It truly is a gift. Now come on, let’s go hang some posters and get some theatre nerds hyped about a play.”

As the two walked in a kind of hush fell over the gathered students and Phil couldn’t help but notice the panicked look Dan gave Carrie as he passed by them, taking a seat next to Chris and Alexandra. He leaned over to point it out to Chris, but he merely shot him a look before pointedly focusing on PJ and Sophie at the front of the room. Phil huffed; he knew why he was being shushed, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“Okay, everyone, thanks for being here!” PJ beamed at the eight students sprawled across various chairs and desks. “We really appreciate your help. Does anyone have any questions?”

“Why don’t you tell them what exactly it is that they’re helping with?” Sophie suggested from behind him with a smile and a fond roll of the eyes.

PJ gave her a crooked grin in thanks before returning his attention to the crowd. “Right, I should. Well, as you all should know the school puts on a musical every spring, and if you didn’t know then you do now. Anyway, as this is our last year Mr. Walters has agreed to put on a play that Sophie and I wrote, and he’s put us in charge of everything from production to advertisement. Today we’re putting up posters around the school to let everyone know about the auditions that are happening next month, giving them plenty of time to pluck up the courage to sign up since that’s probably the hardest part of school plays for a lot of us.” There were a few scattered chuckles, and PJ carried on. “Since there are ten of us and five main areas we need to put these up, we’re going to be splitting into teams of two, and each team is going to get twenty posters to hang up. Yeah, it sounds like a lot, but we want these everywhere. I don’t want there to be a single person at this school who doesn’t know about this play. That means staple them to bulletin boards, hang them up on those weird clothes pin things outside the art room, tape them on every door and stairwell you can find. So yeah, I mean it when I say everywhere.”

“Alright then,” Sophie chimed in. “After that rousing speech, everyone pick a partner and we’ll arm you with a stapler, tape, clothespins, blu tack and more posters than you’ll know what to do with. Go!” Phil swore he saw PJ, Carrie, and Chris all share a look, but he brushed it off to partner up with Chris, only to find that he had already linked arms with Alexandra. He glanced around the room to see that PJ and Sophie were obviously in each other's pockets, Carrie was chatting with Matt, and Tom and Gi were leaned against one another playing some kind of app on Tom’s phone leaving-

“Uh, hi again?”

Phil whipped his head around to see Dan standing in front of him with a bit of red tinting his ears. “Your friend abandon you, too?” Phil chuckled. When Dan didn’t answer and just continued blinking at him, Phil flushed bright red immediately starting to back track. “Not that I’m saying- Well, what I mean is more that- You see what I’m trying to say is-” he finally sputtered to a stop. “Sorry?”

Dan blinked at him a couple more times before realization dawned on his face and he blushed to match Phil. “No, no it’s fine, I promise! I’m not offended or anything! Carrie did totally ditch me to partner with Matt. I was just really distracted by your glasses; I didn’t know you wore them.”

Phil chuckled nervously, scratching behind his neck. “Yeah, they’re- yeah. They’re kinda big and dumb looking so I try not to wear them at school too much.”

“It’s not that,” Dan mumbled, looking down and to the left while shooting Phil looks from beneath his lashes. “They actually really suit you. They make you look really smart I guess.” He flushed a bit darker before adding, “I like them.”

Well, if Phil wasn’t about to pass out before from how adorable and shy Dan looked he definitely was now. Dan liked his glasses. Dan Howell liked his glasses. He took a moment to gather himself before he could blurt out that he was about to call the optometrist and tell her to cancel all his contact orders from now until forever because Dan Howell liked his glasses. “Thanks, that means a lot,” he said instead. “I don’t really like them all that much so they can use all the love they can get from other people.”

Dan sputtered out an abrasive laugh which garnered a couple people’s attention and made Phil’s chest feel like it had been filled with warm helium before Dan slapped his hands over his mouth to muffle it. Phil considered telling Dan his hands would would better suited in Phil’s instead of quieting the music that was his laugh, but decided that was maybe a little forward. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you wearing your glasses if you hate them so much?”

“Oh, sometimes my contacts can bother my eyes and last period they were really itchy and so I took them out instead of trying to rub my eyeballs into the back of my skull.”

Phil mentally slapped himself for actually saying that out loud, but Dan just giggled. “Well, I hope they’re feeling better. I noticed you had some red in your eyes, so I’m glad it’s nothing serious.”

