#and I'd like to see the place & get the vibes first before I actually decide what I do with my desk

[damiemontclair]

It just occured to me that I'll be getting my very own permanent desk when I switch jobs in april so.

I just put a bunch of stuff in there but honestly half of it I probs shouldn't do simply because I am young and need to appear way professional since this is a supervisor position. so any fandom stuff is def out (so no figurines :/)

[razzledazzlebeach]

Daryl Dixon took awhile to age mentally

As I read more and more analysis about Daryl and rewatch some of the earlier seasons, I wonder if it was intended for his character to have some kind of age regression issue. (I didn't do, like, extensive research, I just looked into some CPTSD and age regression signs on a few different sites, so this is just an idea I'm tossing out in hopes of hearing some other perspectives!)

The first situation that really catches my attention is his reaction to Merle being left in Atlanta. Now, obviously, this would be an incredibly emotional time for anyone and it's not entirely out of place to just say he was very distraught over the news and anyone could have reacted the same way he did. I just think that the specific way he did might have some signs. If you think about a grown man, especially one who was raised in a very macho household, you would assume that their reaction might be to storm out or yell at someone. Although Daryl did yell, he also started crying and pacing. It seemed almost as if he was having a full-on meltdown. Some signs of age regression are meltdowns (Ranting, shouting, insulting others, threatening others, whining, angry tears, or getting physically violent) that ring any bells?

I couldn't find a gifs of that exact moment :(

It probably didn't help that the entirety of the camp was staring at him as all of this happened. Temper tantrums can happen because someone is scared/ashamed and can't regulate themselves. (Like sensory overload.)

Another thing that I want to kind of address is the way Rick responds to Daryl when he's having these sorts of meltdowns. Throughout the series, and in the third episode, we see Rick bending down almost horizontally just so he can make eye contact with Daryl. He speaks to him like he's a child, and instead of feeling insulted, Daryl actually takes comfort in it and calms down!

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic, do you think we can manage that?"

What is age regression?

We all know that Daryl was abused as a child, and trauma like that can sort of freeze the brain. This is a quote I really like that explains it: “It doesn’t necessarily make you stuck at a certain age, but instead, [you are] acting out the emotional wounding that happened at that age,” Lapides adds." People may start to regress because they are triggered or feel threatened, and an apocalypse seems like it would cause a constant trigger. Daryl might be reverting back to childlike behaviors as a trauma response. (honorable mention being the nail biting, but that's a bit of a reach) Shane being the way that he was could have also been a trigger for him.

One of the symptoms of age regression is overly clingy behavior. And you are probably thinking, "well, if there's anything Daryl has, it's not clingy behavior. He's a loner." I disregarded this too for awhile before I really thought about it. He is highly independent when he's doing things he's comfortable in, like being in the woods or going for runs. But when it comes to making decisions or being social, Daryl immediately clings to someone who he knows will do it for him. Most of his life he had Mere to hide behind. The most outgoing and shameless person alive. I don't think Merle ever asked Daryl his opinion on anything. He would decide, and Daryl would follow, and I think Daryl took a lot of comfort in that. So when Merle was gone, he latched onto Rick because he was the best choice. He knew Rick was a very righteous man who had plenty of leadership qualities. He knew Rick would make decisions for him, and give him directions.

Carol and Rick's mothering

Circling back to the way Rick would react to Daryl's outbursts, carol sometimes did the same thing. I know some people ship them, but honestly, at least in the earlier seaons, I got major mother/son vibes from the two of them. Especially when Beth died and she was trying to teach him how to grieve. The forehead kisses, the pookie nickname, all of it seemed to point in that direction. There was also another time Rick pulled the "Can we manage that?" move, and it was during Aiden and Glenn's fight in S5. He made sure to get low enough to make eye contact, and block his pacing. He kept telling Daryl that "We can't do this now." It all just looks a lot like he and carol are parenting Daryl, if only in moments where he is feeling intense stress and that trauma triggers.

Anyways, this was just a few ideas I was tossing around, and very clearly this in my first analysis lol, any thoughts?

[citrus-writing]

I'd love to see more Illumi x reader from you <3

Thank you so much for reqesting! I wrote some misc yandere illumi headcanons and drabbles, mostly pre-kidnapping. Feel free to request more!

Illumi is patient, especially in the beginning. He's content to follow behind you, unseen and unheard, watching you go about your normal day to day. He watches you go about shopping for groceries and despite how mundane and boring it is, he watches you pick out your desired meals with rapt attention. He watches you when you go out with your friends, watches the way they behave around you, the way they laugh and joke- when you laugh, he tries to comprehend what about them is so endearing to you. But when they make a joke at your expense, and yours smile doesn't quite meet your eyes, he decides that they done something unforgivable, and that they won't get the chance to do it again.

No matter how you met him, whether it was friendly or casual or even hostile, once he's laid eyes on you there's no way to get away from him. From the moment he saw you- you, who's looks and voice and smile have insnared him so entirely- he knew he had to have you. It's only fair for him to be on your mind since you're always on his. Even he cant place what about you is so interesting to him; just that you are, and that everything you do is worth taking note of and everything you say echoes in his head. It's strange; how obsessive and yet detached he is. How everything you do is so important to him, yet he takes so long to even consider trying to get closer to you.

When he does decide to try to engage with you, there's that same patience, that same cold detachment that both helps and hinders his attempts. On the one hand, he never comes on too strong, he nevergives off the vibes of a creepy pervert, he never seems too close for comfort. It's easy for you to overlook him the first few times he comes around. Little do you know how often he's actually around, wearing other faces, constantly trailing you. He's everywhere, but you don't know that. On the other hand, he's so cold towards you that you wonder who he is, why he seems so untouchable, why you've never seen him before but now you see him several times a week. The reasonable part of your mind tells you that you just didn't notice him before. But his eyes send a terror through you, and you find yourself hoping not to see him again.

But it's not enough to just interact with you is passing- it's not enough to stand behind you on public transit, it's not enough to bump into your shoulder, it's not enough to ask casually if you know directions to somewhere nearby. Pretending to be a stranger can only get him so far. He takes note of your friends and family, ofthe way you interact with them, who you know better than you know yourself and who you seem to like being around best. Trailing them isn't nearly the same satisfaction, but he knows the reward will be well worth it. Taking their place in your life is easy compared to other things he's done, you're so willing to write off any mistakes, so willing to forgive when you mention a memory together and they don't remember. Illumi is partly endeared and partly disgusted by how forgiving you can be.

But eventually you start to catch on, start to pull away from them- from him.

That's when you wake up in a room unfamiliar to you- nice, almost lavish, but the unfamiliar surroundings send a panic through you. Before you can even scream, there's a hand over your mouth, hard enough to muffle the sound but gentle in a way that makes you feel sick. Even in the dimly lit room, you recognize him from the times you've run into him while going about your day. You'd recognize those eyes anywhere- you'd always been uncomfortable under his gaze; but for the first time you're terrified.

[majorlysapphic]

I have a lot of time to kill and noticed that the bridgella shippers deserve some attention, so it's time for my train travelling brain splurge (it will be angsty, I'm warning you now). :)

(TW: mentions of living in a heteronormative society/homophobia/internalised homophobia).

(Glassheart will be mentioned in the end because I want to do a part 2 of this post).

Now, I'm presenting an 80's Celebrity/Performer AU!

Now, I imagine both of the girls got into performing in very different ways.

Bridget came from a very privileged background where she was able to be put in various music/acting/dance lessons at a young age. I'd imagine she started her trajectory into stardom very young, starting with modelling and acting before shifting into music (though I'd assume she'd still have a cover/runway girl reputation which she revisits here and there). Bridget would have started off as a 'girl next door' archetype, but once settling into her music career, she would soon settle into an untouchable, bubbly pop princess persona. An IT girl with a stage name of "The Queen of Hearts."

For Ella, I imagine one of the only belongings that she has from her late mother is a guitar, so she's always made a small effort to learn, though that effort increased exponentially once her dad passed and she was left to live with her step family. On her eighteenth birthday, she's not legally required to be her step-mothers 'problem' anymore, so with her few belongings and her treasured guitar, Ella begins her journey to be a performer. She works her way up to the top with a ferocious determination, going from busking on the streets during day and waiting tables at night to meet ends meet, to performing as Auradon’s break out 'riot grrrl' by doing random gigs and opening acts. And when she finally gets a label to fund her first proper album, she's asked if she'd like to take on a stage name. Then is when she decides to title herself as 'Cinderella' for a final middle finger to the family that rejected her (by making a horrid nickname given to her turn into a marker of her success).

Both Ella and Bridget carry on their own careers aware of each others existence. But they only properly meet once their music labels want them to collaborate on a few songs for their latest albums they're working on.

And since Ella's manager believes she should reach out to a bigger audience and create a more positive public image for herself (after a few disaster interviews), Ella agrees. And when it comes to Bridget's PR team, they're trying to make her shake off her untouchable status, given that it has some negative repercussions (as there's a decent chunk of people out there with the view that Bridget is 'too fake' and that she 'probably let all that fame get to her head'). So Bridget ends up agreeing to the collaboration.

They meet at a recording studio, and their meeting isn't exactly ideal. Bridget is her typical self: bright, bubbly, friendly. But Ella doesn't know that's what Bridget is actually like. She thinks she's just meeting Bridget's celebrity persona that won't be shaken off, and she hates it. So after a few minutes of (attempted) polite conversation, it gets awkward and silent between the two. The vibe doesn't seem to get better when they're trying to write new lyrics and compose together, Bridget and Ella mix as well as oil and water does, and everyone in the studio can see it. So after a failure of a music making month, both their managers put a pause on their albums in order to run a PR plan.

Ella and Bridget are tasked with going completely public with their 'friendship' prior to announcing their collaboration. And hopefully, if the prayers of their managers are answered, they'll finally warm up to each other (which is necessity for future interviews).

They begin with a magazine cover together which creates a whole wave of surprise with both their fanbases (who are as opposite as opposites can be), and from there it's hangouts across A-list places (photographed/filmed by strategically placed paparazzi). And before they know it, Ella and Bridget have made headlines as Auradon's most surprisingly iconic best friends.

Though what's more surprising is that after all this, they are still awkward with each other. Sure, they may be a bit more comfortable, but the improvement is inadequate to what was expected of them. But oh well, what are their managers supposed to do about it? They're going to have to shrug it off and carry on making their albums with forced smiles.

But then, when they're finally left alone in a recording studio is when their bond flourishes. Because, wow, Ella is finally making sense of the fact that the Bridget she met on her first day at the studio was actually the real Bridget. And Bridget is starting to appreciate the complexity of Ella's character, and putting together the puzzle pieces to find out Ella is a really genuine person. A specific type of person that is far and few in Auradon's celebrity scene. The type of person she wants as a friend.

So, they finally ditch the picture perfect scenes they were set up to be in and spend their time together after recording just getting to know each other. As Bridget and Ella instead of The Queen of Hearts and Cinderella. They spend lazy nights in watching bad films, they go out to underground parties, they find a favourite ice cream parlour which they go to every Friday.

They're finally friends. And once their respective albums release, featuring each other (in more songs that was ever expected), they're soaring from the success of the careers.

The next few years are spent in the middle of the spot light. Ella has a much wider fanbase as she appears much more approachable (with the help of Bridget practising interviews with her) and Bridget remains a number one star, helped by the fact people have started to properly relate to her now that she (with the encouragement of Ella) is happy to show some of her more imperfect sides that adds some edge to her pop princess persona.

It's glitz and glam. It's red carpet looks. It's having their posters plastered in every corner. It's living together to set the ideal standard of how life can get if you stick to your closest friends and work hard.

...It's secrets and unspoken truths.

