#absolute LOL when I was reading over the part i wanted to snippet there was a *** that caught my eye

[superfluouskeys]

ASKS hmmmmmmmm 5 / 8 / 20 ?

👀👀👀

I just need to say I love that these eye emojis are coming into my house sdkjnfjnkfknjf they're so big and for WHAT tumblr LOL! Saving 5 for the end so I can readmore the snippet!

8. Is there a story idea in your mental vault that you’ve never been brave enough to try writing? Is this the year? Can you tell us about it?

kjndfsnjkdfsknjfsd literally the only things I'm weird about writing are smut ideas okay!!! and they're not even that weird it's me i'm the problem!!!!!!!!! So idk, the LiandrinxReader fic will probably be a nice challenge for me on that front, and who knows, maybe this is the year the Hawkedith light bondage fic sees the light of day. oh actually you know what for a non-smut idea I've always wanted to do a tropey time travel fic! but i think i would make myself insane LOL. maybe this will be the year!!!

20. Any plans to work on original fiction this year?

OHOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! It's honestly so hard to choose and prioritize what to work on!!! I have 2 big original ideas, both of which I have rambled at you about extensively LOL. I think I can make a good chunk of progress on the nano nonsense fic this year, since the style is pretty firmly in my wheelhouse and I have a pretty strong idea of the main plot through-line. We'll see how I'm feeling, but I think once I get a few of my lingering fanfic projects done I'll be ready to focus on my original things again! Month-long challenges like nano actually work really well for me when I can manage them, so I might try to do something like that eventually to make some significant progress!

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet?

Again, it's soooooo hard to choose and prioritize!!! Scorched earth is in general my top priority because I just don't want to drag it out too long--before the most recent time my schoolwork beat me to death w a stick I was under the delusion that I could have it almost finished by the new year LOL! But since it's fairly simple in structure and I have it pretty clearly planned out, I mostly write chapters in one or two sittings. Second priority is advancing/finishing ghost of you, since the next chapter is literally almost done, I just got too busy to work on it. But instead I shall offer youuuuu Liandrin x Reader nonsense! It is once again a long snippet because I cannot just be normal.

--

You heard a lot about Liandrin Sedai during your first year or two as a Novice.  There was a rumor, never confirmed but nonetheless ubiquitous, that a Novice had died under Liandrin’s tutelage not long before you had arrived.  As a result, she was no longer permitted to teach Novices.  Furthermore, it was suggested, Novices would do well to avoid her.  Reasons for this varied somewhat, from ‘lest they remind her of her very recent tragedy’ to ‘lest they become the next unwitting targets of her deadly ire.’

You’re sure you never saw her in all that time, though, and eventually you heard the story repeated less and less, only really trotted out when new students arrived to the White Tower.  You learned later that Liandrin had left the Tower for a long while after the incident of legend.  It’s common for sisters of the Red Ajah to take extended leave, and the unfortunate fate of the Novice in question had certainly not impeded her ability to perform the functions for which she is best-suited.

You have also learned since then that for every extended absence, there is a corresponding extended stay in the Tower, particularly for the powerful and influential.  Liandrin is quite popular, if perhaps controversial in some circles, and it has thus been impressed upon her how very much her talents are needed within these walls for the foreseeable future.

Nevertheless, you are nothing short of shocked to see her perched atop the teacher’s desk when you arrive for your afternoon lesson.  You glance out the window, perhaps to catch a glimpse of the dire emergency that must have incapacitated so many Aes Sedai that Liandrin has been deemed a suitable substitute.

Liandrin is technically allowed to teach Accepted students.  Technically.

Liandrin herself looks about as pleased as any of the Accepted.  She pays you no mind as you enter, her piercing gaze fixed on some imagined point on the far wall.  Her arms are folded, her lips are pursed, and it looks like she’s biting the inside of her cheek.  Given her storied reputation, this understandably puts most of the students ill at ease.

“No need to trickle in,” she says, so sharply that you notice a few students flinch.  “You’re all in the right place, I should think.  I am Liandrin Sedai, and I will be overseeing your practice for the afternoon.”

She says all of this as though each word causes her great distress, gaze still fixed somewhere above the students’ heads.

“I am unaccustomed to teaching, and it’s been a long while since I was Accepted, so you will have to forgive me my unfamiliarity,” she continues, but gives absolutely no impression that she is asking forgiveness for anything.  “Adeline Sedai was not generous enough to inform me which weaves you are currently studying.  Would anyone be so kind as to enlighten me?”

The room falls eerily silent.  You cast a surreptitious glance toward Briallyn, who is usually the sort to raise her hand at any opportunity.  She is gazing at Liandrin like she is something inhuman and incomprehensible.

You swallow your nerves and raise your hand.

Liandrin turns her head sharply.  “Yes?”

“Weaving Spirit,” you say, although your voice falters under her exacting gaze.

“Weaving Spirit,” she echoes with a mocking lilt, inclining her head and smiling with false sweetness.  “Could our esteemed little sister perhaps narrow it down, just a bit?”

You feel your cheeks flush hot.  “The basics, I mean,” you stammer.  “Just starting.”

Liandrin scoffs.  “I suppose I should have known better than to expect anything more than that,” she says with a theatrical sigh.  “What was our dear Adeline Sedai having you do, just…” she waves vaguely, “pick at threads of Spirit out of nowhere?  No direction, no purpose?  No wonder it’s taking so long.”

She points at you, and you nearly startle out of your skin.  “Come forward.  Since you’ve been kind enough to volunteer.”

You can hear a low whisper of fear starting up around you as you obey her command, feel the eyes of your fellow Accepted upon you although you keep your head bowed low.  You are shy and unused to this kind of attention.  You can feel your face flushing all the way up to your ears.

Liandrin is perfectly average in stature, yet somehow seems to tower over you through her presence alone.  She ducks her head to catch you eye, and now her subtle smile bears no tinge of mockery.  “Look,” she bids you, gesturing out toward the classroom.

You attempt, quite unsuccessfully, to swallow down your embarrassment.  You look.

“Your classmates are afraid of me,” Liandrin observes, with the kind of neutrality one expects of a particularly uninteresting weather forecast.  “No doubt you’ve all heard stories about me.  Or, should I say, one in particular?”

You glance surreptitiously in Liandrin’s direction.  Her eyes are alight with cruel amusement.  She is enjoying this.  She leans in toward the class, as though to share a secret.  “Let me assure you that what you’ve heard…is absolutely true.”

The whole class visibly recoils, and the frightened whispers culminate in horrified gasps, followed by a deafening silence.

“Look at your classmates,” says Liandrin.  “The same way you would look for threads of fire or water.  Look for their fear.”

A part of you considers that you can see their fear perfectly well without looking very closely at all.  Another part of you is preoccupied with the way Liandrin’s eyes light up watching people recoil from her.  But you know from experience that Liandrin has very little patience, and she will not be pleased if she has to repeat herself.

You tear your eyes away from Liandrin and look, focusing on the class as a whole rather than trying to stare at any one person.  You squint and tilt your head, think of the frightened whispers and all the different versions of Liandrin’s story you have heard repeated over the years.  Some of your classmates are much younger than you, and their precocious talents allowed them to graduate to the rank of Accepted sooner than most.  They must have heard the story of the Novice who died under Liandrin Sedai’s tutelage very recently, and they do not have the benefit of experience to tell them that Liandrin means them no actual harm.

You think you start to see it then, something red and wrong hanging about them, brighter in some places than in others.  On instinct you reach out to pull at the threads.

You are not a talented channeler.  Threads do not respond well or quickly to your beckoning.  But the threads do come to you, slowly, and in this aspect alone, Liandrin is endlessly patient.

“A useful trick, to draw upon strong emotion,” says Liandrin.  Her words are for the benefit of the class, but she speaks quietly, and she is standing close enough to you that her voice makes you shiver.  “Spirit is that which is not strictly tangible, and yet you can feel it, can’t you, when there is a room full to the brim with terror?”

You can see the change in some students then, the ones who understand that this was, at least in part, a play upon their emotions in an unusual effort to educate.  You see the shift not in their faces but in the threads you are attempting to weave, a subtle change in the color and shape as fear gives way to confusion, or brightens into excitement.

You can’t help but wonder what others see, when they look at the color and shape of your own emotions.

New Year Fanfic Asks!

[icyg4l]

PAC: What Upgrades are Coming Into Your Life?

Hello beautiful people, so sorry for the delay on readings. I've been really distracted lol. But tonight marked the end of the $5 4/20 weekend sale. I am grateful for those who have purchased a reading. Now, if you would like to purchase a reading, please read my guidelines and let me know! (They will be regularly priced until another sale comes along). Now, this weekend’s PAC will be all about the upgrades that are coming in your life! Whether that’s in your career, home, family, finances, love, etc. We’ll find together! So without further ado, please pick your Megan baby. 🤭

Top Left-to-Bottom Right (1-4):

PIle One, I feel like things have been getting hectic in your life. I think that this is a group of people who can get easily distracted by the small things. A lot of you are going through a breakup/separation from someone that betrayed you or love bombed you. I can feel my throat tightening as I’m typing this. I’m sorry, Pile One but this is a blessing in disguise. I think that this will be a death/rebirth period for you. I am seeing snippets of the Hiss video, specifically when Megan is dressed in all silver. I think you will come out stronger than ever. When I say stronger, I mean you will be less tolerant with other people’s bullshit and having better boundaries. I feel like someone tried to dominate you and as a result, it ruined your self-esteem. I see you taking some time to yourself and realizing who the fuck you are. You need to know that things will get better. Anything that happens over the course of the next seven days is meant to happen, Pile One. 

Cards Used: The Empress (RX), Prince of Cups, 7 of Swords, Strength, The Hermit, 3 of Swords (RX), The Magician, Temperance (RX), The Lovers (RX). 

extras: “bovine”. playing the dozens. hbcu bound. 1H lilith. a full shopping cart. laughter.

Pile Two: If you suffer from insomnia, you will absolutely start to get better sleep. Pile Two, you’re such a smart worker. I know you don’t like to work hard, and you will be getting a reward for that. I see a promotion coming your way. If you have a boss that has an explosive temper, I see that this will happen within the next three weeks. Your life also seems chaotic like Pile Two. You also seem like the obsessive type. I feel like this is a pile full of nightowls as well. Part of your upgrade process will mean embracing your shadow side. I think that you have some trouble with other women (if you’re a woman), or having trouble embracing your soft side. It is okay to be vulnerable. I also see if you’re on the search for a new car, then a woman will co-sign a loan for you. It seems like you will be changing from the inside out. The longer it takes for you to address the issues that you have going on internally, the longer the results will come. I am seeing that when you finally decide to open up and be vulnerable, the physical changes will manifest. For example, if you want longer hair, your hair will grow two inches. If you want to change your life, change your mind Pile Two. And I’d recommend you look up the term ‘limerence’. Start making changes to become more grounded and less clouded by delusions, fantasies and looping thoughts about stuff that does not exist in your reality. It’s time to let them go, Pile Two.

Cards Used: 4 of Cups, Queen of Cups, The Chariot, Ace of Discs, 3 of Discs, The Devil, King of Cups (RX), The Tower, 9 of Swords

extras: listening to nightcore. “egoic”. meat market. fresh beat band. beauty shop (2005). picker-upper.

Pile Three: Your hard work is finally going to pay off. You’ve been obsessing over your work and dedicating so much of your time to it. It is finally going to receive some recognition because you decided to not give up on your dreams. As a result, I see that your dream lifestyle will be well-funded. If you’re an artist or a clothing designer, this will especially resonate with you. The amount of time that you spent on your passion will be appreciated by many eyes, Pile Three. If you’ve been having a hard time accepting someone for who they are, or if you have been struggling with your emotions in general, I see that you will get a handle on it. And also, if you’re looking for a vendor, you will find one! You are being called to continue to focus on your craft. I am channeling this interview of GloRilla where she says that she abstained from relations with men, partying and alcohol for sixty days before she blew up. Then FNF was released, and that marked the start of her mainstream journey. So, keep going baby!!

