#for anyone who read this far……. this post is about winter king

[death-limes]

animated shows stop making characters specifically engineered for me to simp over and hate myself the entire time i’m doing it. please i’m so tired

[katshuya]

wtf

elua did not deserve the winter rose crown at all!! it belongs to queen Lyanna Stark! your fake princess exists just to get between the best ship like the brown whore she is. there is no mention of flowers and elus in same sentence yet i see you fans draw her with flowers that rightfully belong to queen Lyanna. shows how desperate your side are. elia never lifted a finger to save even herself much less anyone else. why should she get crown over Lyanna, when flowers as motif belong to Lyanna (and Arya, yet sandra fans keep using it too in fake ugly arts).

Do you see this shit, people?

I love how they expose their true colors while hiding who they are.

The obvious hate for Elia in their posts as they pretend to try to give her identity by saying she only cared about becoming Queen and her son the next king while also saying Ashara probably loved more lyanna and was simply just one of many handmaidens for Elia and Rhaella probably wasn't close to Elia.

Yes, winter rose is lyanna's. I was talking about the crown, you idiot. So what? It doesn't change the fact that even your oh so great self insert, not like other girls character was reduced to glorified womb. Greenseer or not. With Rhaegar's love or not. It's not pretty at all.

But I guess that means nothing to you compared to screwing Rhaegar in your imagination.

Elia wasn't able to save herself, no thanks to your stupid prince charming, but your dear lyanna didn't save herself either. In fact, Rhaegar is also to blame for what happened to her, as well as she was complicit in her fate, too.

Elia will always exist to show how much this ship is disgusting, selfish, and cruel. That's why you are so angry. Otherwise, why did you say Elia was there just to get in between your self insert perfect ship where Rhaegar is in love with you?

You all know it shows the ugliness of this ship. Oh, sorry! I mean the GrEYnEss.

You want to blame someone and then blame the author.

Because Elia being there shows not only Rhaegar as a selfish monster but it doesn't paint lyanna as a nice girl at all if she went willingly no matter how much GRRM would talk about what a lovely winter rose she was. Age can excuse actions to how far?

Get out and touch a grass. How long can this fantasy of special oh so different girl swinging sword and making most handsome men fall for her and other girls jealous of her could continue to please you? If anything, it's making you mad because of how badly written it is.

A reminder, Sansa is Arya's sister, you ugly heart. I doubt your Arya would be happy reading what you wrote.

[heroesoath]

SINDAY HEADCANON ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

in alphabetical order under the cut because i'm not a heathen.

ALEX

Alex takes orders really well, tell him what you want and he will comply with a little smile or smirk and he'll get to work! And I need it to be known that there is a REASON Lorna and Madelyne keep letting him back in and it's 100% because he's good at using his mouth, and his jaw almost always has some stubble so it's great for sensations and stimulation.

Alex is hot, I mean that literally, his powers makes energy and plasma store inside his body so he runs hot. If it's winter? He adds an extra layer of comfort during sex since he's just a blonde weighted blanket.

Likes being pegged, look at his Goblin Prince era.

When it comes to men he's a versatile king, he can be a submissive bottom or a eager top, best of both worlds - Hannah Montana.

When he was younger he did have issues of using his powers during intimate moments but it was ONLY when he was solo. He's far too terrified of his own abilities and how dangerous they are to ever accidentally use them in bed now. He keeps that control no matter what. ( Eyes might glow blue though )

*PULL HIS HAIR* He will moan and it's a delightful sound.

He likes fucking in the X-Jet lol ( it's leftovers from Alex and Lorna's time in space where their most favorite pastime was banging because there wasn't anything else to do idhfjks did )

Weird asf but he enjoys when people tear clothes from him, especially his uniform.

CLINT

Alex might be good at taking orders, but Clint is the ORAL KING. Bobbi makes numerous remarks about how long Clint can hold his breath, that man eats pussy / sucks dick like a ROCKSTAR.

Clint grew up in the circus and because of that he's very bendy, he can do lots of different positions, like go crazy babes.

Not sinful, but he's strangely good at after-care, he'll make coffee/tea, order pizza, clean up. A mess in real life does not translate to post sex, man has a reputation.

Because he is deaf, he prefers positions where he can see his partner's face. He wants to see them enjoying themselves since he can't hear them. On the other end, Clint is loud as he has no control of his volume so feel free to gag him!

Clint has very strong fingers from his archery so do with that info what you wish.

Enjoys being tied up.

DANI

Reminder that my Dani is a lesbian.

She's a dominant top, reading everything about her even from the early days of New Mutants, this woman will not take orders from anyone. She takes charge, she knows what's she's capable of and that's the tea.

She will unironically call someone good girl in bed and I hope this awakens something in all the sapphics out there.

She can and will make sex toys with her powers. You think those psionic arrows were all she can make?? Nah.

Because of her powers she can also make it seem like they are at any location. Wanna bang on the beach but can't fly there? No problem. Five class Paris suite?? Just relax and let Dani work her mirages.

Despite her top energy, Dani is a supreme cuddler, she enjoys showing affection and that translates into sex. Lots of kissing, lots of desperate grabbing, lots of face caressing.

JAMIE

Jamie has more control of his powers now, but he does sometimes lose control, so if the sex is intense don't be surprised if another Jamie pops out fugdvhfjd So if your muse is into a sudden threesome with two Jamies then you're golden.

He really is just a walking orgy so if you're super freaky just ask and he'll pop out a few duplicates and they can all have fun.

From his detective era, he does love sex on a desk. He "Thinks it's so NOIR."

JEAN

Already alluded to this today, but sex in the sky is so real. She can keep you both afloat with very little effort ( though if she gets with someone who flies she'd love to give some control up )

Jean's eyes glow pink during sex. She has enough control that she doesn't fling things around, but the room may shake a bit.

Her favorite lingerie is black, a call back to her Black Queen moment. She also wears a lot of backless dresses.

KISS HER NECK, MAKE HER FEEL DESIRED. She'll never admit this, but Scott cheating on her has left a scar. Jean wants to feel loved and desired, that she's enough.

She can be dominant or submissive, a versatile queen.

Because Jean is a cosmic entity at times, she loves powerful lovers, if they can be like two stars colliding into a big bang she'd be ultra satisfied.

She likes riding, yee haw.

Jean can cook breakfast and bake a bit, but she's not a great cook, so expect her to offer to go out for food after. A little date after a bang is just as valid as cooking in the kitchen! She's also just fine with coffee, cuddling and leftovers.

Woman is loud. Like she'll shout a name so loud the cosmos will hear because she's fire and life incarnate.

Random, but in my verse where Jean is still the White Phoenix of the Crown, the nexus of life, death and rebirth itself, I once read a fic where she brought someone into the White Hot Room just so she could bang because she wanted to feel human again and . . . idk that's a plot right there.

JOHN

MAGIC IN BED. John will do some absolute unhinged shit in bed via spells, sometimes even on accident.

Submissive. This man is not dominant in the slightest, he will if he finds like a submissive demon, he might TRY, but more often than not he's a pillow princess who curses and is loud.

He does love a power bottom though, ride him!

Probably uses such utter insane names in bed, he's NASTY, A FREAK, ROLL HIM INTO A BALL AND SLAP HIM AGAINST A WALL LIKE ONE OF THOSE STICKY HAND TOYS.

Sex for spells? Hot. Draw incantations on his chest and fuck him like it's a ritual.

JULIAN

Unlike Jean, Julian has less control over his powers so he absolutely lifts and throws objects with his mind if he's really into what's happening. His eyes glow green, the room is a lava lamp.

Because of his lack of hands, he uses his telekinesis for grabbing, psychic massages, and those psychic massages happen anywhere. Ever been fingers by someone's mind? He'll do it. Telekinesis sex is INTERESTING.

Julian loves chests, he's a boob man, whether it be women's or men's.

He has daddy/mommy issues, everyone who has followed me on his solo blog knows this. He's into it I fear.

Call him good boy to make his toes curl. He likes praise in general.

He might pretend to be someone casual, but in reality Julian might be one of my muses who gets attached the hardest? It makes it so his heart is easier broken, but he loves feeling a connection, he loves feeling loved and wanted on an intimate level.

Still enjoys casual sex, but the above is for those he's feeling HARD.

When he's with a man he's such a bottom. Fuck him and put him in his place lmao

KISS HIS STUMPS!! When he doesn't use the prosthetics after becoming comfortable with you, if you kiss where his hands used to be he's going to melt and the sex will be even better, I promise.

Women should always it on his face. ( And men lowkey ), but he loves performing oral.

If you're anti mutant you're not getting any. He's the most radical of my muses, humans more often annoy him than anything.

MARC

The three men all fuck differently, I'll need to do some #soulsearching to really find the differences, but I bet Marc fucks like the world is ending and his dog tags swing from around his neck.

Steven is the romantic one, candlelit tub time, roses and shit. He's a rich man with a desire for passion.

Jake is more of a mystery but he might just be a mixture of how Marc and Steven fuck, he's more of a casual / friends with benefits kind of guy though. Comes with his job as a cab driver.

Marc 100% fucks in the suit.

Do not call them by the wrong name. You will know who you're with based on their personalities, but it's an instant turn off if you get it wrong.

Marc is a daddy, I said what I said.

All of them eat women and men out like it's a meal and they are a starved victorian child F*UYDGHFUIO

PIOTR

He big, he will make that bed SLAM if he gets into it.

Despite the above, he is very careful. Piotr is a gentle man and will only get more rough with permission, but if someone wants it that way? He'll oblige.

He loves painting people when they are naked. It's not sexual at first, but if someone gets turned on by his skills and his gaze and his working artist hands then SO BE IT.

He's submissive by nature, but will absolutely be dominant if the mood call for it.

Same goes for being top/bottom, shorter men topping him?? A win.

Manhandling comes with the whole package, Piotr is strong, and he's just bigger than 90% of other people. But hey, if you just want to be picked up and banged?? He can do it.

The Steel form . . . might come out, but he's extremely reluctant. He never wants to hurt anyone, but if you ask for it, then it'll happen.

He's super about communication tbh, I'm noticing it as I write this down, he's just all about it and being a soft spoken king.

SURPRISE ANOTHER ORAL KING

He loves mapping lover's bodies with his mouth and hands

His pecs jiggle, grab them FUYDHFKJDHDH

His ass jiggles, grab it.

His (censored) -- I'm not finishing that

He likes sex in nature, in water, stuff like that. Anything that can give him artistic muse.

ZATANNA

MAGIC IN BED! But less freaky than John.

When you get her going and she starts speaking backwards you know you're doing a good job.

THE FISHNETS STAY ON

She dominates John Constantine, but in pretty much every other relationship she's a submissive queen.

Enjoys being tied up, enjoys giving herself over to another person and letting them take control since she always feels like she needs to be in control in other aspects of her life.

A romantic at heart, she loves inviting people to her giant bubble bath. Lots of sensual moments actually, she wants massages.

Bite her.

She also enjoys air sex, whether it's just her floating from her arousal or full on flying.

[gluteus-canis-familiaris]

art post . 21

the very first BoB fanart I made a long time ago was of Winnix, but I only got as far as sketching their head shapes then chickened out completely from the sheer emotions lololol

but I have now redeemed myself!!! And I made it during October so I guess (???) it counts towards Inktober/Wartober though I've never had the discipline to participate properly in either of those ever

WHOLLY inspired by the unfairly gorgeous photo of the real Dick Winters that he decided to take once he finally got home to Lancaster, the King Of Rosy Cheeks: Mr. Norman Rockwell, and the What we have heard together series by @jouissants on Ao3 (hope it's ok to tag here! if not, will remedy immediately! and instead of leaving a comment there like a normal person I just have to say that those fics have become my absolute Gold Standard for Winnix, they ruined me, they were everything I didn't know I needed in life, and this art doesn't even do justice to how incredible that entire series is ughhh it left me a blubbering mess and I've just been trying to drag anyone who will listen to read it and join my despair ever since)

my very 2nd attempt at gouache :) enjoyed every second of it but as expected, I'm still happiest with the original sketches and am now regrettably too lazy to add in the details of their patches/pins/ribbons, but since I pictured this as their immediate post-war photos, they really, really deserve to be showing off all their achievements at this point huhuhu

I had the intention of making their uniforms dark green as they are in Ep 10. There was INTENTION at some point. That's all I can say about that...