Because after all this time, they're best friends. Of course they are. But throughout the years, there are moments which could indicate different.

They don't talk about it. They really shouldn't. It's always the wrong place. The wrong time. What they have is inherently 'wrong'.

But... Too much is too much, and they have to talk about it. Because Bridget can't stand the multiple occasion's when they're in the safety of their own home, with their lips just about brushing, only for Ella to cast a look of doubt and pull away, pretending nothing happened. Because Ella feels like her heart is being ripped out whenever Bridget is back with her on-again-off-again PR boyfriend, only for Bridget to tearfully confess that nothing feels right when she's with him compared to when she's with Ella (and Ella has to grit her teeth every time, because Bridget's 'boyfriend' is the bassist to a wildly popular punk group, 'Uliana's Crew', and she knows that in the publics eyes, she can't match the debonair charm of James Hook. Even if she can be a better partner to Bridget in so many ways).

Neither of them can stomach another night after award shows, dressed to the nines and drunk on disgustingly expensive champagne, trading touches that are too intimate for 'just friends' and whispering in each others ears in the corner of a room. They can no longer ignore the curious looks they get from the people closest to them when they both release album after album, the songs within so obviously being able to be seen as romantic so long as the listener knows the right context the lyrics are referring to. So long as the listener starts swapping 'he' to 'she' in their head during the song.

The confrontation is full of tears and anguish. Both of them know what they feel but neither fully express it.

Bridget, whilst being privileged in many aspects, comes from background where anything out of the norm is unacceptable (she knows, but never says, that the reason she was supported in her career by her family is due to the fact that they thought it was a passing interest. Something that would leave, but once she took off into stardom, it was too late to take things back). She's been put on a pedestal all her life, and what could other's think (her fans, who she lives and breathes and performs for) if she finally speaks up on the fact that she's never been interested in boys. Even thinking of the fact makes her nauseous, because after so long listening to others, she also feels its wrong, even though it feels the exact opposite.

It kills her inside to know that Auradon would be raving about how much they adore the match between a conventional pop princess and a jaded/edgy artist, so long as said artist was a boy.

And when it comes to Ella. She has built her entire livelihood off of her music. It's the one thing that's kept her going in her roughest moments - she has no clue what meaning she'd find in life if she lost it. Because whilst her fans are more accepting (hell, a large percentage are part of the LGBTQ+ community themselves), she knows that other people won't be. That they'd pull her limb from limb and strip her of her career which she gave everything in her for, as an act for revenge for 'spoiling' the 'perfect' image of Bridget they had in their narrow-minded heads. She hates it. She hates The Queen of Hearts. And she loves Bridget.

In conclusion: Bridget would be okay with being in love with Ella if Ella wasn't a girl, and Ella would be okay with being in love with a girl, if the girl wasn't Bridget.

So, they agree to be friends. Carry on as if the talk never happened. They know their limits with each other (even if they are constantly breaking them). And yes, there are slip ups.

Said slip ups act as the highlight of their lives. Said slip ups will cause their downfall: because on a singular occasion, a picture is taken (it's contents: Ella and Bridget sneaking out of a rehearsal studio late at night, hands interlocked, hair messy, lipstick smudged).

The picture goes viral. Passed around. Talked about. Theorised. Concluded on.

Both Bridget and Ella are sent into a panic. What do they do? It's the early stages of their situation being revealed (and they're already seeing hateful responses), and both silently loathe it. The cherry on top? It's not even based in fact, because neither have allowed themselves to even have each other in anyway that they want. Their appearances that night were purely from a hectic rehearsal.

Their PR teams jump to salvage what they can. And when Ella meets Bridget's fearful eyes, they both know it's the end of them. In the following months, they move into their own separate homes and their contact is fleeting. Eventually, the rumours and hate turn into whispers.

But they will never recover.

They'll never be alone in the same room together, ever again.

In the same year of this scandal, a large announcement of Bridget Hearts and James Hook's engagement will ring through all media outlets. The perfect pair: a sweet pop princess (that has been cherished by the kingdoms since her debut into performance as a child) and Auradon's resident, suave 'bad boy' ready to settle down. They're picture perfect. Ella feels sick (so does Bridget), and she makes sure to cross out a firm rejection on her invite to the wedding.

And Ella forces herself to move on. She finds a calm yet fun actor, Christopher Charming. She decides to try love him. She can love him. She does love him in her own way. It's not as bright and golden as her love is was for Bridget, but it's quiet and safe. And he understands her and keeps all her secrets, and that's all she can ever ask for.

Years go on and they live finding other joys to go off of. Life is hard but not impossible without each other, and they try to be happy for one another. Bridget sends a bouquet of flowers to congratulate Ella's marriage to Charming (as a way to say she's happy for her, because Bridget really really wants Ella happy... And as a way to apologise for the fact she can't be there to attend the ceremony). Ella sends presents for Bridget's final show (Bridget's much too tired to perform for another tour, and if she gave any more of herself to The Queen of Hearts, all she'd be left with is bones) where Bridget announces she will be starting 'Wonderland Records', a music label aiming to help artists from unfortunate backgrounds succeed. Bridget gives a supportive smile from across the room when Ella announces she'll be retiring at her final albums award ceremony.

They go on with life, and after both have stepped away from the spot light, they don't expect to ever encounter one another properly anymore.

And that holds true... Until you put their daughters into the scene. Because despite their warnings, both Red and Chloe have followed in their footsteps to become Auradon's newest stars.

With new trends coming around and an increasing demand to see artists perform everywhere, Red and Chloe often encounter each other, especially at music festivals. And they despise each other (even if they're a fan of each others music). But you know what people say. There's a thin line between love and hate (and that history tends to repeat itself).

The next thing Ella and Bridget know, they're witnessing their daughters slowly fall in love. Unashamedly. In front of the whole world to see.

And this time, it ends well.

And when attending a final festival for the summer to support their daughters, they watch as Red plays a song dedicated to Chloe. They watch as a lovesick Chloe hops onto stage, and kisses a flustered Red in front of thousands of people and camera's. They hear people cheer in support.

Because a queer love story is just as natural as any other. It was a long, long wait for society to be like this. But it finally is. And it is perfect for their daughters, who were born at the right time for their type of love which they show off so loudly and proudly.

Ella and Bridget meet each others eyes from the wings of the stage, waiting for their daughters to meet them on either side. And they give a friendly smile. Because whilst they couldn't give each other what they wanted, they're more than happy to give the world to their daughters.

They'll continue to be friendly to each other, and eventually become casual friends, but never anything more. Not in this lifetime.

-------------------------------

Wow that was fun to write!! Hope you enjoyed reading this!! Phoebe Bridgers 'Moon Song' set the perfect tone for me to write this post, haha. <3333

[thewritersofdeceased]

Could you rank the TBP boys ( Ghost crew + Finney ) in a x render type of way , wich who will be more and less faster in proposing to their partner in a future ? Than you for reading, your writing inspires me <]

I’m so glad my writing inspires you!! This was absolutely a blast to write!! ‼️🫶 I did it as headcanons and x reader vibes!! It's a bit easier for me, but I will fix it when I get done with all my requests!! (I promise just pls remind me if I forget :( )

TBP BOYS AND WHO IS MORE OR LESS LIKELY TO PROPOSE IN A FUTURE!

BRUCE YAMADA

out of all the boys, I'd think Bruce would be the first one to propose to his partner!

He'd probably do it at once of his games after his team wins

Like those sappy marriage videos you'd see on your fyp

definitely made it a surprise for months.

Hell, he'd do it with a ring pop if it made you happy

literally asked you if you'd say yes if he married you one day

Silence lingered the field as Bruce and Y/N laid underneath the clouds. On a blanket that the ravenette had brought, a sudden questioned popped out of him. "Hey, Y/N? " He started, earning a hum in response from the other. "Do you think.. if one day in the future would you marry me? Or say yes?" He then asked, sitting up properly to face the other.

"Marriage? I never thought about it." Y/N responded, sitting up slightly, using their arms to hold themself up. It took them a couple seconds, but a smile formed on their face as they thought about it "I mean, yeah. You're sweet, kind, caring. Who wouldn't say yes to marrying you?" They then asked, tilting their head at Bruce.

Of course, Bruce smiled at the answer, nodding his head to it. Then it was official. He'd marry them one day. Whether with a ring pop or with an official ring. One day. He swore.

ROBIN ARELLANO

Robin, out of all the boys, was probably the 2nd one to even think of marriage.

Definetly plans it ahead with Finney or one of the other boys

no way did he plan it all on his own.

He'd be a bi nervous asking you about it, probably fidgeting or something

He knows his family isn't exactly on the richer side, so he's more nervous about getting an actual ring

since he wanted to join the war for his dad, he'd propose to you before he left for war.

Robin sat quietly in the park, tossing what looked like a ball in the air. He'd stole it from Bruce, well, more so found the ball near the baseball fields and claimed it as his own. Y/N Sat besides him, reading whatever sorts of book they had. Though they looked to Robin when hearing the boy speak to them.

"You ever think about marriage?" He'd ask them, no longer tossing the ball in the air and now looking to meet Y/N's eyes. He could see the slight look of confusion on their face, but tilted his head only. The gears were turning slowly in Y/N's mind as they fished for an answer.

Placing their book down into their lap and gently taking a hold of Robin's hands, they'd merely smile. "If this is your way of asking if we'll ever get married in the future, the answer's yes." Now that gave Robin the answer and motivation he needed to even think about the whole ring situation he'd been in.

BILLY SHOWALTER

Bily's a bit iffy on the whole marriage thing, but he'd eventually succumb to it!

He wants it to be perfect when he decides to marry you in the future

He'd try and ask earlier in the day, during one of the days he does his paper routes!

He writes the question down on a sticky note and puts said note in the paper

Look, he's nervous okay? he's trying his best.

Gets Griffin to try and help him out, when that don't work he goes to the others.

Placing his bike down gently on your yard, Billy made his way towards the comforting house you resigned in. He enjoyed it. Rover sat by the bike, waiting patiently as the dirty blonde made his way up to your steps. A small smile was on his face as he eventually knocked on the door, his smile widening more when you opened the door.

"Hey sunshine.” He’d greet. Sunshine was your nickname he’d given you after seeing you in the sunlight, specifically in his mother’s camera. So he stuck with the nickname Sunshine. Going into his bag and grabbing a newspaper, he held it out to you, smile remaining as he spoke again. “Here’s your pape for the day.” He spoke, faking a New York accent. Just for fun!!

He took a couple seconds before he would leave, smiling when he soon realized you had read exactly what he'd written on the sticky note. "Of course I'll marry you, Moonlight." You two were basically the sun and moon, and Billy knew exactly what kind of rings to get you two.

FINNEY BLAKE

Finney's a bit more cautious to get married, but he really wants to

He's just super nervous about it and doesn't know the exact way to approach

He tries to use anything you've told him to his advantage

He's one of the boys who has to read off of something, he's that shaky and nervous.

But when it comes to asking you about it during childhood, he asks you in the confinement of his room

You and Finney were currently sitting together in his bedroom, doing different homework for different classes. He was doing work for science, you were doing work for {subject}. Out of nowhere, in what sounded like a shaky tone, Finney spoke up. "Y/N? If we're still together in the future, and I asked you to marry me, would you say yes?"

The question was sudden, but it made a small smile form on Y/N's face as they placed their pencil down and sat up properly to look at Finney. "Yes. Yes I would." They spoke softly, reassuring the brunette boy. Of course he was nervous, gently taking their parents hands into their own.

"Of course I'd marry you."

GRIFFIN STAGG

Griffin's seen what marriage can do to a person.