Cards Used: Wheel of Fortune, Strength (RX), 5 of Cups, Queen of Cups, 7 of Cups, Princess of Discs, The Devil, 3 of Discs, Temperance, The Star

extras: christina aguilera. spiders. a series of unfortunate events. award shows.

Pile Four: The only way that you can learn from your mistakes is if you actually implement the lesson into your life, Pile Four. I can tell that you’re stubborn. Once you really understand that nothing can change if YOU don’t move things around, you will know how powerful you are. Some of you may have a really thick (and attractive) accent. I think that you can use this to your advantage to make things shake for you. Pile Four, do you really know yourself? Like outside of the things that you do and have, who are you? It is time for you to do some soul searching, my love. It feels like I am talking to a shell of you. I think that the upgrades that are coming in will involve other people. You will find someone who helps you embrace your rawest, natural self. I also think that you will be interested in fitness and will find a workout partner. Investing in yourself physically will impact you emotionally. You do not need to go back to your old self because they’re gone. Take pride in this new you. I feel that your spirituality will strengthen as well. Your boundaries will grow stronger, and as this happens, you will lose more friends unfortunately. But I don’t think you’ll be affected by it. Overall, I feel like this pile will gain a lot of clarity and mental strength to start breaking generational curses and shedding old skin. You got this, Pile Four!

Cards Used: 8 of Cups, The Star, Death, 9 of Swords, 7 of Wands, The Fool, Temperance, Page of Wands, The Lovers

extras: “you smell good.” “be you.” jump by tyla. maison margiela. kick-ass. wwe.

[ragnarokhound]

Hi bb 🐺 can you choose a 500 word snippet from one of your published fics or wips and give us some director's commentary / insight into what you were thinking when you wrote it?

Hi bb! ^^ Sure, I'd love to!

I'd like to take the chance to talk about a scene from intricate rituals, my omegaverse Jaytim fic featuring beta!Tim being courted by alpha!Jason.

This scene takes place near the end of the rising action, at the tail end of the fifth time that Jason was totally courting Tim, and Tim still did not notice. Obviously, spoilers under the cut for anyone who hasn't read it yet, and I am a chatty mfer so this got kind of long, haha:

Tim dozes against Jason’s shoulder as he fiddles with the bedroom door handle, and does absolutely nothing to help when they reach the bed in the corner; so Jason dumps him on top of the sheets without fanfare. He bounces on the mattress with an offended chirp while Jason turns to look through his dresser for something. Tim whines obnoxiously at the sudden cold and wriggles around until he’s under the cool top sheet, his face firmly shoved into one of Jason’s pillows. He squints an eye open when Jason still hasn’t finished doing whatever he’s doing, only to see him standing over the bed. His face is unreadable in the darkness, but Tim can tell that he’s clearly dithering.  Why? He better not be getting weird about this. It’s only weird if Jason makes it weird. Tim is not nearly awake enough to puzzle through the why right now. He’ll think about it later. “Jason. Get in the bed,” he grumbles. Jason startles at the sound of Tim’s voice, but does as he’s told. The second Jason is under the covers, Tim invades the inch of space left between them with impunity. But then— Jason stiffens, so Tim stops about point five millimeters away from actually touching him. “Sorry," Tim says quietly. "You're really warm?" He says it like a question, trying to explain himself and ask permission at the same time and he can't really tell if he's accomplished either. Jason seems to get it though; he takes a breath and relaxes, then closes the remaining distance himself. He pulls Tim into the hot cave of his body, leaving an arm slung over Tim's waist and tucking him under his chin. Tim sighs, a purr thrumming softly in his chest as he tangles himself in Jason. He buries his face in Jason’s collarbone and quietly wonders to himself how he got here.  He's not sure he knows how he and Jason went from barely tolerating each other in the same room, the same city, (the same costume) to cuddling like packmates in the same nest. Yeah, a nest Tim basically invited himself into, and okay when he’s more awake he’ll feel a little guilty about that— but Jason carried Tim here himself. He didn't have to do that. He had every opportunity to say no. To think that he has Jason's trust now. That Jason would let him in this close, have him at his back, at his throat, have access to the vulnerable parts of him. It's terrifying. It's wonderful. It’s only marred by the smallest hint of apprehension still woven through the sleepy warmth of Jason's scent, that Tim only catches because his nose is practically shoved against Jason's scent gland. With a small, trilling keen, he tries his best to project calm-safe-acceptance. He’s had practice at it since becoming Robin, since joining the Wayne pack, but he's always been better at masking his scent than projecting it. A lifetime of hiding is hard to unlearn.

(you don't realize how long 500 words is until you see it right there on the page lol)

So intricate rituals is practically a study in denial. Tim spends half the fic justifying to himself (and to us) why Jason's overt alpha courtship behavior has a completely platonic explanation, and never ever even hints that he, himself, a beta, might in fact want a romance with Jason. Even though he really, really does.

So when I start writing out the prose for a scene, I try to keep those big guiding principles for the overarching plot in mind, as well as what I'm hoping to accomplish by the end of the scene. There's a few things I wanted from this scene in particular.

First: absolutely gag-worthy #married behavior. This is it! This is the final example of Jason's courtship and Tim's flimsy excuses (AKA the formula for each scene lol). So it has to be truly outrageous. It has to be over the top. The cream of the crop. And this time, it has to be Tim's idea in the first place. Get hoisted (from your own petard), idiot.

Second: it has to set us up for why Tim is in Jason's bed in the final scene. I knew all along how this fic was going to end - with Tim in Jason's bed, but comfortable there already; the tip-over from platonic to romantic that only happens because they're in such a stupidly domestic position that Tim is FORCED to realize that he might not be the only one pretending that This Is Fine.

Third: this is almost a step too far for Jason. But not quite.

In the first half of this snippet, we catch the end of the egregious courting behavior. Jason literally carries Tim into his nest/bed. He has to step away to get PJ's or something - Tim's not paying attention to that, so we don't really find out for sure - and when he comes back to see Tim whining and wriggling and getting comfy in his sheets, he has to take a second. For #strength.

Like usual, Tim clocks that something is bothering Jason; that Jason is Experiencing An Emotion. But also like usual, he doesn't clock what it is. Even though it's obvious to us, the romance pilled and dramatic-irony-aware audience. Even worse, he's so deep in his own denial (which hopefully we've picked up at least an inkling of by now, but it's not explicitly told to us until the next interlude scene) that he blames Jason for making it weird. He gets so close to making the intuitive leap about why EXACTLY Jason might be hesitant about sharing a bed, but he's too ~sleepy UwU (and ~afraid OwO). UGH, TIM.

(I try to balance action with introspection. Action -> reaction -> introspection -> action. Jason dumps Tim on the bed -> Tim whines and gets comfortable -> Tim wonders what's taking Jason so long -> Tim opens his mouth to ask "hey wtf is your problem". But preferably the action/reaction is described vividly enough and in the character's voice enough that we can, like, microdose on introspection along the way and keep the ball rolling lol)

When Jason is told to get in the bed, he startles - he was lost in his own thoughts. I like to think Jason was pondering his own version of what Tim sort of torments himself (and us) with every scene; wondering to himself how they got here, lamenting the fact that Tim isn't interested in him the way he would like him to be, and thankful that he gets to have him at all. Maybe contemplating what might happen if only he was a little braver. If this is it; if this will be Tim's line, and whether Jason's about to cross it. (Tim lies to himself about his feelings. Jason is brutally honest with himself about his.)

Tim moves in for the cuddle - Jason stiffens because he's still boggling at this whole situation, and a little afraid that Tim will realize exactly where they are and finally tell Jason 'no'. Again, Tim clocks his discomfort - "Sorry," - and again he misunderstands its source, mislabeling the motivations behind Jason's actions.

Jason makes himself open, and Tim takes happy advantage. Awww, they're cute, even if I do want to strangle them 'now kiss' style. Cue Tim's 'isn't it crazy how we're such good friends now' narrative monologue for the scene.

(🔥"HOT CAVE OF HIS BODY" MENTION🔥) (i can't resist this phrase OTL i'm weak for it)(it's about protection it's about warmth it's about the primal imagery of being nestled under the weight of something powerful that loves you)(<- werewolf pilled)

In this last half of the snippet, I wanted Tim to kind of show his ass here, re: being in denial lol.

"He's not sure he knows how" - Tim, we all just saw exactly how you and Jason ended up here. Yeah, we skipped some of that early stuff, but we just saw the start of your deeper friendship. It started with an omelette.

"When he's more awake he'll feel a little guilty" - Tim, didn't you just explain to Jason and to us why you shouldn't feel guilty? That it's perfectly normal to share a nest with packmates? Why do you feel guilty about this, Tim?

"He didn't have to do that." You're right. He didn't have to do that, and he did have every opportunity to say no. Why didn't he, Tim?

He tries to explain that it must be because Jason trusts him. That Jason's trust is a wonderful and terrifying thing to have. Huh. Interesting. Why does that terrify you, Tim?

Then Tim picks up on Jason's scent. Jason's own fears are the only thing that can cut through Tim's spiraling thoughts right now. Jason's made peace with having what he wants so close but still so far; and yet, he still can't help but ache.

Wanting to ease Jason's discomfort is what makes Tim bold. He tries to make Jason more comfortable by reassuring him that Tim feels safe here. That he feels accepted, and that he accepts Jason - which is true, regardless of his secret, presumedly unreciprocated feelings. Aww.

The last paragraph was a two for one - transitioning us into wrapping up the scene, but also, low key? The thesis of what we've seen so far. This explains at least one facet of Tim's behavior, prepping us for his breakdown and the emotional reveal in the next interlude.

Why is Tim in denial? Why won't he admit, even to himself, that he wants Jason? Sexually, romantically? That Jason could be courting him, that Jason could want him too? Because he's always been better at masking than projecting. A lifetime of hiding is hard to unlearn.

I really enjoyed writing intricate rituals, and my biggest hope was that everyone would be ready to strangle Tim by the end of this scene - but also hurt for him by the end of the next. When you get used to the idea that you are unwanted or undesirable, in any capacity, it's truly difficult to let yourself be convinced otherwise. But there's bravery and freedom to be found in finally allowing yourself to believe it. <3

[soft-bellied-tannies]

Chubtober Day 6!

We going with a WIP today, friends. I haven't had much time to write this weekend, but I wanted to share something with you so here is a snippet I have been working on.

It will eventually be posted as a part of the second chapter to last year's Chubtober finale - Full, Fuller, Fullest.

Definitely read that first before checking out this WIP otherwise, it won't make much sense lol!

---

Jimin should have realized sooner that a day or two wasn’t going to be enough to recover from his week-long stuffing. He also should have realized how much being full for a week straight would stretch out his stomach.

Getting ready for bed Sunday night after quite possibly the best week of his life was proving to be more of a challenge than he thought. He wouldn’t say that Jungkook fed him quite as much over the weekend because Jungkook wasn’t the instigator this time around.

Jimin snacked all day long Saturday and had been the one to overdo it all on his own with a few too many dumplings.

Sunday had been a slow afternoon, laying around and finishing their latest drama while Jimin emptied a bag of honey butter chips, two cups of instant ramen, a pint of ice cream, and a couple of random choco pies he found in the pantry - all washed down with a couple cans of Coke.

After brushing his teeth, Jimin lifted up his shirt to see that his stomach almost looked more bloated now than it did a few nights ago. He started to trace a faint pink line that popped up next to his belly button when Jungkook cleared his throat from the doorway of the bathroom.

“So much for that recovery weekend, huh?” Jungkook asked with a teasing smirk. He stepped behind Jimin and reached around to caress his belly.

Jimin leaned back into Jungkook’s chest as he rolled his eyes. “This is all your fault. It was your idea to begin with.”

“Oh no, my idea ended on Friday night. No one forced you to eat our whole snack supply this afternoon,” Jungkook replied, patting Jimin’s still-taut belly a few times.

