#SPACE AU WOOOOOO

[abrosexualvagabondcookie]

GNARP GNARL

[gali-la]

Fic Stats Tag Game: One Shots!!

my big chonkus of BP yoinked titles away from EVERYONE, so i'm taking @gendervapor14's lead and switching over to oneshots~ absolutely genius, darling

Rules:

Give us the links to your one shot fics with the most hits, most kudos, most comments, most bookmarks, most words, and least words.

Most Hits: I think. I'm going to have a similar problem as last time :') Sun God Nika takes this one at (whatthefuck) 6,152 hits goddamn yeah this one was a people-pleaser right down to its core. im not surprised. Everyone loves a bit of time travel and saving ace <3

Most Kudos: Another victory for the dearly beloved mr. sun god at a nice 558 kudos. the original victor retains its throne :')

Most Comments: (Please not again everyone's gonna think im so damn lame) WOOO this one goes to Nightmare!! A different this one this time—folks just couldn't keep from expressing their lovely thoughts on crocomom and dadflamingo. I loved every comment dearly, thank you all for 'em!!

Most Bookmarks: Bananas it's Nika again. Ah well, not one I expected to get the most love, but I can't say I'm upset

Most Words: I know this one isn't Nika woooooo! It is my honour to bestow this title onto Pink is the Prettiest Color. 'Tis the curse of my smut, it takes me three years and twenty pages to wrap up. this one's all focused on a Katacora demon slayer au if that's your jam~

Least Words: I am yet again ignoring my art pieces, and this time staying within the fandom—Nightmare gets this one again!! Short and sweet~

Maybe I should do a version without Nika XD it's taking up all the space. elbows shoving all over the place. honestly, how rude.

anyways, this was a lot of fun! Thank you for letting me steal your posts yet again gen (check theirs out here!!)

[il-miele-che-scrive]

Can you share some tips to make smaus ?

aaaaa getting asked for tips for the first time 💙💙

my first tip might be a bit "obvious" but don't write stuff you personally don't like (that relates also to fanfic in general I guess), write the things that you enjoy, don't force yourself into things you don't feel, it's supposed to be fun and not a task <3

from the more "technical" side - I use pics art to make the "collages" (like three, or more, pics next to each other). this way you can "save space" because on the phone you can add only 10 pics per post (I think it's 30 on the computer). and for twitts I use this app called twi note <3

sometimes you might randomly get an idea - if you can't take care of it immediately, write it down so you don't forget. that's how it was for me with the get with his brother au and it's my most popular series!! that's how it works for me - I can try forcing myself into thinking of an idea, but the best ideas are the ones I get randomly throughout the day <3

it's easier for me, as you may have noticed, to write fans' comments using username1, username2, but I saw people actually making up fans' usernames which is so cool!! so whatever floats your boat!! <3

most pictures you see in my smaus are from pinterest, sometimes I just go there hoping I'll see something inspiring, and a lot of times I save pics in a folder "pics for fics" because I might use them someday eventually <3

no idea if that's good or not but at the beginning I tried to "keep things realistic" like not making the drivers talk in the comments about things they wouldn't talk about in real life. i kind of broke this rule for the brother fic for the drama lol I guess it's better when you don't try to keep the comments realistic, because it's all just for fun after all <3

now my last advice is decide how you wanna make the comment section look like and stick to it (I think I've found my preferred way recently), for example if you want to make it like this:

username1 blah blah blah something something something

↳username2 the missile is very tired

username3 eepy even

or maybe like this:

username1 woooooo we ball wow wow

username2 yeah we ball lol

or maybe another way you can think of!! I kind of stopped reading fanfics after I started writing, so I don't remember what other ways to "build" the comment section are there, so just do whatever you vibe with. the thing with the 2nd way I showed is idk how to write a reply to the reply?? but I also struggled with a "reply to a reply" in the way I use now, if you go to my first smaus it'll look something like this:

username1 blah blah blah comment section haha

↳username2 yeah haha comment section lmao

↳username3 whooooaaaaaaaa

↳username4 haha lol wtf is wrong with you guys lmao lol lol xx

like just the constant arrow didn't look that's good to me?? idk that's just personal preference and now I took way too much time to talk about it as if it was the most important part lol anyway choose a style you feel good in and by the way if you wonder where I got the arrow from ↳ I just type in Google 'arrow emoji' and go to the first site lol <3

anyway I hope I could help you, if you (or anyone else) have any other questions feel free to ask, I'm feel honored to help out

[cyberaxolotl]

SWAP AU BUT DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEYRE NOT DIRECTLY SWAPPED WITH THE CHARACTER THEYRE LINKED TO THEYRE INSTEAD SWITCHED IN SETS WOOOOOO

and also like. their personalities and intentions stay the same or similar i’ll EXPLAIN

Floofty wants to learn about Bugsnax in order to progress society in an agricultural, culinary, and botanical sense. They’re an asshole in general and worse if you mention their girlfriend who totally didn’t leave them.

Snorpy puts on a saccharine, softer look and demeanor to make himself inconspicuous to the Grumpinati. He surrounds himself and ranches Bugsnax in order to push in that inconspicuous look. BANOPPER HAT.

Wambus is trying to figure out how Bugsnax recreate and he’s doing so with a scientific approach. Nobody believes he’ll figure it out.

Gramble is doing the same as Wambus but with a more humane lens- studying behavior patterns and sources of emerging snax and building inventions to… encourage them.

Beffica tries to delve into history and archeology for the sake of escapism. She lost all her friends that weren’t her beloved, and now after the fight, the relationship was strained as well.

Chandlo is flamboyant and a heavy singer who manages to be graceful and beautiful despite his bulky build. He constantly wants to be better for the sake of impressing Snorpy and protecting him- via putting the spotlight on himself instead.

Triffany is harder on the nihilism. See, unlike her life being encouraged by her ascendants, it was ruined by them- they were the journalists and reporters who caused a sociopolitical crash and she was caught in the middle. She wants to know peoples secrets and knowledge to know their stance on the drama her family was involved in, but accidentally gets herself turned around into being disliked whether they knew about her parents or not. She came to Snaktooth with the intention of never going home.

Wiggle still abuses bugsnax like drugs but instead of like inspirational drugs, she takes them as steroids to make herself stronger so that she can have one bigger, sporty breakthrough.

