#but also the dude's brain is always going

[shroomyv]

ᢉ𐭩-LET ME FINISH!

Pairing: mark Grayson x f!reader

Synopsis: your cooking and mark won’t leave you alone. He’s all cheesy trying to get you out of the kitchen and into bed, but you gotta get em away. You know just the trick.

Warnings: some cheesy dialogue, tit sucking (m!receiving), overstimulation!, cum consumption 😼

A/N: 2 fics in one day, wowza. Honestly was tryna pump these out incase my weekend is more packed than I expected it to be. Also also, thanks for all the love on the last 3 fics wthhhh im literally so fckin grateful dudes and dudettes 😞. I hope you enjoy this one as well but ngl it’s a bit all over the place. Trying to get better at writing I promise I promise. (Tryna get a bit better at describing some of the shi to, cus u guys can’t see my lil mind visuals)

Dishes piled in the sink, pots warming ingredients on the stove, and the aroma of something sweet floating through the air.

You are Mark were cooking together—usually you’d have takeout but tonight you wanted to get your hands messy and show off your cooking skills to your boyfriend. “Hand me that.” You say asking Mark to hand you any ingredients you need at the moment. He was zoned out, his mind on everything but the food. “Mark?” You say in a louder but curious tone.

“Huh, yeah?” He said finally snapping out of whatever trance he was in as he handed you the ingredient.

“You ok?” Usually, when he zoned out he always worried about something. For once it wasn’t that. He had something a bit more risky on his mind.

“Mhm, sorry I was just thinking about you or something.” He said with a soft smile before walking behind you. He towered over you—wrapping his arms around your waist as he started placing kisses on your neck and cheek. “Mark, I'm cooking, be normal. We can do whatever you're planning on your little brain later—just lemme finish cooking.” You said knowing how he got whenever he began kissing you up. Once he got started—there was no stopping him.

“What am I doing…?” He said cheekily as he kept going—beginning to suck on your neck now. You felt yourself starting to grow a bit weak to his lips, they were warm and it felt like your neck was just inviting them there. He was distracting and it honestly seemed like he was trying to get you out of the kitchen.

“You said you were hungry, if you do this I can’t cook mark.” You said trying to shew him away. You were failing miserably since you were just leaning into his lips more and more. It felt so nice—it felt right. However, you knew if he won this one he’d just keep it up. You had to figure out something fast to keep him satisfied and continue cooking.

“Yeah, I'm hungry…but I can eat other stuff too…” Mark was making hints about eating you out once again. He was so corny but you liked every second of it. You two eventually backed away from the counter as you leaned into his kisses more. You finally had a plan in mind—all you had to do now was put it in motion.

“If that’s the case, I wanna eat some other stuff too.” You said in a passionate tone as your positions were now changed. He went from behind you with his arms wrapped around your waist to behind the one pressed against the counter as you were in front of him.

You knew he was sensitive—it was honestly one of your favorite things about him. If he wanted to start something, you’d gladly finish it for once. “Well…what do you wanna eat.” He asked in a bashful tone as if he was ready to back out now since he was practically cornered.

“Just wait and see…” you say blissfully as you get his shirt off of him. His chest was practically staring at you as if they needed to be sucked. His eyes shot everywhere around the room trying his best not to freak out and cum on the spot.

“Mark…you gotta look at me or I'm not doing it.” He was in a tough spot now but he did exactly as he was told as his eyes tried his best to focus on you. Your mouth went to his chest as they softly began licking at the nipple. He gripped onto the counter beginning to whimper already. That’s what you liked to hear, it’s what you wanted to hear.

“Oh, oh fuck-“ he groans out as his head rolls back a bit. He was such a sensitive boy. You use your free hand to start rubbing and twisting at the other nipple feeling it perk up in a meer seconds. He was squirming a little bit already. He wanted this, he wanted to distract you from cooking. You’d give him what he wanted since he did exactly that. You kept sucking at his nipple moving your tongue around it

Pop—smack

The sound of your mouth on his chest as he was struggling for dear life. You could see his legs getting a bit shaky already and you loved the sight of it. “Baby…please-“ he said in a whiney tone—he was struggling to keep it together as you made sure you worked him up.

“You wanna cum?” You say in a snarky tone as you continue sucking at his nipple. You liked how pink it was like a little strawberry. He was so sensitive in this area—like a delicate little flower. You’d use that to your advantage. You move one hand off his chest—slipping it down to his sweatpants as you try to get it off. He begins to wiggle and squirm helping the process go faster as they slide down to his ankles.

The same process was repeated with his boxers until you were finally able to see his cock. You could see the precum already dripping down from his pretty pink tip. God, you were obsessed. First, you teased, softly moving a finger up and down his cock.