“Well, someone did seem more focused on that than our show so maybe I had some motivation,” Jimin cut back, trying to hide both his growing smile and blushing cheeks.

Jungkook gently pulled Jimin’s shirt down and tugged his hand over to the other side of the bathroom. He slid their scale out with his foot and gestured for Jimin to step on.

“Well…I seem to remember that someone proposed an idea of his own a few nights ago so let’s see if the ‘recovery’ weekend worked in your favor.”

Jimin rolled his eyes again at Jungkook’s dramatics, but he did step onto the scale, not expecting much since it had only been two days. However, Jimin clearly had to stop making assumptions because the bright red “196.7” blinking up at him made his jaw drop.

“Shit, that's almost 4 more pounds. You definitely don’t need until your birthday. You’ll be 200 by Tuesday at this rate,” Jungkook said, in equal parts seriousness and teasing. He knew Jimin didn’t slow down over the weekend at all, but it certainly didn’t seem like that much.

Jimin let out an involuntary little whimper at Jungkook’s words, realizing he was absolutely right. Somehow Jimin’s little impulsive thought to eat the whole pizza last weekend had turned into him completely wrecking his self-control and metabolism.

He had gone from gaining a slow and casual fifty pounds over the last year to piling on over ten pounds in ten days. Obviously they couldn’t maintain the way he had been eating for the past week all the time, but Jimin knew that his outlandish, partial joke about doubling his gain over the next year was going to be more of a when rather than an if.

Something about that thought turned Jimin on more than he wanted to admit. If they didn’t have to work in the morning, he probably would have told Jungkook to go grab anything from the kitchen so he could feed him again. 

Instead, Jimin led Jungkook to their bed and decided that a belly rub would have to be his consolation prize. He drifted off with Jungkook’s warm hands easing the tension of his full belly and his loving whispers lulling him to sleep.

—-

It was moments like this that made Jimin glad he was a freelance writer who could make his own schedule and work from the comfort of his own home. He had woken up to a still bloated and incredibly hungry belly the next morning.

He almost wanted to skip his entire routine and head straight for the kitchen, but he wasn’t ready to let all of his self control completely slip away. After doing his skin care, Jimin selected very comfortable and loose clothes, knowing that his sensitive belly actually needed to start recovering today.

While his coffee brewed, Jimin heated up the container of kimchi rice and made himself three fried eggs to put on top. He also realized that Jungkook had made him a milk bread and strawberry sandwich at some point, which he grabbed from the fridge. 

As he scrolled through his emails, Jimin made quick work of his larger-than-normal breakfast. He knew this past week would increase his stomach capacity, so Jimin was going to try to get ahead of his hunger if he could. 

His resolution after weighing himself last night was to eat intuitively now. His appetite was clearly leading him toward his goals so he should follow it.

Getting caught up in a list of editing changes kept his focus, not realizing that Jungkook was walking into his office until his partner was setting down a bowl and a cup on his desk. Jimin jumped slightly, looking up with a smile when he saw Jungkook’s smiling face above him.

“Just bringing you a snack, baby. I figured you could use one,” Jungkook said nonchalantly as if it were an innocent gesture.

Jimin laughed but had to agree that he was starting to feel a bit peckish. “Thank you. I hadn’t realized it was already 10:30.”

Jungkook kissed the top of his head in response before reaching down over Jimin’s shoulders until his hands landed on his belly. “Damn, can’t believe you are still so bloated. Maybe you’re stuck like this now.”

“I am not stuck like this,” Jimin replied dryly with a scoff. “I just need more time to settle. Someone kept me filled up like a balloon ready to pop for days on end.”

“Well, you know a balloon deflates eventually,” Jungkook said, dropping a kiss on Jimin’s cheek as he stepped away until he was in the doorway of the office then he continued, “but they don’t shrink.”

Jungkook winked at Jimin before turning to walk down the hall, his laugh echoing as he did. Jimin let out a little offended sound, thankful that Jungkook wasn’t still there to call out the bright red blush filling his cheeks from his teasing. 

Jimin was quickly learning that maybe he and Jungkook were better at this whole gaining dynamic thing than they ever knew. 

—-

Spending the rest of the day working helped Jimin be more mindful of his intake. He gratefully accepted the simple lunch Jungkook prepared for him, and he had a light snack after he logged off for the day.

Since Jimin had spent the entirety of the last week allowing Jungkook to cook and order all their food, he was looking forward to cooking dinner together. They decided to go with a vegetable stew recipe Jimin had been wanting to try and sat for a much slower-paced dinner than they had been having lately. 

Jimin was certainly full after his full bowl of stew and generous helping of rice but not in the way he had been for the past week or so. He was comfortably full where any typical person would end their meal. Knowing that he really could use a break, Jimin did just that. 

After dinner, he curled up with Jungkook and said that he was done for the night. He sipped on his water for a while to keep the desire for dessert away until they made their way to bed. 

Jimin made an offhand comment about how he felt less bloated already and hoped for an empty and rested belly in the morning. Jungkook started having some suspicions that Jimin was yet again underestimating himself, but he kept quiet.

Quiet until the next morning when Jimin had the sudden revelation that maybe those ten or so pounds had already settled and it wasn’t just bloating after all. 

“So, still looking pretty bloated, babe. Maybe you need another day to settle or maybe…”

Jimin looked up from staring at himself in the mirror, taking in Jungkook’s smug expression that confirmed what he was thinking as well. “Or maybe those ten pounds stuck to my belly and this is settled.”

Jungkook brought his arms around Jimin’s waist, patting a few times and enjoying the rippling movement across his now empty but just as round belly. “I’d say this is a bit more than ten. I mean, look at this gut. You have a proper potbelly now, Min.”

“Fuck, you’re right,” Jimin let out breathily, still feeling a bit shocked at this realization. He had been complaining about how all his weight goes straight to his bottom half for so long yet he wasn’t prepared for it finally changing.

Both wanted more than anything to head back to bed and appreciate this new discovery, but they couldn’t take another day off work. 

Jimin asked Jungkook to join him in the shower before they realized that was not a good idea. They would lose track of time immediately and get wrapped up in exploring Jimin’s growing body. 

Jungkook told Jimin that he would get clothes out for him and go make his breakfast instead. As much as he wanted to join him in the shower, Jungkook told himself to calm down.

Jimin found his chosen outfit lying on their bed, clearly much different than the oversized hoodies and sweatpants he had been wearing around the house lately. The t-shirt Jungkook picked was from college which had been snug when Jimin wore it six months ago. 

He pulled on the pair of low-waisted leggings Jungkook picked first. Jimin usually wore them around the house with a cropped sweatshirt, but he hadn’t worn this pair in the last few weeks. The waistband further emphasized how his belly protruded forward all on its own now from where it was tucked below.

Jimin could feel that the shirt was going to be tight as he pulled it over his head. The sleeves hugged his upper arms more than before which was what he noticed first, but that thought came and went when Jimin realized that the hem of his shirt was barely meeting his waistband. 

The fabric hugged his skin without a hint of extra room. It made his belly seemingly bigger and rounder than it already had grown to be recently. When Jimin looked himself up and down in the mirror, it was the first time since he started gaining that he genuinely thought ‘wow, I look fat’.

“Holy shit, you do look kind of fat,” Jungkook blurted out from the other side of the room.

Jimin’s head snapped toward him, not aware that Jungkook was back in the room or that he had said his thoughts out loud. Deciding to push a little farther, Jimin began to pout.

“It’s just the shirt, Gguk-ah. You picked an old one.”

Jungkook shook his head as he walked closer. “I don’t think it’s the shirt, Minnie. I think it’s what’s underneath.”

“That’s not true! If you got me a different shirt, it wouldn’t be as noticeable,” Jimin replied, hoping Jungkook would play into his little game.

“Oh yeah, how about we test that?” Jungkook asked, clearly enjoying this just as much. He stepped into their closet and grabbed a shirt that would likely still be small but was a size up.

Jimin couldn’t believe that he was feeling shy, but his face grew warm as he took off his shirt to change in front of Jungkook. He grabbed the other shirt and already anticipated the reaction just from feeling it slide over his shoulders.

It did have more give than the first shirt, but Jimin’s belly was just as prominent as before. If anything, the little bit of extra fabric was actually making him look wider.

“Seems like it wasn’t the shirt so that must mean-“

“It’s the leggings! Low-waisted pants just aren’t flattering,” Jimin countered, cutting Jungkook before he could make his point. “Breakfast ready? I need to start working soon.”

Jungkook barely held back his laugh as Jimin left the bedroom, evading the real answer that they both knew was true. Jimin truly hadn’t gained enough to be considered fat yet, but yet was the keyword for Jungkook because, with the way things were going, it would be sooner rather than later.

[fortunesque]

WIP Wednesday- Vector

So, here's a brief bit of the first chapter of Vector. I don't know when I'm going to finish it because the end is just... ugh. I feel like I have to microdose writing this one lol. When I do post it, I think I'll post all 3 parts at once.

I think this will give folks a general idea of what's happening and if they will want to read it when I post it. I totally understand if some folks give this one a skip.

Content warning: violence and animal death

I'll put the snippet under a cut, just in case.

Raditz finally grabbed his attacker and yanked it off of his neck. He held furry creature at arm's length and watched as it snarled and did its damnedest to shred his arms to pieces.

"You are one crazy-ass little dude," he laughed. "Absolutely foaming at the mouth to get at me. Well, you picked on the wrong guy."

Without preamble, he put his hand on the creature's head, earning a few more bites to his hand in the process. He quickly snapped the poor bastard's neck before it had the chance to make him want to be cruel to it. Raditz then examined it more closely.

It was a cute, chubby little thing with a thick pelt of mostly gray fur. There were some black patches around its eyes, on its paws, and a few rings around its bushy tail.

Raditz frowned and looked at the animal's mouth. It was absolutely dripping with saliva. Venom, perhaps?

He gave the mouth a little sniff and shrugged. Seemed like normal spit to him. He dipped his finger in it and gave it a taste, for extra measure. Raditz had his anti-venom auto-injector in his left flank guard pocket, so it wasn't like it was a huge risk. He just needed to know if he should use it immediately.

Yep. Regular spit, at least, around the taste of his own blood. Sonofabitch really went for him.

Well, he was hungry, and lunch basically dropped out of a tree right onto his face. It bit the shit out of the back of his neck and scratched up his jaw, but Raditz was a Saiyan and made of tough stuff.

It was just a flesh wound.

He finished his goddamn piss, then pressed the comm button on his scouter and went about skinning the ornery critter.

"This crazy little animal just went at me," he chuckled. "The size of my boot, maybe. Cute little mammal; maybe a feral pet. Dropped off a tree right onto my head while I was pissing and scratched and bit me up real good, for a little guy. All over my neck, a little at the jaw. Thankfully, he missed my most beautiful face."

A snort of laughter came through the scouter.

"Sounds like lunch just dropped in on ya," Nappa chuckled.

"Damn right it did," Raditz laughed. "I'll honor his sacrifice and use him to feed this war machine."

"Let me know if it tastes good," Vegeta spat. "These bugs are disgusting."

"Absolutely, Your Highness."

With that, Raditz politely muted his comm to keep the munching noises out of their ears.

He ate the animal raw, as nature intended for a Saiyan to do. He ate all of it but the fur, pretty tail, lungs, paws, and digestive tract. The spine had a nice crunch. The brain was— eh. It was as brains tended to be.

When he was finished, he licked the blood and saliva off of his fingers, then stripped to rinse himself in a nearby creek. The scouter stayed on, though; always did.

Raditz unmuted his comm.

"Just finished," he said. "Was basically a snack. But it tasted fine. Better than a bug. Seemed like it was an omnivore of some sort— had claws and sharp teeth, but its front paws were hand-like. With how green it is around here, I'm shocked that it thought it was a good idea to go for me."

"Probably had pups nearby," Vegeta intoned.

"Good point," Raditz said. "I'll look for those and pop 'em in my mouth real quick."