So he's actually really fucking nervous to marry anyone,

He doesn't want it to end up like his parents marriage so he's super cautious to even think about marriage

Though he uses words in books to ask you if you would one day

you just gotta give him the time to not be so nervous and think about it

The library was you and Griffin's favorite place to go, or the cafe just outside of Denver. Anyone who knew Griffin knew how much the kid loved to read. In his hands now was a normal sized book. It was paperback, not being hardcover. The name of the book was "Blackmoore", the artist being "Julianne Donaldson". He had a calm look on his face as you read whatever you had chosen to grab, whether it was horror, drama, romance, etc.

After a couple seconds, Griffin gently tapped the table, trying to get y/n attention, and when he did, he slid the book over, his index finger pointing to what he wanted y/n to pay attention to. A quote stated, "“You are brave and loyal and true. You have such a good heart." He held my hand close to his chest and covered it with his other hand. "It is only afraid. But I would take such good care of it, love, if you would give it to me."

Just seeing how he was hinting about something including marriage, it made y/n chuckle as they watched Griffin mess with his hands. Gently tapping the table and catching Griffin's attention, Y/N would sign(ASL) "I'd marry you if it meant you were always smiling."

VANCE HOPPER

Vance saw what marriage did to his parents, so he's not really excited to think about it

His parents aren't even divorced yet, but he still is nervous

He doesn't want his marriage to end up like his parents

he also doesn't trust his parents to show up if they ever got married

asks you while at the grab n'go

"Hey, babe." Vance was first to speak, even if all of his attention was focused on the pinball machine he'd love. A soft hum escaped Y/N as they looked at Vance, their brow raised and head tilted. "If I beat my high-score, you think one day you'd marry me?" He questioned.

Which resulted in soft chuckles escaping Y/N. They weren't laughing at Vance, no. They were laughing at the fact Vance was willing his high score for it. A soft hum escaped before they answered the blonde's question.

"If you can beat it by the time we're adults, babe." They replied, letting out even more soft laughs and nodding their head. "Then yeah, if you can, I'll say yes."

[ceruleanwhore]

I know it's been a minute since Hazbin dropped and I'm late to the hate train but I have things I want to say, so I shall.

First off, the whole thing makes absolutely no fucking sense, conceptually. There is really no good way to execute this batshit idea of Lucifer having a daughter and that daughter deciding to start a fucking hotel in Hell to redeem sinners so they can go to Heaven. Also, the culling shit with the angels showing up to just kill already dead souls for no reason also makes no sense and there really isn't any way to make it make sense.

Secondly, when making yet another piece of media inspired by Christian canon, even if it is Christianity and you hate the religion, you absolutely have to know the source material before you go fucking with it. That's why, for example, Dogma is such a good movie but this series falls flat even though both are comedic critiques of Christianity - Dogma understands the subject well enough to criticize it intelligently whereas Hazbin feels like it was conceptualized and made by someone who only watched like two episodes of Veggie Tales and otherwise knows jack shit about the religion. Throwing Lilith in there is worse because she isn't even in Christianity and it has the same vibes as when CCD classes host a Passover Seder by and for a bunch of gentiles to 'teach' about what Jesus was up to when he was around. It's just so disrespectful. Actually, that's what it is - the creators learned everything they know about Christianity, Heaven, and Hell from Tumblr posts which is definitely why she's in there.

If they knew more about the thing they're trying to make a whole ass show about, Adam and Eve wouldn't have been angels, there would be no hotel because you could just have the creation of Purgatory instead or, at the very least, some take on the harrowing of Hell and salvation of the virtuous pagans in Limbo. Also, even if you don't want to touch the Bible because it's icky (and I mean yeah), all you had to do was read like Dante's Inferno and peep the Ars Goetia and then actually make a structured Hell with a hierarchy and everything. I think kinda like what Rachel Smythe did with the worldbuilding in Lore Olympus, they wanted to modernize Hell for some reason, so the turf war/mafia type shit was supposed to replace a stronger hierarchy of Hell with princes and dukes and presidents and such, but I fucking hate it and there's no goddamn structure.

More importantly, the worldbuilding of Hell itself completely misses the fucking point of Hell as a thing. Hell is there both to contain Satan and the fallen angels who joined him in that uprising thing that one time and also to serve as a place where sinners go when they die and are punished for their sins. We never see even once any sort of actual system for sorting all these souls and punishing them for their sins. On the contrary, characters like Angel Dust appear to get to do drugs for the rest of their immortal lives and, since they're dead, it's not like those are going to kill them so it really doesn't read like a punishment. The closest we get to actual punishments are when the sinners/demons have gone and made deals that give other residents of Hell control over them, like how Husk is under Alastor's control and then Alastor apparently also has some kind of deal screwing him over, and Angel's situation with shitty boa dude is pretty similar too. It feels like they did the extermination shit to replace punishment in Hell along with these deals we see here and there, which is utterly fucking ridiculous and makes absolutely no sense.

The other thing I'd add kind of going off that is that Heaven in this series also makes literally no fucking sense. It's actually also the biggest issue I have with Good Omens that it makes NO SENSE for the angels to have no clue what God's plan is or, in this case, how souls even get into Heaven. The whole fucking point is that there's an entire, nicely structured hierarchy for exactly this. Seraphim, cherubim, and thrones are all closest to God, so they can get the info from Them and pass it to the lower ranks. Hell, this could even be how you get problems, like you make it a bit of a gimmick that Heaven runs on a massive game of telephone. It also could've been a way to have some really cool variety in character design, so maybe some of the higher ranking angels look like the weird biblical shit with all the eyes and fire and they get progressively more normal as you go down the hierarchy. Instead, they picked like three recognizable names, made them into pretty people with wings and potentially also stupid Homestuck looking masks, and threw them in our face while just refusing to actually bother with worldbuilding or character design.

That brings me to the third thing which is that, when doing a series like this based on something like Christianity, you really have to sit down and figure out what kind of God your Christian God in your series is going to be, even if They never show up on screen. Is this God distant and neglectful and that's how all this shit is happening? Or do we have the wrathful God of the Israelites who regularly exterminates Hell out of pure sadistic rage? Or do we have a weak God on the verge of death who is barely present out of necessity while the angels take advantage of that absence and run amok? And it's not even just that determining what kind of God is supposed to be the God of this series would inform why stuff happens like it does, it would also help the writers to have a sense of direction and motive for what happens.

The writing in the show is all over the fucking place and figuring out what kind of God this God is meant to be is the very first question they should've asked themselves and it would've prevented most of the problems that currently exist in the show. If we had that, then maybe we wouldn't have weird shit with Lucifer where he very much does not feel like he's the devil at all and also Charlie is supposed to have daddy issues but then he shows up and is just a really adoring and supportive dad so that doesn't make sense. If we had that, then maybe Hell would have a fucking structure because we would actually have the motive behind Hell itself and why it exists. If we had that, then maybe we could get into the nitty gritty of the ethical/theological complexities of Hell and how, no matter how you slice it, it's really God's will at the end of the day so we could get a whole debate over if Lucifer is even evil or if God is just controlling and sadistic and all that. If we had that then maybe we could even have some reveal about how sin isn't even a concrete thing and the true nature of Hell is that it's a place people choose to go when they die because they don't feel worthy of salvation and they feel in their soul that they need to be punished. Anything, really.

Fourth is that it really, really shouldn't be a musical series. The pacing fucking sucks and they overexplain everything and I just feel like if you took all the time spent on shitty musical numbers and instead put it into showing, not telling, and also developing characters and relationships, it could be a lot better. If there was more time for shit, then maybe Charlie could not be a Mary Sue and Vaggie could have a personality and Angel could be an actual fucking character that isn't just an animated twink with trauma who gets off on violating people's boundaries. Also, I just really didn't like most of the songs in the series (outside the series they're fine) and I skipped a lot of those scenes.

Fifth and final is that it really just wasn't funny. A lot of the stuff that was supposed to be funny was just excessive swearing that felt completely unnatural, like that tiktok going around of that girl saying the n word. If you're bothering to do a whole series set in Hell that's ostensibly about Christianity, then why tf aren't you leaning more into biting criticism of Christianity for your humor? If they'd just gone full Dogma with this, it would've been so much better but no.

So yeah, it fucking sucked and so did the character design.

[cinnamontails-ff]

Writing Interview Tag Game

Thank you so much for the tag @roguishcat ❤ I love getting to chat about these things.

When did you start writing?

I know this sounds cheesy, but the answer is probably as soon as I could hold a pen. My grandma still has stacks of little stories I wrote (and illustrated ...) when I was a kid. Very cute, but I'm glad I gave up on drawing in the meantime.

I've been writing on and off ever since, but it wasn't until I was in my mid twenties that I decided I'd actively pursue a career in writing. I wrote a few original novels, none of which were ever successful in the world of traditional publishing, then got into fanfiction as a way of rekindling my joy. Once I'm done with my current fic, I'm ready to try with traditional publishing again. Maybe it'll work this time, maybe not, but I guess the bottom line is that I'll always write in some capacity.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I really like stories that are a little unsettling. Not horror, per se (I'm a coward), but those underlying creepy vibes, especially when they come wrapped up in beautiful language and actually end up culminating in something cool toward the end of the story. "Uprooted" by Naomi Novik comes to mind, "The Devil and the Dark Water" by Stuart Turton, and "Portrait of the Pale Elf" by @larvasmoon.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

Terry Pratchett is the person who first sold me on the English language. Prior to his books, I'd never seen anyone use English in such a fun, cheeky yet poignant way, and it's definitely something I find myself emulating (all while hopefully putting my own spin on it). I have been compared to him a few times and it's always made my day.

Oh, and I guess Stephen Sommers because people compare my fic to "The Mummy" a lot. Which honestly, is just as flattering.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

At my desk, with a mechanical keyboard. Not because I'm a hipster but because I have absolutely destroyed my laptop's keyboard and then the shop where I'd buy the replacement keys stopped selling my model and I refuse to replace the whole laptop.

I need a sense of quiet when I write. Usually, I write early in the morning before I go to work, and it's honestly my favorite time of the day. It's dark and quiet, I'm all alone, and the day still feels so fresh and full of possibility. I cannot write in public; I find it too distracting. Occasionally, when I'm very in the zone, I'll edit at work but it's never quite as productive.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Go and hunt that bitch down. I know many people love romanticizing their craft and if it helps them to light scented candles or play aesthetic playlists - go for it! For me, the most powerful tool is routine. Knowing that every morning I will sit down and I will write, whether I feel like it or not. Sometimes I drag my feet the whole time, sometimes things click into place and suddenly, I'm having the best time ever. But I will always put words on the page and for me, there's no better feeling than having written (past tense).

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

You probably know this, but I really, really love stories where a regular guy/gal saves the day. It makes me so happy to see the evil vampire lord taken out by the mousy accountant, the fountain pen striking harder than the sword. I think it's because I like to read about real people. People that you could have met in real life, that seem simple on the outside, but have all this strength locked up inside. It's why I dislike stories with picture perfect beauty goddesses that always have the perfect quip, always take out their opponents with 1 blow because they're just that special.

Normal people are special, too. You just need to look a little harder to see.

What is your reason for writing?

I believe it was Brandon Sanderson who said "Stories are like real life but with the boring parts removed". That has really resonated with me. I think the beautiful thing about stories is that they can portray very real issues and conflicts in a way that is infinitely more satisfying because it's all been arranged just so. It can give you closure, it can make you see something in an entirely new light without feeling confrontational. It's like a really, really good conversation with the author and I hope that's what my writing feels like as well.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Two things. I love when readers point out specific lines they enjoyed and I love it when they tell me they reread my work. The term "comfort read" makes me particularly happy because that's exactly how I reread my favorite stories as well.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I think the most important part to me is that my stories feel real. I dislike pretentious, over-the-top writing where you can tell the author is trying super hard to sound clever or sexy or just drowns you in heaps of cheap, undeserved drama that never leads anywhere. With my stories, I want things to feel earned. Natural. Maybe you wouldn't have made those choices, but it makes sense that these characters would have and now we're looking at the very real consequences of their actions.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Character voice, specifically in 3rd person limited. My favorite type of narration because I love getting into a character's head and making you see things through their eyes.

