#i once again strongly recommend this series

[anotherramblingfangirl]

I actually think this Dark Knights of Steel twist-reveal with Alfred as martian manhunter was a really fascinating one (I genuinely loved it).

An Elseworlds continuity which really took advantage of being able to take different interpretations of a character, by the writer of the Nightwing series where the presence of Alfred is felt throughout, despite his pre-series death

Here we have him as the last survivor of a genocide, who lost absolutely everything. Felt he failed in the worst possible way, as his fatally wounded child died in his arms - unable to even offer him any comfort, with both being telepaths.

He flees a dead world. Gets to try again. Martha and Thomas Wayne know what he is, but conceal the secret. Have him as one of their most trusted retainers, friends.

He gets to try again.

A smile on his face, he gets to see another boy grow.

Even as Martha and Thomas are murdered, he stays with their son, looking after him no matter what. Having faith in him. Loving him. To the point where a man who had his adored son brutally murdered in the dark, able to do nothing but watch him die, looks at this orphaned alien child and says -

-as he holds the lasso of truth.

It adds an additional, really interesting factor to the paternal relationship he has with Bruce in this particular setting. I wish we got to see more of it. Perhaps if they ever do more "Tales of the Kingdom", we may get to see it in a prologue manner.

[silverskye13]

I absolutely adore your writing style. You've mentioned being inspired by authors. Care to share which ones and/or some books you'd strongly recommend? I'm in a but of lurch on books I want to read right now and your writing style really scratches a certain itch so finding something similar would be lovely

I've answered this question a couple of times but! I will always answer again. I read a lot of books :3

I will warn you, I read a lot of epic/high fantasy. If that's not your thing, you probably won't like a lot of my recs, whoops.

This got really long I apologize. Once again. I read a lot.

T. Kingfisher

In my opinion, anything written by her is a win. Her World of the White Rat series of books are by far my favorite [Clocktaur Wars, Saint of Steel series, Swordheart], but she also writes very good horror, and her Sworn Soldier books are kickass.

She is a major inspiration for my writing style, especially internal thoughts and sense of humor. I try to emulate her way of having fantastic characters think and act on mundane things [i.e. a scary paladin man who gushes about knitting].

Blanket warning that all of her Temple of the White Rat books are romantasy, rated E for explicit. But as someone who normally hates [or just doesn't get / enjoy romance books] I still recommend them. The world is rich, some of them have intense horror and suspense moments, and the characters all have amazing dynamics and chemistry.

My favorites by her are: Paladin's Strength, Paladin's Faith, and What Moves the Dead

Nicholas Eames

Still on the style inspiration train. I really sat down and studied his use of description and character voice shortly before writing Redstone and Skulk. If you like how I handle descriptions, planting and worldbuilding, I recommend reading his work. I do a yearly reread of Kings of the Wyld, and while I didn't like Bloody Rose as much, it does an awesome breakdown of problematic heroes.

These books are rated R, for graphic depictions of violence and some pretty raunchy humor/language. The first book Kings of the Wyld has very light romance [unless you count Clay Cooper increasingly thinking about how awesome his wife is, or the group's barbarian falling in love with an avenging angel], but Bloody Rose does have a lesbian bard main character who falls in love with a kickass tattoo witch. I love them, your honor.

Terry Pratchett

I mean, yeah, everyone recommends Terry Pratchett, and if they don't, it's because they haven't read his books in a while and forgot to recommend him. I really like his Death books, and the Samuel Vimes books. For the standalones in Discworld, I also really, really liked Small Gods and Monstrous Regiment. If you like my style of optimistic storytelling [no matter how dark, there is always a happy ending] read his books. And if you like RnS's existentialism, the idea of struggling with, and against, death, read Morte and Reaper Man. Especially Reaper Man.

The Ranger's Apprentice Series by Jonathan Langan

YA fantasy at its finest! If you like how I handle character dynamics and ride-or-die friendships, you will like these books. I was reading these books a lot when I started really really writing in high school, and I didn't realize just how much they inspired my writing style until I reread them last year. Rated PG, maybe PG-13 in the later books when the characters are older and the stakes are a little higher. It's a fun low fantasy world set in Basically England, and it's just. Nice. Will and Horace are so dear to me.

Also apparently he is restarting? The series? Rebooting? New protagonists. I haven't read any of them yet but I am looking very interestedly.

--------------

More books in no particular order that I am recommending you read because I love them:

---------------

House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky

High fantasy, PG-13, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Religious Persecution, Fantasy Nazis

This is the second book in a series, but I couldn't get into the first book and only read this one, whoops. This book basically poses the question: what if Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, but the last man on earth who believes in God isn't as nice, and has some major character flaws, and also doesn't like God. Also also, what if this was set in Fantasy World War 2, and he was forced to work for the Nazis. This book is very grim, and focuses on a medical unit during Magical World War 2. There are a lot of wound descriptions and war crimes. But it made me feel a lot of things, and I was genuinely upset one of the characters stayed evil at the end of the book. There is no Good and Evil in this story, only Evil and Morally Gray. If that isn't your thing, give it a pass, and I mean that. There are Themes here that are made to make you uncomfy. But there is also found family, and some really strong questions about religion and morals, and the book really makes you Think about the character decisions. I liked it a lot.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

High fantasy mystery thriller, R, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Language

Oh it's good. It's so good. Holmes and Watson style mystery in a world where everyone has biological mutations and enhancements powered by Kaiju that rise up every year to try and murder everyone. It's really cool. I was hooked from beginning to end. The main character is amazing, with hilarious deadpan humor, and his Holmes is an eccentric autistic woman with zero filter. The "Rated R for Language" above is 98% because of her.

[Note: I'm not an authority on good autistic representation, but I feel like she stands out as really well done. It makes more sense in the context of the novel, but she's created a space for herself where things like noise/light sensitivity are used to her advantage, hyperfixations are portrayed both as useful to her craft in research and a hazard to the people she's interrogating, and she has managed to trick half the cast into thinking her "quirks" are because of augmentations she doesn't have. It was a really cool and original way of putting autism into a character without infantilizing or "unfeeling logical machine"-ing them in the process. If that's something you've been looking for representation-wise, I think this is worth checking out.]

Aside aside, the world building is cool. The characters are cool. They mystery makes sense. I just. I can't talk about this book too much or I'll tell you the whole story. I get too excited.

Aliens: Phalanx by Scott Sigler

Sci-fi horror, PG-13, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Language

Ever wanted to get into the Aliens franchise but thought the sci-fi was a little much? Ever wanted to know how medieval peasants would handle a xenomorph invasion? Do I have the book for you!

This book is sci-fi horror that takes a turn for the vengeful at the end. Made me feel a lot of things. Got really emotional over some of the character deaths. But when the characters win, they win big, and their achievements feel weighty. You really get the sense of human tenacity clawing life back from the jaws of post-apocalypse. And also? Xenomorphs? Cool? If you've seen the movies, you'll really appreciate how this book takes the conventional tropes and spins them. And if you haven't, the story attacks them in an original way that explains it to the uninitiated. If you know nothing about the movies you will still know what's going on.

Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold

Fantasy adventure, PG-13, Minor depictions of violence, mystery/puzzle elements

Fun books? Fun books. Ever wondered what would happen if an uninitiated, but very kind and sweet 18 year old boy was possessed by an ancient demon with a great sense of humor and near limitless power? Now you know! Penric and his demon Desdemona have fantastic rapport, and every book in the series just further cements how awesome their relationship is. Fast little reads in a great little universe. And the gods are cool.

The Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron

Epic fantasy, R, Graphic Depictions of Violence, major and minor character death, sexual themes, language

Gritty realistic knights -- fighting very unrealistic magical creatures. They're outmatched, but not out skilled! Especially with the Red Knight leading the way. These books had just, an awesome way of drawing me in. Cool world, interesting if flawed characters, and a growth arc that turns an entire company of criminals and mercenaries into basically paladins. Plus there is an awesome overarching plot involving god-like dragons and angels.

The only downsides to this series is there are a lot of characters and POVs, and the author is not afraid to kill them off at a moment's notice. Characters you've grown to love over three books will be killed off screen when a monster took flight, or a boglin hoard swarmed the front lines. I won't finish the final book in the series because I will be uh, incredibly pissed if one of my favorite characters dies, and I'm getting the vibes she probably will >:/

Alas, this is the nature of grim-dark fantasy.

Cameron has written other books under different pseudonyms, but to date this series is the only one that's really sunk its teeth in me.

Covenant of Steel Trilogy by Anthony Ryan

Low Fantasy, R, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major and minor character death, religious persecution, language, sexual assault

What happens when a criminal's entire crew is slaughtered for their crimes, and the only survivor turns into a religious zealot? No wait come back it's good I promise! The Pariah starts pretty grim and heavy. We reach our character's emotional low point about a third of the way through the first book, but what blooms from that is a slow burn about faith, and the danger of a Saint who gets to build her own radicalozed morality, rising on the tide of her faithful followers. It is all told in memoir format by the main character, before the final chapters where we get a sense of his here and now, which is a format that Ryan loves writing in [his Bloodsong series does this as well, and while that series is good, it's clear every fumble he made writing that he tried to fix writing CoS]. If I had to really pin this book down, I would have to say it's the story of Joan of Arc if she had actually succeeded in her crusades, and how dangerous she would have been because of the blindness of her followers and her own feelings of personal holiness. The main character even falls for her charms, heck, I as a reader fell for her charms. It was only after she started massacring "heretics" that I started to go, "Wait a fucking second, she's the antagonist???" If you like really intense stories about how insidious the side of "good" can be, and the terrors of religion, and just the epic slow burn of that building up and breaking down, give this a read. However, this is a very dark series. Read with caution and care. By the end I was very burnt out on all the death and atrocity.

Cold Storage by David Koepp

Thriller/horror, PG-13, Depictions of Violence, Fungi-based body horror, Language

Not nearly as intense of the last rec! Cold Storage is the story of a mutated mold spore that works just like that stuff that makes ants do weird things -- but to people! Oh and also it's about some really funny main characters that don't know it exists, even though it's growing right below their feet. A lighter read that will give you some good scares, and a pair of characters you're desperately rooting for. I love it :3 it's a fun romp. Mind the exploding deer.

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Sci-fi, PG-13, Depictions of Violence, Language

Another fun romp! Murderbot is a security unit made to protect humans -- and it's hacked its programming and just wants to sit down and watch TV all day. Unfortunately, humans are very good at getting themselves killed, and SOMEONE has to keep them safe. At least Murderbot is programmed to do it correctly.

This story starts as fun sci-fi, and as the books progress, really breaks down the lines between human sentience and... Well, any other sentience. It asks hard questions about whether something Must be human in order to be accepted in a society, and how badly we as people want to fit everything into understandable boxes -- even if the things we want to understand don't fucking like it, thank you very much! There's a lot of fun action, a lot of characters that have really won my heart, and, man, I just want Murderbot to be happy.

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

High fantasy, R, graphic depictions of violence, sexual assault, language, major character death

A thief accosts a knight on the road -- and ends up going on a road trip with her filled with witches, monsters, giant corvids, man-eating goblins, giants, and more! All to save a princess. This book really grew on me when I read it a second time. The magic system is cool, the world building is stellar, the goblins and giants are fucking scary. The character has a dirty mouth and his humor runs to the toilet a lot, so keep that in mind. This is by far the lightest and funniest book Buehlman has ever written though, so if you like it, brace yourself for grim dark if you read the rest of his work. Especially if you read Between Two Fires.

There's my book recs! Have fun!

[worseforwords]

Barcelona Breathlessness (Ona Batlle x Reader)

Here it is: the fourth and final part of this series. I strongly recommend you read the other parts first. You can find them here: Part 1: Manchester Meet-cute, Part 2: Manchester Memories, Part 3: Barcelona Beginnings.

“Hi, come in.” You said softly, the expression on Ona’s face sending shivers down your spine as you stepped aside to let her into your new home. “Want something to drink? Coffee, tea, water?” “Just a water, please.” She said as she stiffly sat herself down on your couch. You poured two glasses of water and joined her on the couch, leaving some space between the two of you so you could turn and look at her. Ona however, kept her gaze straight ahead, fidgeting with something she was holding. When you looked down at her hands to see what it was, you felt your stomach drop: it was the little lion necklace. “I wanted to give this back.” She said numbly when she noticed you staring at her hands. “Oh.” Was all you could manage to get out as you felt your heart shatter. You sat there in silence for a bit, both avoiding eye contact. You knew she was with someone else, which kind of hurt, but this felt like an unnecessary added punch to the stomach whilst you were already down.

“Why did you keep it all this time?” You finally managed to get out. “It was a nice reminder to make the most out of everything and not to worry too much about the future. You know, Hakuna Matata.” She finally looked at you when she said those last words, only to quickly look away again when she continued. “But now, when I look at it, all I do is worry, so you can have it back.” She handed you the piece of jewellery. For a second there, you thought you caught some resentment in her voice. Your heart sunk to the floor at her harsh words as you tried to fight the tears from flooding your eyes. Once again you attempted to push down everything you felt, sending you into a numb state of coldness. When you didn’t move to take the necklace from her, Ona put it down on your coffee table. Even though very few words were exchanged, the actions spoke loud enough and it had become clear as day to you that she didn’t want anything to do with you anymore. “So did you come over just to give me that?” You asked heartlessly, pointing at the necklace on the coffee table. She looked up at you in disbelieve. “How do you do that?” She asked in a defeated tone. “Do what?” “How do you just turn everything off and become completely cold? At first I thought you might have changed, but I refuse to believe this is what you have become.” You thought about her confrontational question for a bit before saying: “I am just trying to protect myself.” “Protect yourself from what?” She asked, bewildered. “From you, Ona.” You said quietly as you deliberately kept your gaze away from her. 

When no sound came from the other side of the couch for the next minute or so, you couldn’t help but to turn back around and check on Ona. You were met with the heartbreaking sight of Ona with her face buried into her hands and you noticed some tears escaping. You couldn’t maintain your numbness, as the sight immediately tore down all the walls you had just built up. “I’m sorry.” You said, as a single tear now also fled your eye, whilst you tried to find the right words to say. “Look,” you started. “back in Manchester, we had a magical time and I fell for you and your beautiful hazel eyes way faster than I have ever fallen for anyone.” She finally removed her hands to look up at you with said hazel eyes and you swallowed before you continued. “It was short and sweet, so, so very sweet, but also very short. It was sad when it ended, but we always knew that was going to happen. I always have cherished the memories we made and I never regretted it for a single second, but when I got back to my normal life I moved on, I truly did.” She looked up at the ceiling as you saw tears filling her eyes again, so you quickly carried on. “But then I saw you again earlier this week and it was like the old butterflies I had for you instantly woke up from their 4 year coma.” Her gaze went right back to your eyes, as if she was verifying that you were being genuine. “So, I don’t think I can be just friends with you, Ona. I tried to be platonic but it just came out as cold and heartless.” Ona remained quiet, now staring at her shoes. 