“Cmon…please don’t…” he cooed out as he felt like he was gonna explode already. You liked seeing him like this. You liked seeing him beg to keep going—it brought happiness to your horny little soul. Your viltrumite boyfriend was now at your whim just from your simple tongue on his chest. Finally, you cut the teasing out.

You began softly stroking his cock using any of his precum as lube while you kept sucking at his tit. You loved looking up and seeing his struggling face trying to keep any bit of composure. He kept squirming and twisting—he didn’t even try to keep in noises anymore. He moaned and whimpered so loud you wouldn’t be surprised if the whole world heard. You loved it so much though, it was perfect.

“Nngh- oh…oh fuck-!” He huffed n whimpered out as he began to cum. Your mouth makes a popping sound as it lets go of his nipple. You bring your cum soaked hand up to your face licking it off each finger. Mark just stared in complete awe and astonishment. He was entranced.

You knew he had at least one more in him. You had to get it out of him so he could stay out of the kitchen and let you finish cooking.

Your lips popping back on his nipple—this time you give attention to the one you ignored the first time. Everything felt more intense to him this time. He felt like he was melting into the counter.

“Baby…f…fuck-“ he moaned out struggling to form full sentences. Your hand got back to work on his cock except this time, you wouldn’t let him cum as quickly—you had to make sure he was a little exhausted when you were done with him. Your hand going fast, then slow, then speeding up again as it teased the hell out of his cock. You could see tears swelling up in his eyes from being edged by you. He was biting his lip, trying to keep in any noise as your mouth popped off his nipple for a second to speak.

“Ah ah, lemme hear all of it” you commanded softly before going right back to sucking his chest. “Can I…can..” Mark was trying to huff out some wish. You began moving a bit faster by stroking his cock as you could just feel he was struggling. He felt overstimulated already but knew it wasn’t over.

“Can you what mark?” You said in a muffled tone as your mouth was stuffed with his nipple. You were honestly starting to grow wet from this yourself. Seeing him like this was like a reward. He was starting to become a pathetic little mess.

“Can…can-“ he couldn’t even form a full sentence. You saw drool seeping from the side of his mouth as he struggled to try not to cum. He knew you wanted him to ask for it first but it was so fucking hard. His hip staring bucking into your hand—fapping for dear life as if he was ready to explode.

“Can…can…I cum- ngh- please? I need…to finish-” He said with a tear of pleasure rolling down the side of his face as you began sucking harder and stroking as fast as you could. If he was about to finish, you were gonna make it worthwhile.

“Sure you can…”

You said with a smirk as you sucked harder on his nipple one more time before he came. He was practically laid out against the

counter. “Since I let you finish, can I finish to mark?” You asked in a teasing way as you did want to finish cooking with him trying to fuck or distract you now. He just gave a shaky thumbs up before trembling his way to the bathroom to clean himself up.

You licked the cum off your hand before washing it anyway since you had to finish cooking.

You finally got to finish not only that you got a little treat—overstimulating your boyfriend.

“Mark! C'mon come eat.” You call out to him from the kitchen as he comes. Before you could even set plates out he grabs you up—pinning you against the counter now.

“You finished cooking like you wanted…my turn!” Mark let you have a moment/second to win. Now he was coming back to redeem himself. You just leaned back into the counter knowing it was your turn now and he’d finish whenever he wanted to…

[kioflerkira]

Hey can I have ajealous percy jackson x reader

But percy doesn't realise at first cause he's oblivious and the reader sort of does but doesn't think much of it because she's with percy

Also the reader and this guy are friends so she's around him a lot?

“ YOU JEALOUS ? ”

warnings: fluff, fire, jealous percy pairings: p.jackson x reader summary: percy, oblivious to his own jealousy, grows increasingly annoyed and perhaps jealous of some camper and his friendship with you.

━━━━ ⋮ ୨୧ ⋮ ━━━━

YOU AND ELIJAH ANDRÉS, a son of ares, had always been close. you trained together, cracked jokes, and shared an easy friendship that made sense. you balanced each other out—his fiery temper softened by your patience, your strategic mind sharpened by his bluntness. to you, it was just friendship. to percy ? well, he wasn’t quite sure yet.

it started small. he’d catch elijah slinging an arm over your shoulder after a particularly tough sparring match, and something inside him would tighten. he’d watch you laugh at one of elijah’s admittedly dumb jokes, and his grip on riptide would get just a bit firmer. still, he brushed it off. it wasn’t like he had a reason to be bothered, right ? he was your boyfriend, after all.

then came the day when he finally noticed it.

you were sitting by the campfire, recounting some ridiculous quest moment to a group of campers. elijah was beside you, leaning in just a little too close for percy’s liking. when you laughed, elijah nudged you playfully, his smirk way too smug. and percy felt it—that unmistakable, irrational burn of jealousy.