How do you feel about your own writing?

I think every writer struggles with their confidence here and there. I've gone through so many cycles in the past 1.5 years, it's kind of crazy. Going from constant failure in the world of publishing to writing your very first fanfiction just for fun and then having it blow up out of nowhere, all these people showering you in praise, only for the vast majority of them to disappear immediately afterward is a lot to process. We write for ourselves, yes, but as a writer, you can't help but take reader responses to heart. Fortunately, I've never let it influence what I write or how I write; it really only affects my mental state. I know what I like to read and those are the stories I am going to tell, whether they're successful or not.

Aww, this was fun! Tagging @larvasmoon @davenswitcher @pickel182 @karinamay @pouroverpaloma ❤ ❤ ❤

[improbable-implosions]

This one's kinda funny, I went into affixing that patch SO sure that the design of that sword of mine, Arma, would be plenty for that patch, but the longer I stared at it doing other mends for these pants, the longer I felt it needed _something_ else, you know?

First up, we've got to stitch on the patch itself! I did some nice even straight stitches, because initially, I was planning on a little area of sashiko mending.

But, in looking at the size of the chunk of dissolvable backing I had cut, there wasn't really any patterns immediately springing to mind that'd work at a scale that small, or, so I thought after seeing how that basketweave pattern came together on an earlier piece. For context, the whole patch is roughly the size of the palm of my hand, at 3.5 inches square.

So, instead, I decided to try something a bit more complex to render than I'd really tried out before, this art of Arma! (Despite the sword's design being my work, the art in question is by @razzmatazic, who I did ask if I tried to trace, and she had no problems!) And so trace I did, tracing the outlines of the major features of the piece, namely, the outer lines, and the shapes of the gemstones.

Unfortunately, in my haste (and, admittedly, my focus, since this was much higher detail than I normally tackle around here), I didn't grab any in-progress shots of this. Still, I actually really enjoy how this came out looking, even if it doesn't perfectly evoke the design or detail of the original piece, it certainly emulates the look of Arma well enough I recognize it, and very visibly reads Cool Sword, y'know?

Next up were a few colorful rims around the edges of the front pockets! They were fraying pretty significantly, so not only does this add a fun splash of color, but it keeps me from picking the edges of these seams apart while I'm not thinking about my hands. Initially, I was going to pick a different set of colors than that turquoise and purple, based on a fun fact about my hometown, but that color scheme was just calling out to me! I decided to lean into the somewhat royal vibes and went for a different, lighter purple, with two little bits of yellow thread, which, fun fact, I actually dyed with some yellow flowers I foraged back in the boston area!

As for these two little spot-mends, they were really more an exercise in frustration. Really, I'm mostly miffed the thread broke on the original patch in the one place the hole kept trying to expand through, but hopefully that little bit of randa stitching (which looks MUCH more like randa stitching should than my previous efforts, namely on my wallet and that previous pair of pants that we detailed, the ones with the segaihana sashiko) alongside some additional reinforcement along the edge of that original yellow patch, made from some thread I scavenged from a fraying bit of denim, should keep this particular pair of shorts from getting any more fixes right on the edge of the patch that has misbehaved TWICE now!

Last but not least, while I was wrangling those pocket rims and the spot mends, I really just had the feeling that Arma would look kinda... lonely, I suppose? Centered in the framing straight stitches like that, so I improvised a little open book next to her! (She's not a sword-girl, promise, it's she/her like you'd she/her a boat) There's actually some really nice dimensionality to the book, too, with some looser stitches to emulate ruffle-able pages, and those two knots along the spine make for a pleasant, crinkled texture to the cover lines! Can you tell I'm pleased with myself for getting that just so, without any guides?

All that said, hopefully that's all the mends my poor poor jean shorts need, I swear, just as I get one set fixed, the other winds up with another hole! Don't get me wrong, I'm starting to enjoy the whole almost boro-like vibe they're developing, with all these overlapping mends, but I'd like them to develop it slower, thanks! (And yes, I do plan to wear these at LEAST until they look like I've quilted them back together, they're comfy!)

[katzchai]

private session for free // seo changbin x reader

pairing: seo changbin x reader contains: fluff, personal trainer seo changbin, date invitation

"okay, maybe it's not that bad." i said to myself while looking at my reflection in the glass doors.

i've moved to a new city a month ago and i've finally built up the courage to get out of the apartment after work and try a new gym. back in my hometown, i'd visit the gym once a week for the fitness class and i loved it. perfect amount of a workout and fun.

if someone would try to call me a gym rat i'd laugh in their face. do i like going to the gym? like the actual gym? hell no. i always hated the PE classes at school and i still remember all the times when the coach would scream at us because we couldn't hit the ball right or run for longer than 5 minutes without a break. it wasn't until the coach got sick in the middle of the last semester and we got a new PE teacher that i started to enjoy something gym-related.

our new teacher introduced us to fitness and she would hold one class a week. that was the only time i had fun. after graduating and starting a job i decided to try fitness in my free time and it became a part of my friday. everyone would go to clubs on fridays but me? i'd get my bag and go straight to my favourite gym in the city.

now after moving for a new job, i had to find a gym in the city that's not only close to me but also feels good - the right vibes have to be there - otherwise it's not fun at all. i did my research on maps to see where the closest gym is and i found one 5 minutes away from my apartment so after work i went home, grabbed my bag and i came here.

now, as i'm standing in front of the doors i'm thinking if i'm at the right location. everything inside looks so - black and white. no character to the place and i'm rethinking my decision to come here. but hey, momma didn't raise a quitter.

as i'm opening the doors and stepping into the gym i hear lots of very upbeat music. "okay, i can still turn around and go back home." and as i'm about to turn around a lady behind the desk pops up. 

"hey! welcome to hitshOt, the only gym in the city where nobody judges you. is it your first time here?"

"yes, hello. i was thinking about signing up for the gym membership."

"awesome!" the girl behind the desk has a name tag and while i'm coming up to the desk i read that her name is dabin. "we don't offer any free trials but we offer the best equipment and the best personal trainers so i'm sure you'll find something for yourself here."

"oh actually, do you offer any fitness classes? i'm not interested in the typical "macho" stuff. i prefer something more... fun."

"i'm so sorry but we don't. we're in the process of firing more staff and maybe one day. but hey, you can go in and take a look around and if you decide to stay you can pay me once you'll be going out." am i disappointed? yes. this is the closest gym to me and the ratings were high but if there's no fitness this is not a place for me.

"well... i'm sure the gym is amazing but no thank you. i'm not interested. to be honest with you Dabin i hate working out in a gym because it seems like everyone is waiting for you to fail. i'll keep an eye on your website to see if there are any fitness classes in the future though."

as i'm picking my bag from the floor i can hear a strong voice behind me. "who said that the gym is only for the typical "macho" stuff? i'm pretty sure you can do anything in there and have fun." i turn around and see a very muscular guy who is definitely at the gym almost 24/7 - i mean who has arms like that and doesn't go to the gym? "do you think that maybe you could give the gym a chance with me?"

"and who are you?"

"changbin. i'm a personal trainer here and before you say anything - i'm willing to get you on a private session with me for free. i've got time since the person who was scheduled didn't show up and i can show you around and maybe you'll decide to stay with us."

"and what if i don't want to try out the gym with you?"

"i can take you out for a coffee and convince you that working out can be just as fun as fitness."

shocked i start to wonder why this guy is so keen on getting some one-on-one time with me. i won't lie he is handsome and i'm all for the meet-cutes but something seems fishy.

"i can see you haven't decided yet, so i'll be in the cafe next door," he says and walks up to me. when he stands next to me he whispers "the coffee and the private session will be on me, beautiful. no matter what time."

and what do i do? i say bye to dabin and walk out of the gym and head to the cafe. you never say no to a free coffee. and a private session with a "macho" like that.

[bigfan-fanfic]

Sorry for Kicking Your Ass (Male!Reader x Dean Winchester)

Requested by anonymous for  Can you do a fic where Dean met a magic user he used to hunt, but failed to, years later when he stopped hunting. He felt a crush on him and now he knows those weird feelings he used to thought as aggression was actually attraction now that he’s a bit comfortable with his sexuality?

"Well, well, well. Dean Winchester, in the flesh." You smirk, sliding into the booth across from the man in question.

Dean looks a little strangled - which makes sense, as your magic is already holding him in place, preventing him from moving anything but his eyes and mouth.

"Didn't I tell you what would happen if I caught you back in my town, Winchester?" you snarl.

"To be fair to me, didn't mean to get caught. Kind of a gas and food up stop."

You frown. "You're not hunting?"

He tries to shrug but can't. "Uh... no. Baby's only got the essentials for self-defense."

You tilt your head. "Why?" Hunters don't quit. They die on the job.

"Well, maybe I didn't wanna die. Again. Maybe I just wanted a fucking apple pie life, okay?"

You let the spell down. "What about your asshole dad?"

"Died. Couple of times." Dean shrugs, looking mournfully at the pie slice his sudden freedom of movement sent crashing to the floor.

"Oh. Condolences."

He shrugs.

"What about your little brother? Sammy. Last I saw him, he was in high school?"

"He got a full ride to college. Dropped out to find our dad with me. We hunted for a few years, and then I decided I'd had enough of dying and getting brought back, and we quit. I think Sam reconnected with an old girlfriend up in New York. Working in an art gallery."

"And you?"

"Been, uh... figuring myself out. Making amends. I hurt a lot of people I shouldn't have while hunting. People who weren't really monsters. So... I kinda lied earlier. I am here to see you."

"Me? Uh... I kinda beat your ass last time we met, Winchester."

He nods. "But, uh... before then."

You think back.

You had been home on winter break from college when you saw the fake FBI Agents (John and Dean). To be fair, you had killed a dirty cop that was blackmailing high school girls, but still.

John had figured due to your sloppiness that you were inexperienced and left to go on a hunt a state over.

So that left Dean looking for you.

He met you while walking through town, and didn't know you were the witch. You made quick friends and Dean gave you the vibes.

You invited him home, but when you tried to kiss him, he freaked out.

It didn't quite surprise you, but it still hurt to see him looking at you in disgust and anger.

He had left, and the next week he was in your house again, trying to kill you. Which was kinda the worst reaction you had ever had to an attempted kiss.

"Look, I was a shit back then. I freaked out on you. Normally, seeing what that prick did, I'd have left you alone, but... I thought you had put a spell on me. I didn't understand what I was feeling."

You freeze. "Uh... are you coming out to me, Dean?"

"Yeah, guess I am." He smirks, pulling aside his jacket so you can see the little bi flag pin he has hidden, pinned on the inside, over the heart.

You chuckle a little there.

"I won't say you were my first guy crush. That honor belongs to Robert Plant." Dean jokes. "But definitely the first crush I actually knew in real life that I knew was a crush."

You start to laugh. "So, what now, Dean? You wanna start all the way over?"

Dean shrugs. "If you like. If you want, I'd like to at least redo that kiss you wanted to give me."

You giggle. "Okay. We'll see. Take me out to dinner first, and we'll see how it goes."

"Deal."

