#and so far I haven't had the spoons to get all of them done

[simpcityy]

My Little Spawn Pt.4 (Dadstarion X Child!Reader)

Summary: Astarion was finally free from Cazador after being kidnapped by a mindflayer but he was stuck with one annoying task, you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Baldur's Gate 3 or any of its characters.

Word Count: 1.1k

Warnings: Use of (Y/N), Cazador, language, violence, spoilers for those who haven't gone far in the game, mentions of blood, animal death...Uhhh...I think that is all.

You whine trying to chase after the ball as Astarion was tugging you back to him to check your measurements. You pout as you finally stand still. “Hells, even a cat does better at holding still. “ He sighs before slipping on your new outfit. “There, how does it fit?” He steps back watching you admire the new outfit made. “It fits me better!” You smile, finally you could stretch without hurting your limbs from how tight your old outfit was. You go to chase the ball but once again the pale elf stops you “Please don’t create holes in your new outfit” He sighs before letting you go off.  Karlach walks over “Seems like the little soldier is growing up.” She smiles watching you play off with the ball in camp. “Well obviously, they're Dhampir. Very different from humans and vampires.” He crossed his arms looking at the one horned woman. “So free spirited…do you think we can contain their blood lust?” She whispers as you were near them playing. Astarion thinks on the subject. Even he was shocked to see the bunny in pieces. “ I don’t know, that is why I am reading this book…it should be…possible since they have a human side…we just have to be patient…” He says slowly. He wasn’t even confident in his answer. “It all depends how strong our little soldier is,” Karlach smiles, keeping a positive attitude. Astarion nods and thought, ‘yes it all depends on them’ 

Night came, everyone was in the fire waiting for Gale’s cooking to be done. You look around hearing the Owl hoot but you weren’t hearing their whoo but rather how their blood pumps. Tav was watching you before gently nudge Astarion. He looks over to them before seeing Tav move their eyes towards (Y/N). He looks over to you and where you were looking before calling out your name “(Y/N) foods almost ready, look” He tries to distract you. Tav smiles seeing you and Astarion make small talk, each word flowing out of his mouth made your eyes shine with glee. The pale elf stops and gets up holding your hand. Everyone else stood up seeing the blade of Frontiers in their camp. You tried to peek around Astarion before he pushed you back “Stay back.” He mutters. After finally convincing Wyll that Karlach was no threat, everyone was back in their spot around the campfire eating the meal Gale had prepared. You look at the bowl in front of you before pushing it aside. “You need to eat” Astarion pushes the bowl back into your hands. You shake your head “No!” You whine. 

Wyll looks over “ I find it odd that a vampire spawn is looking after a child.” He smiles looking at you fighting Astarion with the bowl. Tav looks up “It’s not really…(Y/N) isn’t exactly Human either…or …a vampire spawn…” They began. Wyll looks over to them. “Oh? What can this little adorable apple be?” He smiles. “For the love of…just tell the monster hunter.” Astarion huffs feeling annoyed as you reject the spoon in your mouth. “They are a Dhampir” Tav broke the news as Wyll stopped midway with the spoon in his mouth. “ I beg your pardon…” He says looking back at you seeing the spoon being shoved gently in your mouth with the help of Gale holding you still. “ A Dhampir ... .never in my life haunting…I would ever come across such a creature…an adorable one as well.” He walks over to you, taking a look. “Watch it, they are not some artwork” Astarion mutters, placing you in his lap and kept feeding you. Keeping you away from Wyll. 

The day has risen and you were happily bouncing around holding on to Tav as you were included in the group. Astarion threw a fit, not wanting to leave you alone with Wyll and Gale who were going to be left behind. So here you were, admiring the wilderness before looking over and hearing some shouting in the distance. “I told you this is better if (Y/N) joins us when we won’t be battling the globins to rescue this stupid Halsin guy. Gale is so irresponsible and Wyll, don’t get me started” Astarion huffs. Shadowheart turns around but stops “We lost them….” She sighs.  Tav turns around “(Y/N)?” They call out before walking around trying to find you before seeing you standing in front of a wooden cage that had Lae’zel inside. “Don’t ever leave our side” Tav looks over to you before walking forward to speak with Lae’zel. Astarion walks over and holds your hand. “Don’t ever walk off ever again! You do know this goes on the possibility of letting you join in our adventures.” He looks at you. “But I heard yelling so I wanted to check it out.” You pout only for Astarion to sigh “You are a big headache you know that?” He mutters holding your hand letting Tav handle the situation with Lae’zel.

After not getting a please from Lae’zel, everyone was back at camp. Gale was cooking as always, everyone else was doing their own thing. You were walking around the camp, collecting even more flowers. You were collecting them near Lae’zel’s camp “Istik, come here” She called out. You walk over holding your flowers staying quiet. “What are you, are you also a vampire Spawn?” Her eyes look at yours. “No…I’m a Dhampir.” You meekly whisper. “Chk, a Dhampir.” She says “Listen here Istik, if you ever take one bite off of me. I will show you what a blade does” She threatens. You only tear  up and ran off running to Astarion who was busy talking to Tav, “Astarion!” You yelled, hugging his leg. “What’s the matter?” He looks down at you and picks you up. “She! She!” You only hiccup, not able to form complete sentences. “Come out now, I am no mind reader.” Tav rubs your back “ What’s wrong?” They whisper. “She threatened me…” You whisper, laying your chubby cheek on Astarions shoulder. Tav looks over to where you were pointing. “ I see, you have nothing to worry about. I’ll talk to her.” They pat your head and walk off. Astarion huffs “Oh please, she only did so because she was scared of you. She knows you’re powerful…even I know your strength ... .so does Cazador.” He whispers and rubs your back. “I think it’s time we eat and then we’ll sleep for the night?” He plants soft kisses to the side of your head and he stops. What the hells was that for? Why did he do that? He looks down at you only to see you smile clinging on to him. Watching Shadowheart and Lae’zel argue with each other,  Tav tries to keep the peace between the two. He smiles, planting one more on your head and walks over to the campfire.

[baohanhanesel]

Mom of the TF141

Mentioned: Simon Ghost Riley, John Soap Mactavish, Kyle Gaz Garrick, Captain John Price.

It was the fact you knew how to comfort each one of them. They loved some homemade goods after a bad mission. The freshly bandages wounds, aching pain and the headaches were best cured with homemade lentil soup and homemade meatballs with potatoes. You knew they didn't remember the last time they had a homemade meal. So you took the opportunity and comforted them with it.

Ghost liked to be silent while he ate the goods and after that he'd disappear to his room to rest for the day. You'd make sure to send him a bowl of the biscuits you baked so he has snacks to munch at night if he can't sleep.

Soap was the type of guy to talk everything out and you'd listen. You'd listen to him tell you about everything in his mind mission related or not. Most of the time it wouldn't be mission related, he would just want to move on quite fast. You'd sit across from him, see him down the second plate while he talked. He'd occasionally get tired of stuffing his mouth and talking so you had to do a bit of talking as well. "You say so?" "That sounds interesting." "Oh wow. I haven't seen you talk about that before!" "Johnny..." "What? For real? What happened after that?"

Gaz sometimes had tears in the corner of his eyes while he stuffed his mouth shut with a spoonful of lentil soup. He'd never let them fall, not before you gave him the flag to do so. "Kyle, it is fine. You are fine." You wouldn't mention his tears while he ate, or when he decided to talk to you about the mission and how it could have been successful. You could see he valued your words a lot. And that made you feel special, as special as you were for him.

Price was the grumpy type. He had the furrowed eyebrows until he started to eat. After he got that done, he'd soften a bit but you'd still notice the subtle anger in him. You knew at those times joking wasn't a way out, so you just gave his shoulders a pat. "You did everything you could have, John. You know you did." If he denied so, you'd hush him. "No talking back. Why don't you go lay down?" He wouldn't be against the idea if it came from you. He trusted you and the comfortable warmth your words made him feel was indescribable. He could never put a word on it.

It was the fact they all respected you a shit ton. A recruit badmouthing you or even talking to you as an equal? They were very quick to jump at them.

