#I'm just posting this because I can't figure out pictures on ao3

[stingingcake]

SnakeScar daughter OC for my story: Time Warp

[imgeekgirlfan]

The Curse of Cassandra [EP : X]

Read in Ao3 : here

Pairings :  Qimir x f!reader(SEA Reader)  [The Acolyte]

Content Rating : Mature 18+ Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warning (AT YOUR OWN RISK)

tags/themes : Alternate Universe - Dune & Star wars, Partners in Crime, Strangers to Lovers

Summary : At the Jedi Temple, everyone confronted a shocking truth about themselves, whether it was Sol, Yord, or yourself.

Status: just finished writing this fic! (It will end in Episode 14)

A/N : I'm not spoiling anything, but two things: First, Qimir's out of the picture for a bit after this, while the story shifts to the Jedi Temple, where you'll learn more about his and the reader's backstories. Second, there's a super important character here you won't want to miss.

Ps.If you enjoy my work, please reblog it. Just liking the post won’t help others discover it.

➡  Intro // EP : 1 // EP : 2 // EP : 3 // EP : 4 // EP : 5 // EP : 6 // EP : 7 // EP : 8 // EP : 9 // EP : 11 // EP : 12 // EP : 13 // EP : 14 (Completed)

[Episodes 10] Hand of God be my witness; I am the voice from the outer world

They won't believe me.

The thought crosses your mind as you survey the interrogation room in the Jedi Temple on Olega. The room is nearly barren, with bare gray concrete walls and no windows, furnished only with a table and two chairs on opposite sides. You choose the inner seat, facing the door, patiently awaiting the arrival of another.

It isn't long before the steel door slides open, revealing the tall, gaunt figure of a middle-aged man dressed in a yellow Jedi uniform. Sol’s expression is grave as he takes the chair opposite you. Without preamble, he begins to speak. “I apologize for keeping you waiting. The things you’ve told us are... quite shocking.” He pauses briefly, then continues with a polite tone, “It will take time to verify the truth of all this, and we may not reach a conclusion soon.”

You reflect on everything you've revealed to them earlier. You told them all they needed to know—that Qimir was behind the Jedi slaughter on this planet and that he was a Sith Lord disguised as a harmless apothecary, hiding right under their noses for years.

To the Jedi, however, your account is just hearsay. After all, everything you said came from your visions, lacking tangible evidence to prove your story—no proof that what you saw was real and not some fevered delusion.

You know your fate hangs by a thread. There’s a strong chance the Jedi will deem you delusional and might even cast you out of the Temple. That is a risk you cannot afford to take, especially when Qimir knows you have escaped and is relentlessly pursuing you. Nowhere in the galaxy will be safe for you except under the protection of the Jedi Order. It's your only hope for survival.

“You don’t believe me either, do you?” You decide to test the waters, assessing Sol's demeanor behind his neutral exterior.

Sol clears his throat, visibly uncomfortable as he speaks. “I can't say I believe everything you've said, but I don't think you have a reason to lie, given that you admitted this man was your lover.” His gaze meets yours with sincerity. “But some parts don’t make sense...”

“It doesn’t make sense because you believe the Sith have long since vanished," you interject, interrupting him before he can finish. "But I'm telling the truth. I've told you everything. Qimir is a Sith Lord. His goal is the destruction of the Jedi Order, and he won't stop until he achieves it.”

Sol sighs. He remains skeptical of your words and seems caught between belief and doubt, but can’t help feeling concerned, aware that this issue is far too serious to ignore. The implications of your claims could threaten not just the Jedi Order but the stability of the entire galaxy. It is beyond the capacity of a single Jedi Master to decide alone. “The problem is we have no evidence to confirm the Sith still exist,” Sol says cautiously, his tone now even more guarded. “And the way in which these Jedi were killed doesn’t align with typical Sith methods.”

"But it aligns with Jedi methods," you murmur, though Sol hears every word clearly. "He kills Jedi in the Jedi way. That's why you initially suspected the culprit might be one of your own, or perhaps a former Jedi."

Sol's eyes widen in shock, staring at you as if your words are the most startling thing he has ever heard. "How do you know all of this?" he asks urgently, his voice laced with confusion. He clearly remembers that none of these details were shared with you. So where did you get this information?

You offer him a faint, mysterious smile, one that makes Sol feel unsettled in ways he cannot fully explain.

"I know what you know. And I know what you don’t," you say, your blue eyes momentarily distant and lost in thought. "Your suspicions aren’t wrong. Qimir isn’t his real name, and he was once a Padawan among you. As for the rest... you’ll have to find the answers from your own people—someone who knows him far better than I do."

Sol is taken aback, concern reflected on his face. For the first time, the words of this stranger evoke a pang of fear within him. "Who are you talking about? Who among us knows the Sith Lord?"

"Your friend, Master Vernestra."

Sol furrows his brow, thinking of the Mirialan Jedi Master, who is indeed his friend. At this point, Sol's doubts multiply as he struggles to find answers for himself. How does she know about Vernestra when they've never even met? he wonders.

Sol turns his gaze back to you, his eyes now filled with analysis and wariness. He's no longer sure how to feel about you—whether to be amazed or afraid.

"Who are you really?" he finally asks.

In truth, the more appropriate question would have been, “What are you?”

You sense the confusion and doubt etched on his face, making you start to wonder as well. "You really don't know who I am?" you ask, almost to yourself.

Sol shakes his head, not pausing to consider his response. "I don't know you, and I’m sure no one else here does either."

How is that even possible? You wonder; the memory is still vivid. When Qimir first captured you, he warned that the Jedi were after you too. You were certain their intentions were the same as everyone else's—to claim the power of the last Bene Gesserit for themselves. That's why you always avoided the Jedi. But when things changed between you and Qimir, you had no choice but to reluctantly seek refuge with the Jedi, knowing it was your best chance to evade Qimir.

You had prepared yourself for the possibility that your secret would be exposed here, which is why you dared to use your visions in front of Sol. Even though you hadn’t said you were a Bene Gesserit, you knew that the Jedi, who already held an interest in the Bene Gesserit, could easily piece the truth together on their own.

Yet, Sol’s response is not what you expected.

Confusion swirls within you as you meet Sol’s gaze. You desperately want to peer into his thoughts to understand what he’s truly thinking, but you can’t do that. Despite having prophetic powers, you lack the ability to read minds like a Force user. This limitation makes predicting the future so difficult—human thoughts are ever-changing, and so too is destiny.

However, Bene Gesserit training provides a solution to this weakness through a technique known as the 'Way of Perception.' This method focuses on observing every minute detail in your conversation partner’s movements—like the slightest twitch of a facial muscle, a shift in the eyes, or a swallow—each subtle gesture that reveals their true intentions. By employing this meticulous observation, a Bene Gesserit can analyze another’s thoughts, discerning truth from deception without relying on the Force.

You use the Way of Perception on Sol, meticulously observing his reactions and analyzing them as you have been trained in the ways of the Bene Gesserit. What you discover is that he’s telling the truth. Sol and the others here neither know of nor acknowledge the existence of someone like you—a Bene Gesserit.

In that moment, a realization hits you with blinding clarity—a truth you have never considered until now: Qimir has been lying to you all along.

You remember when he first approached you out of sheer curiosity, manipulating your fear of the Jedi to keep you from running. He worked to earn your trust, all in a bid to uncover your secrets. When Qimir finally learned that secret, he realized you were too valuable to fall into anyone else’s hands. So, he killed everyone who knew about you, all to keep your power under his control.

And what better way to control someone than through love?

