#almost as much as narry

[braisedhoney]

DRAMATIC MUSICAL OVERTURE DRAMATIC MUSICAL OVERTURE DRAMATIC MUSICAL OVERTURE—

HELL YEAAAAAAH!!! (tag screaming hold on)

🎶The Fantom of the Opera (special) is there🎶

👉How it’s started

👉Narry Viscount design belongs to Insomniphic

👉And of course check out this masterpiece

Enjoy Hive x Narry bros x Phantom of the Opera content 🫵❤️

Specs in hospital is an Easter egg to human transition au that belongs to Insomni (I saw a bunch of her art on discord 👀)

Big thanks to @insomniphic and @braisedhoney for inspiring and motivating me with their amazing art ❤️

[harrysfolklore]

Do you think we can get an Insta blurb with face claim as Georgia Fowler? Idk she’s just sooo pretty!

tysm for the request! i hope you like this 💕

MASTERLIST | MY PATREON

2015

liked by bellahadid, harrystyles and 48,836 others

yourinstagram Good morning sunshines ☀️

view all 2,937 comments

ynfan1 STUNNING

selenagomez That’s my bestie ❤️

harryupdates Harry liked this post !

↳harryfan1 of course she’s a victoria secret model

ynfan2 best girlll

liked by harryfan1, harryfan2 and 10,826 others

harryupdates Harry on model YN’s snapchat story !

view all 968 comments

harryfan1 OH GOOOODDD

ynfan1 omfg they’re dating

harryfan2 idk how to feel

harryfan3 he looks so cuddly

2016

liked by harryfan1, harryfan2 and 12,836 others

harryupdates Harry and YN in St Barts today 😬

view all 1,004 comments

harryfan1 oh lord

ynfan1 we knew this was coming

harryfan2 harry this is literally the second day of the year

ynfan2 CUTIES

liked by niallhoran, yourinstagram and 3,927,290 others

harrystyles Happy New Year x

COMMENTS ON THIS POST HAVE BEEN LIMITED

2020

liked by harrystyles, selenagomez and 1,023,678 others

yourinstagram thank you for loving me for 1826 days. happy anniversary my love 🤍

view all 39,826 comments

ynfan1 AWEEEEE

harryfan1 my bub

bellahadid Happy Anniversary loves ❤️

harryfan2 THAT PIC IS SO BOYFRIEND

ynfan2 and some harry fans swore they wouldn’t last

harrystyles You make me so happy x

↳ harryfan3 STOP RIGHT NOW

liked by spaceykacey, yourinstagram and 5,023,836 others

harrystyles Half a decade with you. I love you x

view all 76,098 comments

harryfan1 AHHHH

ynfan1 they always post each other

annetwist ❤️

jefezoff 🥺

harryfan2 wow they’re pretty committed

yourinstagram I love you so much, bubs 🤍

↳ ynfan2 my heart

2021

FANS VIA TWITTER

//

liked by emrata, harrystyles and 2,017,549 others

yourinstagram It’s been hard to keep this one quiet, but now it’s pretty hard to hide. Harry and I couldn’t be happier to share our exciting news with you. We cannot wait to meet you little one and begin our next chapter together. The best is yet to come 🤍

view all 59,023 comments

ynfan1 OMFGGGGG

harryfan1 NO WAY NO WAY

arianagrande 🥺🤍

emilyblunt Congratulations to your two ❤️ Loveliest family

harryfan2 HARRY IS GOING TO BE A DAD

ynfan2 she’s going to be the prettiest mummy

harrystyles I can’t wait to start a family with you, lover x

↳ harryfan3 STOP IT

liked by yourinstagram, sza and 7,937,629 others

harrystyles Final month. We can’t wait to meet you, baby x

view all 81,026 comments

harryfan1 AHHH IM MELTING

ynfan1 SHES GORGEOUS

annetwist Stunning ❤️

harryfan2 WHAT IF THEY HAVE A GIRL

harryfan3 do y’all realize that almost all of the one direction members had babies out of wedlock 😭

↳ yourinstagram 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😂

niallhoran Sending love to you and your missus!

↳ harryfan1 NARRY IS SO ALIVE

liked by adele, yourinstagram and 10,826,189 others

harrystyles Faye Anne Styles. Welcome to the world, baby x

view all 102,087 comments

harryfan1 OMFGGGG

ynfan1 FAYE ANNE THATS SUCH A CUTE NAME

spaceykacey Congratulations 💗

annetwist My perfect granddaughter ❤️

harryfan2 HARRY IS OFFICIALLY A DILF

selenagomez I can’t believe my best friend is a mummy now 🥹

yourinstagram I’m (literally) living in a daydream

2023

liked by harryfan1, harryfan2 and 5,092 others

theharrytea IS THIS ABOUT HARRY AND YN????

view all 901 comments

harryfan1 not y’all believing deuxmoi

ynfan1 ALL THOSE CELEBRITIES WOAH

harryfan2 THIS MAKES SO MUCH SENSE

ynfan2 LORD IM COMING UP

liked by harrystyles, yourinstagram and 1,029,728 others

niallhoran LOVE WINS 🥰

view all 49,278 comments

niallfan1 BABYYYY

harryfan1 call me crazy but this looks like a wedding attire

↳ ynfan1 those wedding rumors don’t sound so crazy now

harrystyles Thank you for always being there, brother x

↳ narryfan1 MY NARRY HEART

yourinstagram we love you ❤️

↳ harryfan2 THEY FR GOT MARRIED

liked by dualipa, yourinstagram and 6,937,579 others

selenagomez I got to be my best friend’s maid of honor 🥺 Life = made

view all 87,389 comments

selenafan1 BEAUTY ynfan1 OMG YN AND HARRY FR GOT MARRIED

arianagrande 💓

harryfan1 MY BABIES ARE MARRIED

yourinstagram you're my sister forever ily 🥺

ynfan2 I NEED THE WEDDING PICS but also whenever they feel like it

harrystyles Much love, Sel-sel x

↳ harryfan2 MY HEARTTTT

liked by dualipa, yourinstagram and 4,098,278 others

voguemagazine @yourinstagram and @harrystyles are married! The couple tied the knot in Italy, on Harry's property, which doubles as an event venue, surrounded by family and friends. YN and Harry plan to celebrate with a larger wedding in California in the fall. "This past weekend was supposed to be an intimate event, but we ended up having 115 guests in the end because there are a lot of people we care about, and we wanted them all to be there," says YN Styles.

