#i feel like i’ve read the same thing 50 times every chapter is the same

[titsthedamnseason]

this is the longest book i’ve ever read omfg. this battle has been going on forever and there’s no sign of it ending and IM. SO. BORED. i genuinely do not care if ANY of these people live or die i don’t care what the outcome will be (we all know they’ll win 🙄) the action is written so poorly i have been forcing myself to read it every day for weeks now but i swear it puts me to sleep every time i pick it up. i have to keep reading it because i want it to be over already but it’s so difficult omfg

[raffa-taff]

do you have any alphonse fic recs?? I'm literally starving for any fanfictions that recognize the complex character he is and dont sideline him. please.

Hell yeah brother I got recs

Sorry for the wait!

These are just some fics I enjoyed reading (or from what I remember anyways), most of these are angst or some kind of hurt/comfort and please mind the tags🙏 I don’t think any of these recs have super heavy material (again from what I can remember but still). I’ve highlighted my faves in orange (hope that doesn’t cause readability issues) this will also probably be a long post sorry!

Most of thornbacks fics are pretty good in terms of how Alphonse is written, I don’t think they’ve done any fics centred on only Alphonse but every time I read a thornback fic I like how Alphonse is written in them, and in most of their fics Alphonse and his feelings are never really forgotten which I appreciate.

“Simple things” by PrinRue over on fanfic.net (I love this one so much, it’s still going atm too!. It’s not solely Alphonse focused but it does have like Alphonse focused chapters if that makes sense and I love them so so much and there’s a lot of great writing for Ed, winry and even pinako which is always great, it’s my fave fma fic atm)

“Close your eyes I’ll be here in the morning” by alphonselrics ( I read this one a while ago so I can’t remember much of this fic aside of bits and pieces here and there but I remember getting so excited every time I saw it had updated and that I enjoyed reading it a lot. Fic focused on als recovery. )

“You don’t have to go through this alone” by September bugs ( another post promised day Alphonse fic, with some parental riza and Roy thrown in. Mostly about Al struggling with his body and being overwhelmed by his regained senses, sweet ending :] )

All of the fics in “Alphonse elrics guide on how to spend your sleepless nights” by c_c_cherry (I always find myself going back to read this series every once in a while, the second one with riza is my fave)

“Musicology” by DeadlyGlacier ( just a really sweet Alphonse and winry fic )

“Of hospitals and health” by ReminiscentRevelry (post promised day fic with Al and Roy talking in the hospital )

“50 ways to explain a suit of armour” by kastaborous ( I remember finding this one pretty funny and an enjoyable read, there’s also an Edward variant by the same person I’m p sure)

“You can do that?” By waddlesthejoghog (gay Alphonse Elric, need I say more?)

“I fell in your arms tonite” by LAON (Elric brothers Ough💔)

“The fullmetal alchemists” by RoboticRainboots (not exactly only Alphonse focused but Ough Elric brothers again)

“Sherman, the rock” by Bookwrm389 (Alphonse being silly, I love him, and Elric brother banter. Mostly a humorous fic)

“Little wonders” by ADreamingSongbird (nice Alphonse and winry fic)

“You’re the only song I want to hear” by ADreamingSongbird (amazing fic, really, really good. Delves into how Alphonse feels just after being transmuted and does it really well in my opinion. I remember reading this one for the first time and going back to re-read sections because they were so good to me. Makes you feel really sad for Alphonse and the horrible things he must’ve been going through post transmutation and actually made my chest hurt those first couple times reading it, honestly can’t recommend it enough, if you read any fics from this list please let it be this one. Very sad but with a little nice moment with Alphonse and winry at the end)

“What” by bees cheese (silly fic from an outside perspective of someone listening to Ed and als convo)

“Life where we all are” by elkatt (hughes and Alphonse 💔)

“Dignity” by FollowerOfMercy (lovely fic, really, really like it, has some angst and takes place in the early days post-transmutation. Alphonse trying to regain a sense of humanity💔 and moments between him and pinako, my fave)

“Camping and cussing” by wakingnightmares ( silly sibling banter that makes me smile)

“Chasm” by AnEquivalentExchange (takes place after the scar fight)

“Touch” by TwitchySmurph (little fic taking place a bit after the transmutation)

“The old tomorrow doesn’t exist anymore” by Alphonsevebop (long fic with an interesting plot, focuses on Ed and winry too but I remember liking how Alphonse was written and being excited for updates)

“His little brother” by plateofpie (very sweet and I remember liking the premise of this one, feels realistic too, which I liked)

“An armoured cage” by plateofpie (really liked this one but I felt so bad for Alphonse gah💔 love reading fics about how people react to Alphonse and what he looks like in the armour. He’s still so young too and I feel like he’s written really well here, Alphonse oughhh💔 takes place during canon and focuses on the kind of attention Alphonse would probably get due to his armour and how he feels about it)

“What makes a human” by Emmmmy ( focus on Roy and Alphonse. Really like how Alphonse is written in this one, he really feels his age and the back and forth with mustang is so enjoyable to read imo)

And that’s all!

I apologise if this was too long but I wanted to make sure that I had some good picks for you since Al-centred fics can be hard to find, these are just some of my faves, I think I might have more actually but I can’t remember. I also apologise for some of the rambles next to the fics too but some of them are so good I just have to and I felt it might be a good idea to give a basic rundown of some of the fics anyways. Okay byeee! :]

[mariaofdoranelle]

Look at Us Now - ch. 23

Fic masterlist

I’ve been writing this chapter amidst chaos and I was obsessed while planning this spicy scene. I hope you like it? The writing process wasn’t half as sexy, considering I have terrible flu 🤧

Warnings: NSFW

Words: 2,2k

The groaning creak of Aelin’s rusty window being opened jolted her awake. She shot up in bed, heart racing, only to register Rowan’s hulky figure invading her bedroom.

She threw herself back in bed, relieved and slightly less annoyed. “Alexa, what time is it?”

“You already know you’re late. The time is 6:42 a.m.”

Rowan sighed, finally inside, and closed her squeaky window. “I forgot how sassy your Alexa is.”

Rubbing both eyes, she slowly processed whatever was going on. Yesterday’s fight over Fleetfoot the Dog. Aelin’s late—and depressingly lonely—wine night. Rowan showed up here when she specifically told him not to.

“I took Maisie to Aedion’s, they’re going to the pool.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, shuffling his feet. “We need to talk.”

“Where’s the key I gave you?”

“I didn’t know how you’d feel about me using it now.” After their fight, he meant.

“So you’d rather break into my house through my bedroom window instead?”

Rowan eyed her reading armchair, but decided to pace instead. Aelin could barely pay attention to him, only thinking about how she asked him for time to process the situation, but instead he decided to wake her up right after dawn to talk.

Aelin adjusted her pillows to sit by the headboard. “Did Maisie wake you up early today?”

“I didn’t sleep.”

She ran both hands on her face, trying to recall her last thoughts regarding the doggie situation. If Rowan wanted to make decisions alone rather than considering her opinions as a couple, she could go with it. “I want 50/50 custody of Fleetfoot, same co-parenting arrangement and shared expenses as we do with Maisie. I already made a new expense spreadsheet.”

“So you want the dog?”

“Oh my God.” Aelin leaned her head against the headboard, looking up. “Rowan, this is not about the dog!”

He furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes carefully assessing her, and that’s when she realized he was lost.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to phrase her feelings in the clearest way possible. “If I’m Maisie’s mother, if we’re together, and if you see yourself living with me within the next decade, I don’t understand why you’d get her a dog without talking to me first.”

“Very well.” His body tensed, both hands on his hips. “Another 50/50 custody. That’s what we’re doing, then?”

“Yes. That’s how I deal with things when I ask for time to think and you don’t give it to me.”

He resumed pacing around the room, one hand on his hip while he gesticulated with the other. “Look, I want to give you space, but I can’t sit and do nothing while you rethink our relationship.”

Aelin tilted her head, eyes squinted at him. Now she was the one who was lost. “While I do what?”

Rowan huffed, a hard look aimed at her. “You know…”

“I really don’t.”

“You pushed me away because you didn’t trust me.” Rowan sat on her armchair, eyes narrowed at a random point. She gave him time, knowing he wasn’t great at expressing himself or his feelings. “Now you gave me a second chance, and things are still delicate because I’m still proving myself.”

“Proving yourself…?” Aelin trailed, trying to understand his train of thought.

“That I deserve your second chance.” His voice slowed down as he sensed her confusion. “That you can rely on me in a way you didn’t before.”

Aelin’s mouth opened. And closed. It was a rare feat to make Aelin speechless, but Rowan did it this time. Had he been thinking like that for the past month?

“I was in a very vulnerable place five years ago, and our relationship was too undefined. I barely had the energy to think about something romantic between us, let alone fight for it.” Aelin fiddled with the corner of her blanket, feeling Rowan’s gaze on her, hanging on her every word. She continued, “That’s not the case now. I told you why I pushed you away back then because the situation called for it, but I don’t want to torment you over something you did so long ago.” She sent him a close-lipped, hope-to-be-reassuring smile. “Besides, I already know I can trust you. Did you ever fail with Maisie?”

A bitter chuckle. “Yes. Several times.”

Aelin left her position on her bed to straddle him at the armchair, her chest filled with warmth. “Well, you wouldn’t be a parent if you didn’t.” She combed his hair off his face with her fingers. Her fussy Buzzard, always thinking too much. He’d just started therapy, and Aelin knew it’d be a long process until the worst of that weight fell off his shoulders, but she’d be right there with him the entire time. “Your very chivalrous theory about needing to prove your worth was totally debunked, being Super Dad and all.”

“I was a terrible co-parent to you.”

“Me too.” Aelin put both hands on her hips, eyes squinted at him. “Are you putting me on a trial test?”

“I would never—“

She raised both eyebrows, silently begging him to think this through. Yeah, buddy, it goes both ways, she hoped her face conveyed.

“So, just to be sure, you’re not breaking up with—“

“Gods, Rowan!”

“Alright, alright.”

He held her close, face resting near her neck while he breathed her in. Aelin kissed his head, squeezing him into her embrace. Sometimes, when she’s with Rowan, no amount of touching feels like enough. Right now, she felt like melting and merging their bodies completely so every cell of her body hugs every cell of his. It was so silly, but it did feel like heaven to hear his mocking groans, as if Rowan hated being squished to death.

Aelin grinned down at him, still straddling his lap, and cupped his face with both hands. “You’re mine.”

He kissed her palm. “I’m yours.”

“And you love me,” she said. Not a question.

“To whatever end,” he breathed.

She leaned to kiss him, meeting him halfway. What started as a tender kiss soon turned molten. Rowan’s hands traveled down her torso, hungrily grabbing her, as Aelin ravished his mouth, full of need while grinding down on his lap from how much her body burned for him.

Rowan hooked both hands under her thighs and lifted them up from the armchair, carrying Aelin to her bed. He dropped her in a seating position and caged her with both arms, still standing while pressing their foreheads together.

“You’re mine.” His eyes were glued to hers and so close, she felt the claiming in her bones, her soul.

“I’m yours.” Her answer was as truthful as the throbbing between her thighs—very.

“And you love me.” Such hope and quiet joy in his eyes, beneath all that fierceness.

“To whatever end.” Beaming at him, she radiated with the intensity of that moment and needed to show him how much she meant it.

Rowan kissed her again, dragging the moment until Aelin nipped his lip. He opened his mouth to protest, but when she felt him through his pants, it melted into a hiss.

Aelin dropped to her knees in front of him.

“Baby, you don’t have to—“

He cursed when she pulled her pants down. Aelin kept eye contact while she pumped him, trying to hide a smirk. The words died on his throat, mesmerized by the sight of her face and his cock so close. He held still while she licked the head, but Rowan’s eyes closed, his head lolling back when her tongue ran over his full length.