Lizbert went to Snaktooth ahead of Eggabell, and while she was there, her childhood friend Filbo disappeared and so did his partner. This caused everyone, despite her being the founder, to separate. Despite her strength, she ended up in a pretty awful physical muck up and lost some of it, needing to be found by Eggabell.

Eggabell is the journalist, Cromdo’s employee, Liz’s wife, and she was pissed off when she found out she was allergic. She gets really down on herself when she fails to catch certain snax.

Filbo is an explorer, and was the first to learn from Liz that Snaktooth was discovered. He’s stumbly and a klutz, but he did know what he was doing more than anyone else. Then he disappeared.

Scarla is the doctor, and… they don’t talk much. They barely spoke to Eggabell once she found them, and they’re determined to find Filbo. When he was around, he was one of the few people to make them talkative.

Cromdo let Eggabell go to Snaktooth by encouraging her to help get their company rich. He’s also associated with the Snakolytes and uses the scum schtick as a front. That’s uh. There’s not much else to say.

Shelda was part of the Snakolytes for a long time, and one day, she was banished to the Triplicate Space. A punishment of sorts, and she prayed to Mother Naturae as an escapism. Still, she roams those triangular halls.

Clumby is shifty and doesn’t believe anyone. She was one of the people who had their reputation messed up during the Lottablog family collapse, and as such, she needs a new way to pull herself together. She wants bugsnax to do it.

Alegander speaks in intense and low tones, frightening people away more than anything. But, he does truly want to guide. He believes in not letting anyone get screwed over like he did with his degree.

THAT WAS A LOT OF TALKING OK BYE

[dazenightmare]

I've finely done it after all these years I've finally gone through all of the dream smp store au posts WOOOOOO! So what would happen if schlatt some how ends up kidnapping tubbo and quackity? (And don't forget the drink the blue life juice)

(Thanks for the reminder)

I feel like he’d just take them to his apartment and would chill with them, but wouldn’t let them leave. He’ll just act like Quackity’s his husband and Tubbo’s his son.

At first Quackity and Tubbo are scared but they learn to take it easy after the first thirty minutes or so and Schlatt wouldn’t do anything bad to them. They have to be really careful though because apparently Schlatt has a habit of hotboxing whatever room he’s in. They aren’t successful at avoiding it

Meanwhile the staff is just flat out panicking because they never thought Schlatt would succeed in his attempts at kidnapping. Now they packed as many people into a van with Philza driving and Wilbur in the passenger seat telling him where to go

They get there after two hours (Wilbur doesn’t go to Schlatt’s place a lot, thus getting them a bit lost) and they just break into a smoky living room and all three of them are in weird positions and staring into space. They leave with a somewhat high Quackity and Tubbo and increase security a bit

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Happy Fab Friday!

I’m thankfully still staying on top of the daily writing challenge! Since last Friday, I’ve written these stories:

An original story involving my character Eilene. This is a fantasy story where Eilene is a princess without a kingdom due to her magic causing a catastrophic event destroying her kingdom. The catalyst was her being manipulated into killing her sister when all she wanted to do was help. So this short scene shows Eilene being forced to relive that memory over and over again.

A social media AU where I have Rhea as a popular photographer who ends up taking a picture of something she shouldn’t have (she had no idea) and posting it onto social media. She gets found out and is now on the run from people trying to harm her for what she saw. Thankfully she has her friends to rely on to get her out of a tough situation.

A crime/mob au that I added a noir twist to. Jill is our detective trying to take down the mob and Carlos (our femme fatale lol) is the guard she runs into at what she thought was a possible lead. They share a scene where Carlos slightly reveals why he is always there when she gets a lead. He has grown fond of Jill and would hate to see any harm come to her. Jill struggles with her own feelings for Carlos and its just a fun scene to imagine lol

A short drabble involving Rhea in her canon story (The Outer Worlds) where she thinks over the impossible task Phineas has forced upon her. She‘s struggling with the weight of this task and wonders when the time will come that the others realize she isn’t capable of completing it.

There are two others that I wrote that ended up being my favorite stories so far!

The first is a science fiction au and I have Jill being woken up from cryosleep and suffering from amnesia. She starts to search the building she’s in while hearing the sounds of fighting off in the distance. She stumbles upon a room that reveals she is in fact on a ship traveling through space. While there, Carlos and Mikhail run into the room escaping whatever they were fighting. Sci fi is one of my favorite genres and I hope someday to continue this story. You can read here if interested!

The second is a scene with Rhea and Felix and their children. Rhea shares a sweet moment with their second child Scarlett. She’s made a gift for her Papa (Felix’s father, Rockwell, but they do not have a good relationship) but is sad because Felix always seems upset whenever Rockwell is mentioned. So Rhea tries her best to encourage their daughter to still talk about the gift with Felix while dealing with her own internal thoughts. I just loved this scene, imagining them as a family >.< You can read here if interested!

Absolutely no pressure to read and I hope you’ve had a good week :)

Woooooo!!!! Go go go!!!! You're a BEAST!!! I'm so impressed that you're still powering through and coming up with FANTASTIC new AU ideas day after day!!! That's great!!!

[notsomightymightytiger]

kiERA! sup hello hi what is up how is your day going

asktimeasktimeasktimeas-

1) you asked me this once and i really liked it so favourite fic trope/au

2) are you reading a book rn?? what is it? or alternatively: some books you would really very like to read

3) if you had a cactus, what would its name be

good luck w today you got this woooooo :)))

Ahh yay asktimeasktimeasktimeasktime!!!

1) ok as a chronic kid ™ I love sick/hospital/care fics just cause sometimes the media makes me feel like I can’t be loved because of it (but any other chronic kids seeing this you are 100% valid and worthy of love ❤️)

Also just anything fluffy, I want it so cute and sweet it makes your heart hurt 😂

2) aa I’ve been so busy I’ve had two books that I’ve been reading but I kinda stopped around halfway, however anything by Alice oseman is so good! And Probably one of my favourite books I’ve read is “small spaces” by Sarah Epstein, it’s a YA psychological thriller and it’s so so good 10/10 recommend

3) ok my two current cacti are called porkie (short for porcupine) and mr prickles jr (rip og mr prickles) but I love calling my succulents overly fancy Victorian names like Florence and clementine so I’ll probably continue that and call one cecily or something 😂

eee thank you for the ask ellieeee (pins gay) I’ll drop some in yours hehe

[demyrie]

On the Resourcefulness, Intelligence and Grit of Fic Writers

My beta and starmate @rainbowstarbird and I have been writing fic since we were preteens. I specifically remember straining, in my seat, toward my screen and my 13th birthday so that I could Very Legally sign up for ff/net. Wild, right?