Ghost would glare at first, cursing them in his head for thinking they are your equal. They were not. They didn't have the right to think you were like the others in the base. You were much more important. You were a warmth he never thought that was left in this hellhole of a world. If they went as far as to insult you, he would threaten the recruit behind your back. Grabbing the back of their throat and whispering in a deadly tone. That they were nothing other than a piece of shit on the sidewalk and they would better remember their place before Ghost would teach them where it was. Every time without an exception you'd never see that recruit look into your eyes ever again.

Soap threw a dirty look, asking the recruit overwhelming tons of questions and humiliating them. If they thought they were your equal that was embarrassing. Soap would make them realize how embarrassing they were by asking questions. "Ohh name three times you calmed down an angry Captain after a 48 hour mission." "Name me one time you walked up to Ghost and got him to talk." If they insulted you, it was nothing but a fist straight into their face. No warnings. Nothing. Just a good punch. After that? That recruit wouldn't be seen anywhere within your eye range.

Gaz would openly say they were stupid for thinking of themselves as your equal. He would give them many reasons why they are not. When he witnessed someone insulting you? He rolled his sleeves and prepared his fists but never got to attack the recruit before they ran away. Gaz didn't waste his time tracking the fucker down. He would have. If you hadn't stopped him and told him the recruit was just a rookie.

Price would lecture the recruits. "This woman right here saw more blood than any of you did. She saw more dead bodies than more people you got to know in your pathetic lives." There was no stopping him if he started his lecture already. He wouldn't stop without seeing the shame on the soldier's faces. You would try stopping him though, even if you knew he wouldn't. When would you not try? When he heard you get insulted by someone. That was off limits for you because you knew he saw red when it happened. He'd get very scary with the strict voice and if necessary a collar grab. He'd only calm down after seeing tears in the recruit's eyes or hear their babbles of apologies. If he could fire soldiers for disrespecting you, he would. But he was a smart man and instead of giving up on a lost cause he'd just bend them into manners with more force.

It was the time you called them your boys. It was a calm evening and they had made you so happy, talking and joking peacefully with each other. Seeing them so good and well mannered with one another had made you so happy back then you called them your boys. "I am so happy my boys are so good with one another. Wouldn't change anything for your team bond."

Ghost paused, looking at you in disbelief. He felt a huge crash in his heart and a huge smile on his face matching it. He didn't remember the last time he got this emotional over being mentioned before. He was a grown man, for fuck's sake. He didn't say anything and only kept joking around with the way you said it. Your phrase made him realize that he was one of your boys indeed and that he has been seeing you as his mother figure.

Soap laughed so damn loudly. "Yeah? Seeing our lady happy makes me damn happy." He would get next to you and hug you. As much as he tried to seem he was cool and he totally wasn't affected with the way you called them your boys he was affected horribly. He was so damn happy that you saw him as your boy. He had made peace with the idea in his head before, the idea that you were a mother figure for him. So hearing you say that so casually made him feel like a little child.

Gaz felt his cheeks flush. He was embarrassed. He didn't think hearing that from you could get him this embarrassed, but it had. He wanted to hear you say it again but he would rather dig himself a hole than to ask that of you. He already had a hard time not calling you mom, you were making it very hard for him to not make that mistake. Granted if he accidentally called you mom, he'd disappear for a few days to process what he just did.

Price smiled lovingly. Looking you in the eyes with admiration in them. He admired you so much. You were a brave motherly woman and for him you meant a lot. Hearing you say "My boys" got him so happy you had no idea. He had always seen this team as a family, and you not speaking otherwise gave him the flag to freely call you "mom" even as a joke. You'd take the joke well, that much he knew it. He thought of you as a comforting mother since the day you got close with him. Your smile, your words and your pats on the shoulder. You made him want to cry because of how comfortable you made him feel.

[electrikworm]

Aches and Pains

Relationships: Echo & Wrecker

Content Warnings: beside some self-deprecation, this doesn't really need warnings.

Summary:

Wrecker wakes up to his chronic pain flaring up badly. Echo, who's taking a day off on Pabu, forces Wrecker to do the same.

Written for @augustofwhump Day 5: Ache

I only noticed halfway through writing this that Echo wouldn't be on Pabu at the time, so lets all just pretend it makes sense for him to be there, taking a day off.

Word count: 1,627

Read on Ao3

Over the years, Wrecker's learnt to tell what kind of day it's going to be just by waking up. When he opens his eyes and is hit with the realization that he can barely sit up, he knows it's bad, that his body isn't going to play along today. Wrecker has to roll onto his side to get up, relying on his arms to carry his weight. He still doesn't manage to do so without sending a sharp spike of pain down his spine. Wrecker just sits there a moment, not wanting to stand up. His hips ache just as bad as his back. They thankfully haven't got a job planned, but Wrecker had hoped to help out with Pabu's rebuilding. He can't imaging being much help, though he might be able to force some useful work out of his body. White-knuckled grip on the rack above the one he was on, Wrecker gets himself upright. One hand rubbing at his lower back, the other pinching his hip, Wrecker looks for his vode. None of them are still asleep, so Wrecker's up late. Guilt settles heavily in his stomach.

Wrecker rubs a hand across his face. Maybe once he's got some caffeine in himself he'll be able to function better. He fills himself a mug of caff from the pot his brothers must have made.

They almost never have fresh milk, but usually, they stock the dehydrated kind. They ran out a while ago and still haven't come around to buying more. It's not that Wrecker minds black caff, he's just never in the mood for it when he already feels bad. Shep might have milk, dehydrated or fresh, but Wrecker isn't walking that many flights of stairs for it.

Instead, he just puts far too much sugar in his cup. If Crosshair were here, he'd make a stupid joke about it. But he isn't. That thought makes Wrecker frown, so he drops another spoonful of sugar in his caff. If the caffeine doesn't lift his mood, maybe the sugar will.

Descending the steps out of the Marauder wreaks havoc on Wrecker's knees, additionally sending shock waves of pain up his spine. Wrecker feels miserable, weak. He hasn't had a day this bad in ages, not without putting strain on his body to land it in such a state.

Across the plaza, Wrecker spots Echo sitting by the central tree. Echo waves, so Wrecker changes course to join him. Wrecker tries to speed up his pace, not wanting to show off exactly how worn he feels.

Taking longer than Wrecker would have liked, he sits down next to his older brother. It hurts his knees to do so and Wrecker isn't sure if he'll be able to get back up, but sitting is a whole lot better than standing.

“Morning.” Wrecker mumbles, taking a sip of his too sweet caff. Echo nods. He has a mug in his hand too. “Sleep alright?”

Echo shrugs. “Could have been better.” He cracks his neck, stretching his limbs. “You?”

“I'm fine.” Wrecker musters a smile. He isn't going to bother Echo with his problems, though he's done so before. Certain similarities can be drawn between them, both bearing large scars, having hearing issues and reoccurring aches and pains.

But Wrecker always feels guilty for comparing himself to Echo, for complaining about his own issues to the ARC. Echo's been through hell and back, been a prisoner of war, tortured and used by the Techno Union. And despite all that, Echo still manages to keep going. If anyone's earned the right to complain, it's Echo.

Wrecker shouldn't be complaining to him. Wrecker hasn't lost limbs, or been held captive by the enemy for months. Wrecker has it easy, but still manages to be useless time and time again.

Not today though, Wrecker's not going to let anyone down.

“You sure?” Echo ask, placing his cup down to put his hand on Wrecker's shoulder. “You look a little rough.”

Wrecker stops himself from glaring at his brother. It's not Echo's fault he's in an awful mood and even worse at hiding it. Wrecker's teeth grind against each other as he clenches his jaw.

“I'm fine.”

Wrecker can feel Echo giving him a suspicious side eye without having to look at him. “If you say so.”

Taking a big sip from his caff, Wrecker gets a mouthful of undissolved sugar. He thought he stirred it well enough, but he'd failed even that.

“What're you drinking?” Omega's voice makes Wrecker jump. He hadn't even noticed her walking over.