Tap the link in our bio for an exclusive look inside the couple's wedding.

view all 49,005 comments

harryfan1 OH LORDDDDD

ynfan1 OUR BABIES

adele ❤

harryfan2 WDYM ELTON JOHN PERFORMED THEIR FIRST DANCE SONG ???'

ynfan2 so many celebrities were in attendance i cant

emilyblunt Congratulations 😍

liked by harrystyles, sza and 5,098,378 others

yourinstagram So many things to say about this last few days, but right now I'll leave it at this: I have the hottest husband in the world.

view all 87,936 comments

ynfan1 I CAAAANT

harryfan1 SHES SO ME

annetwist 😍😍

ynfan2 shes so real for this

niallhoran Love you mates !

harryfan2 she said emotional post ??? nahhh let me flex my husband

harrystyles I love youuuuu, wifey x

↳ harryfan3 STOP THIS MADNESS

liked by adele, yourinstagram and 10,056,389 others

harrystyles Beautiful daughter. Beautiful wife. Beautiful life x

view all 102,826 comments

harryfan1 NO I CANTTTT

ynfan1 this is so beautiful

jefezoff ❤️❤️

harryfan2 little val on their wedding 🥹🥹 my heart

taylorswift Much love to your beautiful family 💕

↳ harryfan3 TAYLOR ?????

ynfan2 we’ve come a long way 🥲

gemmachan 🤍

yourinstagram thank you for giving me all that i’ve dreamed of and more, i love you

↳ ynfan3 STOOOP

taglist: @lightsoutstyles @willowpains @straightontilmornin @sleutherclaw @gimsaysay @hazzassmirk @platinumbarbie143 @musicforcinemas @celesteblack08 @scntfrhs @eleanordaisy @lomlolivia @iceebabies @iloveshawn @be-with-me-so-happily @watermelonsugacry @rayisthehoe @drewrry

[pink-november]

Oooh, that ask game is amazing! 7, 8, and 9 please?

Thank you!!!! About time someone made something like this <3

7. (Explore) What line from The Shifting Mound do you like the most?

"There are few things more terrifying than one's own heart, and there is almost nothing more terrifying than sharing it with another."

"But the most terrifying of all is to leave one's heart unshared. You are the only thing like me, and I am the only thing like you."

"Could you bear the weight of an eternity alone? Do you dare to shape a reality of solitude and thrust it on creation?"

The Moment of Clarity's part of The Shifting Mound fight definitely is my favorite line of all time. I don't need to explain it much. Just read it again and bask in the sheer poetry of it <333

8. (Explore) What line from the player character/ The Long Quiet do you like the most?

The world around you is unwound, its physical matter replaced by a textured nothingness. It is quiet.

There is a distant rumbling, a sound of many sounds. Undulations pulse louder as something Other comes close.

Feelers probe across the fabric of reality. Extremities find your consciousness and wrap themselves around it. You are no longer alone.

Oh-ho. The start of the Oblivion Ending is one I really, really liked amongst the lines of The Long Quiet. It's so eerie, especially when you haven't met The Shifting Mound yet. Especially during the Depression stage:

Long silence. A hollow heart.

Chills, man. Chills.

9. (Explore) What line from The Narrator do you like the most?

And yet, you keep remembering. You remember the loathing and animosity you've shared with the Princess, the pain and the anger and the betrayal. And you start to remember something else, too.

You remember that you are distinct being with a finite form and a mortal body. And you can feel it. There is a shifting of the space around you, the infinitesimal movement of your molecules rearranging back into the shape of what you're meant to be.

Some divisions, when sown, can never be truly be mended. A cavernous gash rips across whatever it was you thought you were.

The narration for the path to The Wounded Wild just stuck out to me the most. Don't get me wrong, Narry had other awesome lines but you could clearly see here the consequences of the tear the Echo had done to the gods he had created and how equally mighty and tragic it is in equal measure.

[jellyfishgummy]

tsp audiobooks AU!

Stanley's the mic and Narry/Neil is the radio, barely have any lore on them lmao. Both of them are narrators.

Their team is called "The Parable Hour" since each short story goes for almost an hour, idk they tell stories mainly made by Neil or alternatively a few other writers that work with them.

Their works are kinda popular on some audiobook apps.

Outside of working on audiobooks, Stanley is a graphic designer and Narry is a film director.

Stanley's mic filter "tails" are used as masks that express different emotions, god knows what changes the symbols on each filter often.

Neil has electrical cord or outlet tails that he can replace anytime and use anywhere, it's mostly just out of a design choice but he can hack things and influence them to his will... or get hacked himself.

the adventure line is a springy-like thing that is wrapped around the electrical cords!

Since Narry likes to yap and my Stanley likes to listen, I made Stanley be the "receiver" and Narry the "sender" or something.

Their world is mixed with humans and humanoids with objects as heads.

Jim is their bartender friend from a bar they usually go to(the humanoids can still drink, surprisingly), Curie/Cynthia is Neil's "sister" who helped them get popular through advertisements in her library with a mini museum(im unoriginal fr), and Mariella is an actor from one of Neil's films; and close friend for the both of them that got them into doing audiobooks. i might not post much about them haha edit: changed from radio show to audiobooks

[braisedhoney]

bear. oh bear. you have got to be kidding me.

THIS IS THE COOLEST THING?? HELLO????

(screaming in tags as always bc it'll get LONG otherwise)

I think a spaceship that makes no sense is the spaceship that makes the most sense for this crew, considering all that happens around here, Captain.

Moist regards,

#0505

honestly #0505, you're right and you should say it. i like to imagine that our ship is a very strange bastion of the crossovers where each character has a spiderverse-like portal we just... drag them into sometimes for whatever shitposts we make lmao ;; it makes sense then that the ship itself just. doesn't abide by the rules of reality. it's an eldritch thing. open a door that led to the second floor? bam, you're already in the room you're looking for. labs? nope, kitchen.

the only time it's ever consistent is like. in a crisis. then for some weird reason everything is in place. (plot convenience, the reason is plot convenience.)

also please dry off your regards, they're going to contaminate the lab samples of the hell mushrooms. o7

[acesofspadess]

Let The Games Begin

Worth The Risk Masterlist

narry x oc

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜

You know the saying, easier said than done, well you never meant to take that so literal. Over the course of the next couple weeks, shit had hit the fan. You were good, that was never the question, but being so young and inexperienced compared to the rest of girls set you behind from the beginning.

“The final contestant who’s made it through… is…”

It wasn’t your name. And while 99% of you knew it wouldn’t be, the 1% in you was more hopeful than ever. You didn’t let the tears fall until you were backstage by yourself. You went to text the siblings before someone sat next to you. “I'm sorry you didn’t make it. You were really good.” The accent wasn’t like your own. “Did you not make it either?” you saw the redness in his eyes, and when he shook his head to confirm your guess you rested your head on his shoulder. “Autumn.” you recited, “Niall.” he gave back.

“Nice to meet you Niall, even under the unfortunate circumstances.” you both laughed softly at the attempted joke before silence fell over you both. The silence was comfortable, it was peaceful, home like almost.

“Can I have all the girls over here please?” one of the workers called in your area and you and Niall looked at each other, confusion over your faces. “Maybe they’re collecting the boys too? Go and check.” you urged as he helped you up. “I’ll see you later Autumn.” he waved goodbye as you went in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile….

Nicole, Louis, and Simon, were looking at the photo cards of the boys. “I like these 5 together.” Nicole happily cheered but Simon seemed off-put. “It's missing something.” he pointed out, and while Louis and Nicole thought to adjust the boys Simon went over to the girls group. He looked for a specific photo and once he found it he put the card in line with the boys.

“No Simon, you can’t do that.” The first disagreement was made by Nicole. “But her voice would go perfectly with the rest of the boys.” he stood his ground and looked to Louis who was studying the faces intensely. “I have to agree with Simon, Nicole. They look good together, I'm sure they would sound even better. I don’t know why you have something against her.” He defended and stood with Simon. 

“I don’t have anything against her,” she quickly told off. “I just don’t think that she belongs in a boy band.” Louis looked at the photos one last time. “Then let her choose.” he offered, looking down at Simon who spoke, “Have her come in with the girls, then we’ll decide from there. But I think even she would prefer the boys.”