We are also students of narrative, specifically radical queer storytelling. One of our favorite things to do is go on errands (we’re old be quiet) and just brainstorm ideas with characters we love where they share our identities and struggles and do things we need or want to see. Or just ... get kinda horny, as today.

Rae exclaimed at some poor driving on our way to the house and accidentally said “room for two” and our brains went south, toward the double penetration line of thinking. We laughed, and laughed, and then Rae shrieks MAKE IT A PORN, GO and thus began the game.

Me: uhhh uhhh uhhh OH OH okay so, it’s!!! a bed and breakfast!!! and the hot married owners court and seduce a guest and DP them! ROOM!! FOR!!! TWO!!! it works on both levels!

Rae: Aaaaaaaa someone hasn’t made this a porn yet?! make it a fic!

and we did.

Me: oh shit who’s an OT3 we can play with?

Rae: WHITE COLLAR 

(for those who don’t know, White Collar is a delicious drama action procedural show where a white collar FBI agent, Peter, teams up with one of the greatest con men ever. A con man he’s tailed for YEARS, by the way, that HE put in jail, and together they solve art crimes and slowly rehabilitate Neal. Peter is amazing, soft soulful masculinity to a t, and has a very frank, beautiful, nurturing wife named Elle who is also amazing and Neal has never belonged anywhere and there is a LOT of tension as Neal edges closer and closer to letting himself be loved but then NOPES out to return to his scammer ways. The cast joked about a threesome. It’s heavy. Both Peter and Elle would do anything for Neal, and struggle with his inability to believe he’s worth love. Its. Ugh.)

Me: YES!!! SO!!! to theme, it would have to be married couple Peter and Elle running a cute little Bed and Breakfast that Neal stumbles upon and then he gets fuuuuuuuuucked

Rae: But I want peter to be a FBI agent?? Who is he, if not a lawman?

Me: AH! RETIRED cop/FBI agent peter, swayed into peaceful AND swanky bed and breakfast life by his canonically talented event designer wife Elle in the hopes of giving him some calm and space to come to grips with himself

Rae: YES! AS HE DEALS WITH HIS PTSD. his career took a slightly darker turn -- we can take one of the harder cases and imagine how it would have gone without Neal and how it would have shook him -- and necessitated a retirement from the field.

Me: and Neal is very off his track. He broke up with whatserface. Maybe he just got out of prison, or narrowly squirmed out of it after one of his art blackmail schemes went south. He doesn’t know whether he wants to go back to crime/art forgery, but he’s out of money and out of ideas and he pulls up at this small unassuming (BUT VERY TASTEFUL) bed and breakfast and immediately tries to scam Elle with a fake credit card to stay the night. 

Rae: Yes, he’s charming, but he’s off his game due to the recent upset and fumbles the delivery. Peter scents it immediately, being a cop, but Elle takes pity on him and just says honey let it be. Maybe he’s having some trouble. She’s so nurturing, and says ‘remember what we talked about in therapy, Pete?’ and frames it as letting go of hypervigilance, and being more centered like they’re learning in therapy. Because they need therapy. And the idea of a sexy older established couple openly talking and communicating to deal with their pain but also their boundaries is amazing. But also it’s hilarious how it becomes “Neal is a walking test of Peter’s ability to Calm Down” because Elle leverages it like REMEMBER? THERAPY? and Peter stomps off flustered and lets her get her way just like in the show

Me: yes and so they get attached to poor lost Neal, and extend and extend his stay night after night while he figures things out. so of course everyone gets to talking. Peter feels his Old Buried Gay Feelings awakening with such a beautiful guy hangin out, bein’ all charming and sweet -- which is an opportunity to bring up the “remember what we talked about in therapy?” line in a different context, a la dealing with neglected parts of ourselves and not just “problem” parts of ourselves to create a WHOLE self -- and Elle spots it from a mile away, as well as Neal crushing right back but being on his best behavior with this awesome couple just sorta letting him live with them. 

Rae: YES, like, he doesn’t want to mess this up, and he’s also not used to ... being good. Behaving. Or ... being trusted. All of this is fucking him up on a lot of levels, bringing him face to face with his hollow conceptions of self-worth, and it’s delicious. They LOVE HIM. and there’s so much angst about him dying to confess that he never really had the money to stay here in the first place, that he tried to scam them, as a metaphor for his intrinsic worthlessness.

Me: yes. they love him. And then they love him. At the same time. DP. Room for two.

[screams, high-fives, then contented silence. horny, contended silence]

Rae: But wait. ... it’s ... DP?

Me: *shrugs* Elle gives the strap. You know she does.

Rae: holy shit she do. DONE ITS A THING WE MADE A THING WOOOOOO

SO!

This is why fanfiction is magic. We took these characters and fit them to a cheap porn scenario just for the hell of it, and yet its much more than a scenario, and so much more than fitting a square peg into a round hole. It’s about the characters interacting AROUND AND WITHIN the scenario, the way all of their problems and complexes interlock in the new setting or AU, which enriches the scene and lends it emotional weight and momentum. It’s that amazing quote about “i don’t want porn in my LOTR, but LOTR in my porn”, but obviously it doesn’t always have to be an explicit scenario to reflect this amazing ability to ADAPT, IMPROVISE, AND OVERCOME in order to create incredible content!

Fanfiction is about learning identities and ways of being. Fanfiction requires a top view of characterization and a grasp of narrative flow: The important components of a character, and how many parts you can tweak or change and it Still Be the Character. It delves into those weird grey areas where you see THOUSANDS of different iterations of a character and some of them hit the spot, and some don’t, and we learn what we like. What we value, personally, and in these characters, as well as how OTHER people see traits that become HCs that let us learn about those populations, like a prevailing hc that someone is trans, or deaf, or nonbinary, or a spoonie, or etc etc etc and our world view gets a little wider, a little richer, and a little more empathetic.

It also means understanding the tiers of characterization, like what are defining traits versus secondary traits, and thus what (environmental) aspects you can change to bring out secondary character traits but still retain the core of the character while exploring material never approached in the show, just because you want to. Because you see something of yourself in this character and want to SEE YOURSELF in this character. It is amazing. IT IS AMAZING.