[bleachbleachbleach]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you to @recurring-polynya my beloved for the tag!

I tag everyone who writes fanfic who hasn't done it yet! because I love reading these kinds of things

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

203, 11 under bleachbleachbleach.

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

827,868

3) What fandoms do you write for?

I currently write for Bleach!

4) Top 5 fics by kudos?

I use a site skin that hides kudos/comment count/bookmark/hit data on all of the fics on AO3, because they make me feel bad about myself.

5) Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I post my fanfic on the Internet because I want to talk to people about these characters and these stories. Of course I’m going to take the opportunity. If someone comments on a fic of mine, chances are I’ve probably re-read the whole fic before replying, because, again, I’m going to TAKE that opportunity.

6) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

All my fics are fairly dour the entire time, but I don’t think they tend to end badly. I’m most interested in the afterwards of something having ended badly (and/or something that is probably going to end badly, but hasn’t yet and maybe it won’t).

7) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All my fics are fairly dour the entire time (she says, again), but happiest overall and happiest ending is probably Some Things, because nothing hard is obviously about to happen right after it ends (e.g. Aizen, the Winter War, the rest of TYBW, etc.).

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Hate, not usually. Passive-aggressive dismissiveness or unsolicited critique, yes.

9) Do you write smut?

I’ve written sexual content, but idk if it’s technically smut? In that the point of it is often not arousal. Like, I’m not expecting anyone to want to read it because it promises to be sexually satisfying and scorching hot. Usually the characters are Going Through It and either the sex is incidental or it makes everything worse. I love either an inconsequential bathroom fuck or sex that exists somewhere on the spectrum of Weird. All of which can be kink in itself, yes! But I’ve never written anything and thought, "yeah, THIS, this is gonna make someone nut."

10) Do you write crossovers?

No, but if I did it would be about Iba being great friends with King from Run with the Wind. This is THE crossover canon of all time, mark me.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know. 

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

I’m not sure? I’ve had people offer, usually never to be heard from again, but I think it may have happened once, a long time ago.

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, but I didn’t really enjoy the process. Or didn’t *get* it? I guess I don’t really understand how it works? I barely understand how RP could work, lol. 

Obviously we run this blog in tandem, and have co-written posts. I regularly hop into docs with multiple authors for things like abstracts, copy, organizational statements, etc. But fanfic is, to me, a completely different creature. That’s between you and the characters.

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

I don’t think I’ve ever thought about a ship in this way. This is not about fandom or fanfic, but I will say I’ve reliably cried about David/Patrick’s wedding (and entire courtship) EVERY time I’ve watched Schitt’s Creek. S-tier.

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

I used to be someone of many fics and many WIPs, but in Bleach I am someone with one WIP and a selection of other posted fics, all of which have been pinched off of my one WIP, like little spider plants.

16) What are your writing strengths?

My strength is that I enjoy the process of writing fanfic. Like, obviously it’s frustrating when something isn’t coming together, or is just bad (though sometimes it’s still enjoyable even when I know the product itself is bad). Sure, it’s often DISTINCTLY UN-FUN if this is happening while the fic is on deadline, but overall I like writing fanfic, and I find I don’t relate to most "writers avoiding writing" memes I see. (Well, with work writing, I find them highly relatable. I’ve heard there are people in my profession who enjoy work writing. COULDN’T BE ME.) By god, I did not wrest away this time to write fanfic, only to NOT enjoy it!!

Product-wise, my strength is that I know my taste, at least, so I usually like the things I post, even if I don’t think they did everything well. Craft-wise, my personal favorite trait of my own writing is the rhythm and repetition, and the layering of metaphor that results.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

How badly I want to hear from people after I have shared something. My father once told me (not about fanfic lol) that "not everything requires a response" but man, if I’m going to put my heart on the line, my heart requires one, regardless of whether the greater balance of the universe does. 

Craft-wise, I think my weakness is sometimes leaving too much to implication (and the opposite, overwriting or overmechanizing, executed out of fear of leaving too much to implication).

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

For Bleach, I consider all dialogue as already in-translation, even though the only language these fics exist in is English. Depending no how important I think the dialogue is or how well-versed I am in how the character speaks in Japanese, I will sometimes spend a lot of time thinking about how the scene would go in Japanese, and what the best translation would be for that in English. I’m nowhere near fluent in Japanese; I just really like translation theory. In practice, the way this works is like, I’ll have a certain grammatical construction in mind, or an order of phrases in mind, and then I spend a lot of time deciding if what I want for the scene is a "Nabokov does Onegin" translation (literal, "pure," estranging), or a "Pushkin does Shakespeare" translation (in the artistic idiom of the target language). This kind of playground is one of the things I love most about Bleach, and one of the reasons I started writing for Bleach in the first place. I really enjoy it!

I am not fluent enough in any language other than English to want to write dialogue in it. I think all of you who write fanfic outside of your primary language(s) are phenomenal.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Online and disseminated to others? Inuyasha, back when you had to also build the website to host it. (We discovered FFN later, lol.)

20) Favorite fic you've ever written?

I really like most of the fic I’ve written, to be honest. I think that’s probably less true of things pre-2009, but probably some of that stuff, too. Some are more take or leave, but of everything I’ve written in the last five years, there’s only one where I looked at the title just now and thought 'ehhhh.'

On this blog, I try to avoid talking in the specific about things I’ve made that aren’t for Bleach, but How Many Thousands is my top favorite. It was written for one of my best friends in the world, before we were actually friends. I consider it my love letter to her.

For Bleach, it’s probably my East Rukongai Soul Train fanfic, which I have  read more times than the entire rest of the planet combined. I have read it many times. Thank you to those of you who also read to the end, because you are one of the highlights of my entire 2023!

[ruthlesslistener]

I can't actually delve much into pharloom and Deepnest yet since we don't know much about them, which is why I cut the "essay" in the OG post short.

But if I were to say anything I'd say that Pharloom feels very Christian to me, while Deepnest is very much not, though I can't say which culture they're coded as. Which is fascinating because pharloom clearly accepts immigrants, or pilgrims as we saw in the trailer. It suggests to me that Pharloom is only accepting immigration from nations they deem "civilised", aka bug Christian, or at least willing to assimilate.

However the weavers are not willing to assimilate, and even if they were they look so different to the average bug, which means they cannot. I may be projecting but it's like how if you're a brown middle Eastern guy you can't exactly assimilate into western culture even if you wanted to cause you're not white.

Because of this pharloom keeps the weavers only for their labour and away from the eyes of tourists and pilgrims, to continue this facade of a "civilized" nation, afraid that the "barbaric" (aka not bug Christian) reputation of the Deepnest immigrants would taint that.

It's similar to how if you were to be hired into a factory job here in Europe or any major labor intensive job that is away from the eyes of the public it's filled with immigrants, as if the company knows that they'll accept harsher conditions. No I'm not speaking from personal experience whatever gave you that idea, heh, but seriously it's fucked I hope hornet tears pharloom into shreds.

op i am SO sorry that i didn't answer this in over a month. I did not expect to be as busy as I was when I got back from winter break and this was one of those asks where I really wanted to sit down and just read through it and have time to think of an eloquent reply to add more to the conversation, but then I got smacked with the requirement to read a dry 500-page book on why some biochemist thinks that the mitochondria is the key to everything we do in our lives

But! Now that I (kinda) have the time!! Hard agree with you!!! Pharloom is indeed very Christian-coded, what with the rosaries and all, and even though we know very little about it rn, there does seem to be a strong form of hierarchy going on that wasn't present in Hallownest- at least, not as a whole. While the caverns of Hallownest were formed by separate native tribes that each had their own culture, god, and internal hierarchy, Pharloom was said to be a land that you had to work your way through 'from the ground up' to reach the gilded capital, which is...quite a familiar phrase to anyone who is an immigrant or child of an immigrant family that came to America seeking some form of wealth or freedom that their original country couldn't offer. Similarly, Pharloom seems much more densely-packed and messy compared to Hallownest, where again, each tribe had their own territory that they defended and cultivated to their own liking. Pharloom, on the other hand, feels like a city where there's floods of new immigrants and pilgrims coming in seeking something that it's offering to them, but only the most desirable of the bunch will get what they want. And if you're not, then, well...good luck with that. You can try working your way up the ladder, but you won't get very far. You never will. It's all a sham, and those who notice it will get nothing out of it.

(the fact that they captured Hornet in a cage gives me a very uneasy feeling about the potential of slave labour, but at the same time, that seems hardly out of the ordinary for Pharloom. I'm also kinda creeped out by the implication that the Weavers were originally from Pharloom but fled to Hallownest, then were forced to go back to their homeland come the Infection, because that's not really something we've seen yet so far. Even the Moths seem to have simply assimilated into the City of Tears when the Pale King and White Lady uprooted the Radiance, and by Seer's words, they did so willingly. That the Weavers had no choice is...sinister, to say the least)

Also big agree on hoping that Hornet tears Pharloom a new one. She got to be princess protector over a dying kingdom for so long, now she deserves to tear the guts out of a rotting cesspit on the verge of death.

[msjansaccountant]

Get ready for a Ned Stark appreciation post.

I love Ned. I don't quite understand what a 'babygirl' is, but I'm a firm believer that Ned is so 'babygirl'. I think what I find most interesting about Ned as a character are his insecurities. His insecurities that came with being Brandon's younger brother are specifically what I want to touch on. I can't quite remember the quote, but I remember at one point in a Game of Thrones Ned thinks about how he wasn't cut out to be the Lord of Winterfell. That was Brandon's job. And every time I think about that I want to shake him and say "no 'babygirl', doing say that about yourself!"

I get why Ned feels so sensitive about this. I mean, Catelyn literally thought of Ned as the plainer version of Brandon. I'd feel a bit sensitive too if I was the dour brother of an absolute stud who consistently outshone me at everything. However, I contend that Brandon would've been a shit warden of the north compared to Ned. Or at least, he wouldn't have been as good. I'm going to use Robert Baratheon as a case study for why Brandon would've been an ineffectual leader. I'm doing this because I think that Brandon parallels Robert in a lot of ways. They're both hot headed, they're both relentlessly horny and will fuck anyone regardless of the consequences (see their respective relationships with Barbrey Dustin and Delena Florent) and they both seem more or less indifferent about the responsibilities that come with ruling a kingdom/kingdoms.

And look at how things turned out for Robert! Everybody loved him, but that love didn't matter for shit once he died. Literally the day he died the Seven kingdoms descended into civil war. Now it may be unfair of me to assume that if Brandon ruled the North he would be as incompetent as Robert, but I think it's fair to assume that many of the issues Robert had as King Brandon would also possess as Lord of Winterfell. Now, compare these two to Ned. Ned held himself to a higher standard. He didn't sleep with whomever he wished (he was too shy to even talk to Ashara Dayne), he didn't act on every emotional whim he had and he treated ruling with the respect it deserved. The man was humble enough to seat the small folk right next to him at dinner because he cared about what they thought. Fucking hell, the only time Ned ever 'broke the rules' was by fathering Jon, which doesn't even count because Jon isn't his! And look at the way people treat Ned after he died. The North is fanatically loyal; the mountain clans march on Winterfell as winter sets in just so they can save Ned's girl. Ned cared for his people and they cared for him.

Ned might be a bit solemn, he might look a bit plain, he might even be a bit boring compared to his older brother. But damn it, he was a good man, and if anyone should feel pride in what they achieved, it's Ned.