“Caff, want some?” He holds the cup out to her, managing a rather convincing grin. He can tell Echo's about to tell him off for offering Omega a caffeinated beverage, but the blond clone shakes her head before Echo can speak. Wrecker wouldn't have offered if he didn't know Omega would refuse. Tech told them something about caffeine stunting growth.

“Will you come to the docks with me?” Omega beams.

“Sorry Omega, I slept badly. Maybe later.” Echo smiles.

At Echo's answer, Omega's eyes turn to Wrecker, waiting for his answer next.

“I...” Wrecker should just push himself and go with her. He wants to go with her. But trying to stand sends a sharp pain through his knees, making them give out. “I can't. Don't feel too good.”

It hurts to admit that out loud, especially since he's letting Omega down. Wrecker can't make himself look at her, not wanting to see disappointment on her face.

“Okay.” She says, voice neutral. “Are you in pain? Do you need me to get you something?” She leans down so Wrecker has to look at her. Her eyes are wide, eyebrows knitted together, but she doesn't look hurt by Wrecker letting her down.

“It's not that bad, 'mega.” Wrecker ruffles her hair, smiling weakly. It baffles him that she's not upset by Wrecker not putting even a minimal amount of effort into at least trying to go to the docks with her.

“You sure? I can get the medkit from the Marauder!” The way she's eagerly swaying on the spot and swinging her arms, Wrecker wouldn't be surprised if she'd already had caff.

“Don't worry about me. Go have fun!” Wrecker laughs.

Omega hesitates, than hugs both of them and sprints off.

Echo shakes his head, laughing, before turning to Wrecker. “So you won't be honest about your health to me, but you'll tell a child?”

Wrecker groans in annoyance. “It has nothing to do with honesty! And besides, it's not like I wanted to tell her.” His voice tapers off as he talks, looking at his hands intently.

“I know. You told her because you couldn't get up.” This time, Wrecker does glare at Echo. The ARC raises his scomp defensively, trying not to laugh. “I meant no offence.”

Wrecker knows that, but that does nothing to make the truth hurt less. He draws his aching knees to his chest, making his back feel so much worse. Staring into the bottom of his now almost empty cup, filled with grainy, sugary sludge, Wrecker takes a shaky breath.

He'd almost forgotten how much his worst pain days make him hate himself and his faulty body.

“The truth's already out, so you might as well take it easy.” Echo puts his hand on Wrecker's back carefully. Wrecker shakes his head. His ori'vod sighs.

“I can't.” Wrecker mumbles into his forearm.

“And why not?” Echo asks. “You're no longer part of an army, there's no mission to be completed right now. The repairs will keep going with or without you. No one will begrudge you a day off.”

“I can't be useless, Echo.” Wrecker places his cup on the floor so he can wrap his arms around himself.

“We're not living under threat of decommissioning any more, vod'ika.”

“Doesn't feel like it.” Wrecker sighs. “Every time I make a mistake or slow down or fail at what I was made for, it feels like someone's watching me. Like I'm being evaluated.”

Echo breaths deeply. “I won't waste both our time trying to convince you you're doing enough, nor do I know how to shake the fear of failure they drilled into us growing up, but I'm not taking no for an answer on you taking a break.”

“Didn't you say we should be doing more?” Wrecker huffs, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

“Not every day of you life, Wrecker. I want to fight for our brothers, but I'm human, so I need to rest sometimes.” Wrecker doubts Captain Rex is following that motto. “We can afford actual down time now.”

Wrecker opens his mouth to protest, but Echo cuts him off.

“Don't you dare say some osik like you don't deserve to rest.”

Wrecker doesn't try again, Echo having guessed his thoughts exactly.

“Just lay down, will you?” Echo says as he does exactly that, stretching himself out in the grass beneath the tree.

Not in the mood to argue, Wrecker complies. The sun shines through the tree's leaves, light blocked enough to be comfortable to look at directly. It's nice. The grass is oddly comfortable, and the temperature is pleasant. Wrecker's body is still killing him, but he feels a little less like he might cry any minute.

“Don't think your brothers are going to get off the hook either.” Echo warns. “They need to take a break too, even if their bodies haven't forced them to do so yet.”

Wrecker laughs. “They won't like that.”

“They'll just have to deal with it.” Echo counters. “We'll ask them to bring you some painkillers when they join us.”

“That's a good idea.” Wrecker says, closing his eyes and at least trying to enjoy the good weather whilst they wait.

[celeluwhenfics]

Fanfic writer interview

Thank you @sotwk for the tag! I'm somewhat of a beginning author, so let's see if I have anything to say...

How many works do you have on AO3? 6

What's your total AO3 word count? 17,293

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

pHORSEuasion (Éomer / OC)

Perfect (Théodred / Boromir)

The Creek Game (gen)

Spoons (Éomer & Théoden)

Morwen Steelsheen and her daughters (gen)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes!!! There might be a delay if I'm busy, but I make a point of responding to every single comment, even if it's just to say thank you! I love comments!!!

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? That would be Caeeli aux mains bleues, an Arthurian fic I wrote at 16. It's kind of cringe... and yes very angsty. I keep it around because there's no use being ashamed of where you started (although.....) and anyway most of my followers don't read French so they can't witness that weird teenage trainwreck for themselves 🙃 I also have plans (and lots of drafts) to re-write it entirely into something much, much more interesting, but it will have to wait after pHORSE is done.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? Perfect! Although it's merely a double drabble. But pHORSEuasion will have a sweet, happy ending and will sicken everyone around with sugary fluff!

Do you write crossovers? Does pHORSEuasion count as a crossover? I know that technically it's an AU (Jane Austen's Persuasion set in LotR universe), but it kind of has the spirit of crossover? Unless I misunderstand the concept.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? Never.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? No... But never say never! 👀

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but I could translate them into French myself. Or turn the Arthurian fic into English. We'll see.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No! Alone in my head, so far.

What's your all-time favorite ship? Hmmm I really like Borodred, but at the moment I'm entirely taken by my Éomer/Rowena(OC) ship!

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? I WILL FINISH pHORSE I WILL FINISH pHORSE I WILL FINISH pHORSE I WILL FINISH pHORSE even if it takes me a decade.

What are your writing strengths? Erm, I think that one of my strengths is that I can draw from a wide variety of real-life experiences to make different settings and topics feel real and describe them with realism and depth?

What are your writing weaknesses? I'm sloooooooow. Wow I'm slow. Perfectionism, busy life, second language, complex plots, put all that together, and you get the pace of an arthritic snail on sleeping pills.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? Old English is just too pretty! But I try to stay readable. (As if I had to restrain myself from fluently writing in Old English hahaha)

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? I'm happy with LotR, Austen and Arthurian legend! Maybe one day I will extend to Silmarillion!

What's your favorite fic you've written? Finished: Spoons. Quite proud of how I treated a difficult, rarely addressed subject there! But overall: pHORSE is my baby!

Tagging @konartiste @dreambigdreamz @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras @emmanuellececchi @torchwood-99 and who else wants to play?

[natalieironside]

hello ms. comrade Ironside, longtime reader, first time caller.

as a fellow writer of queer erotica, I was wondering if you had any thoughts/spoons to share those thoughts on wordpress being swept into the AI debacle under automattic? (I think that’s what you use to host your cool website, forgive me if I am mistaken.) I’m trying to figure out where to set up an author website of my own so I don’t have to host my stuff on tumblr anymore, but I’m a bit gun-shy in the current moment. I know AI trawling is inevitable in today’s internet, but as someone who’s been doing the indie author thing for some time (and admirably!), is there something you would recommend, best practices or otherwise, to someone just trying to get their metaphorical kite off the ground? or anything you wish you knew when you set up your own author-type socials? any thought at all would be genuinely appreciated.

thanks for your time, and I hope you and yours are as well as can be expected 🖤

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but afaik nothing approaching best practices has been figured out yet; it's all already happening and there's precious little as can be done to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Of course I uncheck all the little boxes in settings and deny them my consent or whatever, but I don't think a gaggle of unimaginative piss-bellied technocrats who decided it was a sensible use of vast amounts of water and power to teach a computer how to write very badly are what I'd call trustworthy. I'm still gonna move all my website shit off of Wordpress because they won't let me get rid of the stupid AI assistant thing, but that's more a case of their UI being ugly and dumb than me thinking it'll actually do any good.

