#and i'm glad that you can find the recovery fics you need as well anon

[definitelynotshouting]

Hey friend, I am absolutely rotating the HECK out of Hunger AU rn. I just binged all of the tagged posts and I'm going FERAL! Watchers being like parasitic wasps? Listeners being like fungi? Absolutely based takes.

I'm very much a fan of the emotional realism going on and I'm so terrified of Angry!Mumbo. Like. Bro doesn't get all that angry that often those folks are the scariest properly pissed.

And I relate far too much to the Search Party tbh. Something about the themes of mental and physical illness, wanting to help but not knowing how, the one you want to help not wanting help at this point, the resentment that causes on both sides of that stalemate... yeah I've been there.

Also, I am insanely curious about the ecological niche that Watchers and Listeners fulfill. Like. There has to be a reason they are the way they are. I'm insanely curious about what the environment they evolved in looked like, and even more curious as to what they provide back to the universe in return.

Like. Irl most wasps are predatory insects, controlling the population of pests and invasive species, but the tidbits you've given us about how they feed on emotions and the groups they feed on put me more in mind of, like, herding dogs. Yknow? Does that make sense? Gathering players together and moving them away from half abandoned worlds to let them dissolve back into the greater code. Maybe interviening in virus-infected worlds or virus-vulrable worlds, encouraging those players to move or perish.

And Listeners, well, fungi occupy so many diverse niches they could do just about anything, really. It's very fun to think about and I am rotating them vigorously, thank you for feeding us so well <3

(May I be 🐸 anon?)

This is such a sweet ask i am so 🥺🥺🥺🥺 abt it, im really pleased that you're enjoying the emotional realism ive committed to for this fic, because thats just such an important aspect for me-- my goal here is to depict a deeply emotional, moving, and messy situation about illness and recovery where no one's feelings are punished or demonized by the narrative. Its just so, so important to me that the Search Party (and later on, the other hermits) get their emotions properly respected and explored. Its not just about Grian, even if he is the ultimate focus-- everyone else deserves varied, emotional responses to an ugly and terrifying situation where theres hurt on all sides. This is the kind of realism i love putting in all of my writing, and the kind of justice i want to do for all characters in stories like these!!

Its a little funny how this au originally started with me brainrotting absently about Watcher biology because i wanted to explore the idea of Grian pretending to be an avian and finding certain aspects of it deeply uncomfortable. And then it just. Snowballed into this!! And now i am chewing on worldbuilding for breakfast DKXNSJDJ im really glad you enjoy the Watchers and Listeners lore!!! I need to make a proper post on Devs (or dev crystals, as theyre actually called), as well as general code structure, bc they are both so fucking cool as well

I absolutely love your herding dog analogy, and its giving me some great ideas because for the longest time i couldnt quite figure out what exactly a Watcher's ecological niche was beyond predator to Players and prey for something else that's extinct. But now im really looking at the connection between Watchers feeding habits and Players' biological need for play (or dreams, if you want to get into the minecraft end poem of it all), and theres something there that i really wanna take some time to tease out before i give a concrete answer. I need to update my hunger au masterlist LOL i am saur behind 😭

Anyway this was such a lovely ask to sink my teeth into!!!! Thank you so much for sending it, and ofc you can be frog anon!!! This was a really stimulating conversation for me so thank you again for getting my brain whirring :D i hope to see you in the inbox again!!

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Hiii,

Not sure if you are taking any request but would you mind writing a Chris Evans request for me you can either use Chris Evans or (Andy barber) 😭🥺🫶🏼

I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed next week on Wednesday and I'm scared shitless like scared 😭happen to be in my late 20s and deathly by afraid of needles, doctors, anything to do with medical things in general.. feel like I'm about to walk into a lions den.. l'd rather jump of out a plane than do this surgery 😭 sorry for the long introduction thing I'm really nervous... and sorry for wasting your time if you don't even do requests or this isn't your cup of tea :(

But I was wondering if you could write a long image 2k plus or it doesn't have to be 🥺... something along the lines of the reader getting her teeth out and her in recovery and he's there with her through everything and super supportive... mushy gushy fluff husband vibes... takes care of her and just good comforting vibes... and comforts her when she needs to be put under for the surgery... I love your writing style.. your page is a beautiful comfort piece of happiness in my daily life. I understand if you can't but it was worth a shot 🥺😭🌷🎀 I just was wanting something to read afterwards or before to calm my nerves ... and can't seem to find an image and neither are my writing skills any good...