Thank you if you read this far! Good night Australia.

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

EVERY WEEK I WILL POST VARIOUS REVIEWS I’VE WRITTEN SO FAR IN 2024. YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS FOR MORE UP-TO-DATE REVIEWS HERE.

___

51. The Clue in the Diary by Carolyn Keene--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Four stars because I've been waiting to get to this one in the series. We finally meet Nancy's series boyfriend here and he is a very keen guy. So swell. LOL. To be honest, knowing that he becomes her series boyfriend made it all the more obvious because of his behaviour. While he wasn't the first guy to catch Nancy's eye, he's the one that was the most persistent.

The mystery in this was pretty good--it made me feel like I was watching a mystery show. I think it might be one of the more layered mysteries so far in the series. And I don't mean that in that it has multiple mysteries, but in the sense that it felt like it had more heart than some of the other books in the series (so far).

Anyway, this was the last audiobook at the library of this classic series, so I don't know if I'll be reading beyond this, but maybe one day I will.

___

52. The Winter King by C.L. Wilson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I came across THE WINTER KING on Tik Tok and I remember thinking, "This sounds like a book full of tropes I'm going to love." I was correct.

Wilson has created a beautiful and fantastical slow burn of a romance where the spice and sexual tension may be immediate, but the romantic part of the story is a slower burn. And the best part is that while these two are coming together and pulling apart, there is an actual fantasy storyline happening at the same time. There was always something happening and it was all being told in dual POV, which I'm very grateful for.

I'm a sucker for a FMC who has always been underestimated and treated less than she deserves, only for her to prove everyone wrong and for things to finally go her way. This book was full of those moments and they were like catnip for me. The brooding hero making her feel like she isn't wanted, when he in fact is too scared to get close to her because he wants her? Yes please, melt me.

Also, the side characters were great! Especially a younger one that comes into the story later on. Everything just came together so beautifully and ugh, I'm so glad I finally read this.

I highly recommend this for anyone who wants a slowburn, but sexy fantasy novel that also has a pretty great storyline.

By the way, I went to bed very late last night because I kept adding ten more minutes to my audiobook timer. I couldn't stop listening!!

___

53. The Language of Seabirds by Will Taylor--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE LANGUAGE OF SEABIRDS, right from the beginning, has this beautiful and nostalgic air to it. Over the span of a few days, we get to see the MC learn more about himself, what it means to speak up, and the power that words and actions can have. It also shows how infallible even parents can be when they are somewhat just as lost as we feel.

Dealing with divorce, a father who is acting differently than normal (given the circumstances and his one too many drinks), and that in between chaos of deciding what life will look like post-divorce, our MC's summer isn't off to the best start. When he sees a mysterious and cute boy running on the beach past his temporary summer home, it sets of a chain of events.

Their adventures (and misadventures) over those two weeks gave me the greatest sense of nostalgia for those summer nights that can only truly be experienced while being a kid. The ending took me out, emotionally, and had me teary eyed in bed at 330 in the morning.

Also, I want to say that this book is 100% a middle grade book because the characters are only 12, but this is probably one of the most beautifully written middle grade books I've read. It felt very literary and almost older than the intended audience--not because of content, it was all very age-appropriate--but because of that feeling it made me feel of summers lost, and the way the story is written and presented. I think this is a great book for people of all ages to read, especially those who want to reminisce on their first loves, especially those who couldn't pursue said first loves because sometimes there can be truly negative consequences, or simply the fear of acknowledging that love.

The author also included an author's note about what he wanted to invoke in this book and truly, he fully did his work. What a gorgeous and under-appreciated book.

___

54. How to Bite Your Neighbor & Win A Wager by D.N. Bryn--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'll be honest: I never knew this book existed until I came across it on Libby. It looked fun (from the cover alone) and listen, who doesn't like a vampire romance now and then? I will say, though, that while this cover is very indicative of the emotion between these two characters during this act, this book was surprisingly...not what I was anticipating?

I thought this book would be spicier and just MORE. By the end of the book, I felt both relieved and a little let-down. Relieved because I was counting down the minutes until the audiobook ended and a little let-down because, like I said, I wanted more. I wanted the climax of the story to give me more. I wanted the romance to feel more...passionate? I don't know. It all felt a little too easy? And at times, I totally forgot these characters were adults. I thought that this could have easily been a YA novel, the main difference is that these characters are old enough to work office jobs.

I did like the diversity (both racially and body-type). I also really liked the one MC's best friend, she was great and I loved that she kept that MC levelheaded.

I enjoyed how they fell in love. It reminded me of past novels I've read where one MC shouts out that they love one of the characters, which gives me that "Aw" feeling. But I'm still a little salty that this was a vampire romance and it wasn't very sexy.

Anyway, if you like contemporary fantasy novels with vampires and close door romances, I think you'll enjoy this one. Was it silly at some points? Sure. But well, it wasn't the worst vampire book I've read!

___

55. Hideaway by Nora Roberts--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another day, another Nora Roberts book I've thoroughly enjoyed. I'm beginning to see the somewhat formula behind some of these books and I'm not going to lie, for the moment, I'm really enjoying said formula.

One of the beautiful things about HIDEAWAY is the familial love and how thoroughly this MC is loved. And even though I had to suspend my disbelief in the beginning (how is a ten year old capable of so much???), I was hooked.

Roberts has such an addicting way of writing. Her books are so much more than the fluffy romances people have always classified them as. Yes, there's romance in this, but it's also a thriller with some people who would heavily benefit from serious therapy.

It was also interesting seeing such a wealthy family have such a warm core.

Will definitely be picking up another Roberts novel!

___

56. You & Me by Tal Bauer--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⬆️⬆️ Real footage of me after I finished reading YOU & ME after only sleeping for two hours because I couldn't put the book down.

Listen, I'm an avid reader. There are some books I love and then there are some books that make me say, "I don't care about sleep, give me all the pages." YOU & ME was one of the latter books for me. I wanted to know what would come next, I wanted to know if these cinnamon rolls would get their shit together, and I especially wanted to see the father/son relationship be healed.

This book has hype behind it and it is completely worth it.

This is like one of those rare books that you immediately know will both linger with you long after it's done, and will be something you're going to re-read in the future.

I loved their love, I loved their relationships, and I loved seeing the unravelling of the mess that we are introduced to in the beginning. This is a story about love, hope, friendship, and heart. I loved it so much.

___

57. Barbarian's Prize by Ruby Dixon--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was excited for this one because LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS COVER! While it's not my favourite book in the series, I found it did hold some pretty important themes.

The FMC is dealing with some serious trauma after being r@ped various times when she was captured at the beginning of the series. I think that's one thing that's easy to bypass in the past few books--the trauma these women went through after being capture is sometimes swept aside in order to get some sexy times. But I liked that Dixon let her FMC heal herself before she gave her heart to her mate. I'd call this book more a sobering moment in this spicy series.

I liked the MMC because he knew what the FMC needed and how to respectfully approach her. Maybe the bar is set in hell, but I thought it was sweet that he wasn't as pushy as all of the other male aliens around them. God, that's such a weird sentence to write. LOL.

Anyway, onto the next one!

___

58. Mindy Kim, Class President by Lyla Lee & Dung Ho--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think that books like this one are such important reads for the little readers in our lives. Not only does it teach the reader more about a culture (key words and phrases and snacks), but it also teaches them the importance of kindness, bravery, and how to approach scary moments in life.

Mindy faces her class's presidential elections in this one and while the teacher comments on the importance of voting and using that right we all have, we also watch Mindy overcome her fear of public speaking and how it's okay to be an adult with fears (her father), or my favourite, how it's okay for adults to have stuffed animals.

I love seeing Mindy grow in each book and I will never get over how adorable she is! I think this is a great and under-appreciated series.

___

59. Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

INDIAN HORSE is an emotional punch of a book. I think it's definitely one of those books that will haunt the reader for a very long time after the very last page. It was beautifully written, but it was also written with the phantom blood of those poor children who suffered, died, and were permanently scarred by residential schools.

Triggering is one of the first words that comes to mind when I now think of this book, but it's also so incredibly important.

This is the perfect of example of using and excelling at something to run and try to escape from the monsters in the dark, but that not even something you once loved can be a permanent escape. Monsters always find a way to find us in the end.

God, this was a beautiful and heartbreaking book--made even more so knowing that while this is a fictional story, the events are not wholly confined to this book. The horrors these children suffered will forever haunt our society. The cowardice and monstrosity of using religion to dehumanize people is something worth burning in hell for.

So, though it is triggering and traumatizing, INDIAN HORSE is a must read, since sometimes it is the most jarring books that have the greatest impact.

___

Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts?

___

Happy reading!

[masterghandalf]

MG Reads Embers: Chapter Sixteen

Note: This is a continuation of my reread and commentary of Embers by Vathara, originally posted last fall and winter on my Dreamwidth account.

Chapter Sixteen We open with an author note. A/N: NaNoWriMo eats your soul. I have a limited number of chapters worked out and beta'd at the moment, so I'm posting them slowly. That way, you'll have at least one new chapter for each week of the write-til-you-drop time! Yes, Zuko knows darn well the Fire Navy was Up To No Good at the North Pole. Technically, Min was perfectly correct about the Water Tribe defending themselves. However. Zuko loves his people very much. And displacing your anger onto someone else is a very human reaction when you yourself feel horribly guilty. Which Zuko does. After all, if it weren't for one masked marauder getting in the way of Zhao's plans, Aang never would have gotten to the North Pole, would he? And for everybody who wants to see the Gaang... we're getting there. The chapter proper opens with Toph, vowing to never let Katara take her out for girl stuff again. Still smarting from how the rich girls made fun of her, she’s gone out into the city, escorted by a Joo Dee and saying she’s looking for interesting stonework that might be useful in teaching Aang. The Dai Li are following them, but Toph thinks about how she’s the greatest earthbender in the world, and she can wait them out. Finally, after several hours out, Toph’s earthbending leads her to some jade at a shop. Showing off a piece of jewelry she wore to the Earth King’s party, she says she’s looking for the carver who made it; she wants to talk to them. The owner leads her through the shop and to a garden out back, which is full of kids, and sensing the shop’s architecture and all the people nearby makes Toph all the more certain she hates Ba Sing Se. She thinks about how she left home for adventure, and to test her skills against real opponents, not to get dropped into the middle of a city and left there. As far as she can tell, all Aang cares about is looking for Appa and waiting for the Earth King to finally read his position, when anyone can tell that Long Feng is the one really in charge and he has no interest in going along with their plans. She blames it on Aang being an airbender – anything to avoid dealing with a problem head on. She’s shaken from her thoughts by being introduced to the jade carver – it’s Huojin’s wife, Luli. Putting on her best aristocratic manner, Toph waves off the owner’s not-so-subtle request for more money and sends him away; she asks Luli if he’s always that bad, and she says he’s often worse. Luli introduces Toph to her daughters, and to Suyin and Jinhai, who she’s looking after today as well.