It would be a mercy killing, really. In all his years destroying planets, he never saw a young mammal pup that wasn't defenseless.

He wandered around the clearing and sniffed everywhere he could think; in the brush, underneath piles of leaves and sticks, in the hollows of trees, and even up in the tree where the thing got the drop on him.

There was not a thing around.

He commed back in.

"Ain't found shit," he said. "Hah! Wouldn't it be funny if the little thing was sent to kill me? Imagine, a planet full of biting, spitty little furballs."

Nappa and Vegeta both laughed on the other end.

"Don't go native, now," Nappa cackled. "Don't need you running around, chasing tail and biting more than you already do."

[immortaladrien]

Omg the snippet of the comatose hero was so angsty that I loved it!!, Sorry to bother you again but I was wondering if you could do a part 2 (only if you want, no pressure at all ^^”)

awww thank you so much!! you’re too sweet! and you’re absolutely not bothering me with writing requests lol these have been making my day ☕️💕

part one is here | can be read as a stand-alone

tws: injury, murder, hospitals, blood, panic attacks, and INSANE amounts of angst

The first thing Hero noticed was the burning in their back.

Okay, everything burned, but the the burning on their back was like hellfire itself. A scream bubbled up in their throat and they immediately bit their lip, metallic blood flooding their mouth and drawing out a cough.

There was beeping by their bedside, increasingly fast in pace. That sound triggered noise in the doorway, then a rush of footsteps and voices that all sounded unfamiliar and far too loud.

Hero covered their ears with a pillow, pressed their head to the mattress, and choked back tears. Everything went to black again.

–

The next time Hero awoke, there was an odd, heavy haze over them, like moving through water. They tried to glance around the room, but their eyelids felt too heavy. The beeping remained steady.

This time, there was another noise.

Someone was crying.

“I don’t know how to live without you.”

They tried to open their eyes, but sleep pulled them to nothingness again.

–

Hero was awake again, their body was still too weighted to move. Their eyes were unopenable.

“I killed them.”

That same voice again. Hero fought to listen. To stay awake.

“Someone snitched. I knew they would, eventually. Not that it was that hard to find out, anyways.”

Who were they talking about?

“The audacity of some minor league criminal setting up a trap like that. Who the hell blows up a whole building just to get to you? What were they hoping to accomplish?”

That’s right, there was an explosion. It all seemed fuzzy now.

“I’m… They confirmed no one else was hurt. I didn’t really care, but I figure you would.”

You sound hurt.

“I miss you.”

I miss you too.

–

As Hero woke up once more, their eyes opened a sliver and it felt like the light was piercing them from every angle. They let out a strained cry, shutting them tightly to no relief.

The monitor beeped louder, unfamiliar voices returned, but this time, Herp managed a word.

“Villain,” they rasped, voice scratchy with disuse.

Sleep’s embrace was warm and thoughtless.

– ☕️ –

This was Villains eighth visit since Monday.

(Yes, it was only Wednesday. Unimportant, really.)

The doctors called and told them Hero had been awake. So it was 3am, what did it matter? They’d arrived within minutes, the doctors leaving them alone as they walked into the room.

Villain sat down quietly at the chair that hadn’t left it’s position since a week ago when this whole nightmare hard started.

Beep…. beep…. beep…

They glanced at Hero’s heart-rate monitor. Steady. Oxygen levels much higher than earlier today. They sighed quietly, looking back at their counterparts’ sleeping face.

At least they look peaceful like this.

Like Villain had done all the nights before, they reached forward and laced their fingers gingerly together with a yawn.

They’d stay for a couple of hours.

Their eyes fluttered shut, leaning back in their chair a bit.

“V’llan?”

Immediately, their eye were open, staring at their bedridden rival who peered back, semi-conscious. They started moving to reach toward Villain, who was immediately up and inches away from them.

“Shit, hero, stay still–”

“Why’re you… You came?”

The breathless sound of a heart breaking. “Of course I came.”

Hero stared at them, eyes cloudy. “Why?”

Now that was the million dollar question.

At a moments silence, the crimefighter shook their head pleadingly. “Don’t stop talking. I’m so sleepy, pl’se keep talking. Don’t have to tell me. Just talk. So much easier to be awake when you talk…”

Villain sputtered. “You- Ah. Well. I’m here because…”

“You heard me call out?”

“You… asked for me?”

Hero nodded, looking off at the ceiling.

“Why did you ask for me?”

“Didn’t have anybody else to ask for.”

Another blow to the gut, this time leaving Villain to wince. “No, I didn’t come because you asked. I would’ve, if I’d known.”

“So?”

“I… You’d have done the same for me.”

A quiet chuckle. “Tha’s not it. You’re lyin’. Your ears go red when you’re lyin’.”

That was new. Villain flushed. “They what?”

“C’monn… You know my tells by now too. You gotta.”

“I most certainly do not– how long have you known that for?”

“Last Feburary.”

“You didn’t say anything?”

“Nope…” With a pop on the ‘O’.

“Why not?”

“I asked the first question!”

“You said I didn’t have to answer it,” Villian replied curtly.

“I was lyin’. You answer first. Why’d you come?”

“I…” They sighed, looking off to the side. What the hell, like they’re gonna remember this anyways? “I love you.”

For the first time since Hero woke up, there was a full moments silence. They stared, blinking furiously, and exhaled in a shaky noise.

A… laugh?

Villain stared, feeling their face heat up in humiliation. That was a laugh. They were laughing!

“Fuck, Hero, you could’ve just said–”

“I didn’t tell you about your ears turning red because it’s so goddamn cute!”

Villain froze, mouth falling slightly agape. “You..?”

“I thought it was cute, and I didn’t wanna tease you over it because I thought maybe I’d slip up and tell you how much I love it! Love you! Oops, look, I just did,” Hero giggled, then contentedly yawned and started to close their eyes.

Their counterpart scrambled. “Don’t just go back to sleep!”

“Can’t go back to sleep, I’m already ‘sleep. This can’t be anything but a good dream.”

“Hero–“

“G’night, Villain.”

Just like that, their breathing leveled out and a quiet snore echoed through the room. Villain stood once again in silence, mind reeling. They flexed their hand once, twice. Pinched themselves.

Ow.

So they weren’t asleep either.

Dazed, they walked back to their beside seat and sat. Stared at the ceiling. Glanced at their counterpart. This time, a small fond smile formed on their lips.

God, I hope they remember this in the morning.

[abubblingcandle]

🫂 🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂 🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂 🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂 🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂 🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂 🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂 🫂 Cuddlepollen! 🫂🫂 Cuddlepollen!

……….please

Always happy to share more! And sending me asks to talk fic is a sure fire way to get me to write more of that fic (just a little emotional blackmail for you there lol)

I'm just going to brain dump about a part of the fic and then give you another Ch1 snippet!

A big part of the cuddlepollen fic is Roy and Jamie being at peak loathing in S1 but falling into this like deep non-romantic intimacy that is just what both of them need at that point. Jamie is untethered and in the past has used meaningless sex to form a connection. Roy is on the brink of losing his life's purpose. They both are touch starved and this actually gives them an opportunity to find someone that can help them.

However for this to happen they need to slowly fall and Ted Lasso unwittingly gives them a catalyst for this fall into comfort ... The Beautiful and the Damned. A massive thanks to @jamiesfootball for taking one for the team and reading the book to give me the pieces I need for this. Because after reading it even Roy who hates Jamie knows that this is absolutely a horrific book to give Jamie to "learn a lesson" from. Ted hit the nail on the head with Roy and so Jamie thinks that he needs to learn from this book. Roy in the end has to try and explain to Jamie why he should never read that book and as recompense Roy throws it at Ted's head.

And here's your promised bit of Ch1:

“It’s called bindweed,” the doctor began as soon as the door clicked closed behind them. Ted’s heart tightened at the name of the drug that had nearly taken two of their own from them but even with that thrum of discomfort he appreciated the briskness of the doctor’s explanation. Roy’s sister stood to Ted’s right, just out of arm’s reach not that he wanted to. Her demeanour was closed off, like her brother’s often was. Did it run in the family or was it just the horrific situation they had both been thrust into that morning? Her arms crossed over her chest tightly as the doctor continued. “It’s a new date rape drug that has been hitting the streets. It works that when one tablet is dissolved in a liquid. The next two people to drink it become connected together.” “And someone put it in Jamie’s drink. Jamie and Roy both drank it?” Ted frowned. That would mean that someone was trying to hurt Jamie. Someone in that nightclub had got access to Jamie’s drink and wanted him to either have to be connected to them or die. He had got incredibly lucky that Roy had been there that night, even though Ted had no idea why Roy had been there and drunk Jamie’s drink that night.

[ewsean]

As an active validation seeker, I wanted to post my current WIP for an upcoming Ghostbusters cross Spiderman fic? I've never once written Fanfic before (at least that I can remember?) and I wanted to take it to Tumblr to get the general community opinion. Fic Intro / Snippet Below !! (Is this something you'd be interested in reading? Feel free to ask question about it too ?? I'm just here to share my shit really LOL)

Raymond Stantz was your normal New York student. No really, he was! He attended Columbia University, went out on the weekends with his friends, worked an honest part-timer down at a Comic Book Store about a subway’s stop away from his dorm. He was all completely normal- normal bar one thing.

He was New York’s one and only Spiderman.

And while you’ve probably heard that a lot before, Ray Stantz really was New York’s one and only Spiderman, and had been since he was 15 when an unfortunate incident had happened during an after-school science experiment that had gone wrong. He’d told himself to never feed untested food to insects without studying the ingredients, but curiosity got the best of him, and the rest was history.

It was less than ideal, really. It wasn’t like he had chosen this life. It was almost like destiny, or fate, as his close friend Peter would tell him. That was another thing that was less than ideal- Peter’s involvement. Ray had sworn to himself to never tell anyone, not even his parents, out of fear they thought he was absolutely nuts, or worse, got affected by his status as a ‘Hero’. Friends had been hard to keep throughout his High School life, despite his outgoing and bubbly personality. College wasn’t any different, until he hit the jackpot with one Peter Venkman. Peter would claim Ray attached himself to him, but truth be told, it was the other way around.  They found themselves as roommates in the first year and grew closer as friends the longer they spent together. It was hard to keep his secret identity hidden from his incredibly nosy friend, and it was only a matter of time before Peter found him out. All he could do was pray it wasn’t anytime soon. It was probably because Ray didn’t believe in any higher power that his prayers did not get answered, and three months into their friendship the bomb was dropped.

“Didn’t take you as a midnight bachelor, Stantzie.” Came Peter’s smooth and sleazy voice in the dark. Ray froze in his spot, one foot halfway through the window of their bathroom. It may be dark, but Ray swears he can see the mischievous twinkle in Pete’s eyes as his shit-eating grin expands, “Nice costume. Wanna tell me where you’ve been?”

Part of Ray thoroughly believes that if he stands still long enough holding his breath, Peter will get bored of waiting for an answer and fall back into his bed to sleep the night away. There’s no luck in this though, as his best friend’s voice carries through the air, accusatory, “Stop holding your breath, idiot. I can see you. I’m not mad.”

That was a good thing, at least? Ray was clutching at positives here, because in this very moment, all he could see was negative scenario after negative scenario. He always had had a problem with acting impulsively and dreading to deal with the consequences of his actions afterwards. “Stantz.” It’s met with silence. “Ray. Raymond, hello? Come on, you’re going to fall over.”

Well, if Peter wasn’t going to let this slide, he might as well let his body fall with the sweet release of gravity, finally pulling his other leg inside the building from the window and collapsing onto the floor in a large heap, softly groaning out at the abrupt hit of the ground.

“You’re a moron, you know that, right?” “Yeah .. You tell me every few days, Pete. I can’t forget.” Ray responds, though his words are muffled and it causes Peter to strain his hearing, finally getting up from his bed to pad into the bathroom where his friend laid, defeated. 