At the mention of red Phil slammed his eyes shut and covered them with his hands. “PJ said the red was all gone!” he whined.

Dan immediately started flapping his hands nervously. “No, no it’s fine! It’s hardly noticeable at all! I only noticed because I was staring at your face up close, and oh my god, I can’t believe I said that out loud. Someone please stop me.” By the end of his sentence Dan was a darker red than Phil previously thought possible and looked  just about ready for the world to split in half and swallow him whole. He was adorable, and Phil was about to die.

“Nah, I get it,” Phil chuckled with a smile. “You said the glasses were distracting so it makes sense for you to stare.”

Dan opened his mouth like he was about to argue Phil’s point, but there was a cough behind Phil and they both turned to see PJ standing there with a stack of flyers in his hands and a knowing smirk on his lips. “Well, since the two of you were too busy - um, let’s say talking - to come up and pick an area to work in the only one left is the gym and lunchroom, so I hope the two of you brought umbrellas.” Dan looked absolutely panic stricken at the thought of needing an umbrella, much to Phil’s confusion, but PJ simply carried on. “Sophie has the stuff to hang these up with so you two need to get going or we’re still going to be here when school lets in tomorrow.”

Phil groaned melodramatically and accused PJ of forsaking him and throwing him to the depths of hell, but still smiled and thanked Sophie - who was giggling behind her hands - when he got their tools. The only problem was that Dan was strangely quiet the entire time, and not in the adorably shy way he was earlier that afternoon when they were walking to class together. No, this was more akin to the silence of a man being lead to the gallows, and that just wasn’t going to work in Phil’s book. “Hey, are you okay?”

Dan gnawed his bottom lip for a moment before sighing and saying, “I’m really not sure if I want to tell you. Like on one hand it’s really not that big of a deal, and avoiding it is only going to make it way worse, but on the other hand it’s really embarrassing, and I don’t like talking about it.”

Phil hummed in thought, tapping his chin and looking Dan up and down through squinted eyes. To most it might look like he was just observing the younger boy to come up with some sort of plan, but in reality he was just taking the opportunity to check him out. “What if I hum and then you say it really quickly and if I hear you, I can pretend I didn’t understand and if I didn’t hear you then you at least got it off your chest and you don’t have to worry anymore.”

Dan laughed and smiled so hard his eyes were almost completely closed. “You are such a strange person, Phil Lester,” he said with what Phil was adamantly interpreting as fondness.

“You know, you’re actually not the first person to tell me that.”

Dan rolled his eyes but he still had that grin so Phil didn’t take it to heart. “Unfortunately, that plan won’t work, so I’m just going to tell you, but you can’t make fun of me, okay?” Phil nodded eagerly, knowing that there was no way he could ever deliberately make Dan feel bad about himself. Dan took a deep breath and quickly said, “MyhairisnaturallyreallycurlysoIstraightenitbutwhenitgetswetitgetscurlyagainandit’srainingandIdidn’tbringanything.”

Phil blinked, trying to process what he just heard until it finally clicked and he beamed. “Why didn’t you say so?! You can borrow my coat.”

Dan’s eyes bugged out at the very idea. “I can’t just take your coat! What are you going to wear? It may be a short walk, but you’ll still wind up soaked by the time we get inside.”

Phil shrugged. “Well, any way you look at it, one of us is going to look like a drowned rat by the end of this no matter what. You seem to be a lot more worried about it than me, so why shouldn’t you be the one to stay dry? Besides, I have a change of clothes in my bag since I’m meeting up with my family for dinner after this. Take the coat, Dan.”

“But Phil-”

“Too late!” he sang, pulling his arm out of the sleeve. “I’m  taking it off and I’m not going to put it back on until it’s time to leave. If you don’t take it then the poor coat will just sit here and be useless while we both get wet. Do you want my coat to feel that way, Dan?”

Dan giggled at his overreaction, but took the coat with a gentle smile. “Thanks, Phil. I mean it.”

“No problem,” Phil smiled back. “But now you do have to hold the flyers and stuff. Just shove them under your jacket so they don’t get wet.”

Dan nodded and took the papers. “Alright then, let’s do this.”

