#THANK YOU FOR THE PROMPT AUD THIS WAS PERFECT

[spaceratprodigy]

(palette challenge) PINK LEMONADE OR WATERMELON FOR DELIRIS ⁉️⁉️⁉️

@oldworldwidgets — [ palette prompts ]

WATERMELON LEMONADE DELIRIS 💖💚

[galladrabbles]

Weekly Wrap U-Up

It's Sunday - the perfect time to watch a movie you were looking forward to or to quickly write a drabble if you haven't done it yet for this week's prompt.

Thank you, @mmmichyyy, for setting it this week.

Thank you to everyone who wrote a drabble - the awards for best writing in exactly 100 words go to you!!

Thank you to all the supporters and rebloggers - you definitely get the wards for best fandom people!

And next we'll be calling @squirrel-fund up onto the stage to submit her prompt to us via ask. Thanks, Auds!

And last but not least: Welcome to the new writers! The Best New Words and Faces awards go out to you! We're happy to have you!

Enjoy the rest of your weekends! Till tomorrow, Vey

[sfb123]

Thanks for the tags @darley1101 @queenrileyrose & @kat-tia801!

There’s a new prompt list making the rounds, and it’s perfect for Uncle Drake (who was been sitting dormant since Easter), so check out the 50 Prompts with Little One and send in some requests, I’ve already got one hanging in the inbox, hoping to get to that tomorrow or Tuesday.

As far as WIP that are actually in progress at the moment, I’ve been plowing through Sapere Aude, chapter 12 is ready to go and will be out by Wednesday. This also ended up being split up into 2 chapters, so chapter 13 is already in progress. Here’s a look at chapter 12:

“Your Majesty.” Mara approached, interrupting the conversation. “I apologize, but I need a moment of your time.”

“Of course.” Riley stood from her seat and addressed her friends. “I’ll be right back guys.” Liam kissed her hand before releasing it, watching her walk away.

Once they got out of earshot of everyone else, Mara informed Riley that Eleanor had sent a request for the one on one meeting she had mentioned at the Via Imperii gathering. And that she would need to leave immediately to meet with her.

“But I’m on a family vacation, Mara. Can’t this wait another day or two?” Riley didn’t want to have this meeting at all, and now it was going to be interrupting time with her family.

“I’m afraid not ma’am, she said it is time sensitive.”

“Fine.” Riley sighed. “Please go get the car ready, I will let everyone know that I have to step away.”

Mara nodded in acknowledgement and took her leave to arrange for their departure as Riley returned to the table. Everyone took note of her somber expression, they had a feeling they knew exactly what this was about.

Liam stood from his seat and approached her, taking her hand. “What is it, love?”

“She wants to have that meeting. Now.” Riley took a deep breath running a nervous hand through her hair. “Mara went to get the car.”

Liam pulled her into a comforting embrace, wrapping his arms securely around her. “It’s alright, this may actually work in our favor. We were all going to talk about a plan tonight anyway. Maybe you will be able to get more information, or anything else that could help us.”

Riley pulled away and met his eyes. “You’re right. I need to suck it up, I just want this to be over.”

“I know love, I know. Me too.” He placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her on the forehead.

Whatcha working on @jessiembruno @txemrn @emkay512 @burnsoslow @callmeellabella?

[camelliacats]

Track Record

For Drabble Tag, with the prompt open to interpretation.

Fic: "Track Record" [FFN] [AO3]

Pairings/Characters: Hermione Granger/Audrey Weasley, Angelina Johnson

Rating: K

Words: ~960

Additional info: romance, femslash, angst, fluff, Next Gen era, 3rd person POV

Summary: Until Weasleys—until Audrey—Hermione had a perfect track record in life. No mistakes. And that's not about to change.

       Angelina stuffed the rest of the pastry into her mouth. "'S gwea' we di' fis—" She paused, reddened, grabbed the rest of her things from her seat at the café with the two Muggle-born witches, and snatched the treat away. "I mean," she corrected after swallowing, "it's great we did this again. It's been too long, but—"

      Hermione and Audrey both nodded. "We know, Angelina," Hermione told her. "You've still got five minutes, but it's all right. You're good to go."

      Audrey sipped her tea. "You don't have to apologize every time you dash on us," she quipped a bit too bluntly. She ignored Hermione's fleeting look of disapproval as she enjoyed her drink.

      But the raven-haired woman raised her eyebrows and looked between her sisters-in-law. "…sorry. It's just—with the tryouts—and I'm dying to play again, maybe coach later—"

      "We know," Hermione repeated, a touch of exasperation leaking into her own tone. She pretended not to notice Audrey's little smile in response. Hermione focused on Angelina instead, shooing her along. "Good luck in Ballycastle."

      "Thanks!"

      "Oh! Angelina! Your—" She stopped short, since she and Audrey had brought her to a Muggle café.