Aelin knew she didn’t have to but, fuck, she wanted to. She pumped his heavy, veiny length, panting, entranced. How a guy used his cock had always been something she valued more than the member in itself, but it was definitely a flex that her boyfriend came with both traits. Her need to be filled was driving her mad, but Aelin was dying to worship him too.

One more swirl of her tongue and she took him deep inside her mouth, quickly finding a rhythm. Cheeks hollowed, Aelin also worked him by massaging his base and his balls—it was near impossible to swallow all of him, no matter her attempts to deep-throat his cock.

Rowan’s eyes were glued to the way he disappeared into her mouth, and he kept praising her, guiding her head with his fist and hissing when he hit a particular spot near her throat, then again calling her a good girl that sucks his cock so well.

“Fuck, baby.” Rowan thrust into her mouth, and she was growing almost feverish with the sight of him using her for his own pleasure.

One of her hands disappeared between her thighs without interrupting his ministrations, but it only worsened the burning feeling she tried to soothe. A moment later, Rowan cursed at how wet it came back to toy with his balls.

“Baby.” He caressed her jaw, holding her gaze. “Fuck. The things I’m doing to you after this…”

Aelin moaned around his cock, almost losing her rhythm. His hips jerked, making him grip her hair harder.

He growled, “You have no idea.”

˜˜

“Must you tell her everything?” Rowan politely complained, jaw tight.

Aelin gaped. “But she’s our therapist!” Her defensive remark had a slightly higher pitch.

Yrene had her lips pressed tight to hide her amusement. Her job was to meddle in their relationship, but sometimes she chose not to—especially during a small bicker.

The woman cleared her throat. “It looks to me that you both communicated your thoughts and feelings on your own, mid crisis, while shielding your daughter from it." Yrene had a satisfied, close-lipped smile on while she typed on her computer. "That’s impressive progress. In fact, I feel like we’re ready to space out our sessions, so we can gradually transition you two out of therapy.”

Aelin felt a lightness inside, and her grin was almost too much. Hell yes, she was more than ready to cut off some sessions—if she counted her individual ones as well, Aelin saw Yrene way too much.

However, Rowan frowned, not looking convinced. “But we just had a fight.”

Their therapist waved him off. “You will from time to time. The important thing here is to identify when you’re falling into an old pattern, and to revisit conflict management skills when—not if—needed.” Yrene tilted her head, carefully studying Rowan. “But I can wait more to space out sessions if you don’t feel ready yet, even if I’m not discharging you immediately.”

His eyes darted between the two women, unsure.

“Baby, I think we’re good.” Aelin squeezed Rowan’s hands. She worked with a whole different way of looking inside her patients, but she knew how successful this case was.

“We won’t be working on new skills from now on, just maintaining what you already learned,” Yrene added, focused on Rowan. “Besides, I already consider your case successful. Couples don’t often get back together, let alone in a healthy relationship—sometimes, I’m only trying to prevent murder.”

The corner of his mouth quivered, and he squeezed Aelin’s hand back. “Alright, then. How often is it gonna be for now?”

˜˜

“Gods, I feel so spiritually evolved.” Aelin matched her boyfriend’s grin outside Yrene’s office, in the building’s hallway. “Every time a therapist praises me, I feel like lighting incense and doing yoga.”

Rowan hummed, wrapping his arm around her while they waited for the elevator. “Yoga’s nice. We could try it out—“

“Fuck, no. You promised me chocolate cake.”

“I didn’t mean now.” He studied her from the corner of his eye. “Tomorrow?”

“Nope.” Not ever, if she could help it—Aelin doing exercises about balance while having a giant bump that messed her center of gravity up? Scarred her to death. “I have a hip replacement tomorrow. Did you know that performing those is worse than CrossFit?”

“No, it’s not.” Rowan snorted. “You told me they were super easy when you were pregnant with…”

Realization made him lose his words. To Aelin’s defense, it was just a little white lie she told so he wouldn’t lose his mind with worry. Rowan’s eyes widened, and Aelin was saved by the elevator arriving at that exact moment. She hurried past him inside and watched him slowly enter, still staring at her.

The elevator moved, restarting him as well. She shook his head and stood behind her. Noting that they were alone in that metal box, Rowan grabbed her hips with both hands and whispered, “I’m punishing you for that later.”

Aelin shivered with his words fanning against her ear, feeling a whisper of his smirk when she trembled under his fingertips. Slightly pressed against him, she breathed, “I bet you are.”

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[storiesofsvu]

A Dangerous Game Ch 4

Emily Prentiss x reader warnings: language, alcohol consumption, minor talk of CM type violence, smut, fingering, oral, face sitting, daddy kink. Sorry not sorry at how long this chapter is. LOL. A/N: Emily's taglist is now up to 50, so if you find that you're suddenly not being tagged it's simply because I haven't seen you interacting with fics at all or in my notifs (while i understand that yes, life is busy, we have things like school, work, families that take priority over reading/interacting, there are also people out there who fill out a taglist form and then are never heard from again) and i want to be able to tag the people who are actively reading things, or at least bookmarking them to read later kinda thing.

Emily woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing on the nightstand, her eyes scrunching as she tried to avoid it but knew it would likely wake you up if she didn’t silence it. To her surprise when she rolled over the hotel room was empty, the sheets on your bed tossed back and you were nowhere to be seen. Sitting up she swiped open the messages on her phone, discovering that you and Spencer had found a lead and were already down at the precinct starting to put things together despite the sun not even being up yet.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” Emily nearly grumbled as she strode into the bull pen, making a beeline for the coffee and you let out a small laugh.

“I managed to knock over the entire toiletry shelf when I showered and you didn’t budge an inch, I assumed you needed the beauty sleep.” Your voice had half a tease in it and Emily did her best not to roll her eyes, “figured we’d loop you in once we had something.”

“Which we do.” Spencer cut in, gesturing toward the white board, his laptop open with Penelope on a video call on the spare desk.

“And?” Emily asked.

“Wilson was right about the bracelets.” Garcia began, “we looked through everything and we found one in the exact same colours in the first case with the name Lorelei embroidered into it. The girl’s name was Jessica and the parents don’t know and Lorelei, so y/n made the call to start looking at men who had lost a daughter or sister around the age and description of these girls.”

“The unsub had some kind of contact with every one of these girls before they were abducted.” Spencer explained, “he was using the bracelets to mark them, to make them feel safe, so they’d be easy to spot in a group.”

“Updates?” Emily glanced between the three of you right as the rest of the team finally came into the building, tuning into the conversation and settling into the area.

“I’m waiting on a couple of run throughs but I’ve got three names and addresses for you already.” Penelope replied, clacking away before the swoosh noise echoed through the speakers and everyone’s phone’s pinged, “good luck.” She shot a grin to the camera before it went to black and the rest of you turned to each other.

As it turned out, your hunch was incredibly right, and it didn’t take long before you were able to track down the unsub. He’d watched as his younger sister was stalked, kidnapped, assaulted and killed, his parents wanted nothing to do with him, committing him until he was eighteen and allowed to be free, resulting in more tragedy for everyone else. Considering your find Emily let you take lead in the field and made sure you were comfortable with the take down before letting you have that too. She felt a little twinge of worry sending you in with a mentally unstable unsub, but everyone had your back. Instead she was pleasantly surprised with how well you handled it, you remained calm the entire time, though in her opinion as unit chief you did lower your weapon a little too early, but had she been in your position she would have done the same. It was about earning trust and getting him to let the girl go, let her come to you before he could be arrested to make sure she wasn’t harmed.

The entire unit let out a collective breath of relief when everything was finally done, and thanks to your overnight work, it was barely passed noon. Paperwork was tedious as always, but it managed to be finished shortly before dinner time, the BAU team finally making their way out of the local precinct.

“Well, we’re considering that a win,” Rossi started, clapping Morgan on the back as the group left the office, “should we get dinner, maybe some drinks?”

“You buyin?” Derek asked with a grin and Dave laughed.

“Only if it’s at that bar by the hotel.”

“Honestly, all I need are a good order of chicken wings and mozza sticks.” You laughed and Rossi cheered.

“Wilson agrees!”

“They have deep fried pickles?” JJ asked with a grin and Rossi let out a playful scoff with a nod, accepting that he would foot the bill for dinner and some drinks as everyone laughed, climbing into vehicles.

*

There wasn’t much surrounding the hotel you were staying at, meaning the diner down the road and the bar across the street saw a lot of the team over the last couple of days. It wasn’t anything fancy, not particularly a dive bar, but the vibes were there. Just big enough that patrons weren’t up in each other’s business, mainly regulars spread through the space, a couple of dart boards and a single pool table. The group’s table was covered in appetizers half picked through as everyone wound down from the case with a couple jugs of beer. Everyone was in good spirits, joking and bantering across the table, Derek was currently in a battle with Spencer, attempting to get him into a round of darts where the loser had to pick up the next round. Spencer in turn was trying to turn it around into a game of pool that he had a better chance of winning and Derek was firing back about how there was only one pool table, it could be hours before it freed up and the drinks were looking pretty empty. Spencer fired back with something about the statistics of the game which fired up an entire playful argument until you finally stood up, clapping Spencer on the shoulder,

“Okay, okay, boys simmer down. I’ll get the next round; no more arguing let’s try to keep the team spirit up.” You laughed, grabbing your wallet.

“You really are all about the team spirit, aren’t you?” Emily cut in with a smirk and you shot her a glare.

“Don’t…”

“Aw, c’mon, I’m sure we can find some pom poms somewhere, show off your moves Wilson.”

“You were a cheerleader?” JJ cut in and you let out a huff, rolling your eyes before glaring at Prentiss.

“I told you that in confidence!”

“Yeah, sure.” Emily laughed.

“Ohoho… so you play dirty?” You raised a brow and she grinned your way.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Before anyone else at the table even realized what was happening Derek cut in, leaning forward in his seat to get a better eyeline toward you.

“Were you a like, go team, yay sports rah, rah cheerleader, or a it’s its own sport, competitive cheerleader?”

“Competitive.” You said with a huff, quickly stepping away from the table before anyone else could get their questions in and you moved up to the bar.

Much to your disdain, by the time you returned to the table with fresh pitchers of beer the conversation of cheerleading was still going on. At the very least it wasn’t being directed toward you, and more a general conversation topic, but you knew it was only a matter of time before Emily would reroute it back to you and bombard you with questions.

It appeared that whatever higher power was up there tonight was on your side by the time everyone was just over halfway through their third round. Derek, while complimenting the actual competitive cheerleaders, was also lowkey mocking the stereotypical ones who merely pranced around with pom-poms doing silly arm movements and cheers. He went to demonstrate said arm movement and managed to aggressively knock over the beer that he’d just refilled. The glass somehow managed to not break but the entire pint splashed its way directly onto Emily who let out a dramatic gasp, attempting to jump back from the table, swearing in Derek’s direction.

There was no holding back, the table bursting out into laughter, especially as Emily grabbed an onion ring and hurled it in Derek’s direction. Through his laughter he did his best to apologize, swiping a pile of napkins so she could dry off, though the attempt was futile, she was covered in beer.

“I guess that’s my cue to leave.” She sighed, pushing her chair back from the table, “Morgan’s buying the next round on my behalf.”

“Hey! C’mon!” He protested and she simply laughed, waving a quick goodnight to everyone before she left the bar.

Rossi managed to grab a cloth from the bartender and actually get the table cleaned up while Derek got the next round for the group. Things seemed to calm down a little bit after that, you were picking at the plate of deep fried pickles with JJ, answering a few questions here and there about your past cheerleading, thankful the rest of the table had moved on with different conversations. The pool table finally freed up, Spencer and Derek disappearing in that direction and the three of you left at the table decided to call it a night, knowing it would likely be an early flight home the next morning.