Toph wants to know how Luli found the flaws in the jade to shape her carving when she’s not a bender; Luli starts describing her process, and Toph realizes that this is something she has to teach Aang – not just how to bend your element, but how to know it intimately. Listening more to Luli’s descriptions, Toph realizes that she’s someone who doesn’t just pity her for being blind or tries to ignore it, but actually tries to let her see what they see, and she’s impressed. Luli, in turn, realizing how Toph senses the earth, thinks she needs to trade notes with Tingzhe Wen, who’s an earthbender and an archaeologist. She explains that he’s Jinhai and Suyin’s father, but they’re with her today because both their parents are tied up with dealing with their older siblings’ university issues. Toph says she’d be watched if she tried to visit the university, which gets Luli’s attention. She explains they’re being watched right now, or at least Jinhai is. Luli’s husband’s in the guard, so she knows how to spot trouble. A moment later, Huojin himself comes in; Luli introduces them, but Toph picks up subtle hints in Huojin’s accent and realizes that he’s Fire Nation. He explains about how his parents were from the colonies and he came to the city young; Toph realizes he’s nervous, but honest, and he wants to know if she has a place to stay in the city. She assures him she’s fine, but he lets her know it’s always best to have people around you can rely on; he reminds her a bit of Iroh. Huojin then discusses his work a bit, noting that apparently even “Lee” can go a few days without causing a disaster, piquing Toph’s interest. Huojin goes to look for his kids, and Luli offers Toph more help if she needs it, even if it’s just someone to help her think, and tells her that her husband has a big heart and a hard head and is good to have around. Toph thinks this definitely sounds Fire Nation to her. She leaves, still thinking about the elements, the city, and Long Feng – she knows Aang won’t go after a problem head on, Sokka and Katara are adaptable but can’t plan around someone who already has all the angles covered, and while Toph is good, she can’t take on all the Dai Li. She decides they need to attack, and wishes she had a firebender – Iroh or even Zuko – here to help – but she can’t imagine either of them is in the city. But, thinking of Huojin, she decides that there might be more Fire Nationals in the city than she realizes…

We cut to Shirong keeping watch for the hostile spirit, which so far hasn’t shown itself again. Still, from the human remains that have washed up at Lake Laogai, he knows it’s out there, and it’s eating people, and the Dai Li are angry about it. And, if it can travel through water, it could potentially be anywhere. Suddenly, Shirong is joined by Zuko, who asks if he’s watching everyone, or just him. Apparently, Iroh is getting some maps out, and wants to know if Shirong can join them; he can also make Shirong’s favorite tea. They head down into their apartment, where Shirong admits that Iroh’s tea is good; he wants to know how they knew he was up there, but Zuko had assumed someone would be and thought he’d check. Iroh says he’s too old to be climbing around rooftops, but Shirong has no doubt he could if he had to. Shirong wonders some more about what he’s pieced together about their pasts, determined to get more details, but not yet. Glancing around the room, he determines that they’re clearly ready to run again, if need be, and finally spots Iroh’s maps and wonders if they’ve really been all those places. Iroh admits they have, pointing out Kyoshi Island and comparing the Unagi to the Serpent; Shirong thinks the people there are crazy, not because they teach girls to fight, but because they think they can stay out of the war. Iroh and Zuko start discussing various locations, beginning with the Eastern Air Temple and then going through various other places in the Earth Kingdom. Shirong watches with interest, especially after overhearing that Zuko apparently got into some trouble on Kyoshi Island. Iroh suggests trying to recruit the Kyoshi Warriors, but Zuko is against it, as well as the suggestion of the Southern Air Temple. Particularly since Sozin’s men didn’t bother to give their victims proper pyres – places like that are especially dangerous. Shirong realizes that they’re not just talking about places to casually travel to and is also rather unsettled to notice how personally they seem to feel about Sozin’s action, as if they feel a need to make up for them somehow. They continue their discussion, and Shiron realizes that Zuko apparently broke into Pouhai stronghold. He demands to know what exactly Iroh’s been teaching his nephew, but Iroh admits he can’t take credit for that one. Zuko himself, meanwhile, is rather embarrassed to realize that Iroh had apparently put two-and-two together and deduced that he was the Blue Spirit.

The conversation continues through more locations, and at last turns to a particular stretch of island not far from the North Pole. Shirong is amazed Zuko would want to go back there, but Iroh makes some veiled comments about it being warm on the mountains there. From the air currents… but also, there’s potential volcanic activity in the area. It’s also not far from the Northern Air Temple, which Shirong is stunned to learn is still inhabited by refugees. Finally, Shirong asks what they’re planning, and Zuko asks him what he’d do if Ba Sing Se fell. Shirong tells them that will never happen, but what if it did? Shirong’s lived his whole life in one city – he doesn’t know what sorts of things are out there in the world. And, for the first time since the Dragon of the West, one of the Fire royal house took the field against the Earth Kingdom recently – not Prince Zuko, who is indeed banished, but his sister, who was the one in command of the Drill. She may be young, but Zuko warns Shirong to never underestimate her; Iroh adds that even the Dragon of the West might be wary of taking her on. So, they ask Shirong again – what happens if Ba Sing Se falls? Shirong realizes they’re more afraid of Azula than they are of the Dai Li, which explains a lot of their previous actions. Zuko says he’s tired of running – but sometimes, you have to retreat. Shirong realizes they’re trying to find a location for some sort of outpost, and if they wanted to evacuate people from the city, they might need help from local authority figures… someone like him. And they’ve clearly been making other allies, too. Zuko doesn’t think Azula would destroy Ba Sing Se – it’s too big, and too valuable. Still, there are people they might need to get out, who they could at least temporarily hide in the catacombs. Shirong realizes that while he doesn’t have a family, other Dai Li do, and they would be in danger if the city fell. He still thinks what they’re describing sounds impossible, but Iroh would rather plan for it anyway. For now, he wants to hear about the Air Temples.

We cut to Shirong later, thinking about the things he’s learned; he recalls the old adage about knowing your enemy, and while he doesn’t consider the Avatar his enemy, he is potentially a problem. He, Zuko and Iroh had gone over all of the Air Temples in turn, though they were evasive about the details of the people living at the Northern. Shirong is left wondering again just who these two are, and why they’ve traveled around so much of the world. Though he thinks it does explain why Zuko is so determined to learn to heal, if he’s seen so much violence. Eventually, the conversation did turn to the spirit, and the idea that it might be lairing in Lake Laogai. Shirong wonders if the Dai Li’s activities there – brainwashing, execution, imprisonment – might have drawn the spirit, though they’ve been doing that there for decades and nothing happened. Then it occurs to him that they have something else there – Appa. He recalls attending Tingzhe Wen’s lectures on Avatar Kyoshi and Chin the Conqueror and learning about the connection between earthbending and badgermoles – he wonders if the sky bison might be more than he appears. He knows Roku had a dragon and heard that Kyoshi had a badgermole companion – if the Avatar is being kept from their animal, he fears bad things might happen. He thinks that the Dai Li should serve the people, not put them at risk, and thinks that Long Feng surely wouldn’t be holding Appa if he knew the risk. Finally, Shirong decides that his mission right now is to worry about dealing with the spirit itself, and work on cultivating recruits. He recalls how Zuko, after they were done with the maps, had shown him a waterbending move that sheathed his hands in claws of ice, and asked about how the Dai Li’s stone gloves work. Shirong was impressed by the line of questioning and worked with him a bit on adapting the technique for waterbending. Thinking about how much potential Zuko has, Shirong decides it would be a shame to lose him and is pleased that Zuko had him in for tea – and then he realizes something. He’d thought of Zuko as a lone pygmy puma living by its wits when he first met him, but it’s also true of him. To even socialize in the city, he has to hide the fact that he’s Dai Li – Zuko and Iroh have befriended him without forcing him to hide anything. He realizes that he might be trying to recruit them… but they’re also trying to recruit him. He’s impressed by their boldness, and still curious about some of the things they’ve let slip and decides it’s time to really start investigating who they are.

We end with a brief Author Note: A/N: Written in part because, given what we know Sozin and Iroh did in canon (and I'd bet Azulon was no slouch), the reaction of any sane person to somebody out of that family taking the field should not be the Gaang's, "oh, look, crazy ladies with blue fire". More like, "Aaauuugh! Sephiroth! Run away! Run away!" MG’s Thoughts This chapter… is kind of transitional in some ways. We do get to see a member of the Gaang (Toph, in this case) for the first time in a while, and while there are some things I like about how Vathara writes Toph’s POV and her sightless view of the world, I do have some quibbles. First off, this is another part of the fic that relies entirely on knowing the canon, and that canon having happened in Embers exactly the way it did in the show. Which wouldn’t bug me as much if “forget canon and take the fic as its own thing” isn’t a refrain I’ve seen repeatedly from the fic’s defenders, when I really don’t think it’s something you can do. For another, while canon Toph was initially resistant to her girls’-day-out with Katara, she ended up having fun in spite of herself and the two of them bonded a bit. Embers Toph hated the whole thing and resents Katara for dragging her into it – I guess because Vathara has to remind us she likes Toph and hates Katara. Also, I’ll note that in canon Aang wasn’t just waiting around for the Earth King to maybe notice him. As soon as the Gaang were reunited with Appa – and Long Feng no longer had leverage on them – they immediately broke into the palace to tell the Earth King the truth. Now, maybe Toph’s just supposed to be wrong here, but considering she’s one of Vathara’s favorites, and how the fic treats the rest of the Gaang in general, I’m not betting on it. It’s also a bit of a coincidence that Toph just happens to meet Huojin and his family, but… it’s not bad enough to really be a problem for me.

The scene with Shirong, Zuko and Iroh – I really can’t help but think that it’s part of Vathara’s overall softening of the Dai Li, considering I’m pretty sure that if a Dai Li agent in canon overheard half of that, Zuko and Iroh would have been at bare minimum hauled off to either the palace or Lake Laogai to be questioned as either potential spies or potential seditionists (I can’t imagine Long Feng would look kindly on anyone trying to, from his perspective, steal some of his people and take them to a new settlement somewhere outside his control). The conversation does lay some pretty important foreshadowing for things the fic will be doing down the road, though, if you know what to look for.

Finally, about the ANs. The one at the beginning of the chapter seems like it’s trying to backpedal on some of the “Koizilla was the worst” bits from the previous chapter as just Zuko’s POV, but, well, the fic will continue to treat Koizilla as the worst, from the perspective of people other than Zuko, and add on more reasons why it was the worst, so… I’m having a hard time buying it. As for the ending AN – yeah, the Gaang did take Azula seriously as a threat, absolutely. She was the most dangerous bad guy they’d run up against yet, and they very well knew it. But I guess that’s not good enough for Vathara to not insist on presenting them as naïve kids, and that a “sane” person would have reacted differently. And really, I can’t imagine the Dai Li would have missed a trick like not knowing who was in command of the Drill – it’s not like Azula’s presence was a secret.

[tllgrrl]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag @missamyshay !! Sorry for the delay. Some of these questions were hard to answer, so I ran away, then came back, and ran away, and I apologize for the ramblings.

If anyone has any questions/asks, feel free to…well…ask.

* * * * *

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

70 (Note: Many, of them well under 1K words and one shots. When something starts on Tumblr, it pretty much also goes over to AO3. Even drabbles.)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

163,518

3. What Fandoms do you write for?

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier - Marvel Cinematic Universe

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. One Quarter of a Year, 2. Language Lessons, 3. Welcome Home (the sequel to One Quarter of a Year), 4. A Front Yard Situation, 5. Bucky, Cass, and the King of Mardi Gras

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

Yes. I don’t always immediately respond, but I eventually do. Why respond? Because I’m already surprised that anyone reads a thing I wrote. No one is required to leave a comment. They can read and go on to the next, and they do. But if someone reads something I wrote, and wants to tell me that something about it made them want to tell me about it what they liked or what touched them and/or ask a question, or in one case complain about it? It’s an amazing thing to me, so much so that a comment always sends me back to read WTF I could have possibly written that made someone feel this.

6. What is a fic you write with the angstiest ending?

I haven’t written one with an angsty ending. Yet.

7. What’s the fic you write with the happiest ending?

Hmmm…lemme think…

They’re all pretty happy, I think, but the most hopeful, heartfelt ending I think is at the end of Ndinawe when Sarah walks out of the therapist’s office building after her first ever session post-Snap/post-Return, and finds Bucky waiting for her with a little bunch of flowers.

I will leave it to readers to tell me what they think my happiest ending would be.