Present…

As you walked on stage with a group of girls from the left wing, a group of boys, some of which you recognised, Harry, Zayn, and now Niall. You couldn't stop looking over at them, wishing you were with familiar people, some who actually cared to learn your name. 

“Hello.” Nicole spoke softly into the mic making you snap your head away from the boys as everyone repeated the greeting. “Thank you so much for coming back. I know judging from some of your faces that this is really hard. We’ve thought long and hard about you individually, and you are all too talented to let go of. So we’ve put together two separate groups.” Nicole handed the mic to Simon who was looking right at you. “Autumn, do you mind joining the boys?”  The faintest smile made its way to your face as you walked across the stage standing in between Harry and Niall as they had created a space for you. 

“See she looks happier there.” Simon whispered to Nicole as you walked across the stage. She nodded in understanding, having to admit that you did indeed belong with them. “We’ve decided to put you both through to the judges rounds.” Time seemed to freeze as you repeated what he said over through your head till you were being wrapped in a massive hug. You immediately wrapped your arms around the figure you now knew was Niall before you both separated and shook Harry who was crouched into himself. He popped up wrapping you and Niall into a hug full of laughs and cries. 

As you walked off the stage together you all huddled up again. “I know this might be weird with me, but I have an older brother-.” 

“You're one of us now, it doesn't matter.” One the boys who you hadn’t met yet cut you off and you smiled. “Louis.” he held his hand out. “Autumn.” the tallest boy came over to you too. “Liam.” you knew he had heard you so you didn’t repeat it again. When you all walked outside you saw Bentley, Nan and Pap, and Anne chatting together. You assume it was over what just happened. When they saw you, you and Harry ran towards them. You hugged Bentley who held you tightly. “Where’s Bev?” he pointed towards the car to see Beverly asleep. “She has the ability to fall asleep anywhere.” you both laughed before you dragged him over to meet the rest of the boys. “Bentley, Niall, Louis, and Liam. You’ve already met Harry, and Zayn.” he greeted them as Anne pulled you into a hug. “I’m glad you're with them. They need some girl power in their lives.” you laughed with her as it came naturally. 

Anne decided she needed a picture of all you, and as you sat on the stairs next to Harry in front of Liam you were truly in for a ride.

———————-

Worth The Risk Masterlist

tags:

@youcan-nolonger-run @ravenclawdirectioner

@luxiorchive @maeflowers653  @purple9950 @forkmeniall @nathalielovesonedirection @hopsydaisy @shortie-niya

[creampill]

hi, hello, i'd love to see romantic obsessed narrator please.

hello????

uh hi welcome to my inbox. sorry I kind of lost my mind seeing you hop in here less than a minute after I reblogged your post while fangirling over your writing.

well, I’ll take a chance to be grossly self-indulgent any day. here’s your meal!

Romantic Obsessed Narrator/Reader HCs

- if you’ve read soup’s writing on the platonic version of this subject, then you know the main vibe that narry gives off when he’s in this kind of headspace

- he will do anything to keep your attention. Whatever it takes.

- he will keep making new content for as long as he needs too- he will read off different scripts, write and rewrite new ones, reward every single incremental decision you make to keep you interested.

- a romantic narry wouldn’t want to make you scared of him though. He wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable or confused- maybe then you’d leave him. He’d never have a chance to woo you if you had a grudge against him.

- so he tries not to make it too obvious how much he’s tailoring the experience of the game to you. He’ll try to make it all fit in seamlessly with the rest of the games shenanigans.

- you, the player, don’t really see anything odd at the start. The game is so layered with secrets you’re not really shocked that you’ve found things you haven’t heard about before. That’s just how the game is.

- his obsession is the kind that manifests as a collection, almost hoarding: whatever information he learns about you, he cherishes.

- for the sake of this concept, let’s say you have some kind of mic attached to the game. Something that transmits your voice, your reactions- the thing that he fell in love with in the first place.

- something about your personality just… enraptured him. he wants to know more about you. He wants to know everything about you. Every piece of information, he keeps.

- He has an incredibly strong memory, but he knows how fragile the mind can be (r.e; the confusion ending), so he writes down what he knows about you. He writes all the tiny details down, everything he learns, every itty bitty thing.

- your favourite colour? The way you laugh? Your birthday you mentioned offhandedly? The exact times and dates you log into the game?

- everything. He keeps everything. In excruciating detail, too- his fanciful and descriptive writing style translates over to this too. He’s filled pages and pages with his fawning over you.

- these details also leak into the game, personalising it to you. Other endings pop up in your favourite genres; the adventure line changes colour to your favourite; the outside in the freedom ending becomes more and more similar to your childhood home.

- he also uses this information to make you more attracted to him.

- if it’s his voice that gets you (like it does the rest of us)? Then maybe he just happens to sit a bit closer to his microphone. Maybe he purrs his lines a little sweeter or dips his voice lower based on your reactions. Maybe he complements you more than normal- maybe he teases you relentlessly. Whatever makes you flustered is what he strives for.

- if it’s his silly dorky humour and endearing dialogue? Prepare for more jokes. Stupider ones. And a whole lot more dialogue for every possible choice and situation- Whatever made you laugh the hardest.

- and if it’s his stories? His prose, his talent as a creative? He will write for you. He will craft as many beautiful and unique and detailed routes as you want. He will act his ass off for you, moving you from laughter to tears, if that’s what makes you happy.

- it’s hard for him to contain how much he loves you sometimes.

- every time you leave, his heart breaks. He knows you have a life outside of the game- but he just wishes he could be part of that, too.

- when you haven’t played for a while, he has to hold himself back from cheering aloud when you load back in.

- he has to hold back the joy in his voice when you get excited, trying so hard not to laugh along with you. You were just so infectious- it was almost impossible to stop himself.

- but the narrator would defy impossible for you.

- because he loves you. And that means doing whatever would make you happy. Even if it’s impossible.

[twopoppies]

Hi Gina, this is probably a weird question to ask; when I followed you 3 years ago, I had obsession with your mp fics and would open a lot of them and read your pov about the fics. In one of them you said something like "you cried a bucket full of tears when reading it" , and I can't even remember which category it was in , Do you remember which one it is or which fics made you cry?

Oh, I’ve been meaning to make one of these fic rec lists. Be forewarned, I cry very, very easily so it’s going to be a very long list (and some people might roll their eyes at what’s made me cry) 😂 Even as long as this is, I’m sure I’ve forgotten some.

Gold-skinned, eager baby by StarryDay13 / @daydreaming-sunflower (E, 17K) This was soft and tender and sexy and beautifully done. There were wonderful moments of gentleness and vulnerability as Harry awkwardly expresses his thoughts about his gender and his feelings for Louis, and as Louis reasons and holds space for who Harry is. I really just loved this one. And I cried. So that’s a bonus. 😆

Deux Fantômes by ohpleaselarry (E, 16K) So, let me start by saying I cried through ¾ of this. I promise it’s a happy ending, but it’s heavy and very moving. Please read the tags as there are some triggering things, but it’s also so sweet and gentle and really well written.

of the divine by @thedevilinmybrain (Mixed ratings, 2-part series, 104K) Oh my god. This series. I cried buckets. It’s so beautifully written. The sex scenes are so tender and sexy, but in such a pure way. Their relationship is so good… you can totally feel how much they love each other, the climactic scene OH MY GOD so intense. It’s also got great zouis friendship and a very sweet narry friendship. Tender punk Louis and guardian angel Harry. Read it.