      But Angelina saw her wand on the ground, underneath her chair. She dove for it as though it were a Quaffle and came up without knocking her head on the chair's underside. She tucked the item into her sleeve with a shining grin. "If I can pull that off, I'll have this in the bag!"

      "Only if you make it on time," Audrey reminded her.

      Once more, the frazzled side of Angelina Johnson returned, and she dashed away. To the other café customers, Angelina was someone who'd simply left. To the trained ears of Hermione and Audrey, the distant POP behind the building was no doubt Angelina Disapparating home before she left for her pro Quidditch tryout.

      "We really shouldn't try to arrange all three of us getting together anymore," Audrey stated with a shake of her head. She picked at the croissant on her own plate.

      Hermione frowned and shook her head at Audrey. "It's been good for us, though, Aud. We—We each rather need it."

      "Do we, though?" Audrey's tone wasn't acerbic, just defeated. Her gray eyes roved over Hermione, studying the younger witch's body language. "Think about it, Hermione. The seven-year itch sweeping through the family. No one saw it coming since Bill and Fleur are somehow still happily married. But first me and Percy. Then Angelina and George. And now you and Ron, last year."

      Hermione's frown deepened, but she couldn't refute the history Audrey had laid out. "Ginny's knocking on every available piece of wood," she remarked softly.

      Audrey briefly smiled. "I'd like to think she and Harry will be all right."

      "And, if not, are we going to expand our little group?"

      Audrey dropped her croissant to scoot her chair around the circular table closer to Hermione. She bumped shoulders with her. "Hey. Just because some family bonds became brittle doesn't mean others have to break. That was the original purpose of you and me and Angelina getting together so often. Chatting, discussing the kids, raising this ridiculously large family…" Audrey rolled her eyes. "I don't know how we managed to meet up as often as we used to, to be quite honest."

      Her attitude finally brought a tiny smile to Hermione's face. "That's fair. Even when I've thought Ange had stopped coming, it's been a relief, still meeting up with you."

      "That's because I've got the same kind of sensible head you do." Audrey's slow smile was mischievous. "How narcissistic, Ms. Granger."

      Hermione laughed. "First time I've been accused of that."

      Audrey patted Hermione's hand, leaving her fingers there for a rest, and sipped her tea. "And I compared myself to the Wizarding world's greatest hero witch. We're all a little full of it."

      Hermione's smile didn't fade. But Audrey's hand did draw her attention to her watch. "Oh! Ange wasn't the only one running behind—I've got to get back to the office myself."

      "Oh." Audrey set her tea down and followed Hermione with her eyes. "So soon?"

      "Sorry, Aud." Hermione left some quid on the table, checked for her own wand on her person, and unfolded the cloak she'd draped on the back of her chair. She pecked Audrey's cheek—then froze. She'd never done that before. Hermione blinked and stared at Audrey.

      Audrey blinked and stared back. Her lips popped open in a little "o."

      "Seeyoulater," Hermione rushed, and she half scurried out the door before they could analyze things further.

      But, once outside, Hermione froze once more on the walk in front of the café. Pecking Audrey's cheek had felt…quiet natural. Not like hugging Angelina or Ginny or Fleur. But…like…a natural progression. She and Audrey had spent much of the past year meeting up, with Angelina or without, and not always to talk about family or work. Just—to enjoy themselves. To be close to one another. She'd felt Audrey's fingers running through her hair before, and she had brushed back Audrey's gentle waves to get a better look at those sharp gray eyes.

      She simply never had kissed her before. And Hermione wondered if the same kinds of thoughts wandered through Audrey's mind now as she risked a glance through the café window—

      She found a familiar pair of gray eyes staring back. But no longer was Audrey surprised. Her brow pinched together a little, her eyes zeroed in on Hermione, and her lips remained parted. All, as with…longing.

      Perhaps, Hermione told herself, looking to tamp down her hopes before she hurried along the pavement. After all, her beating heart and Audrey's yearning eyes were fodder for wishful interpretation.

*LOL* This followed my original notes right up until the last scene. XD Once Hermione pecked Audrey's cheek, the story chucked my notes out the window and ran away from me. But I like this instead??? Esp for a drabble. :P A sad opening premise, but relying on someone for strength and companionship in this way…and then feelings sneak up on ya. UGH. I also have such set Audrey hcs, but here I let a little more of her dry humor show, *lol*. I rly need to sketch my design for her. TT-TT This kinda begs a follow-up, even a brief one, doesn't it? XD (As so many of my fics do, oof.)

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew

[hollowmossart]

Alright I don’t know what prompted this. It’s 11:06 at night, although time is fake so who knows. General TW/CW for mentions of violence and such. It’s fanfiction. side note: these are all fictions I find while scrolling Ao3 that I get stronger reactions to the tags or description from! If any of these are yours and you do not want them here, please message me and tell me

This will also include my reaction to the fan fictions but entirely judging the book my it’s cover (in this case, tags, fandoms, and descriptions) on whether I would read/have read or not. If I’ve read it, there will be a rating/recommendation

-Assimilate by AlacrityAbound-

•words: 2,882•

Rating: Incomplete, Teen+, M/M, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Description:

”He saved them all, he had to remember that. He had saved everyone from this terrible fate, from the life he now had to live. They didn’t understand, would never understand, nor would they know the lengths their Voice would go to protect them.”