Best I can tell you on that front is to try to find yourself a niche and develop yourself as an artist from there; "Write the kinds of books you wish other people were writing" is good general advice, and a human operator is always going to be capable of things a predictive network just isn't. Other ppl are gonna disagree with that, but they're wrong. Their understanding of resource allocation and scarcity is just childishly naive and you shouldn't waste your time listening to people who think we're gonna solve climate change with apps or whatever.

Far as social media goes, this is still the best one for hocking books as far as I can tell. I'm hearing a lot of good things about Cohost and Pillowfort, but their user bases are still quite small, and I haven't found the indie author community on Bluesky yet. If Tumblr goes belly up I'll probably end up migrating to one of those first two primarily b/c I think longform blogging is the secret stuff for ppl like me who are just too crabby and agoraphobic to be Twitter influencers; I may not be any good at videos or regular quick posts or documenting the writing process (which is too bad, b/c a lot of my friends who do that stuff seem to be having fun with it), but I sure can Lay Out Some Thoughts in A Few Paragraphs and I like to think that's something ppl expect from a novelist.

Also, never get in a public argument, don't go posting Your Thoughts On The Issues unless someone asked or you feel like you've got something interesting to say, and be very selective with how much and what personal information you give out to the hoi polloi. Those are my 3 rules for how to do social media good.

[weirdoldstans]

( your lastest batch of anon messages inspired me. There's no Stanley in this one, cause I wanted temper tantrum Ford but I plan on writing one for Stan soon. )

“No, no, no, no!” Ford beat his fists on his desk, pissed off and tearing at his hair. Nothing was coming together like he wanted, none of his calculations made sense and every little thing was just pissing him off right now, from the A/C in the lab clicking to the sound of his own footsteps. He’d basically chased Fiddleford off earlier when he threw his coffee mug at the other man for sneezing just a tad bit too loud.

Fuck, he needed to get this done and finally get some rest. He wished Bill would take over and finish up these stupid calculations like he'd done that one time.

However, his flaky muse hadn't come by in months now, and each time he tried reaching out to him in the dreamscape, he got nothing. It was like Bill was avoiding him.

Storming up the stairs he was set to get more coffee and then go back and finish when he saw Fiddleford sitting in the living room, leg tapping as he worked on his cubic’s cube.

“Mornin’ Stanford. Yer up early.”

“Mhmm.” Ford grunted, avoiding eye contact. He didn't want to see the man right now, if he did, he was sure to either snap at him again or burst into tears from the guilt gnawing at the back of his skull.

“Ah, I see. Yer not up early, you've been up all night again, haven't ‘cha? We talked about this Ford.”

“Yeah, well, you're not my mother.” Ford stiffened as he heard Fiddleford’s boots come up behind him in the kitchen.

“No, but I am yer Papa.” Oh no, not that tone! No, no. He had to finish his work. The portal needed work done on it.

“Stanford, my honeybee.” Ford felt his resolve melting like thick caramel on his tongue. “I think you need time in yer room.”

Ford whipped around, backing against the counter. “No! No, I'm sorry papa for my attitude but I need to finish my work.” He was whining. He knew it, and Fiddleford knew it. But his room wouldn't let him leave until his cortisol levels dropped. Those probably wouldn't drop for a few days after all the caffeine he'd drank and the lack of any real sleep or food.

Still, his papa shook his head and held out his hand. “Yer calculations and papers can wait, honeybee. Please come here.”

Ford wouldn't say his next move was his brightest or proudest but he couldn't help it. Now his body was in fight or flight mode. Stanley had been the one good at fighting, so flight it was.

He ran from the room, and just as he truly thought he could get away from his papa, Fiddleford sorely reminded him that he grew up on a hog farm and was used to chasing down squealing piggies.

In no time flat Papa had him in his arms, kicking and screaming as they headed towards his room.

His room being his nursery that was fully automated for babies like him that couldn't take care of themselves.

“System Activated.” Sounded the moment they crossed the threshold to the nursery.

“No, no, no! Papa please!” Ford wailed.

“There's no use in tryin’ ta resist, baby boy. You've been puttin’ this off fer far too long.”

“High stress levels detected. Stanford Pines, please hold still as we get you ready.” The automated voice was almost sickly sweet.

“Deactivate! Deactivate!”

“Now Stanford, you know yer room only listens to me.” Fiddleford handed him off to the three arms that came from the walls, stripping him of his sweaty and grimy clothes before padding him up in his diapers. He kicked and wriggled, begging the arms to let him go.

“Honeybee. Be good and hold still. You don't want the other protocol to activate.”

“Fuck you!” The moment the words slid from his lips, Ford regretted them. Fiddleford only lifted an eyebrow but the nursery on the other hand.

“Curse words detected. Naughty baby mode activated.”

Two more arms flew from the walls, flipping him over in the air as one of the original ones extended towards the sink, pulling out the dreaded soup spoon and castor oil bottle.

“No, I'm sorry! Please papa, make it stop!” Tears poured down his red cheeks as the arms popped the cap and poured a ludicrous amount into the spoon.

“I would, little one, but you were warned.” Fiddleford said, taking a seat in the rocking chair by his crib. “Take your punishment like a good boy, and after we can cuddle.”

Ford didn't respond, as the spoon was shoved into his mouth, making him gag on the horrible flavor. He didn't dare spit it out though. The last time he did that, the spoon got bigger. Only good behavior would make the spoon smaller again.

An almighty whack! To his bare bottom earned a wail, though he was careful not to drop the spoon. The robotic arms were of Fiddleford’s design and somehow he equipped them with his iron hard hand.

More and more swats fell, turning Ford’s rear end rosy and him into a very sorry and complacent little boy. His cock jumped with each seat and near the end, he felt the tell tale trickle of urine traveling down his leg.

Great, he wet himself.

Neither the nursery nor Fiddleford said anything. His terrible tantrum had been dealt with and his spanking ended. The arms cleaned him up after removing the spoon from his mouth then set to applying a fresh diaper over his sore seat and deposited him into his Papa's lap.

He opened his mouth to apologize but all that came out was a choked sob. Ford didn't take his punishments well, but Papa patted his back and slipped a pacifier into his mouth.

“There, there, honeybee. Papa forgives you.” Ford sank into his Papa's embrace. Maybe taking a break would be good for him.

( I hope you like this, and the other anon is okay with me running with their idea. :) oh, and in case it wasn't clear, Bill basically left cause he got caught by the room too and decided he did NOT want anything to do with Ford and that nursery after that. Lol)

AHHH NICE

god i fucking love ford wetting himself when he gets spanked. i think i've said this before. oh well i'm saying it again I LOVE FORD WETTING HIMSELF WHEN HE GETS SPANKED

poor fussy baby acting out...good thing his papa is here!!

thank you!!

[scarlet--wiccan]

I just got into comics, can you explain to me why there are so many people upset that Wanda’s solo keeps getting relaunched? I just saw this tweet [ https://x.com/thatcomicfan3/status/1902404665309790307?s=46&t=u-dz7NN24cOgpTtCx2_Ynw ] and I feel like I’m missing something

First of all, there's a lot of unwarranted negativity about Scarlet Witch on Twitter, so you should probably take anything you read there with a heaping spoonful of salt. In general, I think a lot of the comic book criticism on that site tends to be wildly out of touch, but Scarlet Witch in particular has a really dedicated base of vocal haters who have done a great job of poisoning the way the way people talk about the series.

At first glance, a lot of fans assume that these relaunches are an indication of poor sales, which they then assume to be an indication of poor quality. Neither of those things is necessarily true, but people like to jump to conclusions, and they like to take those conclusions weirdly personally. Orlando did recently answer some questions about the this, which you can read here. It sounds like the whole thing boils down to marketing-- launching a new series at issue #1 generates more buzz and, theoretically, draws in new readers. It doesn't mean that books like Scarlet Witch or Moon Knight are doing poorly, or that they're at immediate risk of cancellation-- from what I understand, both are consistent sellers and are critically well-received-- it's just that this is what Marvel thinks will help them perform the best. That logic seems to vary from title to title, and with of all the changes that the comics industry has endured in the last decade, there is far less direct correlation between sales performance, series longevity, or even the planned format of certain books. In Orlando's words, "the move away from a single distributor has liberated publishers but made things more opaque, too."