The bed and the carpet by orphan_account (E, 8K) So, this was written a while ago, and because of that there are some things which... irk me (like the use of “orbs”). But it’s really gentle and sweet and sexy. Thanks to the anon who told me they cried reading it. I did, too.

Lovely, made from love by userkant (T, 1K) This was so lovely and so moving (yes, I cried). This author wrote so much emotion into this short fic, please give it a read. I loved it.

may we all have a vision now and then by momentofclarity / @gaycousinlarry (M, 4K) This author is one of my favorite writers in this fandom and everything they do is infused with so much delicacy and tenderness. I literally cried through this fic because of how wounded Harry’s character feels. Read it and then treat yourself to their whole AO3 catalogue.

every universe but ours by @28finelines (E, 50K) This fic is so touching and funny and sexy and I read it all in one go––thankfully just before I published this post! Please go read it because it’s like reading multiple Larry fics in one, each one with that “I would find you in any lifetime” vibe.

Fading by tothemoonmydear (M, 202K) Let me start by asking you to please tread carefully with this one. It’s a very well-written fic, but it deals very graphically with Louis’ character’s eating disorder. At the time it was written, some people felt it did not portray ED recovery accurately, so if the subject is at all triggering for you, please don’t read this one. If that’s not an issue for you, make sure you have tissues ready because I ugly cried through almost all of this. I read it years ago and loved it at the time, but it’s not one I could handle reading twice.

wake the morn and greet the dawn (with hearts entwined and free) by mixedfandomfics (T, 21K)I cried the first third of the way through this because this author painted such a beautiful picture of Harry’s emotions, his found family, and the setting. I love how they slowly unraveled Louis’ story and the tender, sweet way they ended up together. And Niall!! The best friend/brother you could ask for.

Love you in the dark by Perzikje (E, 10K) This is such a tender and moving portrait of these characters. This author does a great job at capturing Harry’s struggle with the shame he feels (yes, I cried), and then beautifully portrays the balm of the way Louis loves him.

for as long as I can remember (it’s always been december) by green_feelings / @greenfeelings (E, 128K) This author always delivers on the angst, so yes…I cried. I loved the sense of the inevitable with these two characters — as in real life, they’re just meant to be. But first they’ll go through hell.

an entire desert in our hourglass by tofiveohfive (E, 20K) I told the author yesterday that I really appreciated the pain they wove into this story because they did such a good job making the emotions relatable –– even with a pre-apocalyptic setting –– so the feeling cut even deeper. Such a good read. And even though the tags said there was a happy ending (which there is), I still cried buckets.

haunted by the ghost of you by missandrogyny (E, 49K) Sweet and funny, filled with great banter and OT5 friendship. And yes…I cried. A lot.

deleted your number (so i can’t call you) by tofiveohfive / @sunflowrsix I think this author does such a great job with writing realistically about breakups and the emotions that are involved. Things aren’t just suddenly solved -- there’s still anger and hurt and a realization that better communication is needed. It’s just very refreshing to read. And of course, I cried.

the best part of me (was always you) by @moonshinelouis-archive (E, 6K) Gorgeous writing. The descriptions of heartbreak and missing someone and still loving them were really well done. And I cried. Of course.

everything suspended by louisandthealien (M, 9K) Set in the late 1990s/early 2000s, this fic is SO so good. And it’s so angsty and so incredibly well written. I felt every bit of tension and emotion and was so wrung out by the end. But it’s also such a gorgeously crafted fic. I just love it.

hope you guessed my name by juliusschmidt (E, 9K) Harry is a devil, Louis is human. I don’t know what it is about this fic, but I just adore it. It’s so moving and so beautifully written and yes, I cried over Harry being a lonely cryptid.

Through Eerie Chaos by mediawhore / @mediawhorefics (GA, 102K) This one is set both in present day and the 1920s and I absolutely adore this fic. This is such a unique and compelling story, the writing is beautiful, the characters are wonderfully realized, and I ugly cried for realz. Such a good fic.

Save your loving arms for a rainy day by BriaMaria / @briannamarguerite (E, 19K) Oh, I really loved this. Beautiful writing. Lovely characterizations. I love how harry makes Louis realize who he is/what he wants, but doesn’t “save” him. And yes, I cried…not from the angst this time, but from the declarations and descriptions of feelings. This author just gets it right.

the impossible now by stylinsoncity (M, 65K) I screamed about this fic for weeks when it was first posted because it’s just so moving and so beautifully written. It’s got a twist to it that makes it both wonderful romantic and heartbreaking at the same time. Happy ending, I promise, but I cried. A lot. Shocker, I know.

Little Technicolor Things by scary_crow (M, 72K) This is truly one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever read and it is an absolutely travesty that it’s not being talked about every day. This fic is gorgeous and poetic and romantic and heartbreaking and an explosion of metaphoric images and everything I never knew I needed but now that I have it I want to read it over and over and over.

Finding Lou by stylinsoncity (M, 60K) This author’s writing is always such a pleasure to read -- they really know how to craft a moving story. Slow burn romance with some super sexy smut and lots of emotions. Yes, I cried.

Your Name Is Tattooed On My Heart by mcpofife (E, 87K) I reread this one recently and it's truly delightful. The characterizations are so well done. Harry is so endearing (I cried over his heartbreak). And the smut is both hot and really emotional. Love this one.

Love Is A Rebellious Bird by 100percentsassy, gloria_andrews (E, 135K) Everything about this fic is glorious. I’m always struck by how well the characters are fleshed out, how their behavior lines up with their backstory, how ridiculously hot the chemistry is, and how agonizing the angst is. So yes, no shocker, I cried buckets. Thank god for a happy ending.

Empty Skies by green_feelings / @greenfeelings (E, 13K) I just started re-reading this the other day and it holds up so well. This author is always a pleasure to read. Their fics just are well plotted and the characters are nicely fleshed out. I loved Perrie as Harry’s bestie, the bitterness and angst is PAINFUL, and the ending feels well earned.

my heart is breathing for this moment in time by usedtothebeach (E, 160K) Probably my absolute favorite time travel fic. I’ve read it more times than I’d like to admit, and every time I love it more. One of the things I like most is how organically the author weaves in canon events…every little moment is an easter egg without it being so obvious that it pulls you out of the fic. Anyway, this one is so moving and so absorbing, I hope you like it if you give it a try! There’s an 18K companion piece to it as well, but you’ll see the link at the appropriate time when you’re reading the main fic (and when you read the scene that breaks your heart –– in the best possible way –– come and scream at me. You’ll know which one I mean).

no one does it better by nodibs (E, 50K) Oh lord. Get your tissues and hang on tight. Such well-written heartbreak. Happy ending, but you have to suffer first.

like a bastard on the burning sea by vashtaneradas (NR, 21K) Heartbreaking, perfect writing. So well-written that the fandom hated real-life Harry for a while after this was posted.

Also, you might want to check out my recs for:

Sad/Open Endings

Major Character Death

Angst

[strixcattus]

woe! narry questions be upon ye!

(Explore) What line from The Narrator do you like the most?

(Explore) You are an Echo of a man long gone, how would you deal with the events of the game?

A lot of these "which line is your favourite" questions are tough because it's been so long since experiencing most chapters I've forgotten a lot of it.

Nonetheless, I do have a couple good Narrator lines! Namely, the moment in Prisoner where Skeptic calls him pathetic, and his only response is, "I never said I wasn't." It's a nice moment of awareness from him.