“Can you please say something?” You pleaded. You knew she was probably just gathering her thoughts before speaking, but the silence was killing you as seconds felt like hours after everything you just confessed. You were focussing on keeping your breathing in tact, when Ona suddenly rose up from the couch. Thinking she was going to leave, you also got up to try and stop her. “Ona, please don’t - I - I take it al b-” You were stopped in your blurting when you noticed she wasn’t leaving, instead taking two steps towards you. She was now only a few inches away from you, and whispered “Don’t.” whilst softly grabbing your chin in between her thumb and index finger. You slightly opened your mouth, but no words came out as your heart started racing due to the close proximity you were in, desperately awaiting her next move. She used her thumb to pull your face down, which could only be a sign that the smaller girl wanted to have your lips at an approachable hight. Your breath hitched as she slowly moved closer to you, almost closing the gap between you when you gathered all your courage to abruptly move away from her. “Not like this.” You said as she send you a puzzled look. “Not like what?” She asked. “Not when you’re with someone else.” You said, standing your ground. “When I’m WHAT?” She said stumped. “Don’t act all innocent now, I know you’re with someone, I saw the photos.” You said, to which Ona’s eyes widened instantly. “I can’t believe it. That’s what this was about? Oh my god Y/N why didn’t you just ask me about it?” She exclaimed, now pacing the room. “I guess I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” You said softly. “Well you need to stop doing that, it’s clearly not working!” She shouted. “Clearly.” You mumbled. “Y/N,” she stopped her pacing to turn back to you and firmly grab your face with both hands, as you were obviously still clueless as to what she was trying to say, “we broke up almost two months ago!” 

Time stood still for a second as all you wanted to do was smack yourself in the face with the most solid object you could find. This was all your fault. Once again you had managed to ruin something that could’ve been great thanks to your lack of communication. Ona was right, if only you had listened to Amy and just asked her about it. Your mind went back to the present as you realised you must have been staring into space all flustered with wide eyes for at least a minute, looking like some kind of maniac. You noticed Ona staring at you frantically, awaiting your respons. You cleared your throat. “I-” You started. “I really don’t know what to say. I’m sorry?” “Was that a question?” She scoffed. “No, no, I’m sorry. I really am. You’re right, I should’ve asked instead of making assumptions. I’m sorry for ruining everything.” You breathed out, and her frantic expression started to soften ever so slightly. “Did I though? Ruin it, I mean?” You asked carefully to which a soft expression with a hint of compassion appeared on Ona’s face as she contemplated how to answer your question. 

Before she could answer however, you walked over to the coffee table to grab the little lion necklace. “May I?” You asked, slowly moving it up to her neck. She nodded, and you softly held the little lion onto her collarbone, moving one hand to the back of her neck to close the golden chain. You struggled with the clasp for a second, making her giggle slightly. When you finally succeeded, you left your hand where it had been, now softly caressing the back of her neck. You leaned down slowly, to place a delicate kiss on the little lion rested on her chest. When you noticed Ona closing her eyes, you moved your mouth to her ear. “Hakuna Matata.” You whispered, before gently kissing her cheek. Her breath hitched at your subtle touches, and you placed another kiss on her cheek, to then slowly move down her jaw. The kisses were brief and so very soft, but you could still taste the saltiness from the previously shed tears on her skin. You continued until no part of her face was left untouched by you lips, except from her mouth. The latter you bypassed because you didn’t want to move there without her reciprocation.

When you eventually moved away, Ona slowly opened her eyes, glancing into yours longingly straight away. You both simultaneously let out a deep breath, trying to calm yourselves down a bit, before Ona pulled you into a tight hug. “You didn’t.” She whispered, finally answering the question you asked earlier. A soft smile appeared on your face as you pulled away from the embrace to look at her again. Your eyes started watering once more, but this time with tears of relief.

“So, erm, what now?” You asked, to which the both of you started giggling. The laughter felt great, finally enabling you to release some of the tension built up in your body. “I have a day off tomorrow, want to go do something fun?” She asked. “Yes, it’s a date!” You answered, making the both of you chuckle again at the reference, before her face returned to a more serious expression. “Let’s take things slow this time, actually built something, okay?” Ona said wisely, to which you nodded in agreement. “Shit,” Ona’s expression suddenly changed as she glimpsed at the clock, “I have to go, training.” She hurried herself out the door, but not before hugging you one last time, squeezing tightly. “See you tomorrow, Y/N.” You closed the door when she was out of view and immediately plopped down on the couch, letting out a big sigh. The rest of the day went by quickly, and by the time you were in bed, you still had a big, fat grin on your face you could not get rid off even if you wanted to. 

For your distinctly labeled date, you decided to have a nice beach day. Once again, you nervously shot up straight upon hearing the doorbell. This time however, it was a good kind of nervous, the excited kind. You quickly grabbed your bag and ran towards the front door. “Hi!” You definitely preferred this cute smile on the girl standing in front of you over yesterdays expression. “Hi, Ona.” You smiled back broadly as you both got in her car to drive to the beach. 

The weather was perfect, which was of course to be expected on a Barcelona beach day: blue skies and sunshine. Ona had taken you to a beach a bit further away from the city, so it was rather quiet. You both put your towels down on the sand, and you rummaged in your bag to find some sunscreen. You applied some of it on your face and arms, and then took of your shirt to rub some on your belly and chest, thereby exposing the bikini top that you already had on underneath it. You looked to you side to see Ona had stopped doing whatever she was doing before, and she was clearly eying you up, before quickly looking at the sky when she noticed you had caught her. “Something wrong?” You giggled. “Wha- I wasn’t-” her face started heating up. “I think those cheeks could use some sunscreen too.” You interrupted her nervous rambling, handing her the bottle, which she then snatched out of your hands. She took off her shirt as well and you swallowed hard. It was now your turn to try to hide the flustered expression on your face as your eyes scanned her abs that had only grown more toned in the past 4 years, her soft skin that you had gotten only a small taste of yesterday and her strong arms that could easily pick you up, or pin you down, or so many other things. “Can I help you with your back?” Ona asked, waking you from your daydream, only just before you started drooling. “Yes, please.” You quickly turned to lie down on your stomach, not missing the smirk on her face in the process. 

She started off softly, dainty little strokes of cold lotion, sending shivers down your spine. She took her time, gently caressing every inch of your back until the friction and the sun started warming you up. She slowly added more force to her movements, firmly pushing her thumb into all of your back muscles, massaging you into a state of pure bliss. You soon woke up from this state however, upon realising how your muscles must feel like tiny pockets of mashed potatoes to her and her athletic body, so you quickly turned around. “My turn!” You yelled as you basically launched her off of you, rolling her onto her stomach, making her gasp and then giggle at the sudden movements. You took a moment to admire her figure, before tracing her tattoos with some sunscreen on your fingertips. Some you recognised, others were new. You felt Ona tense up slightly when you moved towards her left shoulder. You stopped moving your hands when you saw why. “How long have you had this?” You asked softly. “About 4 years.” She mumbled, looking as far away from you as possible. You moved your hands to her arms and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the tattoo on top of her shoulder. “Hakuna Matata” it read. 

When you were both fully covered in sunscreen, you decided to take a dip in the Mediterranean Sea. Ona of course, being a both an athlete and a Catalonian, swam like a mermaid whilst you tried to keep up with her, splashing around like a dog. You laughed as Ona attempted to impress you with an underwater handstand and summersault, and she laughed when you desperately held onto her as the waves almost carried you away. You swam around and played with a beach ball for a bit, until both of you got tired, well, you were pretty sure she just pretended to be tired to make you feel better, as she carried you out of the water and all the way back with her strong arms.