“dude,” grover muttered beside him, watching his clenched fists, “you good?”

“i’m fine,” percy said quickly. too quickly.

“you sure ? because you look like you wanna drown him.”

“I don’t wanna drown him,” percy grumbled. “just.. make sure he backs off.”

grover snorted. “yeah, you’re totally not jealous.”

percy opened his mouth to argue but stopped when elijah leaned closer to you, whispering something in your ear that made you roll your eyes and shove him away, laughing.

that was it. that was the final straw.

me stood up, marching over before he could stop himself. “hey.”

you blinked up at him, surprised. “hey, percy. need anything ?”

elijah smirked. “sup, jackson ?”

percy ignored him— he wasn’t worth his time—, eyes locked on you. “can I talk to you ? like, alone ?”

you frowned but nodded. “uh- yeah, sure”

he took your hand (pointedly ignoring elijah’s knowing grin) and led you away from the fire. once you were out of earshot, you crossed your arms. “okay, what’s up with you ?”

percy ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “are you and elijah.. ?” he trailed off, feeling ridiculous.

you raised a brow. “are we what ?”

“like.. close ? too close ?”

realization dawned on your face, and then you laughed. “oh my gods, percy. you jealous ?”

“no !” he said immediately. then, at your unimpressed look, he sighed. “just.. mildly irritated by him”

you grinned, stepping closer. “percy, I love you, you idiot. elijah’s just a friend.”

“I know, it’s just—” He hesitated, looking at the ground. “he gets to train with you all the time, joke around with you, and I just.. I dunno. It bugs me.”

your expression softened. “you do realize you’re my boyfriend, right ? that you’re the one I want to spend my time with ?”

his lips quirked up. “yeah?”

you rolled your eyes fondly before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “mhm, seaweed brain. now stop pouting and come back to the fire.”

percy huffed but laced his fingers through yours. as you walked back, he made a silent promise to himself—next sparring session, elijah was going down.

━━━━ ⋮ ୨୧ ⋮ ━━━━

a/n: gods, i love elijah smsmsm 😖

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  @pinkie-quinns! pinkiequinn has 9 fics in the Stranger Things fandom posted to AO3 and all of them are in the Steddie tag.

@dame-zoom-a-lot recommends the following works by @pinkie-quinns:

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

freehill

Sleep Therapy

Eddie Munson is a Piece of Shit

I Bear a Charmed Life

"Their fics have such a solid… feel and color to them if that makes sense, and they're all so distinctly good. I've read several of their fics and they're all very different from each other while still being incredible. I love their sense of humor. Sometimes it'll come through in the situation, sometimes in the dialogue, but it's always there and when I least expect it" -- @dame-zoom-a-lot

Below the cut, pinkiequinn answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I read Steddie for two years before I ever tried to write anything!! Honestly it got to a point where I kept trying to find these hyperspecific fics that matched exactly what I wanted and I just kept coming up a little short. So eventually I was like… okay… No one’s doing rockstar Eddie who’s an addict but also did go through the canon events of the show and also is coming home for the holidays and also is a celebrity that’s deeply imbued in 90s culture. Time to pick up the pen.  In terms of Steddie itself this is gonna sound strange but there’s an atmosphere and a texture to them that really compels me. Stranger Things in general has that. I’ve just always been really intrigued by small town Americana and I think they’re both characters who are really really shaped by their town, whether that’s through its love or rejection of them. And they’re foiled in such a perfect way where you get the sense they could really learn a lot from each other and both grow through the other. They’re just, endlessly compelling to read and to write!

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Honestly, like, it’s a little boring but a historically informed slice of life friends to lovers fic with a healthy dose of angst does something to my brain… Especially if they’re in their 20s and it’s the 90s and they’re in Chicago or some other big city. It’s like crack to me. I also adore a real pining secret relationship! I think those can be so so so beautiful. 

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Dark Eddie… I don’t know if it's my favourite but it’s definitely the one that comes up the most. I’m just very naturally drawn to the darker bits of his character. I think 7/9 of my fics have Eddie doing Morally Questionable things. It goes in varying degrees of like… jerking off to a dubiously consensual incident with his crush to um… leading a cult that’s surrounded by a lot of “mysterious” deaths… to literally being Satan.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