Another good contender is almost everything he says in Happily Ever After. From his initial fit of annoyance at how nice the cabin is to his admission at the end of the chapter that maybe his "happy ending" wasn't thought out nearly enough.

And how I would deal with the game in the Echo's position... that's an interesting question given how diametrically opposed I am to his beliefs regarding death vs. eternity. Am I meant in this question to assume that I as I am am forced to Narrate a chapter or that I'm a Narrator taking on his beliefs or that I myself for some godforsaken reason decided to pull a Narrator and set all this up or (overthinking)

There's only so much that can be said before the Construct falls apart, but regardless of what situation I'm supposed to imagine, I think I wouldn't mind letting it collapse. If the Long Quiet can still complete his task with the two of them as gods, what does it matter, anyway? Better for him to know what he's killing from the start instead of being caught by surprise—or, worse, going along mindlessly and unquestioningly and making a decision he'd regret if only he knew.

[tai-janai]

hey tai, u’re a big narrator fan, right? 

could i ask for ur opinion on the line “an endless pattern of forgetfulness leading into the joys of rediscovery” when we ask him what it would be like to live in a world without the shifting mound?

like what did he mean by that?? im interested in seeing how u interpret it!

well yeah im a huge narry defender and appreciator

i think hes just explaining eternal life, no?

experiencing so much that you forget the earlier things youve experienced, to go back and experience them again in an endless loop? and without all the bad stuff like illness or death, with the people you love with you forever.

i think some people (not meaning you or anyone in particular, i mean like as an overall viewpoint in the fandom) believe that shifty will take all forms of change and experience when she is slain. but thats specifically stated to not be the case; lq has a bit of her with him, he is a bit of change and development along with his stagnancy (like how shifty has bits of stagnancy in her unending change)

narry's little construct he made seems to be almost everything as perfect as he could make it (his only struggle was giving LQ free will, but even that was purposeful) he wasn't trying to make everything boring. he just wanted to get rid of death and all it would encompass. endless patterns of forgetfulness and re-experience mean living on forever with all the joys of being alive.

[insomniphic]

💕VALENTINES DAY IS A WEEK AWAY!💕

So guess what?! :D

I’ll be posting daily One-Shots of Narry in very Valentine scenarios for 7 days!

None of these are canon! They’re just cool “what if’s” since Narry is probably doomed to be forever lonely 😔.

Anyways~

DAY 1: Crowded Places

Narry participated in a party once; in our current timeline he might have already joined more than four, perhaps none, but ONE was enough to realize his hatred towards crowded places, of every kind. “Hatred”? No. Not really. Maybe it’s discomfort. Maybe fear.

The music is the latest hit of this year, so was the next, and the following. The taste was generic — made to entertain most of the crowd because of how trendy it is — so it was no surprise that everyone was still moving their bodies to a rhythm that matched their hearts more than the beat. Narry wished there was more variety so he could test his memory… Perhaps he could just list out the pitch, the notes, maybe the specific riffs to the bass that carried the harmony.

An arm brushes against his. A sandal comes close to stepping on his black loafers. Hair slashes across his back. An empty plastic cup tips and touches against his chest.

He really needs to stop closing his eyes, these sensations were becoming more intense without his vision and it was making him shudder when he isn’t even feeling cold.

While pursing his thin lips, the brunette tilts his head down and cracks both of his eyes open, looking straight at his feet. There’s about a two step radius that he could shuffle around in. (Disregarding the shoulders that nudged past that small border.) He made sure to straighten his body like a rod, taking less space to give himself, and others, more room.

It’s alright, Narry, just listen to the music. The music is loud, this room is big. It’s alright, Narry, just listen to the echo of the music. If the music echoes, then the room is spacious; it’s big.

“Oh my goood, have you heard what Juliet just did to her new boyfrieend?~” A random girl slurred out, her eyes hazy as she pressed herself closer to her other female companion, trying to be more audible in the crowd.

Narry blinks, his brows furrowing. Music, Narry, music. “You know how to dance, huh?” A man with a buzz-cut hair chuckled as he swayed along with a some blonde woman. The duo was too close for his liking; it’s almost as if those words were directed to him.

“Hahaha! Yeaaah!” The other squeaked, her face flushed and hair a mess from all the grooving, “I was in the dance team when I was in high school!” She grinned suddenly throwing her hands up, ultimately hitting against Narry’s arm without her knowledge.

Narry writhed as he began to inch away from them. He steps out of the center of his small safe space, and it led him into bumping against another stranger. And like a game of Pong, he bumped into another as he apologized. Where’s the music? Narry’s eyes whirled around, looking for safety. Why can’t I hear it?! Where is it?!

…Screw the music. Screw the size of the room. It’s too cramped here— WHY is he here?

“Narry!” The man jumped — not out of fear, but more in relief.

Music. He’s hearing the music.

“Narry! Oh god, what are you doing here?!” Narry’s lover pushed through the wall of people, concern driven all over their face. Before Narry could even reply, they were already taking action. “Common, let’s get you out of here!” They yelled over the crowd.

The yellow eyed man kept himself close behind them. He’s usually much more… organized than this. Thankfully enough, he felt all of the tension release as he stumbled slightly on random rubbish that’s been tossed on the hard tiles of the club. He’s usually much more autonomous than this. When finally reached the door — he forgot there was one (he’s usually a lot more aware than this) — he pries his eyes away from the textured ground and then up at the moon, the stars, his lover. Suddenly, his head was clear.

“Gosh…” Narry groaned, lowering his head into his hands, “I’m usually a lot more… normal than this.” He shuddered, his shoulders sinking slightly.

“Narry, you are being normal.” His hands are stuffy. Music. Listen for the music. “You’re just overstimulated, alright?” he looks up from his hands. He hears the echo of their voice. It’s spacious; the world is big. “Don’t bash yourself for that.” They smiled, clearly hazy from the fun he probably just pulled them away from, but they seemed clear in the head enough to mean what they’re saying.

Once he nodded, the other sighed, running a hand through their hair as they looked down the empty sidewalk and streets before glancing back. “Why are you here, Narry? I thought you said you’ll just stay at home for tonight,” they frowned slightly with concern.

Why? Why… Narry was quiet for a moment, the most knowledgeable being in the world seemingly forgotten. “Oh— uh…” his hands naturally ran down to touch his pocket, feeling the contour of his cellular device. Right. “I wanted to pick you up,” he mumbled, “You texted me a while ago, saying that your friends left earlier while you guys were at the pub, and I didn’t want you to go back with an Uber — and by yourself. I came — brought the car — and thought I could find you easily if I go inside myself instead of waiting. And—“ he paused, “I got stuck.”

His lover chuckled, before they reached down and took his gloved hands into theirs. “That’s really thoughtful of you, Narry… thank you.” They gave him a closed eyed smile, and Narry couldn’t help but reciprocate, albeit a bit shy because of the earlier predicament.

“Are you good for a hug?” They widened their arms for him, and Narry paused.

Of course he couldn’t say “no”. And with a small hum of encouragement, he bent himself down and enveloped themselves into each other’s warmth.

The hug was tight; it gave him no space to move, and the entirety of the hug were just sensations he wouldn’t usually agree to. And yet… he didn’t mind it.

Narry has a fear towards crowded places, but his only exception only ever seemed to be their comfort.