[flowercrowngods]

I saw you're taking prompts and tagged it as Clarkson so ngl i immediately went feral bc i love your writing so much!!! Anything clarkson would make me sooo happy, but i especially love the way you write more introspective scenes so maybe something with soft vibes, maybe some hurt/comfort or healing from past trauma together? (I hope that's not too vague, if you were looking for actual scene prompts I'd be happy to come up with something more specific) i hope you'l have a good weekend ❤️❤️

thank you so much for the prompt darling! here’s some clarkson hurt/comfort for you with just a dash of steddie because i particularly love these four together 🥰🤍 this kinda ran away from me and it’s probably all over the place

in which wayne has a flashback nightmare and scott calls eddie and steve for help

🤍 also on ao3

It’s a whimper that wakes Scott, and it takes him a moment to realise where he is — but the dark shadow of Wayne sitting up in bed beside him reassures him for a moment. A dream, surely. His dream woke him, even though he doesn’t remember anything.

But then there’s another whimper, followed by what can only be described as a sniffle. It breaks something inside Scott even before he realises what’s happening. As his eyes adjust to the dark, he makes out Wayne’s form where he’s hunched over, the blanket still around him like a protective shield, his face hidden in his hands. His breathing is unsteady, more like little gasps, suppressed in the pale shadow of a breathing exercise.

He’s never seen Wayne like this. He gets nightmares quite frequently, but he usually gets up for some fresh air and a cigarette, maybe a coffee if he decides to give up on the night. But never before has Scott witnessed him in such a state that screams of heartache and badly suppressed panic.

It’s a lonely vision that tears apart his insides, and it’s what makes him reach out before he can think better of it. Wayne flinches away from him and gasps as another wave of years seems to come over him.

“You’re safe,” is the first thing Scott says, the first thing that comes to mind, the first thing Wayne needs him to say sometimes.

Tonight, though, it only elicits another whimper.

“What do you need?“ he whispers. Not What’s wrong? Not Talk to me.

It takes Wayne a few attempts and Scott watches, panic threatening to rise inside him and join Wayne if only so he won’t have to be alone — as little sense as that makes. The last thing Wayne needs right now is a frantic Scott. So he breathes. Watches as Wayne struggles through his words and the lump in his throat.

“Eddie,” he gasps eventually. “Ed, tell me… Where’s Eddie? I should have— He didn’t do it. He didn’t kill the girl. I should have been there, I should have… I’m sorry, Ed.”

It tears Scott apart to see him like this, lost and stuck somewhere between the nightmare in his head and the nightmares of the past, and there’s nothing Scott can do about it. He remembers it well, though he has the privilege of being oblivious to everything, the privilege of no nightmares, the privilege of staying present and alert when a light flickers or a police car drives past.

“He’s okay, Wayne. It was a nightmare, my dear. Eddie is fine. Your nephew is at Steve’s. Steve Harrington. It’s been a year, Wayne, beloved. It’s been a year, he is doing great. Come back to me, darling. It’s fine, there’s no nightmare here, just me. Just me, Wayne. It’s safe, everyone’s safe. I promise.”

Another whimper and then Wayne hunches over even more. Helplessness spreads inside Scott, feeling like surely this is his nightmare now. Grief and guilt and panic and sadness are coming off Wayne in waves, and it chokes him up. He’s not good at this, placating people, talking them down. He never quite knows what to say, what to do, what to make with his voice.

An idea comes to him then, and he hopes that the boys will forgive him for calling at… 3:28 a.m.

He gets out of bed and whispers, “Don’t leave again, my love, I’ll be right back. It’s safe, I promise, it’s safe.”

Wayne doesn’t react and Scott has to physically keep himself from reaching for him again. His pulse is quicker than it should be, his thoughts are racing, and he really is beginning to be quite frantic. Taking a deep breath, he goes out into the living are, making sure to leave the door open so Wayne can hear him — and so he can hear him.

“Steve here,” comes a very familiar voice through the phone after just one ring, and Scott breathes a sigh of relief.

“Steve, it’s Scott. I’m terrible sorry to wake you, but—“

“You didn’t, we’re awake. What’s wrong?”

Scott closes his eyes and wills his heart to calm down. Everything’s going to be fine. “It’s Wayne, he’s… He had a nightmare, I think. About Eddie. Thinks it’s ‘86 again and Eddie is missing, presumed dead, and I can’t get him… I can’t get through to him.”

There’s some shuffling on the other end and then there’s another voice talking to him. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes, Mr Clarke.”

“Ten.” That’s Steve in the background.

“Ten minutes,” Eddie amends, and Scott kind of wants to cry. It doesn’t make sense. But neither does anything that happened to these people, so he’ll cut himself some slack. “Do you… Can you, uh, can you put on some music? Quiet, just to, uh, to bring him back? There’s this tape, Aftermath by the Stones. Rolling Stones. It’s black with blue writing and all their faces, it should be there somewhere. We used to listen to it every night after… everything. It should be enough until we’re there, okay?”

“Yeah,” he nods, already looking around for a black tape. “Yeah, I’ll find it. Thanks, boys, I don’t— I didn’t know what to do.”

More shuffling, then Steve is back again. “You did right, calling us. We’ll be there. Oh, and can you make coffee?”

He frowns. “Do you really think it’s a good idea for him to—“

“Oh, the coffee is for us. It’s gonna be a long night. Already has been.” He sounds weary and tired and Scott has to remind himself that the boy is only twenty and shouldn’t sound like that.

“Alright, coffee coming right up.”

“Thanks. We’ll, uh, we’ll leave now.” Steve says, sounding rushed. “Eddie, babe, I’m gonna need you to be calm, okay? Everyone’s safe, it’s gonna be fi—“

And then the line dies. Scott takes a second to listen to the incessant peep of the dial tone, gathering himself, before going on the mission of finding the tape and making coffee before returning into the bedroom just to be there even though he feels useless.

Eight minutes later, a car pulls up outside and Scott sighs in relief. Wayne is leaning against him now, still not talking, still crying silently, absently, but he’s coming back.

Within moments, another shadow appears in the doorway to the bedroom and Scott looks up to see a rather crazed looking Eddie. He can empathise.

“Hey, uncle Wayne,” the kid says in so gentle a voice that it makes Scott feel out of place. “Guess who it is, your favourite nephew in the whole wide world, who is very alive and extremely safe.” It’s said with a smile, but the teasing falls flat right along with Eddie’s heart, obvious in the way his voice wavers. There’s a shaky smile on Eddie’s face as he sits on the bed, taking Scott’s place, who takes this moment to leave the Munson men alone. Eddie’s pressing his forehead to Wayne’s, cradling his cheeks and speaking softly, gently, tenderly.

Scott almost flees the room. He’s too out of place in their moment.

He closes the bedroom door gently and a silently as he can, and is met with The Rolling Stones and Steve, cup of coffee already in his hand. They share a glance and it occurs to Scott that this is the closest he’s ever come to whatever trauma lies behind this boy’s eyes, the one that is reflected in Eddie’s and in the shadow that overcomes Wayne’s face sometimes.

“Hello,” he says at last, because what do you even say to someone who’s seen horrors unimaginable, leaning against the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee like that’s just life catching up around 4am.

Steve smiles and hands over the coffee he already prepared for Scott — black, two sugars. Oddly enough, that’s what does it for him. The alienation and obliviousness on the one hand, juxtaposed by and met with a gesture so simple as a cup of coffee just the way he likes it.

His shoulders fall and he joins Steve, who shuffles over a bit to make space for him.

“It’s been a year,” Steve says.

Scott looks at him, waiting for him to continue — something he’s learned around these three. They’ll continue or they won’t, but questions don’t really work. Not with this thing.

“Since… Since Chrissy. Few days later, Eddie almost died. Was presumed dead. It’s. It’s been a year, today. Tonight.” The boy sighs and Scott finds his insides torn apart once more.

“Is that why you were awake? The anniversary keep you up?”

Steve nods, his eyes somewhere far away as he takes another sip of his coffee. Into his mug he mutters something Scott is sure isn’t meant for his ears, but he can’t help but overhear something that will haunt him for a while.

“It’s always some kind of anniversary ‘round here.”

The thing is, Steve told him. Well, he and Eddie did, but the Munson boy’s mind had shut off from the conversation quickly, and Steve is the only one who can tell the story from the beginning. And Scott is not sure if he can believe it. He wants to, and emotionally, he does. But he has to treat it as a story, otherwise his mind would quickly join those lost.

“I’m really sorry.” He doesn’t know what for. For calling. For the horrors they’ve seen. For the nightmares everyone gets. For the faraway stare in Steve’s eyes. For the waver in Eddie’s voice.

Steve looks at him for a moment, then nods towards the front door. “Let’s go outside for a moment, yeah?”

Scott hesitates, looking back toward the still closed bedroom door, before giving in with a sigh. Nothing he can do. Eddie is better at this than him anyway.

The fresh air helps and he breathes a little easier. Steve smiles when he notices, leaning against the wall behind him. He’s always been a smart one, that boy, much better at the matters of heart than those of science, unfortunately, but Scott appreciates it now.

“Listen, half of Hawkins calls me in the middle of the night sometimes,” Steve continues. “Tonight it’s Wayne, last week it was Dustin. Woke up from a nightmare, needing to talk to Eddie. Robin spends every other night at my house because when she wakes, she won’t remember immediately if I’m still there.”

Steve sighs and shakes his head, meeting Scott’s eyes with an almost helpless look. Resignation, he thinks. The aftermath of terrible things are still terrible things.

“You call, okay? Whatever it is, whatever you or Wayne need. Whatever the clock says, whatever… Call. Like you did tonight. Sometimes that’s all we can do. You did the right thing.”

It doesn’t feel like the right thing when it makes the circles under Steve’s eyes so dark or his shoulders slump so much.

“You shouldn’t have to do that.”

The boy scoffs, looking up at the night sky. “Yeah, well, it’s a bit late for that. Besides, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for this man.” Their eyes meet again. “He’ll be fine.”

They talk more and Steve asks him a lot of questions, wanting to know how Scott’s doing with all this, with the trauma, the nightmares, this thing that haunts everyone but him.

“I don’t understand it,” he admits at some point. “How could I? But I understand the implications, I see the way the three of you and some kids at school behave, I see the haunted looks, and all I can do is be here. So I’m here.”

Steve hums. “Yeah, that’s what we do.”

Scott anticipates more questions or some kind of reaction; but then the front door opens and a tired, teary-eyed Eddie steps outside. He immediately goes to wrap himself around Steve, leaning against him, trusting that the wall will hold both of them.

Steve doesn’t move, just wraps his arms around Eddie, carefully balancing the coffee behind his back.

“You okay?” he whispers.

Eddie shakes his head, burrowing into him further, and Steve brushes fluttering kisses all over the side of his face. Scott doesn’t mean to watch them, but seeing them so affectionate, so comforting, it wakes an ache inside him. Something that’s buried deep inside him, because as much as he loves to hold Wayne or brush a kiss to his lips, his cheek, his forehead, he’s never felt quite brave enough to do just that. Only that. The way Steve and Eddie are doing right now.

There are too many years behind him, the weight on his chest too heavy, his feet never as stable and steady as he wishes for them to be. Being affectionate with a man, with Wayne, is something that still leaves him reeling sometimes. Wrong-footed, with nowhere to find out, no one to ask.

But watching the boys, it makes him brave. Gives him something to mirror, something to copy, something to learn and teach himself.

Swallowing, he heads back inside, needing to look out for Wayne, to see if he’s fine, to reassure himself that everything is as alright as it can be.

In the living room, Wayne looks up immediately and his face crumbles a little at whatever he sees on Scott’s face, his arms lifting as if asking for a hug. It’s not a gesture he’d ever have connected with Wayne, but that doesn’t matter when it’s past four in the morning and the kitchen smells like coffee and nightmares.