H-huh??? No no no this sounds painful.

Tags:

“The smiling god”

oh no

”hurt and very little comfort”

EXCUSE ME? PLEASE NO

”believeinasmilingcecil”

OKAY LISTEN. IVE WRITTEN THIS BEFORE. IVE COSPLAYED THIS BEFORE. BUT F-CK THIS AU LMAO

”betrayal”

um. to whom,, may i ask??

Will I be reading this?

Maybe if I grow to a point of numb where I turn to Strex!Cecil in order to feel? Maybe if I just need to cry.

-Dinner Break by StarshipRangerBoyWonder-

Rating: Completed, M/M, General Aud.

•words: 1,717•

Description:

"Cecil’s in desperate need of some food. Lucky for him, Carlos comes to the rescue."

Firstly, this sounds like sm-t, though it’s not marked as being such. I do have to note, one of the fandoms listed, along with the obvious WNTV, is. McDonalds..? Is there actually a fandom?? Secondly, Carlos to the rescue.

Tags:

”Cecil/Chicken Nuggets”

Please.. please tell me this is not a ship. This can’t be right??? Wot?? I’m scared mom come pick me up. I need Carlos and Martin(tma) and my boyfriend in a cuddle pile with me right now.

”duck”

..duck goose?

”Kentucky does not exist��� “I repeat” “Kentucky” “does” “Not” “exist”

Gotcha! Makes perfect sense! thank you night vale

Will I be reading this?

likely.. not. the tags mixed with the description have me in fear of my brain cells. i have so few left.

-Absolutely Facinating, Scientifically Speaking, by zombified_queer

Rating: Completed , Teen+, M/M

•words: 584•

Description:

"Carlos was just out doing some shopping when he just about had a heart attack. Still, it was facinating, scientifically speaking."

To be fair, without the tags this one would not have caught my eyes, however, the tags are as follows:

Tags:

"Earl Harlan is a merman"

Okay... Go on..?

"The aquatic hamster ball"

Firstly, huh? I think I have been in one of these. It leaked and got my jeans wet. Secondly, really weird deja vu right there.

"Earl is loosely based on the zebra turkeyfish"

..The what now? DId I miss a few episodes or--

Will I read this?

It is relatively short for my liking, however, I have extrmely curious. I've read the works of this fandom and I've seen just how weird it can be. I might.

A remembrance of strange things, by Pseudothyrum

Rating: Completed, M/M, General Aud.

•words: 630•

Description:

"There isn't enough coffee in the world to deal with Night Vale"

Me reading some of the tags/descriptions of fanfiction at what is now 11:57pm on a Monday. Giving off the vibes of a Cecil POV.

Tags:

"wall tentacles"

... what? yknow.. its not as strange as it could be..

"crack"

ah a crack fic. that last tag is a bit less concerning now.

"definitely not ghosts"

hey uhh i think they're might actually be ghosties.

"blood"

did i accidently find a hannibal x will fic.

Will I read this?

Again, it is super short, so I likely won't. I gotta point out, most wtnv fanfiction would be considered crack fic by any other fandom, so this fandom's idea of 'crack fic' concerns me. I might check it out. Not super high on my look out.

-Endless Wedge, by the_angst_alchemist

Rating: Major Ch. Death, M/M, complete

•words: 1,397•

Description:

"Years have passed since that snowfall way back when, and Carlos can still recall every second when he wasn't able to say those words to the man he cared about. So in order to keep that broken voice preserved in his mind, he's kept his own voice quiet."

..Oh wow. Ow. This one caught my eye with tags that made me giggle, but a caption that made me well aware I will cry upon reading it. The description suggests it is well written, I want to even say beautiful. It also hurts because how dare you make Carlos sad?

Tags:

"Carlos doesn't cope well with death"

:( baby no its okay (Have I mentioned I'm a simp?)

"Cecil doesn't cope well with being dead"

I think that's the general consensus of the public, Ceec

"endless wedge"

Sounds like this is describing an emotion? Maybe the wedge of pain in my heart when I read this.

Will I read this?

Oh no doubt in my wee brain. I wish to hurt this good please. It seems amazingly written judging solely on the description, and has a decent amount of words for my liking! I will update when I have read it. I just noticed it's a part two, so I might have even more pain to bear first.

I will update this post when I go through more! It's currently 12:25AM on 12/01/20 on a god damned Tuesday why did I hyperfixate on this for an hour and a half.