8. Do you get hate on fics.

There’s that one time someone liked, but complained about 6 words (2 short phrases) in a 300 word ficlet/triple drabble where Sarah and Bucky are in a very quiet and intimate moment, and he says something to her in isiXhosa, which we know he speaks. Then he says it in English, and then in Kreyol, which, in my headcanon, Sarah learned from her parents, who spoke Haitian Creole (Darlene’s family) and Louisiana Creole (Paul’s family). Because Louisiana.

This person was annoyed and couldn’t understand why anything other than English was being spoken even though the translation is in the story and a little Glossary is in the notes..

And when I tried to explain why I chose that and that in canon, Bucky and Sam both speak more than one language, the person commented back that didn’t want to read an explanation…which is why I wrote one anyway.

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

I write erotica. To my mind, smut is different. And I don’t like the word “smut’. Like how some people don’t like the word “moist”.

I write two middle-aged grownup adult people for whom Communication is important. Even if things are difficult or awkward, they still at least try.

Also, they’re perfectly able and willing to grab a Quickie, and I’ve written at least one Quickie, but in my stories so far, like to take their time when they have the opportunity. Someone once described it as making love “like adults: long, slow, luxurious”.

I think that’s the kind I write.

Maybe that didn’t describe the kind of “smut” I write. If anyone can describe it to me, please do!

10. Do you write crossovers?

Not yet. But I do have something in mind.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of and I hope not.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of, but I would actually like to try to do that myself with help from Google Translate, Language Tutorials on YouTube, and the assistance of native speakers.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes!! Bucky, Cass, and the King of Mardi Gras co-written with The @btwxsixesandsevens. The Paul & Darlene Ship Logs is a A Talk Like a Pirate Day day-long speed write, where @btwxsixesandsevens, wrote Bucky’s Journal entries and I wrote Captain Sarah Wilson’s personal ship logs. And also Snitches which was born from a funny “what would happen if” conversation with @shellyac75. I asked if I could embellish it, stretched it out and make a fic, and was given permission to play.

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

Bucky Barnes & Sarah Wilson (aka SarahBucky or BuckySarah) from the minute Bucky made it a point to let Sarah know that he was there, and he saw her. And she saw him, right back.

That having been said, if I’d known, when I was a kid, that I could make up my own stories about characters I liked, there is one ship that I would have filled my PeeChee notebooks with: Lt. Nyota Uhura & Spock. Yes, long before JJ Abrams made them a thing, I, in my tweeny brain, felt like something was possible there with those two. Nurse Chapel be damned.

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

I don’t have one of those. I have a couple of Finished For Now stories that I have plans to revisit and continue, though. They’re not WIPs though. Plus, I’d never not finish a story.

16. What are your writing strengths.

Beats me. Someone who knows about writing techniques will have to tell me. I have been told that when reading my stories, a reader can see where they are and what’s happening.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I overthink and I think I get in the weeds when I write. I’m hyper critical, so I find fault with everything I write. Someone else will have to tell me what my weaknesses are in my writing. I know what they are in my process.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic.

(See #12j I’m not afraid of it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The only fandom I’ve written for: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

That having been said, I may have inadvertently written a drabble/ficlet/thing as an answer to a question that was posed in a Firefly forum on Ravelry (a multi-use community website for knitters and crocheters) probably 20 years ago. People enjoyed it and one commenter said I should write fan fiction, which, at the time, I thought was ridiculous. If I can find it, I may post it on AO3 for shiggles, though the show is long gone. (I know that there are still Browncoats around.)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written.

This is a really hard question because I find fault with every thing I’ve written. Every single thing. And my answer can change sometimes a couple of times during the span of a day!

I’d rather people tell me their favourite, and why, (Soft suggestion: Please feel free!!) but if I had to pick one today right now:

One Quarter of a Year / Welcome Home

I consider these two a single story that has yet to be joined on AO3.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Whew.

I am soft tagging @khululekile , @philtstone , @btwxsixesandsevens , @spinachgarden, @sarifinasnightmare and anyone who wants to jump in and play. Come on in! (If you’ve already been tagged, apologies! )

[siriannatan]

Arranged Rearrangements - chapter 1/?

It was supposed to be a one-shot as I said in an earlier post but things happen and now it'll be longer. We'll see how long.

AO3 link for anyone who prefers to read there.

Mythland Great Winter Ball was probably the most boring from the wide selection of the events fWhip has to attend. He wished Mythland wasn't as closely connected to Grimlands as it is, he really did but their empires were probably the closest among the Wither Alliance. And all that for one, simple and incredibly annoying reason - since before either of them was born fWhip has been engaged to Sausage, the current king of Mythland. And yes, he could technically recall the whole thing, being the Count of Grimlands and the leader of the Alliance but his advisors always got annoyed whenever he mentioned it. Mostly worried about what Mythland's council would get their king to do... Not that Sausage liked the whole engagement himself.

And has been ignoring fWhip for the past four hours and did not think to have any blood available for the vampire. Was he planning to starve him to death or have a rampaging starved vampire crash the party? fWhip was not about to check that so he set off to find a member of the Mythland's council and say he was not feeling well and going home. 

Not that he had any intention of going home.

"But..." the councilman tried to keep the count at the party once fWhip said his piece. And glanced where Sausage was laughing loudly with some of the younger nobles. Completely ignoring his responsibilities. 

"I'm sure he won't mind," fWhip grinned, restraining a sigh and with a polite bow left the ballroom and instantly went to the gardens. He was not running into any more councilmen, nobles and advisors Sausage kept in his far too big court.

The gardens were nice. Quiet and pleasantly cool to the undead count after that stuffy and boring party. He would much rather be stuck at one of Katherine's parties and fey parties were known for being incredibly boring. With a sigh, he let his wings out and flew not to Grimlands but to... Rivendell. If he had any luck Scott was still awake and reading in one of many rooms in the castle. Much better company than Sausage and his constant ignoring of fWhip unless he annoyed the Cod Father and needed help... Ugh.

His relationship with the elven king, known for being neutral and staying out of conflicts - maybe unless they involved a certain forest elf his brother eloped with... - was a strict secret only the two of them knew about. fWhip's council of course had their suspicions about it with how often fWhip came home with snow still in his hair and looking more nourished than his usual diet of blood bags and animal blood let him be. But they were smart enough to not question a vampire that could easily kill all of them. Or an elf able to swing a blade at least as long as he was tall. A runic blade but fWhip was impressed anyway every time he saw Scott with it.

Speaking of, as fWhip closed in on Rivendell and the castle only one window was lit up. The drawing room window, with a balcony about big enough for fWhip to land comfortably. Once he landed he dusted a bit of snow that settled from the gentle snowfall on his shoulders and hair and knocked, least he scare Scott.

The elven king did not make him wait long and opened the door with a smirk tugging on his lips. "Shouldn't you be in Mythland, enjoying a party?" he asked but let the Count in.

"It was even more boring than those usually are," fWhip sighed and as soon as Scott closed the door pulled the elf into a hug. "I really should just cancel the damn engagement. Ignore what my damn council thinks about it..." he mumbled into Scott's hair. It was so nice and soft and slightly curly and always smelled so nice. He really wished he could keep the elf like this forever. And it wasn't the dragon part of his brain talking.

Scott giggled at it. It was rare either of them could just relax and not care about manners and decorum. "Tell me about it?" Scott asked, freeing himself from the hug and pulled fWhip to the mess of blankets on one of the couches. Where he was before fWhip knocked. "Or would you rather listen to me talk about the complicated history of our ancestors?" he added at the pained expression that crossed fWhip's face. "And let you bite me, I'm guessing Sausage did not feed you."

fWhip sighed, falling onto and relaxing into the couch. Thank you elves and your love for comfort. "I was there for four hours and he barely even looked at me... I really don't want to talk about it..."

"It's okay," Scott smiled, settling close next to fWhip. And worked his right sleeve open. Even his more casual evening relaxing clothes had many buttons and golden embroidery. "You do look good in dress clothes if it makes you feel better. Really handsome," he smiled and gently pulled the vampire into a short soft kiss. And offered him his wrists after pulling back. 

"You're the handsome one," fWhip protested and pressed a kiss to Scott's wrist. "And you're not even dressing up... And you don't need people to help you get dressed," he added before biting down. Scott's gasp followed by a quiet moan had him smirking around the bite. He always did his best to be gentle with Scott whenever the elf offered him his blood and Scott was nice and gentle to him in return. Offering a shoulder to lean on and listening to his complaints. He really wished he could be engaged to Scott instead...

"Are you sure it's enough?" Scott asked when fWhip pulled back and kissed the already slowly healing bite mark. 

"Yeas, I have blood at home, don't worry about it that much," fWhip chuckled and kissed the elf once more.

"I know you do but I also know my blood is better for you," the elf huffed. "Anyway, I found out why Rivendell is no longer part of the Wither Alliance."

fWhip hummed in response, leaning back and pulling Scott into his lap. He'd hold him like this until the elf fell asleep, carry him to his bed, stay with him a bit and then go back home. As unfortunate as it was they both had empires to run and could not have a lazy morning, not with how their relationship was.

"Yes, my grandfather insulted your great-grandfather by marrying him to my mother and not your grandfather. I have their angry letters," he chuckled, leaning into fWhip as if he was a pile of his comfiest pillows.

"Was the engagement completely called off?" fWhip asked a bit curious. Could it mean... no. 

"Well, I can't talk about Grimlands law by by our law... I'm technically engaged to you now," Scott giggled. "I wonder what your advisors would say about that since it was technically agreed first."

fWhip was a bit shocked and pretty sure his council would be more than happy to have him marry Scott instead. They always told him to be nice to Scott in case Rivendell ever wanted to rejoin the Alliance. And if they saw those letters and whatever Scott has on the engagement... They would be overjoyed. And Sausage would be happy to not have to stand next to fWhip on any official occasions. 

"I think they would be interested. They like you more than Sausage..." fWhip chuckled.

"Meaning I can go by tomorrow to ask them for your hand by the elven law?" Scott grinned.

"Sure, my council should not have issues with an impromptu meeting... I'm pretty sure they already figured out where I run off to escape having to hang out with Sausage," he shrugged and patted Scott's back when the elf yawned. "Should we move you to bed?" he offered and Scott nodded, clinging closer so fWhip carried him to the royal bedroom. 

By the time he reached his huge and filled about a third of the way with fluffy pillows and warm blankets, Scott was pretty much too asleep to change on his own so fWhip helped him and tucked him in. "Stay with me?" the elf asked, barely still awake, weakly pulling at fWhip's sleeve. "Just a little longer?" he added and fWhip sighed. There was no way he could say no to Scott's pretty eyes.

"I always stay a bit after you fall asleep," he smiled and sat at the edge of the bed. "Now get your sleep snowflake, tomorrow's gonna be busy," he added while gently petting Scott's hair. "I'll see you at my mansion," he hummed as Scott slowly drifted to sleep.

He stayed by Scott's side, watching his calm slumber with some envy before he decided it was time to face his council. Likely waiting for him. Already informed he ran away from Sausage's party. Very displeased even if it was Sausage that insulted him... he really hoped the prospect of a close alliance with Rivendell would get them excited.

[merlinnski]

Bloodstained Snow

Moshang fic - 3.7k words Hurt/comfort, mild blood & injury, angst with a happy ending

This fic has been cross-posted to AO3 if you would prefer to read/support it there!

---

The winters within the Northern Desert were harsh. 

The winds always howled, soft snowflakes were more akin to small shards of ice against bare skin, and the sky was pitch black more often than the soft hues of blue during the day. The climate was far more unforgiving, yet the ice demons of the Northern Desert were completely unfazed. This was hardly a change to them. 

To Shang Qinghua, it was unpleasant. 

The innumerable stacks of papers on his desk seemed more daunting than usual, a flood of obstacles he no longer had the energy to tackle. Despite the warm furs wrapped tightly around him he shivered near constantly. There was only so much Mobei Jun could do to help him during the difficult winters he still had yet to grow accustomed to. Thus leading him to his current predicament. 