                                                    Act I Scene V

“Oh my god, Louise, it was amazing,” Dan gushed over the phone. He had tried texting Louise but he was way too excited and his fingers kept slipping and pretty much everything he wrote had more exclamation points than actual letters. “How do we have so much in common and I never knew it?”

“Maybe because you only ever stalked him instead of talking and sharing your interests?” she teasingly suggested.

“You can’t tell but I’m giving you a dirty look right now,” Dan pouted, tracing his finger over the numbers written on the Post-It note Phil had given him. “And there will be plenty of actual talking between the two of us now, since he gave me his number.”

Louise squealed across the line. She had never made it a secret that Phil wasn’t her first choice for Dan’s big crush, but she had to admit that the fact that Dan was so over the moon for him was precious, and anything that made Dan happy made her happy. “Oh my god, really? What happened?”

“Well, we had to go out to the gym to hang posters and since it was pouring I was complaining about my hair-”

“Like you always do.”

“Shut it. Anyway, he insisted that I used his jacket to keep dry and at the end of the day it was still raining so he told me to keep it and I could text him about returning it later,” Dan sighed happily, reliving every moment of the afternoon in perfect clarity. “Louise, it was amazing. He’s amazing.”

“Have you texted him yet?” Louise demanded. “You have to tell me everything when you do.”

“I don’t want to return his jacket yet,” Dan admitted. He hadn’t told Louise that it was warm and smelled like Phil and that was why he didn’t want to lose it but he was pretty sure she knew. “What if I text him and all he wants to talk about is getting his coat?”

Louise sighed and Dan knew she was her rolling her eyes. “You’re being ridiculous, you know that, right? Of course he doesn’t want to just talk about that. Giving someone your coat as an excuse to keep talking to someone is one of the oldest tricks in the book. I’m pretty sure it’s been a thing since coats were invented.”

“I don’t know, Louise,” Dan said, biting his thumb nail. “I mean, Phil’s just a really nice person. He was probably just giving me his coat because it was nice. He’s not really the type to play tricks like that.”

“Everyone play tricks, even if it’s subconscious,” Louise dismissed. Dan could almost see her nodding sagely. “He probably did give you the jacket because you needed it, but the phone number was just so the two of you can talk. If he really was only interested in the coat then he would have just set up a time to get it back when he gave it to you.”

“You really think so?” Dan asked nervously. “What if I make a fool of myself and he never speaks to me again?”

“Number one that won’t happen. Number two, even if it does are you really in any worse of a boat? It’s not like you were actually talking to him before this anyway.”

“You’re being super unhelpful and also the absolute worst.”

“You love it. Now text that lion loving nerd and make sure I’m your maid of honor at the wedding.”

“What do I even say?” Dan whined.

“Just introduce yourself, you complete dollop head. Just say ‘Hi, this is Dan!’”

Dan sighed dramatically, flopping back and extending out three of his long limbs. He winced when they all settled into that nice stretched feeling and quickly changed phone hands so he could do that last one as well. “Fine, I’ll do it as soon as I get off the phone with you.”

“Oh, well, in that case my mother has been calling me to come downstairs for about five minutes and I’m definitely not making this up so you have to text Phil.”

“Louise I hate you!”

“Love you, too!” she cackled, sending a couple kissing noises across the line before hanging up.

Dan groaned and glared at his phone for abandoning him, hoping that Louise would somehow be able to feel it. After a moment he sighed and pulled up messages and tapped “Compose”

To: Phil 5:44

hello! this is dan the guy u left your coat with this afternoon lol.

Dan closed the app to open YouTube, not expecting a response any time soon, but before he could finish pulling up his subscription box his phone buzzed.

From: Phil 5:47

Hi!! How was your walk home? Did you stay dry and everything? I would have given you a ride, but I was already late to meet my parents. I’m sorry. :(

Dan took a moment to breathe calmly but quickly gave up in favor of squealing in delight as he rolled back and forth, clutching his phone to his chest. He just had to tell Louise.

To: The Mum Friend 5:49

omg hes so nice. like he asked if i stayed dry on the way home and apologized for not driving me home himself  #phillesterangelconfirmed

To: Phil the Actual Angel 5:51

dw about it ^-^ i stayed pretty dry. yhanks to you i don’t look like a hobbit reject.

From: Phil the Actual Angel 5:54

Lol any Hobbit that rejects you is missing out on making their Hobbit village cuter than all the other ones. You can come join my elf city and we can be too tall together.