===

Next—>

[employee052]

[ROAD TRIP THREAD [BELATED] FINALE]

I FINALLY REBLOGGED ALL THE ROAD TRIP POSTS AAAAAAAAAAA

i know its super late and the events been done for... what? almost two weeks now? but imma get up on my soap box for a bit i promise its not long askjdh

tysm to everyone whos participated in the event in any capacity! whether its just one prompt, or all of them, im just glad people were participating and drawing stuff for it even when i wasnt able to. i hope everyone whos participated enjoyed it!

... and thats all from me on the soap box, its already been a while since it ended but i just wanted to thank yall bc this still was just a small silly little event that i didnt expect much ppl would do. but im glad ppl did do it!

have a good day/night/timezone yall!!! heres to the next fandom event askdjh :333

(also, tomorrow im starting my own road trip! im finally going on my own and not stuck at home this time around. narry will be joining as well! im finally feeling a bit better this time around so heres to hoping things go well for me aksjdh)

[corvidcrows]

Doing another character study rn of Narrators and this time, it's @blackkatdraws Black! Thanks to them sm for letting me write him interacting with my Narry, Luke!

Just dumping some of my Narrator fics into this blog :)

===

Black was bored. Very, very bored.

And a bored Black was a dangerous one... sort of. Violent, no. Destructive, maybe. But mischievious? An absolute yes.

He can remember the last time he had been bored enough to wreak havok. It had resulted in many submitted complaints about Black to the Parable Flats committee, new rules being written into place, and a stern warning from Arthur to never repeat the occurence. Black still found it exceedingly funny, but he does promise his best friend that he would stop tone down his pranks so there would be no future mishaps.

He's been pretty good at behaving these days (except for may be a few stray incidents here and there, but they don't count). Most of his friends were off doing God knows what in God knows where, so he was left to his own devices for an entire weekend.

Big mistake. By the second day of his so-called isolation, Black had been bored enough to work through each and every one of his favorite hobbies, writing as much as his creativity allowed, and it was still not enough to alleviate his boredom. He even hopped on all his favorite games. It was enough for him to contemplate going back on his word and repeating his streaks of previous pranks. There's no one stopping him, anyways

But a promise was a promise. Black sits in his flat, bored out of his mind, until something occurs to him.

Messing with other people wasn't off the table. He only had to carefully skirt the rules, make sure his friends didn't know, and not get caught by any other Narrators or Stanleys.

He's bored enough to try it. If he didn't get someone to stop him right now, he's going to pull something off.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, and reflexively dials a familiar number.

"You've reached the number of Arthur Gold," says the mechanical voice. "If you'd like to leave a message–"

Black hangs up before the message could complete, sighing and almost letting the phone drop to the floor.

Screw it, he's about to do a Black right now.

Funny thing, that. He had the usual reputation for being a bit uptight and aloof when it comes to encountering new people, and often had a standoffish persona that many people, excluding his friends, usually see.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't have another facet to his personality, one that was more genuine and reserved only for friends. It was his happy-go-lucky, teasing, fun-loving self that only a few people have the privilege of seeing. He had to be responsible most of the time, but when he was with his friends he was allowed to relax and let loose. He's a bit two-faced in a way, but he doesnt really care about that. He only ever cared about his friends' opinions, so ot was only noticeable that he treated his friends special because of it.

He exits his apartment and travels to the other side of the Flats, where he had fewer chances of being seensnd recognized by his fellow Narrators. From there, he starts pacing the hallways of the Flat, trying to build up the courage.

It's been a while since he's done this. And probably the first time when most of his friends were a bit too busy or far away to help him. So whatever he would do right now, he will shoulder the burden next time.

He was just about to contemplate pulling the fire alarm when someone steps into view. It's clearly a Narrator, if the rumpled old-style blue suit was anything to go by, and usually Black would not pay attention, if it weren't for this man also possesding a very bright yellow, very distracting tail that seemed to shift and lengthen the longer he looked at it.

So Black didn't. He turns and ignores the new Narrator completely, focusing on his thoughts about pranks and the least intrusive way to go about them.

But then the new Narrator spoke, voice extremely level but not altogether discourteous.

"I've never seen you around here before. Perhaps you are new to the Flats, like me? I can perhaps assist you shall you need to."

Ah, shit. Now he actually had to talk to this person.

"I don't need help," Black says bluntly, honestly, leaving no room for more conversations. He doesn't need this person taking up any more of his valuable pranking time nor does he need him to recognize who he is.

The stranger seems to get the hint though, because he simply bows slightly in response to the comment and floats off, strange tail swishing in his wake. Black sighs in relief, then proceeds to contemplate.

Only a few minutes into his thinking does he get his answer. Cackling he strolls down the length of the hallway and picks a few doors at random. Time to give his "victims" a little taste of his boredom.

All Narrators sound the same, correct? He doesn't even need to use his amorphous crystalline body all the time to mimic the vocal ranges of other entities. He simply needs to voiceact with emotion.

His pranks go like this:

He knocks on the door. Calls out to the Narrator inside, with something that forces them to open it. Then he hides while watching the Narrator look around in utter confusion.

A simple, stupid plan, but oh boy was it entertaining to the very bored Black.

"Narry! I haven't seen you in ages. Want to talk to me?"

"I'm here to call you about the 17 boxes of pizza you ordered a while ago. Can you receive it?"

"I'm the landlord. Your rent's been overdue for the past 3 months. We need to talk about your late payments."

Black snickers as he hid behind the corner and watched the Narrators open their doors and spots no one there. This was such a simple prank; why hadn't he thought of doing this before? It was also not enough for him to get into trouble.

The last one where a Narrator strode over to another Narrator's flat to ask them if they were the ones to ask for salt had Black covering his mouth to stifle the bouts of laughter coming from his mouth. He looks off to the side, wiping tears from his eyes, when he spots something that wipes the smile off his face.

It was the Narrator. The same one with the funny yellow arrow tail replacing the bottom half of his body, staring at him with piercing green eyes. Black splutters and blushes in embarrassment, forgetting about his current victim entirely when the man floats forward. Oh god, was he going to get reported again? He was just playing around.

"You might want to be careful," he simply says, before hovering into a nearby room. Possibly his own flat.

That's it? He wasn't going to say anything else? Blsck stared at the closed door for a second, seemingly at a loss. He'd been caught with his metaphorical pants down, accidentally showing the goofier side of himself to a total stranger and also risking himself getting caught, but there were absolutely no repurcussions, courtesy of this guy.

It takes a good long while for Black to recover, but he does it... and immediately goes back to doing his pranks.

Hey, old habits don't die very easily.

He knocks on the next door and warps his voice this time to resemble a Stanley's.

"Hey, it's me! Your Stanley! I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out today? Let me in!"

He had been about to bolt when the Narry on the other side answers.

"STANLEY? I haven't seen you in bloody ages. I thought you didn't want to see me anymore? I'm right by the door, I'll get to you ASAP."

Right by the door?! That's not enough time for him to hide. He watches in horror as the door begins to open–

And then all the lights in the hallway switch off.

Yells and shouts reverberate throughout the entire building. The hallways was shrouded in pitch darkness. In the confusion, Black slips away undetected despite the Narrator opening the door mere seconds after Black had started running, his eyes squinting and and straining to see in the dark.

Black breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the fear and anxiety flow through him like a dose of adrenaline. That was very, very close. And also, rather convenient. Thank god for that miracle.

"I told you to be careful," a voice says from behind him.