He was shut away in his chambers, burrowed underneath multiple layers of warm, thick blankets that he’s hoarded. His hair was untied, the clothes he wore were unruly. The usual bags under his eyes seemed darker than usual. To put it frankly–he looked like a mess. Shang Qinghua felt like doing nothing.

He knew he had to get up and work, he just couldn’t get himself to. 

There was a soft knock at the door. He groaned, pushing his blanket burrow off of him slightly to sit up properly. He waited in silence for a moment until another knock came. If it was who he thought it was, it was an incredibly bad time. 

“Who is it?” He asked, loud enough to be heard from the other side of the door. He hoped the response was from anyone but the person he thought it was. 

“It’s me,” A familiar gruff voice responded, muffled by the door. 

Shang Qinghua wanted to hide back under his blankets and act like he didn’t exist. 

“One minute, My King!” He tossed the blankets off of him quickly and rolled out of bed, nearly tripping over himself in the process. 

He ran a hand through his hair, tying it back hastily. It was a messy bun, but still better than simply leaving it down. He then rushed to the door, swinging it open swiftly to be greeted face-to-face with Mobei Jun. The demon was looking down at him with a quirked eyebrow, scrutinizing his appearance. “Sorry for taking so long, did you need something?” He apologized, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. 

“Is Qinghua not feeling well?” Mobei Jun asked instead, a mildly concerned look on his face. 

“Huh..?” Shang Qinghua looked dumbfounded for a moment before hastily shaking his head. “Oh! No, no no, I’m perfectly fine, My King. Nothing to worry about.” Mobei Jun narrowed his eyes, though it seemed he decided against rebutting. “If you insist.” 

He breathed a sigh of relief. It was a mercy that Mobei Jun decided not to pry. 

“I was wondering if you would like to go for a walk with me,” The demon said after a moment of silence, keeping his expression neutral. 

“A walk? Where?” That caught Shang Qinghua off guard. Mobei Jun rarely asked for him to do much during the past winters they’ve spent together, what could have changed? “There’s a demon clan in the mountains that’s been causing trouble. I mean to scope it out and decide the next course of action,” He explained, lowering his gaze slightly. “This king wondered if you would like to come and get some fresh air.”

‘You look like you could use it’ was left unsaid between them. There was no mistaking that look on Mobei Jun’s face. He wanted him to come along regardless of his answer. Shang Qinghua sighed, the corners of his lips turning upwards slightly into a tired smile. 

“Alright, My King. I’ll come along. When are we expected to leave?” He was already creating a mental checklist in his head of things he needed to prepare before setting off. A set of extremely warm clothes included.

“As soon as Qinghua is ready.” Was all Mobei Jun had supplied as an answer, crossing his arms against his chest. 

That was not helpful in the slightest, he thought to himself dully. 

“Um… Is a blizzard still going on outside? It’s not dark out, is it?” He asked anxiously, fidgeting with his hands in the process.

He really didn’t want to suffer hypothermia mid-walk. Not even the expensive–and quite heavy–fur cloak Mobei Jun gifted him would save him from the below freezing temperatures of a winter storm. 

“The winds have calmed down. It should be safe for travel,” He supplied, which was enough of an answer for Qinghua. 

“...Okay. Just give me a moment, My King. I’ll be right out.” Shang Qinghua lightly closed the door, scanning the room for his dresser.

He changed quickly into something warmer, an outfit that was selected specifically for him by Mobei Jun a few years ago. It was light blue in color and a soft fabric that he particularly enjoyed. Qinghua then quickly untied his hair, running a brush through it to make himself look slightly more presentable. Once he was satisfied, he nodded to himself.

He still looked paler than usual, like an absolute mess, but at least he looked better than before. That was enough.

He slid the heavy cloak over his shoulders, the fur-lined collar tickling his cheek lightly. He opened the door again, greeted with the sight of Mobei Jun leaning against the wall. At the sight of him, he stood up straight, tilting his head inquisitively. “Ready to go?” He asked, maintaining his cool demeanor. 

A few demon servants passed by in the halls behind him, carrying a variety of different trays and papers with them. Seemed like they were busier than usual. “I’m ready,” Shang Qinghua confirmed, exiting his room quietly. 

Mobei Jun took off in long strides towards one end of the corridor, keeping his speed slow enough to allow Qinghua to keep up behind him. He stayed as close to the ice king as possible, keeping his head down.

He could only mentally prepare himself for the cold journey ahead of them.

—

‘Safe for travel’ my ass, Shang Qinghua thought bitterly, shivering aggressively underneath the thick layers of warm fabric he wore. 

The snowflakes that littered the sky were blown into his face and onto his hair, melting on contact and chilling what little skin he left uncovered. They felt like small shards of ice stabbing into him, mildly painful but still barely tolerable. Though the moon had yet to rise, the darkened clouds that covered the demon realm’s sun left little light for them. You could almost mistake the day for night with how hardly visible the world around him seemed to be. 

Mobei Jun was a few steps ahead of him, maintaining the same slow pace he had earlier. Shang Qinghua was hardly keeping up as it was, his legs knee-deep in the powdered snow beneath them. It hardly seemed to faze the ice demon, however, given that he moved around as if it were nothing more than a mere inconvenience in his way. 

One trip up, and Qinghua believes he may end up buried underneath the snow and unable to get himself out without falling over again. Remind him again why he designed such an unforgiving land? 

“My King, how much longer until we’re at the tribe?” He raised his voice loud enough for Mobei Jun to hear him, trudging through the deep snow in a hurry to keep up. 

Mobei Jun paused to look over his shoulder, his brows furrowed. “Not too far from here. Is Qinghua cold?” 

Cold is an understatement! I’m freezing my balls off! Shang Qinghua forced a small smile. That–and his rapid shivering–was enough of a hint for Mobei Jun to reach over and take his hand. 

The minute Mobei Jun’s hand came in contact with his, a feeling of warmth flooded through him. His eyes widened subconsciously at the feeling, realization dawning upon him. He lowered his head, sighing a breath of relief. The shivering was slow to cease, but it eventually faded away into a light tremble. “Thank you,” Shang Qinghua said quietly.

They began walking through the snow again, this time hand-in-hand. Every time Qinghua was close to tripping over himself, Mobei Jun was there to keep him upright. It was a bizarre feeling, being given so much care. 

With how many years they’ve been together, he should’ve been used to the attention by now.

“You should have said something sooner,” Mobei Jun reprimanded lightly, tightening his hold on Qinghua’s hand. “I would have helped.”

“I didn’t want to inconvenience you.” Shang Qinghua frowned.

“Inconvenience me? Qinghua, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask if you need something.” Mobei Jun paused again to turn and look at him, his usual stoic expression changed into something… Soft. Concerned. 

Shang Qinghua lowered his head, biting his chapped lip hard. “I’m just… Not used to it. That’s all. I’m usually the one pushed to help others, not the other way around.”

“I’ll help you get used to it. Qinghua deserves to be helped as much as he helps others,” Mobei Jun said with determination, turning away to continue his trudge forward.

Qinghua could only stare at the back of Mobei Jun’s fur-lined cloak in shock. How had he become so lucky? Was this a cruel joke the system was playing on him after who knows how long of silence? He almost fell forward as his arm was tugged by Mobei Jun–a sign that he should keep moving forward. He was standing still for far too long. 

He rushed forward, his mind running a mile a minute. There was so much he wanted to blurt out, to fill the silence between them with his mindless ranting. Yet the minute he opened his mouth to speak, nothing escaped his lips. He truly was rendered completely speechless. 

The ice demon’s actions shouldn’t be a surprise to him. Through the dense fog of his self-loathing, he knew that Mobei Jun loved him. This was how he was always treated since the day he was confessed to. Nothing has changed. 

Perhaps the loneliness of his room during the dark winter truly affected him more than he thought. 

After a while of walking, the mountains that dotted the horizon seemed far closer and bigger than before. Shang Qinghua could hardly feel his legs after all the walking, exhaustion weighing his body down significantly. He groaned, tugging Mobei Jun’s hand lightly to get him to stop.

“My King, can’t we take a small break?” He asked, his expression as tired as he felt.

“If we stay out for too long, we won’t make it back before the night settles in,” Mobei Jun explained with as much of an apologetic look as he could put out.

Shang Qinghua shook his head in dismay, a frustrated look in his eye. “The last time I walked this much was when I had to go up and down Qing Jing peak repeatedly. It was miserable.” 

Mobei Jun seemed to tense, narrowing his eyes. “Qinghua.” 

“Like, I know it’s healthy and all to exercise like that, but come on. Isn’t it some odd torture tactic for someone like me who sits around all day filing paperwork?” He rambled on, dropping all sense of formalities near instantly.

“Qinghua,” Mobei Jun tried again, his stance growing more tense by the second.

“And I know My King had good intentions, but can’t we please just take one of your portals? Surely that would be so much faster and less time consuming-” He didn’t have a chance to finish. 

“Qinghua!” He was quickly pulled aside, his balance lost as he tumbled into Mobei Jun’s chest.

A sharp shard of crimson ice was deeply embedded into the snow they were standing at just a second ago. Shang Qinghua felt his blood run cold. “We’ve been followed,” Mobei Jun hissed, pulling Shang Qinghua behind him. 

Shang Qinghua squinted, looking out into the distance in front of them. A group of around five figures were blurred by the snowfall, yet their silhouettes were distinguishable. A bead of cold sweat slid down Shang Qinghua’s forehead, a nervousness setting in. Mobei Jun could handle them for sure, but that last attack was a little too close for comfort. 

They flung a few more ice shards their way, prompting them to keep dodging each strike. It was difficult to move fluidly with how sluggish he felt after their long walk, but not impossible. 

“Qinghua, I’m going to take care of them. I need you to stay here. Don’t move. Understand?” Mobei Jun kept his sharp gaze trained on the enemies, not giving Shang Qinghua a second glance. 

“I understand. Please, stay safe.” He watched with helplessness as Mobei Jun pulled his hand away, leaving him to the freezing cold once again. 

He almost immediately began shivering, his arms wrapped around himself subconsciously as he watched the fight before him go down. 

Mobei Jun had summoned his sword, a murderous glint in his eye. It was a five versus one, but something seemed off to Qinghua.

Four of them seemed to focus on keeping Mobei Jun distracted with innumerable quick attacks, the clashing of their blades slicing the former stillness of the air. The fifth, however, was undetected. 

He was sneaking behind Mobei Jun, preparing a strong attack that had Qinghua up and running towards the middle of the fight. He couldn’t let that happen. 

If Mobei Jun got struck by that… The fight would be over. 

“My King! You need to move!” He weaved between the enemy and rammed into Mobei Jun, shoving him to the ground just in time to avoid the sneak attack. 

A sharp pain coursed through his side, forcing him to see stars for a good moment. He winced, peeling himself up and off of Mobei Jun to get a better look at him. He didn’t dare look at where he was injured out of fear of what he’d see. Splotches of red stained the blue of Mobei Jun’s robes where he had just been. That was enough.

“Qinghua-” Mobei Jun was swiftly interrupted. 

“Let me help you. I can fight too.” He murmured, standing up properly.

The enemies that surrounded them seemed to have been dumbfounded by Shang Qinghua’s sudden intrusion. The minute he stood back up, they were already prepared for another attack against them. 

He drew his blade, getting into stance. The adrenaline he felt at the moment kept him from feeling the brunt of the pain his injury gave. Mobei Jun slowly got back up behind him, bracing himself a second time for another fight. 

With their teamwork, the five demons that came after them were dead within minutes. Their blood stained the white snow red, a gruesome sight for anyone who wasn’t used to the violence Mobei Jun often exuded.

Shang Qinghua dropped his sword into the snow, his breaths heavy. The adrenaline was wearing off, black spots invading his vision. Mobei Jun turned to look at him, a slight smile on his face. 