She laid you back down on your towel before plopping down next to you. You lay on your stomach, head resting on your arms and you glanced at the Catalonian girl you never wanted to stop staring at whilst the sun heated up your body. As your skin absorbed the warmth, you felt your body relax and your brain becoming foggy. You closed your eyes and the world faded away for what felt like a second, before the smell of Mediterranean herbs woke you up. You opened your eyes to find an empty towel next to you and you slowly lifted your head. “Hi there, sleepyhead” A soft voice called out from behind you. You turn around to discover you had been out for a while, because Ona had prepared you a whole picnic in the mean time. She had brought some home cooked meals, like a Spanish omelet, some bread and dips, and even some wine. “Hi,” You spoke softly, “what’s all this?” “Well, dormilona, you don’t go out with a Spaniard without them bringing lots and lots of food.” You looked at her with the tenderest of smiles, while you sat yourself up straight. “Ona,” you said wholeheartedly, “this is adorable. Thank you so, so much.” 

When you had both thoroughly filled up on the delicious food and wine, you sat back in silence for a bit, as dusk began to fall, before Ona got up and held her hand out to help you up as well. She dragged you along for a bit, eventually ending up at the far end of a pier. There you stood, amid the quietly rippling sea, with a dazzling view of the setting sun, and an even better view of the girl still holding onto your hand. “Wow.” Was all you could say, breathing in deeply to inhale the smells of the salty sea whilst taking it all in. “I feel like I’m dreaming.” “You’re not.” Ona replied as she put her other hand on your cheek, turning you to fully face her. You softly settled your free hand on her waist as you locked eyes and you slowly leaned in. She tilted her face up slightly, thereby making her lips accessible to yours. You closed your eyes and your heart started racing as you savoured the drumroll right before closing the final bit of space left between you, landing into a gentle kiss. At first you both remained still, carrying each other’s lips like you would in a tight embrace. You both woke up from the initial tranquility when you let go of Ona’s hand to move your now free hand up to the side of her neck, tracing her jaw with your thumb. Both your lips engaged in a delicate dance of lustful lips, noses inhaling the same fragment of air left between the two you. Hands were now clutching onto jaws, necks, hair and waists desperately, not wanting this moment to ever end. When you did eventually pull apart, the sun had almost fully set. “Wow.” Ona broke the silence. “Wow indeed.”

You packed up your towels and belongings and drove home in a comfortable silence, as you were both still speechless from the kiss. When you arrived at your doorstep, you fell into a tight embrace, with neither of you wanting to let go. You hesitated for a bit, knowing very well what you had agreed upon yesterday, before asking: “Do you want to come in?” “Yeah.” She answered, and you held the door open for her. No time was wasted on movies or drinks this time, as she immediately lifted you up by your hips to push you up against the wall once the door was closed.

You woke up early to a beam of light shining into your eyes and the feeling of warm skin underneath your face, slowly moving up and down. Once you came to your senses, you realised you must’ve been too distracted the night before to close the curtains in your bedroom, to which you giggled softly. Your brief and minor movement apparently caused Ona to wake up as well, as you heard a soft groan beneath you. “Good morning, guapa.” You said, looking up at her as her eyes slowly opened up, frowning at the light. “Bon dia,” she replied, smiling, “let me make us some breakfast.” “But we're at my place, I should make breakfast.” You replied. “Please, I’ll figure it out. After all, I have a feeling I might become a regular here.” She smirked, as she got up from your bed to quickly put on some clothes, leaving no room for you to argue.

Whilst you remained in your bed, you could hear Ona rummaging through your cabinets, expertly preparing something that would undoubtedly turn out delicious, whilst speaking to someone on the phone. At first you mostly heard laughter, but it soon became more quiet and Ona suddenly sounded rather anxious and frustrated. You swiftly put on your sweatpants and a jumper and you went downstairs to see what was going on. “Sí, lo sé, pero-” She stopped talking when she noticed you walking into the kitchen. “Tengo que ir, chao.” She said to the person at the other end of the line before hanging up. “That sounded serious, what was it about?” You asked carefully. “Nothing, it was just one of my teammates. Don’t worry about it.” She said, deliberately keeping her eyes on the breakfast she was making. “Ona, that just makes me more worried. You can tell me what’s going on, you know.” You grabbed her cheek, moving her face so she had to look at you. “Okay.” She started as she grabbed your wrist, nervously dragging you towards the couch to sit you both down.

“Here’s the thing. She mentioned something to me, and now I am worried about us. My schedule is very busy, and I have very few weekends off. Not to mention being away a lot for national camps and stuff. It is why I dated a teammate for so long, it’s why so many of us do. It’s not easy to have a girlfriend who is a footballer, and I don’t know if I can give you what you need, or better, what you deserve.” She rambled anxiously. “Girlfriend?” Was all you could answer, widening your eyes in expectation. “Y/N. You’re focussing on the wrong thing.” Ona grumbled. “You want me to be your girlfriend?” You asked with a small smile on your face, still not wanting to let her slip of the tongue go. “Well yes, but-” “Okay, my turn.” You interrupted. “I know what I am getting myself into. I know you’re busy, I know football is the most important thing to you right now and I would never ask you to change that. But I want this Ona. I want to be a part of your life, even if I am just a small part. I want to try. Please let me try?” You asked, looking at her with your very best puppy dog eyes. “Yeah, okay.” She smiled. “And you won’t just be a small part, I promise.” She added, to which you both smiled softly.

“Soooo,” You started. “girlfriend, huh?” You giggled. “Well I wasn’t planning on asking you this way, or this soon, but I guess there is no way out of it now.” She chuckled. “Y/N,” she started, grabbing both of your hands, facing you and directly looking into your eyes, “will you be my girlfriend?” The smiles on both your faces grew wider by the second. “Yes, of course I will Ona.” You said as you leaned in for a soft but passionate kiss, before pulling her in for a tight hug. You both chuckled. “So much for taking things slow.”

[dreamingonfilm]

Hey babe! Love ur writing. Do you have any recs?

SO GLAD YOU ASKED! I HAVE SO MANY RECS BUT IM GONNA TRY AND KEEP IT SIMPLE

✧˖*°࿐

@fallingforfictionalcharacterss - literally one of my favorite writers on this app, I 100% recommend reading all her works but these are my favorites!

The Ferret : in which the reader takes care of a ferret, unaware that it's Draco Malfoy

Cookies : in which love potion meant for the reader gets misplaced, leading to a love struck Ron and confessions to Draco

I Got You : in which Draco takes care of a temporarily blind reader after a potion goes wrong

✧˖*°࿐

@dracowars - another amazing writer — once again recommending all of their works

notebook : in which Draco finds readers notebook and falls in love with the words written inside

one bed, two enemies : in which Draco and reader share a bed

unforgivable : in which reader gets poisoned thanks to Draco's behavior

✧˖*°࿐

@wondernimbus : strongly rec all her writing!

veritaserum : in which Draco takes the truth potion, leading to unwanted confessions

play pretend : in which two people are forced into marriage; reader falls in love. draco doesn’t. 

two sworn enemies : there is only one thing worse than being hated by draco malfoy; it’s being fancied by him

✧˖*°࿐

@littlemissnoname13 - another great writer!

my girl : in which Draco sticks up for his girl

forever hold your peace : in which the reader is set for an arranged marriage, but a mysterious guy from the church has other plans

✧˖*°࿐

DRACO M. FICS !