To: The Mum Friend 5:57

LOUISSE HE CALLERD ME CUTER IM DYING SEND HELPP

To: Phil the Actual Angel 5:58

lets be honest wed both be loners. im too tall for the hobbits and ur too clumsy for the elves.

From: Phil the Actual Angel 6:00

Why must you crush my dreams Danyul? :’< I’m not that clumsy

To: Phil the Actual Angel 2:02

i think the paint still stuck in my hair from where u knocked me into the art supplies in the prop room would beg to differ.

From: Phil the Actual Angel 2:04

Okay, I GUESS that’s a fair point. And hey, as long as we’re outcasts together that’s not too bad in my book. ^-^

To: Phil the Actual Angel 2:04

my my phillip r u flirting with me?

From: Phil the Actual Angel 2:05

That depends entirely on if it’s working :D Hey, by the way, what lunch do you have?

Dan frowned at the sudden topic change, but shook his head and went along with it for now.

To: Phil the Actual Angel 6:06

i have 2nd y?

From: Phil the Actual Angel 2:07

You do? That’s the same one I have? How come I’ve never seen you? D:

To: Phil the Actual Angel 2:08

probs because i sit with my friends and we try to avoid human interaction lol

From: Phil the Actual Angel 2:10

Same, honestly. Do you think you and your friends would want to come and eat lunch with me and mine tomorrow? We usually sit out under the tree next to the front office.

To: Phil the Actual Angel 2:11

i am so sorry can i answer you in a sec my mum wants me

Dan took a deep breath, trying not to panic. He quickly dialed up Louise and waited with bated breath as it rang again and again and again and again and ag-

“Dan? What can-”

“HE ASKED ME TO EAT LUNCH WITH HIM TOMORROW!” Dan shouted before she could finish her greeting.

“Wait, hold on a minute. Who did what now?”

“Phil! He asked me to eat lunch with him tomorrow!” he repeated in a much quieter but no calmer tone. “Well, actually he asked me to ask all of you if you might be interested in eating lunch with his group tomorrow. What should I even say to that? ‘Yes, I’d like to eat lunch with you tomorrow and every following day for the rest of our lives’?”

“You could always just say you’ll ask,” she said with an underlying laugh. “I don’t see a problem with us sitting with them, though. All of us like meeting new people so it should be fun.”

“You mean it? Everything will be fine?”

“I’m sure of it, and if anyone says otherwise, I’ll wallop them on the head.”

“You’re the best, Louise.”

“I know it. Now go set up your lunch date already.” And with that the line clicked dead and Dan was once again left alone with his phone.

To: Phil the Actual Angel 5:14

sorry! my mum is v demanding sometimes T_T but yeah lunch tomorrow sounds great! all my friends like meeting new people so it should be lots of fun

From: Phil the Actual Angel 5:16

Don’t worry about it! ^-^ So you want to just meet at the tree or in the lunchroom or what?

To: Phil the Actual Angel 5:18

i think we can find our way to the tree so that should be fine ^-^ see u tomorrow!

From: Phil the Actual Angel 5:20

It’s a date!

Dan gaped at his phone for a moment before calling Louise yet again to scream.

[geek-gem]

Some Bendy And The Ink Machine Secrets

So over an hour ago I was gonna make a post talking about this but my mom got home basically at early 2 whatever and now just turned 3:35 pm some seconds ago. Yet just I'm new to the fandom. But I've discovered some secrets after seeing some reaction videos to chapter 3 this gamers react thing.

Mainly the main thing I wanna show is this. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iKVl9vgbFsI I don't watch him much and his videos. But he is hilarious and his reaction is on those reaction videos.

So last night I played chapter 3. Turns out and also this meet the voice actors video guess I'll link that too. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HtCAXXOOd8I

Turns out in chapter 3 their were more secrets and spoilers. I remember the demon path and thought when doing the missions I had to go back. Turns out it's closed. Yet the room has more secrets. Also more easter eggs and other secrets.

Including and it's not click bait. You can actually use the Tommy Gun in the game. While you do have to reload yet it doesn't have a count on ammo I think hope that's good and true.

Yet theirs a way to get it. Including I've been thinking of playing the game again. Along with as time passed mine when I think of chapter 3 I seriously did enjoy it.

Also this thing of hacking into Alice Angel's room but not much.