“Qinghua, I had no idea you were so resilient,” He praised, walking closer to the smaller man. 

Shang Qinghua almost didn’t hear him. …Have I just been wife plotted in my own novel?

“Is it… Is it over?” He spoke softly, his body swaying. A light breeze could knock him over. 

“Qinghua?” Mobei Jun paused, his eyes narrowed quickly as he scanned his appearance. 

He couldn’t hang on. His knees gave out, his body plummeting to the ground as quickly as his consciousness faded. Mobei Jun rushed forward to grab him before he could fall into the piles of bloodstained snow beneath them. 

“Qinghua!”

—

The first thing he felt upon slipping back into consciousness was pain. 

His waist was killing him, a constant throb that distracted his thoughts every chance it could get. It was hard to think with the pain fogging his mind. The most Shang Qinghua could tell was that he was no longer out in the wilds of the Northern Desert. There weren't any howling winds to freeze him to the bone, nor were there snowflakes dampening his face. 

He was actually warm.

He could feel the weight of a blanket covering his body and a firm mattress beneath him. Fire crackled in the distance, keeping the room he was kept in a comfortable temperature. Shang Qinghua could almost delude himself into thinking what had happened was just a horrible dream. It all came back to him like being hit by a truck. The walk. The fight. Protecting Mobei Jun. Blacking out. He opened his eyes abruptly, sitting up in a panic and regretting it immediately. He hissed loudly, another stab of pain coursing through his body at the sudden action. Cold hands were pressed down on his shoulders, attempting to push him back into a lying position. 

“Qinghua.” He was greeted with the sight of Mobei Jun, who looked considerably more tired than usual. 

There was a concerned frown on his face, with a hint of fear in his eyes. It was an unusual sight for him. “You shouldn’t move around so abruptly. Your wound might reopen.” 

“Sorry, sorry.” Shang Qinghua laid back against the pillows behind him, his voice hoarse. “How long was I out for?”

“A few days.” Mobei Jun lowered his head, sitting back down on a chair that he had pulled up next to the bed. “This Mobei Jun was… Scared.” 

Shang Qinghua nearly choked. What the fuck?! Scared?? Mobei Jun was scared because of me???

“Scared?” He asked softly, tilting his head slightly. “Mobei, there’s no need to be scared.” Mobei Jun’s pointed ears lowered, solidifying the saddened look on his face. “You weren’t waking up after I brought you back and patched your wound. I thought I was going to lose you.” “Oh, My King…” Shang Qinghua inhaled, forcing himself back up into a sitting position. “Come here.” The small action brought more pain upon his weak body, but he forcefully ignored it. He waited patiently for Mobei Jun to get a little closer to him. 

“Qinghua, stop moving,” He admonished lightly, the words dying in his throat as he was pulled into a hug. 

It was by no means a comfortable hug. It was about as comfortable as you could get when one person was sitting in bed while the other was leaned over. But it was exactly the sort of comfort Shang Qinghua knew Mobei Jun needed. He could feel the demon’s muscles relaxing in his hold, his forehead resting on Qinghua’s shoulder. 

“I’m not going anywhere. It’ll take more than that to kill me.” He smiled warmly. “Besides, I really thought I looked pretty bada- I mean cool. I thought I looked pretty cool back there! Did you see how I fought them off with you? I haven’t been able to do that in a while!”

“Yes, Qinghua looked very cool.” Mobei Jun smiled back, pulling himself away from the hug to give Shang Qinghua a moment to rest. “A little reckless, but this Mobei Jun is proud.” 

Shang Qinghua short-circuited. He paused, his eyes widening. Nobody’s ever said they were proud of him before. It was almost enough to bring him straight to tears. “Are you… Are you genuine?” He stammered, his mind running faster than his mouth could handle. 

“Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Mobei Jun shook his head, crossing his legs. “I mean it.” “That… I-” He cut himself off, speechless. He fiddled with his hands, unsure of what to do. “I’m happy. I’m happy I could help.” Mobei Jun stood up from his seat, pushing the chair back slightly. He approached the end of the bed and bent down to give Shang Qinghua a gentle kiss to the forehead, closing his eyes in the process. Shang Qinghua could feel his face flush bright red, his heart beating faster. He wanted to hide under the blanket until he could calm himself down again.  

“It’s getting late, you should rest some more.” Mobei Jun stood straight again, the gentle smile tugging his lips upwards. “It should help you heal quicker.”

Woah, woah, wait. He’s just leaving like that? Shang Qinghua felt as perplexed as he looked. 

“Wait, hold on,” He paused, unsure of how to word what he was going to say. How ironic, huh. “Uhh… Would it be okay if I stayed with you? After I recover, I mean.” 

“Stay with me? Aren’t you already living in the Northern Fortress with me?” He raised an eyebrow, confusion written all over Mobei Jun’s expression. “Well, yes, but I mean… Like sharing a room.” He averted his gaze to the wall, embarrassment flaring up. “It’s just a little lonely. That’s all.” 

Silence descended upon them, incredibly uncomfortable. Shang Qinghua tensed, quickly looking back to face Mobei Jun. He flailed his arms around in a panic, ignoring the innumerable spikes of pain that shot through him. 

“But of course, you don’t have to if you don’t want to! I’m perfectly fine sleeping alone! Winter is just incredibly dark and depressing and there’s not a whole lot to do besides work and… more work so-”  He was interrupted swiftly, his mouth shutting almost as fast as it opened. 

“Qinghua, you’re perfectly fine to share my room with me. Please, just relax,” Mobei Jun stressed, placing a hand on his shoulder to nudge him back down into the bed. “At this rate I’ll have to call the doctor again to patch you back up.” 

“No need, no need.” Shang Qinghua quickly dismissed the idea. “I’ll rest.”

“Good.” Mobei Jun turned his back to the bed, approaching the door on the other side of the room. “I’ll return in the morning, rest well.” 

“Oh, before you leave!” Shang Qinghua called out, before sharply inhaling. “I love you, Mobei.” He didn’t see the way Mobei Jun’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly composed himself before replying, “I love you too, Qinghua.” 

The door clicked shut, and he was left to his thoughts once again.  What used to feel like a lonely, depressing room no longer felt as lonely as it once did before. 

[nerdularnerdence]

I've never been happy with how little info Wikipedia has on Charles Brandon.

Here are bits from Winter King, a book about Henry VII by Thomas Penn. I don't really recommend reading unless you are a severe Tudor nerd. It's pretty dry. I hope this will help anyone who daydreams / writes fics about Charlie (maybe @rmtndew ?)

(As this is a book about Henry VII, the "prince" mentioned below is baby Henry VIII.)

~~~

“Another familiar face in Essex’s household was Charles Brandon. Brandon had an impeccable pedigree as far as Henry VII was concerned. Back in 1484 his father William and his uncle Thomas had fled to join Henry in France after an abortive uprising against Richard III in their native east Anglia, and later that year they had spearheaded the special-forces style raid on Hams that had liberated the Earl of Oxford. Henry’s standard-bearer at Bosworth, William Brandon had become one of the regime’s first martyrs. Thomas had become one of the king’s intimates: royal counselor, Master of Horse, and trusted diplomat. His nephew Charles, meanwhile, had grown up in the royal household, working as a sewer, or waiter. A job in which you needed to have your whits about you, full cunning, and diligence, it involved descending into the ‘veritable hell’ of the royal kitchens to liaise with cooks, taste the innumerable dishes, and supervise their presentation. It was also a role that needed an awareness of the minutia of precedence, as well as courtesy, impeccable manners, charm, and good looks, attributes that Charles Brandon had in spades. In his spare time he had ready access to the royal stables through his uncle, and had evidently become an exceptional horseman. By the age of 17, when he jousted at Arthur and Katherine’s wedding, Brandon was already the consummate courtier. In 1505, around the time he became one of the king’s Spears, he landed the prestigious post of Essex’s Master of Horse. Seven years older than the prince, Brandon was frequently around him at court, in the tilt yard, and probably his own small household, where Brandon’s uncle was the prince’s treasurer.

Brandon, though, had inherited a distinctly unchivalrous approach to women. His father’s own behavior made contemporaries wince. One one occasion, William Brandon had raped an “old gentlewoman,” and “not there with eased,” moved on to her older daughter, and was only narrowly prevented from doing the same to the younger. Charles, it seemed, was a chip off the old block, though his behavior was altogether more calculating. Sometime around 1503, he confided to a friend and fellow servant that he was in love with one of Queen Elizabeth’s gentlewomen, Anne Brown, the daughter of Sir Antony Brown of Calais castle and the troublesome lady Lucy, to whose company he “much resorted.” His resorting was so enthusiastic that she was soon pregnant. In the ensuing scandal, Brandon was hauled in front of the Earl of Essex’s council, where he pledged to marry her. Shortly after, though, he broke off the engagement, instead marrying Anne’s aunt, Dame Margaret Mortimer, twenty years older than him, a shock which apparently induced Anne to miscarry their child.

Charles, however, only wanted to get his hands on Dame Margaret’s assets., Selling off his wife’s portfolio of property, he pocketed the proceeds to fund his extravagant life at court: clothes, horses, and, undoubtedly, the organization for the spring 1507 jousts, into which the participants plowed their own funds.”

“…Henry Guildford was a fully paid up member of the jousting set. Both Compton and Guildford, in their different ways, were vital conduits to the world from which the prince was by in large insulated, bringing the news and gossip he craved. The talk of the town, more often than not, was Charles Brandon. Brandon’s behavior had gone from bad to worse, having jettisoned the pregnant Anne Brown to marry her aunt Dame Margaret Mortimer, Brandon, flush with the proceeds of the sale of Dame Margaret’s lands, had annulled his marriage on ground of consanguinity, and transferred his attentions back to the more fragrant Anne. As the inevitable court case ensued, late in 1507 he rode into Essex, where Anne was living in traumatized seclusion, and whisked her away. The witnesses to their shotgun marriage in Stepney Church early the following year included Brandon’s partners in crime Sir Edward Guildford, and the Earl of Surrey’s belligerent second son, Sir Edward Howard. With his limited freedom, the prince probably viewed the dashing Brandon’s liaisons with something like a scandalized, envious admiration, but there was, and always would be a strong romantic idealism in him. Brandon’s grubby, exploitative behavior may well have acquired a chivalric luster in the retelling, an adventure story in which he swooped to carry off his damsel in distress, heedless of the consequences. This, after all, was the way the prince’s own parents’ love story had been portrayed in verse, with the dashing Henry Tudor “banished fullbear” in Brittany behind the scenes coming to rescue his golden-haired bride from her lecherous uncle Richard III…”

~~~

My goddamn two cents:

These pieces of writing pretty much call out Charlie for being a total creep, and I think I love it. He was too hot and charming to give a fuck, and it sounds like he sure didn't. It's interesting that Henry VIII was so obsessed with the idea of being Chivalrous and Kind and Good, but was BFF's with someone who clearly didn't value those things. Well, not when it counted, anyway.

[laurabwrites]

Plotting out loud, because I can. astolat/GoT fanfic edition.

So I’m going to do some plotting here, because if I can’t build a sequel plot to an AO3 fanfic on Tumblr, where else am I going to build it? My head? I’ll never finish it that way!

Right so, Winter’s Crown by Astolat, which is fanfiction of Game of Thrones. This thing consumed me for the 4 or 5 days it was being released. It’s a damn good thing Astolat posted two chapters a day because I was refreshing my email waiting for those chapter notifications two or three times an hour and then injecting several thousand words into my veins the second that notification hit.

Just as a programming note. I’ve read the first third of the first book in Game of Thrones. Most of my knowledge of the series has been absorbed by osmosis from my partner and general pop culture saturation. Moving on.

I loved Winter’s Crown.

I also took one look at the ending and said “well, they’re going to be in a civil war within the year.”