There’s so many! Brutalist Masterpieces by Great Unironic is one I come back to a lot. The space in that fic and the atmosphere are just so gorgeous to me. And wow… the weight of time in it. Better By You, Better Than Me by palmviolet i think is our all the young dudes just the depth and texture of that world astounds me. How in its time it is, the music in it!! That version of Eddie also informs how I think about that character nearly as much as canon Eddie. Some more recent fics I loved are almost nothing, almost everything by Loudsnapdragon and Heaven cannot wait forever by rabidheart. Almost Nothing is genuinely like my platonic ideal of steddie fic. It’s hot, its world is sooo detailed (could write an essay about Steve’s ED in that fic) it's set in the city!! Eddie in it is SO cool! The characterizations! The dialogue. It’s a perfect read. And then Heaven Can’t Wait Forever does this really amazing thing where it takes a relationship that is like… a smut trope relationship and then just digs in and past that. Just really stellar, engaging writing and so hot! Honestly they are both fics I feel really perfectly build to their (literal) climax- it’s so tough to do! And they make it look seamless.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention I’d Even Sell the Bimmer by dirtyvalentine which is like, the fic of all time to me.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’d love to do a proper slice of life, like, steddie in the city fic… I may have something in the works in the long run but I have two big wips (freehill and the desperado series) to finish before then.

What is your writing process like?

It really depends!! I’m generally a very very slow writer and right now I’m in a dry period so I’m having trouble even stringing together a hundred words. When my brain is functioning better it involves a lot of research and world building in the initial ideas generation stage. Depending on the size of the fic, I make playlists of music the characters might be listening to, watch movies that evoke the vibe of the story, & bury myself in wikipedia articles. It’s my favourite part. I have pretty bad adhd so I find I work best when I’m really locked into the world of the story. I also walk like 35 minutes to and from work everyday and I find that a really good time to ideate about the story and come up with bits of dialogue. I never write in order so I have a pretty difficult time piecing together the scenes I’ve written and making them fit with each other. Chapter 4 of Freehill is sat at about 8k words foreverrrr and I had to rearrange the order of the scenes about 9 times until it finally clicked together. It’s all a bit of a mess.

Do you have any writing quirks?

I’m, like, a criminal repetition over-user. I don’t know why this is the case… Maybe I am a circular thinker so it translates into my writing, maybe I just like the patterns! Who knows! I definitely find repetition and repetitive phrases very beautiful and I think capable of evoking some emotional response beyond the actual words of the text, which is to say, I think it does something to my brain. If you read anything of mine there will be at least five bits of egregious repetition per chapter. 

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Prefer is a strong word here… I post when I finish a chapter… and unfortunately that means I both don’t post when wips are completed nor do I stick to a schedule… I think years down the line when I am a more seasoned fanfic writer I will wait until the whole thing is done to post… until then… here we are.

Which fic are you most proud of?

Born Under a Bad Sign, hands down (and the rest of the Desperado series sitting in my wip folder). That fic is my baby, it’s what got me to start writing seriously again after years and years of aborted attempts in random gift journals.  I also just… have so much love for it and what it’s trying to do. Imperfectly for sure, but thematically I’m still really compelled by the ideas it's grappling with. I feel like I was always really searching for fics that dealt with the lived consequences of having been so close to death and there’s lots of great ones but I really wanted to explore how healing from that isn’t always a linear process. How things tend to get worse (a lot worse) before they get better, and how that kind of core trauma can totally shape you and the people around you. It’s just.. Endlessly fascinating to explore.  I also am quite proud of freehill so far (it’s soooo fun to do the foreshadowing in that one) and I do also love You Could Call Me Nancy. I think that one is probably the tightest writing I've done. 

How did you get the idea for freehill?

It was another one of those cases where I was constantly craving Cult Leader Eddie and there is just… almost no cult fics? Which is crazy to me bc not only is he such a wildly charismatic character but he’s also accused of being a cult leader in the text of the show! I was a bit reluctant to take it on at first because I’m not really someone that is super into cults or true crime. I’ve definitely done a lot less research on the cult aspects of Freehill because I just don’t always love the framing of that kind of media. A lot of it is just me going on vibes and prior knowledge (and the You Must Remember This podcast series on the Manson family that imprinted in my brain when I was 17). Freehill is definitely made up of tidbits I’ve learned about over the years. The Manson Family, Jonestown, with a bit of NXIVM and the Sarah Lawrence cult thrown in for good measure. This said, despite my reluctance the plot just kept revealing itself to me the more I ideated on it. I remember taking a shower (the best place to brainstorm) in the summer when I first was coming up with the bones of the story and realizing exactly where I wanted it to end up. I’ve had the last scene of the entire fic fully drafted for seven months now. It just totally transformed from a story I would’ve preferred someone else tell into a story I absolutely had to tell myself.

When writing freehill, what was something you didn’t expect?