Yes, fanfic is the ultimate sandbox for “for the sake of” fantasies/stories and part of the transformative value is there’s no real NEED to adhere to characterization. There’s no pressure. We can go wild. It’s a blank slate, IT’S WHATEVER, but I think we consistently underestimate how fanfiction itself is an adaptive and analytical gladiator-ring-slash-orgy that we can emerge from MASTERS of characterization, exploration and expression, and just about every day is a study of What We Like and What We Want to See. Even, or especially, if the higher ups aren’t gonna give it to us off the cuff.

It’s amazing. Fic is amazing. I dunno. I’m just super happy with this thing we do.

So if you’re feeling weird about that fic you want to write, don’t. Just do it!

Rae and I are gonna make a podcast where we talk about this stuff. I’m excited. You in? :)

[alice-is-in-wonderland]

Glader Pack - Thanksgiving Family AU Part One

Hey guys! So the Glader Pack is doing AUs, and this is mine! It's gonna be a bit long, and posting will be all over the place, but woooooo here we go! Hope you like it!

@newtieparker @esthercantdraw @rustic-space-fiddle @c-taylor-wanna-be-a-glader

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part One - Thomas

It had been too long of a semester, the air had already turned cold, and the aromas of dead leaves as well as faux pumpkin never seemed to leave the air. They’d been talking about their plans for about a month now. Nearly everything had fallen into place, except one thing.

Forks clinked against the dining hall plates in the early morning before everyone had to head off to class. Nothing felt out of place. The group ate more than talked, most of their heads still stuck in bed rather than at the table.

Thomas had entered after everyone else. Newt figured his best friend was just extra tired from studying from his anatomy exam that was coming up at the end of the week. Either that or watching Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.

“Hey there, ya tired shank.” Minho commented with a mouth full of food. Seeing his boyfriend’s rudeness, Peter elbowed the Asian in the ribs, who let out a yelp in pain. “Ow!” Anne glared at her friends from across the table.

“Guys…” She muttered, shaking her head at them. Thomas sat down next to her, munching absentmindedly on a banana.

“Hey, uh.. guys?” His words were small, causing everyone else at the table to look up. Thomas finally met their eyes for the first time that morning. “I have something I need to get off my chest.”

“What’s wrong, Thomas?” Anne asked gently.

“My uh-” Thomas swallowed back his emotions carefully. “My grandma’s favorite holiday has always been thanksgiving, and she’s not doing so good. We think this might be her last one.”

“Oh, Thomas, I’m so sorry.” Anne said.

“Yeah, man, that’s…” Minho let out a long breath, words escaping him.

“So, I was wondering if I could ask you guys to help me celebrate her last Thanksgiving with her.” Thomas asked. Peter stood up.

“Of course we will, man! Will Ellie be back from France in time to come, too?”

“Yeah, she’s already agreed to come with. I just…” But Newt was already standing, putting his hand on his best friend’s shoulder.

“Tommy, it’s gonna be alright. We’ll be there.”

And that’s how it started. How Alice was jangling keys to a van the group had pitched in to rent. Thomas had taken the passenger seat, next to Alice who was driving. She turned around to face her two boyfriends, giving them a crooked eyebrow.

“You sure you two can be adults about this?”Minho snorted, and Peter bit his lip in embarrassment, gaze flitting away. Minho grabbed his hand, and leaned forward to kiss Alice’s neck.

“Of course we can, babe!” He winked. Behind them, Newt chuckled, resting his back against the window, Anne snuggling into his side, yawning.

“No they bloody can’t. Don't believe a shucking word.” The blonde said, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend.

“Ha! Of course she knows better.” Gally snickered as he laced his fingers with Charlie's from the back. Marcie, who sat next to Anne, just rolled his eyes.

“Can we go get Ellie at the airport, now?” He asked, pulling out a flask and taking a swig.

Thomas sat, staring out the window for the longest time, watching the scenery pass him by. Thoughts invaded his headspace, infecting his mind as he thought about the inevitable. Not only did he have to make sure this Thanksgiving went perfect, he had to make sure he was ready for…

Alice had pulled off at a McDonald's for the group to get some food for the road, and Thomas had just stayed in the car with Minho, Anne, and Alice.

Thomas shook his head. When it came time for that, he would have to just get through it. Like he always did. But still. He remembered his grandmother from nearly every Thanksgiving. Her hugs, and her famous cinnamon bites, and the way she could always find a way to make Thomas feel like he could do anything he wanted to, and be the happiest man alive.

He couldn't possibly imagine what losing her would feel like.

His phone buzzed his pocket, startling him. It was from Ellie. He gasped.

“Dude, what?” Minho perked up.

“It's Ellie, she's been detained at the airport....!” Alice rolled up her sleeves, as if she was getting ready to physically fight someone.

“What the shuck?! Why?” Thomas’ breathing quickened, and he soon found himself hyperventilating.

“Dude, I hope she's okay, she has to be okay, Gran is gonna love her, I can't....” Luckily, Anne lightly grabbed Thomas' shoulder to steady him.

“Hey, it's gonna be okay. We're gonna go get El, and she's gonna meet your grandma, and everything's gonna be okay.” She reassured him. Thomas produced a small smile in response.

“Thanks, Anne.”

The rest of group came spilling out of the McDonald's, sauntering towards the van. Gally crooked an eyebrow at the scene he came back to.

“Wha-" but before he could finish, Alice was already clambering back into the driver's seat.

“Change of plans. We gotta go rescue Thomas’ damsel in distress from TSA. Get in losers, we're saving Ellie.”

[ukulelewrites]

In Terms of Fire & Ice {5}

A/N: woooooo! chapter 5 of in terms is out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i’m super pumped about the direction this is going, and the next chapter is going to be grEAT. i hope you guys enjoy~~~~

Pairing: Wanna One’s Seongwoo x Reader

Genre: Angst, fuckboi!seongwoo, rich!seongwoo, enemies to lovers!au

Word Count: Roughly 1k

Parts: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Seongwoo was not amused. When you had texted him to come over to your dorm room, he wasn’t expecting you to be sitting on the floor surrounded by spreadsheets. He was, well, expecting you to be on your bed, spread out on your sheets. Yet here he was, sitting across from you as the two of your poured over the case file together. Seongwoo stare at you intently, trying to find some source of ulterior motive coming from you, but he came up with none. You were wearing an extremely large t-shirt and leggings. Your hair was tied up messily, and not in the sexiest way, and there was absolutely no contact between the two of you. There was a four feet gap that separated the two of you.