He hugs his man tightly, cradling the back of his head gently.

“Don’t apologise,” he whispers into Wayne’s neck. “Just don’t.”

“Okay,” his love whispers back. “I will tomorrow, though.”

“That’s fine,” Scott says, smiling and feeling his eyes begin to sting. He holds Wayne a bit tighter. “Are you feeling okay?”

After hesitating a moment too long, Wayne shakes his head no. “Better though. Don’t, uh. Don’t let go?”

“Never.”

Moments of silence pass like that, just standing there, holding each other. Bravery in the early morning hours.

“Thanks for calling my boys,” Wayne breaks the silence after a while.

“Of course,” Scott whispers, daring to brush a kiss to Wayne’s brow. Remembering the way Steve held Eddie and showered him in affection, Scott dares. He dares to follow that kiss up with another, to his temple this time, and another to his forehead. They’re nothing like the quick butterfly kisses he just witnessed, no. They’re slow. Hesitant in their approach and determined in their message.

I’m here. You’re here. We’re safe.

Wayne doesn’t move, but Scott can feel his breath hitch a little. It makes him smile. He pulls back a little, pressing their foreheads together.

“Thank you,” Wayne whispers.

“For what?”

“Bein’ here. Staying. Everything.”

“I’ll stay as long as you’ll have me.”

And he means it. Through the nightmares, through the haunted silences, through spontaneous trips to see Eddie, through late night phone calls to make sure the present is unchanged. Through it all, he will stay. He will learn how to make Wayne smile after a nightmare just like he’ll learn how to make his coffee after work. He’ll learn about his relationship with Eddie just like he’ll learn about the way he prefers his sandwiches or his favourite songs and movies.

He’ll learn. It’s the thing he does best. And he’ll be patient, he’ll grow braver by the day.

Right now, though, he only holds his man and dares to move his thumb along his cheek in a gentle caress, feeling the stubble under his fingertips like his own personal reminder that everything will be just fine.

Steve and Eddie stay the night, Eddie sharing the bed with Wayne while Scott takes the couch and Steve stays awake. Scott wants to protest but Steve shuts him off with a smile and the promise that he’ll wake him if anything changes.

It must be another terrible thing, the way this boy puts himself last — but that’s something Scott can learn another day. Right now, he listens for the gentle laughter coming from the bedroom, the door cracked open, and smiles when Wayne lets out an exasperated, “Fredward Munson, it’s five o’clock in the morning, for the love of God, shut the fuck up and let me sleep.”

Eddie cackles and answers something Scott can’t quite make out. Soon after, silence settles over the trailer and Scott falls asleep, feeling oddly safe with Steve watching over them, as though it’s his personal mission to fend off the nightmares himself.

He makes a mental note to make the boy more coffee in the morning.

[incensuous]

LYNEY & LYNETTE (GENSHIN)

[CRASHES INTO YOUR LIVING ROOM] GREETINGS, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT OUR LORD AND SAVIORS, LYNEY AND LYNETTE

As you can imagine, they are not canon, but I'd argue they are the closest we have to siscon/brocon in all of Genshin. And the only playable twins (aside from Aether and Lumine)!!

Also, the post is gonna detail all about the new Fontaine quest, so SPOILERS ahead!

In the newest story quest, we first meet Lynette and shortly after her brother, Lyney. Right out the gate, it's clear they're very close. This is honestly the ONLY time a sibling relationship is this front and center, despite Genshin having other playable siblings. Lynette gives me tsundere vibes, and Lyney is your typical cheeky, charismatic magician. Lyney mentions he's surprised Lynette is talking to the player, as his sister typically only talks to him. We tease Paimon, our companion, for being talkative enough for the both of us.

We take a ride together and, Lyney mentions it gets boring seeing the same scenery, and out of the blue, Lynette responds, "So you mean it's still boring even when I'm riding with you?" It's a strangely jealous sounding question, and considering Lynette is a bit deadpan and tsundere, I take it as Lynette wanting to get a response out of her brother. (Spoiler, this isn't the only time she says something like this!) Lyney is embarrassed and responds, it's because Lynette doesn't talk much, and how it feels like being at home, with just the two of them.

When we learn of a decades old case in Fontaine, revolving around young missing women, Lyney turns very serious and says, "I just imagined for a second what I would do if Lynette were to suddenly disappear... I'd pay any price to get her back and then find a way to track down the culprit." This is actually a bit of foreshadowing for what we learn about their backstory later on.

During the events of the game where Lyney is accused of murder and kidnapping a young woman (connected with the case of young missing women), we find out the twins are not just your friendly neighborhood magicians, but they are also working for the Fatui--an enemy faction, who have their roles behind many international plots. This upsets us but we still decide to defend Lyney and Lynette.

To prove their innocence, Lyney and Lynette reveal how their magic trick of swapping places with an audience member is done. Part of the trick involves Lynette briefly exiting the original box, disguised as Lyney, to pretend the swap hadn't worked, before Lyney steps out of the correct box and wows the audience. Lyney says, "I mean, we are twins. All it takes is a change of clothes and no one can tell who's who, hehe." The twins are twinning!!!

Lyney reveals their tragic backstory, of how they became street orphans after their parents died. To provide for the two of them, he observed a street magician and learned a few tricks. He mentions, "But, I didn't want my sister to remain a street rat together with me forever." The way he words it feels so selfless--he's thinking of Lynette before himself. While they're twins, he's definitely her older brother, and in the Japanese dub, Lynette calls him "onii-chan" WHICH IS INSANELY CUTE.

The two of them became popular enough as street performers, they caught the attention of a rich noble, who adopted them.

Their sad story doesn't end there. Lyney explains the noble basically paraded them around in his social circles as entertainment. One night, Lyney realizes Lynette is not in the car with him to go home and waits for her all night. When she doesn't return, Lyney asks the noble about her and is told someone had taken a liking to Lynette. And so, the bastard actually gave his sister away. As a gift.

I'll note here this is pretty intense for a Genshin scenario. The game is relatively PG, and while murder, etc, is talked about, and there are innuendos galore, we've never had straight up sexual abuse hinted at (as far as I know).

Lyney manages to find the location of his sister and sets out to save her. We see how young they are in this screenshot and by this time, they've already gone through this scenario--it's wild!!

By the time Lyney gets there, Arlecchino has already killed the piece of shit noble and saved Lynette, along with several other young orphan girls found in the basement. They mention no harm had come to Lynette yet. Arlecchino is a Fatui Harbinger, and has an incredibly ruthless demeanor, but she does run the House of the Hearth, seemingly full of orphans she's recruited. She offers the two of them to join the House of the Hearth and is referred to as "Father" by the orphans.

I think Lyney and Lynette do get close to the other children, but in particular, they seem close with Freminet, and even introduce him as their younger brother. I love them!!!

This has been a monster post, and I haven't even gotten to the text lore or their personal quest. I'll save that for a part 2, but even though this post is excessive, I just NEEDED to absolutely gush how cute they are.

[professorspork]

director's commentary sdau emerald scene

You know, I really should have seen this coming but I didn't.

Let's put it under a cut bc moderate spice and considerable length:

This scene went through more iterations and re-writes than the vast majority of its brethren.

I dug around in our chat history to find the exact moment we generated the idea, because this one wouldn't have happened without you. and you know what I learned?

it dates to mid-January 2023, which is literally before I started posting newsbees. this idea is OLD. it is some of the EARLIEST MATERIAL of sdau.

I told you I was reading this for fic research in the middle of an unrelated discussion about Emerald; you then joked that all you could think about was Emerald at the sex club giving vytal fic vibes, just bored out of her skull while people throw themselves at her, and I said I hadn't come up with a role for her yet.

you: emerald would try to go to the sex club after getting out of a toxic relationship the way blake did and then she'd be there for 15 minutes and nope the fuck out and run away me: which, actually-- she could be one of blake's one-off partners where after about 5 minutes blake's like "you are allowed to leave we really don't have to do this" and em's like OHTHANKGOD

I briefly considered a much crueler idea in which Blake witnessed Emerald and Cinder doing a scene together, but we quickly agreed that the original idea was the better one.

I haven't been able to find chat history about it, so I'm moderately certain that I didn't tell you about the fact that I'd decided to read poor Emerald for filth and give her the Mommy kink until I started showing you the scene in its original incarnation, in mid-July of 2023 (which has the benefit of showing just how long this project has taken me, lmao).

me: emerald. sweetheart. when you say mommy kink most people assume that means you wanna be coddled and not that you want to be negged. just. just saying me: emerald do you know what mothers are me: emerald

That first version of the scene differed in several keys ways from the final product, but the most crucial of those was that in the first go-around, Blake actually agreed to give Emerald her number. Em asked for it, and Blake said "Sure, I'd like that," and then the scene ended.

I sat on that for *checks time stamps* approximately 29 hours before I broke the news to you that, upon reflection, I didn't buy it; I just couldn't believe that Blake would be in a healthy enough place mentally to do that. the better and more accurate thing for the story would be for Blake to chicken out and then regret it, because she couldn't be for Em what Sun had been for her.

you: oh no why are you doing that it makes me sad me: because if blake is in a cool enough place to do that with em her actually exchanging numbers with yang doesn't hit as hard you: but now I'm so sad me: i mean it's still ME i'm sure i'll find a way for her to encounter em again before the end

(hmmm. Did I do that in the end? I SUPPOSE WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND FIND OUT, DEAR READERS.)

from there, once I'd figured out what the scene was truly for, it was still a lot of effort and tweaking before I got it to read how I wanted to: threading the simultaneous needles of being lowkey arousing but also inarguably unsettling from the jump, so that you're seeing those red flags but maybe, like Blake, thinking they can be overcome until it's very obvious they Can't. I struggled with how to frame it so that it came through that Blake was being... mmm, let's say reckless without crossing the line into Blake being irresponsible, and I wasn't happy with my first stabs at it. in the very first draft, after Em says says she doesn't want to discuss her burn scar and adds "There, that's a boundary, since you wanted one so bad," the prose goes 'There is absolutely no way they are fucking at this point, given Emerald's attitude, and… Blake doesn't know why she stays.'

Which: why would I tell the reader that? It's way too on the nose, and drains the scene of all tension! it also made the spanking moment read as overtly didactic in a way that I didn't like and hadn't intended, so. I tried to drill down into what I thought it was about.

adding the flashback moments to Blake's encounter with Trifa helped considerably; that wasn't in the first draft at all, though the fact that she'd had that encounter was already canon. taking a look at it again, I realized weaving those two together was an opportunity to show why Blake "lets" Emerald make this mistake and indulges her, because it's the same thing Blake went through and she understands it. massaging the tempo and timbre of my vocab took some doing so Blake wasn't in full-on panic attack mode and thus making it all seem WORSE than it already was.

and the final thing I changed was just... twisting that knife more and adding to their rapport. the original draft was brief; it went right from Emerald giving the Cinder backstory to Blake being like "congrats on past tense" and then it was the phone number ask. it was important to me to elaborate on why these two had chemistry, on how they were parallel, and on just how much they liked each other and vibed-- on just how much of an opportunity Blake was missing out on. so Blake laughing more at Em's jokes, and getting the Mercury context, that all came later.

in total, I think this scene had like five or six discrete iterations before reaching its final form.

[facetsofthecloset]

What order would you suggest reading Discworld in? :0

Oh my friend you have opened an entire Amazon warehouse of a can of worms, which is going under a cut because I'm so sorry, you've activated my trap card

1: Preamble

First, a caveat: I have not read ALL of the Discworld books yet. There's a bunch of the short stories and sort of "bonus content"-y stuff that I haven't got round to, and the last two books he wrote before he passed, (I Shall Wear Midnight and Shepherd's Crown) but I have read everything else!

So!

Ok, there are lots of “recommended reading order” lists out there for Discworld, and what they generally do is group books into subcategories based on the protagonists.

These are fine as a base structural framework to work from, but if you're asking me I'm guessing you want a more personalized recommendation, SO

It really depends on your interests! When I started Discworld I'd already been pilled on tumblr, seeing posts cross my dash every now and then (probably due to the Glorious 25th of May actually, which I'm spamming right now) about how great it was and how many books there were.

So I picked up the first book (The Color of Magic) even though everyone said don't start there, and I stuck to it because I'd kind of already decided to like the series, or at least be incredibly open-minded about it.

Listen. The Color of Magic was published in 1983, it was one of his earliest novels, and it's definitely a bit rough. But! Full of personality and chaos, from which stars will be born later on.

You can think of it as the primordial ooze, full of nutrients and ideas and things that could evolve, but kind of formless and a bit confused at the moment

2: The List

So if you're not a bit naive and desperate for a new fantasy series to be obsessed with as an adult and trusting wholeheartedly a lot of strangers online that things get really really good, and you want some proof upfront, this is my list of potential starters:

Reaper Man (Death subseries #2)

Witches Abroad (Witches subseries #3)

Feet of Clay (City Watch subseries #3)

The Truth (Industrial Revolution subseries #2)

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents (YA standalone that takes place in the Discworld)

Going Postal (Industrial Revolution #4 or Moist von Lipwig subseries #1)

You'll notice that I've picked almost none of the "first book" in a subseries and I have good reasons for that! I'll talk about each book individually, but my main reason for starting you off a little ways into each subseries is that the Vibes(tm) of the very first book in a subseries are very different to the actual overall Vibes(tm) of the subseries generally, once it's had time to fill out and ripen a bit.

The books I've picked are the "early but recognizable" stages of most of the series', because I think you can go back to read the first ones as a sort of prequel treat for yourself later once you've started to run out of books in the series, which happens faster than you think given there's 41 of them.

But I'll go into more detail about that with the individual books! Again, I am so sorry this is so bloody long. I'm having coffee as we speak

3: List Breakdown

Reaper Man (Death subseries #2):

“What can the harvest hope for, if not for the care of the Reaper Man?”

Protagonist: Death (the anthropomorphic personification)

Summary: Death is fired from his job for caring too much, and has to go live as a farmhand. In his absence, things start to get weird, leading to zombie wizards and sentient shopping carts.

Why start here: Death as a character shows up all over the place in Discworld, and he's wonderful. This is the 11th book in publishing order, and one of the first that had me almost crying at the end. A lot of the earlier books had me kinda going "ok that was fun but I feel like I'm missing something, why is it people keep going on about this series?" and while this book doesn't quite yet answer that question, it gave me a hell of a lot of motivation to keep going.

The Death subseries book before this, Mort, is also good! If you want to start there, that's fine. But to me, it's a prologue, and doesn't give you an accurate picture of what the Overall Vibes of the series are. Reaper Man is still also kind of a prologue in that sense, seeing as Death is not even the protagonist for all of the Death books, but I still say it's a good place to start. It sets the groundwork for future books but also...

...man that quote about the harvest, and yes the summary sounds absurd and it is because it's not just fantasy, it's parody and comedy, but in the same book you'll have moments where you just have to stare at the wall for a bit unsure if you're going to reach enlightenment or burst into tears.

Reaper Man is a very wholesome, funny, and casually profound place to start your Discworld journey. It's early in the timeline of the Disc, you get a taste of the Wizards subseries as well, and you can see how important settings like Ankh-Morpork, the main city, start out. One thing I love about Discworld is how it grows, so starting out earlier in the in-universe timeline can be nice to get the full effect of seeing that.

A later Death book, Hogfather, is one I would recommend someone read if they were under some kind of curse where they could only ever read 3 Discworld books ever, and of course you could jump right to that one.

But if you want a bit of build up and additional context, you can start with Reaper Man.

Witches Abroad (Witches subseries #3):

Lily: You'd have done the same. Granny: No. I'd have thought the same, but I wouldn't have done it. Lily: What difference does that make, deep down? Nanny Ogg: You mean you don't know?

Protagonist: The Witches/Granny Weatherwax

Summary: Magrat Garlick, youngest of Lancre's witch coven trio, inherits a fairy godmother's wand, and thus also a fairy goddaughter, named Emberella. Unfortunately, Emberella lives very far away in Genua, and none of the witches really know how to make the wand work, and hardly any of them have left Lancre much at all before, let alone gone all the way to fantasy New Orleans. And Magrat's the one who got the wand, so she really should be the one taking point on this, but Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax can hardly let the youngest, soppiest, and wettest-behind-the-ears witch of their coven go off and make fairy tales on her own, can they? They've got a happy ending to make, and a bad witch to find...

Why start here: More into witches and fairy tales? Like a good Cinderella parody? Want to know how to stop spelling bananananana daquiri? Well, Nanny Ogg actually can't help you there, but you can get the other stuff.

Granny Weatherwax, along with Samuel Vimes of the City Watch subseries, is the beating heart and deeply, calmly furious soul of Discworld.

She is THE Witch. Witches don't have leaders, but Granny is the First among equals.

You can meet her earlier in the series, in Equal Rites or Wyrd Sisters, but Witches Abroad are when things start to come together in terms of tone and style for the Witches subseries, at least for me. Like Reaper Man, Witches Abroad is fairly early in the in-universe timeline as well as #12 in the publishing order, right after Reaper Man. Between the two, you can get a decent idea of the early form of the Disc, though I'd add in Guards! Guards! to complete that picture.

On its own, it's a fun romp full of recognizable parodies and interesting twists, a good old fashioned road trip. And it punches you in the face later about the nature of morality and how people think, about identity and choosing who you're going to be.

It won't make sense unless you've read it, but I think about a scene towards the end and the line "This one," all the time. Start here, read the other Witches books, have a Granny Weatherwax permanently etched into the back of your mind, reminding you about the difference between thinking and doing.

Feet of Clay (City Watch subseries #3):

“You couldn't say 'I had orders.' You couldn't say 'It's not fair.' No one was listening. There were no Words. You owned yourself. [...] Not 'Thou Shalt Not'. Say 'I Will Not'.”

Protagonist: Samuel Vimes

Summary: Commander of the City Watch, Samuel Vimes, now officially a Sir and married into the ranks of Ankh-Morporks elite, must have a coat of arms made. Thank gods there's been a murder for him to focus on instead. Someone's poisoning the Patrician--Lord Vetinari--too, and something strange is happening with the city's golems...

Why start here: This is it. For me, this was the book that made me go "Oh. That's why everyone loves this series." Every book up to this point had been interesting, funny, engaging, but as yet a little underbaked compared to the hype--until here.

Feet of Clay was the point of no return for me as a Discworld fan. This is the start of Sam Vimes, the man who IS Ankh-Morpork in many ways, the character you think of first when someone says "Discworld" (or boots. The "Sam Vimes Boots Theory of Economics" seems to travel outside of Discworld circles sometimes, from what I've heard.)

The City Watch books prior to this are all important to the formation of Sam Vimes as we know him mainly, which is why most people tend to start you off with Guards! Guards!. Totally legitimate place to start, but if you're going into it after being stuffed full of hype on tumblr and elsewhere, you're going to go "Hm. Is that it?"

Feet of Clay is #19 in publishing order, around midway through the series and part of what I've seen referred to as the "golden age" of Discworld books. As far as in-universe time goes, it's a bit farther along than Reaper Man or Witches Abroad, but not hugely. Things are established and the swing has been grasped, and Sam Vimes in freshly fully baked. (I keep using the word because it's relevant to the story lol) He'll go on from here to even greater heights, but this is a damn good start into Vimes being Vimes.

Now I will caveat this with a warning that if you are so ACAB that even seeing the word "cop" makes you break out in hives, then you probably shouldn't read City Watch books.

But I will say, policing as Sam Vimes does it is different from the modern American police. Obviously. This is fiction, it's based more on older English policing, it's a fantasy world, and Sam Vimes would be the first person to tell you that a cop who isn't a bastard is a liar, which is just another type of bastard.

It isn't pure uncritical copaganda, it's closer to Brooklyn 99, not CSI Miami, but if your stance is that making the protagonist a police officer we are meant to relate to at all is irredeemable, then yeah, this isn't going to work for you.

But so much of the Watch series--arguably all of it-- is about asking the question How do you be a good copper? What is a good copper? What is good? How do you be 'good' when you know that inside your head you're a messy, problematic bastard who thinks he knows better than everyone and has authority to abuse?

Who watches the watchmen? Sam Vimes. He watches himself, all the time. Maybe you won't agree with his conclusions, and I've heard people say the later Watch books where Terry's Alzheimers was progressing were too White Savior, but that's something you'd have to decide for yourself if you decide to keep reading.

For me, the City Watch books are the heart of Discworld, and they are absolutely worth engaging with.

Feet of Clay is a pretty classic and fun murder mystery, coupled with serious discussions of personhood and slavery, and has a plotline dealing with a lot of gender stuff that is expanded on in later books. It's far enough along in the series that the basics are established, and early enough that there is a lot of interesting development to look forward to.

I haven't reread it in a while, but it will always hold a special place in my heart for being the book where Discworld clicked home and became a permanent part of my psyche.

The Truth (Industrial Revolution subseries #2):

“The truth has got its boots on,” he said. “It’s going to start kicking.”

Protagonist: William de Worde, standalone

Summary: Printing presses were not allowed in Ankh-Morpork. Alas, times were moving on, and brought with them The Times, Ankh-Morpork's very first newspaper. William de Worde finds himself falling into the role of the Disc's first journalist. It starts with innocent stories of humorous vegetables and debates over when the coldest winter was, and ends with an attempted assassination (several, in fact), a shadowy conspiracy, a dog's testimony, and daddy issues (doesn't it always).

They say a lie can run around the world before the truth has got its boots on, but William's got a shoehorn and is prepared to tie some laces.

Why start here: Drop into an almost fully-established and stabilized Ankh-Morpork, watch a new technology drop into it and see the ripples. The Truth is categorized as an Industrial Revolution book, but it's also a standalone. You can know nothing about the Discworld and still have a damn good time.

It's honestly one of my favorites, possibly the favorite, owing to the presence of Otto Chriek, vampire photographer (called iconographers on the Disc) to The Times and also my favorite Discworld character ever number 1 no contest hands down don't talk to me. (Are there "better" and "more important" Discworld characters? Of course. Doesn't mean jack when it comes to personal favorites though, does it. Otto Chriek my beloved my darling my heart and soul this is his first appearance and after this he only gets mentioned in passing in the background of other books although he occasionally does get a whole scene and some dialogue I'm Normal About Him)

Ahem. Anyway.

If you want a good taste of what Terry Pratchett's writing is like overall, just one good sampler, this is a pretty decent choice. It's neat and contained but also has a lot of ties to the rest of the series that you could easily pull on if you wanted to. It's sometime after Feet of Clay, timeline-wise, but is really the start of the Industrial Revolution of Discworld proper, and you can make an argument for it starting off a second stage (maybe a silver era?) of Discworld books, in terms of publication order. There's Ankh-Morpork pre-newspaper, then there's Ankh-Morpork post-newspaper, and this is obviously the dividing line.

Because of that, it's possible that it would be slightly disorienting to read this first and then go back to an older pre-newspaper Discworld, because the dynamics are different. But that's one aspect of the series that I love, how it has its own historical eras. "Ah, this story is still in the Century of the Fruitbat, before the introduction of printing presses in Ankh-Morpork" or "Oh, this is from the post-clacks society," stuff like that.