It was supposed to be like… 15, maybe 20k… And then all the sudden it had twists and turns and lore and there was just no way… I realized pretty early on that it really needed the space to lure you. As I’ve been writing it, especially the first few chapters, I had that line of Louis’s from IWTV just on repeat in my head “Let the tale seduce you, as I was seduced.” I wanted the reader to be just as compelled towards Freehill and Eddie (and disarmed by them) as Steve was, which meant establishing a lot of space and a lot of time.

What inspired Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails?

Honestly? I woke up one morning possessed and was like… what’s the most pornographic thing I can write? And the answer was demon sex lmao. That immediately evolved into a Rosemary’s baby au bc I had just rewatched it a few months before with my friends and was shocked no one had done an au of it in Steddie fic!

What was your favorite part to write from Sleep Therapy?

Something about successfully incorporating the plot of Deep Throat into that fic always makes me laugh. It’s such a silly fic. The recorder line in the second chapter also really makes me laugh.

How do/did you feel writing Eddie Munson is a Piece of Shit?

Ah such a fun one! I had just finished Charmed Life and was kinda scarce on ideas but knew I wanted to write another light one shot. I’d gotten a lot of comments on Returning the Favor asking for a follow up so! A follow up. Charmed Life had been a bit of an exercise in finding Steve’s voice, which I find a lot harder to write. Eddie Munson is a Piece of Shit was me returning to my creature comforts and going totally ham on Eddie’s voice. I’d really missed his um… dramatics (Poor Eddie Jr </3)

What was the most difficult part of writing I Bear a Charmed Life?

I started writing that fic when I had covid this summer and most of it came together really quick!! But the sex scene…. the sex scene haunted me so bad I almost scrapped the whole thing. I think every sex scene I’d written until then had either been totally obscene (everything in Snips & Snails and Sleep Therapy) or a bit subversive (Born Under a Bad Sign’s failed sex scene comes to mind) so honestly just figuring how to write a scene between two consenting, equal parties and still make it hot and fun was oof… very challenging for me. I ended up reading a ton of smut just to wrap my head around it.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

There’s a scene at the beginning of chapter 3 Born Under a Bad Sign where Steve is treating Eddie’s injuries (after getting beat up) in a gas station bathroom and he’s giving Eddie all this casual affection that’s Eddie’s been craving from him for months and I just.. really really love that scene I find it really tender. My favourite line is from the same fic! But at the end of the last chapter: “Indiana was a specter, the entire state. It was always going to haunt him. He strewn like raw meat over the whole of it.” I just like “strewn like raw meat.” The letters sound nice together.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Forever wip-ing on Freehill on the Desperado series! I’m very Freehill-focused right now and it’s just been so fun working on that story and sharing it (especially seeing people’s theories oh my gosh!) so I’d definitely recommend it if you're wip-tolerant.

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

I want to say I’ve always loved your guys’ blog and I love how much you guys foster and nurture the community. It’s amazing! I’ve followed this blog since the start and these writer’s spotlights especially have been such a massive inspiration to me! Literally one of the reasons I started writing again was reading about other writers' processes. It really helped to make it feel like fic writing was something I could do and not just this mystical, unreachable thing. I get so much joy out of writing and finally having access to my creativity and also being part of a community that makes sharing my work so exciting! All this say this is a very full circle moment for me so thank you guys so much for existing!

Thank you to our author, @pinkie-quinns, and our nominator, @dame-zoom-a-lot! See more of pinkiequinn's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[violetren]

The great thing about the White Collar OT3 is that at no point does the introduction of Neal into El and Peter's everyday lives never feels like a threat to Peter and El's marriage.

Like from the moment Neal shows up at their house in episode one he and El hit it off.

Within the first 5 episodes Neal and El have figured out they have similar knowledge and interest in the finer things, they're sharing looks over how Peter talks about and will react to things, El is telling Peter to trust in Neal a little, Neal is helping make sure they have a lovely anniversary, and El is calling Neal in to mediate/help prove her point in mini arguments to make Peter do stuff.

They also work really well because while Peter, El, and Neal might all be slightly different flavours and intensities of hyper competent adrenaline junkie weirdos, all three of them are intensely loyal to "their people" so the second El and Neal recognised that they both trust Peter as someone who will always try to do the right thing and respect them they were like "oh green flag."

[xxcrumbxx]

Hello hello soo um im still workin on it ,ive been kinda burnt out from it an ik thers no real preshure and im wayyy past valintinse day but heres a wip of those silly lil valintines cards

Also today is my birth day im 22 now so .. Thats a thing. Anyway im planing on making like 3 alternet vershions of eclips 1 with the cannon tipical 2 arm pre decomishion desighn 1 with the 4 armed fannon /cannon design and 1 with the 4 armed ballone world desighn. Probly ganna take a bit but what ever it will be valintine in fuckin may who cares lol

[bennetsbonnet]

I think it's so interesting how little we are given in terms of descriptions of the characters' physical appearances in Pride and Prejudice, and yet countless readers have nonetheless formed very decided opinions about what each character might look like. For example, dark-haired Mr Darcy, blonde Jane and brunette Elizabeth.