“Where’s your roommate? Ya know, the one half the school wants to bang?” he asked casually.

You rolled your eyes at his tasteless comment. “If you’re asking about Nayoung, the drama department is having some sort of lock-in, so she’s sleeping in the school’s theater.” You paused to look over the document on more time before placing it into your “finished” pile. “Now, will you stop talking and hand me those papers?”

Seongwoo didn’t catch what you said, still dozing off into space. You let out an exasperated huff before leaning over to grab the papers that laid in front of him. However, that was a slight miscalculation on your part. Seongwoo decided then to pay attention to you, only to see that he could see very well down your shirt. He licked at his bottom lip, suddenly aware of how dry his mouth was. You, however, paid no mind to him, returning back to your original position. “Thanks for helping me by the way. I know this isn’t the best way to spend a night,” you said absentmindedly: your attention focused on the task at hand.

Seongwoo faltered for a bit before replying. You saying something relatively nice to him? Never in a million years. Yet, here you were, highlighting away while humming a thoughtless melody to yourself, unaware of what you’ve just done.

“You’re awfully quiet tonight?” you said, nonchalantly, “I’m surprised you haven’t made a lewd comment yet.”

Seongwoo felt a smirk creep across his lips. “Why do you ask, sweetheart? Do you want me to?” he asked.

“Not so much I want you to; it’s just weird with you not being the gross fuckboy you are,” you replied, not even sparing him a glance.

Seongwoo feigned hurt. “Gross? Fuckboy? Me? I’m hurt you think so poorly of me,” he said, throwing you an innocent look.

“Yeah, you’re a gross fuckboy who’d stick his dick into anything alive,” you replied, however the tone of your voice was extremely light, almost teasing. It came as a shock to you too, but it was almost too fun to give up.

“I don’t know, Y/N, Mrs. Whitney can’t really do it for me…” Seongwoo put on a look of disgust before breaking out into a smile when you started giggling. For once, the mood between the two of you was light, almost friendly.

After your laughter subsided you realized the pile of papers to be completed had dwindled down to two. “Here, you take-” you paused your sentence when you realized Seongwoo had reached for the same paper as you; your fingers were barely skimming his. You quickly retracted your hand and grabbed the other page. “Let’s get this done, yeah?” you mumbled, trying to ignore the look Seongwoo was sending you.

For a while, silence permeated the room, gazes averted away from each other. Soon Seongwoo spoke up, “So, what am I getting out of this, princess?” He set his page and highlighter down.

You looked up and quirked an eyebrow at him. “My company? Not getting yelled at by our superior? What else do you want?” you asked, beginning to regret asking him for help.

He leaned back on his arms. “Well, considering that I already finished my half of the work, I helped you out of the goodness in my heart. I deserve at least something,” he mused.

“What then?” you said through gritted teeth.

“What a date this Saturday with me, hm?” he proposed, smiling now, “We can get dinner, catch a movie, do whatever you want.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “And why would I agree to that? We already finished my work,” you replied haughtily, “I don’t have to agree to anything.”

“So if I told the manager that you lost my files for the project tomorrow, that’d be okay with you?” he asked casually, not even trying to emphasize the weight of his words.

“You wouldn’t dare!” you snapped.

“Seems like I would, princess,” he said easily, not even flinching at your sudden increase in volume.

“You are ridiculous, Ong Seongwoo, absolutely ridiculous,” you scoffed.

“I didn’t hear a yes or no in that statement.”

You grumbled under your breath. “Fine, I’ll go on a date with you this Saturday,” you said reluctantly.

Seongwoo had left you sitting on your dorm room floor fuming. He snuck past your dormitory’s security easily, and found himself walking across the greenery with his hands in his pocket, whistling an unknown tune. A victorious smile appeared on his lips, and he pumped his fist into the air. ‘Just one step closer, Seongwoo,’ he thought to himself, ‘one more step until you join the Brotherhood.’ Suddenly, his phone rang.

“Hello,” Seongwoo spoke into the phone.

“Dude, where are you?” Daniel’s voice said through the phone.

“I was with our beloved ice princess, and you won’t belie-”

“We found Jonghyun,” was the terse sentence Seongwoo got from his best friend.

“Where was he?”

“We found him banged up in some alley near his parents’ bakery.”

Seongwoo’s blood ran cold. “Is he alright? Should we take him to the hospital? Send me where you’re at, and I’ll be there.”

“He didn’t want us to take us to the hospital, so we took him back to his dorm. He’s sleeping it off now. What were you going to say by the way?”

“Just don’t worry about it. See you back at the dorm, Daniel.”

[goingknowherewastaken]

FicRec Friday #7 || Weekly Reading List (August 25th, 2017 - August 31st, 2017)

Hello!! :D

Woooooo week seven!!!! Do you guys like McKirk??? What about Historical!AUs????? What about McKirk Historical!AUs???? ‘Cause if you like those you’re gonna love the McKirk list this week! ;) Also for this list, Scotty is back!! Aaaaaand everything is mixed again...basically from here on out that’s how it’s gonna be... :p 

: Each of these fics are ones that I have read over the course of the week as I perused Tumblr (marked by ♦) and Archive of Our Own (Ao3) (marked by ☼). If I found that a fic was posted on both platforms, links to both posts can be found. You’ll also find that they are sorted by character and ship and most have some detail about what the story contains - mostly if it’s a reader insert, nsfw, or if it features a trope. It’s also very likely that I forgot to give one of those warnings, but the fic itself should have them listed so make sure to check those. But, please, if you read a fic you love just go ahead and share it so others have a chance at reading it :)

Now I guess it’s time to list the stories ;)

WonderTrev

☼ Resurrection || chapter(s): ten, eleven, || JCBeckett 

☼ a renaissance evergreen || chapter(s): three, || ThoughtfulConstellations 

☼ These Past Years || chapter(s): one, || thesinfulship || nsfw

McKirk

☼ The Kiss || SailAweigh || College/Historical!AU

☼ one small hitch || chapter(s): six, || cowboykillers || fake relationship!AU

♦ I’m Leaking || @auduna-druitt || nsfw 

♦ Put that thing back where it came from || Part Two || @pinkamour1588 || nsfw 

☼ And The Angels Sing || ThePathLessTrekked || nsfw, WWII!AU

☼ all they that love not boys are fools || orphan_account || nsfw, Historical!AU

☼ Gretna Green || graceandfire || Regency!AU, nsfw

☼ Make Ends Meet || chapter(s): two, three || jamest-kirk, @jamest-kirk || Tarsus IV/Dystopian!AU

☼ Lord Monster || neko_fish || Regency!AU, Mirror Verse 

☼ Narada’s Children || chapter(s): six, || LadyJanelly || nsfw

☼ His Eyes are Opened || chapter(s): one, two || tresa_cho || nsfw, Roswell!AU

☼ the guy next door || scramjets || Modern!AU, Next Door Neighbors!AU

☼ normal’s overrated anyway || soniclipstick (veriscence) 

☼ First Gain the Victory || chapter(s): one, two || SailAweigh || Part one in a series || Historical!AU

☼ The Ballad Series || The Ballad of Jim and Bones, The Ballad of James and Leonard || neko_fish || partially Historical!AU, also tree people/spirits...you’ll understand when you read it...also I cried

☼ The Masquerade (series) || A night of Pleasure and Education, Lessons learned in a looking glass, Marriage is indeed a maneuvering business || noo || Regency!AU, nsfw

♦ Halloween-Appropriate || @the-space-goddess-16  

♦ La douleur excquise || @thevalesofanduin || unrequited love

☼ The Three C’s: Comfort, Convenience & Complication || AndreaLyn || fake marriage...sort of

♦ Guardian || Part One, Part Two, || @auduna-druitt || Guardian Angel!AU

♦ Scorch My Soul || Part Five || @thevalesofanduin || Suspense/thriller!AU || nsfw

☼ i’ll be in the sunrise (while you mourn the stars) || colorfullysarah || Jim discovers he has more than one dad

☼ Riverside Junction || chapter(s): one, || blancanieve || 1920′s!AU

Steve Trevor

♦ Hallelujah || Part One, || @wiener-soldiers || Reader Insert

WonderKirk

☼ Star Trek: Age of Wonder || chapter(s): fourteen, fifteen || RobinsGirlWonder 

Leonard McCoy

♦ Alone Together || @blueoftheenterprise || Reader Insert

♦ Out of your mind || @pinkamour1588 || Reader Insert

♦ Talk Nerdy to Me || @such-fun || Reader Insert

Jim Kirk 

♦ 21st Century Girl || Prologue, || @bbparker || Reader Insert

♦ The one that got away || @dreaming-about-starfleet || Reader Insert

♦ Anything you can do || @trade-baby-blues || Reader Insert

♦ Marriage Material || Part Five, Part Six, || @enterprisewriting || Reader Insert

♦ Only Love Can Hurt Like This || @omg-imagine || Reader Insert

♦ Dance With Me || @iguess-theyre-mymess || Reader Insert

♦ Accustomed to her Face || @star-trekkin-across-theuniverse || Reader Insert || Song fic

Other 

☼ Not Alone || chapter(s): one || Etirdoyn (Nyodite) || Part One of the HP x JW series

☼ Come Fly With Me || chapter(s): one || Etirdoyn (Nyodite) || Part Two of the HP x JW series

☼ Fathers of Monsters || chapter(s): one, two, three || Etirdoyn (Nyodite) || Part Two of the HP x JW series

☼ My Own Keeping || chapter(s): one, two || SailAweigh || Janice Rand x Christine Chapel || Part two in a series || Historical!AU

♦ Let’s Play A Game || Part One, || @imoutofmyvulcanmind || John Kennex (Almost Human) x Reader 

♦ I Feel It Coming || @221bshrlocked || Sebastian Stan x Reader || nsfw

♦ Inevitable || @lovelynemesis || Bucky Barnes x Reader || A/B/O!AU || nsfw

Scotty

♦ Zip || @anne-garland || Reader Insert

I also want to give a huge thank you to all of the writers here for taking the time to give us these wonderful works! Writing is such a peculiar experience so I thank you for sharing these with us :)

*note: Some of these will show up on future lists due to it being a series/mulit-chaptered. Also you are more than welcome to tag me in things if you so wish :)

My past reading lists

[yourobedientslytherin]

Bonjour, Bitches! {Jefferson x Reader} ~ Part 1

Jefferson x Reader - Modern AU {Tech Company} 

1,552 words

Warnings: none :D 

A/N: Guess who’s baaaaaack!!! So...turns out I can’t write while I have freakin’ homework hanging over my head. Glad we figured that out. The good news is I’m almost on spring break (woooooo), which means I’ll prolly crank out the next parts of this long, long-awaited series in short succession. Really sorry about the time it took to write/post this. Also, I know this probably isn’t as exciting as you hoped, but it’ll get better. Im pinky promise :D 

A/N 2: Also, I didn’t proofread this bc I was so excited to get it posted!! 

Thomas Jefferson, retrieval specialist and hitman, pulled his hair into a ponytail with a sigh. It was supposed to be an easy job—just get the information, plant the virus, and get out. Two weeks tops. But on Day 20 of the job, Jefferson did not find himself lounging in his new mansion in Virginia like he had planned. Instead he was walking to yet another board meeting with Alexander Hamilton, the up-and-coming tech mogul, and his brilliant team of programmers, media consultants, and PR reps.

Hamilton made Jefferson’s blood boil, and not just because Hamilton was Jefferson’s rival in the market of technology. The man was so arrogant and opinionated. Their countless meetings dragged by, simultaneously irritating and boring Jefferson to the point of tears. He disagreed with Hamilton on every major issue involving the company, but Jefferson couldn’t say anything because he was Gilbert Lafayette, at least he had assumed Lafayette’s identity.

Lafayette, Hamilton’s French PR coordinator, had only begun working with Hamilton for two and a half weeks before Jefferson arrived, which wasn’t enough time for Hamilton or the rest of the team to really get a good idea of what his temperament was like. Therefore, Jefferson only had to mimic Lafayette’s knowledge of the project and his appearance, which was strikingly similar. They were both around the same height and had similar dark skin, curly black hair, and sleepy-looking features. Virtually the only difference was that Lafayette pulled his hair into a ponytail while Jefferson preferred to keep his down. Jefferson’s employer had made sure Lafayette was sent back to France to work on another project, and he wasn’t scheduled to return for another month. Any correspondence from Hamilton’s team to Lafayette was sent to Jefferson’s email and/or phone, cutting off Lafayette so he wouldn’t be suspicious and giving Jefferson access to all information concerning the project. His employer had been very thorough when thinking about the details.

Deep in thought, Jefferson walked down the hallway, his long legs carrying him at a quick pace, and rounded the corner to the conference room. He checked his phone, confirming that he still had several minutes before the meeting started.

Suddenly, he felt someone bump into him and heard both a whoosh as papers fell to the floor and a gasp in his ear. He turned, and his body reacted before his mind registered what just happened. He reached out and grabbed your waist as you fell, pulling your back into his front.

Hercules Mulligan picked that exact moment to poke his head out the conference room door. He loudly guffawed, staring at Jefferson intertwined with this poor girl.

Jefferson followed Herc’s gaze to where his hands were, not around your waist as he had originally thought, but around your chest, touching your breast. You quickly wiggled out of his arms with an indignant cry, your face turning as red as your dress.

“What the hell?” you shouted.

“I am so sorry,” he breathed, forgetting his assumed French accent for a moment. “Are you okay?”

You tried to discreetly rub your sore breast; he had quite the grip. “Doesn’t feel like it.”

His deep brown eyes searched your face for a moment. Satisfied that that, and possibly a bruised ego, was the extent of your injuries, he bent down and picked up the papers strewn about your feet. Oh, shit. Did I forget the French accent? he thought.

“My humblest apologies,” he said with the accent, handing you the papers. “I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear you coming.”

“What happened to your accent?” you asked sourly.

He froze. “Que?”

You rolled your eyes. “Forget it. Just watch what you’re doing.”

Jefferson’s eyes followed you as you walked into the conference room, clutching your papers to your chest. His heart sunk a little as he realized that you were the new PR representative Hamilton had hired. You two were going to work together on a lot of projects.

Clenching his jaw, he slipped into Lafayette’s goofy, laid-back persona and walked into the conference room.

“Bonjour, bitches!” he shouted, internally glaring at the group who excitedly acknowledged his presence.

“Hey, Laf!” greeted John Laurens.

“What were you up to just now?” Herc teased, wiggling his eyebrows at Jefferson and you.

The team consisted of Alexander Hamilton, the boss; Hercules Mulligan, media consultant; Laurens, some sort of programmer; Lafayette/Jefferson; and Aaron Burr, financial advisor. You glared at him from your seat next to Burr and rolled your shoulders.

“Laf,” Hamilton said, catching your attention. “This is Y/N. She’s the new PR representative.”

Jefferson nodded curtly at you. “Oui, we have already, how you say, ‘run into’ each other.”

Hamilton missed the tension between the two of you and turned to you. “Y/N, this is Gilbert Lafayette, our French PR representative. You two will become great friends in the next couple of months.”

Your expression ran through surprise, disgust, and irritation in a shockingly short span of time, settling on grim acceptance. You held your hand out to Jefferson.

“Nice to meet you,” you said coldly, your eyes flashing dangerously.

He took your hand, fighting the urge to gasp as your touch literally shocked him. Apparently you felt it too because you quickly withdrew your hand and sat back down.

Jefferson watched you with a confused expression for the length of the meeting, trying to figure out what it was about you that had his mind sprinting a million miles a second. No girl had ever made his body react that way before. He’d definitely dated before, sometimes even girls he met on the job, but they’d always been distant from the mark. No distractions, no mistakes. That was his motto.

“So you just click here, and then again here, and you should be good to go,” the IT guy—Chris? Carl? Cody?—told you, leaning over your shoulder as he guided you through the program.

He was too close to you to be displaying appropriate workplace behavior—you could almost feel his breath on your neck and smell his spicy cologne. Were there any men at this company who would respect your personal space? In the four hours that you’d worked here, a man had already gotten to second base with you and now another one was about ready to blow in your ear.

You gritted your teeth and forced a smile.

“Thanks, I think I got it now,” you told the IT guy, dismissing him.

Flashing you a grin, he left, disappearing into the blackness of the IT caves. You fought a shiver and turned back to your monitor.

“Bonjour!” A man popped up on the other side of your cubicle wall, tentatively smiling at you.

You resisted the urge to scream for a moment’s peace and looked up, cocking an eyebrow. It was the guy from the meeting, the one who grabbed your breast. You hadn’t been able to get a good look at him when you first met, mostly because you had been busy avoiding eye contact with him in the meeting. He had dark curly hair tightly pulled into a ponytail. His neatly trimmed facial hair framed perfect, plump pink lips that parted to reveal a dazzling white smile. His sleepy puppy dog eyes held your gaze confidently despite the awkwardness between the two of you.

Of course he was attractive.

Your mood darkened a little more.

“How can I help you?”

“I just wanted to apologize for earlier,” he murmured, his voice sounding as sleepy as his eyes looked, like he’d just rolled out of bed. “It was a, how you say, reflex. I was merely trying to save you.”

You gnawed on the inside of your cheek as you tried to decide what to say. If you said it was no big deal, he wouldn’t respect you and he might try something again. If you let him have a piece of your mind, it would make working with him very difficult. You decided to go with a moderate approach.

“Just don’t let it happen again, and we won’t have a problem, mon collégue,” you replied.

“Oh, you speak Français?” he asked, sounding apprehensive instead of delighted.

“Oui, j’ai vécu en France pendant un an.” (Yes, I lived in France for a year.)

“Oh, comme c’est merveilleux.” (Oh, how wonderful.) His expression didn’t match his words. “I also came over here to set up a time to begin speaking and collaborating about that project we are doing together.”

He skillfully changed the subject, you realized, but you let it slide and opened your calendar on your computer.

“Well, so far I have the whole week free, except for a meeting tomorrow morning. Any time works for me.”

“How about after lunch today? I’m sure you have a, how you say, boyfriend, who will eat with you today. To celebrate your employment.”

You shook your head. “No boyfriend. I was just going to go try that sushi place around the corner. I’ve heard good things.”

“Non,” he said emphatically, “that place is no good. There is a little French restaurant two streets from here. I will take you there.”

You hesitate. Two hours ago this guy grabs your boob after he almost knocks you over, and now he’s asking you to lunch? 

“I guess since you got to second base already, you should take me to lunch,” you teased. “I usually make guys take me to dinner first.”

Tagged: 

@inimitabledaveed @living-breathing-bibliophile @theroomwhereithxppens @loqanhowlet @desperatepenguin722

[ol-razzle-dazazzle]

The Bridges We Cannot Cross- Chapter 2: Sky and Sea

ayyyy y’all thanks for supporting this au ;^) we’re starting to get to the shippy part woooooo

Atsushi woke up to the clear air of a previously rainy night, dreamless thoughts and, most prominently, hunger pain.

Something he learnt to deal with was quickly recalling ‘last night’s situation’, considering he already slept in until night, something he was certainly used to doing consistently, though it was less of a nervous wreck as opposed to bewilderment…and the scent of crab.

“Good morning Atsushi~” That devilish smirk, as if Dazai held in his hands a knife-seathed doll as opposed to a spoon. Atsushi wondered if people could be killed with spoons. “It’s not exactly a 'traditional breakfast’, but there is always time for crabs. Especially when you’re by the river for the rest of eternity until further notice.”

Atsushi stared at the other man before him, “True, true.” He hastily had a spoonful of 'crab soup’, which was really just boiled water with chunks of crab, but it’s food, if only barely. “Speaking of which…how come you can’t get season- I mean, outside?” He glances up, making no haste to eat, or would drink be the better word?

“Is it really that good?” Dazai raised an eyebrow, perplexed.

“On the brink of starvation? Absolutely.”

“I’ve never starved before…” He trails off. “Food always seemed like such a chore.”

“I can tell.” Atsushi deadpanned.

“You’re too kind…” Dazai shrugs, “I didn’t have much else, all I could do was catch crabs unless you really want some plastic water bottles.” His expression darkens, “Or human.”

“I love this crab so much!” Atsushi’s smile widens out of discomfort. “I would prefer it much more than cannibalism. Or you killing me, really.”

“I-It was just a joke, don’t take it seriously!” “Pretty difficult considering you…you know, are a vengeful spirit, who is known for killing people.”

“Well…it’s only couples.” Dazai defended weakly, “Besides, I’m not that bad- there hasn’t even been a plague of me or anything.”

“Okay, okay.” Atsushi sighed, “And I won’t deny that you pretty much saved my life.”

“I…suppose I did.” Such a notion was foreign to Dazai, even from a human standpoint. It was at this point that he realised with some sense of bitterness that most people he knew he had killed or at least tried to, and the ones he hadn’t he would rather forget.

“But…thank you, you probably don’t even need it…”

“Not really, I just feed off the despairing envy of human souls.” Dazai waves a hand dismissively. “I’m kidding- I don’t need to, but it’s nice. The crab. Not the human souls, you can’t eat them.”

“Thank you for the clarification?”

“Hey, it’s not like they give you any celebration saying 'hey you drowned yourself, you’re now a vengeful demon! here’s some frequently asked questions, how to get your body back, getting upset over Noh plays and making nice bullet patterns.’”

“…Fair enough.” Atsushi hums over a mouthful of water. “…So you can’t leave?”

“Well…not really. I’m a vengeful spirit attached to a bridge. But I can go on it and the waters that cross through it.” Dazai scrunches his face in thought. “Apart from that, nowhere else. My body feels like it’s getting ripped from the seams and fading away-” “Thanks for the answer.”

Dazai coughs. “Sorry. It’s hard to adjust to others when you’ve been…stuck with yourself.”

Atsushi takes another sip, “It’s fine.”

A silence passes, and nothing is heard but the passing of water.

“Is this because of what I said earlier?” Atsushi calls out, unsure what to do with the warmth in his chest and stomach, but cold chill clinging to his skin.

“Earlier?”

“The…turning you back, or forward- whatever.”

“Ah! It hadn’t even registered!” Dazai snaps his fingers. “Well, it did. But it’s not the main reason, I guess.”

“Then what was?”

A question in which the answer crumbled on Dazai’s lips. He was right, he could’ve killed him, in fact, he should’ve…right? The resentment Dazai felt, a bitter void bubbling in his soul, seemed absent, quelled with the other man. Perhaps Atsushi’s prior suggestion wouldn’t be too far off…

“…Boredom.” Dazai forces a laugh, and by the squint of those delectable eyes Atsushi doesn’t believe him. Okay, stop that. Dazai’s thoughts stirred like a terribly bland crab soup. “Atsushi, is there a full moon out?”

Atsushi pokes his head from under the bridge. “Yes…why?”

“They say that the boundary between human and non-human is weakest on nights like this.” Dazai follows suit, stepping out in the natural light. “They say that youkai like me, hashihime… in the legends they were gods of separation.” His eyes capture those crescents tipped with violet, and a hand reaches for another. “It’s surely not that windy, the tigers in the sky haven’t yet emerged.” Cut off on swallowtail wings, the boundary between the sky and the sea.

Won’t you dance this line with me?

Atsushi takes his hand, and it’s cold and warm. The hand on his feels too smooth like water, skin like the wind, like nothing. But it feels his soul with something tantalising, to live a world of sorrowful revelry, to live a night to simply drink in the blue and black of the world around them.

The sky touches the sea, and their lips meet for but a brief second. The world is closed in that second, opened in another.

“I…uh…” Atsushi laughed nervously, “It didn’t work. The k-kiss idea.”

Empty space, the difference between up and down painfully cleared.

“That’s…fine.” Dazai forces a smile, but it was a pinch of reality that one would not expect.

Not the fact that 'true love’s kiss’ wouldn’t work. But the fact that Dazai was starting to drown in untapped waters.

This painful ache in his heart, he recognised it as envy twisting his soul. Monsters lurking in his mind, thoughts and words that were sharper than any blade, yet felt a mere dull ache. But internally, it was different. It was…a nice feeling. Longing, yearning. A feeling he had tossed aside as nothing more than his mind’s own self-destruction, piling reasons to do what he did, feeding the demon that preyed on him, plaguing, pestering, until it /was/ him.

Longing.

Dazai longed to be rid of it. But it would not be cast aside, love or any other fantasy wouldn’t change that.

So the cavern held a new swelling in his chest, one that he wondered, was frightful even, if it would twist him further. Love.

Perhaps it was not 'true love’ yet, perhaps it would never 'fix’ him, but it helped, helped calm and quell the raging waves.