[god-of-lust-negan]

The red for Passion and Warmth

A/N: This is written for @flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash ‘s “fall into negan writing challenge” and I’ve chosen the prompt “knitting a scarf” because well, scarves can be used as cuffs ;). I hope you enjoy. Also, a note for the creator, this is my fanfiction blog, my real account is @yarabi99 

Summary: You and Negan expect a baby and you are really good at knitting you so you make something special that made him cry.

Pairings: Negan x reader

Warnings: Implied smut, not too sexual but just him talking is dirty talking. Also, there will be angst, beware. Angst with a serving more angst and for dessert there is a special: Tears of Sadness. 

      It was a chilly afternoon in the early fall.You were humming softly to your favorite song while you rocked yourself on the white, soft recliner chair. You were busy knitting happily while waiting for your husband to come home from work. You were cautious with the long, steel needles from poking your fingers and your child.

     You were currently waiting for your husband to arrive home from work, excited to tell him that you completed your fifth the final scarf. You stopped rocking when you heard the door creak open and slam, a very giveaway that he was tired, letting the door close on it’s own. You then heard the familiar, rough and deep tone voice, “Fuck, I am so fuckin’ tired.” He groaned.

    When Negan entered in his coach’s uniform, you admired his sense of fashion of going with the black track suit, making him look slimmer and much more sexier. He dragged his feet to the brown, soft-looking chair, his hips moving lazily. You smiled small and looked up to see a resting face, with close eyes. You removed your dark, gray blanket onto the basket that was filled with yarn and other materials.You carefully stood up, placing your hands on your belly. You walked up to Negan’s chair and you saw his eyes open, seeing a smile form immediately. He removed his fist from his chin and spread both arms to hug you. 

    Negan sat up as he placed his hands on your belly, leaning forward to kiss it, fascinated that inside of you was a baby that he so desperately wanted to holding his arms. “Hi baby.” He grinned, his deep dimples showing his smooth, shaved jaw, “You aren’t giving any trouble to mommy huh?” He placed another kiss and looked up to see your gorgeous face. “Hey baby doll. Any troubles?” He asked, as he softly rubbed his hard on the belly.

   You shook your head, “Not since yesterday, sweetie.” You say, moving your hand to place on his hand, “How was your day sweetheart?”

  Negan sighs in frustration just thinking about his day, “Fucking Freshmen...” He took your hand as he stood up, “Why do I always get the hormonal teens?”

   You snickered as you poked his chest, “That’s your punishment for always cussing, I told you before to control it and you let the dog loose.” You remarked and saw his eyes roll from one side to the other with a smirk on his precious, kissable lips. You heard him chuckle as he moved behind you, resting his chin on your shoulder and his hands on your belly, rubbing softly with his calloused hands. 

   “I still can’t fucking believe I’m going to be a father.” 

   “Believe it hun, and soon you’re gonna regret it.” You sighed, already excited to hear the cries in the middle of the night, the dark bags bringing flashbacks of your college, restless nights, “ Don’t start complaining when you check up on your son in the middle of the night.”

   You heard him scoff, “What makes you think I will wake up up to the sounds of my child crying?”

  “Because one!” You held up a finger, startling Negan, “You got me pregnant, painful agonizing hours.” You held up a second finger then you lifted your third finger, “You knocked me up.”

  Negan scoffed at your third claim, pulling away from you, “You’re fucking making it look like it was my decision but let me fucking remind you.” you can feel his hands slither onto your hips and down your thighs, his mouth so close to your ears, “You didn’t want me to stop, so with your pretty little voice you said, ‘More’ and I gave you more, more and more that your mind was just focusing on my huge fucking hard dick and you didn’t want me to pull out and so while I claimed you as mine, you wanted something much more; my children.” He smirked, the things he said getting onto you, making you blush a deep red. You did not expect Negan to go so far as to what you wanted that night.

   “Nothing to say? That’s what I thought.” He grinned and kissed your cheek.

   You wanted nothing more but to just prove him wrong but you were left speechless, knowing full well he was right. You huff and pull away from him stubbornly hearing him chuckle. 

   “I made you something.” You say, changing the topic. 

   “Really now?” He grinned as you waddled your way to the basket. Negan saw the opportunity to help and rushed over to the basket before you even started your bending.  He moved the blanket and saw a purple, blue and red scarf. You curse as he saw the surprise you wanted to show him, “Dammit Negan it was a surprise!” You whined.

   “And surprised I am baby doll.” He took all three out, examining each. He saw how the purple scarf was a short length, for a kid. He smiled involuntarily as he compared it to the blue and saw it was longer but the loose ends had braids, for a woman. He finally saw the crimson red scarf, the length for a male and the loose ends turned into knots. He inhaled deeply and let out a lazy sigh, “Surprised I am.” 

    You were actually very nervous while he was staring at each with interest, this was the moment of truth to see if you had officially made him happy again.