For a moment, they sat on the bathroom floor together, each contemplating what to say next. There were a lot of words that needed to be exchanged, but neither man could quite figure out how to get them out. For once in his life, Peter Venkman was stunned into silence. Ray would not be the first to speak first, subconsciously zip-locking his lips and throwing the key away into some dark cavern of his brain. The burden fell to Peter to speak once more.

And speak he did.

“So … I gotta’ find a new favourite Hero now that I found out mine was you after all this time.” 

Why was he like this .. ?

“Spiderman’s your favourite?” Ray asks, hopeful, chin tilting upwards just enough to peer out from the crook in his arms that he’d buried his head previously into to avoid Peter’s expectant look. 

“Was. Remember, I just said I needed to find a new one.” Ray knows Peter’s only joking, because he says it with that light tone of his and his eyebrows soften, a look Peter reserves for Ray and a handful of other people. With a study pat on his shoulder, Peter is up and hauling Ray to his feet, “Alrighty, pal. Let’s get you to bed. Seems like it’s been a rough night.” Ray can only snort. If Pete had any idea what he’d gone through. 

“Yeah. Thanks Pete, we’ll talk more about this in the morning.”

But they never did. Not like Peter hadn’t tried; In fact, it had become almost a daily occurrence. Ray couldn’t leave the dorm room without being asked where he was going, who he was seeing, or what trouble New York City had found itself in. Even waking up for class early, or to go study with a few of his classmates, Peter was hot on his tail, ready to catch any action that arose. The action never arose, though, at least not in Peter’s vicinity. And at least, not for a good three weeks.

[desertfangs]

Ohhh I love your “obscure” headcanons so much! Armand is definitely the pettiest, bitchiest drama queen who ever lived (and I love him for it) and while I don’t think he’s outright lying in the sense that… while there’s obviously some discrepancies re: what he says and what actually happened, he also believes his own version of reality and he uses it as a coping mechanism (unlike some other vamps in the series who are just good old fashioned liars lol). To him, those aren’t really lies, but what he’s told himself to believe in order to move forward and survive. Also! Daniel 100% tells him he loves him while he’s a mortal, IIRC it’s mentioned how they fight and make up a lot and always reconcile with kisses and blood exchanges, and Daniel says “I love you, give me more”, or something along those lines. TVA!Armand really tried it but we remember 😌

Oh thank you, LOL. Yes, he is petty AF. But I totally agree, I think you're spot on about Armand and how in that moment, that is his version of reality. He isn't lying in an intentional sense about the Daniel stuff. He's in such a terrible headspace, he feels abandoned and lost, he just tried to commit suicide, and his mental state is not good (understatement of the year). So when he says things like "no one alive ever said they loved me" or "we never got our springtime" or whatever, these are things that absolutely feel true to him. He's so absorbed in his own pain and sadness, he can't really recall the good.

I do think there's part of him that is lashing out and wants to hurt Daniel on some level, but yes, largely it's just... he's so hurt himself that he cannot think of their relationship as anything but a total failure. He's seeing it through the lens of 'He left me, he doesn't love me, it's all bad.' 😭 He may remember Daniel saying he loves him but in that moment, those words no longer feel true so he might as well not have said it at all, you know? (Okay, now I'm depressed.)

Of course, we know he did. Like you said, he does actually say it in QotD: "It would end with the embrace, the kiss, the blood stinging him, the shroud of dreams closing over him like a great net, hunger! I love you! Give me more!"

But also even if it wasn't directly stated, Devil's Minion is like 40 pages that covers 12 years of their life together! Twelve years! That's a hell of a long time. We get bits and pieces of their conversations, mere snippets and little anecdotes. There's a lot that isn't included.

I have no doubt Daniel told him he loved him, verbally and otherwise, literally hundreds of times. Probably thousands. I would bet cash money Daniel has several of those times recorded on home video, even. I can only imagine Daniel reading that line and going "You've got to be kidding me." (The most mild reaction he will have to anything in TVA, tbh.)

Anyhow, thank you for the message, anon!

[spectralsleuth]

Hey if you could do a crossover with each of your AUs with another AU what would you pick

I want to write crossovers all the tiiiime! I am blessed enough to have made friends in the fandom that I can poke awake in their inboxes and ask what-if’s about; but ACTUALLY writing a crossover is a whole other thing. There’s some AU’s I am HUGE fans of, that I don’t think a crossover would with LSoW, or Portal Panic, or Flipside. (Flipside is my nanowrimo project lmao.)

Obviously I wanted to write an Empathy is Learned crossover with @alicat54cwriting, and we did! And it was super fun and I learned a lot. If I had to pick more fandom creators to crossover with:

@amevello-blue Obviously. GiTS and LSoW would be SO FUN and heartbreaking, and we’ve already talked a lot about it and how it would work, but we’re both busy with projects at the moment. But it’s on my dream to-do list for sure if the stars can align. (Mainly me finishing a couple things to give it full attention, because Ame is an absolute beast when it comes to juggling multiple projects. Everyone go read The Mystic Forest AU.)

@tangledinink and me talk about Gemini/LSoW crossovers all the time because we have a disease lol. Anyone who knows him knows he loves playing with our characters like little dolls. Me giving Yoshi eight kids in crossovers seems to be a running theme and also very funny to me; including Venus and Jenni it would be TEN. Man’s life would turn into a SITCOM. But also Yoshi having daughters would be very funny and sweet to me he is such a helicopter Dad, and being faced with what he truly thinks would be the worst case scenario for all of his children would be uhhhhhh. VERY BAD. (And we love 'very bad' in this house.)

(I don't think Kayson would mind me posting a snippet of our convo because we are so smart and correct all the time.)

I also love @mudlarkspur's Catchyou!AU. I think xir Donnie in my AU would be very fun! She's still a kid in the fic (I love their 'assigned girl by gargoyle' Donnie it's very funny and sweet, but xir more grown designs for Donnie and the plot that's to come is super exciting to me, and I think either would be so fun to play with in an AU. Also, the science in this fic I am obsessed with.

I'm not sure if a CROSSOVER with @thedawningofthehour would necessarily work, but they have a lot of OC's and turtles I would love to kidnap and play with. Their world is so rich and well made I feel like I need to study them like student would, it's crazy.

And needless to say a Discord Ronin Admin AU crossover would be just. Clenches fist. So. Perfect. But @melonpalooza is singlehandedly holding the entire crossover multiverse together through sheer force of will, and if our schedules and inspiration ever aligned it would be a miracle.

OBVIOUSLY me twirling my hair and thinking of crossovers is absolutely just introspection and fantasizing, because everyone's schedules are crazy and a lot of fic authors are already (I PROMISE YOU) juggling multiple fics. So nobody go bothering them about it, because I promise you I am NOT shy about contacting people, and chances are I've already gone into their inbox like a shy cat to give them the dead mouse of my AU and already talked about crossovers.

I also have about four different works i really want to get out before more crossing over, because some things like 'The Hidden City Trial' and 'Red King' are pretty integral to understanding how the world of LSoW is going to work moving forward!

If anyone ever wanted to contact ME for a crossover I'd be perfectly fine with it! I've read a LOT of fics in the fandom so you never know what I might have read, and the worst I can say is 'no'. It's the finding time part that's really hard.

Sorry for the long answer! There's just a lot of AU's and fan creators that I'm a huge fan of. ;-;

[theboardwalkbody]

This is a snippet of the Twister imagine (also the Reader-ish OFC / Dusty thing). It is very much written quickly and a literal play-by-play of how it was unfolding in my head in real-time. So not really structured as properly as a regular fic. Part of me WANTS to flesh it out properly for a fic but I also feel that if I try to it might just never happen where if I release it this way at least SOMETHING will get put out.

Anyway, this is how I introed it in my drafts:

I am in the mood for a fluffy, summery imagine so here's something (note - it's actually just me writing out the daydream I was having earlier) (note 2 - there is absolutely hints of 'reader' and dusty crushing on each other) (And here's another note - I ended up putting a read more cut due to length, I didn't realize this would be so long also it gets VERY Dusty/FReader under the cut all hints out the window really lol You know the 'only one bed' trope? yeah it's that, except there's only one shower oops - but there's nothing explicit sorry friends):

If you're interested I'd love feedback on if you'd prefer it to be released in ANY format (as in this style being ok or actual fleshed out story) OR if you're only really interested in a fully fleshed out / polished format. Again, I'll be honest, this might be the only thing I have motivation for (and it is still taking me some time) so IDK how a more "polished" thing would go BUT I am still interested in feedback. Or if you like where it's going or whatever. I'm considering switching from F!Reader to OFC if its more polished but that's not set in stone either. All of this is a lot of scenery so far. lol

INTRO TO FIC/IMAGINE/SOMETHING BELOW:

You're in the pool, at first sitting on the bench between Haynes and Laurence; she's reading a trashy gossip magazine (she would otherwise be on her phone doing the same thing but she's not one to bring valuable electronics around the pool even if they're water resistant), and he's got a book and nearby a waterproofed go-pro. Eventually you do decide to journey off the bench and begin simply walking a circle in the shallow-end. After about twenty minutes of what is basically your attempt at water-based exercise just for the heck of it you start feeling even warmer than when you'd first gotten in so you decide to actually submerge yourself up to your neck and explore the deep end; swimming back and forth between there and the shallow end. Every so often you sing softly along with the music but not loud enough for anyone to really hear.

Off the shallow-end on the deck Jo is getting in some sun on one of the lounge chairs. She's wearing brown-tinted sunglasses that, thanks to how dark they are, anyone could easily assume she was asleep but knowing Jo she's keenly aware of what everyone's doing. On the lounge chair next to her is Melissa (because I like to imagine they could all be adults and remain friends despite all the events they been through). Melissa, like you, is wearing oversized sunglasses. She has accented her swimsuit with a large sunhat. She has a novel in hand and her work cell on the table between her and Jo's chairs next to the pitcher of iced tea that is dripping with condensation. Melissa's glass is nearly empty where Jo's sits half full next to her almost empty bottle of Twisted Tea.

Over at the gazebo Bill, Joey, and Preacher sit, each with their own bottles of beer in hand. They're having a conversation but between the music and their distance from you, the sounds of the water as you swim through it, and the shouts from the rest of the gang the only bits of their discussions you can hear are their intermittent bursts of laughter. Scattered around the tables under the metal roof were bottles and cans of different beers and sodas belonging to the men otherwise unaccounted for by the pool and in the gazebo.

On the opposite side of the pool, the farther side of the yard, the open grassy area is being utilized by the rest of the group. The volleyball net had been taken down and gently placed along the fence to make room for a game of touch football. Dusty and Beltzer VS Rabbit and Sanders. This group was particularly raucous. Laughter, shouts of playful jabs, whoops of celebration, expletive exclamations of defeat and disagreement over calls. Occasionally one of them would call over to the gazebo group demanding a referee call - often answered by Joey who was paying slightly more attention to the amateur football game than his conversation buddies but occasionally answered by Bill if the debate was getting too heated.

At some point in your playlist the new Luke Combs song, Ain't No Love in Oklahoma, comes on which gets some of the group singing along, none more so than Dusty and Beltzer, however. The sound of them shouting along the words almost drowned out the actual audio from the speakers. It made you, Haynes, and Jo crack subtle little smiles. Jo because she enjoyed seeing her group having a good time, Hayne's because she enjoyed seeing Beltzer have a good time and found his singing enjoyable, and you because you enjoyed seeing Dusty having a good time and always thought it was cute when he would get so into things and just be fully and unapologetically himself; loud, fun, goofy, sweet - all of it.

[cloudninetonine]

*walks on in, pats your head, hands you a cake and a pot of tea, doesn't elaborate* Hey hey, so first of all, happy birthday! Be it early or belated depending on when you see this, second of all, glad you're answering asks again, as always take your time yes?

Third of all, going to be screaming over Player's Aid 13 and 14 here before Irl stuff drags me away by the throat lol.