That’s exactly what he did to you. Qimir tried to make you fall in love with him, to surrender yourself completely—body and soul—to serve his grander purpose. His ultimate plan was to resurrect the Sith and exact revenge on the Jedi. With the aid of a Bene Gesserit, he believed he could conquer the universe.

But what throws everything off course is that Qimir, instead of merely seeing you as a tool to achieve his goals, has become genuinely attached and has fallen in love with you. 

Then, when you decided to drink the Water of Life, you allowed yourself to foresee the terrible future that unfolded, with countless possibilities and impossibilities stretching out before you.

You know that Qimir's plans will never succeed. Sooner or later, he will meet his end before reaching his goal. Even so, your bloodline and his will succeed nonetheless. Anakin Skywalker will become everything Qimir has ever aspired to be—the one to lead the Sith to greatness, the one who brings the Jedi to their ultimate demise. 

And so it goes, you think to yourself. You expected to feel more sorrow, yet you find your thoughts and heart curiously cold.

As days pass, you lose more and more of yourself. It’s as if you’re no longer human but merely a data system, recording and processing the flow of events in your mind. Fate itself has become nothing more than a set of data inputs into a system, repeating endlessly until it loses all meaning.

You resign yourself, allowing your mind to swim once more in the currents of temporal data, hoping you can still alter those paths, even if only slightly.

And you decide to start with Sol.

"I know what you did on Brendok ten years ago, Master Sol."

Your voice comes out deeper and raspier than usual, almost resembling a man's voice rather than your own.

Those words hit Sol like thunderbolts. You instantly read his reaction, analyzing every movement. The tensing of his shoulders betrays the fear he's trying to suppress. Sweat beads on his temple, indicating pressure and dread. His lips tremble, momentarily rendering him speechless.

It’s a secret Sol has kept hidden from everyone. In the past, when he was still a Jedi Knight, Sol was part of a team assigned to explore Brendok after the planet endured a devastating natural disaster. There, he encountered twin girls named Osha and Mae—children born of the Force, raised by a coven of witches, a group of women attempting to mimic the ways of the Bene Gesserit, who had been hiding on this planet for quite some time.

The twins' strong connection to the Force sparked Sol’s hope that they could undergo training to become Jedi Padawans. However, the witch coven opposed him fiercely. Osha and Mae were the future of their coven; they wanted the girls to inherit the witches' path. They didn't want the Jedi to take their children away, as had happened to other families across the galaxy before.

Tensions between the witches and the Jedi finally reached a breaking point when Sol accidentally killed Aniseya, the twins' mother and the leader of the witch coven. This triggered a violent battle, resulting in the deaths of the entire coven, including the twins, who were trapped in a burning building during the fight.

That calamity has haunted Sol ever since, a nightmare and stigma he has carried to this day.

The entire story was covered up by the surviving Jedi, as this grave mistake could have led to their permanent expulsion from the Order. There's no way an outsider like you could know this secret, which is precisely why you bring it up. You understand that this is the only way to prove the truth of your words and make Sol fully believe what you’re about to reveal to him.

You lock eyes with Sol, unwavering, before unveiling your truth.

"I possess foresight. I can perceive all secrets and discern the fates of every life. That is why you must trust me."

What’s happening to Master Sol?

Yord ponders, watching as the once-calm Jedi Master suddenly storms out of the interrogation room, his face pale as if he has just seen something profoundly terrifying.

For a moment, Yord hesitates. He considers asking what happened but ultimately decides to stay silent. He remains where he is, observing from afar as Sol approaches. Yord notices that Sol seems entirely unaware of his presence, lost in his own thoughts and drifting past him as if he isn’t even there.

Yord's gaze follows the Jedi Master until he disappears down the hall. A frown forms on Yord’s face before he turns his attention to the steel door of the interrogation room where Sol had just exited.

Suddenly, Yord feels it—a deep, undeniable sense of certainty, as certain as knowing the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. He knows what's inside that room. He knows exactly what made Master Sol so shaken. He knows who is in there.

Yord bites his lip, torn between the urge to open that door and simply walk away. But curiosity wins over; he takes a step forward, tension rippling through his body. Cautiously, he pushes the door open and steps inside.

There you are, seated on a chair, with only a metal table separating you from him. You greet him with a faint smile, your demeanor calm, showing no surprise, as if you’ve been waiting for him all along, or perhaps you already knew he would come.

“It’s good to see you again, Yord.”

Hearing his name makes Yord freeze. It’s not just the fact that you know his name, even though he’s never told you, but the way you say it—your words and tone are exactly as they were in his dream last night.

There’s something eerily familiar about you, something Yord can’t quite shake off. It’s as if you and he share a connection that runs far deeper than the mere acquaintance, although he still doesn't know who you really are.

For the first time, Yord begins to suspect that he’s caught up in a mysterious and complex pattern beyond his understanding—something his mind can barely comprehend. 

And he knows. The only person who can explain it all is you.

Yord takes a deep breath and moves to sit in the chair across from you, his hands clenching nervously in his lap. “This might sound strange, but... I dreamt about you before we even met,” he says, the words spilling out before he can stop them. “I saw your life. I glimpsed what has happened and what will happen to you. How is that possible? Why do I feel like I've known you all my life when we've just met?”

“Dreams are messages from the deep,” you reply. “They’re a form of prophecy, a sign of the gift we both share. But your family's lineage has abandoned the old ways, which is why your power is weaker than mine.”

Yord senses a hint of sympathy in your voice. Though you speak of it as a gift, he can tell you view it more as a burden—an inescapable curse.

His eyes lock onto yours, searching for answers, but when your piercing blue gaze meets his, it feels like you’re the one reading him instead. In that instant, he’s certain that those eyes can see straight into the depths of his soul.

"You mentioned my family... Do you already know who I am?" he asks. 

"I do," you nod. "Our ancestors are connected."

With each word you speak, Yord’s confusion only deepens. "How do you know all of this? Did you see it in a vision?"

"I didn’t see it; I was there," you correct him. "I stood at the mouth of the cave the day my sister was born. I held her in my arms. That child grew into a woman, and eventually she loved and secretly gave birth to a daughter before she died. Your bloodline began with her."

"How is that even possible?" he argues, his voice growing tense. "How could you have been there thousands of years ago?"

"I’m not telling you this to make you believe. I’m simply informing you." You give Yord a gentle smile, a fond smile like an elder gives to a child. "If we’re counting, you are as much my descendant as she is."

Yord raises an eyebrow in surprise. He just notices that your choice of pronouns has suddenly shifted. Instead of using ‘I’ to refer to yourself, you now use ‘she’ as if you’re speaking about someone else.

And then it hits him. Yord suddenly realizes that the woman in front of him is no longer herself. Her spirit is tainted, like clear water muddied with black ink. Something is possessing her—something he both fears and cannot comprehend, like an ancient mystery sealed away for eons, only now unraveling.

“Who the hell are you?!” Yord shouts, one hand instinctively reaching for the lightsaber at his side, ready to strike if the person in front of him makes any sudden moves.

But you remain calm, unshaken by the threat of violence. "You know exactly who I am," you reply evenly. "Think carefully. Your mother warned you about my coming. You’ve always known who I am, just as I’ve always known who you are."

Your words send a shiver down Yord’s spine. His throat tightens, and he finds himself unable to speak. 

He remembers clearly what his mother warned him about before she passed away. Her wrinkled hand gripped his tightly as she whispered the important secret of the universe that no one knew except him—the return of that person.

All his life, Yord had dismissed those words as nothing more than the ramblings of a dying woman—just imagination and meaningless superstition. But today, when he faced you himself, he finally realizes that it was all true.

As the truth crashes down on him, Yord unknowingly utters the words.

“Lisan Al-Gaib.”