Black jolts in his skin and whirls around to meet (yet again) the eyes of the strange Narrator, whose expression was impassive yet had a hint of slight amusement behind it.

The man waves a hand, and the lights in the hallways come back to life. Instantly, the voices from the hallway turn into murmurs of relief and delight.

Wait a minute, this man...

"Was it you?" he croaks. "Did you save my arse earlier from getting caught?"

"What, me? No. It was the blackout that did," the man responds, but his lips twitch upward, as if he had been waiting for Black to ask.

The answer was obvious. Black straightens up and nods at the Narrator, this time showing a smile to a stranger for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

"Black. Um– thank you. For helping me back there," he clarifies. "I know you didn't have to do that for me."

"Luke. And the pleasure is all mine," the man said, his eyes shining behind a pair of rectangular glasses. "Your pranks are amusing. Next time you want to do them, I want to watch as well."

'Next time'? Perhaps this man wasn't so bad after all.

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

So... Can we talk about Zheng Yi Sao please?

I absolutely adored her and she was so much fun (and love the polycule) but I am absolutely failing to see what her role in the larger narrative was.

She unites the pirates only for everyone to get blown and the pirate republic destroyed in one stroke? Because the woman who conquered China is stupid enough to trust a"gifts" British Navy minor prince whom she is blackmailing?

She is basically Stede's more competent side kick for the rest of the episode?

Another one I'm sure will be a controversial opinion! I'd love to hear what y'all think, don't be afraid to leave a comment below.

Funnily enough, my 2 remaining asks are both wanting to discuss Zheng Yi Sao (and to a lesser extent, Archie) as how both of these characters were meant to impact this story and/or failed to do so! Given that the writers looked at the limited amount of time they had and decided to write BRAND NEW characters instead of further developing the people we already liked.

I will be combining the asks, as the other person was anonymous but they spoke more to how Archie and Zheng didn't add much that was new to the story. If that anon would like me to still post their thoughts, let me know!!

First: Archie

I hate to say it, but for the most part, she feels like the response to the common criticism that S1 didn't have any leading women.

Which, yes. Is absolutely valid. This is where I feel we can sit with Archie. She's fun, and hot, and has the same Violent energy Jim had in S1. But by the time episode 8 rolls around, what is she? We know almost nothing about her, to this day. She was in a snake cult...um. She can fight, and is Jim's arm candy? Beyond that, it feels a bit hollow. Especially as Archie enters a relationship with Jim before we as the audience know Jim and Olu are in an open relationship. Yes. Jim thought Olu was dead, but I didn't really like Jim joking about Archie's tits when bringing up the fact they were dating Archie as well now.

NOW-

Onto Zheng Yi Sao! (and to a lesser extent Auntie)

Zheng had 2 rolls to fill this season, character and narriative. Her character roll was-

1.) To be an Ed mirror. She's a badass with a record, a Navy at her back, and yet we can't make her a badass without giving her the same romantic arc as Edward fucking Teach. Seriously. I was bored watching her scenes as soon as it was obvious Olu liked her. Because I could put the pieces together.

Auntie is Izzy trying to hold the legend together, Oluwande is Stede a stranger to this brand of piracy, and Zheng is Ed 1-1 from S1ep4. Congrats welcome back to Season 1, but this time faster, and with a more interesting side interrupting it every other scene.

Zheng is open to new experiences, letting herself be soft, when it comes to her new boy toy. Cool. We're repeating story beats, which I don't love... But then she gets defeated by Olu distracting her and leaving her behind mirroring Ed in ep 10. Stede and Ed's romance is condensed into 3 ish episodes. When we see her again, her arc isn't focused on her conquering the sea. Not really. It's more on how she really misses Olu. For a badass pirate we enjoy watching, I cared more about her slipping into good graces with the pirates of the Republic than her missing her 'quiet part of the day'.

The story also felt a need to parallel the mentor relationship of Zheng and Auntie, with Ed and Izzy. A thing that for the most part I don't agree with. Zheng respects and mourns Auntie in a way Ed doesn't to Izzy. Rewatch S1, does Izzy EVER change Ed's mind? Or does Ed talk down to him like he's a pesky mosquito in his ear. Ignoring him and trying to show off to Stede.

Zheng's personal arc repeats that of a character we had a lot more time with. I wish they just stuck to the cool strategy shit with her. Ironically she's a strong character because she can fight and because she cares about Olu. Which...ew. Just make her a threat, y'all. That's all you had to do.

BUT I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER IN EPISODE 7/8. OMG.

I went from being all right with her and Olu's story to seeing her as her own person. Someone who is very overwhelmed and competent. I also love her actress, so that always helps. It just sucks that she starts to have her own things going on at the very end of the story. Again, we get the Ed parallel of her throwing herself into a suicide mission after Auntie dies, but it doesn't FEEL like a direct mirror the way the romance obviously was.

She was always going to be a plot device, just like everyone else this season because-

2.) She's the reason Stede goes from being stranded on land back on the Revenge. This is the OVERALL reason she was needed here. I wish they handled this differently. I've seen some say the reason she didn't see Ricky as a threat is because the 'point' of Ricky was that you shouldn't underestimate people. But given how she treated Stede's crew like criminals awaiting trial (besides Olu), I fail to see how she would 'underestimate' the people whose claim she was trying to take over. All the characters of this season exist to push the plot forward, even if it doesn't align with how they should behave.

Given that yes. England had a STRONG foothold in the colony of a colony called 'Carolina' at this time(Florida and Georgia were held by the Spanish until the Spanish-American war), the English Navy specifically could send enough troops to push her out in around 2 months. Or hell. Maybe they'd team up with the Spanish and finally clear out the republic.

Zheng needed all the pirates in the area to match the power of their army, and at this point, she didn't have that yet. So why was she so cocky? (Oh. This show ignores history, right.)

[Fanfic concept of an alternate story for this season where Zheng isn't just another love interest that wasn't properly built up]

Personally, if I knew my budget was slashed, I'd save money by cutting unnecessary sets and using the actors I have VERY wisely. So. REWRITE TIME. In episode 1 Stede struggles to make ends meet. ACTUALLY struggling not comedic struggling. Working all hours of the day, not seeing an end in sight, the crew not wanting to go back and find Ed. Hell, some of the crew threatened to leave and get on new ships. The works. Then suddenly he is given a deal from Auntie. She knows who Stede is, and wants to bargain. He'll get a small ship, in return for his future loyalty, and potentially that of Blackbeard. Hint that this was all from the 'Pirate Queen', and BAM. No need to have the entire plot on Zheng's ship, a plot that dragged compared to that on the Traumatized Revenge, and it gives the audience something to get excited about!!

Who is this pirate queen? What will this 'loyalty' mean for the next few episodes? Etc. Maybe find Lucius early in Ep 1 at the Republic recovering, having recently been left for dead by his nearest pirate ship. This way we have another thing Stede is keeping secret from the crew and Ed, and show how Stede would react in this situation. PLUS! Epic badass Zheng slowly being hinted at taking over the Republic from episodes 6-7 before she's foiled at the end of episode 8? Yes, this gets rid of us DIRECTLY SEEING that she was betrayed by Ricky, but instead of focusing on Zheng, focus on Stede and Ricky's dynamic in ep 1. Make us see how slimy he is. Then in ep 7 show Ricky making a deal on a ship we've never seen. Think Ed in ep 3 S1, dark, smoky, and when he enters the office? ZHENG YI SAO! Badass pirate trying to expand her grasp across the ocean to fuck over the worlds militaries.