Ironically, this strategy inconveniences local vendors and monthly buyers more than anyone else. Reordering books you're already subscribed to and keeping track of multiple volumes with the same title and author can be a hassle. So, I'm sure plenty of people are annoyed about that, but I also get the sense that some folks feel that this format is disruptive to the storytelling. Scarlet Witch has pacing issues, for sure, but on the whole, the story has carried pretty seamlessly across every relaunch. If you're buying trade paperbacks, the whole thing is published as one continuous series. That's a whole demographic of readers who engage with Scarlet Witch as an ongoing title! However you're buying the series, I think that's the best way to read it.

With the announcement of Vision & Scarlet Witch, the cycle of relaunches has started to feel less like a disruption and more like a unique format. It's unconventional, but I haven't had any problem following along, and I don't feel like Orlando's vision-- no pun intended-- has been compromised by editorial intervention. It is discomforting to see how plainly capitalism and commercial interests interfere with art, but that is more of a top-down, industry problem than anything else.

[incognitajones]

Fic author interview

Thanks to @sesamestreep and @glorious-spoon for tagging me in this one over the holidays! But between starting the new job and the holidays and the RCSS, it totally slipped my mind until now 😬

No-pressure tagging: @anghraine, @ladytharen, @luciechat, and anyone else who feels like it.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

An even 200 if I include both accounts.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Just under 650K words altogether.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Last Train 

I fought the war (but the war won) 

left-handed kisses 

Fixer Upper 

Chain Reaction 

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I want to let commenters know they're appreciated, and I enjoy talking about little details or plot turns. Lately I haven't had the time or energy for much more than a quick thank you, but I'm still trying to respond.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

At one point it would've been the bad ending of I fought the war, but now I think this Whumptober piece takes the crown.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Considering canon, most of them have an unrealistically happy ending! Especially inside the vastness of the galaxy, the "Naomi & Filip get a happy reunion" story.

7. Do you write crossovers?

No. I enjoy writing & reading some fusions (i.e. characters from one canon in the setting of another) but traditional crossovers in which characters from two different canons meet don't generally appeal to me.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not on AO3, but I've been sent anon hate on Tumblr about my writing a couple of times (find a Reylo writer who hasn't challenge).

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yeah, a fair bit - in fact it's hard to remember sometimes that I never wrote anything explicit before 2016! It's all pretty vanilla, though, minus a few attempts at kinkier stuff which are deservedly anonymous.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Kind of; someone commented on one of my stories on AO3 to tell me that another story had copied significant parts of it. (They'd already commented on and reported the other fic, so I didn't take any additional action. The plagiarizing story was eventually deleted.)

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Bless the fandom translators, for they are amazing.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nothing posted publically.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I couldn't possibly choose a single favourite! In terms of longevity, it's either Han/Leia or Eowyn/Faramir. And Star Wars ships in general seem to have a strong hold on me 😁

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

The OT3 whumpfic. It's nearly done, but it's far outside my usual wheelhouse so without a beta reader, I can't tell whether it's worth finishing or beyond help.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think I write decent dialogue, and I'm genuinely proud of the ideas behind I fought the war and pulse to pulse. I can also write a pretty good pastiche of 19C style, although you wouldn't know it from this account.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting. Falling back on boring/clichéd beats to flesh out dialogue-heavy scenes.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

A sentence or so? Sure. Can't think of a reason to do much more than that.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

It would be either Buffy or Lord of the Rings - I honestly don't remember - not counting the terrible Shannara-fic I wrote as a pre-teen.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Someday I'd really like to write a Children of Men story telling what happened to Kee and [spoiler] after the movie, plus fixing [spoiler].

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Subject to change by the moment, of course, but looking back at some older stories recently reminded me that I've always been pretty fond of don't go home without me.

[hunter-sylvester]

hey I saw you when I first got into the metal lords fandom but I didn't know you also liked shelter, what do you think Hunters opinion on would Ema be? (not that they have too much in common but i feel like he'd like her) Also, Hunters opinion on spoon?

Hey 🤘

I have been enjoying Shelter, but definitely in a much more casual way than I do Metal Lords.

I haven't really thought that much about how he'd feel about them/how they'd feel about each other, but I like the question. I'll have to base it off of the 4 episodes that are out so far, of course. Which isn't that much so this may change based on what else we see from the characters. (also might contain very very slight spoilers for those episodes idk just a fair warning)

Firstly, I don't disagree that Hunter might like Ema if he actually got to know her a bit. But I feel like on first glance he'd feel somewhat threatened by her.

Like, I think he might feel like she was sort-of invading his territory by being a weird, grumpy, alternative outsider. I also think he'd be a bit jealous of her professionally done temporary tattoos, although he would absolutely never admit that.

(this got kinda long, I'm sorry. I have a lot of opinions about Hunter and how he works/thinks lmao)

With how standoffish to new people both Hunter and Ema are I think it would take something of a 'forced' bonding moment for them to initially get to know one another. Because on first glance, Ema would probably think Hunter is just a massive dick. (Which is fair.) And Hunter would think that Ema is a dick. (He's got the self awareness of a wet rag.)

Basically, I feel like the first few steps of them getting to know each other would be an uphill slog through barbed-wire laden mud. But after that, and once they actually do get to know one another, I think they could make quite good friends in the long run. They're both (basically) canonically queer and I personally view Hunter as gay and Ema as a lesbian. So they could have quite a fun dynamic based on that and all their other quirks combined.

I think he'd dig her art too, he might even ask her to design an album/EP cover for Skullflower. That could be a nice initial way for them to interact in a more open way. Probably after the first mutual "yeah maybe you're okay, actually" moment. I don't think we've had much of a confirmation of Ema's music taste but she might like their music as well. And very very maybe she could even sing a chorus on one of their songs. That might be cool. Although I think it would take some time and personal growth on Hunter's part for him to want/be okay with something like that.

Now, Spoon. Weirdly enough, I watched an interview where Adrian was asked if Spoon and Hunter would be friends and I don't disagree with his answer:

"I think Spoon would give it a shot, I don't know if Hunter would be up for it."

In addition tho, I think if Spoon manages not to accidentally press too many of Hunter's buttons, he would be able to wear him down. (Which sounds terrible, but I mean it more in the sense that I think Hunter just needs a bit of time to get used to people.) Spoon seems quite accepting of Ema's general grumpy-black-cat attitude, so I think he would probably extend a similar patience to Hunter. Which I think is something Hunter needs in people, it's a quality I think Kevin has. Someone who doesn't take the odd snappy comment or what I call "hedgehog moments"* too personally.

*hedgehog moments or 'hedgehogging' is basically when someone feels threatened so they metaphorically curl up and stick their spines out in a reflexive attack to keep themselves safe. (I don't know if it's a term anybody but me and my friends use but it makes sense in my head)

I think Hunter would initially think Spoon is...well...lame as hell, unfortunately. And probably pretty annoying. I think one of the things that might help Hunter see him in a better light would be if Spoon impressed him somehow. Either by getting him in somewhere he's not supposed to be through the Janitorial Offspring Network or something tech related. Like, maybe getting him a download of some unreleased music he couldn't get otherwise. Like once he sees him do some 'cool' illegal shit his tune might change. Other than that I think just the persistent non-judgemental attention would do the trick over time. Spoon seems pretty loyal and like a 'fierce' friend. Which Hunter would appreciate with his abandonment issues and fear of being "invisible" (cough result of parental neglect cough)

Thank you for asking! I enjoyed scribbling my thoughts on this down ^-^ I do hope it's not too long and jumbled (I have adhd, if it's a mess, that's why)

As always, this is just my 2cents based on my interpretation of the character(s)

[mcalhenwrites]

Personal update, because... I don't know how things are going to go. I don't know when I'll update things. I don't know when I'll sleep properly and get any writing done. This hit when I was having a bit of a lapse in mental health, and I was discouraged about writing (but trying to keep myself from being pulled under!). I spent about 30 minutes pacing around my bathroom since it's further inside the building, trying to figure out if we were in the path of another tornado while the sirens blared. We were not. My town didn't get hit this time, like it did two weeks ago. Anyway. Two hours later, I'm face to face with a bed bug for the first time, and that fucked me up.