A/N :

Yord when he know who you are

[landboundstar-writing]

Family Pictures

Another repost of an old story that was posted on my main blog and AO3.

If you like the story, consider tipping the author. If you can't, please reblog.

SFW

The envelope was sitting on the laptop he had left out when he went to get coffee.

With a sigh, Tim pushed the envelope onto the couch and opened up his laptop before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Seriously, does he think I don't know what his handwriting looks like?"

He finished reading a few reports and took another drink of coffee, feeling the jolt of warmth and caffeine hitting.

He glanced over at the envelope, but didn't touch it.

And nearly jumped when a hand reached over the couch, and dropped a bag on the couch.

"Dick." He wasn't completely sure if he was using his oldest brother's name, or just describing him for making him jump, but Dick just laughed.

"One does not live by caffeine alone." He leaned over the couch, jiggling the bag, and Tim smelled the food from the takeout containers. His stomach rumbled and he decided to move his laptop so he could eat.

And as soon as he did, Dick saw the envelope.

"What's this?"

"Damian. Don't know, didn't open it."

But he didn't need to, did he? Damian had done this before. Notes left to show he was "the superior Robin", photographs of awkward moments in the field, anything he could do to get under Tim's skin. And Tim really didn't need Damian for things to get under his skin today.

"Well, I will."

"Dick, I don't need to know."

"I do. Especially if I am going to talk to Damian. He can't keep doing things like this and expect us to trust him."

"Fine, go ahead."

Tim grabbed a container of pan fried noodles and a burrito, trying to turn his irritation into confusion at Dick's jumbled smorgasbord of food.

"Maybe he is learning though. Tim, I think you should look at this one."

"Fine." Tim wiped his hands off and held up a hand to take whatever Damian had decided to send him today.

The hand drawn picture was a surprise, since Damian was ferally protective of his art. But it was the subject of the picture that held Tim completely still. 

The dancing, laughing couple who were dressed to the nines were exactly how they had looked.

Tim just hadn't thought about his parents being like that, hadn't seen them that way in his head even, for years.

But looking at the picture.

"I was checking in because I remembered today was the anniversary of the attack on your parents, when you found them. But Damian wasn't here when that went down. I think he was trying to help."

"Like you bringing food. I guess the picture wouldn't run off, unlike the cat."

Dick snorted. "You're lucky he didn't bring you his cow. But I think you should keep this."

Tim looked at the picture, and nodded. He put it in his wallet so that he could look at it more later and picked up the food again, because he did need to have more than just coffee.

"I have a couple more reports to do, but if you want, we can game after, until you have to go on patrol."

"I could do that."

"I'll send you an invite."

Tim read the report, hearing both pings as the invites to join his game went out.

"You invited Duke?"

Tim shook his head. "He is scheduled to patrol by the docks for two hours yet. But, Damian wasn't scheduled for patrol. There should be a couple hours that he can game before bedtime."

A ping came back to Tim's phone and he figured he could finish reading the reports in time to game.

Dick sat down on the arm of the couch. "I'm proud of both of you for trying."

"The picture gives me hope that Damian is learning."

Dick gave him a look. "You're planning on absolutely murdering him in the game?"

Tim smiled. "Absolutely!"

[robertdowneyjjr]

hey, so. funny thing.

@whinysteve and i have been going insane for like two days because we couldn't find this one fic we really liked, and we both remembered reading it not so long ago but somehow neither of us could recall how it ended? and we kept saying that it's so GOOD and how the heck did it just disappear? well, after hours of losing my mind going through my ao3 history, the steve/tony tag with various keywords, the findingstony blog... it. it hit me that i can't find it because it doesn't exist. because it was the soulmates au idea you posted like two weeks ago where their words only show up after they've met their soulmate.

i thought you might find this amusing. 😩 (i do, but i also need to lie down for a bit because i will never know how steve fixed that mess)

hahahaha omg liv if this is your way of peer pressuring me into writing the whole fic i might actually do it??? because your ask has got me thinking about what would happen next.

that said, steve still hasn't figured out how to fix this mess. i'm very sorry about this.

(stonyclunks soulmates au part one here)

---

having been rescued by SHIELD, news of steve's recovery was immediately delivered to howard stark who, while not as involved with SHIELD as he used to be, still receives weekly reports as one of its co-founders.

he'd gone home that night and brought it up in the middle of cutting his steak. coincidentally, tony had been visiting that day and stayed for dinner, so he found out about captain america's miraculous resurrection before the general public did, and honestly, he had enough of hearing about how great this guy was growing up. he really didn't need to keep hearing about it as an adult after he'd finally worked through his issues with his dad and his obsession with a (not quite) dead war hero.

so after howard's announcement, tony politely requested howard refrain from talking about this guy with him.

"i know he's your friend, and you'll probably be spending a bit of time with him now that he's been found, and i'm really happy for you, but i think it would be better for our relationship if we could talk about literally anything but him," he'd said.

and, well. howard was trying. he knew he wasn't the best dad and he also wanted to do right by maria, who spent so many years torn between her son and her husband while trying to mend their relationship. they were finally in a relatively good place with each other which made maria happy. and to be frank, howard had actually come to really enjoy tony's company whenever he was home. he was quite happy too. so he agreed. they don't talk about steve and howard doesn't ask tony to meet steve.

that very night, tony made sure 'captain america' and 'steve rogers' were muted in all his news feeds and social channels.

he literally doesn't know a single thing about the man besides what he learned in his childhood, which he's blocked out. it's a peaceful two years of blissful ignorance.

fast forward to now, tony's packing up his suitcase and getting ready to check out of his hotel when he sees a text from his mom in their family group chat.

seems he's not quite the perfect role model you always made him out to be, howard 🤡, her message reads.

what follows is a link to an instagram post, and from the message preview he can see that it's steve rogers' profile, and under normal circumstances he wouldn't even bother clicking the link.

but 1) maria usually never brings up the man in tony's presence either, and 2) her comment made him laugh. so color tony intrigued.

he taps the link and sees the post. it's a picture of a coffee cup from the place he was at a week ago. the one where he got body slammed by his mysterious dick of a soulmate and unfairly yelled at for it.

he reads the caption and his legs give out under him.

i don't even know if you'll see this, but all i can do is hope. i'm sorry for the words that have made their mark on you. i know i don't deserve it, but i'm hoping you could give me a second chance. i won't yell at you this time, i promise. yours, a fucking asshole

one week ago, captain america was barely even a blip on tony's radar and that's how he preferred it. now, steve rogers is tony's mysterious dick of a soulmate.

what the fuck even is his life.

[littledesertfox]

Hello have you ever heard about the book called The Night I Danced With Rommel by Elisabeth Marrion? I've read the overview and it sounded like some kind of fanfiction (I would read) to me. 😅

No I haven't heard of it before, but I looked it up and now I'm kind of interested👀 Don't know if I'd get to read it anytime soon (I think my parents are getting a bit weirded out by me constantly ordering books related to WW2��😂 I mean I'm an adult and can buy what I want but of course they still comment on it when I open my packages. I just really enjoy learning about it though!). I might put it on my list for later though! From what I understood it's based on some personal experiences of the author's mother, but I wouldn't assume it's entirely historically accurate (partly because of personal bias - from the title and description I'd guess it paints a rather positive picture of Rommel, and partly because fictionalising some elements just might make for a better story). I'm wondering though if I should rather read it in English or German, as far as I could find out just from googling, the author has written both versions by herself, but I wonder which one may convey the story better in this case.