@dmslvt - Crossing constellations : in which Draco stumbles upon the reader while she star gazes

@dr3amlab - wicked games series : in which two sworn enemies play pranks on each other, leading to the reader pretending to be Draco's secret admirer

@enviedear - bewitched my mind : in which draco malfoy becomes entirely bewitched with a girl who’s never paid too much mind to him

@ladyvesuvia - nuggets with gravy : in which Draco takes the reader out for a drive-thru in a Muggle fast food, but they did not prepare the reader’s order properly

@prettygirlkay - A Worthy Opponent series : in which the reader and Draco are academic rivals

@holden-caulfield - The Girl : in which the reader has a secret pen pal

@holden-caulfield - Red Binds : in which the reader and her soulmate are bound together by a red string

✧˖*°࿐

NEVILLE L. FICS !

@lxngbottom - Amortentia - in which Neville smells Luna Lovehood instead of his girlfriend in his amortentia potion

@lxngbottom - Bookshelves : in which reader helps out in the library, and she catches the eye of Neville.

@refiwrites - The Accident - in which you collide into Neville, revealing that you two are soulmates.

✧˖*°࿐

FRED W. FICS !

@p-taryn-dactyl - Confervo : in which Fred wakes up after the war, and his first reaction is to flirt with the cute nurse

@destourtereaux - Put A Ring On It : in which reader and Fred run into her ex while out for errands

@destourtereaux - Secrets and Confessions : in which Fred confessed his feelings in the middle of the Great Hall

@httpbakugou - after all this time : in which Fred returns three years later, and secrets are unearthed

✧˖*°࿐

if anyone mentioned feels uncomfortable with me linking their work on here please lmk and i will remove it! <3

[leothil]

fic recs: archive edition 3

Happy Sunday everyone! It's once again time to dive into the archive and enjoy some more buddie fics from 2020! You can find the previous posts here and here.

touch has a memory & mine is you by @elisela Eddie is temporarily transferred to another station and realizes how touch starved he becomes when Buck no longer is around with constant little points of contact. 1.8k words, rated G

can't fight that feeling by throughfire The night before Madney's wedding Buck and Eddie stay up late and talk on Eddie's back porch. And then more than talk. They agree to keep it quiet at least for a day to keep the day fully Maddie and Chimney's. It's debatable if they succeed. 11.7k words, rated E

Goodwill is Sent in Snapshots (You Only Get the Full Picture on Return) by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels The Holiday AU where Buck, left alone in LA after Abby left, and Chimney, living in El Paso and recently dumped by his girlfriend, swap houses for the holidays. Who could've predicted that Buck's long lost sister would turn up and meet Chimney instead of her brother, or that Buck would bond so strongly with Chimney's next-door neighbour and his son? 14.8k words, rated M

beauty in the small things by @thisissirius Sophia encourages Eddie to write about his experiences in Afghanistan as a form of therapy. It turns into a bestseller, and Eddie moves himself and Christopher to Vermont to get away from his parents. There he meets Evan Buckley, the handyman who'll help fix up his house. This is the first fic in what turned into a long series called the trees of vermont, and I highly recommend reading the rest as well! 5.7k words, rated M

all was golden when the day met the night by spinningincircles (@tripleaxeldiaz) Flower shop/tattoo parlour AU, in which florist Eddie is painfully in love with his best friend tattoo artist Buck next door, and tries to express his feelings through flowers because he's too afraid of saying anything out loud. 15k words, rated T

You know what. I'm giving you and extra Mads fic today, because it's October, which means it's monsterfucking o'clock, and if there's anyone I'd reliably go to for monsterfuckery it's her. I believe this is her first fic of that kind for buddie, but there's more where it came from.

Bring Me Your Heart, I Want to Eat It by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels Werewolf!Eddie thinks of himself as a monster and wants to protect Buck from that part of himself, completely missing the fact that Buck thinks it's really fucking hot. 6.2k words, rated E

Happy October, hope you enjoy the fics!

[biasbuck]

BiAsBuck’s ficrec Fridays

Happy Friday everyone! Back again with another round of the fic I've been reading this week. You can find previous rec lists here.

A reminder I'm here for all buddie/bucktommy/buddietommy configurations, enough love to go around!

17 May 2024

through the fire and the sound by @kirkaut 'It all starts when Tommy has to cancel their plans for Friday. Or: Evan Buckley and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.' The reason this week's rec list is coming a little later in the day, was because I was absolutely immersed in this 10k one shot and couldn't stop reading! I really loved the Buck characterisation in particular in this one, his voice rang out so strongly, supported, teased and cared for by the 118, and just ready to take those next steps with Tommy. Loved how their relationship was developed and showcased with the depth of love explored. After a series of bad calls end in injury, sometimes you have to embrace the moment!

you’ve got too much to wear on your sleeve by @try-set-me-on-fire apparently I was in the mood for some good ol' hurt/comfort this week, because in this one Tommy’s helicopter goes down, and whilst Maddie reassures Buck he'll be ok, in an effort to distract himself from worrying on the job, Buck concentrates on fixing the station AC unit. I really enjoyed the structure of this one, how Buck's work continues even once he knows what's happened because he still has a shift, and Tommy sending Maddie updates to reassure Buck was just very sweet.

prescribed burn and aerial ignition by @wakeupnew is a brilliantly crafted 7x06 coda, in which 'Tommy's busy fighting a wildfire at the edge of the Angeles National Forest, but every time he checks his phone, he has an increasingly unbelievable series of text messages.' I LOVED the text messages added in to this fic, such a great mix of sweet and drunken and funny and charming and appropriately alarming. Continuing the trend of them showing concern for each other, I also just loved Tommy's appreciation of clipboard Buck, drunk Buck, worried brother-in-law Buck and safe in his arms Buck. And the follow up is a beautifully soft and sexy morning after epilogue.

give your heart and soul to charity by @exhuastedpigeon is a buddie fic with background 'keeping things fluid' bucktommy, and crucially in which 'Eddie dumps God, gets some more therapy, accepts parts of himself he was taught to hate, loves his best friend, and loves himself.' With gorgeous evocative writing, lots and lots of Eddie introspection and some very pleasing healing Catholic Guilt to joyful unrepression arc, there's emotional ups and downs along the way that made my heart ache.

To Build a Home We Deconstruct Our Rituals by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels was another buddie fic I was recommended from a few years ago to read to get inside Eddie's head and is my favourite of tropes - fake marriage of convenience with co-habitation and mutual pining and very real feelings they've yet to articulate. Post-shooting, Eddie has concerns about the legal strength of Buck being Christopher's guardian in case of his death...so he totally marries him about it. My favourite thing was just nobody really batting an eye, until it became undeniable. And Maddie's reaction.

i could be the one (or your new addiction) by @bucktheally 'Five times Buck had to put a dollar in the Mentioning Tommy jar during 7x07, and one time nobody was around to catch him.' 118 firefam team banter my beloved!! As fun as this season has been I am MISSING ME some firetruck team conversations allowed by a longer season, and this fic fills the void magnificently.

PS - once again sending out the signal to ask if you have any henren authors/fic recs I should check out PLEASE let me know! I love them!

Also it's my birthday tomorrow and you know you want to point me towards any of your buddietommy fics that I missed!

[na-na-namine]

Interview with director of Pretty Cure All Stars F (Yuta Tanaka) - Translated by Leontoi

I provided the link to the original translation above, but there were a few grammatical issues. I cleaned up and edited the translation below. It's a great interview and I recommend reading it after watching the movie!

-----

──The theme of the 20th anniversary movie is "What is Precure?" Why did you choose this as the theme of the movie?

I feel that because the Pretty Cure series has continued for so long, it has become extremely diverse.

Over the past 20 years, various Precures and Pretty Cure works have been created.

As a result, I think that the beginning of deciding the movie's theme was because I felt that it was no longer possible to say in one word, "What is Precure?"

For example, in terms of setting, when I started working 15 years ago, only ordinary girls could transform into Pretty Cure.

However, recently, more people with various origins, such as a mermaid and an android, are becoming Precures.

In addition to the main series for children, there is "Kibo no Chikara ~Adult PreCure '23~" which depicts the future of PreCure, and the stage play "Dancing☆Star PreCure", etc.

Derivative works aimed at adult fans who have loved the Pretty Cure series for a long time, as well as spin-off works from the main series, are now being created.

PreCure has continued to change with the times, so these may be part of that change.

However, the definition of a Pretty Cure has become vague, as to what makes someone a Pretty Cure and what doesn't.

In that case, asking this question once again might be an appropriate theme for the 20th anniversary.

Or so I thought.

──Tanaka-san, you have been involved in the production of the Pretty Cure series for over 15 years since "Yes! Pretty Cure 5" (2007).

In other words, from your point of view as one of the creators, you feel that there has been a big change in Pretty Cure, right?

This is just my personal opinion, but I feel that the creators of the early Pretty Cure series were really stoic and created anime with only the children in mind.

There were adult fans who enjoyed Pretty Cure back then, but the creators basically didn't care about them that much.

UMEZAWA Atsutoshi-san, who was the producer of the Pretty Cure series from 2009 to 2013, said this at the time.

"If we are too conscious of the adult audience, children will see right through it and feel that it is not theirs, and those who are our original target audience will turn away from Pretty Cure. In that case, it will no longer be PreCure."

I strongly sympathize with his opinion, and have been involved in the production of Pretty Cure while valuing it.

However, as the title suggests, the main target audience for "Otona Pretty Cure," are adults who used to like PreCure, and I think this work was created with their feelings in mind.

("Otona" means "adults" in Japanese.)

Although there are parts that I sympathize with,

Now that a "Pretty Cure work whose main target audience is adults" has been born, it's finally become difficult to understand what Pretty Cure is.

Going forward, I think the most important thing about the Pretty Cure series is that it was created with the children who are currently watching it in mind, but as a business, we need to consider other directions as well. That may be the situation. I also wonder what will happen to Pretty Cure in the future.

-----

About All Stars F.

-----

──This movie is an All Stars movie that features all 78 Precures from the past.

Actually, at first I wasn't planning on making an All Stars movie.

I thought it would be impossible to have all 78 people appear in the 70-minute length film, so I had an idea to divide it by different generations.

There was also an idea that only characters from three generations (Hirogaru Sky, Delicious Party, and Tropical Rouge) would appear, or they and several other Precure characters from other generations.

But, the idea of all three generations of PreCure coming together has been done so many times that I didn't think it felt fresh.

PreCure All Stars movies were made every year from 2009 to 2016.

However, with the exception of this work (PreCure All Stars F), we have only produced it for the 15th anniversary (2018) since then.

I thought, "If that's the case, it would be great if we could make it consist of the latest 9 generations of Pretty Cure series, who haven't appeared in many All Stars movies."

Considering the characters' activities in a 70-minute movie, I think that's about as long as we can manage in terms of the number of people.

However, due to various circumstances, we ended up having all of the Pretty Cure All Stars appear in this movie (lol).

──So you went through a lot of hardships.

Hahaha (lol). Planning is a living thing, so it changes over time.

──Was it difficult to get all 78 people to appear in this movie?

Oh no... there are so many people that it's impossible to treat everyone equally...

The length of the movie is about 70 minutes, so it can't be made any longer. Also, whether it's possible just because the movie time has been increased is another question. After all, the numbers are big.

That's why we decided to narrow down the number of characters who appear frequently in this movie. I wanted to show the Precures from all the different series as equally as possible, but I think it was difficult in reality.

──However, this film has recorded the highest box office revenue ever, and I feel that it has been very well received by the audience.

The theme of this movie is "What is Precure?", and the character Cure Supreme/Prim appears as an original Precure exclusive to this movie.

Cure Supreme, she embodies the antithesis of the question, "What is Precure?"

Throughout the anime series, the Precures (Precure warriors) have basically been portrayed as ``strong, cute, and cool beings.''

And Prim is a character who is interested in PreCure, seeing only one aspect of them being "strong."

However, she lacked consideration for why Precure are strong and cool, and she didn't even try to find out why they were so strong and cool.

But I think what we've been making about over the last 20 years is the ``why'' part of why Precures are so strong.

The desire they have to become who they want to be.

They stand up hand-in-hand with someone.

Due to the aforementioned, they do not give up.

...That is why Precures are so strong.

I wanted to convey that basic idea in this work as well.

──At the end of this movie, Supreme realized "Why the Precures are so strong," and the Precures extended a helping hand to her.

Actually, in this movie, I wanted to focus on promoting good and punishing evil.

My first idea for the story of this movie was that I wanted it to end with the Precures completely defeating Supreme and making her disappear.

But in the end, the Precures extended a helping hand to her, even though they had fought against her many times before.

As a creator, I felt that I was a little naive in some ways, but I have no regrets. I think we've come back to the idea that "Precures are all about reaching out to even the enemy, right?"

──In the final scene, I felt that Puka and Supreme had become true Precures.

It's not explained at all in the movie, so I don't think it's wrong to say that they became Precures, and I hope people who watch it can come up with their own interpretations.

Speaking of characters, Supreme is a god-like being from another world.

She has powers that are far from human, such as the ability to reshape the world, and she can be described as a "superior being" or "transcendence", and it can be said that she alone is a complete being.

But that's not the case with Precure, and because each of them is, in a sense, an "imperfect being", I think there is a part of them that wants to join hands with everyone and stand up for themselves.

Supreme admires the appearance of such Precures.

And she created Puka from within herself. Originally, Supreme and Puka were completely the same entity (Supreme), but they separated into two entities.

This caused a rift and change in her being.

Depending on how you look at it, you could say that she went from being perfect to being imperfect, but personally, I find her imperfections more appealing than her perfect self.

Don't you think "imperfect" means "human"?

──Lastly, I felt that the design was reminiscent of the first generation (Futari wa Pretty Cure), with Supreme's color being black and Puka's color being white.

I think so.

It's not an homage to "Futari wa PreCure," but I thought it might be a beautiful ending to the 20th anniversary movie.

This is just a matter of how the movie looks.

──Why did both of them become Precures?

I think that's the "miracle of Pretty Cure".

WASHIO Takashi-san, the founder of the PreCure series, said to me while I was making this movie, "I want you to stop portraying admiration for Precures as evil," which was also a big inspiration.

Supreme has done a lot of incredibly annoying things, including destroying and re-creating our world.

However, when asked if she is an evil being, I have a slightly different image of her than an evil being.

More than anything, she wanted to become a Precure.

I wanted to save her that feeling.

I wanted the children to look up to Precures, so I felt like I shouldn't deny Supreme's feelings.

──What is the answer that the production team gave to the question “What is Precure?”

After much discussion, one of our answers was "Connect," which is also our catchphrase, because Precures have been connecting generations and feelings for 20 years.

However, when asked "What is Precure?", I ended up saying, "I don't really understand."

It's a series that has connected many people's feelings, so I think it's impossible to sum up the answer to the question of what Pretty Cure is in one word.

There are as many different types of PreCure as there are PreCure works, and we didn't want the production side to force us to say, ``This is what PreCure is!'' or to give a narrow answer.

The idea was to ask the movie audience a question within the movie, and leave it up to them to answer the question, ``What is PreCure?''

And I think it's important to connect this to the future. Be flexible when it comes to change, while preserving what needs to be protected. I think it's important to change with the times. If we do that, more new PreCures that we can't even imagine now may be created in the future.

[clotpolesonly]

i finished The Inheritance Games last night (which was great fun, i recommend it) and now i'm in my feels cuz it's another series about brothers and their relationship and them against the world, and the Hawthorne brothers remind me so so strongly of the Lynch brothers

but in a way it felt like the comfort to the dreamer trilogy hurt because the Hawthorne brothers TRUST each other, and it ended up highlighting just how much the Lynch brothers don't

how much intimacy and comfort and support they missed out on by having so many secrets and so much bad blood between them

now i'm SAD

the Hawthorne brothers were feeding meeeee with all their dumb brotherly shenanigans and inside jokes and little childhood rituals and all the stuff that i wanted so bad for the Lynches to have, but they just didn't cuz we never got to see them when they were actually getting along with each other

where are their childhood code words? the secret handshakes? the pacts they made and still hold to to this day even though they're super stupid? the inside jokes and embarrassing stories they drag out over and over again?

the were friends once, and the series ends with them friends again, but we never actually get to SEE it 😭

[rstarsims3]

Hi! What tutorials helped you learn how to mesh clothes in Blender? Or what tutorials or tips would you recommend? Thank you

Hi,

I've watched a lot of character modelling videos on YouTube to get better acquainted with Blender. What I can recommend for you to watch is this 10-part tutorial by Darrin Lile. The creator even provides the images he's working with which makes his workflow easier to follow. The notions you'll learn here will help you create basically anything in Blender, from a bed to a crop top to a bridge.

Another good series you can watch -and specifically made for creating clothing in TS3 - is this one by Lyralei.

Once you're more comfortable with Blender, you can search all kinds of tutorials (like how to mesh flowers, coats, skirts, pillows, etc)., if you're interested and need further clarification.

What I strongly recommend is for you to export the EA game meshes and break them apart in Blender to see how the dev team has approached the category you're interested in. At the beginning, I wouldn't look too much at anyone's meshes except EAs because every creator has their own style and views over what a reasonable polycount is (you can have the same skirt at 2k or 4k- for instance, depending on how much detail you want to add to the mesh). But it is useful to look at other creator's meshes when you deal with transparency, for example.

You can also try to convert CAS stuff from TS4 if you have the possibility. This helped me a lot in getting used to meshing in general because, while being similar to TS3s, their meshes are a bit more detailed (a belt is often painted on the mesh in TS3, but in TS4 the belt will be meshed).

Another important process in Blender is UV mapping. Because it's TS3 and you can't get away with wonky and stretched textures -as long as you make your stuff recolorable, that is - you need to pay special attention to this part.

In general, for Blender I'd say:

keep your polycount in check; too detailed/high poly meshes will "explode" in the game;

close the openings on a mesh (where the sleeves, pants or skirts/dresses end); I also UV unwrap these and find them a spot on the UV layout to make the textures more cohesive.

avoid using the "subdivision surface" modifier as it increases the polycount too much;

try to delete as much of the body under the clothing mesh as possible (I'm also doing this part in Blender for a while now and it's a lot better, easier and more precise to crop it; it helps a lot with avoiding clipping too);

for baggy clothing you can use a plane or cylinder to start with; for skin-tight clothes you can use the EA body meshes ((like in the second link);

If you're really set on creating custom clothing -and sharing your stuff- I'd get used to some good practices from the beginning (because we humans tend to get used to do things one way and keep at that from there on):

create all the LODs required for your item (if it's clothing you'll need all these three: HLOD, MLOD and LLOD) and load them into TSRW. This way your carefully crafted blouse won't change into a t-shirt when zooming out in the game.

in TSRW leave only the maps/images you created for your item. Delete everything else.

for every LOD in TSRW, go to Mesh -> HLOD (MLOD, LLOD)-> Material and load your maps by using Browse. Don't import over the same map again.

textures are really important and the more time you spend working on them, the better your item will look. It's very useful to know how to create normal maps as they add depth to your mesh.

never export packages directly from TSRW as it doesn't compress your file the way it does for sims3pack files. Export as sims3pack, use S3RC to compress it further, then use the Sims 3 Pack Extractor to convert into packages.

Note: When I say TS3 and TS4 meshes, what I'm referring to is meshes from the games, not CC. Also what you're going to learn here is how to make Maxis-Match content for TS3, which I do 90% of the time. The only differences is that my textures are usually more "alpha" looking. I've got a similar ask a while ago if you want to check it out.

The most important thing is to keep at it and don't get discouraged. All this info might seem like a lot now but with practice you'll get used to it. Start with something easy like a tube top and see how it goes. If you have any more questions you can contact me again, either through ask or through DM if you feel comfortable.

Hope this helps!

[crimsonicarus]

A Fever You Learn To Live With part 3 of the Loving a God is Only a Tragedy if The God Does (Not) Love You Back

It's here! It took a while buts it's finally posted, @readingbythestreetlights happy belated birthfay bestie, this fic wouldn't even exist if it wasnt for you. I love you to pieces and I hope you get to experience noting but love this year.

The fic also has a playlist and I strongly recommend checking part 2 of the series for context

His name didn't matter. He was Helios once until he was forgotten and renamed, they changed his identity. But it was okay. He was adored, he was Apollo. His lover chose to call him Nico in this life, and he was no longer worshipped, it was better. He was loved.

But Jenson smiled at him, and he was so beautiful, like the day they met, like the day Nico fell in love with him, beautiful as the day he died, beautiful as the day Nico found him again.

read it here!

[katkat030]

YOU HAVE A FANFIC????

GIMME GIMME GIMME

(a man after midnight--)

You are in for the ramble of all rambles >:D

Okay I am smiling from ear to ear right now prepare for me to talk (type?) your ears off

it’s. yeah it's Ethubs. (ding ding! you got it *finger guns*)

I'm writing a fic based on the DBHC au (Detroit Become Hermitcraft au) story/comics by Shepscapades here on Tumblr! If you're not familiar with it, I highly recommend you check it out! I have SUCH brainrot and the storyline and art are so compelling.

Here's the masterpost if you wanna check it out once I'm done rambling!

I also want to stress this isn't my au - only the explanation and snippets of my little story is my own work. :) All credit goes to Shepscapades for all that and the brainrot

- DBHC spans Hermitcraft (seasons 8 and onwards) and the Life Series (note that all androids were absent from Third Life due to not being created yet)

- It makes use of the android mechanics from the video game Detroit Become Human <- don't worry about that part just yet though :)

- Most major post-Season 7 events seem to still be canon here, and there's a lot of other things going on in each of the androids' - and hermits' - lives (and trauma. </3. yeah. Etho and so many others are Going Through It), often as a consequence of those events.

Anyone new to the au should probably have a look at this illustrated guide post You don't have to read all of it, but I strongly suggest at least checking out the "Guide to Androids", "Deviancy" and even the "Interfacing" sections for proper context!

rambles under the cut >:) I promise I'm keeping it to a minimum. and then some snippets!!

(edit: the cut isn’t cutting, I think)

BASICALLY At some point around Season 8, Xisuma designs androids (like Mumbo, Etho, Impulse and Doc) to assign to some of the hermits (Grian, Bdubs, Pearl and Ren to name a few) for help with everything from building to terraforming. Everything goes relatively smoothly, up until... the androids begin to deviate. <- hence why I linked this post earlier!

This isn't entirely necessary for anything other than understanding the characters and the overarching narrative a bit more, but if you do want further context + cool art + a small break from my rambles, here (1), here (2) and here (3) are really good comics that sorta explain how DBHC Ethubs' relationship starts, and here (4) is the first part of Etho's first deviancy! uh. So like things happened here. Don’t worry about that being labelled first. Or it not being at all normal for an android to deviate twice. Or what situation caused it. Uh. Yeah. :���)

Otherwise you're welcome to just read on!