    There were few moments in his life where he was genuinely happy. When he first met you after two years of his beloved Lucille’s death, you were there for him in the worst moments, seeing him vulnerable like a kid- he was actually relief and grateful that someone did not make fun of him for crying. You made him comfortable and you said, in quotes: “Life is tough when special ones are gone, and some times we just need to have a good cry to accept the reality...it’s okay to cry Negan, even the biggest, most baddest person cries.” and from then on he knew you were perfect, you were definitely the one to guide him in a light, and he truly fell in love with you. He did not forget about Lucille but because of you -and his future child- he learned to accept her death, and move on.  

     He placed the blue and purple scarf on the white chair carefully and held the red one with the other, feeling the soft material, “You really do have skills with your hands.” He smirked, glancing at you. You rolled your eyes with a smile, “I aim to please then.” 

    Negan snickered and raised the scarf over his head and on his neck. “Mm, if you weren’t pregnant I’d know how to use this scarf on.”

   You giggled as you got closer to him, “Keep using that hand of yours mister, you are grounded.” You smiled and wrapped the scarf loosely for a moment and unzipped his jacket. Negan kept his eyes on you, watching how to wrap the scarf her way. You tucked the rest of it in the jacket and zipped it up enough to not get the fabric caught. You patted his chest softly, “It looks well. You look very handsome.” You smiled softly, lowering your hands to his hips. Negan used his thumb and forefinger to lift your chin, “Thank you baby, I love it.” and he leaned down to press his lips on yours, claiming your them with a deep passion. 

~

It was a peaceful night while you two were cuddled up in the king-size bed when all of a sudden you felt an unbearable pain which had woken you up, “Negan!” You shook his hand and he snorted, waking up, “Wha- wha-?”

“Negan, the baby-!”

“Shit! Is it time? Right now? Like this moment like right now while I was sleeping?” He jolted, half-asleep.

“NO NEGAN IT’S JUST ME PRACTICING FOR THE BIG DAY OF COURSE IT’S THE BABY!!!”

Negan knew than to talk back, something that scared him was angry you. He went to the closet and grabbed his jeans and his shirt, putting them on, “I’m coming I’m coming!” he shouted, hopping to you as he picked up his pants. He grabbed the baby bag from the floor next to the drawer and put it on, “Okay, okay honey let’s go.”

The ride was long with your screaming and grunting from the baby. You were gripping on the seat hard that you clawed into it. Negan had your doctor on speed dial, using his free hand to press the button, “Hurry up, hurry up fucking dammit!” He shouted. You began to scream and while you scream, he screamed from the stress of you screaming. He heard a familiar voice on the phone and he shouted, “The baby! The Baby is coming!” 

“Bring her here as soon as possible, we’ll get her ready!” she responded, hanging up already. 

It was a busy night for everyone in the room, you were crying and holding in your screams as you held Negan’s hands. No, not held. Squeezing like a stressing ball. Your doctor helped you step by step and you cried from the pain. It felt like time had slowed down when you were pushing on doctor’s orders. She had told you that she was able to see the head and that motivate you to push further, helping your baby out. It was a long time before you could hear the miraculous cry. The first time you heard the cry, letting go of his hand. Negan’s hand was red and he used his other to massage it as he walked over to the doctor, carrying the baby in a blanket. 

“Congratulations, it’s a girl.” The doctor smiled and handed her to his arms after seeing his arms go towards her. Negan was surprisingly speechless at the sight of her baby girl. He felt his eyes watery, using his finger to caress the skin, “Hi doll...I’m your daddy.” 

She didn’t respond, barely even moving her hand. Negan turned to you with a smile and you smiled as well watching his smile being genuine. You were glad he was happy again. You watched as he walked over to you and held out the baby towards you, holding her for you to look. ou were extremly exhausted, smiling again, “Wow, I gave birth to a Negan...” you joked, giggling audibly. 

“Ah but she’s beautiful, just like you.” and he leaned over to give you a kiss, accepting it happily.

Negan opened the door with an exhaustion expression. He entered the room and saw one of his wives sitting on the bed. Tonight was not the night for him to pound into someone like he normally would. He raised his free hand to his scarf, slowly caressing the thin fabric, “You can leave darling, go ahead and sleep in your room tonight.”

   As soon as she heard those coming out of his mouth she rushed to get out. She closed the door after leaving, Negan standing alone in the middle of the room. He moved towards the bed and sat down, slowly removing the scarf. He leaned his special bat against the bed and held the scarf in his hands, raising it to his lips. He smelled the faint dust but in his mind he can smell the clean, rose smell of the scarf.