Also I now got a bit curious about whether there are actual fanfictions about Rommel and looked it up just for the heck of it. I have to say, well, there's not a lot😅 First of all, there is only a small number of stories in English, most I found are written in Chinese so I can't understand them anyway. Among the ones I could understand, I found one x reader story that was extremely out of character (pointing this out because tbf I expected a lot more of these just based on how popular he is, but apparently I was wrong), otherwise most stories seem to be crossovers/AUs with various fandoms (many that I'm not familiar with, so I don't think it's really worth for me to read if he's just a minor character), and some topics are simply not my taste.

I only looked on Ao3 at the moment, but these are the stories that could be interesting and I might actually consider reading if I find the time (based on just their descriptions, mind you I haven't actually any of them properly past the first few sentences and have no idea if they're actually good):

Desert Fox Triumphant: Rommel beats the Allies in June 1944 - An alternate universe historical fanfiction where Rommel beats the allies in the Normandy, the description doesn't give away much, but it seems like Rommel is actually the main character which got me interested (plus my guy Fritz Bayerlein is listed among the characters so that's a personal bonus for me).

The Second Terran Sector War/Clone Wars - In this story apparently a bunch of important WW2 figures find themselves in the Star Wars universe and have to deal with that. Besides my history interest, I'm also a big Star Wars fan so this is a crossover that really intrigues me actually.

We'll Always Have Paris - An alternate universe fanfic set in the world of the Desert Peach comics. The content warnings include some heavy stuff so I'm not sure if I'll actually want to read it, but I'm curious about any fan content of the series in general, since there's not a lot of it out there in the first place.

Well, I have no idea how this post suddenly turned into Rommel fanfic recommendations😂 That was decidedly not planned, but actually kind of interesting to look into. Thinking that Rommel is generally regarded as a fascinating and even popular historical figure, I was surprised to find there's actually so little, so I felt like highlighting those that seem intriguing to me.

[queerdiazs]

2023 fic writing review

rules and tags below the cut because phew, it got long!

rules: feel free to show whatever stats you have. only want to show ao3 stats? rock on. want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? please do this. want to change how yours is presented? absolutely do that.

words and fics

words: 237, 627

most recent: the house i built is burning, where eddie and buck's house burns down, oops

longest fic: technically this, but it's actually deck the halls (and your in-laws), where the diaz and buckley parents show up to spend christmas with the boys, oh my

shortest fic: i love you best when you're just yourself, where buck's in his head about picking out a christmas tree

favorite fic: tied between the dinosaurs smelled magnolias, where eddie proposes to buck with his dick inside buck, and but i've got my teeth in you, where buck gets a tooth knocked out and eddie is Normal about it

most kudos: the side effects of eating too many clementines, where eddie realizes he's in love with buck over oranges in his kitchen

least kudos: mississsippi, where eddie and buck indulge in piss play

events

bad things happen bingo, round one

upcoming events and projects for the new year

finish hoa eddie, who's halfway done at 33k

continue to work on my bad things happen bingo card

clementines smut

5+1(+1) fic where eddie asks buck to marry him

wildfire fic

soft dom eddie series

eddie and buck post-lightning strike

bobby nash's guide to surviving evan buckley and eddie diaz

backdraft au

bullrider buck and rodeo clown eddie au

alpha/alpha buck and eddie

911angstinautumn?

spur of the moment fics i'm sure will wiggle in my brain

achievements

published 20 fics for buck/eddie in 7 months which is so fucking cool

met a lot of really cool people (TENTOESDOWN will live in infamy)

wrote over 50k in the month of december because i decided to challenge myself, jesus christ

goals

write and publish at least 25 fics

learn to edit pictures

finally rewatch s1

write more fics from buck's pov

(at the sake of being ooey gooey, 2023 has been kind to me in the sense i've figured out my future and fallen back in a fandom that's so fun and fresh and enjoyable i can't get enough of it. lots of that is because of the people i surround myself with, and i'm not going to get every individual person but i love you guys lots and i really, really mean that. can't wait to see what 2024 brings us 🥂)

i was tagged by @hippolotamus, @monsterrae1, @exhuastedpigeon, @wikiangela, @honestlydarkprincess, @theotherbuckley, @jamespearce9-1-1, @jesuisici33, @thewolvesof1998, @callmenewbie, and @devirnis <3

tagging @spagheddiediaz and @jeeyuns because they'll yell at me if i don't

[gryffindorkus]

I just finished my 4th fic bind and I'm finally feeling proud enough of a bind to post it!

It's for the fic 'the years go by like days' by georgiestauffenberg. It's for the ship reddie (Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak) from It! This fic is my reddie canon and if you haven't read it but ship those two I HIGHLY recommend checking it out.

Anyway, into the bind.

I learned a lot with my first three binds and I applied those months of trial and error to this one. The parts I'm proud of are:

A paper cover! For the other 3 I did pretty simple cardstock covers but I wanted to try out making a paper cover for the fic this time, that way I could go a little more crazy with the design. I think it turned out super well! I'm definitely going to be doing this again for some of my fics in the future!!

The 3 sections the fic is split into (Derry, Los Angeles, and New York) all have their own full page illustrations to separate the sections

A fake price tag that is actually a QR code to the fic on Ao3

FINALLY FIGURED OUT MY PREFERRED TEXT SIZE! I've always liked fics with slightly larger text and this time I think I got it perfectly and my margins are good (I really struggled with margins for my first ones)

The things I didn't like slash messed up on and will remember to do differently next time are:

The cover is a few millimeters too small (which you can clearly see in the pictures). Next time I'm going to make the design bleed out quite a bit so I can cut it to the exact right dimensions once it's printed.

The text on the spine of the cover is a little too close to the top and needed a bit more space, it looks a bit crowded how it is.

((thankfully these are both things I could easily fix by just editing the sleeve and printing it again))

So all in all I'm sooooo proud of this bind and really amazed at the improvement between this one and my first fic bind, especially because I've only been binding fics for a few months. I have one other fic I'm already in the middle of binding and I'm trying another technique (going super traditional with this one), so I can't wait to see how it turns out!

[oh-no-its-dragons]

ao3 is down so I'm posting omegaverse here

Violet stumbled down from the parapet, the anger she'd felt at Jack dissipating almost immediately. Being an alpha was going to get her killed at this rate, and not just because she'd been sent to the Rider's Quadrant. She'd had six months to get this anger under control and she was still threatening to stab people in the balls.

Not that Jack fucking Barlowe hadn't deserved it.

"Come here," someone said, putting a hand on Violet's shoulder, and at least she didn't growl at Rhiannon when she spun on the woman.

"You okay?" Rhiannon asked.

"No. Yes." Violet corrected herself.

Before she could say anything else, she was being escorted off to the side of the courtyard and she realized she recognized the scent. Dain was there. Gods, she'd been looking forward to seeing him again but this was not what she'd pictured. She watched him and Rhiannon snap at each other before Dain pulled rank to get her to submit.

Squad leader, huh? she said to herself. Good for him.

She let Dain get her up to his room and wrap her knee, and the support- both literal and figurative- helped her get her balance back.

"What the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

Oh, right. She'd had this conversation five hundred times right after she presented, but she hadn't had to do it in months. First year cadets weren't allowed letters or contact, though, so there'd been no way for her to warn Dain about any of it.

"I presented, just before the Solstice. I'm an alpha, so the scribe quadrant was out of the question, and my mom insisted."

"Nobody presents that late, Vi, are you sure?"

She blinked slowly, trying to tamp down the anger that was trying to fight to the surface again. "Am I sure? Don't be ridiculous, how could I not be? You were sure, weren't you?"

Dain hesitated before he answered, but Violet was too pissed to think much of it. It didn't matter that he didn't answer the question. He was already walking her back to the courtyard and then he disappeared into the chaos of Conscription Day.