It's a huge part of what makes Discworld feel like a real, entire universe, and how different books in the series feel like snapshots of their history. And history can be funny, profound, horrific, ironic, fascinating, and above all, human.

Even if "human" in the Disc doesn't cover nearly everyone. Barley anyone, you could argue. They have a lot of different species.

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents (YA standalone):

“People were people, even if they had four legs and had called themselves names like Dangerous Beans, which is the kind of name you gave yourself if you learned to read before you understood what all the words actually meant.”

Protagonist: debatable but I'll say Maurice (a cat. standalone)

Summary: The trouble with magic is that you never know what it'll do. Sometimes, it turns a bunch of rats (and one cat) from dumb animals into The Clan and Maurice, who work together with a human boy named Keith to run a Pied Piper scam.

Keith is human, and talks to other humans, offering to rid them of their town's rats, and The Clan pretend to be charmed by his flute and make a show of leaving town. Maurice--well, he's the brains of the outfit and makes sure no one grows too much of a conscience over the grift, and that he they get paid properly. And everyone likes cats.

One of the towns they come across, though...something is wrong here. There are no rats, or...are there? What is a rat, anyway? What's the difference between a rat and a Clan rat? What's the difference between a Clan rat and a human? Or a Maurice?

That was the problem with thinking. Once you started, you went on doing it.

Why start here: Similar to The Truth, a good way to get a decent, well-rounded sampling of Prachettian writing. You've got the parodic element in the Pied Pier story, some genuine horror in the antagonist of the story, existential questions on the nature of sentience and personhood, puns that you won't even realize are puns until you come across an explanatory post on tumblr, as well as the puns that hit you in the face and kick you in the fork and make you go "Fucking hell. More please!" Just because it's YA doesn't mean it's any lesser, it's just a slightly different tone of voice.

I don't remember exactly what era of Discworld it takes place in, but it's later in the publication order and I think timeline-wise, definitely after The Truth? I'm pretty sure newspapers exist at this point. It doesn't matter as much, since most of the story takes place outside of Ankh-Morpork. Either way, it's very accessible, a decent one-and-done. There's a rat named Dangerous Beans, who was voiced by David Tenant in the recent animated film. (Not a good adaptation but you could watch it. It's. Well not the worst, as Discworld adaptations go, but it's like. Fine. Kinda weird. Kinda boring. Read the book.)

Going Postal (Industrial Revolution #4, or Moist von Lipwig #1):

“Raise the stakes! Always push your luck because no one else would push it for you.”

Protagonist: Moist von Lipwig

Summary: Professional conman Albert Spangler is hanged for his crimes, and reborn as Moist von Lipwig--his actual birth name. His new lease on life comes with the caveat of resurrecting the long-defunct Ankh-Morpork Post Office as Postmaster General. As a consummate liar and career criminal, he's a perfect fit for government service.

And he's just in time--The Grand Trunk clacks company, under its newest management, has been plagued by enshittification. Once able to relay messages across the continent "at the speed of light," now it's expensive, breaks down constantly, and runs on the blood of its workers. But messages still have to get through, and you can't send a package by semaphore. The world needs the Post, and the Post needs Moist von Lipwig.

Him? He needs a new name. And a way to get rid of his golem parole officer...

Why start here: Moist von Lipwig is a late addition to the canon and only stars in 3 books (one of which is distinctly different in style, owing to the advancement of Pratchett's Alzheimer's at time of writing), but he is just about as crucial to Discworld as Granny Weatherwax, Sam Vimes, and Lord Vetinari. He's a grifter who's all about style, and holy shit is he good at it.

To me, Going Postal is a perfect book, and the sequel Making Money is somehow even better. I got my friend hooked on Discworld by reading a passage out of the sequel to her and subsequently read her the entire book and Going Postal after. Get past his name, and Moist von Lipwig is all you've ever dreamed of in terms of entertainment.

The Moist books (lol) are formatted a little bit differently to the others, as it's one of the only Discworld books to have formal chapters and sort of chapter summaries? I'm not sure why this is but I think it has to do with Moist being, well, Moist. Everything in his life is a show and so his books also have a bit of extra set dressing.

I think if you read Going Postal and Making Money and those were the only Discworld books you ever knew about you'd still be obsessed madly in love and fanatic about the whole series. Moist comes into things when Ankh-Morpork is already pretty much fully-fledged, and he could have been the beginning to a new era. As his presence inclusion in the Industrial Revolution series implies, he brings about a lot of huge structural/technological changes to the Disc and it's amazing to watch it unfold.

Going Postal also has the distinction of having one of the only decent Discworld screen adaptations (look I haven't watched all of them and I'm really sorry if there's a BBC version or something that you really love, but the ones that I've seen so far are mostly...either really low-budget and weird or just boring). I'd say if you watched the movie version and liked it, you'd like the book even more but not in spite of the movie, you know? Charles Dance is in it as Lord Vetinari and aside from his hair not being black he's fucking perfect. You cannot go wrong here.

4: Conclusions

I'm sorry this got so LONG AHH

But! What you choose to read as your first Discworld book imo depends hugely on what your interests are and why you're interested in the series to begin with.

If you just want a quick way to see what all the fuss is about, I'd say any of the standalones or Moist books.

If you want a sample of how it unfolds and grows and are willing to put some time into it, start with Reaper Man and maybe read down the list I made, then go back and read the other books in their respective subseries. Or pick one that you liked a lot and follow that subseries first!

If you're really willing to put in the time and want to understand the series as a whole, do what I did and start with The Color of Magic and go by publication order. You're going to need a bit of patience and be generous at first, wait for things to develop, but for me it's been worth it. Again, if you have the time though. I mean, it is 41 books.

Or, if you're into a bit more chaos than that...use a random number generator and read whatever it tells you. Honestly, even books in longer subseries's are self-contained and pretty readable on their own, you just get more context if you read it "in order." The roulette approach is perfectly viable.

I mean, I do have Discworld books that I'm not as fond of, but none where I'd say you should never read it.

Even my least favorite (Interesting Times, part of the Wizards series) has a lot of redeeming qualities and I reread it a couple times before I decided maybe I didn't like it as much. (It's mostly because they go to fantasy East Asia and it's a bit Asian Monolith-y. Look I love Pratchett but he was a white British man who started writing in the late 70s/early 80s y'know? He's good but not perfect. The Wizards series has a lot of traveling around the Disc and a lot of like, racial stereotypes involved. Which is a shame because I do love the main protagonist of the series (Rincewind), it just personally makes me a little uncomfortable.)

That said, I don't hate it.

There are no Discworld books I regret reading. There's just ones I enjoyed even more than the others, and ones that have been permanently absorbed into my soul. You really can't go wrong.

This concludes my Starter Discworld dissertation I'm so sorry but you did ask 💦

[sitp-recs]

Fandom creators self rec game! Choose five favourites from your own creations (and tell me why, if you like!), then pass on to at least five other people. I'd love to hear what you're proudest of.

Hello beloved! It’s always a privilege to see you in my inbox, thank you so much for this lovely ask and apologies for taking two centuries to reply lol this was a quite emotional trip down memory lane for me - I couldn’t decide whether to go with rec lists or single recs (oof I haven’t written one in so long 🥲) because they’re both so different and special in their own way. In the end I’m gonna do lists because I think they’re generally more helpful and popular! I’ve been going through a creative / fandom slump for a while now, so this was great encouragement as it made me look back at my own recs with joy and kindness. Thank you babes 💜

1. I actually still love the Drarry for Beginners series! Fun story, I wasn’t very confident about it at first - I was getting many requests for a classics rec list back then but I don’t really vibe with the “MUST read these or you’re not a valid fandom member” mentality so I tried to come up with a different format that felt more like an invitation than a lecture. I think I found a good balance of well known fics and hidden gems, so I’m very proud of that. Also, the banners looked really good! Especially the redemption arc and the Muggle!Draco AU ones if I do say so myself.

2. The Hidden Gems series is also one of my most precious babies - it took me a long time to plan it out, read all fics and prepare the small blurbs for each one and I really love how it came across, the authors I chose to highlight, and the fact that I was able to mix Drarry and rare pairs. I remember getting an ask back in the day that accused me of only reccing my friends (anon really overestimated my network size 🤣), they could have at least checked the hidden gem series before going for public embarrassment lol there’s so much to explore there, and I really wanna come back to it one day to finalize the second edition that I started posting in 2022. Hopefully this year!

3. 35 Romantic Shorts: my heart is so very soft for this one, not only because the ever generous @bluebutter-art has let me use her stunning art for the banner, but I’m also such a passionate champion of short form and I feel like this list really embraced the concept and delivered great recs. I’m not a fluff gal by any standards so this was a nice exercise finding the softest, most romantic and soothing reads that made my heart beat faster. It would be lovely to go back and maybe add a couple more lists with new shorts, or alternatively make new lists for medium-length and long fics. So many ideas, so little time!

4. It feels like a lifetime ago but I’m still very fond of my “smutty recs week” that I made to celebrate one of my first followers milestone. Ahh the nostalgia! All lists can be found here and include a wide variety of themes and kinks like voyeurism, dirty talk, gang bang and others. Those banners are some of my favourites too, they turned out very sassy and clever if I do say so myself. I had so much fun with them! I gotta find the time to sit down and update some of those lists with newer treats!

5. Now highlighting something more recent (from Feb 2023… LOL) I’m super proud of my Rare Pair Romance list for Valentine’s Day. It was a great chance to compile (most of) my favorite rare pair fics in one place and include different ships and tropes. I’m always looking for an excuse to rec het pairings which I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so this was the perfect way to do it.

[weatherw1tch]

SHIPPING INFO. Answer the following so people know how shipping works on your blog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

The women being treated with respect and written well. Genuinely lmao, but an actual ship (out of many)? Sanami. With the right tweaks to canon, it's ❤️

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

Anything so long as the vibe is right and it isn't just outright writing gross stuff without being critical of the topic. Naturally, you'll have plots and stuff come up that don't work for either character or writer, certain genres that don't mesh or whatever, but that's fine!

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

As long as everyone is a consenting adult and neither party watched the other grow up, I'm down. I think there are some pairings, like in real life, when the age gap is so huge I wonder how the two can have anything in common, but that takes such a backseat to the first point.

Are you selective when shipping?

What matters to me is that both the writers and muses click.

I always like to stress that as much as I may want to write a ship, if you write the other character and still want to write with me, but aren't into the ship, we do not have to ship it. I am so happy to spin things a thousand different ways, and I never want someone to feel pressured into doing anything.

It sucks when all you get out of talking with someone is them wanting your character for a pre-conceived role without taking into consideration how you view the character, or just taking you into consideration in general, as the person behind the character.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

When clothes come off and/or heavier touching takes place. Also, if the descriptors are less than PG.

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

Shankino. Usokaya. Mishanks. Brook/Jinbe, Law/Sanji, Sora/Zeff.

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

I'd always prefer we talk about it first, even if talking about it consists of, "I love this and can't believe you write this character!" and "I love this and can't believe you write that character!" and deciding we're going to send each other a bunch of memes because of this.

How often do you like to ship?

I'm a big romantic.

Are you multiship?

Not everyone writes one character the same way, and not every duo will write one ship the same way. It's always so fun to see how different characters can pull different things out of one muse. So yes!

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

As much as I'm a lovey bitch, I love dynamics in all senses. I love to write because I love to explore the dynamics between characters and how those relationships affect the way they see things and go about the world and how they grow together (or make each other worse, in some cases.)

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Druhawk/Drulucci.

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Message me with ideas, like my posts, send in memes, etc. Take me by the shoulders and beam it into my head with telepathy.

Tagged by: @sirensofthefiveseas ty!!