You swung the door to your hotel room open, unsurprised to hear the shower running after Emily’s beer mishap. You flicked on the tv for some noise, mainly to alert Emily that you’d returned, you didn’t want to scare her when she came out of the shower. Wandering around the hotel room you made sure you’d collected everything previously scattered around the space, packing up your go bag and plugging in your iPad and phone. You took a couple of minutes scrolling through your phone, clearing notifications before making sure your alarm was set for the next morning. Standing from the bed you began stripping out of your clothes, folding them up into your bag before you found yourself distracted with the tv, zoning out from reality while your attention was focussed there.

“You always wear such lacy shit under your work clothes?” Emily’s voice broke through your trance and you jumped, turning to her.

“Jesus.” You swore, unsure whether it was because of her scaring you or the fact that she was wrapped in an almost too small hotel towel, water droplets still clinging to her skin, her hair pulled up off her neck to stay out of the shower stream. She bit her lip between her teeth, trying to make sure her eyes weren’t lingering on your body for too long and in the minute of distraction you managed to find your words, taunting her with the same phrase she’d teased you with at the bar. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Emily chuckled, a smirk taking over her cheeks as she stepped up to you, “it is rather fun to use my imagination.” Her hand raised, fingers ghosting over your jawline, “though as pretty as that lace is, I’d prefer it off.”

“But…” You breathed out, the proximity to her, the fact that you were both only seconds away from being naked, the alcohol surging through your veins, everything was fighting against the ethical thoughts in your brain.

“What’s the harm in one more night?” Emily asked, her voice dropping, fully as affected as you were in that moment, though she dropped her hand, wondering if she should take a step back.

“We shouldn’t…?” You managed to actually string the words together, even if there was a question at the end, because you knew that rules didn’t fucking matter to you, especially right now.

“If you don’t want to then we can forget this, I’ll get dressed.” She was about to actually step back when the words slipped from between your lips and she the spark surge through her body.

“Like hell I’m letting you put clothes on right now.”

She chuckled darkly, closing the space between the two of you, her lips meeting yours in a fiery kiss, one that both of you moaned in to. Neither of you could help it, it had been too long, too many days of yearning to feel the other’s body against yours, too many nights of pretending it was them touching you instead of your own hands or toys. Emily’s hands wound around you, easily undoing your bra and you let it fall to the floor, a second later and they were groping at your chest, pinching at your nipples and you let out a whine into the kiss.

Emily took advantage of that, slipping her tongue into your mouth, groaning over the taste of you, one she had been craving for weeks. Your tongues danced with grace against each other and it wasn’t long before your fingers slipped into Emily’s towel and it fell to the floor. She practically shivered, exposed to the cool hotel room air and in retaliation nipped at your lip, pulling a gasp from you that broke the kiss.

“You still going to be daddy’s good girl?” She husked, her lips kissing right below your ear and it was your turn to shiver.

“Yes…” you felt your body pulse at the way she kissed down the column of your neck, knowing you were going to lose all your coherent thoughts in a mere matter of minutes. Instead your hands ghosted up her sides, toying with her chest, squeezing her, feeling the vibration of her moan against your skin as she continued to kiss your neck. One of your hands slid down her body, slipping between her legs and Emily sucked in a heavy breath, her eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of your fingers sliding through her folds, “I want to taste you.”

Emily felt herself flutter at your words, a small chuckle escaping her lips before she bit into your neck, her hands resting on your hips, tugging you to her as she backed herself up towards one of the beds. Your lips met once again, moving with grace as you fell back onto the bed, shifting slightly so you were both comfortable as your hands roamed each other’s bodies. Emily wasn’t about to protest as you began to crawl down her body, leaving little kisses and nips on her skin as you went, her legs practically falling open the instant you were between them. She’d been aching for your touch for as long as she could remember, each time your fingers brushed hers, every moment that you’d poked her to get her attention she’d wished the feeling would last a little longer, that your hands would find their way to where she really wanted to be touched. Your hands grazed up her thighs, a hand sliding onto her pussy and your fingers spread her open, a small swear leaving your lips.

“Fuck…”

She was already glistening in the low light of the hotel room and you weren’t about to waste a minute before your mouth surged toward her, wrapping around her lower lips and you sucked her into your mouth briefly. Emily let out a light gasp, one of her hands shooting down to tangle into your hair and you couldn’t help the grin, knowing you were on the right path. Your tongue lapped out, swiping through her, flicking at her clit and she shuddered before you returned to her cunt, tongue dipping in as far as you could. She tasted like absolute heaven, better than you ever could have imagined and you knew that you’d never be able to get enough, burying your face in between her legs.

“Oh fuck…” she whined, “just like that angel…”

You groaned into her, the vibration sending shivers down her spine, her thighs twitching around you as you continued your movements. Your tongue pulled out as much of her wetness as it could, smearing it around her pussy, nose nudging against her clit and she gasped. You shifted your mouth up, lips wrapping around her clit as you sucked it into your mouth, tongue dancing patterns across it and her hips rocked up suddenly, a moan leaving her as her fingers tightened in your hair.

“So good.” She praised, her eyes fluttering shut as her head dropped into the pillows, heat coursing through her body.

Your mouth dropped down again, eager for another proper taste of her, sucking her juices from her while her hips rocked against your mouth. She let out a quiet cry, her legs threatening to squeeze tight around you and you let out a small chuckle, knowing the vibrations from it were enough to make her gasp once more. You shifted back up to her clit, a heavy broad lick across it before you wrapped your lips around it again. Emily let out a whimper and you felt yourself pulse around nothing at the sound, the desire to make her come growing larger with each second that passed. Your hand snuck up, toying with her dripping cunt before slipping two fingers in and she moaned.

“Fuck, yes baby… oh fuck!”

Even with just one pump of your fingers you could already feel her pulsing around you, pussy wet and warm around your digits. You thrusted them in time with the way your tongue was lapping over her clit before they curled within her, searching for that sensitive spot. It took a couple of tries but when she cried out, her hips jolted up off the bed and you knew you’d found it, not letting up as you continued to fuck her. Your fingertips brushed against the spot with each curl of your fingers, your mouth increasing suction around her swollen clit with each thrust of your hand you could feel her pussy pulsating around you, little whimpers leaving her lips as her body began to shudder.

“Oh fuck! Fuck!” The cry escaped her right as her hips thrust up, her fingers clenching in your hair, holding your face into her cunt and her body shook, juices dribbling their way down your wrist. Emily panted, thankful that you pressed a gentle kiss to her clit before your mouth left her body, your fingers gently fucking her through her orgasm.

You barely had enough time to crawl up her body before she was praising how good you were and flipping you on your back to return the favour. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that she was as talented with her mouth as she was but you still found yourself gasping for air, your entire body tingling at the way her tongue lapped through you, teasing at your clit with each lick. Her hands pinned your hips down to the bed, giving you only a little leeway to rut up against her, begging for more contact. Your breath picked up, your chest practically heaving when her fingers slid into you and her mouth wrapped around your clit.

“Oh god!” You cried out, “fuck, fuck.. feels.. so, fucking good!” A hand found its way into her hair, tugging at the roots as she continued to eat you and you couldn’t do much more than whimper. Her fingers pumped inside you, your pussy clenching down around them harder with each thrust of her hand, electricity shooting through you as the coil got tighter and tighter. It didn’t take much longer, a hard thrust from her hand as her tongue flicked against you and you were coming, body trembling, juices leaking out onto the bedspread as Emily chuckled against your skin.

You were smarter than to think that the two of you were done after only that, Emily crawling back up over your body, lips meeting yours in a lazy kiss while you caught your breath. Her lips trailed down your neck, teeth nibbling at your collarbone before she sucked a nipple into her mouth and your breath hitched in your throat, your nails scratching into her skin. Your hands began to trail across her body before one of them found its way between her legs again.

Neither of you were sure how many rounds you had gone, or how much time had passed since you first stepped into the hotel room and neither of you cared in the least. Emily currently had you on your back, fingers deep in your drenched pussy, squelching sounds echoing through the room as she straddled your thigh, grinding down onto it, smearing her juices along your skin.

“You’ve got one more in you angel, I know you do.” She cooed, her fingers crooking inside you and you groaned, your body jolting toward the touch, your thigh clenching just right that you pulled a gasp from her as her hips rutted against your body. The pleasure was prickling just beneath the surface of your skin, causing a shimmer of sweat to be contributed to the stickiness in the room.

“Fuck… fuck…” you cried, “more! Please daddy!”

Emily shifted forward, two of her fingers slipping into your mouth and you happily accepted them, tongue swirling around them, sucking them deeper between your lips. You figured it was an attempt to keep you quiet, but you didn’t care either way.

“God, look at you.” She murmured, a dark chuckle leaving her, “next time I’ll have to pack the strap, I just know those pretty lips would look so fuckin gorgeous wrapped around my cock.”

You released her fingers with a gasp, moaning into the room as the fingers in your cunt picked up their speed, matching the rhythm that Emily was riding your thigh. She shifted her weight back onto it, letting out a low moan before she spat onto your pussy, the spit slicked fingers that had been in your mouth moving to your clit, rubbing furiously. Your hands quickly found her hips, guiding them in the same pace that she was fucking you, urging her to grind down harder on you as a string of whines left your lips.

“Feels good doesn’t it baby?” She gasped, her fingers nearly stilling as they pressed up hard against your g-spot and your body began to tremble, “you gonna come for me? Come for daddy, angel…”

Her breath was ragged, nearly as ragged as yours as you felt the heat burst deep within you, letting out a moan as shook underneath her. She let out a dark chuckle, hand shifting from your clit to brace against your hip, picking up the pace she was riding your thigh. You grabbed at her wrist, pulling her fingers from you with a whimper while you caught your breath, tugging her upwards.

“Get up here.” You muttered, “want you to come on my face.”

Emily laughed, crawling up you as you readjusted quickly before she settled over your face and lowered her dripping pussy to your lips. You eagerly lapped your tongue out, groaning over her taste, one you knew you would never grow tired of; you wanted as much of her as possible tonight, no clue if you’d get another chance or not. She braced herself on the headboard, beginning to ride your face, moaning when your nose brushed against her clit. You shifted your lips upward, wrapping around it, you could tell she was close by how heavy she was grinding down on you, the fact that each roll of her hips was accompanied by a louder moan. Suddenly she grabbed at your hand, pulling your fingers into her mouth, muffled moans vibrating around them before she slipped off them,

“Touch yourself,” she gasped, her eyes fluttering shut, “wanna come together.”

You did exactly as she asked, your hand rubbing at your clit as you increased the strength you sucked at hers, moaning into her cunt, feeling the way her juices were smearing over your chin. Her clit was throbbing between your lips, aching each time your tongue flicked over it and in some miracle she cried out at in the same moment you groaned into her pussy, reaching your peaks at the same time. Her thighs trembled on either side of your face, her fingers gripping the headboard tightly as she tried not to drop all her weight down onto you. Panting, she collapsed down onto the bed beside you, her hand tickling at your bare skin while you both caught your breath.

*

The alarm blared through the room what felt like only a moment after you’d closed your eyes and you grumbled, reaching a hand out to silence it, knowing you had multiple set.

“Please tell me there’s enough time for coffee and breakfast.” Emily groaned and you chuckled, rolling onto your back you grimaced slightly. As you woke up fully you could feel just how sticky your body was,

“More than that.” You replied, “god knows I need a shower.”

You pushed up to sitting, swinging your feet off the bed and the sheet slipped off you, goosebumps breaking out on your skin in the cool morning air. Behind you Emily’s eyes were dragging up your body and when you glanced over your shoulder you caught her smirk.

“What?” You laughed.

“Care if I join you?” She raised a brow and your eyes widened every so slightly.

“Oh.. I thought last night might’ve been alcohol fueled…”

“Certainly didn’t hurt. Still would’ve done it stone cold sober.”

“Well then… I guess you’re more than welcome.” You giggled.

“What happens it Vegas stays in Vegas.” She shrugged, slipping from the bed and you laughed.

“We’re in Atlanta…”

“Saying still applies.” Emily smirked, spanking you before nudging you toward the bathroom.