Perhaps the ideas we hold about what the characters might look like are reinforced by some of the most famous adaptations (although the 1940 adaptation has a blonde Elizabeth and brunette Jane!)

The way we variously imagine Mr Darcy is a matter I find especially intriguing, given the only description of him in terms of physical appearance is:

'Mr Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien*...' * a person's appearance, especially the typical expression on their face (x)

But is then said that, after discovering the extent of his wealth and consequently being biased in favour of him, the ladies pronounced him as a 'fine figure of a man' who was 'much handsomer than Mr Bingley.' However, both of these descriptions are quickly retracted when his manners provoke disgust, and he is then said to have:

'... a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.' (i.e. less handsome than Bingley)

Apart from these descriptions in the third chapter, Mr Darcy's appearance is largely left up to the reader's imagination; with a few exceptions when his expressions are described (such as when encountering Wickham and during the first proposal in Kent). Perhaps that's what makes him such an enduring character... he's tall, handsome, rich and holds himself in a noble manner, from there go ahead and project whatever you want! That's pretty appealing.

Although I enjoy many onscreen interpretations of Mr Darcy (with my personal favourite thus far being 1995) I still imagine him differently when I read the book. For me, 1995!Darcy and book!Darcy are two different entities entirely. I don't picture Colin Firth in my head or hear the lines in his voice when I read the novel. (I still largely love the portrayal of Darcy in the 1995 adaptation; although I wish some scenes were ever so slightly different, but Colin Firth looks so good while doing it that I find it easy to forgive him!!)

To me, book!Darcy is a lot smilier when he speaks to Elizabeth than 1995!Darcy; plus I feel like he has quite a soft, deep voice (though he can make it plenty powerful and full of haughtiness when he wants to) with a rich tone. My Darcy is also at least 7ft tall, and has a slightly more colourful wardrobe with some nice deep blues and rich reds in there. I am fully onboard with him having curls, that works for me... but I also like to imagine him with lighter eyes (perhaps green) and more freckles too, for some reason! Perhaps because I imagine he enjoys spending time outdoors.

Anyway, I don't think there is any one thing that has made Darcy so appealing to so many people over the centuries, he's kind of a perfect storm; nor do I think there is any inherently 'right' or 'wrong' way to imagine him.

Let your imagination run wild, it's what Jane Austen would've wanted :)

[ace4thespades]

I heard you used to work with Mafioso. You were even said to be a heartless hitman! What was your interaction with Mafioso like?

How did you—?

. . .

Err, nah. Can’t say much. I don’t even know the guy, but he is to be feared after all. Wooo, the big mafia boss, the debt collector himself! I am not sure where you even got that info from ‘cause thats clearly not true. I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.

[k1tty5]

hello :D please tell me more about your mezalian (is that how you spell it??) smalletho I will forever be indebted to you

(they are gorgeous I love them sm)

hey hi !! it would be my pleasure … (and I’ve been spelling it mezalean ??? but i have no idea LOL. there might be a canon spelling but i havent watched joels esmp1 since… probably since it ended. i will have to check sometime)

apologizing in advance because i will probably get very ramble-y!!

ummm. Oh god. How to start. Lets see. WELL. In this silly little au (i guess it has become a bit more than just me doodling designs LOL) in my head they have like this sort of zelink dynamic? obviously without all the zelda lore & stuff, just that kind of … okay forgive me I haven’t brushed up on my zelink lore for a good many years but. Like the princess and her personal knight that doesn’t really talk much sort of thing.

this made more sense in my head. But yeah. They have the vibes of zelink ? At least if i remember zelink right, I have a really bad memory :’) not exactly the same, i do think etho talks to joel (whereas if iirc link never really talks) - especially after getting to know him a bit - but just. they have the Vibes. You know?

I reckon Joel’s definitely very into sculpting in this au, maybe dabbles a little in painting - I imagine mezalea to be very heavy on art and expression in general. think you’d especially see lots of pottery and textiles all around the place. He probably also has an interest in some form of like. um. whats the word. Some sort of … fighting. lmao. Specifically thinking of fencing, i had this idea in my head that he’s watched Etho practice outside the palace at some point and is just absolutely fascinated and enamored. by both the practice and etho himself haha.