Again, to be clear, the ending was perfect for the story. I’m just also sure that if the story continued we’d be into a war for the Iron Throne, like the main series is actually about.

Here be spoilers for Winter’s Crown.

So, our set-up for the sequel is that Robb is still the King in the North, with all the magical power that crown from the Children of the Forest invested in him. He’s promised/engaged to Shireen, Stannis’s daughter and only heir. You know, the niece of Robert Baratheon, the King of the South/Seven Kingdom (except whoops Robb declared the North independent, so I guess it’s Six Kingdoms now?). Robb is also currently fucking Jamie Lannister. Jamie Lannister who was Robert’s Hand before uh... declaring? taking service? with Robb. (There was magic involved.) Who also probably didn’t actually explicitly break up with Cersei before following Robb out of the throne room on Robb’s orders after the declaration of independence. 

ALSO, Stannis has already said to Robb that he intends to declare Robert an oathbreaker as the Protector of the Realm. Which from a strict reading of the situation, Robert WAS. Which Robb has already lain on Robert with the force of magic behind it. Here, I’ll quote: “I name you false kind and false friend, oathbreaker and coward, and may you end your days in the shame and misery your treachery deserves.” Which, as far as I can tell the only witnesses who aren’t Robb’s people are Robert, Cersei, the children, Margaery Tyrell, and a small handful of goldcloaks/Kingsguards. So, I doubt that bit of information is getting publicized by anyone in that room. Which Stannis was not.

Basically, I see war coming from two fronts. One, Stannis declaring Robert an Oathbreaker, which is politically tricky because either Stannis has taken himself out of Robb’s service and is making a play to be the king himself? OR he’s calling Robert an Oathbreaker as one of Robb’s sworn liege lords. Which, yikes. Plays right into the narrative that Cersei has built up for herself: that Robb wants power and will march on the South with the Wildlings and/or Stannis’s men at arms and/or the Lannister men (answering to Jamie).

I think if Cersei left the North alone after the Long Night and Stannis was very clear he was not one of Robb’s lords, Robb and the North would be happy to sit out a war and just work on recovering from the Long Night. Because, again, yikes, about half the population that survived the initial rise of the dead froze to death. The North is not in any shape to be going to war.

But I don’t think Cersei can put herself in someone else’s (Robb’s) shoes and believe they won’t act like a politically duplicitous cunt after power and only power. So she’s going to want to go to war to strike first and protect her own power. And also to pay back the “betrayal” of her brother/lover (Jamie) abandoning her. Also Stannis’s betrayal of swearing to the King in the North. But I think she’ll care about Jamie’s more.

And I think Robert isn’t strong enough, morally, emotionally, etc. to stop her. 

So... I tend to think that Stannis at least wouldn’t kick off a war until he could secure his supply lines. Supply lines which after the Long Night freezing a significant portion of the country would be in terrible shape. Especially since the largest supply of excess grain is the Tyrell’s and Cersei has that on her side since Margaery Tyrell is married to Joffrey. 

End result is that I think Cersei will kick off the war and Stannis will lay the charge of Oathbreaking as a response. To you know, weaken/divide her forces as much as he can.

What Cersei may not have is a competent General. Robb, Jamie, Stannis, and Tyrion are on the side of the North (whether or not Jamie and Tyrion can stomach fighting their sister and niblings/children, those two at least aren’t on Cersei’s side). Tywin is MIA from Winter’s Crown except as a brief aside in the past tense and may or may not be dead in this iteration of the world. The best General we can reasonably project to be on Cersei’s side is her Uncle Kevan. Who did see the dead with his own eyes, so that might change his thinking on if the charges of Oathbreaking are true and who that means he should fight for.

Meanwhile, Robb/the North has six direwolves, at least 3 giants, Brienne of fucking Tarth, Jon Snow, Jamie Lancaster, Tyrion Lancaster, AND, most importantly, every single hero and every foot soldier of the Long Night who survived who’s willing to be called to arms again (they’d probably all like to just go home and recover, but damn, if their king is calling, these are the people proven to show up when called). A significant portion of that army are Wildlings who are now released from their oaths and will most likely head back home over the Wall. But! There will also likely be a significant number who stay (*cough* Tormaund making eyes at Brienne) and can function well as a scouting force. 

So the North has an army that trained and trauma bonded through the Long Night together. Morale/belief in each other and their leaders is going to be high. The Boltons are all dead due to events in Winter’s Crown and the Freys are possibly all to mostly dead, so Robb is not going to be stabbed in the back by traitorous liege lords this go around (no Red Wedding here!). What the North doesn’t have is food. 

So, what they need is to get the intelligence of Cersei attacking quickly and to haul ass South where they can pillage food.

As a side note, I am assuming that Danerys does NOT show up with dragons at any point to turn this into a three-way fight. She is not mentioned at all in Winter’s Crown, not even the aside Twyin got, so I’m working off the assumption she’s dead or busy on her side of the sea and will not be appearing in a relevant time frame to this completely hypothetical sequel fanfiction of fanfiction.

So, questions I would need to answer, for myself, before writing: 1) What does Varys choose to do? In GoT, he is canonically more loyal to the realm and thus the people living in it than whoever is on the throne. We know he’s still the Master of Whispers in the Winter’s Crown iteration of the world and was able to slip a number of spies/potential assassins into Robb’s camp. Assassins who were routinely thwarted by Brienne and Tyrion, but all it takes is once. And people might be more willing without the magical terror of the oncoming Long Night/Night’s King. Robb still has the magic invested in crown however, so maybe not. Essentially, I think Varys would be a strong asset for Cersei if she utilizes him (she didn’t earlier because he was telling her information that didn’t fit her world view). And therefore what he choses to do would be important. Tyrion at least knows Varys is the spymaster and to work to counter him.

2) Is Joffrey enough of a cruel bastard to still get offed?

3) Does the accurate parentage of the royal children come out?

Well, this is a lot of thinking about the state of the board at the beginning and not much thinking about ‘plot’ isn’t it? Maybe thinking about a theme would help me out here.

The theme(s) in Winter’s Crown is(are) oaths, the costs of them, being a ‘worthy’ person, and when to adhere to an oath. So I would want this hypothetical sequel’s theme(s) to flow naturally from that. Meaning... the consequences of adhering to your oaths when your opponent doesn’t. Good job brain, the theme is the Prisoner’s Dilemma and what shame and misery is the natural consequence of treachery. 

Okay, cool, now I have the overall arc of my plot: a sudden swift victory on Cersei’s side (she seizes the first mover advantage) followed by the slow build to victory of Robb’s side. I picture this slow build to be Robb focusing on the smaller battles and alliances that builds a solid alliance to suddenly at the end sweep Cersei off the board. I’d focus on getting smaller lords on their side and peeling away minor but consequential logistical goods from Cersei’s side (armies march on good boots kind of thing) while Robb keeps his army out of direct confrontation with Cersei’s, nibbling away at their numbers in hit-and-run tactics, or swaying the men to withdraw their oaths to their lords and take up service with Robb, or just picking the terrain a battle happens in very carefully.

Too bad I don’t trust my writing chops to write a drawn out war story complete with military campaigns yet... Ah well, into the ideas pile it goes.

[wheretheeternalare]

Books I read in 2022

just posting this for my own amusement but if anyone’s looking for recs I’ve bolded what I really liked. I read 44 books this year, plus 3 rereads (The Secret History, Maurice, and Detransition, Baby lmao) which is by far the most I’ve ever read in a year! feeling rly good about that!

Time's Monster by Priya Satia The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis Females by Andrea Long Chu Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler Nevada by Imogen Binnie Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher A Room With a View by E. M. Forster Female Husbands: A Trans History by Jen Manion On Beauty by Zadie Smith Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov The Wedding by Dorothy West My Education by Susan Choi The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien  The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien  Goodbye Without Leaving by Laurie Colwin Among the Isles of Shoals by Celia Thaxter Summer Fun by Jeanne Thornton Rip It Up: Rock 'n' Roll Rulebreakers Drawing the Line by Erich Matthes She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen The Blackhouse by Peter May How to be both by Ali Smith Raven Black by Ann Cleeves Autumn by Ali Smith Winter by Ali Smith The Smiths: Songs That Saved Your Life by Simon Goddard The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraquib Spring by Ali Smith The Culture of Time and Space 1880-1918 by Stephen Kern Eternity by the Stars by Louis-Auguste Blanqui The Queue by Vladimir Sorokin A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce Summer by Ali Smith The Scent of Time by Byun-Chul Han The Compendium of (Not Quite) Everything by Jonn Elledge Doxology by Nell Zink The Idiot by Elif Batuman Ghosts of My Life by Mark Fisher Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers Whose Body by Dorothy Sayers

[hmmihaventdecidedyet]

I posted 20,656 times in 2022

That's 915 more posts than 2021!

26 posts created (0%)

20,630 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@chantylay

@limetimo

@stargazing-enby

@iamnmbr3

@fag-the-wholewideworld

I tagged 733 of my posts in 2022

#unreality - 13 posts

#yes - 12 posts

#yeah - 9 posts

#yep - 8 posts

#what - 7 posts

#oooooh - 7 posts

#it’s true - 7 posts

#ooooh - 6 posts

#so good - 6 posts

#absolutely - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#even if you can put aroaces into another box marked “none dating (as allos know it aka with sex and romance)” along with your “boy dating”

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Rereading In Other Lands and seeing this line is so sad why 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Elliot my sad unloved baby I love you so much

7 notes - Posted November 12, 2022

#4

New rule: whenever you write a Soulmate AU, it’s a requirement to make at least one main character aromantic as penance

13 notes - Posted September 29, 2022

#3

I was tagged by @drarrily-we-row-along, thank you so much!

Three pairings I ship: Drarry (of course), Sunbrat, from In Other Lands (absolutely amazing book, everyone should read it), and Cecilos

My first ship: Honestly, I don’t remember, but it was probably either something from Percy Jackson, or Drarry. It’s been a while, though, so who knows?

My favourite colour: Purple! All shades, all types, although my absolute favourite is probably lavender.

The last song I listened to: Mantras by Ellen Winter. It’s been getting stuck in my head for weeks now

The last series I read/watched: I don’t know if it counts, but I just finished the sequel to The Last 8, called The First 7. They’re both amazing, they’re about an alien invasion of Earth, and all of the people die, except for a select few teenagers. Any more than that would be spoiling, but they’re very good books.

What I’m currently reading/watching: I‘m reading Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, who wrote the podcast together. It‘s about Josh Crayton and his mom, Diane Crayton, Jackie Fierro, who owns the pawn shop and is eternally nineteen, and King City, although I haven’t read far enough to see exactly how King City is related. It’s very chaotic, but in a nice way.

Last film: I watched Uncharted last week with a friend, it was very good. Kind of unmemorable though

Sweet, savory, or spicy: Sweet, 100%

What I’m currently working on: I’m betaing a crossover between Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, with an Aphrodite-kid!Draco, for a friend who I don’t think has Tumblr.

Tagging @limetimo @wynnesbullshit @romeoandmesittinginatree @otpdrarry-drarry4ever @dewitty1 @secretartlair @phoebe-delia @vukovich and anyone else who wants to join!

16 notes - Posted March 14, 2022

#2

Okay, with Dr. Lubell and the University of What It Is going around explaining everything (RIP Sarah Sultan), what’s going to happen to my favourite character Josh Crayton??? Janet L had better stay away from my favourite shapeshifter

18 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

A drabble for @drarrymicrofic’s prompt Euphoria:

Her father’d guided her to the altars of Power, Hatred, and Masculinity, once. Now, though, Cassie finally shed the last, finally being—

“Cassie! We’ll be late for the surgery!” Harry’s voice, bright and clear.

Shaking off her heavy thoughts, Cassopeia Andromeda Malfoy stepped into the car with her boyfriend, euphoric.

20 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →