#and there's the writers who will post later in the day!! so excited!!!11

[femmmie]

Hi there! It's me! 😅 Idk if you want to but, could you write some fluff Ianthony while they are writting the Food Battle script? Like they being cute and laughing and being dorks, some sweet shit like that? PLEASE 🙏🙏

Omg you give the cutest prompts, I'm MELTING. I will try my best!!!

Eye contact

Genre: fluff, angst

"Ian, we're so good together. We work. We... I want you to be happy, and stay happy, and I don't know how many times I have to say that I will stay with you forever, but I will say it as many times as it takes."

read on ao3

"The crinkles around Anthony's eyes when he smiles and laughs. His proud little smile when he talks about what they have accomplished together.

Ian looks sideways at him as they hold a Food Battle marathon at Ian's house. Lately, Ian allows himself to 'look' at his best friend more and more. It is hard not to stare, though. Because Anthony is beautiful. So unfairly beautiful. Being in his presence always excited Ian but he never dared to look at Anthony longer than a second.

But now, after everything that has happened... why not? Why not sneak a peek at that chiseled jaw, those inviting curls, and that olive skin, a mature version of his BFF he remembers from school. Ian catches himself sighing. And so does Anthony. As they lock eyes, Ian quickly looks away, smiling down into his lap.

"This scene is so dope, right," Anthony points at them on the screen.

"Yeah, you're right."

~

It's the next day. They're at Anthony's house to work on the new Food Battle script.

Anthony looks at Ian with soft, admiring eyes. He loves one thing most of all. Above anything in the world. And that is watching Ian's creative process at work.

"This is so dumb. But what if I just give her a comically large piece of chewed gum right out of my mouth?"

"Ew, that's so gross!! I love it."

Ian laughs. Not the reserved chuckle he gives other people. But the hearty, all-out goofy laugh he only shares with Anthony.

"So, the wife dies... Sorry feminism, but the twist is... YOU were the wife the whole ass time!!"

Anthony giggles. "That explains the seven-year pause so well, oh my god. But... If I'm your wife, how does sex work?"

Ian shrugged matter-of-factly. "Duct tape and an empty Gatorade bottle." He makes a plopping sound to match his zany ass explanation and sends Anthony into hysterical laughter.

"Fuck, we have to put this into the script! We might get demonetized, though."

"Hey, if we really cared about money, we would just steal TikTok videos and put them in compilations on YouTube for the rest of our lives."

"True. God, how I love this..." They smile at each other. God, Ian has such unnaturally light-blue eyes. Anthony notices that lately, Ian makes way more eye contact with him than before. Which is amazing, because he's always tried to get more out of him. More and deeper conversations. More emotion! But it seemed impossible.

At parties, Ian is outgoing, and Anthony gladly tags along. But when it's just the two of them, Ian likes to chill out with his thoughts. And that's fine with Anthony, but he can't help but want more. And now, since everything that happened, they finally talk. For hours!

"To think we both forget how great this is, writing together..." The sunlight that comes in from Anthony's window lights up Ian's eyes even more. Anthony wants to stare into them for all eternity. Those moments of direct eye contact send shivers down his spine, make all his hairs stand up and make him want to run some laps out of sheer excitement.

"Do you remember Star Stories?" Ian asks.

"Oh yeah, that shit was wild."

"Do you remember the George Michael one?"

They both laugh.

"Write about what you know, what you know, what you know..." Anthony mimics the old comedy show.

"There's this one bit," Ian says while laughing. Anthony loves it when Ian is so excited about something he already laughs at it before even telling Anthony.

"What?"

"It's when George Michael cries about his band mate leaving, and it's all dramatic, and then he's suddenly like, super unbothered and says "I'm over it." We should put that in. Like I'm crying about my wife for 1.5 seconds and then I'm like, okay let's do Food Battle, biiitch!"

"That's amazing."

"I know, I didn't come up with it."

"Shut up, you come up with brilliant stuff all the time."

"If you say so."

"Let's take a break," Anthony says.

They order some lunch and hang out on Anthony's balcony. They are drinking some flavored water.

"Any new dates?" Anthony asks suggestively.

"Nope." Ian doesn't elaborate.

"Ian, have you even tried?"

"I guess I haven't. But I'm really happy, Anthony. The right girl will come along, I'm sure."

"Or the right guy?" They never talk about Ian's bisexuality but Anthony wants to bring it up. He wants to know how he can help Ian get a date. Above everything, he wants to make Ian happy.

"Or the right guy, I guess. Or just a person in general. But boobs are a plus."

"Are you into man boobs as well?"

"Hell yeah! As long as I can suck on them... oh no, this is a terrible idea..."

Anthony's eyes light up. Ian's terrible ideas are genius 100% of the time.

"Ian, you must tell me..."

"One of the challenges should be a breast milk pump."

Anthony compulsively giggles through his words. "Oh my god! Ian, we can't show that on YouTube..."

"Can I at least suggest it? You'll say 'ew gross' and I will say, "Oh yeah, you're right... damn it!" And I'll look disappointed."

"We will work it in there somewhere."

Ian squints at Anthony. "Are you giving me more leeway because you're still cheesing about our reunion?"

"Maybe."

"You know you're playing with fire."

"Yeah, I know, hahaha."

"By the way, I'm still willing to burn Smosh to the ground with you."

"I think our fire will light up Smosh, warm the place up."

"With our looove," Ian says in his mocking voice.

Anthony kicks him fondly.

The bell rings: their lunch has arrived.

"I'll go get it," Anthony says, leaving Ian with his thoughts for the moment. He still can hardly believe how invigorating it is to work with his best friend again. It doesn't feel like work at all, they are just hanging out. This is them.

"Here is your gluten-free bagel," Anthony says with a tucked-in chin.

"Well have fun eating your vegan salad of misery," Ian counters.

"At least we are pretty and healthy!" Anthony uses his girly voice. He hasn't in quite a while.

"That voice takes me back."

Anthony laughs.

"For real though," Anthony continues in his normal voice, "you're becoming fitter by the day, the gluten-free diet is working, or are you also running again?"

"I'm hella running, dude. Every morning."

"That's awesome. I'm so happy for you, it used to be such a big part of who you were in high school."

"Yeah, it makes me feel so much better. And if I skip a day, I immediately feel worse. So it's kind of an addiction by now. Gotta go faaast!"

As they eat their lunch, a group of birds flies by. They are shimmering, bright green but their call sounds like nails on a chalkboard.

"Wow."

"Did you know birds have one hole for everything?" Ian suddenly says.

Anthony raises his eyebrows and snorts. "What?

"For everything." Ian looks him in the eye again. That sends Anthony and he doesn't recover from laughing until a few moments later, while Ian repeatedly says "It's called the cloaca, man, the cloaca!"

"Why are you so fucking funny, Ian. You're the funniest person I know. And that's saying something, with all our employees at Smosh."

"Aww, thanks Anthony! I think we just share a kind of humor. My jokes don't land like this at the office." He chuckles.

"Kids these days..." Anthony scoffs.

"Hey, come here, your hair is messed up. I'll fix it for you," Ian says suddenly and comes up to Anthony, closer than he expects. He puts the wayward curl that the wind has blown in Anthony's face, back on top of his head. "That's better. Now you can go back to being pretty again," Ian jokes.

"I love it when you do that kind of stuff," Anthony murmurs.

"What?"

"These little gestures of affection. I appreciate it so much."

Ian doesn't look him in the eye now. Anthony feels bad.

Because he knows.

He knows Ian likes him.

For all those years he's liked him. And he has sometimes taken advantage of that. Flirted with him so Ian would do work for him, that type of stuff. But he hasn't done anything like that since they reconnected. And he isn't planning to. This time, he wants to give Ian what he deserves. To truly appreciate him.

"Hey." Anthony takes Ian's hand.

"Don't do that," Ian tries to look the other way, but fails. They lock eyes once again.

"I'm being sincere, I promise," Anthony says. Ian blushes.

"Ian, we're so good together. We work. We... I want you to be happy, and stay happy, and I don't know how many times I have to say that I will stay with you forever, but I will say it as many times as it takes."

"That means a lot," Ian says. "Now cut it out with the sappy shit, you know I'm bad with that."

But Anthony holds onto Ian's hand stronger.

"It's not sappy, Ian, it's the honest truth. I love you."

Ian swallows. "Yes, and I love you, bro. I love you... and it's hard sometimes, you know? It's hard because when I look into your eyes, Anthony, I see... I see something I want to have. And it's this close, man. But I'll never have it and I've accepted that a long time ago."

"Come here," Anthony says softly, and pulls him into a tight embrace. He whispers: "I've done you wrong for so long, Ian. I want to give you everything... Anything you want. You can have it, whatever it is."

"Don't play with my feelings, Anthony."

"I'm not, I promise."

Ian slowly lets go, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Remember the staring contests?"

"Oh my god, those were always terrible hahaha."

Of course, Ian would break the tension.

"But this doesn't feel like a staring contest. We can finally look at each other honestly. Damn, it does feel good."

"Yeah."

"But Anthony, we have a script to finish."

"Fine. But promise me you're staying over tonight?"

"Fine. Idiot."

"Dumbass."

They go back inside.

[sineala]

I subscribe to the newsletter of an author I like who wrote a book about 9/11 and the War on Terror and the security state in the US and how it led to the election of Trump, and it's all very serious but apparently the author is writing an Iron Man comics series. I don't read the comics, and a lot of what I know about them comes from your fic, so I'm honestly not sure how much fanon vs canon knowledge I have. 😂 But the series sounds like it might be interesting I think? The author talked about it in his newsletter today. (This link should work. Probably.)

https://www.forever-wars.com/iron-man-how-to-blow-up-a-pipeline-succession/

I am actually really excited about this run! I try not to get excited about new Iron Man runs because chances are high that my hopes and dreams will be crushed, and I know that just because someone writes, say, stunningly excellent non-fiction, it is not a guarantee that they will be great at writing fiction at all or superhero comics specifically (cf. Ta-Nehisi Coates on Cap), but judging by everything Spencer Ackerman's been saying in interviews, his run sounds like it's going to explore a lot of interesting themes.

The post you linked links to an AIPT podcast that he was on a few days ago to talk about his new Iron Man run. For those of you who don't listen to podcasts (this is also me), the Iron Man subreddit has what seems like a fairly comprehensive summary of the interview, and I am really looking forward to the run. Issue #1 apparently hits stores on October 23.

But I will tell you why I am actually now really excited about this run. It's not relevant to anything about the comic itself. I am nonetheless very excited.

Last month, after he was announced as the new Iron Man writer, in order to hype up his run, he posted an offer on his blog: if you add the run to your pull list, and you email him proof that you're pulling his run and include a snail-mail address, he will mail you some cool Iron Man stickers.

I eventually got around to doing this last week. I was assuming he didn't actually pay attention to any of these emails so I dashed off a couple sentences about how I was looking forward to his take on Tony because he'd posted a photo of the Iron Man comics he was reading for research and several of them were among my favorites. And then I went off to get bagels.

By the time I had come back with bagels, twenty minutes later, he'd written me a very nice reply substantively engaging with the content of my extremely off-the-cuff message -- geez, if I'd known he was going to be actually reading them I would have put a lot more thought into it, you know? It was very kind and I was not expecting it.

He spelled my first name wrong in the reply, despite it being in the email header and also the name I had signed the email with.

This happens to me a lot. I have a first name that is very common in a lot of languages, but none of those languages are English. I'd say there's a 50-50 chance that a native English speaker will spell or pronounce my name wrong. This is unfortunate, because I live in the US and mostly interact with native English speakers. (My wife @lysimache immediately knew how to pronounce my name. I mean, it wasn't why I married her or anything, but I feel like it was a big plus on a personal level.)

If I have to give my name for something, I will reflexively spell it. The second-to-last time I voted, they'd switched voter lookup to you giving them your name rather than you giving your street address, which was a surprise that filled me with dread. My wife was in line ahead of me and she was completely finished voting by the time the poll workers had finished correctly spelling my name. (The last time I voted, I just handed them my ID, which is not required in my state, but I really wanted this to go faster.) I went to the doctor last week, and when they called my name in the waiting room, they said it wrong. I corrected them. They said it differently wrong a couple minutes later. I corrected them again. They said it wrong again. At that point I gave up.

(If I could think of a name I liked better that I was absolutely sure that most people could spell and pronounce, I would change my name. I still have not found one.)

So, you know, I'm used to it. It happens. Frequently. I was not at all surprised that he spelled it wrong.

He then emailed me again to apologize for spelling my name wrong. Like, immediately. One minute later. He said he was sorry and he knew a lot of people with a similar name.

Dude. Nobody does that. Nobody actually apologizes. Especially not in an email to a rando like me. He did not need to do that. At all. I was not expecting him to do that. He did that. I was honestly touched. No one bothers to do that. But he did.

I got my stickers in the mail yesterday.

I have redacted the portion of the note that has my name in it, but he absolutely spelled my name correctly.

Mr. Ackerman, sir, I hope your comic sells a million copies.

[londonhalcyon]

Fic Writer Interview (20 Questions)

This tag game passed by twice, once in January (because apparently this post has been sitting in my drafts that long) and again several months later, so forgive me for not remembering who to tag! These questions seem fun, so if anyone wants to join, feel free to say I tagged you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

20 at the moment, with plenty more WIPs.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

480,895 words and counting.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Not counting TMW bonus content, the top 5 are:

The Mad Witch (758 kudos)

"The Scarlett Cauldron" (77 kudos)

"Fear Itself" (76 kudos)

"The Most Powerful Witch" (72 kudos)

"Piper's Best Worst Day" (57 kudos)

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

I try to! I love engaging with my readers and other members of the fandom. Every comment always makes my whole day. Life gets busy sometimes, so I don't always have the time to respond to every single one, but I definitely see and appreciate all of them!

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

Usually my fics have fairly hopeful endings, but "3 Years Ago," a pre-canon Murdered: Soul Suspect fic might fit the bill. Sometime in the future, it has the potential to be topped by "Will of the People," a Fallout 4 WIP that revolves around the Diamond City anti-ghoul riots.

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

My Secret Santa fics, "It's Not the Fall" and "Flawed Phials," definitely have the fluffiest endings!

7. Do you write crossovers?

Nope!

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I get rude or condescending comments on occasion from people who don't know how to hit the back button and/or are unfamiliar with fandom etiquette, though nothing actively malicious. The one time I received a transphobic/homophobic message in response to TMW it was private (if it was public, I would have deleted it; I don't give a platform to that kind of thing at all), and honestly I hope that person is in a better place now because they really didn't seem okay at the time. I'm fortunate that the vast majority of my readers and mutuals are such wonderfully amazing and kind people.

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

Yes, BUT, before you get too excited, not in The Mad Witch. Smut is by definition graphic, and TMW has a Teen rating that shall remain unchanged.

The smut scenes I've drafted so far (F/F and F/M) are for my Rosemary Reaper series (post-canon Fallout 4 WIP). Those fics will all be rated Mature, so while not overly explicit, they'll definitely be spicier than TMW. Maybe I'll share a snippet sometime if there's any demand for it.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of?? I have long since deleted my Wattpad account, so my fics should only be on AO3. If anyone ever finds one of my fics elsewhere in the wild, please let me know.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not, which is probably for the best. I would like to make some heavy edits to the beginning of TMW when I'm done with it.

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

Not a fic, though I have co-written a short fantasy story with a friend, with him writing for one POV character and me for another. We agreed on major actions and story beats, but we each kept a major secret that we didn't reveal until after we had written our individual parts. It was a lot of fun (though we were both painfully unskilled at the time).

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

I don't know if I really have one. I have ships I enjoy and characters I like to pair with OCs, though nothing I feel properly obsessive over. This might be a consequence of primarily writing for video game fandoms. But I do have my default game romances: Merula in HPHM, Piper in Fallout 4, Marcurio in Skyrim, etc. I'm also a sucker for unrequited love interests, like Serana in Skyrim and Aveline in Dragon Age 2. The ANGST.

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

I never want to say never because I'm currently 83,435 words into the last fic I said I would never write. But there are two fics that I'm almost certain I will never finish, which I'm kind of sad about: my post-canon Murdered: Soul Suspect longfic, A Certain Darkness, and my RWBY OC team longfic, DSRT.

I made it just shy of 200,000 words into A Certain Darkness before I had to drop it. My writing skills ended up surpassing the progress I had made, and by the time I realized how many characters, relationships, and plot points were just straight up bad, I had written myself into a corner. I do love Joy and Angel so much, a medium/ghost duo with way more homoerotic tension than my closeted teenage self ever intended. Maybe one day I'll gut the story, drop the characters into a different setting, and make it something original. One day.

DSRT ran into a similar problem, though fortunately I only ever wrote the first few chapters. I could probably reattempt it if I really wanted, but with the overwhelming number of WIPs I already have, it's hard to imagine finding the time. I do miss my team of teenage idiots: Dustin, Saul, Rosemary, and Talos. It was supposed to have a really tragic ending too, which I don't often get to write.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I often receive compliments on how human I make my characters feel, which is the highest honor anyone could give. I've been told my dialogue frequently flows smoothly too.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Conciseness. Why is this post so long omg.

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

Do it carefully and with necessity. Maybe a character is bilingual and blends languages, so it's part of their characterization. Maybe a password or spell needs to be said in another language because it's old or pretentious. It can work, but it can also be easy to mess up. I personally avoid writing dialogue in languages I don't have a good grasp of, or I try to consult other people if I do (not Google Translate, which sucks).

There's also the matter of if the POV character even understands the language being spoken. If they don't, then I don't write the language out (unless it's a phrase the character is going to learn later on). In these instances, it makes more sense to write something like, "The man muttered a phrase in a language she didn't recognize," or "She fired off something in Spanish, the words too quick to catch."

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars the Clone Wars, baby! I was like ten or eleven. Never published, but my worldbuilding for that longfic (a saga, more like) was insanely elaborate. Alas, another story for the WIP graveyard.

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

Eventually, I want to get back to my Skyrim WIP, which includes a main Dragonborn/Marcurio ship. Maybe even with a little Dragonborn/Serana infidelity on the side (which Marcurio absolutely does not deserve, the poor guy).

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

I mean, I have to say The Mad Witch, don't I? That fic is where my community is, where every time I post a chapter I have a ton of people who get excited about it with me. It is the story I think about constantly, that I have spent literal years writing and daydreaming about. No matter what I've written before or will write since, this will be the defining fic in my journey as a writer.

That, and I have a special fondness for "Case by Case." I just think it's neat.

[cedarbranch]

twenty questions for fic writers!

tagged by @sunriseverse thank you!!

tagging: @figbian @shark-myths @stoplightglow @zipegs and anyone else who wants to participate (with no pressure if you don't!) questions below the cut :-)

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

currently 65! i've orphaned several over the years though. unfortunately i am an Extremely Slow Writer so i always wanna see this number go up and it never goes as fast as i want it to :') we can hit 67 this year... surely....

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

847,778! used to be higher (more in the 950k range) prior to orphaning, i'm not sure if i've actually written over a million words or not at this point? v excited for the day that milestone actually shows up in my stats though! my current wips could tip me over, we'll see how it goes... 👀

3. what fandoms do you write for?

currently hannibal and stranger things! i've bounced around many fandoms in my day, but my most significant contributions thus far have been for mcr/bandom and the magnus archives. really hoping i end up writing enough for my current fandoms that i can consider them part of that shortlist too!! :-)

4. top five fics by kudos

like a moth to light (like a beast to bait) / 2117 kudos, save that heart for me / 1480 kudos, how particular, my fondness of you / 1445 kudos, convicted criminals of thought / 1177 kudos, and questionable decisions / 847 kudos! wow, that last one took me by surprise, it was such a jokey little fic i often forget about it. nice to look back at these and see things with over 1k kudos though, i remember that being an unattainable pipe dream back when i was writing mcr in the dead era that was 2017 :')

5. do you respond to comments?

i often do! i try to respond to every comment i get when a fic is published, and i like to respond much later on as well, it just tends to slip my mind if it's an older fic. stuff gets lost in my inbox. i certainly read every comment though, and the comments left on older fics are often the ones that make me happiest!

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

hmmm... i mostly write happy endings unless they're character studies. the true angstiest ending i've written is for a fic i haven't posted yet (hint: it's a sequel to a oneshot of mine!) but i do have short fics about both michael and gerry's deaths in tma? i'll go with the gerry death fic, thinking of the sun.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

they're mostly happy!!! but the one that ends most on a note of Joy, i think, would be rosemary and thyme, my fae!martin au :-)

8. do you get hate on fics?

nah. i have an extremely vague memory of getting a comment that made me go "omg my first hate comment" but like it's so vague that i can't tell if it's a false memory or not 😭 people have always been quite nice to me, thankfully!

9. do you write smut?

i do! i tried to avoid it whenever i could when i was younger but these days i've actually become super interested in sex as a vehicle for character studies. that tumblr post that's like "the plot of this smut fic is that character A believes himself abandoned by god" is one HUNDRED percent my approach recently, definitely expect some of that upcoming on my ao3 lolll

10. craziest crossover?

i don't really write crossovers! i like them in comic/fanart form, but i tend to be less interested in crossover fic (unless it's HEU, i do quite like spacedogs)... the only times i've ever thought about creating crossover content myself were for a couple pacrim fusion ideas!

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

eh, not really. a long time ago i did have someone basically rip the worldbuilding from one of my AUs with the serial numbers filed off, but they did ask permission - i said yes because i was like 16 and felt too awkward saying no. so that was weird! but not quite stealing.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!! to steal a kiss from borrowed lips was translated into russian, such an honor :D

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

i have, a really long time ago. i don't think i would do it again (unless it was with, like, one of two specific irls) bc i think i'd struggle with figuring out a collaborative workflow. part of me also thinks it could be a fun exercise though...

14. all time favorite ship?

OUGH..... mannnn what a question. it changes every few years and i feel like my response is influenced by not just the source material, but the quality of the fan content and the fandom interactions i've had... you know what? i know i have current-hyperfixation bias, but for now i am gonna say hannigram. it's just too peak.

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Too Many Of Them - but in particular, my chrissy cunningham-centric longfic. it's an entire treatise on sapphic loneliness and small-town queer isolation and i do think it'd be a fucking masterpiece if i ever managed to commit to it, but it's on the forever back-burner i think.

16. what are your writing strengths?

hmm... characterization through dialogue is the main thing, i'd say. i'm always thinking about how to match a given character's speech patterns and i think i tend to capture their voices pretty well!

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i'm my own biggest critic so i could list a bunch, but pacing is a big one. i tend to let things run too long and i feel like i've only just managed to balance it better in my current wip... only took a decade of fic-writing to get there 😭

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

depends a lot on context. honestly too many thoughts to condense well into an answer for this djglfg but in short: usually nice if it's just a few words, but can get unwieldy otherwise

19. first fandom you wrote in?

kuroshitsuji 💀 self-insert and OC-centric fic. how very unlike me

20. favorite fic you've written?

moth to light has been the reigning champ for a while now, but i think several of my current wips could potentially unseat it!

[mamirhodessxox]

Hey There Delilah (Part 11)

(This chapter is more so on the shorter end since I have a little bit of writers block right now for HTD but I promise part 12 will be more in depth!!)

Cody Rhodes x Fem OC!Reader

(Delilah Jones)

Storyline: Delilah was born and raised by the beach in L.A and grew up in a home where her parents expected her to go to Harvard & become a well known woman who marry’s a man who is a lawyer after high school. But that’s not what she wanted, She always wanted to own a boutique/flower shop & she did, once her parents discovered she wouldn’t attend college they left her to fend for herself but allowed her little sister Kinsley to visit or sleep over whenever, Her little sister always had an eye for WWE but Delilah never understood why but little did either of them know one of Delilah’s customers would become well acquainted. (Creds to @alyyaanna for helping me w the storyline)

Contents: Toxic parents, Angst, Fluff, Smut in later chapters, Based in May 2023, Alcohol, Violence, Corruption Kink, Size Kink, Daddy Kink, Crying Kink, Hand Kink, Praise Kink, Fingering, Smutty smut, Brief mention of Cockwarming.

🏷️ list: @alyyaanna @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert @alicerosejensen @bunnybot55 @agent-dessis-posts @adollonyourshelf @mini-rhodes @southerngirl41 @femdisa @harmshake

{~I'm very serious with you guys interacting with my writing!!!! it would make me so happy & excited, the more comments & reposts the more inspiration i have to write :) likes and comments are strongly appreciated so please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMEENNTTT the more comments the more content <3!!!~}

Cody had made sure to clear his schedule for the entirety of December & get everything over with in all of November as much as he possibly could. He went in and out of town for multiple WWE events and promos but once November was over he was a free man until at-least February. Delilah spent her free time running the shop & even hiring employees to keep the shop held down for the days she couldn’t be there & she was more than glad because she had just discovered Cody would be taking her & the friend group up to Aspen Colorado for the entirety of December.

For weeks on end they all prepared packed & planned things to put on the to do list. It had been a very busy November & once December rolled by the group was already in their rented out cabin in Aspen. This would be their 2nd day & absolutely none of them were prepared for the amount of snow they were seeing. Cody & Lilah were dead asleep in their bed for most of the morning wrapped up in each others embrace.

That was until Lilah & Cody started hearing clatter downstairs in the kitchen causing him to flop his arm over his face sighing out in frustration & then hearing Mira yell at seth “SHUT THE FUCK UP YOUR WAKING UP EVERYBODY!” Seth yelled back “YOUR WAKING UP EVERYBODY JUST AS MUCH AS I AM BY SCREAMING SHIT HEAD, YOU CAN’T EVEN MAKE WAFFLES PROPERLY.” “NEITHER CAN YOU DUMBASS?” Lilah groaned out in exhaustion but Cody immediately got out of bed & put his boxers on followed with pajama pants once he heard Seth scream after Mira threw a metal bowl at him. Cody hustled downstairs dragging the both of them out of the kitchen whispering “Both of you shut the fuck up it’s 5 in the fucking morning, Lilah is trying to sleep & your screaming like fucking children.” He scolded while Mira sat crossing her arms before he went back upstairs undressing himself and crawling back in bed huffing “Fucking morons.” He muttered against Delilah’s bare shoulder while she giggled before closing her eyes enjoying the moment.

Cody breathed into the crook of her neck before placing kisses against her shoulders “g’morning baby.” She smiled at his tired voice and rolled over to face him & lazily kiss him while his hands explored her body “Goodmorning handsome” he chuckled as her legs began to tangle themselves around his while she sighed out softly “Cody..?” She whined out and he hummed “Yes angel?” He asked quietly until he heard her whine in response & smirked again her skin “Already beautiful? You just woke up.” She sighed pawing at his back “Please..” he smiled and pressed his nose against her before giving in, He knew what she wanted & he was going to give her partially what she wanted since they were already exhausted from the previous night. “How about for now you cockwarm me and if you still need more I’ll give you what you really want later hm?” She smiled nodding in agreement but soon let out a soft moan the moment he seethed his cock inside of her, Cody groaned & caressed her hair “Better?”

She smiled nodding cupping his face into the palm of her hand while he held her close, this was all she needed, She didn’t want him to move or do anything else but be as close to her as he possibly could be, For the next few hours Cody noticed that every now and then he would gently push his hips against hers to keep her awake and would chuckle at how her body responded as he picked up his phone checking the time seeing that it aas already 8 in the morning “Sweetheart we gotta get up c’mon.” She re opened her eyes and nodded while he carefully pulled out of her & sat up staring out the window while she got out of bed and went to the bathroom quickly washing herself & putting on something warm & soon Cody did the same after she left the bedroom & smiling at Mira who was still downstairs “g’morning!” She chirped out while Mira waved back smiling “Sleep alright?” Delilah nodded as she made her way into the kitchen helping her best friend clean up “Slept so good actually & then I woke up to Seth screaming Mira chuckled nodding her head as Delilah washed the counters “Yeah we were trying to make waffles but we also don’t know shit about baking so..” Lilah smiled in amusement before pulling Cereal they bought on the way to the Cabin a few days ago from the Pantry “Don’t worry about it, I think Cody’s gonna have us keep today easy since it snowed so much over night so we’ll probably just end up messing around outside & go out to dinner.” Mira nodded “Thank god, I was hoping he wouldn’t make us do anything outrageous.” Cody walked into the kitchen pressing a kiss into Delilah’s head “You talkin’ about me in here?” She giggled shaking her head playfully as Mira smiled at their bond before pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

Lilah hummed running her fingers through his hair noticing it was around the time again for him to start re-bleaching his hair but she left that for him to decide. Cody pat her hip & let go while Randy had just woken up at made his way into the kitchen “Looks like someone poured coke all over Colorado.” Mira snickered to herself before walking out of the kitchen while Cody sighed putting on a coat “I need to take Pharaoh out there before he starts flipping his shit on me.” Lilah nodded as she ran her hand over his shoulder “You do that ‘m gonna go and to try wake up Kinsley.”

Cody smiled & whistled for Pharaoh to get off the couch & take him outside. Lilah snuck her way into Kinsleys room & quietly leaned against her bed & moved some hair out of her sisters face “Kiiiinsley.” She smiled softly hearing her sisters groan in protest “Kinsley c’monnn Cody reallyyy wants to go out and play in the snow with you, if you don’t he’ll cry and scream and huff and puff so you better get up.” She teased while Kinsley stuffed her head into a pillow “nnnooo..” “yyeeeesss get up.” Lilah giggled while climbing onto her sisters bed while her sister resisted getting up “Five more minutes oka-“ Randy suddenly ran in & threw snowballs at them causing Kinsley to screech & stuff herself under the blankets while Lilah laughed out trying to cover herself “RANDY!!”

He cackled in pure deviousness before running off out if the room while Kinsley finally got out of her bed & chased after him as her high pitched laugh soured throughout the cabin.

Throughout the day Cody & Lilah built a snowman with Kinsley, threw a few snowballs, teased pharaoh in the snow, watched a few Christmas movies. Seth stood in the kitchen around 5:30 pm before they all went out to dinner & watched Lilah & Cody play with Pharaoh outside for the 10th time today while Mira looked out the window with him. “Is he doing it tonight?” Seth questioned while turning over to Mira “He sure is. He found the proper ring for her, found the perfect place to do it tonight during dinner. It’s all set in stone.” Seth nodded at her response as he stared at the couple interacting with Kinsley “I’m glad he’s giving her a proper proposal, She really does deserve it. Delilah’s a good girl. She’s good for him.”

Mira smiled softly while watching her bestfriend laugh outside throwing a few snowballs before Cody called everyone out to the heated up car they were waiting on & made their way to the restaurant. They all sat together in a large booth sharing stories with each other laughing, Lilah noticed Seth wasn’t at the table after awhile & Cody told her not to worry about it saying ‘He was probably busy talking to becky’ to keep her distracted . Eventually they all finished their dinner & Cody grabbed Delilah’s hand delicately while taking her outside for a moment enjoying each others company while the group followed along subtly. “You cold?” Cody chuckled out while she laughed and shook her head while they stood in the balcony of the restaurant before he sighed heavily running his hand down her back before turning around while she grinned and kissed his cheek “I’m gonna be totally honest with you sweetheart, I’m having a fucking heart attack right now.” He joked softly while fiddling with his pocket with a smile as she laughed. Mira stood behind a pillar along with everyone else before randy tossed over a small box over to Cody while Lilah let out a tiny gasp “Oh cody..”

Mira teared up and became nervous for Cody despite her already knowing Lilah’s previous answer and what her current answer would be. Cody pinched his nose a bit and shook his head quickly as a way of telling himself to get it together. Lilah sniffled and let out a choked up laugh before noticing Seth had just arrived but with Pharaoh with him making her tear up even more before Cody got on his knee “I— I know I already asked you this question but- I wanted to give you a more proper proposal so just do me a favor and act like- I’m asking you for the first time again alright?” He laughed out nervously while she sniffled nodding her head. Jey wiped off a few tears from his face as he recorded the entire interaction while Cody cleared his throat “Angel I don’t think you realize how much I love you, After the day I ran to your story randomly for flowers & met you mid panic attack on which flowers to get my mother I knew immediately I had to make you my girl & I’ve never felt more privileged to pursue you into my life, I’m so grateful for you. I know I already asked you this but-” Cody sighed opening the little box which revealed the a ring with a Pink diamond shaped heart customized to fit her finger almost perfectly “Will you give me the honor of marrying me & become my wife?” Lilah let out a choked up cry before nodding vigorously & completely getting onto his level just to wrap herself around him and let out a shaky breath as he slipped the ring onto her finger while she dug her face into his suit crying “A million times Yes Cody!” He chuckled pressing a Kiss into her cheek before clearing his throat “Kinsley sweet heart can you come here?” Mira teared up and turned to Kinsley who was nervously chewing on the straw of her soda she brought with her before putting it down & walking over to the couple.

“Kinsley sweetheart, You’re the most awesomest kid I know, Your a complete badass & I want to ask you something alright?” She nodded meekly while Cody dug into his left pocket & pulled out a ring pop while Randy chuckled in the background “Will you give me the permission to make your beautiful sister & make you my sister in law?” Kinsley smiled in a shy manner & quietly hugged her soon to be brother in law and mumbling out a quiet “Yes.” He grinned from ear to ear and pat her back before Lilah turned around and noticed Pharaoh running over towards them & completely flopping his body against hers & licking her cheek while the group walked over to them in tears. Randy pulled Cody up as he tried hiding the fact he was crying “Y-You fucking pussy I know you’re crying” Cody joked while he wiped off his own eyes & pulled him into a hug while Jey & Seth hugged Lilah congratulating her before Mira shoved them all out of her way “I’m so happy for you Rosie.” Lilah smiled at the nickname Mira used to call her when they were in high-school before hugging her back.

Lilah crouched down & hugged pharaoh who was pawing at her leg for some attention. She ran her fingers through his fur as she pressed a cheek right against his snout as she celebrated the fact Cody proved to her that soulmates were infact real.

xtripleiiix’s Masterlist

[haleingstorm]

20 questions for 20 writers

Thanks @hedgehodgy I've never been tagged in a ask game before

How many works do you have on ao3 5!

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

75,882

3. What fandoms do you write for?

That's hard! I have a lot of ideas and half written stuff for a bunch of fandoms but the ones I have posted are Naruto, Percy Jackson, and Marvel.

4.What are your top 5 fics by Kudos?

What We Lost in the Fire (Naruto) .

Safety's an Illusion(Fates all Chance) (PJO)

Forgive me Father for I have Sinned(PJO/Naruto)

Walk in the Shadows of Men who Sold Their Lives to a Dream(PJO/Naruto)

Be not Afraid, Brave the Storm(PJO/Naruto)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Absolutely! It's by far my favorite part about posting. I'm always eager to reply to all the comments even the small ones. Which I think stems from the fact that as a young newbie to fanfics I would always get so excited when an author replied to me. It's also fun!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh that's hard, a lot of my work is still being posted so I can't answer that without spoilers :).

7.What's the fic you wrote with the happiest endings?

Forgive me Father for I have Sinned probably. It ends super sweet with Poseidon and Percy finally having a conversation and hugs all around! (Of course he's going to get kidnapped soon after by Hera but that's besides the point)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. Most of my fics are pretty new which might play a role. I have gotten a couple 'so and so would never say that' kind of thing but not to the point where I've felt offended!

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

Nah, though I've played around with a couple of ideas I find stories with strong platonic connections much more fun to write than ones with romantic ones.

10. Do write crossovers?

Absolutely! crossovers are my bread and butter especially in situations which pull attention towards some of the darker parts that get glossed over in canon because it's the norm(child solider trope I adore you). I absolutely adore reincarnation as well, one of these days I'll get around to writing my MHA x Naruto crossover that lives in my head rent free.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13 Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I've just recently gotten into writing fics instead of just day dreaming about them..

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I don't really have them, again platonic connections are much more interesting to me. I do like a good Tobirama x Madara though.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

What we lost in the fire. It's a time travel Naruto fic and I love the premise so much. The characters are wonderful but I have not done nearly enough outlining and I'm sure I'l write myself into a corner sooner rather than later.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Oh that's hard I actually have no idea. People have commented on my fics that they like how I write the different characters to be very different/have their own personalities and flaws. So maybe that?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

descriptions probably, I'm really bad at describing stuff. And maybe planning I often jump into a project before I have a good idea where it's going to end and trap myself in a corner.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'd rather not, I just don't know many languages and I'm so afraid of accidentally mixing it up. Besides all the bad stereotypes of bilingual characters and no personal experience makes me shy away from writing one.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Naruto! The fic in mention will never see the light of day but it will always hold a place in my heart(as horrible and badly written as it was)

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Safety's an Illusion(Fate's all Chance) hands down. I love that monster. I wrote the first draft for it in a month. As of right now the second draft is looking to be double the length. It's also the first fic I've been able to confidently have an update schedule for and be confident I'm going to finish it. It is so much fun to write!

Tagging: @fairyspheres (If you're interested!)

This was so much fun! Thanks again @hedgehodgy!

[ghostartistrandomness]

I’m getting back into Doctor Who again! And I just gotta scream into the void because I’m so excited for how the new series is going! Be warned, minor spoilers! And also opinions, so please don’t get mad at me for having them. Reply or not, even if this gets not a single note, I just can’t not post this somewhere. It is a loooong audhd-fueled 1am ramble so yeah don’t mind me lol.

I got into Doctor Who about a decade ago. I was in middle school. A friend convinced me to watch it. And WOW, I loved it like the little middle schooler I was. I loved (and still love) those first four seasons. Those are defining parts of my childhood. There’s something magical about them.

But then�� season 5 came along. The writing team changed. I could tell the moment that first episode played that the vibes were off. Something was different. Matt Smith did an excellent job, don’t get me wrong. But just… the vibes, the storylines, they just lost me. I get why most people like them, but the show changed. Season 7 came and I actually do prefer it to 5 and 6. Please, don’t hate me. A bit of the magic came back by then, but that was really cause it lost that really weird vibe the entire early 2010s had. It still wasn’t perfect. I got to Season 8 and it continued improving a bit. By the time I watched it, season 9 was about to come out, and I liked it even more, especially watching it live. Season 9 less so.

I lost it at season 10, and completely stopped season 11. Stopped watching live. Tried catching up later on, but the writing team had changed again. The vibes were all wrong all over again, and even worse this time. I don’t have high standards. The stories themselves don’t have to be perfect, as long as the writing is consistent and keeps the vibes I like. It killed my motivation the first time in season 5, and destroyed it for season 11. I didn’t even get halfway through season 12.

Now, the 10th Doctor has always been my favorite. Back in the day, I’d be called a David Tennant loyalist. And I do love his portrayal of the Doctor, and I always thought that was that. But the thing is, I do also with we got more 9th Doctor in the show. I always thought I just wasn’t a fan of the newer actors. Maybe my disdain for change gave me too much bias against the new actors that played the character. Well… that was part of it. But it had nothing to do with the actors.

I watched the 3-part specials a couple nights ago.

The magic is back. I was struck by my childhood seeing the 10th (well, 14th) Doctor and Donna together again! Literally felt like I was back in season 4! The characters, the story, the emotion and soul of the show was all back. It was as if nothing changed.

It didn’t stop at the specials lol. Besides the ending being so incredible it was the best closure I have ever gotten out of every TV show I have ever watched (a ramble for another longpost), it carried onto the main series, which is now the *new* season 1. I’m only five episodes in… and I feel like I’m back there as a kid watching the first four seasons all over!

I discovered it’s not who is playing the Doctor. I’ll like the show either way. It is the writing that counts. And yes, while the 10th Doctor will still most likely remain my favorite (nostalgia helps with that), as long as the writing fits the *vibes* I’ll be happy with the show. And the vibes are all here! Russel T Davies is the head writer again. I get that way back in the day, the head writers were a topic of debate, and I hope I don’t give out that impression in my text. I genuinely believe it’s his writing direction that really puts those perfect *vibes* into the show, the vibes that I fell in love with, the vibes that really speak to me. IMDB ratings of the show are iffy, so I must reiterate that my storyline standards are low in case the real fans’ consensus is that the show is bad or something like that. It’s the vibes that I took issue with, and the vibes that are bringing me back in.

What are vibes, you ask? Well… I can’t explain. They’re called vibes for a reason lol. They’re the general feel of the show. And it’s back. The vibes are back. The writing of all the characters has the right vibes. The stories have the right vibes. There’s a certain magic in the show again! Aaaaaagh it’s so good! It’s all so good!

[totaldramafan-lauri]

AAAAAAAA- I Love it, I love it so muccchhh!! thank you thank youuuu!!! :D

(Btw I was the one who wrote that long confession where I told you how much I love golden cheese!)

the things I like about this chapter was how well written smoke cheese was on this chapter, how he was just not good at expressing his emotions and personal opinion and only use it to say some mean things but it was very heartwarming that he is starting to warm up to us and how he wanted us to stay and when he said "they better come back or else" and how he basically is a bit of worried that we might replace the kingdom was ahhhhhhhh (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)!!! Or is it just me? Basically I just see smoked cheese as a person who is not good with words but show it through harsh yk expressions? Yeah I hc with that!..

I Loooove how Reader was expressing they're thoughts without shying anymore, I love the part we're her Radiance said to ignore what others think and say they're hearts desires!!!! I can't help but cry on how much far reader have gone. I feel so Prrooouudd, I keep banging my table on so much wholesomeness being put in this chapter!! It took me two whole Day not to tweak throught the entire chapter due to how excited I was been! thank you so much lauri!

I love the friendship that was visiblely show on this chapter! I like Burnt cheese telling our resilient and how mozzarella cares about us in her own way!! And Smoke cheese too! Thank you for writing him so good! I haven't seen anyone write smoke cheese so correctly before! thank you!! I just wanna cry!! I will miss them when chapter 11 end! you're work make me cry in happiness!

I love how her Radiance keep getting surprise when she thought that's all Reader could offer but reader prove them wrong!... I like the end too! How we express so much emotions and how we could bring back a precious gift to her! I love her so much ahh, I wanna 😭 aAh- so wholesome but show a lot about what the Reader have become! and they way Her Radiance said

"Well, well! That's quite the claim! Simply carrying out my orders isn't enough for you, I see?" she giggled, sounding very pleased already, "Ah, you greedy thing, you really have become mine~!"

I- I was tweaking at the part, my mouth agape and my face blushing red! I can't calm down, I just want to thank you again and again! This chapter was so wholesome and how relationship grown this past chapter!///^-^///

I was so happy her Radiance cared so much for us... I can't just stop thanking because of how good this is! How she blessed us, give us a stone that might be later be important.. And basically I will be happy of what ending you will be going with...

I also love how close reader and they're friends are! Saying like,

"Leave!?" one of them shouted hysterically, hugging you immediately, "Whaddya mean leave!? You said you weren't gonna leave anymore!"

shows how close they are, I'm basically dying of cuteness!!

take care of yourself lauri, I saw you're last post and you Should really take a week break, you deserve it really. Don't mind the other anons who are forcing you. Just delete what they're saying to you. I'm sure bee anon understands too! I hope you take care of yourself and be healthy at all times, even if we are strangers online, chatting with each other. I hope things go well on you're break and things go peacefully.

Sorry for the late reply too on your chapter and I just wanna confirm you're worry that

You did good lauri, Thank you for everything.

A-and thank you so much for reading....! >.< And don't worry about me! TBH, I....I tend to worry like that every time I upload something, heheh.....I-I'm so glad to have the audience I have, and that I haven't gotten any flack for anything I've written yet, and....e-even tho I know I'm not the BEST writer out there, I still intend to keep things this way as long as I can.....I-I don't think I need a FULL WEEK off, but a few days, definitely. Again, not spoiling anything, but the final chapter needs a lotta effort to get right, and I wanna get in the right mood for it....

Y-yeah, there was a lotta Smoked Cheese in this chapter....and I actually had fun writing him this time, now that I've gotten into his head and understand him better. He was pretty hard to write when I first started, cuz I, well, didn't like him very much, but through writing him, he's grown on me....just like Reader's starting to grow on him, hehe...! I still wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of him in canon, but developing him here and adding some more nuance to him made his character work better for me. How he cares about the kingdom in his own way, which just so happens to clash with Golden Cheese's, how he's kinda her straight man who doesn't get a lotta respect, he's got a bit of an ego of his own and doesn't like being proven wrong, and...yeah, he's not a bad person, he loves his home and at this time he's still loyal to his queen, he gets along with Cheesenbird and now Mozzarella (their friendship is fun, pfff), he's just very harsh and intense at times, and struggles with empathizing with others. I didn't wanna make him a hate sink, is what I'm getting at. I wanted to flesh him out XD

His relationship with Reader is....difficult, so writing them start accepting each other bit by bit was difficult to write too....I kept asking myself "Is this believable enough? It's not too fast, is it? Is it too much at once?" so I'm glad it's going over well so far...

O-overall this chapter had a lotta things I struggled with making good enough....It wasn't just straightforward fluff, it had conflicts I REALLY needed to write well, which was why I worried this time >.<;

But I AM proud of myself for making Reader transition pretty well into being much more lively and outspoken. They really have come a long way, and this was kinda the culmination of their emotional arc. They're still shy, but they've grown a lot, so...yay....!

(A-also....y-yeah, th-their relationship with Golden Cheese has become very.....v-very, uh.......hhhhhhhhhhs-sometimesIlookatpartsofsomescenesandthink"D-didIactuallywritethatmyself? Isshepossessingmeorwhat?" O///////O")

S-so....yeah, I can be nice to my writing sometimes...! Th-thanks for enjoying it....! ^//////^

[mybookplacenet]

Featured Post: Do You Believe in Magic | Book 1 by Jim Melvin

About Do You Believe in Magic | Book 1: Recommended Review by Kirkus Reviews (top 25% of Indie books): "A delightful beginning to a promising series that’s sure to appeal to teen readers who feel like outsiders." — Kirkus Reviews, October 2024 The winner of 11 international awards. In this exciting and enchanting fantasy novel, readers are invited to journey into a world where magic is not merely a fairy tale but a powerful reality. This gripping story revolves around an everyday boy leading an ordinary life until a chance encounter transforms his world forever. Suddenly, faced with inexplicable happenings and being able to perform magical feats, Charlie grapples to understand his newfound abilities. Little does he know, he has become central to a battle between forces beyond his comprehension, a war underway in the invisible realms around him. Book 1 of the teen fantasy adventure "Dark Circles" explores the timeless human question – do you believe in magic? – in a context that feels entirely fresh and unpredictable. It takes readers on a fantastic adventure, filled with wit, mystery, action, and a touch of romance to tie it all together. Targeted Age 13 and older Written by: Jim Melvin Buy the ebook: Buy the Book On Amazon Link to Series Buy the Audio Book: Buy the Book On Amazon Buy the Print Book: Buy the Book On Amazon Author Bio: I grew up on the shores of western Florida and spent much of my childhood swimming in shark-infested waters long before the movie Jaws put a scare into everyone. At the time, I was too skinny to attract a shark’s attention. About ten other boys my age lived on my same street, and we hung out morning, noon, and night playing the usual sports that young boys love — football, baseball, “kill the carrier,” etc. — but as a group, we also played fantastical games that contained magic, monsters, and superheroes. It was in this setting that my imagination as a writer of magical fantasy was born and nurtured. I moved from Florida to Upstate South Carolina about twenty years ago and drove from Tampa-St. Pete to the Clemson area on Interstate 75 many times. It’s about a 10-hour drive, which is quite wearisome. And the traffic around Atlanta can be horrendous. I’ve always found the rest stops to be a bit spooky, especially at night. My MC Charlie Magus also found them to be spooky. If you read Do You Believe in Magic?, you’ll get the picture. My first home in SC was on forty wooded acres that included a creek that wound through a forest to a waterfall. It wasn’t as magnificent as described in my books 😀, but it did serve as the inspiration for the story. I am at home in the mountains. It’s where I now live, and I do long hikes at least three days per week. Characters in fantasy novels tend to wander around a lot in the wilderness, so I feel comfortable writing about natural surroundings. I have written “Dark Circles” with young teens in mind. I tell potential readers that it is appropriate for 13 and older, though readers as young as 10 and as old as 80 have enjoyed it. When I say appropriate, I mean that there are no sex scenes and only very limited profanity. But like most epic fantasies, the series has its violent moments — sort of like the later Harry Potter books. But just because a series is appropriate for young teens doesn’t mean that it has to be sophomoric. To the contrary, “Dark Circles” is a sophisticated work with a lot going on between the lines in terms of themes, allegorical elements, symbolism, foreshadowing, literary tropes, etc. My newsletter (Jim Melvin’s Realms of Fantasy) goes into extensive depth about this. Some of the themes in my series are obvious: bullying, good vs. evil, coming of age, heroism. But in the end, the most important theme of all is the idea that only the best among us are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good — the literary equivalent of a soldier throwing himself on a hand grenade. Follow the author on social media: Learn more about the writer. Visit the Author's Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Read the full article

[youre-where-i-wanna-go]

writing meme: about me

I wasn't tagged but got this from @fandominstability

1. How did you get into writing fanfiction?

I have always written stories since I was a little kid. I think my first fan-related fiction was related to Lady Gaga but I really got into fanfiction about a year later when I was a Bullocker (Sandra Bullock fan) and my friends in that fandom introduced me to wattpad and all the Sandy fics on there.

2. How many fandoms have you written in?

If we include Gaga (though that was just one little story based on her song titles), it would be her, Sandy B, Agent Carter (Marvel), Married with Children, a cross of SOA and AHS, and then finally a lot of American Horror Story. So that makes 6 I think?

3. How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

I think I wrote my Gaga story when I was 11 or 12 and got into Sandy fanfiction when I was 13 so 12 years give or take (with very long breaks)

4. Do you read or write more fanfiction?

Definitely write because for my comfort ship me and my bestie are pretty much the only writers currently. I do sometimes indulge in reading fics of Angela Bassett's other characters though but I write more stories than I read tbh

5. What is one way you've improved as a writer?

I'm not entirely sure but I think I've gotten better with removing some awkward terminology. There was also a time where I RPed with a friend who influenced me to become overreliant on describing women in same-gender relationships by their hair color, which I finally just dropped because it sounded very awkward and repetitive and also doesn't really work for Black characters.

6. What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

I think I have researched many strange topics but the weirdest might just be how mermaids have sex two nights ago lmaoo

7. What's your favorite type of comment to receive on your work?

The excited type that conveys they would love to read more. I guess sometimes it's easier to share if you actually know someone is there who wants to read it. Also love comments on specific lines or references. But just in general ANY comment that isn't unusefully negative or homophobic (yes I've received one of those 😭) makes my day.

8. What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

Not sure exactly what is considered fringe but I could imagine my period fics qualify for it? Whenever I'm suffering particularly badly on my period, I like to give one of my comfort characters their period so the other has to comfort them. It tends to calm me down in the hurt/comfort sense.

9. What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

I think the type of stories that deserve multiple chapters but they could go so many different ways that I struggle to pick one scenario to elaborate on. Examples for this are the details of Elizabeth's and Ramona's first night together or how Ramona's parents reacted to her dating a woman. So many possibilities.

10. What is the easiest type?

I love to drabble down sweet moments of fluff, smut or angst. I think little moments of fluff and hurt/comfort are the easiest for me. I think I most commonly write singular scenes based on random ideas.

11. Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

I write in my Samsung Notes app (which is exclusively dedicated to my fanfiction), then copy the fics into Google Docs to share them with friends or, if I'm really bold, I will publish them on AO3 (very rare). Sometimes I try to cross-post on here (not very successful) or Wattpad (I always forget I have an account there) but it's mostly just AO3. When do I write? When I'm in bed. On very rare occasions I've also written on the train before.

12. What is something you've been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

The ones that I've mentioned before that I've been struggling with. First meeting/night together, Ramona's parents' reaction, ... I'd also like to continue an AU I started where Elizabeth never dies. But most of all I'd love to finish my main multi-chapter fic which I have so many ideas for and which has a lot of potential but is thus very overwhelming.

13. What made you choose your username?

Both my usernames on here and on AO3 are references to two of my favorite Gaga songs. "You're where I wanna go" is from Always Remember Us This Way and is a reference to the love between Gaga and her fans (and the fact that I have traveled many places for her). On AO3 my name is sohappyiclddie which is the title of my all time favorite Gaga song So Happy I Could Die. It's also very fitting for my fanfics because 1. Gaga plays one of the main characters, 2. death is a major theme with vampires (also on The Fame Monster, the album this song is on), 3. Elizabeth and Ramona make each other so happy they could die (during the good times) mhm mhm, 4. the song has a sapphic theme and my fanfics are sapphic too and so is Gaga and so am I, win win win win :)

not sure who to tag but whoever would like to do this is welcome to, consider yourself tagged!

[howdaretrashships]

fic writing asks: 11, 19, and 27?

11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics?

I've thought about putting together a playlist but it just seems like too much work. Typically I just pick a song or artist and have YTMusic playing in the background. If I don't know the songs playing then I can't sing along and get distracted, and if I really like a new song I add it to a list to look up later.

19. Give a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

Ooh, but which one? Hmm, well I currently have parts 2 and 7 open of my Prince/Bodyguard AU... So have a little of Part 2:

When the three reach the Southern Gate, his master bids his farewells to Eunuch Liu then turns back to Di Feisheng to give him a last warning. “Protect the prince well, Di Feisheng. I expect you’ll make me and your xiongdi from Di Fortress proud.” The words are what you would expect from master to disciple – or master to servant – and their audience shows no sign that he is hearing anything out of the ordinary. But Di-zhuren accompanies his words with a subtle movement of his hand. As if he were ringing the bell that usually hangs at his waist. An order. With consequences, should he fail. “As you command, zhuren,” he replies as he bows, his eyes respectfully lowered.

27. Is there a fic you were nervous to post/share? Why?

Uh all of them? Lol, no but really. It's always a little nerve-wracking to post something. Will people like it? Will they hate it? If they hate it are they gonna be mean about it?

(so far i have been very lucky and not received any hate about my writing, fingers crossed that continues)

But I think there are two I was actually really nervous about posting and that's my 1st KP fic, that got me back into writing after an 8 year dry spell. And Which Moment which is the longest fic I've ever written, has smut (that alone made me more nervous), and has a non-linear structure (which I had never attempted before). I spent about a month writing it and I got both excited and anxious as it grew. First to 5k, then 10k, then 15k...

But even though I was really nervous and I had to stop myself from checking my email for an entire day, it got a great response. Which definitely helped my confidence. And I got a new writing bestie, who has been the greatest cheerleader and sounding board!

Thanks for the ask!

Fic writer asks

[muladsworld]

Pink shirt daze

It's all downhill from here.

At 8:01 pm CDT on June 24th at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (night 2 of The Eras Tour there), Taylor Swift gifted me the funniest moment in my entire life, with more innuendo than I could possibly imagine. Is she a mastermind? Well, yes, but even she'd have trouble making these dominoes cascade in a line.

Now, statistically speaking, with all of the cameras at the show, the way her stage is laid out, and the number of dance moves and playful moments with the crowd, she's gonna appear somewhere in someone's videos or pictures to move her hips in front of the faces of just about anyone in the stadium.

Still, there's something inexplicably magical about Taylor Swift that creates moments that seem particularly crafted for you, and this turns out to be the wildest such example for me so far: Really? You're telling me we're not just talking about just some general dance moves, but Taylor specifically taking the time to act like a fairy princess, literally waving her finger around the stadium like Tinkerbell's magic wand in order to get reactions from the crowd? That's what you're going for? Now you're going to say there was real-life pixie dust in the air. The writers for this season of my life have got some explaining to do.

Even on the day it happened, June 24th was considered an epic stop on this epic tour, since we were the first crowd to hear her perform "Dear John" in 11 years, and she also played "Daylight" – a personal fave of mine, and the moment where I felt the greatest resonance with her that night.

Now, I had a good seat for the show – down in the lower bowl part of the stadium so I could see the whole stage, although it was often difficult to both watch Taylor on the huge catwalk-like extension through the center of the stadium and see her much bigger video image on the video wall of the main stage.

So, there I was a few days later, scrolling through TikTok and finding videos from people who had been on floor and were much closer to the action than I was. I saw a bit of pink go by and realized, "hey, that's me!" I'm lucky I had enough foresight to actually get a noticeable shirt, though it was a decidedly low-effort option compared to so many of the costumes that people made.

I commented on the video and re-shared it, not thinking too much of it at first, since I figured it was cool to simply see myself in the same shot as Taylor.

And then I watched it a couple more times and realized my head was hanging by her butt for about the first 15 seconds. I commented as such with an embarrassed-face emoji.

And then I watched it a few more times and watched my face disappear behind her derrière. And saw her mouth and eyes open wide in excitement as she her swirled her finger around.

Holy shit.

I scroll away to other videos for a bit and then realize, oh hey, that video had a lot of likes. Like over 100,000 likes. And approaching 700,000 views.

Oh god.

Views and likes have continued to climb, and it reached 1.3 million views after a week, and is now up to 1.4 million views and 230,000 likes.

And to top it off, once the weekend hit, Google Photos saw that I'd downloaded the video, and decided to make an animation out of it that covered the precise moment where my face gets hidden – how did that algorithm even know to pick up that moment? However, it was pretty jittery, so I ended up taking the time to stabilize it, and the result is at the top of this post.

Now, if you're reading this, you've probably figured out that I've somehow managed to not actually be that embarrassed by this. Objectively, it's a cute video where's she's having fun pointing at people in different parts of the stadium who are all too happy to wave back at her and add to the enjoyment of the show. It's just that for me specifically, the video gains a completely different meaning, and the already epic night becomes a bit more special for me than anyone bargained for.

I've tried looking around for other photos and videos that include my section from show night, but haven't found anything showing me so far. But it's also wild that I got very close to being included in the primary image from Taylor's social media posts about visiting Minneapolis. This happened just after she performed the opening songs "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince" and "Cruel Summer," just before beginning "The Man."

She moves downstage in the video such that I end up being just out of the right-hand edge of the frame at the moment the image was captured, and I think I'm also just out of the lower-left corner of the image posted to her accounts.

"I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night," is one line in "Daylight," and boy does that hit the nail on the head with how I felt prior to getting into her music. It's humbling, though, to see how many other people have also felt transformed by what she creates or have had special experiences related to her. It's easy to get existential about those things, just because of how insanely profound they can feel in the moment.

She has a unique gift to tap into something about love and relationships in human nature that is difficult to explain. The songs can resonate so intensely that you feel the walls and air around you vibrating as though there's an earthquake, even if you're just listening on headphones. I just hope she remembers to use that power for good.

Anyway, thanks to Kylie Berger (ky_berger) on TikTok for somehow being in exactly the right place for this. I can see other people taking video in her shot, so I have no idea why her particular video went viral enough for me to see it. It's going to make me laugh for years to come.

And here's a link to a Flickr album of my photos from the show, so you can see what things looked like from the other end:

And @taylorswift, I hope this content is up your alley.

hell damn fart

[onenettvchannel]

LATE-BREAKING FLASH REPORT: The Final Season of Bubble Guppies is set to air at the end of June 2023 [#OneNETnewsEXCLUSIVE]

(Prepared by Rhayniel Saldasal Calimpong / Freelance News Writer, Reporter and Presenter of OneNETnews)

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK -- After 6 seasons on the air, the animated children's TV series 'Bubble Guppies' on Nick Jr. is coming to an end. The final episodes of 'Bubble Guppies' Season 6 in its series finale will air this Friday (June 30th, 2023) in the United States of America (U.S.A.). The pre-school show was on hiatus at the end of Season 4 in late mid-October 2016 and revived for Season 5 at the end of September 2019, just several months before the Coronavirus Disease-19 (CoViD-19) pandemic worldwide.

In case you didn't know about this kids' programme... Bubble Guppies follows the underwater adventures of a group of mermaid and merman preschoolers who learn about a variety of topics like Science, Math, and Literature through songs and dances. Jonny Belt and Robert Scull are the show creators of the aforementioned show. It was first aired on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. channel in late-January 2011 and was since become a popular show among young children.

(contributed thumbnail photo via SpongieUpdates / Twitter)

"A Slow Day in Zippy City!" and "See You Later, Alligator!" are both set to air between 11am and 11:30am (Eastern local time) as the last 2 new episodes of the said series finale.

OneNETnews tried to reach out to the show creators between Mr. Belt and Mr. Scull for a comment but received no response on our end. Despite this, Guppie fans are excited to see how the beloved show will wrap up.

Although the series has come to an end, Guppie fans can still enjoy the past episodes on streaming services like Nick.com and Paramount+. While it's always bittersweet to say goodbye to your favorite show for kids on cable television, we're grateful for the joy that Bubble Guppies has brought to so many children over the past decade.

(stock photo via Google Images / Jam Filled Entertainment for Nickelodeon Animation Studios)

The final episodes of 'Bubble Guppies' Season 6 in its series finale, concluding this Friday (June 30th, 2023 at 11am) thru Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon and streaming next day on-demand thru the official Nick website and Paramount+ in the U.S.A.

STOCK PHOTO for REPRESENTATION: Jam Filled Entertainment for Nickelodeon Animation Studios

SOURCE: *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_Guppies *http://thefutoncritic.com/showatch/bubble-guppies/listings/ [Referenced Episode Listings via The Futon Critic] *https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/bubble-guppies-nickelodeon-series-cancelled-no-season-five/ [Referenced News Article via TVSeriesFinale News Bureau] *https://twitter.com/spongieupdates/status/1668034415392432128 [Referenced Captioned Twitter Photo via SpongieUpdates] and *https://twitter.com/TheCartoonBase/status/1668036185816539140 [Referenced Twitter Post via The Cartoon Base]

-- OneNETnews Team

[first-and-last-neocount]

WHO'S READY? :D

I did not end up dropping teasers or anything before now because I wasn't sure, right up until a couple days ago, if my writer's block was going to come back. XD However, the first week is fully written and I've made substantial progress on many later fics, so I think it's safe to say that we are doing this!!!

Whumptober 2024 Planned Outline

I am planning fills for all 31 days, all for the Deadpool and Wolverine fandom and most of them strongly Poolverine flavoured, though some are non-explicit or pre-relationship and could easily be considered genfic. These fics are grouped into four different series, which I've outlined below!

Series: Won't Somebody Come Take Me Home

Fic Count: 12

Days: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14, 20

Series description: A soft, angsty post-film AU of loosely connected scenes where Logan and Wade gradually drag each other up the slippery slope of mental health. A whole bunch of dealing with pain and trauma sandwiched in between exactly the kind of sappy shit you all probably expect from me by now, lol.

Series: Yeah, You Bleed Just to Know You're Alive

Fic Count: 8

Days: 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 25, 26, 28

Series description: On the other side of the coin, a collection of post-film scenarios where Wade has taken up mercenary work again, and Logan has opted to join him in the line of fire instead of having to deal with his issues. Not a chronological narrative like the other series this year, but rather just a set of unrelated fics that share that basic premise.

Series: Farewell Song

Fic Count: 7

Days: 13, 16, 21, 27, 29, 30, 31

Series description: A series of fics exploring Wade's murky past, Logan's uncertain future, and the story of my own mutant OC where it intertwines with them both.

Series: You Want a Revelation (Some Kind of Resolution)

Fic Count: 4

Days: 18, 22, 23, 24

Series description: When mysterious circumstances actually do bring the X-Men of Logan's original timeline back to life in Wade's universe, it initially seems like a miracle. As Logan struggles to adjust to the collision of his old world with his new one, though, he struggles to reconcile his own damaged recollections of the past with the facts he is now observing with fresh eyes. Unable to trust his memories and unwilling to accept what seems too good to be true, Logan digs deeper, and uncovers a shocking truth about the night he let his family down.

...

I have re-watched X-Men (2000) and absolutely loved it, so expect some references to that film; I also plan on seeing X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand before writing some of the later fics, and incorporating some plots points from those films, though I won't get any more specific so as to avoid spoilers. :P I am absolutely winging it on a wild mix of film canon, tidbits from the comics, and pure Vibes though, so don't expect any great consistency when it comes to the setting or timeline, lmao.

Also, as is tradition for me at this point, none of these series are confined solely to the parts that I am writing for Whumptober: I plan to expand on all of them, at least to some extent, after the month is over with additional not-strictly-whump-themed content. I even have a couple of multi-chapter fics where the additional chapters will be added after Whumptober, which I don't believe I've done in the past but proved necessary this year, most of all for the fics which will eventually be explicit; I simply do not have time to write a lengthy sex scene when I have so much angst left to write, ROFL. So, if you like these fics, stay tuned for more once the event is over!

It feels SO good to be writing again, and I'm very excited to share these fics with everybody, so I hope you all enjoy!

Right. Let's do this.

Whumptober2024 Roadmap

I didn't want to get ahead of myself this year, so I held off on the announcement until I was sure I could fully commit. That being said, fic #1 is already complete and I have a full stack of outlines sitting in front of me, so we're in business!

All 31 days of this year's Whumptober will be dedicated to Deadpool & Wolverine with the vast majority, if not all of them, being Poolverine ship fics. All of my existing WIPs will be temporarily on hold, because it's not like I was making much progress there anyway, and I'd much rather ride my new wave of inspiration and come back to my Coldfire projects with fresh eyes. :D

I will be pre-writing like a fiend all through September, so if I'm absent for stretches of time and/or absolutely binge-reblogging Poolverine content, you know why. XD If this ship is not your cup of tea you might want to block the Poolverine tag now, if you haven't already, because that brainrot is not leaving me anytime soon.

I also intend to watch most if not all of the X-Men films over the course of September, so some elements of those might make their way into my fics. So far I'm working with the knowledge of the first two Deadpool movies and a handful of X-Men comics back in the day, though, so don't expect too much accuracy on the wider setting necessarily, lol.

Might add to this later with my customary list of which prompt I selected from each day and related teaser material. :P

[eternalglitch]

Okay, first off- thank you so much for responding eeee!! I literally got so excited when I saw this last night! Second! I was reading your writing tips [and now I’m gonna try and enter NaNoWriMo this coming November] but I would still love a little help :D 

I was hoping I could maybe hear more about how you got people’s attention / what your main reading resources are that developed your amazing writing; and how you were able to partner with other writers for the first time?? Like, how did those interactions transition to trusting relationships? :>

I’ve been a fanfic writer since I was 11, and I started looking into being an original writer this last year. I’ve admired the fanfic writing community since I was 11, but I’ve never tried reaching out, until now.

So this really meant the world to me that you responded :> :) :D

I have so many ideas, but I have a really hard time with writing more than one beginning-or-end chapter. 

So I had thought, maybe learning how you got to where you are, would show me the way. 

-Thank you for listening to me ramble. lol. 

Good luck with NaNoWriMo! It's going to be quite the trip, but hopefully it'll be fun as a whole. Be sure to sign up on the official website!

As for how to get attention... honestly it's a mix of skill and luck. It's hard to coach anyone how to do that because it's all about having the ability to write something good while ALSO landing in a spot where people are able to actually get a chance to see your work. I posted lfls when the fanfic scene of Rise of the TMNT was very small; it was one of the few plot-driven longer fics of the time, so it was easy for people to notice it. And once it was noticed and talked about in that smaller circle of fans, as the fandom's size exploded it was already easy to find for newcomers that wanted to try reading Rise fics so it was just yanked up there with that wave. I couldn't recreate that situation if I tried. But if you get your storytelling ability up to a certain standard, I think you'll at least find some people out there that will be excited to read your work. I can't promise it would be in fandom famous amounts, but you never know! Hopefully the luck aspect will happen for you, too.

Most of the chances I've had at teaming up with other writers and artists was because my work was already known. I've been approached multiple times because people who I admired noticed me following them on social media and since they liked my own work or even just knew of my reputation, wanted to become friends (and vice versa!). And I find that that's actually a really good way to make friends, if you happen to be in that situation! We both are intimidated by each other for a good three days and then two weeks later I'm making fun of them for being short on Twitter (I'm sorry Pen, True, and Andy lol). It's easier for me to take that step into connecting with people I admire when I kind of know they are also a bit scared of me in the same way, haha. Any other times I've met people is by becoming friends in larger fandom discord servers, which is also a great way. Just be careful and follow the standard online safety rules.

For resources, I just read a lot as a kid. Like a book every two days. I also was active writing online, of course, and read fanfics a lot. And then I also majored in Creative Writing in college. Personally I think actual classes help some, but the best thing was actually posting my work and seeing what kind of reception it got and judging how to push that even farther from there. I would also see what kind of language I liked or disliked from a wide variety of fics and books, including the classic ones I read during high school. I have a scathing hatred of Faulkner and took NOTES on how to avoid his style lol.

After that... I think you're mostly getting at that you want a road map of my little journey, so sure! Here's some highlights.

As a kid, I spent most afternoons at a friend's house. We would staple paper together and make little comics. Mine were mostly bad Warrior Cats fanfiction.

2009-2012 I was active on a virtual pet website called Chicken Smoothie (yes that's the name. What About It) with an active forum area. There was a lot of little roleplays I joined there, and often contests to adopt character designs would include a writing section. The friends I made there and whatnot really started me on creating characters and trying to write more often. I even started my own original story there based on some of the pet designs.

2012(?) I posted my first official fanfic online. It was called I Must Be Dreaming and has since been deleted from everywhere except my old personal files. It was about a main character being brainwashed into joining the villains in an old anime series (sound familiar?)

2013 I posted and finished a fanfic called Shadows of Pride for Fullmetal Alchemist. It was seven chapters and 27k words in total. The main thing I learned from this one was how to plan a story out and complete it. This was also the first year I entered NaNoWriMo for an original 50k novel called Wide Awake.

2015 was the Undertale period for me. I got up to top 10 ranked Undertale fanfics on fanfic.net, and finished a full longer story- Over and Over, which was around 64k. I also wrote some shorter ones, but that was the only one of note. After that year, I transferred to ao3 as my home base for fanfic.

2017 beat NaNoWriMo again with another 50k original story titled Lights Out.

2018/19 I worked on a My Hero Academia fanfic called Way Out of Character. I never finished this one, but I absolutely learned more about manipulating how I utilized POV in my writing.

2020 I started Like Father Like Son.

[mishasminions]

The Last Time I’ll Write a Long Post About Supernatural (15x18-15x20)

15 YEARS OF WATCHING THIS SHOW. 11 YEARS OF RUNNING A BLOG ABOUT IT. IT’S BEEN QUITE A RIDE.

[15x20 Speculation + evidence at the bottom]

First off, I just wanna come clean and say, after all these years, I still think they should’ve ended at Season 5.

If you’re going to come at me with “Then why’d you stick around to watch it if you didn’t like it?”, your question is immature, and the answer is simple: I just want to know what happens next (I also love the main characters and their actors too). You can watch a show and still think it’s shit.

Call me a clown, but despite all the disappointment and trust issues that this show has given me, I would still look forward to the day where it might just turn itself around and bring back the quality it once had, or realize the potential of each story it was trying to tell, or at the very least, do justice by my favorite ship.

Never happened.

They’ve had a few good episodes here and there. I can’t imagine the SPN Universe without The Man Who Would Be King, The French Mistake, and Scoobynatural. Seasons 6-10 were enjoyable at times. I blocked out most of 7 & 11-15. 

If you’ve been following this blog since its heydays in 2010-2014, you’d know I’d try my best to defend Destiel and this show’s decisions regarding it no matter what.

Because you know what, as a CONCEPT, this show is good. If you take a look at all the worlds its storylines have birthed in fanfiction/fanworks, you’d see how much Supernatural has wasted its own story arcs. The writing got shittier as each season progressed, and they’ve obviously given up in production as well because the quality in the execution has noticeably gone down too, but if you take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture, you’ll see that this show still tries to make sense of itself.

[If you’re still following this post, please bear with me, I know this is long, but I just want you to understand how jaded and pessimistic I am with regards to this show, so maybe you can buy into whatever hopeful thing I’m about to say later on.]

SO LET’S TALK ABOUT DESTIEL

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that they would give us Castiel’s “I love you” speech. To the point where, if I weren’t so desperate for it, I would argue that it was completely out of character for him to word vomit the way he did (but I’m not gonna diss on that right now because I’ll take what I can get).

I’ve valued every meaningful and obscure exchange that Dean and Cas have had in the earlier seasons, and I was willing to accept their relationship as just that--undefined, without any clear boundaries as to what they really are. And I think that was beautiful on its own.

But now, they’ve chosen to define it.

After they’ve driven every possible wedge between Dean and Castiel in seasons 11-15, to try to explain away their feelings as something they offer to a collective.

Dean can’t mourn and pray for JUST Cas, he has to mourn and pray for EVERYBODY--even Crowley, even some chick he just met, because god forbid he cries about just the guy who has given up everything for him--that would be “too homo”.

They’ve even set Cas on a path to abrupt fatherhood just so he can care about something other than Dean. Make it seem as if Dean wasn’t his purpose through and through.

And after all these years of this stupid show trying to deny it, they choose to acknowledge it at the worst possible circumstance, at a time where they’ve been so far apart, that it seems so foreign for them to suddenly come together.

But here we are. And they’ve chosen to tell us.

Chosen to tell us that everything that Castiel has done leading up to his death, he has done it because he was IN LOVE WITH DEAN WINCHESTER.

Chosen to tell us that the ONE THING THAT WOULD MAKE CAS HAPPY IS DEAN WINCHESTER.

Chosen to tell us that BEING WITH DEAN WINCHESTER is something that CAS WANTS BUT KNOWS HE CAN’T HAVE.

And they’ve also chosen to tell us nothing about how Dean feels.

Sure, finding out your angel made a deal, the stipulations of said deal, his newfound happiness philosophy, his long-winded monologue of why he loves you and why you’re worthy of his love, and to top it all off he tells you that being in love with you is enough to make him happy while he subtly hints that he’s always wanted to be WITH you romantically, was a lot to process in the 5 minutes after you’ve just had an existential crisis.

It’s whatever, right? Let’s culminate 11 years worth of tension and feelings in 5 minutes. Let’s waste the entire episode with cringey expository dialogue, and irrelevant sequences. The whole season was a waste anyway.

You know what Supernatural? FUCK YOU FOR THAT. They deserved better. WE deserve better.

And I would love nothing more than to hurl every possible insult your way,

But for the last time, I’m going to HOPE that you’re finally going to try to make it better for the fans that stuck by you all these years.

No more baiting new viewers, no more placating casual viewers, no more excuses. 15 years. Bring it home for the people who have actually been around.

SO HERE’S HOW I THINK 15x20 IS GONNA GO

There’s two ways this series is gonna end. Horribly or Spectacularly.

First let’s all take into consideration what Andrew Dabb says about it:

So, let’s start with

ENDING HORRIBLY

In this scenario, Misha is telling the truth about his last day of filming being 15x18. His “camping trip” during the last few days of filming 15x20, was actually a camping trip. He doesn’t go to Vancouver to shoot.

Jensen wasn’t “being careful” during the zoom interviews that it was just him and Jared quarantining for the shoot, it really was just him and Jared (althought most of these were done pre 15x19) Supernatural isn’t smart enough to do misleading PR, and they’re once again oblivious to the potential of their own story.

Misha hasn’t posted a “Goodbye Castiel” tweet because he’s probably saving it for last episode or he forgot because it was overshadowed by the Destiel trend that night.

So what we get is:

Sam and Dean are on the road again, up against the monster of the week. Only their world no longer has actual Supernatural beings anymore, so the monsters they’re fighting are humans.

Humans end up killing the Winchesters (despite having gone up against literally every powerful being imaginable INCLUDING God himself). Dean and Sam end up in heaven and relive their greatest hits.

Meanwhile, Castiel rots in The Empty because he died after realizing that he was happy and gay. Jack doesn’t bother rescuing him—his surrogate dad, the guy who made this specific deal to spare him—even though it was so easy for him get Cas in and out of The Empty when he had a fraction of the power that he has now.

Dean never speaks of Castiel’s confession because despite all the hints of a profound bond in the earlier seasons, and the fact that Dean has never cared for anyone (who isn’t his actual brother) as immensely as he does Cas, Supernatural just can’t have its main macho character be “suddenly bisexual” because that would hurt the male ego or some shit.

His heaven would probably be living happily ever after with his family. “Family” meaning Mary and John Winchester--two of the shittiest parents ever (but they’re not going to include them in this episode like they were supposed to because of Covid) and Sam.

Sam also gets a dog. As usual.

I wouldn’t put it past Supernatural to do this. After everything they’ve pulled, this would be right up their alley. I actually expect this ending.

Anyway, onto the next possible ending

ENDING SPECTACULARLY

In this scenario, Supernatural tries to stick the landing, and Jensen’s whole “It didn’t sit well with me at first, but then I took a step back after talking to Kripke, and realized that I had to view it from an audience perspective, I am now really excited about it” (DC Con 2019) anecdote about his thoughts on the final episodes, were actually about Dean potentially ending up with Cas. (Which would totally make sense because Jensen at first didn’t see Dean as anything but hetero, but as of late, he has been throwing in Destiel jokes of his own, so he seems to have warmed up to the idea)

Backed with Misha’s tidbit (DLConline 2020) that he and Jensen had conversations about Destiel, and that they wouldn’t have gone through with it if Jensen wasn’t onboard with it, but Jensen didn’t push back at all. (Why would they need to check with Jensen if it was just Cas going all in?)

Robert Berens (writer of 15x18) also wrote the script at the beginning of Season 15, but made Misha privy to the concept a year prior (Season 14), so they went into this season knowing about Destiel going canon.

This one’s a reach, but this scenario also supposes that Misha was lying about his whereabouts during the filming of the final episode, and him saying that 15x18 was his last episode is part of the diversion to avoid taking away from the weight of Castiel’s death.

And that Supernatural is actually self-aware of its own material (similar to how they have wrapped things up in the past—lots of expository dialogue, poor execution, but fulfills the story arc)

Since Season 15 is basically a Meta Season (Chuck/God as a writer, pretentiously calling out how he created the worlds, its characters, and basically invalidating the past 14 seasons), and 15x19 is supposedly the finale for Season 15, written by two of the worst Supernatural writers, Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming (Bob Singer’s wife), then we can assume that 15x19 is where the shitty writers kill themselves--as Chuck, of course.

So we get a badly written episode that produces a bad ending, or as Becky put it, “All action, and no Cas”

So we get the bad writers season ending at 15x19.

And 15x20 is where Sam and Dean write their own stories, and where the cast had a hand in pitching ideas for it.

Dabb has mentioned that 15x20 (Act Two) is a SERIES finale, where they try to resolve the characters’ journeys.

Because as everyone has acknowledged, Supernatural isn’t about the story, it’s about the characters.

So here’s what we can get out of it:

With no more Supernatural beings left to fight, Sam and Dean are in a stalemate. They’ve resigned themselves to fighting to the bitter end, but the “end” has passed, and they’re still standing.

So they try to figure out who they are now, and what they want out of the life they still have.

Sam still wants a normal apple pie life. Before Dean dragged him out of college to go hunting with him, he had a whole life planned out for him. Become a lawyer, settle down with a nice girl, and get a dog. He gave all that up because they had work to do, but now the work is finished, he can finally go back to wanting that for himself again.

Dean finally realizes his self-worth after Cas saves him again. His prayer to Cas in purgatory may have helped him come to terms with his anger, but the whole “you’ve done everything you did for love” speech finally put him in his place, and he learns not to hate himself anymore.

But of course, he cannot fully reconcile with himself if he doesn’t get Cas back, and tell him how he feels.

Because Dean actually wants something for himself this time. Something he knows he can finally have if he can just salvage it.

So maybe this time around, with the help of Jack (off-screen), Dean saves Cas. Grips him tight and raises him from perdition.

They bypass The Empty deal by turning Cas human, and he lives the rest of his days with Dean.

Dean and Cas know they deserve to be saved, and they know that they deserve to be happy.

(Wishful thinking, maybe they kiss a little)

Anyway...

I’m just saying, there’s NO WAY that they’d have Cas go through that whole rushed speech, if they weren’t going to do anything about it later on.

But again, after 10 years of disappointment, I wouldn’t put it past Supernatural to pat themselves on the back and say, “Okay, we sort of gave them what they wanted. We’re good now”

If that’s the case, Supernatural, I’m sorry I wasted my time on you.

Here’s to hoping 🤡