and for etho… talented swordsman? he is Not washed. i dont really have many ideas for his character in this au To be completely honest, mostly just of his personality. Although, I alsooo think he’s probably not actually from mezalea? I like to draw him with those pointy elf ears, and i think mezaleans are just humans. I cant remember if thats canon or not but um. mezaleans have human ears, so i’d imagine etho’s probably from like.. rivendelle? Is that. What it’s called. The elf guys? Are they elves??? Goodness I cant remember. Grimlands would make sense too since i THINK they’re kind of like. technical engineer guys? but i dont know what species they are um so ,,, yeah,,,,

i think joel’s probably a bit put off by etho at first, mostly just because he’s not super enthused about the idea of a personal guard, but also because the guys a bit odd, you know? but he’s also probably suuuper intrigued by him. he wants to figure this new guy out, and when they start talking a bit more, i think. They are both incredibly charmed by the other. head over heels? possibly.

most of my ideas of this au are just little scenes that are cute and silly but dont follow any main plot. I would love to write some one-shots of some of the ideas i have in the future, but as of right now im experiencing a bout of creative burnout and am busy with the holidays - spending time with family, so… not right now lol!

hopefully this is what you wanted,,,, i tend to get very ramble-y when talking about literally anything, so i do apologize for that haha, i am Not good at explaining things in simple ways, as i’ve said many a time before.

[keeps-ache]

awkward way to have a convo but okay

[plain inks below cut]

[feline-evil]

I have the brain of a fallow deer i think because when i look at my beloved wrestleboys (or really any incredibly huge buff person) i feel the instinctive response in my brain of holy fuck this guy could eat me. Like i am some sort of prey animal. What's wrong with me. It contributes to the sense of awe when watching the sport but it's also another sign to never ever ever go to real life events lest i bolt in panic and dash in front of a passing Subaru.

[mister-eames]

how do you think arthur and eames would take in other slowly growing old.. I don’t see either of them as characters being insecure about themselves but how the other person would see it is kinda a mystery and exciting.. so how do you think it would go? hugs xx

Oh my goodness I love this question. I agree on them not being overly insecure in themselves - not much, or too seriously, at least. They may lament a thing here or there but nothing that would take up too much mental space.

I know it sounds a bit cliche, but overall I think they'd fall more in love with each other, tbh. Growing older is a sign of survival against an often unkind world. Of experience. It's the sexiest fucking thing in the world to see your SO earn those signs of age alongside you, to say you made it, you keep making it, despite everything life has thrown at you, you are strong enough to survive.

Though, at first, I can see Arthur having a sort of existential crisis about it.

Not because he finds Eames any less attractive. On the contrary, he loves Eames extra padding, the changes in him; the very real markers that signify that they both have survived and they are experiencing this very real privilege to get older and to do it together; that they get to share a life, full of good and bad memories - to trust someone with who you were, who you are, and who you are going to be.

But in that same regard, I can see it finally hitting Arthur in a very real way (kind of the way it hits all of us); oh... our time here is actually limited... isn't it.

Perhaps it's when they're no longer in dreamshare, risking their lives, but it occurs to Arthur in a strange, sudden sense that some day the world will go on without them. That they are in fact, mortal, despite cheating death so often in their dreams and in real life too.

Arthur might be having this crisis at 35 or 45 (probably has it every ten years after his mid-thirties tbh) and he has literal decades ahead of him, but their own own mortality really hits him. He knew, intellectually, and with Mal and Dom, and with others in his life, that nothing is guaranteed. It's just... he feels like he has earned this life with Eames, after all they've been through together and personally, and it's not even that they're geriatric or "old" by any means, but the signs are there - they are not getting younger. They are visibly growing older. There's the greys, and the aches, and the weight gain here, the fat loss there.

The fact is plain and simple with life: there is no turning this car around.

Time is a real thing. One day it starts tick-tick-ticking away very loudly in Arthur's brain, like a bomb about to go off, setting off the same kind of panic in Arthur that says do something about it -- but there is nothing to be done about it. That's the worst part. It's just life, and not even Arthur, point man extraordinaire can mitigate it or stop it.

So Eames unearths the source of Arthur's panic after Arthur takes up three new languages, asks Eames for the fiftieth time if he's sure he won't regret not having kids, dyes his hair to get rid of the greys, takes up trumpet lessons and books them a cruise or seven - and then Eames is utterly bewildered by Arthur's heightened state of existential panic because he's not even fucking old, they've never been better or happier.

At first, Eames is like, "Calm down, dear. Complain to me when we have liver spots and we're both using walkers to get around. Old is just a state of mind."

Arthur, in the midst of frantically planning a new diet for them both sans-alcohol, is not amused.

So Eames asks him, "What are you so afraid of?"

"I don't know... losing time, I guess." Arthur replies. "Or... not making the most of it."

To which Eames asks plainly, fondly, "Aside from spending your days panicking, what are you gonna do about that? What do you need to do, at the end of it all, on your final day, to look back and say 'I regret nothing'?"