I broke down crying in a panic when I realized what it was and what it might meant for us. We're still searching through belongings because guess how much stuff we own? A LOT! (Someone advised me to go through each of my hundreds of books, page by page, to look for any hidden in them. I'm going to die.) But so far, it has only been the one. I haven't been mentally well. We're not rich over here, money is tight for my roommate and they're paying for all the bills. I just try to keep the place moderately clean, cook a few meals, and write my stories and hope they might sell a bit so I can make a little money to help out. I have been job searching and put in an application to one job that would've worked well for my disabilities, but I didn't get the job. I'm still waiting another month until my appointment to see a specialist about one of my severe health issues. One that can be treated and dealt with! But it's pretty bad! Things have been awful. Like seriously, I cannot catch a break. I don't know how to find the spoons I barely have to do all the work that needs done. I wanted to make progress on Seasons - and I still will, but I don't know how much this will slow that down - and I plan to finish up all those short stories for Geckos so I can publish them together. Geckos isn't really selling, but I am grateful it has sold a few copies. The apartment manager is aware of our situation. My library books are in gallon ziplocs to return in person Thursday and notify them that they might want to treat them or hold them back until they're certain they're safe for circulation again. Can't hurt. I just don't want anyone else to deal with this. I vacuumed this morning but I'm so sore and I can't sleep... tomorrow we are going to buy some things to help deal with this, like storage containers and bags and covers and whatnot. Seeing a lot of people mention steamers. I don't know how to live with this. Scabies during the beginning of covid was bad enough. Scabies being immediately followed by a fucking brown recluse bite that got badly infected and required me seeing a surgeon REALLY fucking sucked. Brown recluse infestatinos are awful! We left our shit apartment and broke lease to move here. It was decently good. Not the perfect place, but y'know. So seeing a bed bug in a building that's only about 2 years old... I worry we have neighbors who are dealing with it and won't say anything. It's a concern. I really don't want to live like this. The problem is I don't want to live at all now, because nothing ever lets up. My roommate is worried about me, so I have agreed this week to do some calling around for psychological help, but I am afraid to go to urgent care and pass along little fucking hell creatures. I'm afraid I might GET MORE OF THEM. Also, the one time I was in a psychiatric hospital was so bad, I had nightmares consistently about having to go back to one for over a year. I still get them sometimes. But I'm feeling suicidal in a "I can't deal with bed bugs" kind of way. I need help. I don't know how to get it. I'm mad that there are millions of other people in this same state. Why is our fucking country so into weapons and selling them to countries that blow up innocent people and starve them to death, so into guns it's appalling, but like... developing new antibiotics and housing people and looking for ways to take care of bed bugs? Nah. Why do that? Fuck the little people I guess.

[deberiaestarescribiendo]

I've been thinking about this idea that came to me after Florence and the machine released Mermaids and then I watched The Lighthouse. I wanted to write a dark Mermaids story and my protagonist was a solitary man, dealing with grieve, sounds familiar?

Even if I didn't planned as a fic but an original story, Joel Miller inspired it (maybe also the fact that I've been playing tlou part 2 and there's a ton of scenes dealing around the coast) and I think the sea is a great setting to explore pain. I got stuck, you can figure that out just knowing I wanted to be done for merMay and well... it's August. So in order to bust my ass to write, I wanted to share some snippets with you. I want to publish it here and Ao3 sometime this week. If by next Monday I haven't, you can come scream at me (thank you).

Themes and what to expect from it: this is weird story, dark and eery sea vibes, grieving lots of pain, tension, smut (duh), and very important, Joel Miller continues to be little spoon on this.

The siren will be described( as fins and tail and color and her not human features), but the "girl" version of her will not, she will be nameless and addressed as "she, girl, siren etc" but it can be read as as a f!reader.

"They say the sea has some power over the souls. It understands something that lies underneath flesh and bones and it sings a song that appeal to those who are wounded.

The sea is a welcoming mistress for lost souls. At land, all he did was bury himself in pills and alcohol. He numbed his head so his thoughts would stop being her fast breathing, her cries, his shirt wet, warm and sticky over his chest.

(....)

I know, baby, I know.

I gotta get you up, babygirl

He remembers getting her corpse up of the ground, and all he was, was left in the puddle of her daughter’s blood on the grass."

(....)

"They were so far away; the radar never showed any passing ship. The sky was so bright, Joel saw the Milky way for the first time. That white spur of cosmos full of stars  brighter than any artificial light he had never seen before. The sea was so calm the light draw silver lines over the soft waves, the soft push of them crushed against the boat, when he saw it. A shadow, barely a head above water. If it weren’t for those silver lines, a glitch on the reflection of the sky above, he wouldn’t have seen it."

(....)

"She cradled his head on her lap, her sharp nails combing his greying hairs, again and again. And she sings.

Her voice is soft, and deep. She hums sometimes, or just vocalises, others she speaks in a language he does not understand. Long syllables, soft words. Even if she does use unknown words or just her voice, Joel understand. She sings about longing, death, lost and love. Sometimes he cries and she shushes him like a baby. With her voice and her hands, she caresses his wounds and his heart.

In the night, they lay, and she tangles herself to him. She's warm and soft and smells like salt and sand. It's like she keeps the warmth of the beach on her. Her heartbeat is steady. If she notices that sometimes he touches the skin on her leg, from her ankle to her thigh, the one leg she tosses over his hip, she does not say.

Sometimes she turns and grabs his arm, cuddling herself with him, as if he was a blanket over her. She keeps his hand between her breasts, her slow and steady breath should calm him. But she pushes against him, her back on his belly, her hips between his hips.

If she notices that his painfully hard and cannot sleep, she doesn't say.

But when he does eventually fall asleep, the nightmares start.

"do not cry, Joel" she kisses the tears running down his cheeks. And she sings, and he cries more. Until he's empty and exhausted, until he can fill the sea and drown.

The siren sings every night and he begins to forget why he's crying or that he should try to get back to the land"

Let me know if you wish to read it once I upload it 🥺

[zorkaya-moved]

"Don't bite your lip, I want to do that." from zen

@avaere

It seems that pretending to be a timid and anxious woman for one of the missions backfires as she keeps mimicking the nervous habit she had to adapt to fit the role. The light bite on the lower lip to bring attention to the plump and rosy lips to keep others mesmerized and to bring them to be charmed by the cuter attitude. Even if her height was tall, the correct clothing and the correct style with some disguise additions could bring out such different results. Then again, Sokolova doesn't usually catch herself on repeating her [role's] habits after the mission, but she has to return to that appearance in two days, so maybe she keeps reminding herself how to act like that.

As she reads the recipe, it seems she bit her lip again because it makes Zen speak up as he sits on the opposite side of the table, watching her. They've been discussing what they can make for dinner since she refused to go outside, both to avoid getting paparazzi on Zen's heels but also to enjoy a simple night in. They can be safer inside for now, so none of his fans recognize him outside and no one would dare to ruin their little date.

Immediately, Zarina stops as she looks up from the pages to meet the familiar gaze of ruby.

He's cute when he acts like this, but then again? Can she really call him cute when he can make her legs give out and give her a hard time standing the next morning? Yes, she can. She can call him cute even when he so obviously hints at something more physical (which she enjoys all too much, loving his touches and his kisses more than she'd ever be able to express). It's nice to be so open with each other because she feels less of a need to hold back, feeding him her attention and her love on a silver spoon because she has so much to give to him. She adores him, worships him as an equal, loves him far and beyond.

