#alex is the ever given of our ship

[mayberrycryptid]

@bennyokelly here is the photo. It was a behind the scenes pix taken during the Season 9 promo shots. No really, this is an actual photo😂😂😂

[anonbinaryweirdo]

nO therir friendship was EVERYTHING TO ME

Alexandra and Derek they are THE friendship EVER

this might be a really old screenshot but it's so dear to me💔

that being said, it's really outdated and the features are NOT canon to present timeline (staring at that horrific tail)

[thesleepyskipper]

WIP Wednesday

Thank you very kindly for the tags @onthewaytosomewhere, @duchessdepolignaca03, @cha-melodius, @myheartalivewrites and @blueeyedgrlwrites and @suseagull04 from Sunday when it was my birthday and also a big day for my big kiddo so I wasn't online much.

My @aroyallybigbangrwrb fic is coming along now that I've given myself a self-imposed deadline given that I'm the mod in charge of scheduling and yeah...an actual date means I better get moving on this! 😂

Here's more from our sweet neighbour boys, this time with a little Pez thrown in the mix:

Henry would prefer to nip that idea in the bud straight away. He’d had plenty of first hand experience with what Pez could get up to with strangers.  Henry does not need another awkward situation between Pez and someone he has to live near. Moving out isn’t an option either – Henry certainly was not prepared to carry any of those terribly burdensome boxes again any time soon. 

Henry also had no interest in ever introducing Pez to Alex, lest one of those awkward situations happen with him, which would be the absolute worst case scenario. He knew nothing of Alex’s sexuality – which is fair given that they’ve basically just met – but Pez tended to have a strange, almost magical seductive effect on pretty much everyone he encountered. 

Henry was thoroughly immune. They’ve been best mates basically forever. 

Even more importantly, Henry doesn’t feel prepared to share Alex. 

I know it's almost the end of Wednesday, but tagging in all these lovelies just in case they'd like to participate (if it happens on Thursday, I won't tell anyone!)

@noahreids, @kiwiana-writes, @orchidscript, @three-drink-amy, @rmd-writes

@celeritas2997, @cricketnationrise, @nontoxic-writes, @indestructibleheart @firenati0n

@ships-to-sail, @sparklepocalypse, @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @nocoastposts

@priincebutt, @jmagnabo92, @dragonflylady77, @agame-writes, @fullsunsets

@anchoredarchangel, @tinyarmedtrex, @henryspearl, @inexplicablymine

[lurksunderthebed]

Hi, I saw that you had a discussion about the queerness of our beloved characters. I really hope you’re not tired of that topic, because I wanted to add another point.

First of all I don’t really care. I really like the dynamic between most of the characters, especially Ghost and Soap, but I don’t care if it’s interpreted as besties or lovers. I think both is fun.

I just wanted to add that maybe all of the MW story feels so fucking gay, because we lack cool women? We have Farah and Laswell, but let’s be real Farah is basically married to Alex (I thought they were a couple at first) and Laswell is married to a woman. Now people go great lengths to ship the male characters with female villains, who only appear in a small fraction of the story and have no real chemistry. I mean they can do whatever floats their boat, but I don’t really see the point here.

Which leaves us with a bunch of man ‘flirting’ with each other vor comedic value. I think given this and the points you already said on your account, I think it’s even a bit intended that most of our characters might not be the straightest.

Sure, a bunch of straight men can exist without women and still be straight and the military still might not be the most women friendly institution, but I think having more girlpower would have been an easy way to make everyone appear more straight and the devs didn’t go that route sooooo… (I still would love to have more cool women, but that’s another topic)

Anyways, I hope you have a good day and I wanted to add that I really enjoyed your character analysis posts <3

Ahh thanks for enjoying my analysis posts. 💞🥹 Honestly, I'm still surprised people are reading them lol. (And asking me about it haha)

But yes, I don't think I'll ever be tired of the ol' queerness discussion. It's a fun topic to debate especially with these characters in this particular game.

Controversial take, but I actually don't think adding any extra female characters would've been helpful in making the 'gay' go away.

(gonna be a long discussion here, settle in if you want to read it haha 😅)

What we have to put in mind, is that this game wasn't made for the female audience. The vast majority of the people buying and playing it are going to be male. That's the facts. It's going to cater to men.

A game made for men is going to have a majority of those characters be male. Adding new female characters in a REBOOT series is a delicate task when a good chunk of the population playing have played the OG and want to see legacy characters back (which are all male—the OG was all men).

That means that when we look at why certain things are framed and why there aren't many female characters, and especially why there isn't much of any confirmed (het) canon romantic ships between any characters, it's because the game itself isn't focused on it.

That same vast majority of men don't actually care about ships in general and with people trying to be more progressive, any female characters introduced are painstakingly written to omit any overt possibility of romance. In one sense, it's a welcome change from the action movie style plot line where man + woman = relationship with the women being just side characters/window dressing to the MC.

Women here are shown to be tough, that they don't need a man at all. They have their own agency. It's pretty nice actually that they did that. None of the female characters are infantilised nor is there a sense of them being there to "check boxes" in the minority bag. They make sense in the framing the game has placed them in.

But we do have this interesting dynamic whereby removing the romance factor, but having female characters in a setting that most are conditioned to read as man + woman = relationship, it de-emphasizes heteronormality and actually emphasises the relationships between the core characters.

And with a game full of men, that means the relationships between men are going to be the focal point.

Adding extra female characters, wouldn't have changed any of this, because the writers have gone out of their way to not make romance a plot of any sort. (There's a whole other discussion on the flaws of trying to give women agency/proving strength of character, but by doing so, taking away their sexualities by removing any sort of romance, but that's beside the point)

I think there's also an argument to be had that meaningful relationships with others don't have to necessarily imply romance between characters. It's totally fair to be sick of always having romance injected in to these sorts of relationships. That's an extremely valid take.

But there most definitely is a double standard that everyone is operating on. And we see that when we compare Alex/Farah's relationship with Ghost/Soap's.

Alex's most meaningful relationship is with Farah. He sacrifices himself for her cause and loses a leg for it. He comes back and stays by her side. Most people assume to take it as Alex is in love with Farah. We never see any type of flirting between the two. In fact it's mostly Farah testing Alex and looking at their dialogue you can tell there's respect between the two, but anything more is undefined/up for interpretation.

Yet it's just assumed by virtue of Alex and Farah being man + woman, that they must be together because of how much Alex had sacrificed. Completely ignoring the possibility of Alex doing so because he believes in Farah's cause and was sick of being jerked around with no choice by higher ups who largely didn't care about the suffering of Farah's people. Suffering that the man had personally witnessed. But no, he must be in love with her. (If Farah was a man, their whole relationship would be read as platonic with Alex's beliefs as a focus, not him being potentially in love)

Ghost's most meaningful relationship is with Soap. Soap has changed Ghost's whole MO as a lone wolf, and has challenged his very notion of trust. Ghost tests Soap and is proven wrong when Soap survives despite the odds. We even see them have plausible deniability flirting/snark. They are framed as a unit and on the off times (off of missions in cutscenes), they are always physically together. There's definitely respect between the two, but anything more is undefined/up for interpretation.

By itself, their relationship seems innocuous, but looking at the context we see a very different picture. Context matters heavily in seeing how this relationship has changed Ghost/the importance of it to him. It's assumed that Soap is the first person in god knows how long, that Ghost is emotionally attached to. What constitutes a normal, albeit flirty and snarky, friendly relationship for most, is amplified for Ghost in the glaring fact that he really doesn't do this for anyone else ever. As far as we can tell for a man that appears to live his job, Soap is Ghost's most important person.

We can even arguably say that Ghost and Soap had a flirtier, friendlier, more emotional relationship than Alex and Farah ever had, yet it's assumed (by the male audience) to be completely platonic by virtue of them both being men.

For all those people who argue to stop shipping characters, those same people turn around and are completely implicit in the notion of Alex and Farah being a thing.

It's a really annoying take, because you and I know that it's not the romance they're bothered by. It's the idea of having a character that exemplifies the silent male loner badass archetype as anything but the pinnacle of masculinity. IE, totally and utterly straight.

I feel I could go on about all the ways Ghost surprisingly subverts his archetype, but I'll leave it there. This is prob already too long 😅

But yes, having new cool female characters is always good, but it still wouldn't settle any sexuality debate since they would most likely be written without any hint of romance between the core 141 group and that potential new character. Just like how Farah and Laswell, as you said, have been both removed completely from the romance/sexuality debate, any new female character would also be put under similar framework.

I suppose it would just make them appear more straight (and get rid of all the speculation) if they had a new female character added into 141, but I don't see the point of adding a new character for that sole purpose. And tbh, it would come across as insulting to women if they did for that one reason.

Given how little character development we had in the latest game, I heavily doubt they would introduce new characters at all when they barely showed anything of the current ones we have already. We need more development of the characters we have, adding someone new would arguably take away from building proper relationships/dynamics between the characters we do have currently.

But yeah, heh. I'll stop for real now. If you got this far in my latest Ted Talk™, kudos to you good sir 🫡, you have all my love ☺️

Hope you have a great day too nonny, and I hope this helps with the discussion. Feels like I went off on too many side tangents. 🤔🤔🤔

[ekingston]

who do you think is the main ship in sg? (for arrow its felicity x oliver, the flash being barry x iris...) does dansen count as our main ship since alex is the second main lead? or would you say the danvers sisters is technically the main and strongest pairing

oh it’s the danvers sisters all the way! i don’t think the CW’s Supergirl really has a ‘main’ romantic ship—that sort of thing wasn’t really ever their forte. Alex and Kelly could have been it, but only if the writers had actually tried to sell it; i feel their romance lacked buildup, their rapport (to me) always came across more friendly than magnetic, and Kelly was never given enough time to grow into her own person, separate from the roles she played in other people’s arcs. Azie objectively killed it, but even for a supporting character i think she was given very little to work with!

[bitbybitwrites]

🍓🕯️🍄 ? :)

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

I was a reader of fanfiction for many years before attempting to write. I do have a bit of a experience writing in school - mostly poetry though, no fiction. Then one day, I completely fell in love with Klaine and loved all the fan fic written for them. I have a couple of friends ( we all met through the fandom) and we'd occasionally read fic together and discuss it and our favorite writers. Then one day I thought I'd surprise them with a gift and try to write a fic just for them. It took me over a year to do it - but it resulted in my first ever fic. My friends encouraged me to share it on A03 and to try to write more - and well, here we are! I've expanded now to include the firstprince/RWRB fandom which I adore. 🥰

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that? OK so if 1 is like I despise doing it and 10 being - oh my god, its the greatest thing ever . . . I'd say, maybe a 7? Editing is a necessary evil. I think it's really important to do, but it takes me FOREVER and that's the part that makes me not love it so much. I'm very much a perfectionist and nitpicky about whatever I write and that's why the editing phase takes me a while to complete. I do like the end product though after I've given it a few editing passes.

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

I'll do two!

Klaine: Blaine is such a cuddler in bed, like he enjoys being the little spoon so he can feel Kurt's arms around him as he drifts off to sleep. Blaine will shuffle back a bit into Kurt's chest just to get comfy, twine his finger's around Kurt's and hold their clasped hands together over his heart before he closes his eyes. Firstprince: When Alex's anxiety gets to be a bit too overwhelming, Henry will give him a cup of chamomile and lavender tea (which Alex begrudgingly takes even though its not coffee) and slips Alex a couple of Jaffa Cakes ( which Alex will never admit to, but is starting to like) to snack on. Afterward Alex lies with his head in Henry's lap and lets Henry massage his temples and play with his curls. If that doesn't work, then it's onto a full body massage . . which then often leads to other things 😉,

****

Thanks for the ask @nicoise ! 💖💖💖

To play click here

[jmagnabo92]

WIP Wednesday!

Thanks @iboatedhere

From "Sailing to Freedom"

***

They finally make it to the docks where Henry’s grinning at him, slightly nervous.  “Now, I’m not sure how much you know about my yacht…”

“Not as much as I should, given I’m going to be living on it.”

Henry gives him a look as he offers him a hand to help him out of the car, ever the gentleman.  

“Well, then, the first thing you should know is that although I can captain the ship, we actually have a captain, as well,” Henry starts.  He’s clearly about to go into detail about the crew and the captain and everything, but Alex is distracted by the name on the 130-foot (roughly) yacht they’ve arrived at.

SS Princess Dorothy

“Wait, hold up, Dorothy?  You named your ship Dorothy?” Alex questions, aghast, once again, at Henry’s poor abilities to name things.  “Seriously, Dorothy?”

“What’s wrong with Dorothy?” Henry asks, a small smile on his face.  He completely expected this.  “Most ships are named after women.”

“Yeah, but Dorothy?  What are we about to do?  Skip off down the yellow brick road?”

Henry’s trying not to laugh, as he says, “Well, since Kansas in land-locked, and we’re trying to avoid both the UK and USA, I don’t think we’re going quite there.”

 Alex gives him a look.  “First, David –”

“Which I explained –”

“And now, Dorothy?”

Henry coughs to cover his laugh.  “Think about it, Alex, if David was for Bowie…”

“… then Dorothy must be some other secretly queer name?” Alex finishes.  He wracks his brain and comes up empty.  “Which… I can’t think of at the moment.”

“Friend of Dorothy is a euphemism for a gay man, first used in LGBT slang.  It isn’t used as much anymore, but I thought it was clever since there was no way that Gran or Philip would ever figure that out.”

Alex grins.  “Alright, I guess I can forgive you for that, but for the record, you don’t get to name any of our future kids.”

Henry laughs, pulls him close and leans his forehead against Alex’s forehead.  “I could live with that.”

In response, Alex simply kisses him. 

He couldn’t be happier in this moment. 

***

Free Tag! Let me know if you'd wanna be tagged by me :)

[firstprincewrites]

Henry is shipped across the pond to give a speech last minute. Ill-prepared and pissed about being relegated by Phillip like a child, Henry does something unimaginable - he slips his security and bolts from the hotel he's supposed to speak at. Though he doesn't get far, an unlikely stranger helps him escape the PPOs trying to find him. Here, Henry meets Alex Claremont-Diaz, baker extraordinaire and most beautiful person the prince has ever seen. A missed connection before makes it easy for them to talk but it's their easy chemistry that scores Henry a date. Read to find out what happens when Henry is given a second chance - luckily, Alex is very forgiving.

[she-karev]

Attempt in Reconciliation (Andrew DeLuca x Alex Karev’s Sister Angst)

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: One of One

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Ship: Andrew DeLuca and Amber Karev (Alex Karev’s Sister)

AN: Hey guys it’s been a minute since I posted Deluca and Karev content so here’s a look at how Andrew is handling his guilt over the breakup and how he plans to reconcile.

Summary: Andrew adjusts to life in isolation, but he feels overwhelmed with memories of him and Amber and tries to call her to make up.

Words: 1547

March 25th 2020

Andrew is sitting cross legged on the bed meditating as per the instructions he downloaded on his phone. His therapist recommended it the week he was discharged so he can center himself before sleeping. His stay at the treatment center ended the day covid was declared a pandemic, his sister hurriedly picked him up and took him to his apartment that day. Since then, he has continued his treatment at home with his therapist doing the work over zoom.

It was unsettling to be getting treatment through a screen, but he did it because it was important now more than ever to establish a routine.

His routine now is to take his meds before sleeping, do meditation, and sleep. His days are about to become hectic especially since Bailey hired him back as a general surgery attending starting in April.

Andrew wanted to feel useful and help out as much as he could, his professional life can still be mended even if his personal one is in the shambles.

His guilt for how he treated Amber during his breakdown grows as his mind becomes more stable. His meditation gets stalled as he remembers he is in the apartment they bought and lived in together before he kicked her out after comparing her to her mother. Or how he was standing in this apartment when he told Amber she was gonna end up like her abusive deadbeat father. Or how this apartment is where they shared so many good moments together as a couple before he pushed her away.

As soon as he was discharged and given back his phone his first thought was to call Amber and tell her how sorry he was and that he loves her. However, he had to talk to his therapist about it who told him that while he can call her if he wants, it would be best to work on himself first before reaching out.

He told DeLuca that it was the best course of action given Amber’s past trauma concerning loved ones with mental illness as well as abuse. Andrew was peeved but he knew his therapist was right, even so it doesn’t mend the conflict in his head and whether or not now is a good time to reach out.

He groans frustrated lying back in his bed with a thud ignoring his meditation instructions as his mind flashes back to the first week they lived here together.

June 18, 2018

Andrew walks inside the apartment coming back from work after his shift ended to smell something sweet coming his way. He carefully walks around the dozens of moving boxes containing his and Amber’s items and walks to the kitchen following the source.

Amber is standing by the counter in front of a line of bowls and ingredients wearing a pink apron. The sight makes him grin before he approaches his live-in girlfriend who is rolling dough around metal tubes that he recognizes as cannoli’s.

He wraps his arms around her torso causing her to smile, “Hey.”

“Hey, what are you making?” Andrew asks with a kiss to Amber’s cheek.

“Cannoli’s.”

“Mmm, what’s the occasion?”

Amber turns around to face Andrew who is grinning at her, “I thought this kitchen should be christened the right way with Italian cuisines. I always loved those desserts you baked and I thought since I had the day off I could learn to make you some before you got home.”

Andrew looks at her impressed, “Wow if I knew moving in with you would get me handmade desserts I would have asked you after our first date.” He moves around her and sample tests the dough from the bowl that he instantly regrets as soon as it hits his tongue. He grumbles and shakes his head before spitting it out at the sink to Amber’s confusion.

“What?”

Andrew turns to face Amber trying to figure out how to best let her down, “It’s a little salty.”

Amber narrows her eyes looking at the batch she made by hand, “Salty? I put a dash in like the recipe said.”

Andrew nods sensing what she did wrong, “How much is a dash?” He walks over grabs the salt and hands it to her, “Show me.” Amber rolls her eyes but does as so, pouring about 2 tablespoons of salt in her hand to Andrew’s amusement, “That’s not a dash it’s a handful, jeez woman.”

Amber groans and washes her hands before grabbing the confectioner’s sugar and putting it in the dough to Andrew’s confusion, “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to fix my mistake.” Amber explains mixing the powdered sugar into the batch.

Andrew widens his eyes astounded that Amber is using the wrong ingredient, “You know the best way to sweeten up cannoli dough is white sugar, powder is for the filling.”

“I used all the sugar we had for the dough besides aren’t regular and powder sugar the same thing?” Andrew looks even more shocked by how little Amber knows about baking to her annoyance, “What?”

“How did you feed yourself during college?” Andrew genuinely asks.

“Instant ramen and mac and cheese.”

Andrew chuckles, “That explains a lot because that.” Andrew points at the poorly tasted cannoli dough, “Is not salvageable bella. Also, there is a big difference in powder and regular sugar.”

Amber smiles at him, “You are such an egghead.”

“I’m not, especially when it comes to Italian recipes trust me.”

Amber chuckles and feeling playful she grabs an egg and breaks it on top of Andrew’s head causing the yolk to splatter on his wavy brown hair. Andrew is surprised at this while Amber laughs, he then chuckles amused despite the mess.

“Now you are.” Amber says with a wide smile causing Andrew to nod with a grin before he grabs a handful of powdered sugar and throws it at Amber. Amber stands there white as a sheet with her eyes closed and grinning as he chuckles at his handiwork.

“I think this is the sweetest I’ve ever seen you.”

Amber chuckles, “Oh really? It’s like that huh? Well your on DeLuca.” Amber grabs the cinnamon causing Andrew to grab the salt and they soon get into a food fight. The fight is less violent and more playful as they cover each other in spices, oils and eggs making a mess in themselves and their new kitchen. It last for a few minutes in which they spent that time smiling and laughing to near death before Andrew signals timeout as Amber holds up the marsala wine bottle which stops Andrew from throwing the shortening in her direction.

“Time out!” Amber freezes before she can throw the cooking wine at him, and he holds up the shortening for a sign of truce.

Amber raises an eyebrow in suspicion, “Do you surrender?”

“I’m waving the white flag or in this case the white fat.” Andrew slowly puts the shortening on the counter, “I am putting the shortening down so release the cooking wine I spent a lot of money on.”

Amber chuckles but puts the bottle on the counter and they laugh at the state of the messy kitchen not to mention themselves. The both of them are covered in sugars, oils and spices soiling their clothes and ruining Amber’s plans for dessert as the cannoli dough ended up as a casualty in the crossfire of multiple spices.

Amber smiles, “Well there goes my plans for cannoli night.”

Andrew chuckles and approaches, “Doesn’t mean the night is ruined, if anything I think we should do cannoli night more often if it means having an excuse to get you out of those clothes.” Andrew wraps his arms around Amber pulling her in as she wraps her arms behind his neck.

Amber laughs, “Even with my horrible baking skills?”

Andrew responds with a deep and passionate kiss that takes Amber’s breath away and he pulls with a smile, “I take it back this is the best dessert I have ever had.”

Amber cackles at his innuendo before pulling him back for another make out session that progresses as DeLuca walks them to the couch while they kiss. He guides her to lie down beneath him as they get lost in this blissful moment in each other’s presence.

Present

Andrew opens his eyes looking at the ceiling feeling bittersweet over that memory. It’s gonna take a lot on his part to get them back to that light and happy time of their love life.

‘Take note of how your feeling right now.’ Andrew groans at the ignored meditation app before sitting up and pausing it. He sits there for a moment to think, he’s been taking his meds, he’s been sleeping, he’s been eating, his mind is much more grounded than it was when he first arrived at the treatment center. He’s back to his normal self and he knows that the person he is now is what Amber wants to see and will start to feel safe with again.

“Okay.” Andrew says to himself before going to his favorite contacts and pressing Amber’s name. He holds the phone to his ear waiting for her to answer but instead he gets her voicemail. After the beep he speaks, “Hey it’s me…”

Next Part Here

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hiiii, so random, but do you have any possible thoughts about another crackship from SVE or vanilla? I do have one, but I don't think I'll be talking about it here, but I wonder if you... have other thoughts about another possible crackship 👁 May I also ask what you feel about crackships?

Heyyy! 👋

I love crackships! It's pretty funny to imagine two completely different characters with the thought, "what will happen if..." and let your imagination run wild as to what a comical situation that would be.

Although, in some cases, some crackship have shown a lot of potential that I seriously now considered them quite the potential ship. Lance/Isaac from SVE is direct proof of that, because now instead of silly stories with those two dumbasses, I now think of them as a serious ship while trying to decide whether to make their next headcanon sad or cute. Or something spicy, hee hee... 🌚

So, on to the crackships....

In vanilla SDV it would definitely be Pierre/Wizard, or even Shane/Wizard. Just the thought that an ordinary Valley dweller, who somehow became Rasmodius' partner, would be shocked by the spells and magic of a wizard (especially Shane, who in canon denies the existence of magic as such at all) makes me amused. For example, "wizard's failed attempt at a love potion". Pure chaos everywhere 😁

Pierre/Morris also have great chemistry when it comes to crackchip (*looking at the wonderful artists and writers who have provided a bunch of Pierre/Morris content*). Again, though, people saw potential in this particular crackship as a serious one too (*looking at those same great artists and writers*). In general, our Mr. Joja Manager by nature fits in perfectly with a few residents as a crackship. Morris/Wizard, Morris/Gunther, Morris/Robin... Something like that.

Of the vanilla bachelors/ettes I can think of only a couple: Alex/Sebastian (the athlete in the game talked for a long time about how weird Sebby is, that he always wears black, and I was like "oh my god, are you in love with him or something?"), Shane/Haley (a battle of two of the most mean marriage candidates ever, oh yeah!), and Harvey/Mr Qi (let's break our doctor's mind with a definitive lack of logic and disregard for wound care, because Mr Qi has 'snake milk'! Which sounds more like poison...).

As for SVE... Besides my favourite Lance/Isaac, the second crackship will be Isaac/Victor. If anyone remembers The Adoring Fan from Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, the relationship of these two will be the same. For those who haven't played Scrolls: imagine an annoying person praising your every move and following you everywhere you go, even if you end up in Hell. Given Victor's enthusiasm for adventurers, he'll be like that fan (not too in character for him, but hey, it's a crackship), and Isaac was just unlucky. Or maybe lucky? 👀

Well, where can we go about crackship without Jadu, a character who only said a couple of quotes in the game, but even that was enough to realise that he's just fed up with life and his job as an errand boy? So - Jadu/Camilla! Because who else could make his life more chaotic and crazy than Camilla, the all-powerful witch who doesn't give a shit about manners, conjures up anything and anywhere, and does pranks just for fun? If I start writing headcanons about them, every post I'll tag "#Jadu isn't getting paid enough for this shit".

If I'm going to feel sorry for Jadu, then Isaac/Camilla. Because I don't feel sorry for Isaac, lol (just kidding, but he'll have more patience than Jadu).

Oh oh oh! A good idea for crackship would also be Camilla/Isaac/Lance, and guess three times who's going to be dom- *bonk*

Well, that's about all the crackships I wanted to mention 😅 (the answer came out longer than I intended, heh). Thanks for the question, dear anon! 💕

[darkangel0410]

this might be the best asks of all time bc our DMs are nothing but hater-nation and we are ultimately the correct ones. SOOOOO; 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 12, 16, 18, 19, 24 - i had to ask so many bc your opinions are my FAV lmaooooo but feel free to *not* answer any you dont want!

We ARE always the correct ones - eventually people will realize it 🙄

the character everyone gets wrong

Listen, I have a list of players I'm going to take away from fandom because of crimes of mischaracterization and the list includes, but is not limited to: Matthew (Tkachuk), Jack (Eichel), Trevor, Jamie. Sometimes I swear people haven't ever spoken to a real live boy when they write the convos these guys have in fic

2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

I'll be strong and not turn this into an opportunity for my bottom!Jamie agenda, and instead say: Jack Eichel isn't a top - he wants to be fucked often and well, and would also like a few smacks on the ass before and after, thanks. He won't hesitate to tell whoever's fucking him what they're doing wrong, either.

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

THERE ARE SO MANY WRONG TAKES ON HERE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???? but easily the worst take I see on any given day is every single take about Matt (Tkachuk) and how his dad hates him and how he needs a fake gf because his dad's is ASHAMED of him or whatever the fuck people have decided is the new hot trauma to put him through - they've turned Matt into the fandom crier and I hate it with every fiber of my being

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

for me, personally, it's any x reader/ yn or whatever writer who doesn't put their shit behind a read more (Also Nolan Moyle is not a dom, like come the fuck on people)

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

Crosby, full stop. I cannot stand the way fandom is with him and I can't even watch him play hockey and enjoy it any more

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

The Knights. Just. The whole roster lmaooo

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

Rule 63, full stop. I don't get why people write it, why they never put in any actual character work into it when they do, and it gives me homophobic vibes (like in general, as a trope, not a specific fic). Like you change everything about someone, and the way the world sees them, the way it interacts with them, and I'm supposed to believe that every single thing happens exactly the same???? Pull the other leg, it has bells on

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

Alex Turcotte, My Beloved - truly he's so pretty and sweet and plays good hockey and is just someone fandom needs to pay more attention to

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

I don't do shame, but I do find it kind of funny how much I love a/b/o now because I used to absolutely hate it when it first showed up lmaooo

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

Censorship, 1000% because besides being gross on it's own, it's always dragging purity wank in with it and I've seen so much of that shit, I hate it

*

Thanks for asking bestie!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ (choose violence ask game)

[theladyragnell]

Thom/Alex, vulnerability and/or marriage of convenience

(Much as I tried, I couldn't think of a sensible way to get them married, so have a moody pre-ship scene that leads to an AU where Fuck The Roger Resurrection Actually.)

“Do you all really think I’ll do it?” Thom inquired one night, tongue loosened with wine. Sometimes he envied the girls who had stayed at the Goddess’s temple, who got lessons in holding their liquor as they did in holding their fans and their tempers. The Mithrans expected those who came to them to be retiring scholars with no need or desire to spend long at court. They’d expected him, in so many words, to be like his father, who would have loved the cloisters.

Alexander of Tirragen, who’d learned to hold his liquor with all the young knights and squires but who never had more than a glass anyway, simply smiled from where he was lounging in one of Thom’s spare chairs. “Do what?”

“What you so clearly want me to do,” Thom snapped, annoyed, but not annoyed enough to say it out loud. Saying it out loud made it seem so much realer than he wanted it to be.

“Have I asked you to do anything, Lord Trebond?”

No, but he’d smiled at Delia’s teasing as it turned into pushing. No, but Thom had had years of letters from Alanna as she worried about Alex’s proximity to the man she hated so much, and a strong memory of a broken collarbone and the story of a practice fight that Alanna never successfully pretended to be fine with. No, but he was the only person who actually sought Thom out from time to time, and Thom could tell when he was part of someone’s long-term plan and not a true friend. “If I wanted to prove I’m the greatest living sorcerer–because I don’t care to compete with the dead, Sir Alexander–I could try to bring someone back from death, but I don’t know why I would choose him.”

There was a long, awful silence. After so much silence in the cloisters, Thom was sick of it, and knew his court reputation for prattling would embarrass his terse sister when someone inevitably wrote her the gossip. Still, he knew how to summon it when he needed it, and Alex always took a long time to speak. “Who, then? Who would you choose, if you wanted to try it? Alan–Alanna’s father died, in our squire years. Would you bring him back, so you could spend a few more years without the burden of Trebond?”

Thom hadn’t spoken to his father since the day he was sent off to become a knight. He didn’t regret it, either. “No. Given the choice, I suppose I wouldn’t raise anyone from the dead at all. The Black God can keep his own. Unless he takes my sister.”

“You love her very much.”

“More than anyone else. Ask me to stop the tides, if you want. I’m not bringing back her worst nightmare.” And, because there was nothing left to lose, “You know what he did, don’t you? What he wanted to do? Doesn’t that matter to you?”

Alex finished his wine. It was faster than Thom had ever seen him drink. “The world made sense when he was around,” he said after a long silence, low-voiced. “I understood how everything was meant to be. I was trusted and important, and not an impoverished young hill lord trying and failing to help my father recover from a war.”

Thom remembered Alanna talking about the jewel Roger liked playing with, the way he caught attention and convinced the prince to go to the Black City. It would have been nearly as easy for Thom to pick up a glass from the table and let it catch the candlelight. He could give Alex that certainty he missed, if he cared to lose the ethics his masters had tried so carefully to instill in him, the honor Alanna insisted on. “That’s childish,” he said, because he wouldn’t be so cruel as to give him what he wanted, but he couldn’t be kind enough to soothe the rough edges either. “Nothing is meant to be, and I say that as a man who can see the future, if I try hard enough.”

Alex’s smile in reply was bitter enough to make Thom like him. “There are moments when I know that. But can you blame me for being seduced by simplicity?”

“Alanna wrote me about her friends, before she caught your friend’s attention and it got too dangerous to write much at all. She had lots of good things to say about your sword and your skill at mathematics. Neither of those seem to me to be the kind of discipline that would attract someone who only wants simplicity.”

“I wish she had said any of it herself. About me, about him.”

“After that training session, why should she trust you?”

“That’s a good question.” To Thom’s shock, Alex poured himself another glass of wine. “I ask it of myself, sometimes. A question for you, in turn. You say you won’t do it, but I can see you’re tempted. You say he’s your sister’s worst nightmare, so how does it tempt you?”

Delia of Eldorne, a year or two older than he was in those first years in the City of the Gods, a girl that the nicer young ladies told him to steer clear of, because she always knew just what taunts would hurt most. “It’s … efficient, you might say. I’m tired of being underestimated, told I’m too young or too arrogant or that I do things in the wrong way. If I could do what no living sorcerer can, nobody would ever say it again.”

“They would,” said Alex, to his shock. “They’d say Roger was a sorcerer too and that his Gift did half the work. Or that someone’s research showed you the way. Or that really, you were only copying the mages of legend.”

Thom blinked at him. “Shockingly honest, from you. You know that only gives me ammunition so I won’t do what you want me to do, don’t you?”

“Maybe.” He toasted Thom and took a deep drink from his glass. “Maybe you’re right that I don’t seek simplicity as much as I like to think.”

“I hope you don’t. When Alanna comes home, I’d like her to have her friends again. All of them.”

“What about friends for you?”

Thom shrugged. “I don’t have a talent for attracting friends. Surely you’ve noticed. If she can be happy, that’s what matters to me.”

“You have no talent for attracting, and apparently I have no talent for keeping. Who else would put up with either of us?” Alex finished his second glass and stood up. “I have to train in the morning. Thank you, Lord Trebond, for your fine hospitality.”

“You’re welcome, of course.”

Alex gave him a little ironic bow, heir to a fief who’d actually been trained to it showing respect to the lord of the fief who had no idea what half the reports he received truly meant. “Good night.” He made to leave, and stopped with his hand on the door, back to Thom. “I’ll think about it. What you said. I find I don’t like the thought of being encouraged to reduce the world’s complexity.”

“Feel free to bring me the fruits of your thought,” said Thom, eyebrows raised. “It’s so rare to see a knight using his brain, I can only encourage you.”

Alex laughed, a surprisingly free and easy sound after the weight of their conversation, and let himself out before Thom had to find a way to say anything else.

Thom sat there, the two empty glasses on the table in front of him, for a long time.

[anonbinaryweirdo]

im rambling about me n devons ocsssss

for the deaths part, there's suicide mention(s) and mention(s) of fire !!

let m see if can remember deaths;

starting with the royales—

Jeremy was Michael Afton'ed (he got his insides ripped out basically)

Lucy got into... a car accident??? @deeplyinlovewithstars help

I think they said Diana got kidnapped? unsure

Dilon hung himself at a young age (the range was 5-12?? I think. I just know he was the first to die)

Derek was shot in the head at 15

Delilah got caught in a fire (I forget how old she was)

as for the mantovans—

Shamora got pushed off a building (I think she was the last to die.)

Alexandra was shot on her 16th birthday

misc characters—

Josh was deliberately drowned when he was twelve

Ash, same case scenario as Delilah, when he was younger

Haru (i forgot. but this just reminded me that HE was the last to die, not shamora)

and I'm sure that there are more, I just can't think of anyone else important

okay, now present canon ships !!!!! >:D (exes and current partners)

Josmora (Josh x Shamora; married)

Dilexru (this is an improvised ship name for Dilon x Alexandra x Haru; married)

Derash (Derek x Ash; married)

Jerelucy (Jeremy x Lucy; married)

Alarchie (Alexandra x Archie; exes)

Dereseph??? (Derek x Joseph; exes)

that's all I can remember

other relationships—

Diana, Dilon, Derek, Delilah (oldest-youngest; siblings)

Shamora, Alexandra (siblings)

Alexandra, Derek (best friends; in-laws)

Shamora, Delilah/Dilon (best friends; in-laws)

Delilah, Joshua/Ash (best friends; in-laws? Ash is her in law, not sure about Josh)

Shamora, Dilory (enemies. Dilory fucking killed her bye)

Every main OC, Joseph (they would all kill him on the spot)

probably some more

HEADCANONS + FACTS YAYYY

oh God where to begin

let's get. let's get Dilon out of the way. we hced a few months ago that he would NNNOT bail his spouses out of prison. oh, shamoras in jail? bailed. Josh is in jail? bailed. Lucy is in jail? bailed. Alex and Haru? keep them in there until their sentence is up. (/hj). don't get him wrong, he LOVES his spouses. but holy shit.

everyone has daddy issues. except ash. he's an orphan he doesn't get issues (jkjk but I THINK he had mommy issues??)

fun fact; the ONLY OC who has kept her personality throughout the years, was Lucy. she's perfect. I cringe every time I read back on old roleplays and see old screenshots. shamora would NOT act like this KILL IT

another fun fact; we would always argue over whether or not Jeremy was a top or bottom. this bitch recently revealed that he is a SWITCH (as Jeremy is their oc)

ANOTHER fun fact; during the starting days of our roleplays, Jeremy was like. Lucifer and Lucy was like Lillith. I'm so positive that this HAS changed. a lot. it probably isn't even canon anymore js

I think that Derek and Haru get along well, and yes it is because Joseph is Haru's brother as well as Derek's ex, BUT! Haru does NOT, and WILL not condone the type of abuse Joseph put Derek through EVER. he does not condone his brother's actions whatsoever, and always sided with Derek after he found out about everything.

adding onto Derek and Haru; Derek probably freaked out the first few times he saw Haru, given that him and Joseph look alike, if you don't count Haru's heterochromia

everyone lives together !! well, there's this one mansion that EVERYONE lives in, but they all have their separate homes for privacy (this is actually canon)

I'd like to think that Alex dyed her hair because she doesn't like thinking back on her birthday, aka the day she died. she's originally brunette, like shamora, but dyed her hair blue as to rid that image from her conscious. sometimes she forgets what she used to look like, until she somehow comes across an older picture, which sends her into a spiral

despite their coldness and stoicness, I would like to think that, if not anything else, Shamora and Dilon are passionate when it comes to their lovers !!

Dilon is the second oldest out of like five kids, affection was probably a frequent thing given how deprived of it they were when they were kids.. so if Alex were to fall victim to a panic attack, or if Haru just wasn't having a good day, Dilon would know, and go about dealing with it in his own ways. as I said earlier, he absolutely loves his spouses, even if he flat out refuses to acknowledge it most of the time. this only happens behind closed doors !! and I don't think they would tease him for it. this is rare, and he means well, so they'd accept it with lots of love !! plus they don't really feel like getting hit in the head with a pot like. ever.

and, unlike Dilon, Shamora initiates affection herself, even when she knows that Josh doesn't need it in that moment. her sister was clingy growing up, so she hardly minds Josh's clinginess. in fact, she'll start to get worried if he isn't holding onto her shirt somehow. there are times where she'll just sit with him and scratch behind his ears, or she'll grab his hand and tug him along with her if she knows she's going somewhere—knowing that Josh has to be trailing behind her, or he'll get lost and spiral if she isn't back within ten twenty minutes. she's quiet when affection is initiated from either of them, and mostly sticks to her actions doing all the talking for her. if Josh starts to get insecure about his place in the relationship, she'll know before hand and talk to him about it—one of the rare times she's actually verbal during any sort of affection.

I saw Devon say this in a hc channel; but Haru is definitely the mom friend !! skddkjdj my brain is running at 999mph thinking about them forgive me

I'm gonna stop here because 🧍🏽who tfs gonna read this besides Devon I am RAMBLING (I still have lots to say too. a lot more 💔)

[holy3cake]

Twenty Questions For Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag @lord-aldhelm! :)

1. how many works do you have on AO3? 47, and some of these were absolute fever dreams lmao.

2. what's your total AO3 word count? 297,357 (some of these are multi-chapter, but my current TLK fic is set to be the longest one chapter and word wise)

3. what fandoms do you write for? This doesn't cover all of the fandoms of my AO3 because I wrote a random mixture when I was younger but my main ones currently are:

The Last Kingdom

Saw

13 Reasons Why

FNAF

I've done a few random ones like Sex Ed, Squid Game, TMR, AOTD but the ones above are the main ones I try to stick to!

4. top five fics by kudos:

Your Dreams are my Reality (FNAF)

Don't ever betray me again (Squid Game)

Take Care of me? (AOTD)

Jealousy in the Office (Saw)

One Man's Worst Week is One Man's Greatest Rescue (13RW, this is the first fic I ever wrote so it warms my heart that this is still in the top 5!)

5. do you respond to comments? Yes! If I don't respond on AO3 I respond to people on tumblr, as I tend to seek out people in similar fandoms and make the most amazing friends :)

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I meaaaan no spoilers, but In His Father's footsteps will have an angsty but happy ending. I think the angstiest one I've done so far was Runaway Bride (Saw).

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? A release of toxic masculinity (13RW) was a super sweet one to write, and ended quite happily :).

8. do you get hate on fics? Not exactly, but I have been the target of bots (unfortunately).

9. do you write smut? I used to write nothing but smut lmao and about 9/10 of my fics are smutty, but I'm trying to include a bit more plot these days, mainly as I'm not great at writing smut haha.

10. craziest crossover? Uhhh probably Saw x Titanic? It was a bit bizarre haha, but I did do a 13RW x Circus thing which was also super fun to write.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge, I really hope I haven't!

12. have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! Someone asked to translate one of my Squid Games fics into a Chinese version, and I was given the link to the page. It was really nice that they asked and showed me the final product :)

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope, but I do theorise/write snippets with friends sometimes!

14. all time favorite ship? Oooooh difficult one. I mean I really have only started getting into it recently but Aethelstan x Osbert from TLK have me gripped even though it's a rarepair, and Charlie and Alex from 13RW are my lifeblood.

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Uhhhh there's a few lmao. There's a couple of Saw ones that I really want to get back to, but the inspiration hasn't returned just yet.

16. what are your writing strengths? I would like to say descriptions (imagery wise) and maybe light smut?

17. what are your writing weaknesses? I really struggle with dialogue even though most of my fics are dialogue heavy lmao.

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language? I don't mind reading it, but I don't write it myself. There's no particular reason I don't write it, it just hasn't come up.

19. first fandom you wrote in? 13 Reasons Why! And it helped me through a really rough patch in my life, so I'll always be intensely thankful for the people I met at that time with Chalex (@aeonwing-blog @closetfascination)

20. favorite fic you've written? I have mixed feelings about it, but I really love my FNAF one for the couple, I just felt I rushed the story a bit lol. And maybe it's just because I adore the fandom so much, but my Last Kingdom one has a GRIP on me.

My AO3, in case you're interested in any of this madness:

No pressure tags: @aeonwing-blog @closetfascination @jayalover @book-and-music-lover

@waterfallsilverberrywrites @redacted-thething @lancedoncrimsonwings @cheesyficwriter @persephones-journey @billystoilet

and anyone else that would like to participate!

I've tagged a few of my favourite writers that have been with me through the fandoms, just wanted to say an extra thank you for your works <3

[asettledsky]

Top 9 Romantic Ships

I got tagged by @gay-and-tiredaf

So here's my Top 9 Romantic ships that are sorta kinda in order (well, the top three definitely, the others have wiggle room)

9. Jack Daniels

They'd be a lot higher on this list except I don't go looking for the content as much as I used to. They're hilarious though and they play off of each other so well. One of my Top 10 fics I would recommend to most people is called "Doctor Jackson's Diary" and it's hilariously slapstick and has quite a lot of sex in it.

8. JohnLock

If you could see my AO3 history it would have a frankly embarrassing amount of these two in various convoluted (and not so convoluted) scenarios that end up with them getting it on.

I regret nothing. Or maybe I do a little, which is why they aren't higher on the list.

7. JDox

I just really like the whole "The grumpy one loves the sunshine one" trope. Also John C. McGinley is a hottie.

6. Shassie

See above Re: Sunshine/Grumpy. Also these two just take the sassy up to eleven somehow. They're both so snarky. Everything about the show Psych is just great. There are so many good fanfics for this pairing, but I particularly like "The Dah-Ling Store It Yourself" series.

5. Chelley

I have a few reasons for this one. But by far is the fanfic "Blue Sky" by Waffleguppies, I cannot possibly tell you how amazing that fanfic is.

4. The Love Square

I'm not posting 4 gifs for you guys to get the point. I love all iterations of these two dorks. (Though not equally, Ladrian is definitely my favorite dynamic). I could write a few thousand word essay on why they're the most annoying couple of dorks in all of fandom though. Miraculous Ladybug is an infuriating show to watch sometimes. I stand by my theory that it was specifically designed to spawn fanfiction with it's design, which is all build up and no resolution.

3. Hellstrop

(Not me choosing the saddest part of their relationship as the most romantic gif available, whaaa?)

The only reason this one isn't #2 is because I haven't been into The Good Place for very long. I feel like, given enough time, it'll outpace Beetlebabes just because Silverfox Ted Danson is more attractive than Alex Brightman. (Yes I did say that, no I won't take it back). Also because of Michael's completely Adorkable personality.

2. Beetlebabes

3 ships for the price of 1. My preference being musical, movie, then cartoon as a distant 3rd. They are all very different dynamics. I love their relationship in the musical. Totally toxic, but somehow they're still the best thing that has ever happened to each other.

And our GRAND FINALE.....

1. Quodo

When I say the relationship between these two idiots is always in the back of my mind I am probably not exaggerating.

Never have any two grumpy middle-aged men had such belligerent romantic tension.

These two have the relationship and communication skills of people who had been married for three decades and then had a messy divorce but still have to work together so they choose to needle each other every day because they refuse to admit they actually still like one another.

[gumnut-logic]

Dear Mr Tracy

@flyboytracy, @amistrio and @onereyofstarlight​  you asked for it ::tackle hugs the lot of you::

Many thanks to @thunderstorm-bay and @katblu42​ for the read throughs to make sure this thing worked okay. You guys are so kind to me ::hugs tight::

There is a language warning for one swear word.

Alexander Sweetapple AU. I hope you enjoy it :D

And yes, it is still @flyboytracy​ ‘s fault.

-o-o-o-

Dear Mr Tracy…

Alex stared at the screen. Maybe he should call him Virgil? After all, they had spent a few hours talking pure engineering and that does tend to break down barriers.

But what if he didn’t see it that way?

He had such kind eyes.

Alex shook himself. Focus. He was Alexander Sweetapple, a professional and accomplished designer of Siliwrap, which was in its last stages of development and almost ready for production.

He was going to save lives.

Erica said so.

Erica also said he was an idiot and he should just ask Mr Tracy for his coffee recipe.

He sighed and collapsed just a little against the table.

Was it really just about the coffee?

It had to be. There could be no other reason. And why would there be? Not only was Mr Tracy his employer, but so far out of his league on so many levels, the least of which included flying a bloody rocket ship and being a hero on a daily basis.

All the Tracys had given the world so much.

Alex would just like to borrow that blessed coffee recipe and be done with it. Perhaps then he could stop fantasising about it.

Every coffee shop, every corner store, every restaurant, even every drive through, he’d tried them all and none had managed to get anywhere near that coffee made on Thunderbird Two.

Erica said it was an obsession.

Erica said a lot of things.

So, he was going to contact Mr Tracy, politely ask for his coffee recipe, and be done with it.

But first he had to write the email.

 Dear Mr Tracy…

I can’t remember if I ever thanked you for your visit last July. I was very honoured to host you and your brother Gordon here at the Māhia Peninsula Testing Facility.

 He rolled his eyes. “And shall we have tea and biscuits?” He hit the delete key until he was left with a mostly empty page again.

 Dear Mr Tracy…

 It was all about level of familiarity. Sure, he would love to address Mr Tracy with the casualness of friendship. “Hey, would you like to drop down to the pub for a couple of beers?”

Two things were a problem there. One, not only was the man a bloody hero, he was Alex’s hero, and two, he didn’t want beer, he wanted coffee!

He blinked.

Great, now he was fantasising asking Mr Tracy out on a date.

Alex dropped his head onto his arms on the desk.

Erica was right. He was an idiot.

It was late in the day and the lab was empty. He had been finishing up some reports on the latest results when the craving had hit and he had finally broken and opened an email, determined to contact Mr Tracy.

That had been at least an hour ago. Now the sun was setting and mocking him as it dipped below the horizon.

Oh, stop being stupid. You’re not an idiot, you’re a bloody professional asking a professional query of a colleague…

Colleague?

The laughter in the back of his mind at that mere thought was absolutely ridiculous.

 Dear Mr Tracy,

I’m hoping this email finds you well…

 Delete, delete, delete…..

 Dear Mr Tracy,

Following our recent encounter…

 Aaaargh!

 Dear Mr Tracy,

I was struck quite strongly by your presence last time we met.

 Fuck!

 Dear Mr Tracy,

Please, I need your coffee, pleeeeease…

 His head fell into his hands again.

He was truly an idiot.

Just bloody do it.

 Dear Mr Tracy,

I was wondering if you would be kind enough to send me the technique of how you make your coffee. I have really enjoyed what you have so kindly shared with me in the past, and would be very happy to return the favour with the correct ingredients and method.

Any details you are willing to share, I will gratefully receive.

I hope you and your family are well.

Kind regards,

Alex Sweetapple

Project Engineer

Tracy Industries Māhia

 Why was his heart beating so hard?

He reread it.

It sounded sane, mostly.

He reread it six more times.

C’mon, just do it.

He had tackled exams with less sweat than this.

It would do the job.

Subject heading…he typed in Coffee.

Email address…now that was something he did have access to. All Tracy Industries employees had access to the Tracy family via email. Likely very vetted email. The thought of MR Tracy’s PA, Carly, came to mind. He had yet to meet Luc, Virgil’s PA, but he had no doubt the glare would be the same.

In other words, while everyone had access to the Tracy family via email, he doubted very many actually used that access. After all, how often did a ground-force employee like himself need to contact anyone at CEO level?

The things coffee drove him to…

He typed in ‘Tracy’ and pulled up the email directory.

There sat his name - Virgil Tracy, Research & Development. It sat at the bottom of the list directly below Scott Tracy and his trail of formal titles. Above that were the other three brothers in alphabetical order.

Alex moved to click his Tracy.

“Alex! What are you still doing here?” Erica burst through the door.

He jumped, clicked send, and slammed his laptop shut. “Uh, nothing.”

Like an embarrassment-seeking missile, she stalked into the room. “What are you up to?” Her gaze narrowed on the laptop. “I thought we had decided that you weren’t going to work until all hours and actually look after yourself.” She frowned at him. “At least for a couple of weeks.”

He held up his hands. “I just wanted to finish this while my head was in the right space.”

She grumbled at him. “Wanna have dinner? In a totally non-romantic way, of course.”

He looked up at her. Erica was good to him on so many fronts. “Sure. But I’m buying.”

“Deal.” Her face softened when she smiled.

So good to him.

He pushed away from the desk and stood up, gallantly offering her his arm.

The smile became a smirk as she took it, and they waltzed out of the room together.

-o-o-o-

A thousand or so kilometres away, via a top-secret satellite and a somewhat amused AI email sentry, Alan Tracy’s phone pinged him.

He had mail.

-o-o-o-

Next