"I..."

"Ask yourself: what does your life without regrets look like?"

Arthur thinks, and after a long pause says:

"I... need us to live... exactly as we are now."

"That's good."

"Maybe tell you I love you more."

"And I will do the same."

Arthur takes the deepest breath he's had in days.

Then Eames adds, "By the by, I hear that not being on your husbands back about folding laundry is the key to a long, happy life."

"Nice try," Arthur rolls his eyes, taking his beloveds face in his hand and kissing that cheeky smile. "Speaking of which. I hear helping your husband fold the laundry does wonders for longevity."

--

The press of his lips against Eames and the quiet laughter between them in that moment, is one he never forgets.

--

Later, once all the laundry is folded and they're enjoying a glass of wine, Eames will Arthur that he is wrong. They are not losing time - that every day is more time they gain together.

Arthur will concede that Eames is right, sometimes.

--

As for Eames, well. He has all the pride, heart growing with love, etc etc, but you best believe he has several canvases and sketches and papers with a timeline of every iteration of Arthur, a visual chronicle of a beautiful man, drawn by Eames, over time, in varying mediums.

Not to say Eames has never felt strange about growing older, or Arthur growing older. But he's very much at peace with it, and earned the ability to be at peace with life - and himself. He's not afraid, not when there is so much to look forward to, and so much to learn.

And so many more versions of Arthur to appreciate and adore; on paper, and in person.

--

They both take the other ageing as something wonderful, something to be cherished. We only get one chance to get old, after all, but we get near endless chances to grow older. They don't get it right every day -- that is to say that sometimes life is an alarm clock that you get up and get on with on first ring, and sometimes in life you just press snooze and both is okay -- but they get it right often enough that they can call theirs 'a life, lived'.

So, yeah, they fall deeper and deeper in love with all the signs of age on each other -- it's all the time they've had, and all the incredible time they still have to gain.

[irradiatepositivity]

the worst thing is when someone says something you know is wrong but also you dont know enough about the correct answer to correct it and/or learned it a While Back and forgot the details and also youre a little worried that maybe YOUR version of thiings is also a bit wrong bc you know that the full answer is a Big Complicated Thing but u cant fact check it right then and it would be kind of a dick move in the moment to go "oh thats wrong and im like 45% sure this other thing is right but also i know im forgetting details and also maybe i was misinformed too but i KNOW the thing u just said is wrong" so instead u just let the Wrong Thing pass so as to not be some awful combo of pretentious and Also Wrong

[deathits3lf]

my gender truly unlocked when I realized a couple years ago that I didn’t have to be a drag king. I could be a drag queen if I wanted to

[coulsons-left-arm]

Oh, and happy 23 year anniversary (October 21, 2001) to "A Broken Heart," episode 4 of season 1 of Alias, the episode that was apparently pivotal to my life when I watched it live in my dad's lap after waking up from a nightmare. 💀😭

I found the TV show years later in middle school (that's a whole other story), binged it, turned it into my very first rot, and realized I had a deep love for father-daughter relationships in media.

Jack and Sydney Bristow, you may not be written as top tier as Coulson and Daisy, but dang it, you'll ✨always✨ be famous to me. Forever. 🫶🏻 *Esp Victor Garber and Jennifer Garner's actual relationship. They're still sweet friends after all this time and she still calls him her spy daddy and I'm v 😭 abt it.

[hood-ex]

Having a crisis over whether Joshua Hong is prettier than Dick. With this hair and outfit I—😩.

[tlcartist]

Not to sound like an anti intellectual or anything but the constant philosophical analysis of media is exhausting after a certain point. And this is coming from someone who enjoys media analysis.

Like, yes we live in a capitalist hellscape. Yes we’re constantly being marketed to. Yes nearly every piece of media you see is meant to sell you a ✨product✨ and yes that sucks ass. HOWEVER, I think it’s absolutely possible to understand that and still want to engage with that piece of media regardless. I don’t necessarily think knowing all of that removes all value from it or even that it means it can’t have artistic merit.

“This piece of media is promoting a brand or product” and “I still think it has an interesting story to tell” are thoughts that can coexist. They aren’t mutually exclusive.

We should absolutely continue critiquing media. We should continue working to ensure that original stories get produced and promoted to larger audiences, especially those told by marginalized voices. But imma be real with you, sometimes I get tired. Sometimes I need a temporary break and escapism via “superficial” media. Sometimes I just want to have fun for a bit. And yes there are no apolitical actions in society and yes my ability to engage with this type of media at all comes from a place of privilege. But goddamnit sometimes I just want to watch the Barbie movie or wear makeup or watch dumb anime and it doesn’t always have to be that deep.