*

The jet soared through the air, a relaxed vibe shifting through it, Rossi and Spencer were on the left side, half involved in the conversation, half reading their own things. You somehow had ended up beside Emily, across from Derek who was beside a currently empty seat. JJ returned with yet another coffee refill, dropping down into the spare seat with a groan,

“Did anyone else have a terrible sleep last night or was it just me? I feel like I woke up every twenty minutes.”

“Might’ve been the couple up fucking all night that woke you up.” Derek muttered, grin on his cheeks, his voice shifting into a mocking tone, “oh, harder daddy, please!” He laughed, “some people into some kinky shit.”

“Oh please.” Emily laughed beside you, managing to cover up the way her body had stiffened at his words, “as if you aren’t into some kinky shit.”

“Baby girl you wouldn’t even believe what I’m into.” He grinned across at her and she rolled her eyes before he nudged at your foot with his, “what about you, you sleep okay?”

“Like a baby.” You cast him a friendly smile and prayed your years with the FBI was enough to handle covering up a lie.

“Yeah? Prentiss didn’t keep you up all night?”

“What?” You did your best not to stutter and Emily tensed again beside you while Derek let out a loud laugh again.

“I’ve bunked with her before, she snores like a sailor!”

“Oh I do not!” She let out an offended scoff, swatting at him with the book she was holding.

A playful scuffle broke out before Dave called for the ‘kids’ to calm down and things finally did. It wasn’t much longer before the jet landed back at Quantico and you all went about your separate ways, taking the rest of the day off to recoup from the trip. It was only when you got to your car you realized your keys were still in your desk drawer. Letting out a heavy sigh you turned around, trudging back through the building. The BAU floor was practically deserted, but right as you reached your desk you heard an office door close in the direction of Emily’s.

“You forget something?” She asked, shouldering her back as she wandered through the bull pen.

“Keys.” You held up the ring, sliding the drawer they were in shut, slightly surprised when she approached you. From the moment you’d landed, there was something different about her, the way she slipped back into this Quantico role, the one where she was the boss, where this was work and that was it. Something slightly different about the way she held herself. “I’ll see ya tomorrow.” You shot her a smile and turned to head for the door when she called out.

“Y/n!”

“Yeah?” You turned back to her, your head tilting at the frown on her face and you raised a brow.

“It can’t happen again.” Her head shook, “if any of them find out—”

“I.. have no clue what you’re talking about.” You replied and it was her turn to look confused.

“What…?” She fumbled and you simply shrugged,

“What happens in Vegas...”

_______________

@ssa-sapphic @mickey-gomez @clarawatson @cabotfan42 @momlifebehard @alexusonfire @melindawarnersgf @itisdoctortoyousir @emilyprentiss4life @softgamerking @httpjupiterbby @somethingimaginative17 @temilyrights @alexxavicry  @mysticfalls01 @anya-casablanca @daddy-heather-dunbar @evilregal2002 @aliensaurusrex @alcabots @7thavenger @ladysc @rustyzebra @ilovemycrayons @mandy-asimp @thegrantwater @leftoverenvy @kades95 @disneyfan624 @dextur @m00nkn1ghts @gamma-ray-bursts @augustvandyne @supercriminalbean @bookpillows @daffodil-heart @msvenablesbitch @its-soph-xx  @going-gray @just-a-torn-up-masterpiece @hopelesslyfallenninlove @peanutbutterprincess  @kdaghay @emilyprentisssluvr @lex13cm @bluetodie @awolfcsworld @zizzlekwum @emobabeyy

[zepskies]

Hey, Zep! Quick question-

How did you manage to build your Tumblr following?

Ahh, great question, lovely anon!

A few key things I've done to build my following:

1. Posting my stories consistently. ✍🏽

When I started getting active on Tumblr last year, the lovely feedback I was getting spurred me on to keep writing, so I did! I wrote more last year than I probably ever have. But I also try to do so consistently.

I give people a heads up on when things are going to post (Marketing 101: If you want people to get excited, make sure they know when things are coming their way). And I did my best to stick to those deadlines.

Life can sometimes get in the way (shit happens, amirite?), but on the whole, I try to stay consistent. When people know they can rely on you, they're more likely to tune in every time you post.

I also give sneak previews of chapters and upcoming stories for that same reason. (I write chapters ahead of posting partly for this reason.) It can be a powerful hook when I'm writing a series in particular, to keep people invested by giving them a preview of what's coming in the next chapter. 💗

2. I try to make it easy for people to find me. 🧐

Use the right # tags. If it's an OC character in a pairing, don't use the reader tag (and vice versa). But do use the most popular pairing tags relevant to your story, fandom, character tags, genre, etc.

Tumblr currently allows you up to 30 tags that can be optimized/indexed by the site.

Anything after that is just to organize your blog and make things easier to find. I've seen a lot of brilliant writers/content creators miss out on getting eyes on their post because they're not using the more popular search tags.

(Tumblr helps you find some of them when you start typing in the tags section of a post.)

I also reorganized my masterlist so that the characters I write for are as easy as possible to find, what pairings I write for, and how people can keep reading if it contains multiple parts (including a link in the previous part, clearly labelling, including links to my other relevant masterlists within the fandom).

I include links everywhere: for my fic library side blog, for my masterlists, for sequels, other stories within the same storyverse, for my Ao3 account, for my Patreon, etc. I’ve worked in content marketing and editorial, so I've learned that navigation is key for the reader/user experience.

**Special Note on tag lists: Tumblr recently changed the rules (again). It seems that you can have up to 50 tagged users on a post, but they must be broken up into groups of 5 for the site to properly tag those users.

Example:

3. Engaging with people and replying to comments, reblogs, and asks. 💞

#1, this is just good fun. I LOVE engaging with people who read my work, and often I've become friends with people on here just by reaching out to one another to express our mutual love of fandom and/or each other's work.

At the ends of one-shots, drabbles, and series chapters, I try to engage with my readers by asking them specific questions about what they thought about the story. If they feel inclined, that may provoke them to answer in the comments or in the form of a reblog.

And when I reply to reblogs in particular, there's a reason I label them "reader appreciation." Because I genuinely do appreciate them! (And you. 😉)

Writers thrive on feedback, and I'm no exception. But also, it's just awesome to have that connection with my lovely readers. Many of them are now my friends. 🥰

Thank you for this question! I hope this helps.~

[bleachbleachbleach]

9/9 - 9/14/2024

For most of this week I have been “I do not see how it is physically possible to continue” exhausted, and then before bed I’d be like “aaaaah quick quick 20 minutes, write something, write something hahaha I’d rather be sleeping, fuck me!!” Which I wouldn’t say is actually… enjoyable? I mean, I think it’s probably still a net positive, because I enjoy making progress, but obviously I prefer experiencing the scene and indulging in it, like a word spa. That, and it’s not actually possible to pull together more complex scenes that way.

But I had a GREAT Thursday evening. I saw another coyote in my yard, and I went to a top-tier yoga class and was like wow, life is worth living after all! And I spent 40 unbroken minutes with Renji 11, which was very pleasurable. Then I shared a couple paragraphs of the chapter with a friend. She knows zero things about Bleach but we have a shared love of characters being sad and wet in the woods somewhere while talking about letters, so it was relevant to our conversation. It felt really good to receive her reaction, and to not feel like I’d left a dead rat on her doorstep. Or to feel secure in knowing beforehand that it wasn’t going to feel like that, on either of our parts. <3

As far as how I’d characterize the writing, I’d say that Renji and Hisagi are definitely my two most stream of consciousness narrators in this fic. But Hisagi’s approach is “here’s literally every thought I’ve ever had in my life, I swear this is for both our benefits also I’m sorry” and Renji’s is more “this thing made me think of these four other things, but between this paragraph and the next one there’s a huge thing I neglected to narrate on purpose. But the NEXT time there’s an elision like this it actually won’t be intentional and it will be because I didn’t know it was a thing, even though everyone I interact with can probably see this in meee!!”

I think I still have the same number of scenes left to finish, but I closed out a lot of sections, including most of the Renji+Hitsugaya revisions—just the hardest part of that is left. I’ve mostly finished the group scene revisions, minus some Akon exposition, and also added some lines in the Renji+Rukia scene. I have not touched the 0.5 scene because dear god, I do not want to. And I completed all the asks/replies, and 50% of my fic-reading catchup!

[mandg-readings]

I’m a new listener and I think your readings are so amazing. I often read to my husband on long road trips while he’s driving, so I have a little experience trying to show when different characters are speaking. It’s so hard! You do such an excellent job, particularly when the four of them are together. I can always tell the difference between Draco, Ron, and Harry which I think is extremely talented of you. Not to mention the mixing! And sound effects! I can’t even imagine beginning to do such a thing.

I’m really really thankful that you’re recording Lionheart! I’ve been really wanting to re-read it soso badly, but just can’t justify spending the time when I have such a long reading list and so little time to read. So thank you thank you thank you! You and GT are both so talented, and I’m in disbelief all the time that y’all gift us things like this.

Thanks again 🧡

OMG I'm so jealous of your husband! I wish my partner would read to me... he must love road trips with you. Have you thought about becoming a podficcer? 👀 we can always do with more, with the ever expanding catalogue of fics. Totally agree with you on the difficulty in making characters sound different, especially with big scenes and a large cast of characters. When the Golden Quartet are in the same room as similar sounding voiced characters it can be hellish. E.g. the Christmas Party chapter was SO much fun but the only difference between Hermione and Daphne is the slight posher enunciations, then you've got Lupin, a deeper Harry gravel voice, with Harry...and Draco with Sirius, who is just a deeper Draco voice 😂 If characters aren't regular cameos then I tend to just throw whatever comes out of my mouth tbh, if I can't remember what it was, then the listener can't - is what I tell myself so I can sleep at night.

And thank you for saying so about their voices, I worked really hard on Ron's because he sounded too similar to Draco in my initial practice recordings. Sound effects aren't too bad to be honest! It's just a case of finding something that matches the little movie in your brain, and then if you can't find a royalty free sound, there's the effort and task of re-creating one with household items or yourself. For example, I'm the pistons of the Hogwarts Express, just slowed my "tshh tshh tshh" down gradually and lowered the pitch. Did the same inhaling into the mic up close for the Dementors. As for the werewolf scream/howl in CH20 something, make like Hermione and "awooo", play with the tempo a bit, find a royalty free male scream of agony and mix the two together. It's more time consuming than anything, to be honest with you!

Haha, this fandom is a bit like throwing Netflix on and scrolling endlessly till you find something to watch, but then all of a sudden there's 50 shows you want to watch, all at the same time. Too much bloody choice but I say that lovingly because we're never going to be starved. One of my favourite romance manga has a dead fandom, there's like 40 fics for it, most are in Spanish and I've read them all. So Dramione fans do not know how lucky they are to have such a thriving community!

The entire collective mind of the Dramione fandom is so generous and talented, it's mind boggling, and over a year in I'll be reading something and be overcome with that feeling of "holy shit, this is free to read." We can thank a mixture of "wow I can do whatever the fuck I want" and insane levels of passion for that. And YES, totally not biased of me to say that GT is one of my favourite writers, and Lionheart is not just the one of the best fanfic I've read, it tops anything published I've ever read, the beautiful prose, the amazing characterisations and depth, so much depth to every single character, among many other things I could gush about, and I'm so grateful to them for allowing me make the experience more accessible to people.

Thanks so much again for your kind words and for listening to my podfic, apologies if I rambled on a bit. I was clearly feeling talkative today. 🤗

[frodo-with-glasses]

More Reading Thoughts: The Scouring of the Shire

YOOOOOO HECK YEAH LET’S GOOOOOOOOO

(Okay so I downloaded Phil Dragash’s reading of this and listened to it on the longest plane flight of my trip and may or may not have made a total fool of myself grinning at it throughout LOLOL)

(But I didn’t have time to write my reactions to it until now so here we go)

“On the further side of the river they could see that some new houses had been built…all very gloomy and un-Shirelike” Uh-oh.

BAHAHAHA the way Sam immediately goes OFF

“SCREW YOU AND YOUR STUPID SIGN TOO”

I love Merry trying to be a diplomat

Frodo like “oh goodness gracious, now what trouble has that Lotho gotten up to with MY house”

(Also that little bit of stealth sass like “well I’m GLAD he’s not calling himself a Baggins anymore, I can pretend I’m not associated with him”)

Merry be like “Fine, if you won’t open this gate, I’LL OPEN IT FOR MYSELF”

YO WHAAAAAT?? BILL FERNY?????

I mean I can’t say that I’m happy to see him but also it’s kinda fun to be this surprised. I’d forgotten all about him being here!

Haha the way he immediately runs away from Merry once he’s challenged tho

“Neat work, Bill!” HAHAHAHA

EAT PONY HOOF, LOSER

GOOD JOB BILL (the pony)

I love the fact that 50% of the hobbits’ intimidation factor comes from the fact that Merry and Pippin are so BigTM (and the other 50% is Swords)

Pippin listening to all this talking like “heck, I’m tired and wet and I don’t have time for this, just let me sleep in a shack if you want” is such a mood

Also Pippin tearing down the rule lists LOL

Sam has had it up to HERE with this nonsense

Me, at all the burning going on: “Uh-oh.”

“Looking both important and rather scared” Heehee X-D

“‘What’s all this?’ said Frodo, feeling inclined to laugh.” Me too, Frodo!

“Calling your Chief Names, Wishing to punch his Pimply Face, and Thinking you Shirriffs look a lot of Tom-fools.” OKAY SAM GO OFF LOLOL

OKAY SO at this point in the audiobook Mr. Dragash had the most BRILLIANT reading for this line:

“To the discomfiture of the Shirriffs Frodo and his companions all… [dramatic pause, then raucous laughter erupts in the background] …roared with laughter.”

I LOVE IT SO MUCH IT’S SO PERFECT AHAHAHA

He also had a great reading for this part:

The sheriff, shouting after them, insistent but nervous: “But don’t forget! I’ve arrested you!” Frodo, with the softest voice ever: “I won’t. Never. But I may forgive you.”

Sam has a friend! :-D

I mean I’m sorry that this is the way we find it out but he has!! A buddy!!

Now I’m sure “cock-robin” must have had a different meaning in Tolkien’s time…

“If I hear not allowed much oftener, I’m going to get angry.” Same, Sam.

Eeeew the table hasn’t been scrubbed for WEEKS?? I can only imagine it looking like the underside of a restaurant table, months-old crusty chewing gum stuck on it and all. Blergh 🤮

LOLOL “They would have started earlier, only the delay so plainly annoyed the sheriff-leader”

Our four hobbits have come back from their adventure so delightfully full of SassTM

My word, if I keep pointing out every funny thing that happens here I’ll be writing down the whole chapter. Look at the hobbits hustling the sheriffs who were supposed to be “arresting” them!

NOW WHO’S ARRESTED WHO INDEED 🤣🤣

For someone who’s supposed to be arrested, it sure looks like Merry is the one who’s in charge :-3

And all the sheriffs like “WE GIVE UP” and the hobbits like “okay :-D”

ROBIN WAS ONE OF THE SHERIFFS THAT THEY WERE MESSING WITH OH NO 🤣🤣

“We shall break a good many things yet, and not ask you to answer. Good luck to you!” OKAY PIPPIN GO OFF

(......This is getting very long so I’m gonna put the rest under a read-more)

Nooooo look what they’ve done to Hobbiton D-8

This whole conversation is so tense. I find myself wanting to cheer on the hobbits’ comebacks, but the ruffian here always gets the upper hand in the next line…

DON’T SNAP YOUR FINGERS IN FRODO’S FACE!! Heckin’ RUDE! Only the Sackville-Bagginses have ever done that, and that’s BEFORE Frodo saved the world! D-:<

HECK YES, PIPPIN!! TELL ‘EM!!

“Down on your knees in the road and ask pardon, or I will set this troll’s bane in you!” >8-D Friendly reminder that Pippin stabbed a troll in the gut to sAVE BEREGOND— *is slapped*

The fact that Pippin, Merry and Sam immediately jump to Frodo’s defense, but Frodo does not. That says so much about their friendship, and about Frodo, and how they all see themselves and their roles in this story…and it’s so sad that Frodo hangs back, not even willing to defend himself…

But also how bad*ss is that, letting your three armed friends charge to your defense while you just sit there impassively?? It’s like the “cool guys don’t look at explosions” trope.

Pippin has exactly the childish drive for revenge that you’d think he would, but Frodo sees the reality of the situation and knows Lotho has been played as a puppet and is now a prisoner to his own schemes. Good stuff.

Frodo: “Violence isn’t the answer.” Merry: “You’re right. It’s the question, and the answer is yes.”

MERRY’S SPEECH HERE YESSSS

(The way the music swelled here in Dragash’s audiobook was so good ahahaha)

“Come on! I am going to blow the horn of Rohan, and give them all some music they have never heard before.”

OH.

HECK.

YEEEEAAAHHH!!!!!!! >8-D

(And this was the part of the audiobook where I grinned like an idiot and clapped my hands and bounced a little in my seat and probably confused the guy in the seat next to me LOLOL)

Sam HIMSELF wants to turn back for the horn call!! And so does Bill! Aaaaahhh!!

AWAKE! AWAKE! FEAR, FIRE, FOES! AWAKE!!

This was so well foreshadowed by the Ringwraiths in Buckland at the beginning of the book I cannot bELIEVE—!!

TOLKIEN YOU GENIUS

(Writer Brain is just buzzing with this right now, sorry, LOL)

“And your face is no worse than it was, Sam.” Is Farmer Cotton calling Sam ugly?? 🤣🤣 He’s roasting his future son-in-law LOLOL I love him already

Even Farmer Cotton ships Sam and Rosie ROFL

Rosie just asked why you left Mister Frodo! What do you do??

>Tell her you love her

>Run away

Sam ran away! (What a mood)

I love that they built the fire just for fun and because it’s against the rules, LOL! A fire is exactly the thing that would cheer me up too!!

I assume Robin was one of the sheriffs that took off his feather and joined in the revolt :-D

Merry like, “See, Frodo?? Violence!!”

“Good for the Tooks!” HECK YEAH

“I’ll bring you an army of Tooks in the morning!” HECK YEAH!!

It’s so sweet of Frodo to be like “I still don’t want anyone to die” but also still turning the logistics over to Merry’ cause he’s The Plan Guy

What have I said all along?? Merry is the Smart One :-D

FARMER COTTON JUST SITTING BY THE FIRE

WAITING FOR THEM TO COME

Okay Sam’s father-in-law is heckin’ BAD*SS I LOVE HIM

This is literally “put down your weapons, I’ve got a sniper with a bead on you”

“He aimed a savage blow at Merry who stood in his way. He fell dead with four arrows in him.” YOOOOOOOOO!!

I like to think Merry didn’t even flinch. Just like…watched him keel over dead. HECK.

I love how bad*ss all the hobbits get to be in this chapter ahahaha

Aaaaand all the others give up. Nice >:-D

Aww, Farmer Cotton and the Gaffer are friends! And Cotton would have housed the Gaffer himself if he could have!! I love how sweet they all are to each other ^-^

HA! Okay, Lobelia, that’s pretty cool, I admit. Maybe you’re all right after all. ;-P

The Gaffer just telling Frodo off for leaving 🤣🤣 And Frodo politely apologizing!! Because even though the Gaffer’s problems are small in comparison to everything else happening in the world, they’re still important! I’m love

AAAAAHHHHH FRODO GASSING UP SAM IN FRONT OF HIS DAD AND ROSIE AND EVERYBODY 8-D 8-D 8-D

This is so stinkin’ cute. Lookit my silver-tongued Baggins using his Words of Affirmation again! It’s the least he can do to repay Sam for all he’s done, but I think it’s the thing that means the most to Sam.

Frodo: “Indeed, if you will believe it, he’s now one of the most famous people in all the lands, and they are making songs about his deeds from here to the Sea and beyond the Great River!” Sam: 😳😅☺️ Rosie: 😲😍🥰 The Gaffer: “Sounds fake but okay”

THE TOOKS ARE HEREEEEE

I frickin’ love the “lure them into a trap and surround them with hobbits” tactic. You never think hobbits can be scary until there are A LOT OF THEM VERY SUDDENLY

I also think this is a fun use of the hobbits’ canonical superpower of staying hidden in plain sight.

HECK YEAHHHHH MERRY LET’S GO

Seventy ruffians dead, and only nineteen hobbits on the other. As casualties go, that’s not bad! Sad that any hobbits died at all, of course, but it’s a relatively clean victory.

Also the book gets Very Historical for a moment and I think that’s Very Funny

Heck yeah Cottons!

HECK YEAH MERRY AND PIPPIN!!

And Frodo does his part by protecting the ruffians who surrendered! The pacifist has a role to play. :-D

Noooo, look what they’ve done to Bag End!! D-8

NOOOOOO THE PARTY TREEEEE 😭😭😭

ME TOO, SAM, UWAAAAAHHH—

(Ted Sandyman accidentally foreshadowing Sam going over the Sea??)

Frodo is very right. If more hobbits are like Ted, the Shire is in real trouble. Worse is the enemy within than the enemy from without. :-/

“Save your breath! I’ve a better.” HAHAHA YES MERRY LET’S GO

Oh but look what they’ve done to Bag Endddd 😭😭😭

“Yes, this is Mordor.” Thanks, I hate it :-C

“If I had known all the mischief he had caused, I should have stuffed my pouch down Saruman’s throat.” Dude Merry sounded so angry in Phil Dragash’s audiobook here. (Also can’t believe that Merry’s bag has become the running joke that it is LOLOL)

>8-O >8-O >8-O SARUMAN!!

Saruman: “Ah, yes, they called me Sharkey in Isengard! A sign of affection, possibly.” Tolkien, in a footnote: “It was not, in fact, a sign of affection.”

I….do not like….how Saruman casts such aspersions on Gandalf. Nor how his accusations almost seem to have some merit at the moment. “When his tools have done their task he drops them.” That is dangerously close to accurate, or at the moment it feels like it is. Gandalf did leave them, even knowing that things were going wrong in the Shire…

But at the same time, it’s not Gandalf’s job to fix everything himself! The hobbits got to participate in the saving of their world, and they got the honor and the renown and the incredible experiences and the personal growth that comes along with it. Same thing here; they get the opportunity to be the heroes and save their own home. It isn’t easy, but it is good, and it has its own rewards.

“Well, if that’s what you find pleasure in, I pity you.” Frodo couldn’t be more right. Anyone who takes pleasure and comfort in the pain and misery of others is a pitiable person.

Frodo still refuses to kill. His home was defiled…his last comfort stolen…and his honor insulted to his face…and he still refuses to kill Saruman. Holy cow that takes some major strength of character. What an absolute chad.

YO WHAT

SARUMAN TRIED TO STAB FRODO

(And Sam leads the charge to avenge Frodo because Of Course He Does)

AND FRODO STILL WILL NOT KILL

THE ABSOLUTELY CHADDERY OF THIS HOBBIT

Talk about heaping coals on your enemy’s head, bruh. Even Saruman has to respect it.

And Frodo extending the olive branch to Wormtongue. Truly the G.O.A.T.

>8-O

EYOOOO??

WORMTONGUE KILLED LOTHO??

AND MAYBE A T E HIM????

Holy COW this got dark 0_o

(Also Dragash made Wormtongue sound absolutely miserable on that “you told me to; you made me do it”)

Aaaand Saruman is dead

And Wormtongue is dead

Something something Saruman’s spirit looking to the West, from which he came, and where he can never return again, and then being blown away to nothingness…

It really is the saddest thing that the end of the war happens at the door of Bag End. Nowhere is safe. The movies have the hobbits return to an unchanged Shire, realizing that they’re the ones who’ve been changed by their experiences, and they’ll never be able to see home the same way again (which is, I think, analogous to the experience of American Vietnam vets)…..but here in the book, the war comes home, marring the very land that our heroes set out to protect, which is what Tolkien experienced at the end of the Great War. They’re different kinds of tragedy, and they both hurt, but I think this one is just an edge more bitter.

…..Anyway, I loved this chapter! It ends with on a downer note, but the rest of it was a lot of fun. X-P

[limeade-l3sbian]

I think the socialization part shows itself a lot more since most romance manga(and in cases of manhua and manwha, the chinese and korean equivalents) are written by east asian women, whom obviously live in a place even more patriarchal than the west. not to say the things these women learn to accept from “love” makes them less or even unusual, i simply want to reiterate that it’s more pronounced there due to how even more constricted their societies are in regards to the treatment of their women.

anyway. now that the disclaimer is out of the way!

i’ve grown up reading a lot of manga of many different genres but i’ve especially used to have had some intense shoujo phases. shoujo is basically manga created for the demographic of girls and young women. not to say others can’t read it, but it’s simply where they tend to be marketed.

shoujo romance especially shows this issue a lot that i wanna talk about. the male leads will 9 times out of 10 be rich, extremely emotionally stunted(this can show in the form of intense rudeness, complete lack of emotional depth, no expressions, stoic to the extreme, downright abusive) and handsome. Those are the three traits they almost all have. Now obviously I get the want for a handsome or beautiful lead, whether it’s female or male, it is after all just fantasy fulfillment to an extent. The same with wealth. But i think the emotionally stunted side speaks of the women and girls’ who read the mangas socialization a lot. We have these male leads who often make the female leads go through hell, whether it’s due to his own actions or inactions. Sexual assaults have gotten less common in more modern manga, but it was only like ten years ago where sexual assaults in manga by the male lead towards the female MC would be a common place for him to show his desire for her and despite it often being portrayed as bad on the MC’s end, she always did end up forgiving him. The same with however else he treated her.

Made her to all the heavy lifting emotionally of the relationship? He’s forgiven, because suddenly he’s gotten a “tragic” backstory of a lonely, lonely boy being neglected in his massive mansion from childhood. He’s absolutely vile towards women? His mom was probably a horrid woman who either cheated on his poor dad and left or maybe she was simply so overbearing he now feel suffocated and dates new women every week like it’s some kind of game to dangle others feelings at his fingertips. Way into the romantic relationship having started with the MC he’s suddenly revealed to have a arranged fiancée or a very mean spirited but extremely beautiful childhood friend who the main character now how to basically fight off him with a stick while the male lead does not much else in most of these stories besides being useless. if we are lucky we get him talking the fiancée/childhood friend that he actually liked this new girl(MC), but extremely rarely will he actually go out of his way to truly set boundaries. he will passively essentially invite scorn towards his current gf. and these are just SOME of the examples of repeat patterns in behavior in the romantic male leads.

time and time again in shoujo romance male leads will make life much harder for the female main character. she will often be put down to her face for scoring such a rich hottie(even though we are at times 50+ chapters in and feelings on his end still seem finicky), she will have to bear the emotional heavy lifting and basically mother him/be a teacher to him on how to express himself, despite the fact that he usually changes very little. she will forgive any and all transgression he commits, even if it breaks her heart, because he is the main male lead and therefore he can do nothing truly wrong to not end up with her. and in the end of the mangas it’s usually somehow made clear in some way that SHES the lucky one. despite her carrying the relationship on her back. She should be grateful. And women and girls in east asia, and obviously also very much outside of it, eats it up. Yes! Give us a borderline abusive or at least emotionally neglectful man! We can forgive! We can forget! Let us be his doormat!

Not manga but it’s also so obviously in most romance kdramas i’ve seen. It’s such a common trope, these handsome, rich, utter asshole male leads and then these utter angel for a female lead who absolutely tolerates getting walked all over.

And while i’ve not read any of those books, it’s not like it’s not visible in the west. When authors like Coleen Hoover has basically built a career off of emotionally stunted but hot guys treated their gf/wife like utter garbage but it’s okay!!!! so romantic!!!!

women all over the world have such bottom of the barrel standards when it comes to emotional maturity in men. in some mediums it’s certainly more apparent than others, but it’s visible all over.

I do wanna be 100% clear that not all romance manga is obviously as I described. I’m simply talked about popular tropes, and i mean EXTREMELY popular, as in its more common to see at least one of them than it isn’t. That’s all.

!!!

[sixosix]

I need you to know that I squawked at the cliffhanger of childe’s appearance. Lost my mind and almost threw my phone. Fingers crossed that Aether got to him before the banquet!

But to the chapter as a whole! There are?? So many things I wanna talk about? I’ll try to keep it somewhat short so I can fit it all into one ask but sienussnei-

I’m like 50 percent sure those strings pulled had something to do with the fauti. Something I remembered!! Not every person from the house of the hearth becomes one of the fauti! But they still do remain close to the group! My crack theory is that Rosalie is one of people in that latter group. Arlecchino was able to fully attempt an assassination on Furina without anyone knowing before or after( including the orphans in this as well since they don’t say thing about it as far as i know? And im absolutely positive they wouldn’t push for more info and take her at her word that she didn’t have the gnosis) and the only reason why it was a attempt and not a success is because she stopped herself! Either way though, considering her disguise used for that same attempt, I sure that the hooded figure was Father herself.

ALSO THE PINING OF THIS MAN!!! That polearm?? The sudden flip from fake to real the moment he saw Rosseland (I’m assuming that was the kitty in question) had led Thawed!Reader to him? The instant flirtations? Not to mention that despite the fact Thawed!Reader kept talking about kissing him, he refused!! Because he knew they were both drunk and not quite in their right minds to do that!!! THE MAN CARES!! It’s also a blessing and a curse rn that Thawed!Reader is kinda drunk. A blessing because she isn’t hiding her feelings as much, but a curse because she isn’t being subtle at all. The straight forward question she asked? Lyney isn’t drunk enough to forget that.

The callback to the last chapter too! She really does know lyney so well, even after all this time. He was right, she did know he was lying. And she’s just sitting there, trying to figure out what’s going on while Aether’s just sitting there like ‘you two nerds love each other.’ Not that she would admit it out loud. Yet. Also RIP reader, paimon and Rosalie are friends now, friendship forged by food. They aren’t gonna leave readers life once this is over and done. Say goodbye to your peace and quiet! (Although lyney may complain about that but that’s a different story-)

Losing my mind also over Rosalie and Thawed!Reader’s connection. She doesn’t even realize she is calling Rosalie maman!! But Rosalie does and it’s just so soft and sweet and family and rurnfjkeis. I’ve known Rosalie for 7 chapters and if anything happens to her I will kill everyone in this room and then myself.

Great chapter as always! I’m a little sad to hear regular updates are potentially stopping for a bit but I fully understand! Best of luck with school!!

-Deadman Aether Anon

deadman aether anon i wish you couldve seen my face when i saw your ask i literally lit up. and im sure that the other readers have been waiting for your thoughts as well, based on the tags of reblogs i read (“cant wait for deadman aether anon's insight now”)

HAHA i talked about this w my friend but i wanted to make childes appearance TERRIBLE. i wanted everyone to be like "FUCK. I LOVE YOU BUT NOT NOW." while childe shows up lke a celebrity in a disneyshow. it seems like it worked LMFAOO

INTERESTNG CRACK THEORY U HAVE!!!! the truth will be revealed eventually but i applaud u for how ure thinking of it. :D big brain as usual. it is also interesting to see people trying to figure out who the hooded figure was? deadman aether anon idk if u saw but there are other people guessing differently. im surprised bc i thought it was pretty obvious !!

YEAHH!! IT WAS ROSSELAND !!! i love rosseland and how lyney ended up making the cat his assistant-- that little backstory is so cute. rosseland is such a smart cat, too; writing that scene of leading mc to lyney didnt seem absurd in the slightest to me.

drunk t!reader is a mess kwdhkdfhd some drunk words are sober thoughts. and yes i think and know that lyney is a gentleman. even drunk he would always put reader first. always!

aether is so silly he came in there to blackmail someone and ended up playing secondhand matchmaker, if that makes sense LMFAOO i actually love aether and readers dynamic its so absurd when you look at it from a different perspective. its such a strange friendship they ended up making

yes ure right!!!!!1 im not sure if im portraying it well but reader calling rosalie maman is so ? subconsciously done. its like looking at a cat and going "here kitty". u look at rosalie and the way she treats reader and u go "thanks maman".

tysm for this ask!!!!!!!!! always such a delight to see you stopping by and sharing your thoughts, but i think ive said that every time by now LOL. and thank u too for the wishes T__T ill need them when i deal with chemistry <333 MUCH LOVE

[uncleasad]

for that fic ask meme - 14, 26, 50, 53, 55

14. what’s your worst writing habit?

Oof! My entire writing process is one giant bad habit, so it’s hard to pick the worst part 😂

I know I just reblogged that post about ignoring the tyranny of the daily word count, but I’m going to say not trying to write a few words every day, or a sentence a week, or something like that…I let myself get into writing droughts that go on and on and on (and, yes, I’m busier than I was in 2020 and 2021, but I love writing and doing so always makes me feel good), so trying to stop those pauses before they become droughts is something I need to do to break a bad habit.

26. do you like to write one-shots or series, and why?

Both? I write what the idea I have calls for, I guess? (Almost all of my series are collections of one-shots; I have never thought of writing a series consisting of multi-chapter fics, but one kinda sneaked in there 😳)

I enjoy—and sometimes specifically choose an idea because it fits—writing one-shots because they’re a good way for me to get back into writing when I’ve been too busy with life or bogged down in one of my long WIPs. Last Christmas’s Mischief and Mistletoe is a great example of this: short, self-contained, and seasonally relevant 😏 I liken these sorts of fics to artists doing a doodle or quick sketch as a warm-up.

Sometimes while writing a one-shot I’ll think of something that will open the door to a sequel, sometimes there’ll be nothing specific but nothing to rule out more in the same vein (e.g. the Tales from the Salvatore Kitchen series), and sometimes readers will have a suggestion I hadn’t thought of that I love that will turn a one-shot into a series of one-shots.

It’s nice to have a series or two where you enjoy the world/setup, because it’s fun and easy to dip back in and write some more (so all the benefits of a one-shot) and you (I!) can develop ideas, characters, and events without feeling guilty about not updating (vs a single multi-chapter fic where readers have started reading and want more 😏); there’s less expectation.

(My true favorite things to write are the big, expansive, complex stories, but they’re simultaneously my least favorite for all those reasons 😂)

50. do you plan or do you write whatever comes to your mind? 53. when writing, do you have an outline? and do you stick to it?

These two are related, so I’ll tackle them together. I’ve linked to and written about George RR Martin’s post about gardening before, so there’s good background there and I’ll (try! to) make this the short version.

I mostly have a lightweight plan for what I write: a collection of scenes, or some important character beats or plot points, and often, but not always, an idea of what the ending is (sometimes my idea for the fic is “I want to write this scene that is probably somewhere in the middle of an actual fic 😂 but more often it instead is “this would be a fun situation to throw them into; let’s see what happens!”). That’s as close as I’ll get to an outline 😳

I’ll often also make a series of notes as I’m writing, again of the same types of things as in the “plan,” plus dialogue and details, as a sort of “living outline” for what’s next/coming up. But nothing formal or well-structured (which does make it harder to do those bigger stories, naturally). I have hated outlines since elementary school, so…

I’ll diverge from what I have “planned” any time I have an idea I really like or think will improve the story, although to my recollection it rarely happens, and when it does it’s more small changes. I’m much more likely to split “planned” chapters and make a fic 4x longer than I originally thought it would be 😂

So, needless to say, I mostly write what comes to mind. Sometimes that’s filling in the big blank spaces between things I know I want to include, and sometimes that’s deciding where the whole story itself will go. (My mind is wont to come up with crazy twists and tangents #this is the way my mind works 😂)

55. do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

I don’t think I have any WIPs that I’ve started writing that I never intend to come back to/finish. I have an entire laundry list of WIPs that I have not written on in months or years, though.

My story as a current fanfic author goes like this:

Started writing Have At Least One Totally Epic Love in spring 2020, ran out of steam/got stuck near the pivotal moments.

Had an idea for After Ten Long Years and started writing it to try to work through that block, but got stuck on it.

Had an idea for Old West Hosie; started writing it to work around that block, then got stuck on it, too.

Had an idea for Hosie Alternate Realities; started writing it to work around that block, then got stuck there, also 😳

[Cue Hope Mikaelson: “Love, Lose, Grieve, repeat”]

At some point in there, I wrote the first one-shot in the Tales from the Salvatore Kitchen series, You Complete Me, to break the cycle and publish something, which turned into 3 more seasonal one-shots (initially), and then I finally finished Have At Least One Totally Epic Love, almost exactly 1 year after I had left off. 2021 I think was a pretty good year, lots of shorter works finished, but also several more big works started where I once again ran out of steam/got stuck/got distracted by the shiny new idea 😂

(Also, after the experience with Have At Least One Totally Epic Love, I rarely actually write and publish things serially unless I have a really, really good idea of the scope of the fic and also know I’ll have decent amounts of writing time—so there’s nothing out there that readers would perceive of as abandoned. The biggest example of a fic I’ve written and published serially since HALOTEL is And I Will Always Love You, 8 chapters, 32K words, written from February to May.)

So approaching 200K words of incomplete WIPs now, but nothing I intend never to finish.

Thanks for asking! Lots of great choices 😀 Hopefully I didn’t bore you to sleep with the answers!

[lqfiles]

heyy uhm thjs is my first time sending these kind of things and i js wanted to say that i really really reallyyyyy love stg, i've been reading it since chapter 10ish? but started following at about 20ish (srry abt that) and ik it doesn't mean much coming from an anonymous person but it makes me very happy (and PROUD) to see how many people are reading it now and how many asks you get :) overall im js immensely proud of you and your work

again ik it does not mean much coming from an anon but still you have no idea how great my days get when i get notis from your acc replying to questions or anons (cause i've figured it usually mean that you'll upload another chapter) ANYWAYS i've been struggling a LOT these few months, and one of the only things I seriously look up to is stg, so again, thank you SO so much :(

you don't even have to reply to this or anything (bc tbh i wouldn't know what to say either lol) but i would appreciate it if you could at least read it and know just how much power your ideas and writing actually have <3

also not sure if 50 was the last chapter (?) i was planning on writing smth like this when the smau ended BUT ITS WHATEVER RLLY !! anyways i will never be able to thank u enough for taking your time in this and genuinely putting effort and feelings on it, you are amazing !!

also im from Chile so idk if i made any mistakes while typing this… whatever i'll make sure to support you through each and every work of yours from now on ! take care <333

(god this was a little long IM SORRY again you don't have to reply to this i js hope u read it and know just how capable and dedicated you are and how happy you can make other people iwnsnsks <3)

anon you actually made me tear up wthh :(( LONG ANSWER INCOMING……

i think this is the best thing i could’ve been told and hear, and the fact that it’s anonymous doesn’t change how much your words mean to me trust me. i honestly wasn’t sure how commited i’d be to this smau since i never have managed to finish a slow burn ideas because of the lack of creativity. but i think the fact that you still kept up from such an early chapter (when i remember pointing out that i’m really just writing this without a full plot yet multiple times) is endearing and don’t worry, i don’t take it to heart that you didn’t follow me immediately loll, for all you knew this could’ve been the shittiest piece of writing and then you’d have to just unfollow lmaooo. also i think it’s cute that those who have kept up from early on until now have witnessed with me the growth of this series and the support on it 😭 i remember when 70 notes in day alone excited me and would get giddy by getting a SINGLE ask hsjdjdjd and now i’ve had chapters with 400 notes and get 10+ asks ??? i didn’t even really dwell on it that you guys who have been ogs too have seen the growth too :(( i think it’s quite funny, because last year, i rarely got any asks and barely checked on this account except for posting some drabbles here and there, and didn’t even speak to any mutuals, i remember i told myself i’d keep this a writing blog only without interacting much at all but ever since stg i’m surprised by the amount of mutuals i’ve made and how many people are really perceiving my account AND how interactive i’ve been even tho i’d usually log out immediately after posting something lmaoo! it’s cute and i appreciate you for sticking around and being proud of me !!! it honestly catches me off guard when some of you say that stg is the highlight of your day or how much you love it or how it has inspired you to start writing yourself, because i can’t comprehend myself being influential like that at ALL 😭😭 but at the same time it warms my heart every time because it makes me feel useful…? i like seeing people happy and feel inspired by something i did so seeing people be so happy of a mere chapter really does make me smile :) i’m sorry to hear that life is hard on you, but again it means a lot to me knowing stg DOES affect your day positively (can’t believe we’ll be reaching the end tho..)

this wasn’t the last chapter, i got two more and then some bonus chapters so i hope you’ll enjoy them and my future work as well anon <33 i’ll continue to pour my effort and feelings into my writing love you and thank you for making time to write this !!!

[talictries]

Hello <3! I’ve recently got into F1 this year around May and I discovered Fathers and Sons around July and oh my goodness I absolutely adore it! Each Sunday I’d eagerly await that wonderful Ao3 update email and *rush* to go read the next chapter- and there’s so many things I love about it!

The dynamics between the kids, the difference between Max who was old enough when he was adopted to remember his life before Lewis and Seb v.s. Lando who only knows his family as is because he was taken in so young- with every chapter I find the siblings dynamics so unique and so interesting!

All of the individual struggles the kids go through, from being a teenager with a social life like Carlos, to Lando’s deafness and Max’s eagerness to step up and learn/practice with Lando- it’s just one of your fic’s charms that I ADORE!

The constant tension between Lewis and Seb, and how it affects the kids and each child’s perspective on their parent’s struggling relationship is so fascinating to me. Not to mention Seb and Lewis’s perspective of one another ontop of raising these four kids- and in some cases having to do it alone!

Every single side character as well and their own struggles, like Dan and his substance use or Checo and his own past- I just love every single detail you’ve included into this fic <3

The absolute rawness in this fic also pulls at my heartstrings so much- like when Max freaked out after the hockey game and pushed Seb through his anger, and then locked himself in the locker room and through his panic threw his phone on the ground- only to have the immediate realization that he fucked up and the utter guilt that comes with it when he realizes he messed up part of his phone- it’s phenomenal!

And not to mention the overarching mystery element to the story of Carlos’ adoption, and Lewis’s search for any clues or details he can find without involving Seb- it makes for such good angst and mystery- I love it so much!

I could honestly go on and on about how much I love this fic so far, and during your so much deserved break, I wanted to thank you so much for this delightful fic- and I hope my rambling in this ask wasn’t too annoying, but genuinely oh my goodness, thank you so much for this fic- it brings me such happiness as a reader <3

AHHHHH omg thank you!!!!! i just figured out how to hide a post in case of spoilers so now i can finally answer!!!

do i see maxy as one of your fave characters?? 0-0 but yes i love writing sibling dynamics! especially in the case of right now all siblings are living in the same environment (with lew and seb in a wealthy place) but they all view things so differently! as you said for example carlos has struggles related to his relationship or with his friends whereas max doesn't give a shit about school and is getting into trouble outside of it (ie checo and hockey). max and lando,,, i cry every time i write them, i love them soooooo much.

lewis and seb,,,, there's so much underlying drama there especially combined with the mystery element of carlos' adoption!!! i do love a good mystery - for an old fandom i wrote an insane murder mystery and it's the work I'm proudest of to this day! (a skz fic in anyone reads for that fandom!!)

i think side characters contribute so so much to a story! i hate when people don't utilise them well - they are people too with their own struggles and their lives don't revolve around the POV character.

i try to write some raw/emotional shit because i am an angst girl at heart. max is so easy to write angst for LMAO i always feel so bad hurting him, but I'm just too evil. don't worry - he'll get a break soon!

i LOVE a good long ramble especially when it's regarding a fic i've written so DON'T WORRY!!!! it makes me feel so appreciated as a writer and I'm churning with ideas for future chapters! I'm happy to announce I've planned scene-by-scene until chapter 50! and omgggg there's some utterly evil ones in there.

fns WILL be back in october! hopefully early October but my create brain has just been SO FLAT. which is so unfortunate because i miss all my boys so much too ;-;

thank you so much for your ask and feel free to drop an ask whenever you feel! i love answering them even if i am a little slow hehehehe

<333333333

[grapenehifics]

I’m rereading Solsbury Hill but this is the first time I’ve read it since all chapters have been published. Anyways, I enjoy of how you write Satine and Obi-Wan’s relationship especially with Anakin like I’d say you did so much better than The Clone Wars writers. I do remember all that’s going to happen and how slow Obikin eventually do happen, but it’s definitely worth the slow burn because it’s so palatable of how much they already love and care for each other. I do hope you write more long form Obikin.

(Sorry for the paragraph wall)

But I love your paragraph wall!

This is an extremely roundabout way to get to my point, but if you'll indulge me in a quick personal story: I once dated someone who looked me dead in the eye and called Boromir a villain. And it was such a ridiculous thing to say that I laughed, because it had to be a joke, and said something like, 'Oh, yeah, sure, just like Darth Vader is a villain,' and she said, 'Yes??' like *I* was the one who was confused, here. Like there couldn't possibly be any other way to read those two characters. And maybe that's a weird thing to break up over but that was the exact moment when I knew we weren't going to work out. Because besides a lack of basic media literacy - both those franchises are pretty goddamn clear about who the villains are, and it's neither of those two characters - it just showed such a startling lack of sympathy and empathy and grace and curiosity about how the world works and other people's lives and experiences.

All of that to say - Solsbury Hill has no villain except Palpatine, because real life doesn't actually have very many villains, it just has people, and I was never ever going to villainize Satine, or Padmé, or even Anakin at his lowest point when he's being incredibly shitty to the people who love him. Was there technically room in the story for Anakin to be jealous of Satine's relationship with Obi-Wan, or for Obi-Wan to be jealous that Padmé's married to Anakin when he isn't, yes, of course. But it's never that black-and-white, right? Satine is stubborn and smart and sarcastic and loyal and so is Obi-Wan. If Anakin likes those things in Obi-Wan - and he does - he is at least smart enough to, even if it's grudgingly, recognize that Obi-Wan fell in love with her for a reason, and Anakin can respect the fact that Satine loves Obi-Wan, because he believes so strongly that Obi-Wan is worth loving. And maybe Anakin and Padmé's marriage was hasty and ill-thought out, but marriage is 50-50, and if Obi-Wan can extend Anakin enough grace to say, it's okay to make a mistake, then he has to extend that same courtesy to Padmé.

The other really big point I hope comes across, is that Star Wars, besides being about mercy and forgiveness and second chances, is about community. That was the whole point of the ice bath story in Solsbury Hill - not just that one instance but every part of the first 24 chapters was there to say, sure, on some level these two boys relying on each other for everything is kind of adorable. On another level, though - and it got worse as the chapter count climbed - it was an absolute mess. They were in need of so much help and were not getting it. They needed support, they needed community, they needed help.

Palpatine's whole deal, in every version of the character, is that he tries to isolate Anakin, remove him from his support system, make him feel alone. That's specifically what the Jedi Order is there to prevent - it may be no one's biological family but it is absolutely a community. Star Wars says it over and over again: it's Han Solo's character arc, it's Lando's, it's Din Djarin's, it's Rey's, hell, pick anybody. People are not meant to be alone, and I say this as someone who is super, super far toward the introvert end of the scale. Anakin and Obi-Wan didn't start getting better until they added more people to their team, or family, or whatever you want to call it. Obi-Wan outright says it at Anakin's (first) wedding. The whole story built up to a wedding because I wanted an excuse to show just how many people showed up for them, and how stark a contrast that was to where they started out. They have kids. They have exes. They have friends. They have colleagues. (And therapists and prescription medication.)