To start off, I absolutely adore Player's reactions, because they're very realistic depiction of panic from someone clearly not used to this sort of situation, they aren't native to Hyrule, they aren’t like the heroes or the princesses who are used to monsters and the very real threat of that, so when you throw them straight into the deep end they can’t keep their head above water and it’s a fantastic example of trauma reactions, and Wild is so soft with them! They were there for him when his world is the second most lonely of eras, they were his one true companion besides Wolfie and whatever horses he tamed and he cares for them so so much and wants them safe and I love that, and it’s so fun to take a peek of his thoughts on what happened to Twilight and how protective he is of people, he’s such a delight and I love these two so much. Also, interesting... So Wild ‘came close’ to death before getting Mipha’s Grace, Player was emotionally destroyed due it, I’m guessing that was actually a Game Over, because he woke up somewhere else (maybe where they last saved?) Hm... I wonder if that still works, and if Player still has access to the game mechanics, food for thought. It’s super interesting to see the dissonance between how things look like from Hyrule and where the disconnect from Player as The Guide vs Player The Unfortunate Rando Zelda Fan Dink Snatched Off the Streets (affectionate) and how that might connect to the nature of the Guide as a possible Deity (I remember that snippet Cloud, I have MANY theories and thoughts but this ask is going to be long enough as it is and I am going to save those theories for when irl gives me time for another ask lol). Also absolutely delighted about the way Hyrule just SPRINTED to get to Player and his bestie, it’s perfectly in character and I love that so much and how he cares for Player so much but man just zoomed, I’m surprised there wasn’t a dust cloud I’ll admit I laughed a bit lol.

Next, Dark Link. That’s it that’s the paragraph lol, but seriously Dark Link always steals every scene he is in and the part of me that is a horror fan is constantly delighted whenever he appears, he always brings a wonderful sense of threat, he is such a unnatural entity, he is an eldtrich being that is darkness, who is fear and who FEASTS on fear and he also very clearly loses his cool the second his dramatics are interrupted and gets super creative with threats as a result, love that for him and Eldtrich Dark Link is great and I genuinely think your interpretation of him might just be my favorite out of all I’ve seen, also that nightmare was super interesting and how it may relate to him but that might just be me, I’ll come back to that.

Also PLAYER SNIPING DINK’S EYE WITH A BRICK AND DIVERTING HIS ATTENTION TO PROTECT THE BOYS WE LOVE TO SEE IT! The true MVP of this chapter truly was The Conveniently Placed Brick™ and I couldn’t stop my cackle once I read that, it’s always so good to see the Links getting defended, because they’re brothers and technically all have the same spirit so of course they protect one another but they also are heroes, they protect and look after one another and others but who protects them? And I am always delighted to see people looking out for them and it gives some really good character for Player and possible points for Twi and Wars, sure they’re terrified and awfully out of their depth but they’ll be darned if they let anything terrify or hurt their boys on their watch because THAT’S THEIR HEROES DARN IT. Although I can see that possibly being foreshadowing... The payback for Twi is so worth it tho, to see the thing that almost did him in bleed must be so satisfying lol, Cloud you Monarch these were great and you’ve been blessed by Nayru, thank you for all of your hard work so far!

On another note, possibly the next one’s to remember might be Warriors and Twilight after this? I feel like after the panic is gone either Warriors or Twi might note that Player was defending them, like, actively making themselves a target so Dink would focus on them. Warriors would be interesting because he’s a soldier and I feel like he’s a very capable guy and good judge of character as a result, he canonically hates traitors and is basically Artemis’ left hand (Impa being the right) the most so he probably has to be good at reading people, while Legend is the one who’s more outwardly distrusting and vocal about it (Bite First Before They Bite You kind of deal, he basically uses jabs and sarcasm as a defense mechanism, love the guy and I think I have a idea of why he’s reacting the way he does but I want to SHAKE HIM), Warriors is probably more inwardly distrusting, the type to watch before making any sort of judgement and who has arguably Seen the most on the battlefield, like say soldiers of civilians breaking down and likely having some form of PTSD himself (although to be fair all Links probably have a form of it), you can’t exactly fake trauma reactions accurately because everyone reacts differently with only a few forms of overlap so it would be interesting if Wars was the third to remember due to his experience and seeing Player actively making themselves a target (something they wouldn’t do if they were working with the Shadow or only focusing on their own survival, LEGEND.)

On the other end, there’s Twilight whom is likely the most interesting and likely candidate, again Wild takes a lot after him as noted by Time and besides Wind (who basically adopted Player as a new older sibling, so he doesn’t count) possibly one of the Links closest to Player besides Wild and Hyrule, they both technically have the same trauma now (Twi 🤝 Player Almost Getting Murdered by Dark Link. They have a two person support club and need for therapy) so I feel like he might be the one who can empathize the most with Player at the moment, specially after their breakdown with Wolfie, wether or not he knows they know he can shift doesn’t really matter because again, you don’t just fake reactions like that specially when you think you are fully alone, so I can see them inwardly gravitating towards one another because they can understand each other the best now and Player did divert the attention of the source of his fear towards them, even if they were terrified themselves. Plus he has experience and knowledge of other worlds and is technically the resident dark magic expert, I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but the fact he can shift at will at all in LU makes me remember this tidbit from the TP Manga (spoilers, I suppose?), that Twilight has been studying dark magic ever since he got to Ordon to try and understand it (granted it’s due to a misunderstanding but he’s been studying it enough it’s actually common for him to order books on magic and dark magic on Sera’s shop), he’s been studying it for a while and probably learned a lot from Midna and experimented before she left (because he had to learn how to shift into Wolfie at will after all, he had her help in the game and also maybe Player’s but he probably had to learn from scratch after they left). I feel like he’s the most likely besides maybe Hyrule to be able to tell Reader isn’t a magic user much less a dark magic user (mostly because I feel like the Shadow’s magic and other types of dark magic and Malice probably feel very different from one another), not to mention the whole thing with the Twilight Realm being another world entirely I feel like he wouldn’t just brush off the possibility of Player having been Midna’d too soon.

Although it could just be me wishfully thinking, in the end it’s you who decides how the story goes and I am fully prepared to be wrong but really excited to see where it’ll go, I’m just here to analyse what I can and theorize and freak out over your writing lol, as always thank you for sharing Player’s Aid with us and for all of your hard work in the fandom! I want to give Player a hug and lots of headpats, then shove them off for a cuddle pile with Wild, Hyrule, Wind and Wolfie, they’re going through it and I hope they’ll have a nice break ^^. And that you’ll slowly feel better soon.

Another thing that really stands out to me is the relationship the Chain has with each other and how you write everyone, although I’ll have to keep it brief-ish, everyone is perfectly in character and they really sound like a team, what with the worry the boys show towards one another (even Legend, though it comes out as an accuswtion because of course it does he doesn’t trust them) and how even though they disagree with some actions taken they can still understand it, even if it causes friction, how they plan and theorize and talk together, and it’s really good and it’s a brilliant choice to have it be mostly from Four’s perspective because of course he is the one watching all of this go down as a neutral party and the most analytical of the Links, and Sky being the one to defuse tension and Wind being the first to worry about Player and Time feeling extremely conflicted because as much as confirmation was necessary to try figuring out how Dark Link works he HATES that it’s at the cost of someone who seems harmless, even with suspicious circumstances behind themselves, I love and adore this so so much it’s so good.

And finally the dream sequence, I wonder if it’s fully from Player’s point of view or just a memory, because thinking about it originally Dark Link was in Time’s game as a test for Time, it’s his most iconic appearance as a test and obstacle to kill the Hero by digging into all of his insecurities and fears, and the temple he appears is the Water Temple and the one place we don’t really see him again is the Adult Timeline (because he otherwise shows up on both the Downfall and Child lines, although with Downfall it’s arguably Shadow Link more so than Dark and in Child we only really see him in the TP Manga and The Cutscene, plus Hyrule Warriors because Cia dragged him back), with the kingdom drowning due to Ganondorf returning and then becoming the Great Sea (remember, King Daphne’s chose certain people to save and we don’t know what happened to Lullaby or any other possible Zeldas or Links, since that time no Hero was recorded to come because ya know, Time went back and presumably not the Hero's Shade yet and Tetra is explicitly a reincarnation, I’m guessing some people wouldn’t have been high on his priorities list and all of old Hyrule would have gone under, including the Water Temple), there’s a lot of drowning imagery with both Player’s vision and the Shadow, which makes me personally wonder wether the flashback is of Player’s memory as the Guide (maybe with Hylia? Farore? It would make sense for The Guide to be an off shot of one of the Golden Three like in IRL mythology, say Eros being an offshot of Aphrodite or Aphrodite being an offshot of Ishtar. Or maybe their past existence as the Guide themselves trying to reunite, who knows). OR, the much more bonkers route that is firmly in the whiteboard and red string territory, if it’s somehow from Dark Link’s perspective and how it (he?) returned. Although given Dark Link’s entire outlook and goal being to consume the Guide’s powers so he can end everything I think it’s far more unlikely and definitely a reach. Or the dream might just have been from Player’s memory or from another’s perspective entirely and Player just so happened to see it because they are the Guide, either way it’s really interesting and I shall patiently look forward to what’ll happen next.

Keeping this brief because I don’t know Tumblr’s mobile ask limit, plus I have to work on the second part to Craein’s one shot, Lora’s little one shot(s), Linktober + Linktober Shadow and irl stuff has been kicking me while I’m still down with sleep deprivation, so this is it for now, again, thank you for everything. And a happy birthday soon.

-Wishing you all the best. An Awkward Summertime Musician.

Sum I literally love reading these analysis bits you send me they literally make me so happy you have no idea <3 Also I want those theories for that snippet please <3 PIUFHBIPU

Once again grateful for the love of Player's realistic reactions <3 I do writing Player terrified and in mental turmoil for things outta their control /lh It just builds character (and it's totally not projection /lie) Also I'm glad you caught on to the save file scene! It was brought forth from me getting fucked over while playing Tears <3 OIUYGFDIUY

AND YOU KNOW IF IT'S DINK I GOTTA BRING THE REAL HORROR OUT IN HIM- IN ALL THE VILLAINS HONESTLY, because listen, if an evil version of me made completely of darkness and shadows was my villain I'd be scared shitless for the things he could do. Also he may be a little messed up from outer influences

Protective Player. I love it, you love it- we all love it. But you know what I also love? Exploring the fears of the heroes, because while they may be allergic to cowardice there is always room for fear. Twilight may not have feared death in that moment but who said he wouldn't later? Same for Warriors? I feel like we've got to give these guys more human qualities- and to fear what's beyond life is something a lot of people tend to suffer from. C'est la vie! Or beyond vie I guess IGFIP

Also loving the theories on whose next to find out! I won't lie I'm still determining the next person! But I am going to take your analysis for future purposes so yoink

The Chain's relationship is lovely and a little bit complicated sometimes but I really do try to make sure everything makes sense! I want these guys to be as close to the source material as possible with only slight changes! So I hope to continue to stay to script!

Also the dream sequence....>:D

Nah I'm just kidding- I'm gonna be limited because of far future spoilers but it is from Player's perspective.

[yellowocaballero]

I'd be interested in those writing shortcuts 👀 (don't feel pressured though)

Yeah sure! This is in reference to this and this posts.

These are all pretty 'fic style' stories, because they scaffold off pre-existing canon. It's like you're walking inside of a pre-built house and you're putting up new wallpaper and designing the rooms. Novel style is like if you're building the entire house. So these are really great for fun and if you have writer's block or have problems starting a story. They're also really good if you're practicing your dialogue, scene composition, characterization, etc - they are not good for developing skills on how to build the house, but if you're trying to work on actually making a readable story they're great methods to practice. They're also a lot easier to make good lol.

While writing these out I realized that they're almost entirely AUs. This is because I like AUs. You don't have to do AUs, you can adapt these however you want if you just like writing canon. Loser. Anyway, these are my low-effort stories:

A series of disconnected scenes that take place over a long period of time. If you have an idea in mind (or you just want to use the OG work's timeline), then you can show scenes or moments over a long period in time. For example, ages ago I wrote an AU story following the life of one character. One scene for 2008, one for 2010, one for 2012 etc.