Anyways I hope you have a good rest of your day regardless 🥺🫶🏼🌷☺️☀️

Thank you so much for your request, sweet Anon! You can find the completed request right here! 💙

I hope everything goes well for you tomorrow and that the fic has brought you all the love, comfort, and support you need to get through it all! 💙

Lastly, I cannot even begin to thank you enough for all your kind words and support. It means the world to me to hear you say these things! The fact that my blog brings you comfort and happiness in your daily life really warms my heart because I'm glad that my work brings you the joy you are looking for.

If you ever need someone to talk to, please don't hesitate to reach out via my asks or DM. They'll always be open! 💙

[not-poignant]

Hello! An earlier anon ask who thanked you about writing incredibly good trauma recovery (especially rape recovery) reminded me to thank you personally as well. Since non-con is one of the most triggering things for me to read if it isn't followed by at least a "road to recovery" after, your writing helps me to process those works which I unfortunately have to read anyways (f.ex. for my english course, in which there are a lot of books that deal with rape without showing the aftereffects)

Hi anon!

I think I know what you mean? Like, a lot of literature (and science fiction, and fantasy, and horror, and thrillers etc.) often use rape as a device, but rarely show the aftermath. Even on the rare occasions that they do, they show it as a crippling, horrific thing (which it is, obviously) with very little (if any) real recovery, very little (if any) support, and the person suffers in silence.

I remember reading a lot of those kinds of books when I was younger? And, yeah, some of them were on our curriculum list at both highschool and then later at university when I did some creative writing electives.

And I remember at the time sort of internalising this broken narrative that like, disastrous violations like this can happen and that nothing will be the same again afterwards, and certainly, it will be nearly impossible to find happiness or contentment or comfort or whatever. It’s a really...problematic narrative to internalise, given how many people will experience trauma (and sexual assault). And I became driven to both find and write stories that looked at trauma recovery.

It was one of the reasons I became really invested in trauma recovery narratives specifically. The idea that not only do you have the cause (rape) and the effect (trauma) but you also then have the action that follows, which is recovery for most people. Humans have a fairly deep-seated drive to heal, even if they have very few resources and very few ways of knowing how to do it, we are an organism that tries to self-repair as much as possible, and scar tissue - external and internal - is better than nothing.

I find PTSD and the mental disorders that can come after sexual assault and rape personally interesting in part because I’m a rape survivor. But I got really tired of like ‘stuck’ narratives where nothing moved after the trauma. I just...personally need stories that are invested in what comes after the cause/effect part. That’s just my jam. It’s not for everyone, for sure. Some people are equally triggered by recovery stories, for whatever reasons they may be. But for some of us, they’re very necessary.

I’m really glad fandom spaces in particular created a pocket where they could thrive, which is specifically in the hurt/comfort genre. They were the very first kinds of stories I started looking for (hurt/comfort, rape or trauma recovery) on AO3 long before I ever had an account, and they were what made me love fandom years before AO3 ever existed. And I’m just very relieved I guess that other people can find those stories too.

But y’know? They never do get taught in curriculums, do they? *sighs* It seems like a lot of highschools (and beyond) still platform and privilege stuck narratives where rape victims are everywhere, and very few of them are healing, if they even matter enough to be the POV character.

[hollyhomburg]

Hi there!

So I've been someone who became an army around this time last year and decided that I desperately needed some good bangtan fics. From memory, BILY was one of the first fics that I came across and got so excited for. This was when you had only just released the prologue. I decided to keep following up on this because I thought "whoever this writer is, they must be super dedicated to writing out this story if the prologue that they released was around 10k words (if I remember correctly)". It was also, at the time, an interesting mafia concept that I found to be quite refreshing. Fast forward to now where it is very clearly not the mafia fic I had imagine it to be, I felt like it was time for me to finally send something.

BILY is nothing like I had expected it to be, but became so much more than that. I absolutely adore the way in which you write, each character, each emotion and thought. You explore all these different themes and topics that I myself haven't experienced before. It's so therapeutic and comfortable to read, yet also thought provoking and provides new perspectives at times. It has taught me a lot about different things and made me reflect on these topics even if I hadn't particularly thought about it before.

Sincerely, thank you for writing such an amazing, insightful and beautiful story. You're a spectacular writer with an ability to create such a vivid world, compelling storylines and incorporate such human emotions into your characters. Looking at the comments and asks other readers leave behind I think I can confidently say that we all really enjoy your writing and would wait however long until you're ready and happy with releasing a chapter.

From a reader who lacks the braincells to come up with theories and unearth everyone's secrets but will happily watch in silence and support you.

Congratulations for writing 30 amazing chapters. I hope you have an amazing day and can't wait to see what's going to happen next.

^.^ anon (because people sign anon messages like this right?)

YEAH- so this is a valid critisizim of bily that it really doesn't fit very well into the 'mafia fic' genre, but i think that there is a lot of overlap- bily is a queer story, but it's also enemies to lovers and slow burn, it's also a spy fic and an assassin fic, like- it's very very hard to tag shit as a fanfic writer- you sorta have to just go with what fits most of the time. i think that the best genre title i could think of with bily is hurt/comfort and suspense because that seems like it's 90% of the story

but i digress!!! your comments are absolutely lovely, and you're right- i do care about bily an offal lot, it's funny, writing stories has never possessed me for so long, I've been writing bily for the better part of a year- and i don't think there has been a day where i haven't thought about it? but regardless I'm glad I'm offered the opportunity to spread the love around <3

there has been alot of thought discussion in bily, from like- physlosophies of love to recovery, I'm happy that i can share all the tangled ideas with you (i hope to make them focused a little more in the next few chapters- idk why i feel like I've derailed the story recently- maybe it's because it doesn't seem like so many people have been reading them recently). hearing that people are willing to wait is certainly reassuring regardless

i hope that the story will have something for everyone in a way. the people who want the fluff have the fluff chapters, the people who want the secrets will pour through it to find the hints and the people who want the smut will have that to look forward and build too. i wouldn't worry too much about it.

you will be little kitty anon! it's fated!!! there you go! thank you for your lovely comment! we've got so many more chapters to go!

[samatedeansbroccoli]

I need some alex x farah plz

What do we even call this mini fic?

Order

Yeah, that seems good.

As usual, I’m lazy and didn’t do much but type and queue this. If there are mistakes, I am sorry.

Taglist: @helenpxrk @enderio @satan-incarnate-666 @ricinbach @smokeywhalee @echo-three-one and the anon! (please let me know if you want to be added or removed!)

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—

"Easy, sister. He's not stable yet. And he has yet to wake."

A small nod of her chin towards the doctor, and the door opens up to reveal a rather sterile room. Though the lights are dimmed, it’s still feverishly bright, making her eyes squint. Her ears pick up on little tweets and pumps coming from the machines and her eyes follow the sound, tracing the tubes until they reached the sleeping patient. Somehow, her footsteps have become a deafening beat no matter how softly she walks. She worries she would wake him with them, but he doesn't stir.

Slow steps towards the side of the ER bed finally result in a perfect angle over him. He's not awake, but he doesn't need to be. Farah would rather have him sleep until he's better than talk to her. Until he can ensure his recovery, she thinks.

She slides a chair close to the bedside and sits down. According to the doctors, she’s his first visitor. What did that mean? That Alex has no family nor friends who care about him? That he's just seen as an asset and not a cousin or a colleague, however the west addresses their friends?

She doesn't know. But she's here for him.

Farah slips her hand into Alex's, feeling the calloused fingers against her equally bruised and beaten hand. To think he could have had an end to his story that wouldn't include suffering. To have an end that so many wished: painless, quick, easy. And yet, when the C4s went off and Death opened her door to let him in, Alex slammed it shut before her face and spat on it.

She chuckles at the thought.

But now comes the hard part. The part she was even allowed in the hospital for despite having been told she’s not immediate family. She promised she could wake him. Or find a sign that he is awake so the doctors know if they should prepare for a long term coma or not.

But what does one talk about to a man who may not even hear her? Perhaps he’s awake in the mind but unable to tell his body to follow. Perhaps he’s gone yet his body still carries on. She’d like to believe he’s simply resting.

"You followed well," she says, letting her mind flow with thought until words selected themselves. . "You did exactly what I ordered."

'Of course, I would,' she can almost hear him saying. 'I'm a soldier. I'll follow you into the dark if that's what it takes.'

Oh, how she wishes it wasn't just her mind coming up with such things, but his own voice assuring her he would make it through.

Her eyes peer down at where his missing leg is. It's a miracle Alex survived without fatal infection, so she has been told. Had he not been so close to the explosion, the injury wouldn’t have been cauterized and he wouldn’t have made it much farther than a few feet from the site. Too close, and he would have died. She’s glad that some Russians have a bit of heart and saved him from dying alone, alerting the U.S. military they found one of their soldiers.

Now, safe in the military base Laswell has set up outside the perimeter of Urzikstan, Alex sleeps peacefully in a coma, waiting for his body to settle and the infection to slow its beating so his leg can be properly fitted with a new prosthetic.

"I have another order.” Farah swears she can almost see Alex staring at her with those intense attentive eyes that Garrick sometimes jokes matches a border collie’s. "I want you to wake up soon. It's been six weeks since you have been brought in a coma.” And Farah holds his hand tighter, bringing his fingers to her lips and whispering against them, “I miss you."

Alex gives no response to her order, but she wouldn't expect otherwise. Farah kisses his fingers then lowers his hand, though she still holds on. “I have to go.”

Farah presses her forehead to his briefly as she closes her eyes, listening to Alex's ever so calm breathing. Here, he is truly at peace, and though the turmoil inside her keeps her from fully joining, she too feels a calm when listening to his rhythmic breathing. He’s alive. He’s still with her. And that’s all she needs to know for now.

She draws her head away and squeezes his hand. "I'll see you again soon."

She swears she feels him squeeze back.

[tsrookie]

For the hc asks, what do you think would happen if at some point in Ethan and MC's future, Ethan was the one in some kind of serious accident/illness? There's lots of fics where something happens to MC, and obviously we have canon with the attack, but I'm curious about your thoughts on the opposite happening

Oof. Thanks for the ask anon! (This just turned into something completely different from what I had initially planned, so it’s a bit lengthy)

——————————

MC’s halfway through her third year. It’s an absolute pain with Leland around. He prioritises finding a cure for Caroline over everything else, so the diagnostics team is unable to give their fullest to the patients who actually need them. He keeps adding more facilities to the hospital, so the construction work seems never ending at this point.

She arrives at the hospital for her night shift, when she hears a loud explosion. She looks up in horror and sees a room on the sixth floor in flames.

Dread settles into the pit of her stomach as she rushes into the hospital, barging past security. Ethan had texted her just a few minutes ago, asking her to meet him on that very same floor.

Ethan feels a sharp pain in his forehead, and realises that he’s bleeding. He keeps little Jess close to him as she cries in fear. The poor kid was searching for her parents, and he had offered to help. They had reached the gas cylinder room, when Ethan saw the sparks.

The newly connected wires had broken, and the sparks were flying dangerously close to the gas canisters. He rushed into a nearby room and slammed the door shut, with a terrified Jess in his arms.

The loud explosion sent him hurtling to the the opposite side of the room. Jess clinged on to him for dear life, her fearful cries muffled by the roaring fire.

He takes a moment to recover from the initial shock, then his doctor instincts kick in. He lays Jess down and asks her to tell him if she feels any pain. She cries out loud when he checks her leg. She’s bleeding profusely due to a deep gash, and there was only so much pain she could take.

He takes off his coat and ties it around her leg to control the bleeding. She frightfully asks him if they were going to be safe. He takes a deep breath to try and nullify his own pain. MC’s image flashes through his mind, and the throbbing ache takes a backseat. He nods determinedly to Jess, internally vowing to get back to MC, no matter what it took.

He scans his surroundings. He sees the fire slowly spreading to the rest of the floor, and the walls threatening to crack and fall.

He manages to locate a door amongst the smoke across the corridor. He picks Jess up and tells a silent prayer for them to safely get out of there.

He narrowly misses a huge canister by seconds. He tries to calm himself down for Jess’ sake, but finds it incredibly hard to do given the hazardous environment. He feels his vision grow blurry as the smoke threatens to overwhelm him, but snaps out of it when Jess lets out another cry.

He finally reaches the door, and almost falls to his knees gasping for air. He staggers down the stairs, just as another explosion reaches his ears.

He hears loud shouts from the opposite side of the corridor. He can barely register whose voice it was before he finally collapses. The last thing he sees is a flash of auburn.

MC yells orders to everyone nearby, terrified at the sight of Ethan’s unconscious form. She drops to her knees and checks his pulse, all while trying to get him to wake up.

The nurses carry a passed out Jess to a nearby patient room, as more doctors arrive to place Ethan on a stretcher. Zaid holds MC back from going with them, despite her desperate cries.

Miraculously, he hasn’t suffered any major injuries. Just a few minor burns and cuts on his arms and legs. He passed out mainly due to smoke inhalation, due to which he was to be placed on the ventilator for a while. MC heaves out a sigh of relief when she’s informed that Ethan would make a full recovery in a week or two.

Jess is alright as well. Three more people suffered injuries due to the accident, but none fatal.

Ethan wakes up to MC holding his hand and stroking his hair. She doesn’t have to say a word for him to understand how he scared the living daylights out of her. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying and lack of sleep.

She gives him a tired smile, filled with relief and love. He gives her hand a weak squeeze, and she presses a soft kiss to it.

She gets into the bed, careful not to touch any of his wounds. Kissing his forehead, she settles in for a much required nap, with his hands intertwined with hers.

Once he’s able to talk, he spends an entire hour with MC before seeing anyone else. He asks her about Jess, and is relieved to know that she’s recovering well.

He apologises to MC for putting her through the pain and fear he had once experienced. She silences him with a kiss, and tells him that none of it was his fault. She assures him that the only thing that mattered to her was that he had saved a little girl’s life, and gotten himself out of there.

When Ethan is asked whether he’ll be able to speak at a board meeting regarding the incident, he asks for MC to speak on his behalf. She protests, saying that she’s a mere third-year resident, but relents when Ethan tells her she’s the only one he trusts enough to have his best interests by heart.

At the meeting, Leland doesn’t own up to his mistakes, and constantly keeps emphasising on the fact that mistakes and accidents take place. He offers to compensate for the losses with more money.

When the board tells him that this isn’t something he can easily fix with a mount load of cash, and point out the various smaller mishaps that have taken place since his acquisition of Edenbrook, he shrugs it off and tells them that Edenbrook has had plenty of accidents in the past, and no further measures were taken after the attack the previous year. Something inside MC snaps at that moment.

“No. No, you don’t get to talk about what happened last year. You weren’t there when this hospital lost two of their finest members. You weren’t there to see how everyone suffered from their deaths. You don’t know how much Danny and Bobby meant to everyone in this room. Travis Perry, the one who set the gas free, died before any further action could be taken. You don’t know the fear of every single doctor who worked to find the cure. You don’t know about how much I personally went through watching two of my friends die, and one of them nearly. You don’t know the physical and mental toil it took on the victims. You. Have. No idea. About any of that. What happened last year wasn’t just an accident due to negligence on the hospital’s part, it was a textbook definition of an assassination attack. So yeah, you don’t get to compare what happened last year to you turning a blind eye to the problems of the hospital, because of the extra renovations you made. If someone had died in this...”

Her eyes burn with a fire no one had ever witnessed before. She takes a deep breath, trying not to think of what could’ve happened to Ethan, before continuing at a shell-shocked Leland, who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

“If someone had died in this fire, it would’ve been entirely on your shoulders, for failing to properly supervise the constructions. This isn’t the way things are supposed to work at a hospital, Leland. You want the hospital to become a premier research center, but did you honestly think about that when the hospital was sinking? Did you attend that charity gala last year, which was our last chance of saving the hospital? Did you find the need to donate money when we needed the most? You want a cure for Caroline, and that’s understandable. But you can’t keep making changes around here, and then fail to oversee the transitions properly. So please, stop trying to say that what just happened, wasn’t your fault.”

She finally sits down, with every single person in the room in complete awe. Naveen glances at her direction with a glimmer of pride. She isn’t an intern who used to have trouble navigating the corridors anymore. She’s a doctor who knows her place in the hospital, a member of the most prestigious diagnostics team in the country, and she knew damn well what was right and what was wrong.

MC knows that she could possibly lose her job due to her outburst, yet the looks on the faces of the board members tell her otherwise. The rest of the meeting passes with Leland finally admitting to his negligence over the more minor details, which have cause issues since he came to the hospital. They agree to have a few more meetings to discuss the measures to be taken to fix the damages of the accident, and Leland’s administration.

Naveen walks up to her after the meeting, and tells her that she technically wouldn’t be in any trouble, since she was speaking on Ethan’s behalf, and he would’ve done the exact same thing she had done. And no one would dare speak up against Ethan Ramsey. She laughs at the truthfulness of the statement.

“But I never want to become a carbon copy of him at any point. That would be terrible.”

“Now what would be so bad about that?”

“He terrorises the interns! I never want to become that strict.”

“Well... he hasn’t been terrorising them that much recently. Probably since he knows a certain someone was an intern when he first fell for them.”

She smiles sheepishly, as they both walk towards Ethan’s room.

“I’m really glad he’s okay. I don’t know what I would’ve done if...” She trails off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

“I know, MC. Me too.”

Once she reaches Ethan’s room, her lips quirk up into a smile as she finds him trying to pass time on social media. After a quick kiss, he asks her about the meeting. She relays the entire thing, and needless to say, he’s highly impressed.

He tells her to go home after a while, but she tenderly replies that she wasn’t going anywhere. He stayed by her side when she was a patient, and she wasn’t about to leave him when the tables were turned.

Ethan sighs, and pulling MC close, he finally drifts off into a peaceful slumber.

——————————

A/N: I gave it a happy ending!😅 I know this was more of a mini-fic than a hc, but I couldn’t help myself! Hope it made sense, ‘cause I have no clue about any construction work whatsoever.

Also, thank you so much for all the requests you’ve been sending! I’ve got plenty of stuff to work on now, so thanks a lot for that💙

Taglist: @kaavyaethanramsey @caseyvalentineramsey @starrystarrytrouble @dxnicaramsey @decadentwinnerjudgedream @imonlybibecauseofethanramsey @rookiefromedenbrook @bratzlahela @eramsey28 @the-pale-goddess @ohchoices @wellhelloramsey @pitchblackstars @mvalentine @swiftlydarcy @utterlyinevitable @angela8754 @akshara16 @sushiharrington @drethanramslay @lion-ess24 @whippedforethanfreakingramsey @choicesstan1 @aarisa-frost @drariellevalentine @perriewinklenerdie @blossomanarchy @nikki-2406 @stateofgracious @takemyopenheart @open-heart-ramseyyy @maurine07 @udishaman @queencarb @ethanramseylover @rookiemarsswiftie @aworldoffandoms

Let me know if you wanna be added to or removed from the taglist!

[quicklikelight]

hi, i'm the anon who sent the original ask. i just wanted to say that i'm sorry for sending it,, i'm a csa survivor and understand that those type of fics can be triggering for others, so i'm really sorry for triggering any traumatic memories and for hurting you in any way

It’s completely alright friend, you didn’t trigger or hurt me. :) I sometimes get anxious about the fact that I did delete like... a good chunk of my posted fic, in one fell swoop, and I know it disappointed a lot of people. I know that folks were upset, and that’s okay. They have a right to those feelings.

I struggle a lot with feelings of insecurity and wanting to make everyone happy all the time. But I’m taking much more radical responsibility for my own recovery now, and for the wellness and safety of the folks around me. I can’t protect the wellbeing of the vulnerable around me (and in me) while also trying to please everyone else, and I decided it was more important to protect the people who are suffering.

I appreciate that it seems like you understand where I’m coming from here. Recovery is a process, and it’s not linear, and it’s not the same for everyone, and it often makes absolutely no sense to me. What helped a year ago seems dysfunctional and disordered to me now. What was enjoyable five years ago is now impossible. What will happen tomorrow, I can’t say. All I can do is continue to create with a goal of uplifting the vulnerable and creating stories for people who need that lifeline. That’s why so much of my original fiction features diverse storylines, characters, and themes meant to empower people in minority groups and who are often poorly represented. 

I’m glad you enjoyed my work. I hope in the future you’ll find something in it to enjoy again, that we can both be proud of. <3 

[hmsannlett]

Hi, there! How are you? Anon, here! I'm feeling pretty good today, thankfully! Thanks! 🙂 Oh, 'Good evening, Mrs. Strong.' ❤ Comparing that scene/dialogue to Jane Austen is *accurate!* 🙌🤍😊 Honestly, Annlett would have been perfect in an Austen movie. TBC...

I can relate to the sentiment that spending time at home has been a blessing, because I can focus on writing. I've never truly done so, unless it was for school. Now I'm writing because I want to, and I've been wishing to do so for years. The downside, though is the circumstances. It can be draining! I hope that the busyness in your life adds to the joy and peace you feel when you do have the time to write! 🙂 TBC...