   “I still can’t believe I wasn’t able to do anything...fuck....Fuck fuck fuck fuck, FUCK!” He screamed in anger but not at the scarf, at himself, he was useless once again, memories flashing before him. Memories of his beloved wife. He lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. This was out of character of him if he was outside, but the thing of being completely alone in his room in the night while everyone else was sleeping, or some guarding, was that he can let go of his feelings like someone special had taught him to do. He continued to stare at the ceiling with a blank expression but his mind had flooded in by the memories of his late wife, (y/n). He felt his eyes ache for a second when the tears began to appear, his throat strain, forcing him to gulp. He sniffled and felt the tears fall from each corner of the eyes. He took extra breaths as he sobbed away the sadness. Behind each inappropriate comment, behind each movement with the swing of a bat was a human who had deep feelings that had yet to let go. He closed his eyes for a moment as the tears flow. When he opened them again, his whites had a faint red from the tears. He raised the scarf to his cheek and mumbled her name over and over again. He turned onto his side and held the crimson scarf close to him, closing his eyes to remember her again.

Tragic events happened one right after one. The one that affected him the most was your body weakening for unknown causes. He was terrified that you have cancer but your doctor assured him that wasn’t it. Your baby was 3 months old when you caught some sort of virus that made your legs paralyzed. You were so weak that you were complete bed rest. Negan would come every day with little bella -you asked him if he wanted Lucille as her name but he rejected it, going with bella instead- and he would take you out in a wheelcahir for a walk. Each day was miraculous but also hell for him to see you in the hospital bringing him pessimist thoughts. He took your advice and went to his room to cry silently, while Bella slept peacefully in her crib. 

   It was November and you were waiting for your husband to arrive with Bella. You were just looking out the window when you heard a happy tone knock, making your head turn almost immediately to see something unexpected: Negan was wearing blue jeans, a v-neck black shirt and his scarf that you made. On top of that, he had his reading glasses hanging on the scarf. You teared up, in disbelief that he remembered. 

   As he walked over to you with the baby car seat carrier in his hand, you noticed something else when he set it on the chair and unbuckled Bella. You saw him pick her up and she was dressed in a light purple one-sie and wrapped loosely around her neck was the purple scarf you also made. You began to sob and cried happily at the sight. Negan smiled small and held out Bella for you. You reached out to get her and held her close to you, “Hi Bella.” you cooed, sniffling.

“That’s not all hun.” He said and went back to the carrier and pulled out the rolled up blue scarf that you gasp. “You can’t make purple with just blue, you know.” He smiled.

You snickered, sniffling as well. You realize that out of all the times he made you happy and vice versa, this was your favorite moment with him. He helped you put on the scarf loosely as well.

“There, now we are a family.”

That is, when you felt weak all of a sudden. Your vision blurrying and your happy expression disappeared to a concern one, “Negan? Negan!”

This was all unexpected and Negan took Bella from your arms, placing her back in the carrier. 

“Baby what’s wrong? What’s wrong!” He ran out and called out for the nurses and doctors. A few rushed over to the room and the nurse took the scarf off and placed it on the carrier. He watched with shock as he saw how you shook and jumped around for help, calling out his name. “Negan!Negan!NEgan!NEGAN!” you cried out in fear. He’s never seen you so scared in your life, he knew you weren’t scared of anything but when this happened, it terrified him. One of the nurses took the carrier and made Negan go outside of the room. He begged  and denied but another nurse got to him as well and they both managed to get him out. Bella was crying and he picked her up to put her back to sleep. He did his best to calm her down but he couldn’t help it, a tear ran down his cheek, and another one, and another. One by one came more. He held Bella so close to him, whispering to her as she cried, “It’s going to be okay baby. It’s going to be okay.”

And it wasn’t. It wasn’t until the doctor came out hours later to find Negan -and Bella asleep- sitting in the chair were his hands clasped together, his chin on top of them. Negan lifted up his face to see his doctor’s eyes sadden. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, hoping it was not real. His breaths shook everytime he exhaled. He stood up and began walking to the room. 

“Sir, ple-” 

“Get the fuck out of my way, I have the right to see my fucking wife.” He responded so coldy. The doctor lowered his head and stepped away. Negan strolled slowly to see his wife laying on the bed peacefully, the wires taken off. His eyes teared up again as he raised his shakey hand to his mouth, “No...” he rushed over to your side and grabbed your cold hand, “Baby doll...baby doll...(y/n) please wake up...please wake up! Don’t leave us here please!...” He cried. His emotions bottled up were broken, letting them all go. He held your hand with both of his. He was letting go of all his emotions when you heard someone scream, “RUUUUNNNN!!”

Negan looked up and turn to see people running and he began to run towards the door when he saw soomeone knock over the chairs, the carrier falling over and Bella landing on the floor with a screeching cry. 

“BEELLLAAA!!!” He cried and went  over as fast as he could.As if it couldn’t get any worse than this broke his humanity, his soul, his heart at the sight before him. Two people ran by, kicking the carrier out of the way and hearing a bone crack. Negan’s legs gave out, falling onto his knees with a shock expression.

Negan’s eyes snapped open and with a sharp gasp he woke up, sitting up, “Bella!” He screamed, panting heavily in a cold sweat. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was and he looked down to see the crimson scarf. He looked out the window and took note that it was morning. Another day to become the douche of the group. He stood up from the bed and walked to his bathroom where the mirror was, holding the scarf. He looked at himself in the mirror and took off his jacket with an emotionless expression. It was easy to put on a smile and make comments so everyone can know that he was a heartless monster, but what was more difficult was coming back to the safe place and stop pretending to deal with his past. 