Rewriting canon. If you have an AU idea or have a way in mind to change canon to something you think fucks harder, then you can use pre-existing episodes or season plotlines and just add your own flavor to what already exists. If you write for BNHA you aren't allowed to do this. That's the rule. How is all BNHA fic 600k AUs where one extremely minor detail is changed. God they're boring.

Alternate viewpoint/missing scene of a story you have. Like you can do this for canon too but that sounds super boring. This is actually something I do in order to help the quality of the main story - if I'm finding myself writing a super complicated character, I write another story about him from his POV to help give me a handle on him. Or write her parts of the story from her perspective. It's a writing exercise to help me figure out the character and it is also easy and fun.

"X Meets Y". Do you really like Legally Blonde? Do you think your favorite character being Elle Woods would be really funny? Stuff like that. Would it be really funny if your blorbo was Sharpay Evans? Yes it would be. Yeah I DID write a story many years ago that was "X meets Teen Beach Movie", why?

I don't know how many other people out there have extremely convoluted entire AU ideas, but if you have the whole AU in your mind then it is incredibly easy to write little stories or snippets from the AU. Like, so easy. A stand-out scene in your mind, the life of one supporting character, an alternate POV, whatever. Literally whenever I want to write something absolutely 0 effort whatsoever I go back to one of my 3 bugfuck stupid AUs and write something for them again.

This is actually something I think everybody should do, because it is basically how I learned story structure: find the trashiest, most formulaic genre you can. Watch or read something from that genre, or just collect genre conventions. Use the pre-packaged and pre-written formula to structure your own story and fill in the blanks.

(Also, these aren't very tropey or reliant on shipping/romance beats, which is nice if you want to get away from that stuff)

Nowadays, I find all of that helpful when I feel like doing something 0 effort. When I was a less experienced writer and I deadass did not know how to build a house, then these were really helpful for learning what wallpaper looks good and what arrangement of furniture creates good fung shui and what couches go best with that coffee table. They're also good passing. Seriously, these are like the most popular stories on my AO3. People eat this shit up. Why. They're so lazy.

IDK, these are what I do because they're the kinds of stories I like to write! What you find easy to write will be different. This is all a very personal list. I can see my personal thumbprint (no romance, AU central) really clearly. I'm kind of curious now: what are y'all's favorite low-effort, easy, fun stories to write?

Also as a heads up if your story doesn't have any sort of conflict in it, then it will actually very difficult to write. Trust me. Conflict makes you voom. Do it. Please. Love of god.

[sherlockianscholar]

part 1 (1985-1990): the saga of jeremy brett through the scuttlebutt archives

go here for part two!

since 1971, sherlockian and baker st irregular, peter blau has published a small "gossip" sheet for all sherlock holmes news under publication of the "scuttlebutt from the spermaceti press." after the advent of computers, peter started digitizing all his sheets from 1985 onward.

i went through blau's archives to look for any tidbits on jeremy brett. what i found tells jeremy's saga as granada's sherlock holmes. some of the entries are very straightforward. some of them require reading through the lines. some of them are just fun background bits of granada. but all of them paint jeremy's story through little snippets of news.

March 1985: granada premieres in america! vincent price quoted edgar w. smith, one of the foremost sherlockians in history :)

July 1985: the beginning of the closing chapter of his life

for some reason these are the only pictures i can find of joan and jeremy together, but they are absolutely adorable

August 1985 #1

August 1985 #2: jeremy's flightiness around the role trickles to the press. though he'll never say why.

"'and then i hang my pipes up,'" he said with a smile." his feelings regarding holmes were dangerous before joan's death and only got worse.

to quote producer june wyndham-davies, "when his depression was upon him, and he suffered from depression of the worst kind, he was a different person entirely. i've never known anyone whose personality could change so much. he would become aggressive and not want to continue. i had so many conversations with jeremy about not wanting to continue as sherlock holmes. he felt that sherlock holmes had turned him into a monster. jeremy brett was like that before he ever came to sherlock holmes, but it wasn't his fault and it certainly wasn't sherlock holmes fault."

December 1987: i didn't know he commissioned the play, the secret of sherlock holmes! and helped write it!!

February 1988: damn, that's audacious

May 1988: i can only imagine how much more would've been created and executed if jeremy hadn't gotten sick

okay but, the dog in the hound of the baskervilles is named khan. the movie is literally the wrath of khan.

June 1988: i can't pinpoint the timeline for when jeremy's mental illness became public knowledge and published by the media. however, from this short news clipping, it doesn't seem like they knew the real reason jeremy's hair was cut short. and almost certainly not that he chopped it off himself.

"jeremy just got into one of his manic states—you know, i hate sherlock holmes etc., and one day he cut his hair. in front of the mirror, he lopped bits off. i remember the first time I saw him after he had done it. we were both appearing in an 80th birthday tribute to sir laurence olivier at the national. he turned up at the theatre and i said, 'god, what have you done to your hair?' it was patently obvious it had not been cut by a barber—there were bits sticking up all over." -edward hardwicke

July 1988: the age of jeremy brett! forget the victorian era, this is the jeremerian? brettian? era

October 1988 #1

October 1988 #2: jeremy's insecurities shine through more. high praise for daniel day-lewis. "don't worry you haven't heard or seen the last of him!" congrats to jeremy for introducing lewis to america LOL. yay for play success! (also what does he mean by saying the private life of sherlock holmes is a "damaged film?" robert stephens was one of jeremy's life long best friends--stephens died exactly 2 months after jeremy. coincidentally, jeremy's ex-boyfriend, paul shenar, died exactly one month after jeremy.)

October 1988 #3: L O L

November 1988 #1: jeremy's opinion matters!

November 1988 #2: in my opinion, "bending the willow" is the most important part of jeremy's interpretation of holmes

August 1989: michael cox (the cornerstone of creating and shaping the first half of granada's run) begins to make his (very forced) exit. jeremy's physical health problems are becoming apparent, but they are brushed away by the actor, attributing his breathing issues and weight gain to heavy smoking. and once again, jeremy tries to cast off holmes, without revealing his true reasons.

according to granada's page on the arthur conan doyle encyclopedia, this is what was really happening:

"the performances were probably cathartic for him, but required excessive physical effort from a man with a worsening heart condition who, due to the enormous water retention caused by the lithium, found it difficult to breathe and move. he was forced to leave the theatre and go to hospital, where he stayed for a fortnight and had more than twelve litres of water removed from his body. by 1989 brett and hardwicke, who had supported him with boundless patience, were on their knees. brett took a short holiday but had to be rushed home and hospitalized: the treatments for his bipolar disorder and his heart condition had clashed."

i strongly recommend reading edward's later comments of his difficulties with jeremy during the show: link here

October 1989: two months later, jeremy has yet again changed his mind on continuing as sherlock holmes

November 1989: philip purser how d a r e you say that about my beloved watson. of course, it's from the daily mail, so his opinion doesn't matter.

December 1989: granada undergoes major changes. the conservative government was actively attacking the british media and coming after their budgets. after ousting all of the original leaders of granada's sherlock holmes, the new priorites were based off of ratings and profitability. "you must always remember that your business is to form the market as well as to supply it, [otherwise] your career will have succeeded only in restraining the arts, tarnishing the virtues, and throwing confusion into the manners of your contemporaries." -a granada staffer to the new leaders of the show

January 1990: jeremy finally feels stable in the role, but i think without that dance with "the dark side of the moon" he felt like he lost a key element in his portrayal of holmes. even though he had always been terrified of that instabiity.

end of part 1, so here's part two!

[pikapitou]

hi! 7 and 13 for the writing asks :)

hiiiiii!!!!!!!

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

from baby birch I love love love

A future. The flickering memory of Shannon climbing through his window in the middle of the night, shaking all over but stubbornly refusing to cry when she told him, and the way Eddie felt like the open expanse of his life was constricting with every breath, getting smaller and smaller, until at nineteen years old he saw the straight line all the way to his death.

the open expanse of his lifeeeee. the straight line all the way to his deathhhh. I was pretty restrained in how many times I let eddie actually Think About It in regards to his trauma in baby birch so I think every little glimmer that slipped thru had to be Impactful...

also from an older non-911 fic. sky that holds no stars

The part of her that once cared for He Yu was dead, leaving behind a corpse that spoke. All it said was this is not healthy for her, a statement of fact without want for action attached. There was no part of her that cared for herself.

I think it's one of my absolute favourite excerpts of mine LOL. I simply think it slays...

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

forever and ever my favourite piece of advice. I am of course a metaphor enjoyer but I feel like there's a lot of worth in moments where the writing strips down and things sit by themselves, stark and naked and reflecting whatever you read into it...

[coolcataetheryte]

Say You Love Me series (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Pairing: ThancredxJoker(mWoL)

Contains: eeeh basically smut. But with fluff toward the end. Tell me if you want something specific tagged Idk

Mature audience only!

Note: This takes place during post-Heavensward, when Thancred returns to the group. We get a bit of Joker’s backstory here. Wolcred Week Day 1: Warmth/Home (this fits both prompts) sorry i'm posting this on day 3. I forgot lol

Background info: This is a series of snippets of Joker’s life with Thancred and G’raha in my Magical Heroes AU, during any part of the entirety of the game. The AU elements may not be entirely prominent in all stories, but know that they do take place in an AU, and so some things may be different from canon. Not every part will be in chronological order. I’ll just be writing them as they come to me. I’ll always give a bit of context of when it takes place. It isn’t necessary to read the previous ones, but they may help with understanding some things, such as specific gestures, or phrases they do/say to each other.

Word count: 2,826

Joker was pacing in his room. Thancred had wanted a much needed full cleanse and had asked him to wait. He, of course, had taken the time to clean up as well, but he’d finished long before Thancred, and it was becoming agony. He startled at the sound of the door opening.

“Hey,” came Thancred’s voice.

Before he could even blink, Joker had leapt into his arms. He held him as tight as he could before lifting him off the ground, and instinctively, Joker wrapped his legs around his waist. Thancred walked him over to the desk and sat him on top of it as they kissed fervently, as if to make up for all the time they’d been apart.

Joker’s hands stroked his tanned cheeks, feeling the overgrown stubble. Normally he’d hate facial hair, but right now the scratchy sensation was somehow grounding. Like it was proof his lover had truly returned.

Meanwhile, Thancred’s hands had found their way into the soft, blue hair he loved to touch. It’d been far too long since he’d been able to stroke his fingers through it. He gingerly touched the ribbon wrapped around the longer lock of hair, then pulled it out, leaving the hair loose over Joker’s shoulder. He then threaded his hand into the shorter lengths. Gripping it, he gently pulled Joker’s head back enough to gain access to that lovely throat he’d missed so much. He kissed, licked, and sucked at the sensitive skin, drawing soft moans from the beautiful Viera.

Joker tugged at Thancred’s shirt. Without breaking contact, Thancred all but tore the offending article off of himself, then helped Joker out of the confines of his jacket. The kiss was finally broken to lift Joker’s shirt up and over his head, the hem catching on his long ears before sliding off onto the desk. It took only a few seconds, but that was already longer than either of them could bear. Their lips crashed together even more desperately than before.

Thancred caressed every inch of newly exposed skin. He had every scar, every crease, every muscle entirely memorized, and made sure he left absolutely nothing untouched. His fingers brushed over a scar on Joker’s back he didn’t recognize. Joker hissed slightly, the flesh still a bit tender, but it didn’t hinder their fervor. Thancred’s touch became lighter, and he ghosted over its entirety, committing it to memory as well.

Joker leaned back as Thancred’s lips made their way down to his chest, moaning when his tongue laved hungrily over a nipple while fingers massaged the other. He tangled his own fingers into the untrimmed white tresses, still damp from his shower, urging his lover not to stop.