Part of the reason this story is so goddamn long is because I wanted a happy ending, and I could not realistically give them a happy ending if they'd gotten together any earlier in the story. Anakin was, to use a very clumsy metaphor, way at the bottom of the pyramid of needs, and having a stable romantic relationship is way at the top. He needed to learn basic friendship (starting with Obi-Wan and Satine) before he could...level up, I guess? Anakin needed to unlearn this - erroneous - idea that love is finite and that if Obi-Wan gives some away to Satine, he'll run out of love for Anakin. And he needed the time to see that that wasn't the case.

Anyway. I've gone on too long. (That's the other reason Solsbury Hill is so long, is that I personally cannot stop talking.) The upshot is, thank you for putting in the time to read and love this story, and thank you for telling me that you enjoy it. I loved writing it, and it makes me happy that anyone else is getting something out of it too :)

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

7/15/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription

2 Kings 16-17

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological. I'm China. Today is the 15th day of July. Welcome. So great to be here with you today as we finish off our week together. Welcome. Today we are in the book of Second Chronicles with chapter 28, and we are also in the book of Second Kings with chapter 16 through 17, finishing off with the Common English Bible for this week.

Commentary:

So these nations worship the Lord, but they also serve their idols. The children and their grandchildren are doing this very same thing their parents did, and that's how things are still today. What a devastating story. Oh my goodness, so many different parts reading that people were burning their children alive. That is awful as a sacrifice to their gods. And the Lord has never asked that of his people.The only thing that even comes somewhat close is when he tells Abraham to take Isaac up on the mountain and yet like the Lord either had something and like he just changed direction very quickly. Isaac or Abraham, I've prepared a ram in the thicket. Don't kill your son. The Lord has never asked hey, can you please burn your children? That is disturbing, but then as a parent, like goodness, graciousness so much. So a little bit more disturbing. So that's that's hard to read for sure. Yeah, but then reading the part where the Lord even cuts them off. They are exiled, They're removed. They they go to the places of Assyria and there's someone sent out who's like, listen, they they don't know the religious local practices of the local God. I just, every time I read that, I don't know why, but it just reminded me of like the local weatherman. Oh, I live here now. Here's my weatherman. I don't know why it just that's what popped into my head, but I was like, you have to learn the local religious practices of these gods. Ok did we not just have all of these prophets give exact warnings? Exact command. Have we not read a billion times of who the Lord is, who He's delivered you people from? And yet we've we've forgotten that. Either we've forgotten that because our brains cannot recollect that memory. Or there's something more here going on that I don't even know how to put my finger on it, but I'm just like so distracted. You're reading today because one of the burning of children, but then two. I complete turning away from the Lord to where the Lord's like I've sent you all these warnings. I've sent you prophets. This is what I've asked you not to do, and this is exactly what you're doing. That's devastating. The Lord has kept His commandment again and again and again and again and again. We just read the book of Micah yesterday. Talking about the Lord is just and he's also merciful. The Lord has been like more than willing to come when we think of relationships like, oh, you know, it's 50/50, It's like, no, it's 100 and 100. The Lord has been giving 100 and the Israelites were like, maybe.10% that feels good. And I'm just like, oh man, Lord, I'm so sorry for even the ways that I show up like this where I forget how you have taken care of me, where you've delivered me from in their own places, where I'm choosing something other than you. And just like that just like, really broke my heart reading that today.

Prayer:

God, I thank you that you are a God who cares for his people. And Lord, we just humbly repent on account of our own iniquity, our own sins, and realizing that we can be so frustrated with the Israelites, but also we can also super relate to them, too. And so I pray that we would just be people who are aware of what we're turning to- where we're putting our hope. What we are worshipping what we're bringing our attention to. What we're choosing to serve. And Lord that you would just reveal to us that the things that aren't of you, the false gods of false doctrine, false theology and we would lay it at your feet and learn from you. And I think that we have your word to guide and direct us and to steward that well. I pray that we would be good stewards of your word and it's in your name we pray. Amen.

Announcements:

This is where we part ways for a week and my mom takes over. And then I'll be back with you next week. But that is all for today. I'm China. I love you, and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Line:

Good morning, DAB family. This is Red Wolf from Virginia, and I'm calling in this morning to pray for Corey and his family, as well as his mother-in-law Helen. Yeah, just listen to that prayer request. My heart goes out to you guys. I don't myself, I haven't experienced just a whole lot of health issues and I had to think, you know how many times I take that for granted in my own life? And uh so yeah, just thank you for the way that you care for us, the way that you care about our little, the little details in our life. And I just prayed today for Corey as the man of his home as a leader. I just asked God that you would continue to give him vision for his family and give him strength to guide them. And I just asked God they would help him not to lean on his own understanding, but in all his ways acknowledge you. And you promise that if we do that, that you would direct our paths. So I just asked you would do that for him. I also pray for his mother-in-law Helen. Just our desire God is for her to get well again. And I just pray God that you would be with her in this difficult season and strengthen her, but at the end of the day, God our also desire is to be able to say thy will be done, as hard as that is sometimes. And I also just pray for his wife and his family. I just asked that you would continue to strengthen them as well, and that they would be able to pull together throughout this time. Just ask in your name.

Hello family of Christ. My name is Sala and I have a prayer request about guidance for what to do for college. I've been wanting to go to a certain college for a long time but was looking like it's a lot more expensive than I thought it would be and I want to get my degree in linguistics for missionary work. So I'm praying about if God's closing the store, trying to see if God's opening another door for me to do something else, and just the ability to hear God's voice and trust him and have faith for finances or have faith to change my plans. So I would appreciate all your prayers. Love you all and God bless you. Bye. Hey DABC family, this is Kerry, AKA Jesus Girl, Today's July 10th, and I just wanted to call and lift up a couple of our requests from today. Lord, I come to you on behalf of Corey from Texas and more specifically lowered on behalf of his mother-in-law Helen. Lord, I just speak your divine healing over this woman at this moment. I asked Lord that you help drain the fluids from her body out of her lungs. Have her kidneys be OK. Jesus touched the infection. Sepsis can be such a dangerous thing, Lord, but you were able to capable of healing with just this spoken word and Lord soul, we're trusting right now that you will be there with them. Lord be with the wife and her siblings, these children of hell and Lord, just give them guidance as to what direction they should take Lord and give them strength as they deal with this. They're in the hospital.24/7 Lord And they need you to guard them up at this point. Jesus, I also come to you, and your timing is perfect. We know there's delays from when we record these until when they play. But your divine timing had Kingdom Seekers request for Lady of Victory fall on today the 10th, the day that she lost her son. And Lord, I just lift her up to you right now. Lord, I pray please wrap your arms around her. Support her. Give her strength today. Let the memories be pleasant today to bring warmth to her heart, Lord, and just help her as she goes through this day, Lord, to lean into you and to trust you for her strength at this moment and to receive the peace that you give. That's just not humanly comprehendible, Lord, and we just thank you and we praise you. We love you and we know that you will do a divine work on both of these situations. Y'all be blessed. I love you bunches. Bye.

Hey DABC family, this is Roxanne from Greenville, NC. I just wanna one say I love you all and I thank you for all the prayers and how we're such a family. It's beautiful for me. Selfishly, for sure, I'm just calling in. It's July 10th and I'm calling in for prayer for my friend Lakisha. She's a member of our church. She's in my regroup with me and her sister, who is very young. I would say she's probably between 25 and 30, maybe she we were praying for her to have a baby to full term because she lost her first child and we found out yesterday, July 9th, that she died. Umm while she in childbirth, her and her baby, and it is such a crushing thing. Her name is Jasmine and you know, she was. I mean, they've had a shower. They've had a, you know, her fiancee was there for everything. I mean, it was just, it's just been a horrible thing and and she's so young and there's so many people who love her and she brought a smile to everyone's face. So I just asked that you would lift up the family and they're hurt. She also has a daughter. Her name is Maya. And so I asked that you would just ask the Lord to comfort her and the Holy Spirit will be there and God would just wrap his arms around her and to just heal in there. In God's time, I thank you. I love you all, and I hope you have a blessed day. And I'm always praying for all of you and Corey. I'm praying for your family. What a wonderful, heartfelt prayer. Thank you. Bye, bye.

Hey my compassionate DABC fam, this Kingdom Seeker, family. Today is July 10th and this represents the two year anniversary of the passing of my stepson, Bill Borden. And in honor of an incredible young man, I wanna pray for those of you that may have lost a loved one. You're missing them so I want to pray for you, Father. I come on behalf of each and everyone of my beloved family members here at the DABC, those that have lost a loved one, those whose hearts are aching and breaking and lacking that loved one. Father, will you comfort them? Will you strengthen them? Will you hold them close to your bosom? Will you allow them to feel your nearness? Will you blanket them with your grace? And will you cause them to know that you are the bomb in Gilead. And then you are that same balm wherever they may be. Father, please ease the pain. Hold them. Walk with them, speak to them, and let them know that you'll never leave them nor forsake them. Let them know that you understand their pain, and let them know, God, that you are able to carry them through the pain. I lift each and every one of these family members of mine up to you and ask you to bless them in Jesus name. Amen. Love you family.

[samreadsalotofbooks]

Book Review 03/05/2023: The Neverending Story (SPOILERS!!)

Bastian knew his father was sad. He himself had cried for many nights-sometimes he had been so shaken by sobs that he had to vomit-but little by little it had passed. And after all he was still there. Why didn’t his father ever speak to him, not about his mother, not about important things, but just for the feel of talking together.

Listen, that paragraph should not affect me the way it does, but it does. That paragraph alone was able to pull hard at my heartstrings. For I had a mother who wept and withered away, due to the grief of losing my older sister. My younger sister and I are still here. Yet it was as if we didn’t exist to her. So, I know all to well the ache Bastian feels deep within. Unfortunately (or fortunately when one knows the history between my mother and I) for me grief and heartbreak ended mother’s story. My heart goes out to Bastian. Anyhoo, enough of that.

I grew up loving the movies, oblivious to the fact that the book came first. Thinking about it now, I feel this has happened with a lot of my childhood favorite films. Which is pretty cool to be honest. Of course when I discovered the book, I ended up buying two versions of it. I’ve been loving the journey from beginning to end. Even if I struggle reading and pronouncing a ton of names.

This book breaks the fourth wall a few times from beginning to end. Which makes sense considering it’s a book about a kid reading a book. I still find humor in people’s reaction to this novel being 396 pages long. That surprises them and they always say ‘oh, I thought it would be longer.’ People I’ve told about this novel always say that because it’s title is The Neverending Story.

Y’all if you thought The Swamp of Sadness movie scene was heartbreaking, it’s so much worse in the book. Because Artax (Atreyu’s horse) has the ability to talk. I was not prepared for that and this scene begins on page 50 of the book. Yeah, it happens early on. I was sobbing during the rest of the chapter. Seriously, that scene hits me in the feels every time. Like I said, it hits harder in the book.

I’m not sure if every hardcover copy is printed the same, but mine had two different colored fonts. Seems fitting because AURYN’s snakes were two different colors. One snake was white and the other was black. My emotions were all over the place from the first page to the last page. In the chapter called Dame Eyola, a line that was said made me think of Doctor Who. In the book Dame Eyola says ‘The House of Change is bigger inside than out’. When I mentioned the font I should have also mentioned that it messed with my eyesight. So, it was a tad difficult to read for me. Aside from a difficult life (off mine), the font was another reason that it took me one year, one month, and four days to read. I used a website to calculate how long it took me to read.

This book was a fantastic read to me. I recommend it to the world.