He wrapped the scarf the way you did for him a long time ago, step by step he did. He remembered that smiled of yours that always warm his heart. It seemed to help him relax knowing he could remember those precious memories of his wife. When he finished with the scarf, he put on his jacket and head out to pick up Lucille. He caressed the bat slowly, “I miss you too, I miss all of my girls.” and when he opened the door he grinned so wide like a wolf, “Simon! Fuckin’ come ‘ere, today is a fucking busy day like always.” and out he went, leaving the passionate warm memories in his room, to come back every night to remember. 

[unashamed-shipper]

Could I request 28 (movies) for Gajevy? Thanks Auds~

Yee!

~

“You sure you wanna watch this, Shrimp?” Gajeel asked, eyes narrowing at the title of the movie. The Proposal.

“Yes! It’s one of my favorites, and I’ve been meaning to watch it with you!” Levy replied, eyes gleaming.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair and agreed, wondering what he was getting himself into.

Half an hour later, he was howling with laughter. The grandma was hilarious, and he couldn’t believe how damn uptight the woman was. It reminded him of a certain woman who once called herself the queen of the fairies…

As he watched Levy laugh, he realized he wanted to hear that sound for the rest of his life. It was beautiful and melodic, light and airy all at the same time.

As Andrew popped the question to Kate, he felt the weight of the small box in his pocket. He knew the time was now, and with a deep breath in he turned toward his girlfriend.

The timing was perfect. It was now. And it was right.

~

There ya go! I hope you’ve actually seen that movie, and if you haven’t, it’s hilarious. Slightly inappropriate, but funny.

Requests are open, and I’ll start work on the rest of them in the morning when I get to work :)

Please refer to the 100 word prompt ask list when requesting :)

[silvino32mills]

Case Study: How To Use Your Blog To Crowdfund Your Next Project

Today’s post is a case study with sustainable living educator, Laura Trotta.

Laura used her blog to crowdfund more than AUD 37,000 for sustainability initiatives, including the construction of her Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs membership site and her trip to Antarctica to participate in a global sustainability program.

Here’s how she did it.

When I launched my eco-living blog lauratrotta.com in late 2015, I never imagined it would become the launchpad for crowdfunding substantial amounts of money to grow my business (and my impact). I simply saw it as my main platform to inspire and educate others to switch to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Yet just months after launching, the combination of my vision and tight funds had me looking at alternate funding sources to design and build a membership platform for my online eco-living programs.

I didn’t have the finances invest in the project and develop it to the quality I wanted (and my followers expected). So I decided to crowdfund the project.

And the rest is history.

Within a few weeks I raised more than AUD 15,000 (more than enough to cover the project costs), and had 54 members in my Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs membership community.

Buoyed by the success of this initial campaign, a year later I ran a second campaign and raised more than AUD 22,000 to secure my ship berth to Antarctica as part of the Homeward Bound program.

I was selected as one of 80 female scientists worldwide to travel to Antarctica for a climate change and women in science initiative. But this once in a lifetime opportunity came with a hefty price tag that could financially sink my family.

With the payment deadline to secure my ship berth fast approaching I asked my online following for support via (you guessed it) a crowdfunding campaign.

And I’m so glad I did. Not only did I raise the funds to accept my selection, I helped 200 supporters become part of something special.

I could go on and on about how crowdfunding through my blog has helped me. But I’d much rather take a closer look at how it can help you.

Whether it’s securing funding upfront, catapulting their visibility, or seeing if a business concept will fly, more and more bloggers and entrepreneurs are turning to crowdfunding over traditional forms of finance.

In fact, 2015 saw an estimated US$34 billion worldwide being raised by crowdfunding.

In this post I’ll explain what crowdfunding is and how it works. I’ll also share five benefits of crowdfunding (only one is financial), and why you should consider it not just to raise capital, but also to grow your blog—and your business.

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is about raising capital for a project or venture upfront by receiving monetary contributions from a large number of people. The supporters ‘pledge’ their support for the campaign in exchange for a reward. Rewards can be a product or service, or just a public acknowledgement.

How does crowdfunding work?

To set up a crowdfunding campaign, you share the story of your project and where you’ll invest the funds into an online crowdfunding platform such as Kickstarter, Pozible, Chuffed or Indiegogo.

You then specify different tangible rewards different amounts of monetary pledges.

There are two types of crowdfunding campaigns:

the ‘all or nothing’ campaign, where you receive the funds only if you reach your campaign target

the ‘receive everything’ campaign, where you receive all funds whether or not you reach the target.

Naturally, there are advantages and disadvantages for each one.

The platform will prompt you to specify a period for the crowdfunding campaign. And once you hit publish, you’re on your way.