The hardest part was not finding Rhiannon again, nor was it watching other cadets run and get set ablaze for their trouble. It was the fact that she could. not. stop. looking at Xaden Riorson. Every time she met his eyes- because of course he was looking at her too- she felt the feral claws in the back of her head. Something in her wanted to maul the fuck out of that man.

Rhiannon elbowed her in the side gently. "Violet? You're growling," she whispered.

Why had anyone ever thought throwing several hundred alphas together in an enclosed space was a good idea? Well, it was only really an enclosed space for the first few months, because once you bonded you got to fly. Violet wasn't thinking that far ahead, though. She couldn't. She had to get through three months of proving herself, one day after another, before it was a concern.

"We can sneak you into the Scribe Quadrant," Dain offered for the first time after Imogen nearly tore her arm off at assessments.

"No, there's no way they'd take me. And I can't do it, I can't go in there now." She remembered patience, distantly, missed

"I'll protect you." Again.

"I'll sneak you out." And again.

"Let me protect you." And again.

It was a refrain that was driving Violet out of her goddamn mind, and by September it was painfully clear to her that Dain did not believe she was an alpha. Did he think she was lying? Did he think her mother had somehow brainwashed her into believing she had presented?

Did he think she was this fucking angry all the time because it was fun? If anything, her temper was shorter than his, he ought to know how much effort it took to maintain that much composure.

She hated to think about it, but it seemed like a lot of the alphas in the Riders Quadrant were either much better at controlling their anger or just didn't get the alpha stereotypes in their genetic lottery. It seemed cosmically unfair that she was the least-likely alpha she'd ever met and also one with the hardest time controlling herself.

When she'd mentioned it to her squadmates, Rhiannon had a theory.

"Maybe it's because you were late presenting. I'd been dealing with it for four or five years before I got here, and you still haven't had a full year."

That made sense. Violet was pretty sure she'd heard something similar from a healer not long after her mother found out about her presentation. 

"No, it's… well, maybe it's that too," Sawyer hedged when Violet and Rhiannon both glared at him, "but there's something else. I didn't figure it out until after I washed out last year. But not everybody here is an alpha."

"That's not possible," Violet stared at him, "is it?"

"Nobody admits it, not really, but once you look for it you can't unsee it."

"Now that you said it, I can see it," Ridoc grinned. "Picture Riorson and put Aetos next to him. One of those men looks like an alpha, and it's not our squad leader."

Rhiannon rolled her eyes. "Come off it, if it was that easy to tell, you wouldn't be here. You sure as shit don't look like an alpha."

"It's not supposed to be obvious since we're all on suppressants anyway." Violet frowned when she thought about it. The idea of other people just… ignoring their biology when she was stuck here because of it made her twitch. 

Sawyer was right, though. Now that someone had said it, she couldn't stop thinking about it when she looked at the people outside her squad.

[artaxlivs]

20 questions for writers

I was tagged by @corrodedbisexual who is a kickass Steddie writer and you should check them out if you haven't already!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

45 although I have several dropping in June for Bangs (eek!)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

419,731 - which is just bonkers.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things, Marvel (Clint Barton centric) and Teen Wolf (I tripped and fell into that one but its just so good...fucking werewolves)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Destroy the Silence (Drummer Steve) - Steddie

An Accidental Flogging - Steddie

The Second Worst Trip to Mordor Ever Taken - Steddie

Even Flowers Have Their Dangers - Steddie

Screw Todd, Steve's Her (His) Daddy Now - Steddie

5. Do you respond to comments?

Always. Once every three weeks or so, I go through and leave full, complete responses to every single one (It's where I've met some of my favorite peeps!)

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

Angsty at the end?? Nah, I like my angst safely in the middle and I give it a nice landing in smut and laughter, thank you.

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

I mean, all of them? Endings are kind of my specialty - gotta stick the landing, you know? But in my Teen Wolf fic Somewhere Under the Rainbow it ends with a literal happy ending (not that kind you perv)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet but I don't write anything that would inspire hate (Hopefully?)

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

Yes, yes I do. I really like consent and kink discussions and unlearning all the unhealthy shit society and our parents have dumped on all of us. And service Doms...because ❤️‍🔥

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have a problem with 80s movies and crossing them into fics. Gremlins, Dirty Dancing, etc. But like, just a little. My name is ARTAXLIVS, give me a break!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I mean AI is out there fucking us all without our consent, right?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have one currently being translated (Destroy the Silence)

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

I have not.

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

Winterhawk probably - Clint Barton is just perfectly imperfect and Bucky Barnes is a growling bastard with a thing for idiots.

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

Fuck my life - don't come for me but There's Something Wrong with Steve has been sitting at 2/4 chapters for like 9 months and I actually have the last two chapters written but there's just something not clicking so I haven't posted them. I will. I WILL.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Endings - as stated, characterization, story flow, cadence, dialogue, smut scenes, minimalist world building but not a lack of - I get a lot of comments from people who also have aphantasia (we can't picture things in our heads) and I think it's because I don't describe every stupid ass tree (Tolkien, I'm talking to you)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Crippling self doubt

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

Enh, you do you boo. When I write sign language or D/deaf culture for Clint, I touched base with someone fluent in ASL but I have access to that so...

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Marvel - Bucky Barnes/Clint Barton (Winterhawk, my loves)

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Pic a favorite? Blergh. I really love when people comment on Even Flowers Have Their Dangers because it's the biggest world building thing I've ever done (there's a DND-like battle scene!) But also, What if Clint Fell has a special place in my heart because I love bashful first time gay Steve and slutty Clint figuring it out during WW2.

***

Pretty sure i just did one of these 20 questions things a few months ago so I'm gonna no pressure tag the people I'm currently collabing on bangs with so I can learn more about them: @angeleyz4ever @rufferto9 and I don't think @eviscer-8 writes fanfic but they're a bookbinder so maybe they could tweak the questions which would be interesting!

[astraymetronome]

First Things First -

I've never made one of these before so please do not judge any mistakes too harshly! Anyways-

This is a SFW Blog.

I'm not gonna post lewd stories, art, or anything of that type in this. If you are interested in that kind of stuff head to a NSFW Blog. I don't care if I'm interacted with by nsfw, you do you boo, but I must request that you understand my and others' boundaries by keeping your own preference out of the picture.

Also- my @ is astraymetronome but it's pronounced A Stray Metronome. Not Astray. I just thought I'd point that out lol

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 Basic Rules 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

I do write vore including minors, just because it is a comfort thing for me but none of it is or ever will be NSFW. Do not ask for NSFW, do not share with NSFW blogs, and please do not bitch about it not being NSFW.

DO NOT -

𓋼 - Ask For Private Stories (Everything I write will be posted on my tumblr or my ao3) 𓋼 - Beg For Any Kind of Ships (I do not write ships because I know I can't cater to everyone) 𓋼 - Tag or Tell me about NSFW (I'm not interested man) 𓋼 - Repost my Stories (I've spent a lot of time on them and don't want my shit stolen, trust me people will figure it out and I will know)

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

The minor characters I write with were my hyperfixations when I was still a minor, I'm 19 now, either way, I won't do any real shipping or relationships for my own comfort. Now onto my own information!

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 About Me 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Hi! I'm Mentronomie! You can call me whatever really but the main ones I go by are Nomie, Emme, Nome, etc.

I'm 19! (07/14/2005)

and use They/Them or She/Her Pronouns!

I have a significant other, who doesn't use Tumblr, and I often post in order of my current fixactions. Right now it is a mix of -

𓋼 - MHA/BNHA 𓋼 - DSMP 𓋼 - SBI 𓋼 - Hermit Craft 𓋼 - Spiderman (Tom Holland Version)

𓋼 - Genshin Impact

𓋼 - Honkai: Star Rail

𓋼 - Epic: The Musical

I have three cats that I love dearly and am in college for an education degree! Also, I don't think I've posted about it but I've mentioned this before in notes on my AO3, I have a twin brother! I think it's just a fun tidbit.