Thancred was more than happy to oblige, but his pants had grown uncomfortably tight and he knew Joker’s must feel the same. He pushed Joker further onto his back, shoving things uncaringly off the desk as he did so. He kissed down his abs until he met the edge of his pants. He eagerly undid the closure with his teeth. Joker, propped on an elbow, watched him impatiently.

As soon as he worked the trousers open, he was met with a flash of blue hair. He looked up at Joker with a smirk, who could only blush in response. It was unlike him to forgo his undergarments, but he knew Thancred absolutely loved the surprise. Not wasting another moment, Thancred pulled the pants off, freeing Joker’s erection. He kissed the heated tip before taking it fully into his mouth.

Joker moaned as he leaned back onto the desk. A hand found its way back into Thancred’s hair, the other moved to cover his mouth. His moans were growing loud with his lover working his magic.

Thancred let out a moan of his own, sending a wonderful vibration that had Joker writhing with pleasure. He could tell by the pitch of Joker’s moans he was getting close to release. He continued, pushing him closer and closer, listening carefully to the beautiful sounds tumbling from Joker’s mouth. Almost. Almost.. Now!

He released the erection from his hold just before Joker could reach ecstasy. He couldn’t help but laugh at the adorable way Joker positively whined his name in frustration. Thancred moved up to capture his lips, less ravenously this time, but still full of desire.

Joker forgot his ire entirely with Thancred’s skillful tongue in his mouth now. His arms encircled the other man’s neck, and Thancred pulled him closer by the waist before drifting a hand down to stroke an ebony thigh. He braced Joker against him as he lifted him with ease. He moved them to the bed this time, nudging the nest of pillows aside to lay him.

Thancred stood back to remove his own trousers, groaning when his erection was finally able to stand at full attention. Joker reached a hand toward him anxiously. Thancred held it, and kissed it gently as he joined his lover on the bed. He leaned over him, reaching his arm to search for the bottle of lubricant that so often wound up shoved under the pillows. He’d done it without even thinking, but of course it’d been months, and it made sense it’d have been moved or tossed. Joker, a bit delayed in realizing what he was feeling around for, pointed him toward the nightstand. Thancred once again leaned his entire body over him, stretching to reach inside and dig around.

Joker took the opportunity to kiss Thancred’s chest, and grope his hands over the muscles he was happy his lover still had. Hopefully, that meant he hadn’t gone too hungry. But now wasn’t the time to worry about such things. He gasped as lubricated fingers slipped inside him. He’d been too distracted by Thancred’s chest to notice when he’d retrieved and opened the bottle. He did his best to relax into the motions.

Thancred kissed him leisurely, gently sliding his tongue into Joker’s all too eager mouth. He worked his fingers carefully. He always thoroughly prepared him before moving on to the main event. When Joker cried out in pleasure he focused his fingers on that particular spot.

Joker was nearly whimpering by the time his release finally came. He was still trembling when Thancred’s fingers retreated. He kissed Joker’s ears, his forehead, his cheeks, and finally his lips once more.

“Still ok?,” Thancred asked, holding him close.

Joker nuzzled him. “I want you.”

Thancred pressed his forehead against Joker’s, a motion Joker had taught him to do as an ultimate affectionate sign to a lover. Something from his Viera tribe upbringing. They did it often. It was the last contact they’d had in the tunnels beneath Ul’dah, so long ago.

Joker’s heart filled with warmth. He closed his eyes and hummed contentedly.

The two stayed like that for a moment, basking in the familiarity. Thancred stroked his hair and ears.

“Say you love me,” he said, just as he had in the tunnels, but this time it was with a smile rather than despair.

“I love you so much,” Joker replied eagerly.

Thancred held him and reversed their positions so quickly Joker was almost dizzy. He was now straddled atop, with Thancred smirking up at him from below.

“I just wanted a better view,” he teased, rubbing Joker’s thigh. “I missed looking at you.”

Joker was happy to indulge him. He guided his lover’s rod inside himself, biting his lip as he felt every inch slide perfectly into place. Gods he had missed him.

A moan escaped Thancred’s lips. He watched his lover fully seat himself onto his girthy length. He held both dark thighs, stroking a thumb over a tiny scar he, of course, still remembered. He waited with barely contained impatience as Joker adjusted to the sensation with a few deep breaths. It had been a while, it made sense his body would need a bit more time today. He slid one hand up to hold his waist. His eyes darted down to Joker’s dripping erection. It twitched slightly, and he had to will himself not to touch it. He wanted Joker to last as long as possible.

Finally, Joker began to move, lean muscles contracting beautifully. He started at a quick pace, moaning each time he impaled himself.

“Gods, you’re gorgeous,” Thancred breathed.

Joker leaned his head back in rapture, arching his chest in a way that begged for his nipples to be touched. Thancred couldn’t resist. He reached his hands up to fondle the dark buds, the stimulation causing Joker to twitch and move his hips erratically. With gasping moans, he pressed himself deeper on the erection inside him, completely unable to continue on his own.

Thancred massaged the perked nipples a few final times before dragging his hands back down to hold Joker’s waist firmly. He thrusted fervently up into him. Joker’s moans were growing desperate, and higher in pitch. He braced his hands on Thancred’s chest, his own erection bobbing between them with the force of his lover’s movements. For just a moment, their eyes met, and suddenly both of them were shouting out their release.

Joker collapsed onto him, panting. Thancred smoothed the long ears back to keep them out of his face. His chest was heaving under Joker’s cheek, heart pounding. They laid there catching their breath.

It wasn’t long before emotion started welling up in Joker’s chest. His eyes filled with tears and there was nothing he could do to stop them from spilling over onto Thancred’s chest.

Thancred held him tighter, stroking his ears and hair soothingly.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “It’s ok. I’m here. Everything will be ok.”

“I thought I lost you,” Joker cried.

“You won’t be rid of me that easily,” he said, rubbing circles on Joker’s back. “I love you.”

Despite his calming words, Thancred’s own tears began to fall. It had been difficult not knowing the state of things. While he was more than sure Joker would be alive and waiting for him, he couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t be badly hurt. Feeling the unfamiliar scar again reminded him of that much. His lover was strong, but not invulnerable. They held each other, crying quietly.

It had been a few hours since their reunion. In that time they bathed again-together this time-and ate a much needed meal. Thancred sat comfortably in a large chair, Joker draped in his lap. Joker was nuzzling him contentedly, another loving gesture common for his race. Thancred was caressing him in return. One hand gently scratching the base of his ears, the other, stroking his arm.

Thancred loved these moments just as much, if not more, than when they made love. The touching was soothing. He was happy to stroke and caress Joker in all the ways he’d learned he enjoyed. Admittedly, they had only been dating less than a year before chaos was thrown into their laps again. But in that short time, he’d learned so much about Joker. And himself.

He never realized how much he loved just touching another person. He’d had others of course, men and women, but none of them wanted to simply cuddle and stroke each other in such a way that he felt was so intensely intimate, yet didn’t need to lead to sex, and often didn’t. It was relaxing. Comforting. A way of bonding that only Joker could show him. They could be together this way forever and Thancred would savor every single minute of it, never tiring. He breathed a deep, relaxed breath and closed his eyes as Joker ever so gently nipped at his neck and continued nuzzling.

Joker melted into Thancred more as he stroked along his back. He laid on his shoulder, practically boneless with how relaxed he felt. He smiled when Thancred nuzzled his chin against his head.

For a while there was nothing but the fireplace crackling. Everything else had completely faded away. For just a moment, they could pretend nothing terrible was happening.

“I’ve lost my magic,” Thancred said hesitantly, breaking the silence.

“It’ll be ok,” Joker said quietly.

“I haven’t been able to transform. What if I can’t anymore?”

“You will. It’ll happen.”

“How can I without magic? I’ll never be strong enough fight along-”

Joker moved to hold Thancred’s face and look him in the eyes.

“You will,” he said firmly. “We don’t transform with magic, Thancred. We transform with our hearts.”

He pressed his forehead against his. “You have one of the strongest hearts I’ve ever felt.”

Thancred huffed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But there are things I’ll be unable to do even when I transform.”

“Yeah. But we’ll work around it. You’re still strong, and I still want you fighting with me. I need to know you’re with me so I can be strong, too.”

“You are plenty strong even without me,” Thancred said, holding him tight.

“I am strong, but.. the last few transformations were really difficult for me,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure I could do it. It’d been so long that I was worried that I might've lost you forever. If that happened.. I think my heart would be too broken to transform.”

“I don’t believe that,” Thancred said, rubbing his back again. “You care too much to let that hinder you from saving everyone. You would always muster the strength, somehow.”

“If you believe that for me, I hope you believe it for yourself, too. Even if you don’t, I’ll always believe in you.”

“Thank you, my little rolanberry,” Thancred smiled.

Joker giggled at the silly nickname, but he loved it. The two relaxed again, holding each other close.

“What is your real name?,” Thancred asked.

“Real?,” Joker looked at him. “My forest name, you mean?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s not rude,” he thought for a moment. “But it’s not really my name anymore. So, as far as i’m concerned my ‘real’ name is Joker Brambleberry.”

Thancred nodded thoughtfully. “Can I ask why you decided to leave then?”

“You’re very curious tonight,” Joker laughed.

“I just realized I never asked these things. I want to know everything about the man I love.”

Joker hummed. “I guess I can't argue with that.”

He shifted his position on Thancred’s lap to look at the fire.

“I guess,” he began. “I just never felt like I belonged. Males have to go off and be completely alone for most of their lives. But I..”

Thancred held his hand, gently stroking it with his thumb. “You hate being alone.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t want that. I couldn’t handle that.”

Thancred hugged him tight and listened carefully.

“I had a mentor for a while, of course, but I was planning to leave the minute he decided I was ‘ready.’ I knew the survival skills would help me in the long run. I’m not stupid.”

Joker’s ears tilted back with his ire as he recalled that point of his life.

“I started feeling really bad that I wasn't in it, though. He had other males that wanted to stay, so.. I just left before my training was complete. I slipped away, silently, in the night. I’ll never know if they cared.”

“I see,” Thancred said, hoping the questions hadn’t upset him too much.

“Even without all the training, though,” he continued. “I survived somehow. When I became a dancer and lived with the troupe is when I got a new name.”

His ears relaxed a bit.

“The troupe gave it to you?,” Thancred asked.

“The forename, yes,” he nodded.

“Why ‘Joker?’”

He smiled at his lover’s continued curiosity. “I was the ‘wild card.’ I always added my own flair to the choreography, and I guess I had a way of always making everyone smile. So the leader gave me the name.”

“That does suit you well,” Thancred stroked his ears. “And the surname?”

“I just really like brambleberries.”

They both laughed at the admission.

“It sounds like you loved the troupe,” said Thancred. “Why did you leave?”

“I didn’t,” Joker’s expression fell. “Most of them were killed by monsters.”

“Oh.. I’m so sorry.”

Joker shook his head. “It was during the attack, I first transformed. I wanted to protect them so badly I became a magical warrior. That’s the only reason any of them survived. My only regret is that I didn't gain the power just a few minutes earlier.”

“I understand.”

“The ones that lived convinced me to become an adventurer. I agreed because I really do want to save as many people as I can. Then I ended up in Ul’dah,” he looked into Thancred’s eyes with a smile. “Where I met you.”

Thancred kissed him gently. “I’m sad such a tragedy is what led you to me.”

“It was a tragedy,” he nodded. “But if I were to go back in time, I wouldn't change anything. Those exact circumstances are why I'm here in your arms. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

He snuggled into Thancred’s chest again. “Even with all that’s happening right now.. we’ll get through it all. I was meant to be here with you.”

“And I, with you.”

They stayed by the fire a bit longer before Thancred finally carried him to bed. Earlier, they’d changed the sheets together and placed the pillows back where they’d been. Thancred always found it comical how many he had.

They nestled under the blankets, the pillows surrounding them exactly the way Joker liked. Joker laid on his lover’s chest and sighed.

“I missed you,” he said.

Thancred stroked his hair as he always did. “I missed you, too.”