And, yes despite the urge to rush or to give into the temptation to be frustrated, etc., the story will unfold as it should in the season(s) it will! I can only speak to my own experience when I say that the story is so meaningful that I want to share it as soon as possible, and I hope that the other fans will enjoy it! And therein lies the temptation to rush through it! Thank you for your encouragement about research! I will keep what you shared in mind, 'all are steps forward!' 🙂 TBC...

Huh, good observation about March! I hadn't really thought of that too deeply, either. As far as dialogue goes, to me, it wasn't obvious that you struggle with that! I felt your dialogue was very in-character and natural. The expository writing (I had to look that up, lol!) I enjoy the way you write! To me, it's important to know what the character's POV and thoughts are, as though they are narrating it through the lens of their experience, and you do that very well! TBC.

Re: flower. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! I appreciate the detail you put into your replies to my asks! To answer your question about a scene with Abe, he's not currently in my fic and probably won't be. Only memories of him and her life in Setauket will be, and quotes that come to her when she is reminded of how he wronged her. In Hew's voice: "Mr. Woodhull need not make an appearance." *Insert gif of Major Hewlett bowing to Lt Tallmadge after the battle of Setauket* TBC

Try not to beat yourself up! For me, I know it's not always easy to resist those thoughts (or move forward in spite of them being there) It seems like we're both (and most likely other writers, as well) struggling with that pressure to rush, or write like we're on someone else's timeline. But it's so great that we can encourage each other to keep writing at our own pace, in spite of all those feelings/thoughts that indicate otherwise! Thank you for sympathizing! 🙏 TBC...

Re: Healing/recovery. Yes, it's true that all of the characters have experienced loss and pain in different ways, and it would be a great thing to see that! That is a theme worth rambling about, and one I would love to read! So, ramble away at will! You're welcome, it's always so fun to drop in! Thank you for welcoming me to do so! I hope you're well, too! 🤗

(Trying something new! I’ve seen other people do this to link asks together.)

I’m glad to hear that! ❤︎ I’m well, thank you!

Tbh, Annlett probably would have been endgame if Turn had been an Austen show. Ms. Austen would have done well by them, I’m sure.

That’s wonderful that you’ve been able to find more time for writing, and that you’re finally getting to write for enjoyment! And yes, all steps are steps forward! The story will come together in its own time, even if it's stubborn about it. :D

Aw, thank you! Dialogue is the hardest part of writing for me (and is a large part of why Chapter 5 took as long as it did to come together; I wrote about five different versions of the last conversation Anna has in the chapter before I was finally happy with it), so it’s quite a relief to hear that.

Re: the flower: Ah, I see! So does Anna see the flower somewhere and it reminds her of what Abe used the flower for/she mentally links the flower to him? And “memories of her life in Setauket” has me intrigued… (Haha, I could only wish that Mr. Woodhull didn’t make an appearance in AEWTTS! He’s becoming more and more relevant to the plot though, unfortunately—“unfortunately” because he is at the same time easy and incredibly difficult for me to write. It’s a strange phenomenon.)

If what I’ve read of other writers’ struggles is any indication, self-imposed pressure is very common to writers! It’s a constant struggle/balance between motivating yourself to write but also giving yourself grace to rest and take breaks when you need to. And with the way the past two years have been, I don’t know who wouldn’t have needed a break (or two or three or twenty) by this point.

Hmm...I'll try to keep this healing/recovery ramble short, but I would have loved to have seen an exploration of the aftermath of Hewlett's torture/imprisonment, since it's largely shelved after he gets back home to Setauket (although there is this deleted scene with a little bit of that).

And, like I've said, I would have really loved to see more of Caleb's healing after Simcoe's torture, especially a scene where Ben more clearly and sympathetically acknowledges what Caleb has been through, rather than brushing him off as a burden. I also would have loved to have seen more of Mary and Caleb's dynamic explored, with a scene of them getting to connect and understand each other more, without the stress of needing to rescue Abe from his undercover mission hanging over them. I loved the "ye shall receive" scene with the two of them, and I think there was a lot of potential there for a really gentle and healing dynamic between them.

AND. Wildly AU, but I have long cherished the idea of Hewlett and Caleb meeting after the war, because as different as they are, I think they have more in common than they have differences, and I think there's fertile ground for a friendship between them, not to mention the opportunity to process their similar experiences (both orchestrated by/done at the hands of Simcoe, no less).

....That was....not short. I'll draw this to a close before my response gets even longer. Thanks for dropping in and take care, anon! ❤︎