"After dinner, Zen," she playfully rolls her eyes at him, but her lips curl into a smile despite. They can't mess around while the food is not done and they haven't eaten. Knowing their levels of insatiability when it comes to each other, she doesn't expect to be done in an hour or two hours. As much as Zarina wants to feel his lips on her own and have his teeth bite down on her lower lips to make her gasp, dinner remains her priority for now, even if he gives her his best puppy dog eyes. He's pretty as he is and he's even more adorable with those pleading eyes, but she wants to... Fuck, he can't smile knowingly at her like that. He is well aware she wants to kiss him too. "I know if you kiss me once right now, we won't be able to stop for a while."

The dinner must be served!

[newhorizonsxiv]

((Cheating a bit on this one with an older piece of Tai and Lyneth from waaaaay back at the very beginning of their relationship. I'm not really doing the challenge proper. Just going to pop in a piece or two as I have the spoons and they won't be cut for length or formatted properly because I have to do everything on mobile from my phone in bed so... Low effort is the rule of the day. Still, hope you enjoy this little drabble.))

Barbarous

"Eh. Couldn't know why they marked me. 'Barbarism'." Tai says the word bitterly "What does that solve? Been kind of...looking for a way to get rid of it..."

He looks at Lyneth, almost apologetically. "My sole existence was always one of two things. Vengeance and protection. I am tired of the first. And I fail so often at the second." he gestures around them "But here I am, trying to make sense of a life I was never meant to live and I can't. I just..."

He stands slowly and slowly makes his way to the back of the room "I always told myself I would never fail again. But I always failed anyway. I'm so tired of failing. I'm so tired of death. I started believing that I was the issue. That if I was simply erased, everyone would be fine." he picks up a grimoire on his desk. "And you're here, telling me things that no one has ever told me."

He flips through the grimoire, stopping once several pages through, and looks back at her "What is your reason for living?"

He tears out a page.

Her eyes drift toward the bottle of brandy but she forces them away and back to his face. "I.. don't know if I've ever really thought about it before. I have.." She shrugs. "I dunno. Goals. In the moment. Things I want and ways to get those things. When I left home the goal was to find my brother. Which I still haven't done but.. will. Someday."

She rises a bit unsteadily to stand beside the table, looking at him and the book curiously. "But as for a greater, overarching Purpose? That I couldn't give you. Except that I'd hate dying now with so many things and places that I've still never seen. So many tales and songs I've yet to hear. Or to write."

"I see." he snaps the book closed and puts it back on his desk. He looks at the page still clutched in his hand. "In truth, I think I found a way to remove the mark. But, for all intents and purposes, it would require me to cease to exist so of course that would remove it." He pauses "Ugh. I'm talking like him."

The page goes up in flames.

"I never had the will to just live. Well, no, that's a lie. It was there. But it was snuffed out. I always needed a reason to drive me forward. Find who did this or protect them or...whatever. But these reasons of mine, well, they can only take you so far if you're not good at them. But you...you imply you live because of what could be in store in the future. But the future terrifies me."

Lyneth frowns, tilting her head to one side. "Why? What are you afraid of? Every breath that we take is a reminder that there is still hope. That we're still here. We can still make things better. Even when things are bleak. Don't be so afraid of losing something that you never try to have it. That's a half-life, Tai. A wasted life. And you are more than that."

She takes a step closer, gesturing toward him with one hand while the other falls to her own shoulder. "That mark you hate so much? I think maybe you just aren't thinking of it in the right way." Another step closer. " 'Barbarous.' " She rolls the word across her tongue. "That's a word that conquerors spit down at the people who will not bow their heads and be conquered. It means that you have not been broken. That you still know who you are. And that you will resist, savagely resist, the people who try to tell you who they think you should be."

"They do it to my people too. In Ul'dah. In Gridania. 'Feral' is the word they use there. But it means much the same thing. To them. And to us. We are the unbroken. And as we breathe, we fight. As we breathe, we hope." By this time her steps have taken her to stand, looking up at him, eyes fierce and burning. "There are still so very many conquerors out there. Some come with guns and some with gil, but they always come. Barbarism.. is a thing that the world does truly need."

[100dayswonder]

☆ 01. it's september 6 2024

and i have no idea what i'm doing!! none! it's funny because for a long time i've been told i'm really good at writing but when it comes to writing things like this i'm always at a complete loss

since this blog is for me, it really doesn't matter at all, but i think that it would be horrible to look back years .. or even months.. or weeks.. or even days later and be like wow !! you really don't know what you're talking about!

i think it's because i don't read other peoples blog entries or anything like that .. as far as "formal" blog entries... i know they're supposed to go something like, "today i made toast for breakfast and ate it with butter and green tea. then i went to go get the mail and a letter i'd been waiting for finally arrived!"

.. or something like that

except today i didn't have toast for breakfast, i skipped it and made instant ramen with two eggs and finished all the eggs but not all of the noodles.

i also didn't have green tea. i treated myself to a little black tea with maple syrup and two spoonfuls of sugar (i should have kept it at one)

and then i did go to check the mail eventually but there was absolutely nothing in the mailbox so it felt like a waste especially because today's weather was... kind of eehh?!?! like it wasn't as wet and rainy but it was still kind of wet...

and when it's wet there are bugs out..

anyway i guess that's the most i can really super talk about for this first entry... my classes started again and it was a hassle to get my materials voucher code but i did end up getting it... i submitted my assignment and that was mostly what i wanted to get done today and it was kind of pathetic that it took me so long but i'm sick i don't want to do ANYTHING!!

so i can safely say i "did a good job" even if i can't proudly say it

hopefully there are more interesting things to talk about in the future.. i actually have quite a bit i could talk about that happened in recent history and quite a bit coming up that i have marked down in my calendar.. it's actually been so much this year that it's enough to make my head spin..

in fact TWO friends invited me out in the weekend after next and i haven't decided if i want to go out... because i've just been around people for so long it feels...

at the end of the day i really am an introvert with a limited social battery because as much fun as i had i really do feel like maybe i'm a little worn out with it all..

even a single day where i could comfortably do nothing in bed until about 16:00 would be ideal but as an adult with responsibilities you really can't afford to do that so i have to eke out some sort of task before the end of the day or else i really can't rest at all (even if i'm sick).. as it is, i'm still not productive in the right areas but i keep telling myself tomorrow! tomorrow you'll be stronger and you'll be able to knock out your work in about 5 hours max!

... i'm sure that if you collected all of the minutes i worked and stitched them together, it might amount to 5 hours.. but i'd really prefer it if those 5 hours were consecutive, you know?

anyway i really do feel like crawling into bed and setting up as much of this blog as i did in my current state is honestly pretty miraculous and worthy of an early (for me) bed time, but if i wind up returning to write some more then that's okay too ✨

[bearpillowmonster]

BB3

Some of the best episodes so far, I'm still not interested in every episode but definitely some fun and some finality. The music hits a little harder, I feel the tension between characters I don't really know like-ahem-hem-hem, someone from somewhere other than Bad Batch.

Then we have M count. Wait. M. It took me until episode 9 to realize but Midichlorian? No, no way. You just opened up a freaking box because I'm about to let it rip. George centered his sequel trilogy around this idea and introduced it in the prequels. I wasn't too fond of it when it was first discovered but as time went on and they showed the whills and such in the Clone Wars, I started to see a bit more clearer and was fine with whatever George put out but having the current sequel trilogy that we have today that completely negates all that and pretty much downright retcons it with its messaging that anybody could be force sensitive. And I don't just mean the trilogy either, anything Disney's put out has seemed this way and has not made a lick towards any of that. Even that I'm fine with.

It's the fact that their undoing- well-

Except they're not using George or George's story, they're making it their own. If they would've just kept it one way or the other, I would've been fine with it but you're introducing a pretty vital piece of lore so far in that it's not even funny. I've known for a long time now that they were trying to find a host body for Palpatine to use, it's no coincidence they had the cloning guy in the Mandalorian, they've been setting this up. And it makes sense to have Grogu be this big contender because he can use the force. Ironic that the thing he needs is the very thing he sought to destroy and also a bit of a plot hole if he was looking this early into it in the timeline. But still, they could've played it off as "they have no idea what makes a compatible host" or even try to force the force into someone so that it can be used as a husk.