But the other thing I was watching like some hour ago or whatever. Was TheMeatly's channel.

Honestly seeing his videos including the answering questions one, and behind the scenes of chapter 3 and other videos. He seriously seems like an awesome guy. Including he's funny too. Along with that puppet mascot that's also an easter egg in chapter 3.

But yeah stuff like the Halloween one, and let me look. Yeah it was TheMeatly game released looked at it again but before first fixed TheMeaty to TheMeatly now. Even for the first mention. Seriously he seems like an awesome guy. Also did see the Christmas short last night and the other ones this morning when seeing his videos. Including the reveal trailer for chapter 3 and where that thumbnail I guess of the the player hiding turns out I missed them. Also the trailer for chapter 4 in production I saw that too.

But yeah I mentioned this video. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LzMwUwEriNk got it and weirdly video started over or something when trying to copy this well the page did might of pressed something on my phone.

Seriously the creator seems amazing and a nice guy. Including I do have a joke I wanna make but thought of making it and posting it on Deviantart first. Including spoiler he did answer a question of what might happen after all chapters are done. It's interesting and nice he mentioned that since this joke is something I've been thinking of I think ever since I played the game I think.

I'll link these ones. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SrFFaMc5uYs 7 facts not 6 but behind the scenes of chapter 3 and the video sound going on as I type this what.

Now no more sound and got that video. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=phUmW8JGfoU where are the plushies silly. Including I want some merch too.

While I've been thinking of checking out and getting into more indie game fandoms. I think I should take it slow. Got tag done but yeah basically Tattletale, Hello Neighbor I've seen videos even of Markiplier finished Tattletale. Also some of him playing Hello Neighbor I think I forgot but also other YouTubers.

Basically I don't wanna rush in just in case only when I feel I want too. Not like last time where well Bendy And The Ink Machine, and Tattletale but didn't say much of that.

Then theirs Cuphead I need to check that out some time. But just only when I feel I want too 3:53

Edit 3:56 pm sorry to bother wanted to share this and new to the fandom it was interesting to find edit it turned 3:57 well a second later or whatever after I edited this sorry a tick and was stalling even typing too fast at times. But even now some of both now oh 3:58

[ilikebigbooks-and-icannotlie]

Fast Firsts and Sloppy Seconds Part 3.5

A Rowaelin/Manorian AU

God this part was so hard, I was super stuck, super distracted, the second half was just NOT happening - but then finally around like 1 AM I fell into a grove, lol. It’s currently Friday, 3:25 AM EST, but only 9:25 PM on Thursday in Hawaii!! This is the last one I’m doing this late, I swear to god. Tags are gonna have to be in a reblog, because I’m kind of deceased rn. Thanks for sticking with me, guys, love you all <3 As usual apologies for typos, the chapter didn’t make actually make it to Becca again Happy reading!

EDIT: JUST FUCKING KILL ME. I was in bed, all happy and shit, it’s 3:56 am rn, and then I shot up, because I realized that I forgot to trigger warn, and I am SO sorry!!!! Luckily no notes  yet, so that’s good, and I had added a cut, so that’s also good! Trigger Warning: It’s nothing too bad, just vague mentions of child abuse towards the end, but I wanted to make sure everyone reading is okay, and prepared, and can avoid it if they want to. Love you guys, gnight! :) <3

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3     Part 4

Dorian was losing terribly. Manon was entirely invested in the game, her darts hitting their mark almost every time. To be fair though, Dorian wasn’t trying very hard. It’s not that he wasn’t focused, however. He was particularly focused on the way she looked in those shorts. On the way her shirt barely climbed up her body every time she thrust her hand forward. On the way her eyebrows scrunched together when the dart was so close, but not quite where she wanted it. On the way she cheered every time she did hit her mark. On the fact that she was intentionally avoiding his eyes and keeping a healthy distance between them. Dorian was incredibly focused. Just, not on the game at hand.

“That’s the third time I’ve beat you in the last half hour!” She turned to him, smiling once again, and regretted it immediately. The heat in his eyes hit her like a wave as he scanned her body, his eyes lingering over her breasts and between her legs.

That was why. That was why she had avoided it – avoided meeting his eyes. She lost all conviction, all ability to breathe, under that gaze. And  in no way did she like it. Her eyes quickly flicked away from him, desperate for something anything else to occupy her mind other than her desperate need to tear off his clothes. Because she couldn’t. Right then, she knew she couldn’t. She knew she simply wouldn’t survive. Not then, not with that boy.

There had been others, of course there had been. But with the others, she’d stayed in control. With the others, she hadn’t been prepared to be entirely undone with a single smile. What was happening to her? Her life was not a romance novel. It was the farthest thing. And her chances of a happily ever after – those were nearly nonexistent. Particularly with this tourist, who’d already told her he wasn’t even supposed to be in the bar that night. Before saying some stupid line about fate that made her dumb ovaries clench. She could not believe this shit.  Had she not already made enough stupid decisions? For fuck’s sake. When her brother had been all she had, her first instinct was to run to her bitch of a grandmother and ruin everything. She flinched at the memories – the thirteen of them – and then shook her head, shaking away the anger, the sadness. It was fine. She was fine. She wasn’t there anymore.

Never remember, but never forget.

Her gaze flicked back to him then – the American. Thankfully, he’d been much too occupied with staring at her lips to notice her eyes, and the sadness that still echoed within them.

“Pool.”

Her eyes snapped to the soft pink lips that were curving back into the grin that it seemed he had designed just for her. The grin that she was growing infuriatingly addicted to.

“If you’re sick of winning, witchling,” he winked, teasing her with the nickname, “then let’s see how well you handle losing.” He turned almost immediately, not even giving her a chance to respond before he started towards the pool tables. She had no other choice but to follow. Since when did she follow?

She forced her gaze away from his delectable ass in those impossibly tight skinny jeans, and scowled at the back of his head instead. She wasn’t particularly good at pool. But damn it all, she was determined to even the playing field. He wasn’t going to phase her. He was going to be exactly like all the other boys, and she was going to make sure of it.

She stepped directly into his side, pressing into him, and was immediately pleased by his sudden intake of breath. She might not be good at pool, but she was good at this. She stepped on her toes and reached an arm around his neck, pulling him down to her lips. “Let’s make a bet.” After all, as he kept trying to tell herself, she had nothing left to lose. Her voice was a husky whisper as she “accidentally” grazed her free hand against what she assumed was a terribly painful hard on, resting it on the pool table. “If you win, I’ll dance for you.” She had absolutely no intention of losing.

“And if you win?” His body was entirely still, his words barely articulated through gritted teeth, as her teeth grazed over his earlobe.

“We’ll see.” Her voice was a sensual caress filled with delicious promise. She pulled back, and his eyes immediately snapped to hers, to the blatant wanton desire, analyzing, inspecting, dissecting. Looking for more that she refused to show. She didn’t blame him, she’d certainly been quite hot and cold all night. But in that moment, she’d made a decision, and she was sticking to it. Her princeling would not break her. Because he was not her anything. And she was determined to remind herself of that.

Taking the stick from his hand, all of her pulled away from him in one movement. And he couldn’t help but shiver at the sudden cold, the sudden ridiculous feeling that she was missing from him. Like she was a piece that had just been pulled away. But any absurd thoughts were very quickly replaced with a decidedly better image.

Manon leaned over the table, stretching her arms forward as she gathered all of the balls, placing them inside of the black triangle. His eyes were glued to her. To her strong legs that he wanted wrapped around him as he dove deeper and deeper into her, to the bottom of her tight ass in those unfairly short shorts, to the small stretch of impossibly soft skin at her waist that he desperately wanted to taste. She was quickly but surely turning into his weakness. And he didn’t think there was  anything he could do to stop it.

 The game continued from there. Manon intentionally leaning a little too far forward, whether she was across from or next to him, Dorian scorching her entire body with the barest of touches every time he walked by. Every time they met eyes, each could swear the other was about to throw them on the table and fuck them right there. They kept drinking, and playing, and laughing, and needing, as the night moved on. Slowly but surely, Manon’s hips started to move, and little by little. Dorian of course didn’t comment on it, but there was something about her, about the smile it brought on her face, that he couldn’t help but be drawn to.

She stood up, finishing her turn, and looked at him – watched him watch her. And she couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbled from her lips. “What, you’re not even going to try to be casual about the fact that you’ve been staring at me?” She raised an eyebrow at him, and then uncomfortably cleared her throat. Because he wasn’t smirking. For the first time that night he had a soft, honest smile on his lips, and she absolutely hated the way it was making her feel. So entirely determined to ignore, it she persisted with her current strategy. She lifted her beer, and took another long sip. The band had moved to another faster trad song, and she couldn’t help but sway her body to the lilting melody.