Despite what many people think, running a crowdfunding campaign isn’t a ‘set and forget’ exercise. You need to drive as much traffic as you can to your campaign to make sure you trend high on the platform and receive the financial pledges you need.

Sharing your campaign on social media as well as traditional media, email marketing and other methods will all increase the chances of your campaign reaching (or even exceeding) your target.

What are the benefits of crowdfunding?

You may be put off crowdfunding by the amount time and effort needed, or the fact it’s all so open and public. But before you choose a more traditional form of finance I encourage you to reconsider, as the benefits of crowdfunding go way beyond the financial reward.

Here are some more benefits of crowdfunding.

Raised Profile/Media Exposure. Due to the high traffic volume crowdfunding platforms receive, and the likelihood of friends and supporters sharing your campaign in social media, crowdfunding is one of the best ways to increase exposure and boost your visibility.Following my two successful crowdfunding campaigns, my story was picked up by online and traditional media keen for a ‘good news’ story. My social media and email followers also grew considerably during and after the campaign.

Market Research. Not sure your idea will fly? Crowdfunding will quickly give you the answer. While many people fear a failed crowdfunding campaign, the astute blogger/business owner knows it’s better than investing thousands of dollars (and just as many hours) on a business or project only to have it fail. A successful campaign gives you the confidence that there’s a market for your product or service before you create it.

Loyal Customers. The people who pledge money will become your most loyal customers. They’ve personally invested in your idea, and want you to grow and succeed. There’s no better feeling than giving these customers their rewards to thanks them for their support.

No interest or ongoing fees. Unlike traditional business lending, once you hit your target, and the platform and transaction fees have been deducted, that’s it. There are no ongoing fees, and definitely no interest rates.

Accountability. There’s no better motivation to keep your project on track than having a large group of customers waiting for a product or service they’ve already paid for. In my experience, a successful crowdfunding campaign is the perfect way to get public accountability and push you to deliver what you’ve promised.

How soon after the campaign do you get your money?

In an ‘all or nothing’ campaign, pledges are processed as soon as the target is reached.

If the supporter has paid by PayPal, you’ll receive individual transactions directly into your PayPal account once you reach this milestone. Credit card payments are usually processed at the end of the campaign, and transferred into your bank account within 7-10 days.

Crowdfunding platforms usually take around 5% of the campaign total in fees, and payment gateways can take another 3% in exchange for the services provided. Keep these fees in mind when setting your target. You don’t want to shortchange yourself. 

Five tips to help your crowdfunding campaign hit its target

Around 70% of crowdfunding campaigns fail to reach their target. And the biggest cause of those failures is lack of preparation. So you need to do your research before you launch the campaign, because once you’ve hit the launch button it’s too late to make improvements or compensate for your lack of preparation.

Here’s some of my best tips to help your campaign succeed:

Make it about the cause. A lot of crowdfunding campaigns fail because the creator makes it about them rather than the cause. And people love getting behind a cause.

Employ the “No pledger left behind” philosophy. Make every pledger feel valued and appreciated. If you do, they’ll be inspired to share your campaign even more. List and tag (where possible) every pledger in social media, and provide regular updates to keep your pledgers in the loop.

Stay in the game. So many campaigns fail because the campaign creator gives up before the campaign is over. In many cases, the bulk of support comes in during the last few hours, and sometimes even the last few minutes.

Choose ‘all or nothing’. It’s a big leap of faith to choose the ‘all or nothing’ campaign. But statistics show you’ll be more likely to hit your target. Maybe your supporters don’t want to see you fail. Maybe they really want their rewards, or would hate to see the money raised go to waste. But whatever the reason, it definitely increases your chances of success.This is in contrast to ‘receive everything’ campaigns, where you’re basically telling pledgers you’ll be happy with whatever you can get. There’s no urgency in these campaigns, and so people don’t feel the need to get behind them.

Have a Traffic Strategy. While angel investors are out there, the reality is that nine out of ten pledges typically come from traffic you send to your campaign. So It pays to have a traffic strategy in place before you launch.As well as regular blog posts and email marketing before and during the campaign, you should also include guest blogging, traditional PR and paid online advertising in your crowdfunding toolkit.

Final thoughts

Crowdfunding via your blog has more benefits than just raising money.

A successful campaign will make you confident there’s a market for your product or service before you create it. Better still, you’ll have group of passionate supporters who believe in your vision and will cheer you along every step of the way.

 Bio

Laura Trotta is one of Australia’s leading sustainable living educators. She blogs about sustainable living and online conscious business at lauratrotta.com.

As a veteran online eco-preneur, and creator of multiple award-winning, thriving and profitable blogs, Laura also coaches other conscious business owners to tap into the power and reach of the Internet to grow their brand and take their idea to impact.

To help you plan a successful crowdfunding campaign, Laura has compiled a Crowdfunding Checklist that shows what you need to do at every step.

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