I write a lot of stuff and am actually considering opening writing commissions. It's not confirmed but I love writing and have thought about it. It would be really small, nothing big or expensive just because I'm not too sure how to go about it lol.

[brigittttoo]

Fic Writer 20 Questions

Thanks for the tag @merlyn-bane !!

1.) How many works do you have on ao3?

60! wow

2.) What's your ao3 word count?

417,555!!

3.) What fandoms do you write for?

Lately it's been Star Wars (Codywan), but I started out writing for Captive Prince, and have one very cracky fic for the chickens from Venom lmao

4.) What are your top five fics by kudos?

All five are Codywan! (with my first captive prince fic sliding barely into 6th place) they are:

Slow Waters; Inexpressibly to Untangle; Wolfssegen; Two Winters; and Leaning Closer to Never

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

I do! if not immediately, then eventually. I always like receiving responses when I comment on other people's fic, even if it's just a short 'thanks for reading!' so I try to give the same in return.

6.) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Smiling evilly over here because it's definitely What Year Was Our House Built? although a there's a close second and third in Kiss Goodbye and Gone and Returned. Oh wait also Akin, Removed. It's still true that the majority of my writing tends to be hopeful, though.

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

Slow Waters is a classic action movie happy ending, as a pacific rim au, and The World Offers Itself is a classic fantasy story happy ending, but I quite treasure the happy ending I gave codywan in Friday: Historical for @order63 because I will always cheer for edwardian wlw who say "sod the basilica".

8.) Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! I figure the premises I write are sufficiently niche that you have to actually want to read it to click on it in the first place. Everyone is very lovely in my comment section :)

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

I do! The gay kind! and the loving kind, the angsty kind, the kind with layers, the kind that's just hot, etc etc

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

I don't terribly prefer crossovers; I'll just set it in an AU of a different IP rather than mixing characters.

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know!

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

I haven't! But I've thought about practicing my language skills in translating them myself before (not that a lot of people really need a Norwegian translation of something lmao)

13.) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Nothing published! but I've gone through many a planning stage and/or shared gdoc with friends before.

14.) What's your all time favorite ship?

I really can't choose! As long as it's well written I enjoy my ships pretty equally!

15.) What's a WIP you'd like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Looking out the corner of my eye at The Skies Above Us which was. Well let's just say I learned my lesson to always write a fic to completion before starting to post it. RIP you really obscure codywan Wings of Desire AU, we barely knew you.

16.) What are your writing strengths?

I love describing general atmosphere and nature scenes, and I'm pretty good at doing an obscene amount of research and then letting most of it go in favour of writing what matters. I think I'm pretty good at picturing something in my own head and being able to transcribe it into prose.

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

Aside from the aforementioned necessity of writing something fully before posting, and also planning/outlining a story beginning-to-end before writing it, I'm not so strong in writing dialogue. But practice makes perfect!

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

I quite like it, but only for snippets of text that don't really matter in the overall scheme of things. I've provided some of my own small French and Norwegian translations in the captive prince fics Portrait of Monsieur X (some silly poetry) and Hver blomst en stjerne (some fictional gods) and some other capri fics (what if there was an in-universe Basque) because I really enjoyed giving the nations in Captive Prince those real-life parallels (e.g. Ios = Greece, Vere = France) and playing around with the languages; it's kind of an integral part of the source material. I stay away from fictional languages though, because it's not something someone can easily just googletranslate, and I'd prefer to read " 'Something in English,' Character said in XYZ language." rather than waiting for a translation and wondering why extraneous information and words had to waste my time.

19.) First fandom you wrote for?

Captive Prince! Pretty recent, all things considered. Everything I wrote before that was original stuff.

20.) Favorite fic you've ever written?

I'd have to go with Wolfssegen for codywan and Ideal Bounds for captive prince. I'm really proud of the stories I was able to tell with those two, and how neatly they both came together in terms of themes and actions :))

[pocket-lin]

hii <3

4, 11, 16 and 19 for the fandom asks??

(almost just wrote a plea for you to answer all of them but managed to restrain myself😅)

hi hi hi!! thank you for asking me these, this is so much fun!! reading back on these answers after I've written them is shocking because I really can just go on and on about stuff, huh? I really don't talk that much irl so I didn't know I had all this in me hahaha I'm so sorry!! I'm actually so embarrassed 😅 I'm gonna put the answer to 11 in a separate post so I can actually attach the picture I'm proud of!

4. say something nice about a ship you don't ship (it can be another ship in your fandom, a mutual's OTP, etc)

the one ship that's jumping out to me is dramione. I am a huge hater of this ship (sorry sorry sorry if you're reading this and it's your thing I love you and support you!!!) but you guys make some really cool shit and I'm happy you have a community you can share it with!! I've poked around in the ao3 and tumblr tags and its absolutely not for me, but there's some really beautiful and horny stuff out there for this ship and I so genuinely love that for all of you!

16. a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

if I'm being totally honest with you, I haven't interfaced with the harry potter canon in a very long time. i already own all the movies and books and stuff, so I wouldn't even be giving jk money by rewatching/reading them, but it just kind of makes my stomach hurt when I think about supporting her in some way. I've had to work through a lot of complicated feelings in regards to jk and harry potter in general, as I'm sure many people have had to do! her words and actions and how I feel about it are not complicated at all, but what to do in the aftermath of it was something I had to figure out. I mean, I have a hp tattoo on my ankle!! my pinned post is about this specifically, but where I've ultimately landed on it all is this: I don't want to let her steal any more joy from me than she already has. there are so many queer and trans people in this fandom creating such incredible stuff, and I just don't want to lose that! I got off on a whole tangent here and definitely have a lot more I could say on the topic, BUT all this to say, I can't really think of tiny hp details anymore!! and in this specific fandom, I'm totally okay with that!

19. your current fandom(s)

the fandom that I interact with the most is definitely harry potter, but I have a bunch of other stuff I'm super into!!

the whole reason I got back into any fandom–and the entire reason I logged back into Tumblr for the first time since 2018–was because of our flag means death!! I've loved rhys darby since flight of the conchords and was so pumped that he was a lead in an hbo show! I was totally shocked when ofmd turned out to not be queerbait!! something about that first season just flipped a switch in me and I looked for fan fiction for the first time in like, 10 years!! I actually didn't even know about ao3 and tried to go to ff.net and it was a whole thing. getting back into fandom was very intimidating, I'm not gonna lie. (wow I really could just talk forever huh?)

my other fandoms are: the sandman, the witcher, good omens (I was so late to that show but jumped on right before the second season completely on accident), check please!, disco elysium, red dead redemption (especial rdr2), the x files, the walking dead, the rivers of london series, and d&d: honor among thieves.

and then there's some stuff that I don't even know how I got into!! like, the spideypool ship. gang, I've barely seen any marvel movies, I haven't read very many marvel comic books. and I honestly don't plan it because I just don't like marvel (once again, could go on about this forever, I was a manager at my local comic shop and have many opinions). but someone I follow posted about a fic (and I am not immune to beautiful fan art) and then I fell down the rabbit hole!! def have recs if anyone is interested!

another one is the ted lasso fandom. I genuinely don't remember why we never finished watching the second season but then the reviews for the third season was kinda mixed so I never went back to it. and then I saw a writer I'm head over heels for had a ted lasso fic (other lives by @andthepeople) and WHOOPS I fell down another rabbit hole!! i also have ted lasso recs!

essentially, if ya boy's read/watched/listened to something, you know he's gonna go look at what the freaks (affectionate) are posting on ao3.