THAT is a pirate threat. Not like Jack and his story of a mutiny, or Anne and Mary of however they left the life. Or Ned whose crew was a singly conversation of Mutiny. Pirates are clever bastards who aren't to be fucked with. Zheng is new, and a different way to control the area than we're used to. Then, we the audience can see JUST how fucked over Zheng will be. Zheng goes to land and still wipes up Stede's crew thanks to legend, and maybe a betrayal after finding out about the deal. Ep 7 bar fight, leading into episode 8. Hell, maybe have her and Olu flirt. This way the audience already knows Jim's alright with it AND we get to see more wingman Jim. Which was already a DELIGHT.

My big issue with Both Zheng and Archie's romances is that their Olu and Jim didn't feel like our Olu and Jim. Oluwande S1 was nervous, clever, and good with people. Very protective of Jim, I always got the opinion that if shit ever started to look bad, he'd do everything he could for him and Jim to flee. Jim was a hard egg to crack, but sarcastic and closed off even when you got to know them. Which they RARELY did.

In S2, Jim and Olu almost feel like the same goofy characters. The twist is that they still love each other and love someone else. Which is cool, just an odd choice. Given that their reunion felt...dull. But it's obvious the writers will only develop a character if they are in a romance. (Lucius and Pete? Let's talk about trauma and recovery. Olu and Zheng? Let's discuss kindness and softness? Jim and Archie? Loyalty and compassion built by blood.) That's all they had time for, and honestly, I'd rather deepen what we know about characters like Frenchie and Wee John than see another shallow romance. Lucius and Pete worked better because, AGAIN, they were ALREADY ESTABLISHED.

Much like how the rest of this season is too fond of callbacks, Zheng's entire character can be summarized by 'diet Ed' and I hope the fandom sees her harsh, willing-to-do-anything to get the job done, attitude and expands on THAT versus a carbon copy of the main show's romance. Her roll was to get closure with Auntie in a way that Ed couldn't with Izzy. Which...yikes.

tldr: good characters, but were sadly thrown away without much development.

[desceros]

Alright I've put some thoughts and brain cells together after spending a few days recovering from Infinite Singularity, so here goes. First of all, *incoherent sobbing and babbling*. Second of all, as someone who has spent the last almost 20 years having to write myself what I can never find to read, holy good god this checks my boxes. This checks so many boxes. This checks boxes I didn't even know I wanted checked. Because as someone who is soft and kind and a little bit of a crybaby with narry a bratty bone in her body I FEEL FUCKING SEEN. I feel seen and heard and represented and from one writer to another, I thought that was worth passing along. Thank you so much for sharing your glorious talent, I will now be scouring the rest of your ao3 works so I imagine this isn't the last you'll hear from me~ 💕

ohhhh i'm so happy to hear that!!! it's so frustrating when you're looking for That One Fic and finally you have to be like hhhhh FINE i'll WRITE IT MYSELF so im like. totally coconuts happy to hear that i scratched that itch for you!!! :DDD

chin hands a lot. i hope you find the others also to your liking!! and do feel free hahahha i love talking to people and hearing what they think c:

[itti-bitti-yibbi]

Here's the completed Skip Narry from the other day!

Also, a little fic thingy I wrote! (Unrelated to the au posts)

The gist of it is that Stanley had a nightmare (about Skip Button ending) and the Narrator comforts him

A crash, and a thud. The Narrator looked back toward the office, where Stanley had dozed off in the Employee Lounge, to find the man in question in a trembling ball on the floor.

"Stanley? What are you doing?"

No response. Stanley's hands were tucked against him as he curled up on the floor, and his thoughts were such a jumbled mess that The Narrator couldn't possibly make anything out.

"Oh goodness," The Narrator muttered, concerned, and frankly, feeling quite out of his depth. Emotions were not exactly his strong suit. "Perhaps- perhaps I should leave you be for a bit-"

At this Stanley jolted upward frantically, revealing his puffy eyes and tear-stained face.

'Nono! Don't leave!'

The Narrator paused, then sighed. It appeared he was going to have to deal with this after all. He proceeded to project himself into one of his smaller forms, blinking into existence a few feet in front of Stanley.

The man watched as he sat down across from him, folding his hands in his lap.

"I suppose you've had a nightmare, then."

Stanley nodded, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Stanley hesitated, glanced at The Narrator's face, looked away again, and shook his head.

The Narrator sighed again. "Then what am I doing here?"

Stanley swiped at the tears pricking his eyes. 'Can you just... Talk? About something- anything.'

The Narrator, blinked in surprise. "You're asking me to talk? That's- Stanley did you hit your head or something? You've never seemed much for my ramblings before. What kind of nightmare-"

He was interrupted by Stanley essentially tackling him, wrapping his arms around him and tucking his face into The Narrator's shoulder. The Narrator, thoroughly confused, returned the embrace gingerly.

"Goodness Stanley, you've never been so clingy before," The Narrator mumbled, patting Stanley's back as he spoke. "I can't imagine what sort of nightmare could have possibly provoked this behavior."

Stanley only responded by gripping The Narrator even tighter, almost painfully so. The Narrator sighed and raised a hand to Stanley's hair.

"It's alright, Stanley, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." He kept a soothing tone, gently stroking Stanley's hair as the man cried silently into his shoulder.

"You're alright. Everything is going to be okay. I'm here. You're here. You're safe. All is well."

'I'm sorry.'

"Oh Stanley, whatever could you be sorry for? You haven't done anything."

'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'msorryimsorryimsorryimsorry-'

Stanley's mind continued to repeat the same phrase, over and over, as his sobbing began anew.

"Oh Stanley..." The Narrator said again, holding the same soothing tone, despite how Stanley's behavior frightened him. He tightened his own grip on the man, feeling the sobs rack his body.

"Oh my dear, dear Stanley. I can't even imagine what you might have dreamt to make you feel this way, I'm basically immune to anything you could possibly do to a person. Whatever happened in that dream isn't real, it's just your silly little brain putting random bits of information together into an incoherent training exercise for your consciousness to do while your body is resting."

Stanley shook his head just a tiny bit, most likely to himself. The man's apologetic mantra had stopped, replaced yet again by muddled half-thoughts that The Narrator couldn't make sense of.

The Narrator hummed a little bit.

"You know, Stanley, every time I think I've got you figured out, you do something like this, that surprises me." The Narrator chuckled. "I never would have expected you to ask me to just sit here and speak to you, under any circumstances. I was under the impression that you were sick and tired of me."

A momentary pause.

"I prefer this, more."

Stanley nodded, his face still pressed into the Narrator's shoulder.

'Me too.'

The Narrator closed his eyes, listening to Stanley's breathing even and his heartbeat slow as he calmed himself. For a moment, The Narrator even allowed himself to enjoy the warmth that radiated from the man in his arms.

After several moments of silence between the two, Stanley released his hold on The Narrator, breaking the embrace. He sat back, and they looked at each other.

'Thank you.'

The Narrator cleared his throat, suddenly embarrassed. "Yes, well... You're welcome."

Stanley smiled, wiping his face clear and getting to his feet. He reached out, offering his hand to The Narrator to help him to his feet.

'Let's go on now.'

The Narrator looked at Stanley's hand for a moment before taking it, and letting the man pull him to his feet.

"Yes, let's."