That had always been her strategy in her past life, drowning herself in music. The truth was, Manon had spent her entire childhood in dance classes until her mum passed. But she hadn’t danced since then, and wasn’t sure if she wanted to now. It was just something about the night, the boy, the alcohol coursing through her veins – she hadn’t felt this light, this close to happy, in years.

Running a hand through her hair, she closed her eyes. The long white locks had been pulled out of the braid a little while ago. Most of it had fallen apart anyways, and she couldn’t be bothered to recreate it. Plus, every so often, Dorian would run his fingers through the ends, and she was finally maybe letting herself admit that she liked it. He walked over to her then, pulling her against him. She opened her eyes, a scowl on her face as he began to sway with her. “Care to take your turn, princeling? The entire kingdom waits with bated breath.” She felt his chuckle through her chest as she fought to keep herself rigid, desperate not to melt against him. She quickly forced her whirling mind back to the subject at hand. “D’you forfeit, then?”

He failed to answer her once again, lowering his face to her neck, and placing gentle kisses that left her breathless, and then caused a gasp to leave her lips as his lips latched on and nipped at the soft skin. She pushed him away lightly before he could leave a mark, but shamefully wanting him to. His sapphire eyes poured into her, that grin slipping back onto his face. “I just wanna dance.” His voice was rough, and as he pulled her tighter against him, the hard reason for it pressed into her stomach.

She couldn’t help but bite her lips as an entire night’s worth of tension and need swept over her. He moved to lower his lips again, but she stopped him, lightly taking his face in her hands, and before she could stop herself – before she could reconsider, and regret - placed his lips on hers. This kiss was nothing like the last one. It was slow, and lazy, as if they had all of the time in the world. He quickly took control of this one as well, his angling her chin to grant him better access as she opened her lips, letting him take over her senses. Their tongues danced as his worked to memorize all of her, not out of desperation, but out of sheer curiosity, out of a simple urge, something more carnal, more relaxed somehow, and she was sure she felt it too.

Around them, the music swelled, growing even faster, and all she wanted in that moment, was for it to take her away. She pulled away from him slightly, catching her breath, as he just grinned, lightly pressing his forehead to hers, and closing his eyes. They began to sway together then, lost in their thoughts.

While Dorian made some sort of effort to sort out his feelings, Manon was making every effort to ignore hers. The familiar jig brought back memories of older times, dancing in that same pub as a little lass, Rowan swinging her around as they jumped, her mum clapping along with the beat of the drum, her feet moving faster and faster.

She couldn’t help but smile at the memory as her feet fell into the familiar pattern. And then she stepped out of his arms, and began to dance. Her arms fell down by her sides, and muscle memory took over. Laughter bubbled out of her as an unfamiliar sensation of joy rushed through her. The song quickly shifted, changing, growing, moving with her. Steadily melting into one of her mother’s old favorites. But she didn’t stop, as tears poured down her face.

Vaughan had come out of somewhere, though she wasn’t sure where, sweeping her into his arms. He’d always been her favorite cousin when they were kids, and everyone knew it. The two were always comfortably quiet together, playing in the garden, or running around in the nearby fields. Whatever it took for him to not be in the house. Vaughan and Lorcan were her aunt Maeve’s sons, and to say she was hard to live with would be an understatement.

His smile nearly split his face, and she let out a light laugh at the foreign expression on Vaughan’s lips. He’d always been the most mild of her cousins, always careful of his expressions. But in that moment, there wasn’t a person in the pub that couldn’t read his blatant happiness.

Vaughan had been the only one to try to connect with her since she’d been back. Not asking how she was, but just making sure she was okay. He was the only one that she allowed to see the ghosts behind her eyes. So he was the only who knew exactly what a big deal her smile was.

Rowan was still mad at her. And she understood why, she really did, she just – she missed her brother. But, she probably should have thought about that before she’d left.

As for the rest of them - Lorcan had always been a pain in her ass, and distance certainly hadn’t made the heart grow fonder. He had been Maeve’s favorite son, and she made sure Vaughan knew it. And though Manon knew it wasn’t really his fault, she didn’t really know if she could ever forgive him for it.