[danpuff-ao3]

Embroidery Commission

I was going to do a longer introduction but really I can't tease the people like that. That would be quite rude of me!

This, my friends, is the gorgeous embroidery hoop I commissioned from @onbeinganangel!!!!

Okay you have the goods now, read ahead if you're ready for Danni babbling.

Yesterday morning, I got an email from our apartment's Amazon hub that I had a package ready for pickup. And since I knew exactly what it was, I was annoyed (cuz it's early and I'm at work and I have to wait) and excited (cuz MY HOOP!!!!!)

After work, I rushed home, ran to the hub, grabbed my treasure, and pranced back to my apartment. You know, carefully. I wasn't sure how delicate I needed to be and I was risking this hoop for nothing!

Above pictures is what I found inside the box. My hoop carefully and beautifully wrapped in tissue, and a sweet note!

And if you know me at all, you'll know I was too excited to rip right into it. I don't know if anyone else deals with this, but my excitement levels get so high I just don't know what to do with myself! Have to smile and shriek and dance a bit. Shake out all those nerves! Breathe a bit (because oxygen is important.) (That's what I'm told anyway.)

Once I had my wits about me, I very carefully peeled back the tissue and beheld my beautiful hoop!

And started crying, of course.

(If you know me at all, that won't surprise you, either.) (Overactive tear ducts, I swear to Merlin.) (Or maybe that's just me being overemotional...either way 🤷‍♀️)

It was in early November that I reached out to Mari. She had posted about making sure she could get commissions done in time for Christmas, and while I didn't need anything by Christmas, it did prompt me to think "hey...maybe I could commission something!"

If you've not seen Mari's embroidery, you should definitely check it all out! (Conveniently: click here.) Her work is gorgeous, and it's extra special to have another craft used for fandom purposes! Fan writing? Great! Fan art? Great! Fic binding? Oh cool! Fan embroidery???? Oh god I'm in love. (Also Mari writes, so here's her AO3.) (We have to stan a multi-talented queen.)

I was a wee bit nervous, because I've always been hesitant to ask about commissions from people who I don't know are okay with Snarry. My OTP is so controversial to others, but so beloved to me, and so I rarely reach out, but...I don't know. I couldn't help it! It seemed like too cool an opportunity to not try for, and Mari seemed so sweet so I figured if she let me down, she'd do so gently!

...because obviously I'm going to commission Snarry things. Much as I love other ships, if I'm spending my hard earned money, it's going to be Snarry. 😍

As you can see: it was not a problem!

What I most wanted was a piece for my pride and joy, Contempt. I wiffle-waffled a bit. I thought Orange Blossoms might have better imagery for embroidery, but I already had a fanart done for Orange Blossoms, and while more is more...I really, really in my heart needed a physical representation of my beloved Contempt.

I felt a bit bad about the timing and assured her I didn't need it by Christmas and to prioritize Christmas projects (even though I was quite eager for this!) Like: "I saw your post about Christmas commissions but...this is not for Christmas!" Anyway between the Snarry worries and timing guilt and my anxiety...that should tell you how much I wanted this piece! And let me tell you, it was worth fighting anxiety for!!

The other tricky part of commissions is me trying to give creators an idea to work with, while also stressing that I value their creative input more than my own vision. Everyone is different; more details are useful for some while others enjoy the creative freedom more. (So of course I fretted about that, too.) But generally I am drawn to creators for their own skill and creativity and want as much of themselves in there as possible! I have so much respect and admiration for other creators!! And why I want so dearly to support them however I can! (And to also selfishly benefit from it, not gonna lie.) (Look at this thing!)

What I gave Mari to work with were primarily the quotes. Both are spoken by Harry in the work, though in separate portions of the fic. I wasn't sure how weird that would be, but I don't know...they go so well together and really sort of sum the whole story up! My ultimate love/hate endeavor!

As for the imagery, I had suggestions for that, too: the door to Snape's quarters have "serpents entwined with ivy and dahlias" and there are moments in the story where other flowers are given, those being white gardenias and forget-me-nots. Between my personal love of flowers and animals, as well as my great love for symbolism, and the role they all play in the story...well, I'm glad they all fit in! (Also, Mari is a champ for listening to all my rambling about symbolism and vibes haha!)

From one of our email exchanges, I mentioned: "It's a very stark, intense story. A bit brutal. Lots of shame. Riding that line between love and hate. That's another part of why I like nature imagery; all of the beauty and brutality of the world around us." And I feel like it came through! It feels very simple and natural. It looks a bit like fallen, fragile flowers and a snake slithering along, a sort of unsuspecting seduction. (Sorry, I sure love to read into things!)

Honestly, Mari was such a joy to work with. She has such a good eye for design and color! And such clear skill. She was easy to talk to, happy to communicate, and best of all so kind and patient and sweet! And in the end, she crafted something truly priceless.

Contempt is truly the story of my soul. (If you follow me, you're probably tired of hearing about it LOL.) The concept has lived with me for so long. Writing it was a true labor of love. Having this piece of it to hang on my wall is genuinely so meaningful. I cried when I first saw the finished product (via email) and cried again when I had it in hand. And again when I hung it on my wall.

It's not in its final spot just yet. A few inches to the right (not pictured) is a Hogwarts plaque that I plan to move to another wall this weekend, so I can move the hoop a bit to the right. But I was much too eager to share this to wait until the weekend! But this should still give you an idea of what my Snarry wall looks like, and will more or less look like after the shift. (The art beside the hoop is the Orange Blossoms art mentioned earlier, by LuEndland!)

Mari, thank you so much again for working with me and creating this truly precious hoop! Also: feel free to make your own post if you like, one with less word vomit haha! You are a true angel, I hope you know!!

To everyone else: if you've been thinking of commissioning an embroidery hoop...for sure do it!!!! 10/10 do recommend.

Also please expect more photo dumps once my work space is all set up!!

[protect-daniel-james]

10 26 for the AO3 year in review game?

Thank you!

10. What work was the quickest to write?

Oh, either Just or Bite Hard. These two I wrote at the time I was desperate with my thesis, but I just couldn't let these two ideas rot away in my WIPs. Just is a very short story, I just randomly thought one day that Frank would be absolutely into the whole "just the tip" and "don't worry I won't cum inside" (well, doesn't really matter that much with Mason but anyway... just for the dirty talk), and I had to write it. Just the sleazy, desperate stuff he would come up with to keep Mason close...

And Bite hard is a one-shot thing, Pedri/Gavi are just simply easy to write (they have quite a well-established dynamic, I'm not going anywhere with the fics about them, and I know that they will get lots of hits/kudos no matter how average they are story- and storytelling- wise lmao.).

26. What's your most common category?

M/M, no warnings, teen and up, established relationship, lmao. That sounds very vanilla, doesn't it! My most written-about ship is still Modrić/Rakitić, I love it. It's the ship I "made my name with" lmao. (it was the first era, back in 2018. then I kinda backed off, and came back fully during summer 2019 - that was the summer when United bought Daniel James, hence my nickname and this blog. and then I started posting on AO3 regularly again, just not about Rakidrić - as much - anymore).

Just to give you a rundown of the most used tags: established relationship, angst, fluff, unhealthy relationships, coach/player relationship. I think that paints the picture quite well. I'm not a huge fan of "getting together" fics, because - as I learned in Barcelona - then it leaves you with a question - what do you do then? is the "getting together" a big finale? where do you go from there? so the characters in my fics are mostly in a state of their relationship falling apart, or it's never truly a relationship - e. g. Scamacca/Paquetá. Or I can't be bothered trying to come up with an idea of how their relationship started because it would be too sappy and unrealistic - Westwood/Barnes are like that; I can see them as a couple, but I can't see them...discussing it, getting together, having a first kiss.