It makes SENSE for midichlorians to be used here, it makes sense for them to be the deciding factor but don't try to spoon feed me both ways

I don't know if Ahsoka did this too since I haven't seen it yet, I know they have Sabine being a user but I was alright with that at face value, I don't know how they introduce it. You don't get it, I had to bring myself back. True, I wasn't happy with the outcome of the sequel trilogy but we had the Mandalorian. Things started going down again with Kenobi and Bob's Feet but still, I kept on. They were releasing so much that I fell behind around Mando S3, Andor, BB2, Visions 2, Tales of the Jedi, all put on hold. I finally more or less caught up except for Ahsoka and now this just makes me want to crawl back into that rabbit hole because while I was there, I realized that Star Wars wasn't what I wanted anymore and I didn't care much until I saw people saying that I missed some of the best so far so I jumped back in. This makes me feel the same way again, like the skywalker saga should truly be done. Move on way past or way back, none of that Rey reforging the Jedi, no more in betweens other than Mando. Just reboot it, don't retread and give me remakes or a retelling, do the old republic or something like the Acolyte is promising (which I'm still worried about mind you).

I wanted George's story to be revived so bad and I was so close to believing that we were getting it when we saw Boba Fett shoot Bib Fortuna and kick him out of the chair. That he was going to be in Darth Maul's place and take over the Underworld and I was here for it. Or having Maul and Crimson Dawn show up at the end of Solo. Or having Luke start to build the new Jedi order. All for squat. And this is Dave Filoni who was involved with those series, who's supposedly the new mastermind behind all of this. Even if you scrap all that away, I was fine with it, as long as they had a plan but it seems they keep flipping it down the road.

But was bringing Asajj back worth it? There was really no reason for her to be there other than to make me mad anyway, even going as far as bringing her back from the dead apparently from her book (which I haven't read yet but plan to) so that just further proves my point. "All will be revealed" my butt, how about "somehow Asajj returned" Screw you, stop holding back if you're going to introduce it.

...I wrote this part and then they announced Tales of the Empire. I can't win. It keeps sucking me back. Time for the finale, so spoilers.

I wasn't impressed with the lead up to this finale, nothing seemed connected. I mean, yeah, they go and they save Omega. Ok? And? It's not like that's something new, it felt like it needed to be definitive for the characters, it dragged them off their refuge island, they can't live a normal life. We don't see them in Rebels. So we ask what happens to them? They imposed with Rampart that maybe Crosshair doesn't have everyone's interests in mind. They imposed with Asajj that maybe Omega can use the force and even put her in marketing. They didn't impose, but the fans speculated that Tech could be the Shadow since they put so much attention on him. But it's also the last episode, you're shifting all the weight and not allowing it to breathe, even if they had used all those to great advantages then it was still the end, it doesn't seem like there's a point.

What I wanted this ending to be when I really thought about it was actually really simple. A battle between clone troopers and storm troopers but it'd explain so much. The clones would lose, it's be their last "Clone War", unless they decided to intermingle with the stormtroopers. It'd explain the transition, why there's so few in Rebels call back to the action setpieces of the original 2003 series, be a reverse order 66! That's my headcanon. But I knew going in that it wasn't going to be that. They might free the clones though.

I like the idea of Omega using all the skills she's learned from each other members of the party to get out, Echo even says "That's exactly what I'd do." but I don't know, when the zillo first appeared, they should've had him make it a distraction and then call back to it. The part where the kid says he hates heights after seeing a ladder is stupid because they planned this whole mission around climbing, she described it to him, they had already done it in the shaft and only at the ladder does he falter.

Emory's redemption should've been compilative, having her drop hints to show them how to leave the facility and maybe even manage to get one wounded that way, to which she transfers quarters until Echo arrives. They have a case of the Knights of Ren with the shadows, cool designs, seem to be teasing for something greater and we get no real context in the end. Introducing Project Necromancer then having Rampard ask about it before you cut is like asking who Rey is in TFA and never telling you except Necromancer is dissolved now so what was the point? What is project Necromancer, what is Crimson Dawn, what is- . It doesn't matter. Stop giving codenames, you had it with Hux and Pell but come on.

If you're going to leave plot threads open, we need to know how this series contributes to the bigger picture but since you called this the final season, I would like to this as much and would rather the plot lines stay contained and resolved. We are still very much in the Disney sequel era despite everyone thinking it ended after TROS and the new room took over, they're doing the same stuff.

Echo leaving to join Rex was a cool idea but I really wish it was him and not Gregor in Rebels. But it seems like he just hangs with the Clone Force every other time anyway so I don't really know why they did this. Ok, include Rex, but that's all you had to do. Then to go off and make him depart again at the end really doesn't say anything. Ok, he's going to return in the future?

"Well, I think you're right that, in a sense, this really is an end of an era," Baker says. "Because the clones in the Bad Batch was the final element of The Clone Wars that George Lucas had his fingerprints on. This was his idea, to initially start and give them a little arc and give it a try." This too is false and I like you Dee Bradley but I knew from the moment you said this that it was wrong. First off, you made it so that the characters live (which I don't mind but don't say this and contradict that!) And even excluding the Bad Batch, if only there were something else like GEORGE'S EFFING TREATMENTS!! This is like when Kathleen Kennedy said that there's no source material to adapt for a sequel series. Like take a look around and read the room. There's a ton of stuff that I'm sure George gave up that had to do with Star Wars. Officially released? Maybe not so much but you can't go and ruin all of that too. This is unless Dee Bradley believed that none of that would ever see the light of day but why would he know that if he believes this is the last time he'll play the clones? Does he believe that? Because the ending says otherwise unless it's all live action from here forth. And even if that...then where the f- did the midichloarians come from?

[azuregold]

Friday and September, please 💜💚💜💚💜💚

friday: most self-indulgent fic you have ever posted? 

Hmm…probably Proof? I always try to write what I want, but that one was extra-indulgent. I actually briefly debated posting it at all, but it seems to be the most popular of the Mistyverse one shots, so I’m glad I did. Maybe people could tell I was enjoying myself? XD

september: share a comment or review which still warms your heart? 

Literally all of them? *u*; Well, aside from the one that was basically just asking me to read their fic, and the one that told me they couldn’t like my fic because their favorite characters weren’t in it, and… *Ahem* Anyway…

How about this super-amazing one that made me cry (in the best way) and which I still haven’t replied to I feel so bad someday soon I promise:

So over the past week I have literally done nothing but spam read this entire series in and around work and sleep. I still have yet to feel like I can accurately depict just how utterly fantastic this series is; even after all that and ruminating over the hole in my heart for several days (that hole that comes after finishing a really good book). Just, ugh, this was so brilliantly written, characterized, paced, crafted, built... it was everything I never knew I needed and wanted from a One Piece story. Like everything. Easily the top story I've read in this fandom.

The world building was so well executed and so believably set into the world of the show/manga it hardly even registered that these characters weren't even actually canon characters. The agency and motives you gave Travis just blew me away and that's not even touching on the sucker punch of him having the Gomu gomu no mi.

I just loved the bit with the Mera Mera fruit and Luffy and the pseudo inheritance from Ace to Sabo to Luffy, it was so flawlessly executed that it could only read as the next logical conclusion by that point. Like, holy crap, I didn't even think of this conclusion but of course, here we are, duh! The little nuances with Ace's ghost and his presence was also another thing I adored that worked so well.

The end all be all though, for me, is I just am so in love with protective/loyal to his death Zoro and most chapters if not every one had me howling in joy at its presence. Topping that off with just an absurd amount of nakamaship and familial love and how they all interacted and dealt with the challenges thrown their way from the very first chapter of On The Misty Shore to the end of From Mist and Ashes was like icing on the cake.

Just thank you so much for writing this, it was a privilege to read and enjoy. It has been quite a while since you've finished this and I see that life hasn't always been terribly kind in your authors notes, so I hope this comment finds you happy and well and just know you rocked this fans world out of the bloody park!