Manon and her cousin Gavriel had never been close, but they had certainly found peace. They weren’t close, but they weren’t hostile – they just had a pleasantness, she supposed. He never told when she stole cookies late at night, and she never told when he snuck out.

Tears pricked her eyes once again as Vaughan spun her around, bringing a cheering Fenrys into view, with Connall next to him, an arm around Fenrys’ shoulders. The twins had always been more annoying than anything else. Fenrys was always messing with her shit and playing pranks, and whatever Fenrys did, Connall usually followed.

But Connall was also the one who’d beat up the boy who broke her heart when she was 13 and didn’t want Rowan to know. And Fenrys was the one who’d convinced Rowan to let her come back to them a few weeks ago. And after everything they’d been through, she couldn’t really hold anything against them.

Fenrys and Connall had lost their parents to the sea when they were both young, so they were sent to Maeve. They were the ones she took her rage out on the most. And to protect Connall, Fenrys was the one who provoked her, and always took the worst of it. So Manon would never stop being proud of the smile on his lips, no matter how much he annoyed her.

The opening cords of “I’ll Tell Me Ma” rang through the room, perfectly in tune with the cords of her heart. Vaughan burst out laughing at what must have been a crazy expression on her face, and she couldn’t help but laugh with him at the ridiculousness of it all. And at the boy that had caused it. She turned to him then, shutting down the wave of fear that tried to take over. Tonight, she would forget, and in that moment, wouldn’t let herself remember.

Grabbing Dorian’s hand, she went straight to the bar, and quickly climbed on top of it. Lorcan looked like he was about to have a coronary, but she didn’t really care. Fenrys kept him at bay as years of ceili training coursed through her veins, and she let the music drift through her, dragging her through memories she thought she had long forgotten, and welcoming the feeling of home that the dark haired man had awakened inside of her. She danced for her mother that she loved, for the brother she missed, for the father she never knew, for the girls she’d come to love, for the rolling hills that meant so much – she danced for her first night of freedom. And as her heart tightened when she glanced at the smile on Dorian’s lips, she hoped it wasn’t the last.

The final cords played, and the song ended. Her chest was heaving as Dorian helped her down. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d danced that much. But despite the pain, she finally felt right. Her eyes immediately searched for Rowan, to see if he’d felt it, if he knew, and then she felt a little piece of herself break again as she watched him. He was absolutely glued to the girl, his hands climbing up her shirt as they practically dry-humped. Rowan saw and felt nothing else, completely absorbed. He was looking at the American the way Manon had caught Dorian looking at her. Like he was starving, and she was the main course. Manon turned away, ignoring the tightness in her chest. She couldn’t blame him for it, for indulging. At least he was brave enough to do what she herself was afraid to let herself do.

And then, as the soft hints of Carrickfergus sent another wave of tears to her eyes, she knew only one thing. She didn’t want to be afraid anymore. So she shoved down the waves of irritation at her stupid urge to cry again, and turned to Dorian, actually prepared to accept her feelings for the first time that night. He calmly took her into his arms, and she leaned against him, letting the familiar words to the soft song pour out of her, as he led them in a gentle waltz.

 Dorian was lost. Entirely gone. And her voice, her beautiful, sweet, delicate voice, was pulling him further and further away. There wasn’t much he’d been sure of in his life recently. Their senior year of college had been nothing short of a disaster for a lot of reasons. But between Aelin shining like a wild fire in the arms of Manon’s brother, and the gorgeous woman finally losing herself on top of the bar, Dorian was sure of two things. One was that there was something magical about this town, something almost like fate, that had dragged their soggy asses into the small pub. And the other was that there was no way in hell he was going to make it to Dublin.

At the final cords of the song, everyone who was left in the bar brought their hands together to clap. Finally at peace, finally alive instead of just living, finally okay for the first time in years, Manon looked up at the boy she’d wanted in her bed all night, absolutely determined to have him. Her head was tilted slightly, a small smile on her lips. Dorian immediately read the question in her eyes, taking the hand she offered, and nodding his head only once.

No words were said between them as they walked out of the pub hand in hand, only stopping briefly to pick up his backpack. The aggressively strong wind made even the thought of an umbrella entirely needless.

Together, they made their way through the pelting rain, feeling nothing but calm as it washed away the past.