EDIT omg I figured maybe I should do this question just for the year right? one sec I'll try to figure it out so we can see how it rates among all the fics

okay so for 2023 it's:

M/M, no warnings, mature, established relationship, and my most-written about pairing is Eddie Howe/Jason Tindall! (with a whole lot of 4 fics!)

just to be clear my tags got this year: established relationship, masturbation, coach/player relationship, family dynamics, power imbalance. hello, Lampardverse!

[suzy-queued]

Artist Interview

Happy Boxing Day! I was tagged by @you-are-so-much-better-than-that in this artist interview.

1. Do you post on AO3? If so, how many works do you have on AO3? If not, where do you post?

I do post on AO3 as Suzy_Queue. I have two art galleries there, one for general art and one for Kinktober 2022.

2. What is your total art count?

If you count art done for other people's stories, headers for my own stories, and Gallacrafts pieces, it's around 150.

3. What are your top 5 pieces by likes/kudos?

I use this cool website to get my full Tumblr stats. According to them:

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

Yes! Although I'm not the fastest at it.

5. What is your current fandom, and what was the first fandom you drew for?

Currently, it's Gallavich all the way. The first fandom I remember drawing for was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, making my own comics. (they were 7th-grade-girl bad).

6. Have you ever received hate on any art?

Nope, people are very supportive, even on pieces that I know aren't that great.

7. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t drawn for yet but want to?

I can't really think of any.

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

The one that has lived in my brain for the longest part of my life is Han/Leia.

9. Do you draw outside of fandom?

Yeah! I was an art major in college. I've been a professional artist for 20 years and have created art for book covers, movie posters, album covers, logos. I go to figure drawing sessions at a local art school and am in a nature journaling group. I've displayed my horror art at conventions around the country.

10. What’s the an art piece you’ve drawn that came out completely differently than you expected?

This was the first piece I ever drew on a tablet with a pressure-sensitive pen. It was an experiment to learn the tools. I had no idea how it would look, and it turned out all right.

11. Do you draw smut?

Yep! There's some smut in this gallery.

12. Have you ever had any of your art stolen or copied?

Not that I know of.

13. Have you ever collaborated on a piece?

I've created art for stories working with the author, but I've never co-drawn a piece of art. Unless you count playing Exquisite Corpse with my children.

14. What’s an idea you have that you have yet to draw?

Oh, I have a lot. The one I think about most is a picture of Ian and Mickey in a lineup at jail, looking disheveled, hung over, and completely in love.

15. What are your drawing strengths?

I like my compositions a lot, the flow of items throughout the picture. I feel like I'm good at drawing what I see in a realistic way, whether it's a photo or real life.

16. What are your drawing weaknesses?

Drawing from memory/imagination. I have to have reference photos of what I'm doing or I go off the rails. I need to develop more trust in my own style and lean into weird proportions and my own skewed vision.

17. What’s your favorite art piece you’ve drawn?

I'm quite partial to this book cover art I did. It's spray paint, pastel, and acrylic. It's about 4 feet tall.

18. What is one thing you’d like to tell people about your art that they might not know?

Just because I've been doing it for a while doesn't mean I'm not still learning every day.

19. What inspires or motivates you to create for fandom?

I have a lot of emotional energy churning below the surface. Creating art and fics helps get it out. It's a much more positive outlet than letting it brew.

20. And finally, can you describe your process a little? Do you have a favorite place to draw? Do you play something in the background? Do you do research or just go for it? Give us a little insight.

I have a basement office where I write and draw. I bought a new table this year which I absolutely love. I do most of my creative work between 9-11 pm after the rest of my family has gone to bed. I do love music and play it a lot while I draw.

I research a ton. I spend a lot of time making photo compositions for every piece I draw, which are collages of body parts and other images.

Thank you so much for the tag for this interview!

[avelera]

Hi, saw that you posted ch 7 of Giving Sanctuary and figuratively sprinted to ao3 to read. I love how soft everything is and between Hob and Dream. And! I'm noticing that Dream is slipping more about himself, lol. He literally says "waking world" or the redundancy in sleeping to enter his own realm. Which. Hob doesn't seem to really pick up on??? Ah well, he had other things - or a singular being - to focus on.

And Lucienne mention! Love Dream's description of her _strong_ urging for a "centuries overdue holiday" for him. Would love to be the fly on the wall for that exchange between them. Lucienne must have been so surprised then thrilled for workaholic Dream-my-purpose-is-my-function-and-I-can't-change-this to ask her if he could take more time in the waking world! To. Visit. A. FRIEND. A FRIEND. Also would love to be a fly on the wall for the ensuing gossip between the Dream folk (or at least between Lucienne and Jessamy) about Dream’s Friend and how Dream is willingly taking time off his work to spend time with this Friend (for more than once a century meet-ups).

And that moment when Hob changed in front of Dream and Dream.exe stopped functioning while Hob is going on as usual. Dream had no idea what Hob was talking about, huh? I laughed. I’m still laughing. I will continue to laugh.

Anyways, reading this chapter made me feel very giddy. Thank you for writing it!

Aaah, thank you so much! Apologies for not replying sooner, I wanted to wait a day to not spoil the story quite as much!

As for Hob picking up on stuff like "the waking world" - Understand I'm actually very excitedly "yes, and..!" ing you when I say, if you knew nothing about Endless lore... how the fuck would you interpret shit like that?? Like, Hob has already accepted that Dream is some sort of weird wizard or sorcerer of some kind, someone with a realm, someone whose name is "Dream" and his sister is "Death" and he's got a weird house and has lived for thousands of years. He know Dream isn't one of the Four Horsemen.

Unlike Hob from pretty much any other era, he is very much not pushing for more right now because Dream has done so much for him already, he's content to let it lie in pretty much every situation except not having a name to call Dream and being scared shitless that he, Hob, might accidentally usher in Armageddon as some sort of proxy for humanity being asked by one of the Four Horsemen if he wishes to live every century. Anything less than that? He's not gonna pry.

I only say this cuz I promise, I really did think about it! But the Endless and the Sandman universe borrows from mythology but it also gets just about everything just a liiiittle bit off when it comes to the mythological Morpheus or Oneiros, and Hob isn't as well read in the 1600s as he might be later. I genuinely wracked my brain for if he'd have any context to even start guessing Greek gods, much less get on the trail of who and what Dream is. Even the idea of a god of dreams would be pretty foreign. He might guess a Faerie creature, except Dream said he's not in Faerie.

So all of the weird shit Dream is saying is certainly weird, Hob is building up context clues to try to build a picture of who or what Dream is, but he's nowhere near guessing "the god of dreams" or figuring out what an Endless is. He could theoretically put together the name "Dream" and "my realm" and "I don't sleep" but that would again, require interrogating Dream to fill in missing pieces, which 1689 Hob is just not going to do. Sorry this essay got away from me but I was very excited at the prospect of talking about why this fic hasn't been heavier on Hob figuring out who Dream is on his own (unlike say, CLWM Hob who has more leverage because he's doing Dream a favor in return and he has an inquisitive mind and a lot less feeling of being beholden to Dream).

I admit, your comment about those conversations kinda makes me want to give a flash of what Dream's side of that chapter was like XD - Suffice to say, poor guy is going through a wild time right now emotionally, lol. And Lucienne is OVERJOYED that maybe Dream will have some help on his mental health before the whole Dreaming, where she unfortunately lives, collapses. If she ever met Hob she would surely shake his hand lol.

Anyway, I'm so glad you're enjoying, thank you for this lovely comment!