I'm writing an incredibly fluffy (and there's angst now too hehe) oneshot on the two of them.

They've been planting saplings for Bdubs’ Season 10 forest (Etho was originally designed to help with terraforming and that, after all) and it's late afternoon, so, Bdubs being Bdubs, he's tired.

And tired people are clingy, they let their guard down a bit, they start giving in slightly to things they don't have enough energy to fight.

Like the urge to reach out and go hey, come back, I actually want you to play with my hair, I want you to lie with me in the sunshine, I want to listen to the sound of your android heart (thirium pump) because it's a reassurance that even though my eyes are closed you're still nearby, I want you here, and I'm going to hang on to you because I don't ever want you to leave again.

I half-wrote that little summary of my fic a little while back as a proof of concept but. Yeah.

This is Bdubs talking, if it isn’t clear:

>:) Not sure if you're familiar with how Bdubs' Last Life ended, and how it could have been avoided. Or how much I'm allowed to say on what happened afterwards until we cross over into spoilers territory. But uh. Yeah. Normal and fine and not at all insane over this. <- that's a blatant lie

Don't worry though!! I said fluff for a reason; I don't think this quite crosses over into "crack treated seriously" territory (only saying that because I'm sorta working on something Ethubs-related that 100% DOES hehe) but the second half is panning out to be incredibly silly. I just think they deserve it after everything they've been through (this post makes me all levels of insane.)

Aaaaaanyway, snippets :D

Something I want to add: he isn’t entirely human. Like as much as he acts and feels and functions like one… yeah.

Tired 👏people👏give👏into👏things👏they👏don’t👏have👏the👏energy👏to👏fight

Bonus: a friend tried grabbing my phone from my hand while typing a little while ago and… this happened

OH I nearly forgot! It has a title :)

“home, home again (i like to be here when i can)”

song lyrics from Time by Pink Floyd (beware loud bells until about 40 seconds in)

I’ll publish it on ao3 under katkit03 when it’s done! May cross post it to tumblr for convenience :)

please lmk what you think, this is my first time writing a fanfic!!!

[gurokichi]

I could never become bored of you, not that easily, at least! You are my Bon, you can't get rid of me that easily <3

Yeah, I got 2 kitties! Both of them are boys, and their names are Pickle and Bean! Maybe one day you'll get to see pictures of them! I also have a dog, snails, isopod, beetles, chickens, and hermit crabs! Got a bit of a zoo around here!

I'll definitely watch some of your suggestions, and I will be sure to tell you my thoughts! Just another excuse to talk to you!

I will hopefully be posting on my blog again soon, and I am so excited to now that I know you will be watching my blog (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

I mainly read fiction, distopian, and horror/gore. But also, like when books have lgbt+ characters, and have read a few Manga! I just borrowed a book from a friend called "The Corpse Queen" by Heather M. Herrman, I strongly suggest it, I've also just started reading a GL Manga series called "Whisper Me a Love Song" and so far have been really enjoying it!!! I like plants in many ways, I learn about plants, I grow both indoor and outdoor plants, and I have a fascination with all living or once living things,,, and they happen to fit in that category too!!! I don't think I could pick just one flower as my favorite, but I do enjoy Asters a lot! Bleeding hearts? awe, it makes sense that a sweetie like you would love a poisonous flower!

What video games do you like to play? I'd love to hear all about your current favorite game! What part of history do you like so much? Oh and you collect things too! I would love to hear all about your little hoards 💕

-Dolly

I’M YOUR BON?? ASJHFSHBHKHGSGHFHJKSHLJS (＞＜)

Okay. Anyways. Sorry, got a lil excited there... I’m your Bon, and you’re my Doll!! All mine!!! I’m glad to hear that you wouldn’t get bored and leave. I’d do anything to make sure my precious doll stays with me!

AWH, they sound so darling. You have so many… how do you keep up with all of them??That’s really cool, though! You definitely have some uncommon pets.

I’m excited to hear your thoughts (๑>◡<๑)

I will definitely be watching my doll’s blog! How could I not? Anyone would find it hard to take their eyes off you. Besides, I’d love to see more of your posts when you decide to go back to it.

Ah, those are all good genres! Thank you for the recommendation, and I’ll check out the manga you mentioned later. Asters are gorgeous; my doll has great taste in flowers!!

I usually prefer games with long stories. I like RPGs and visual novels the most! I find pixel art really nice to look at, so a lot of my favorite games feature that. I’ve been playing through a farming sim called Fields of Mistria lately; it’s been really enjoyable so far! The best way I could describe it is as a mix of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. As for my current favorite games, they’re probably… Minecraft, Danganronpa, Persona 5 Royal, and Identity V. I’m not finished playing through P5R, but I like it so far. I’m currently replaying and trying to get all achievements in every Danganronpa game! I’ve finished Trigger Happy Havoc, and I’m now working on Goodbye Despair. Having a bit of trouble though, because I have a friend I’m sharing my Steam library with who is ALSO playing through the Danganronpa games. I can’t play the games until they get off, bleh. AH, I also started a playthrough of Red Dead Redemption 2. I suck ass at it. I ended up punching my horse when trying to get on it. I also drew my gun on it multiple times. So sorry to my horse, it did not deserve that. It took me like 10 minutes and frantic googling to figure out how to get back on my horse after I accidentally got off (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Do you play any videogames? If you do, I’d love to hear about what you like to play.

Ah, I just like history in general. I love to learn about things. Some things that caught my interest for awhile in the past though are torture/execution methods, the Chernobyl disaster, the Carrington event, WW2, old medical treatments, and Greek mythology. I haven’t been into history as much lately.. so I probably couldn’t explain anything here well.

I do collect stuff! I have a collection of various plushies, figurines, keychains, and knickknacks stored in my room. I think my favorite things that I own are probably my jar of uranium glass and this stunning piece of bismuth I got just a couple weeks ago. I’d like to start a full on collection of uranium glass, but that’s expensive, and I have no idea where I’d put it. Uranium glass is absolutely gorgeous, though! I hope to at least get a couple more pieces in the future.

[vedavan]

💙 "And The World Was Gone"💙

One shot, rated M (for mature themes dealing with grief and loss)

Summary:

Several months after Exegol, Rey finds herself waiting once again. But this time, it's for Ben.

But she's not worried. He did make her a promise, after all.

***

This is an angsty companion piece to my reincarnation/soulmate TRoS fix-it fic, "I'll be the light and lead you home". I strongly recommend reading that story first (linked as Part 1 of this series) to understand why this is really a happily ever after, albeit a bittersweet one. However, it can be read as an angsty post-TRoS standalone, if you so choose.

Please mind tags.

Link to AO3 here

[booksandabeer]

Hi. First of all, you’re amazing and you’re doing God’s work for us. Second, could you please recommend me some time-travel fics? I think I already read a few well known ones, and was wondering if there’s more? Also, it’s usually both or Bucky who time-travels, is there fics where Steve goes alone instead?

Hello Stranger!

Thanks for the ask and your very kind words. I live to serve! 😉

Now. The first thing I need to do here, is to point you towards this excellent rec list by @voylitscope There are a lot of very good fics on it and I strongly recommend you check it out.

I also want to apologize again for the long wait. I had a busy week and when I finally sat down to put together this list, I realized fairly quickly that almost 90% of it was comprised of some sort of EG-Fix-It fics. Just the idea of writing up my thoughts on all of them felt exhausting and saddening to me, so I scrapped the whole thing and started over. So without further ado, here are 7 fics featuring timey-wimey stuff that I have read and very much enjoyed and 3 more that I've yet to read, but can't wait to get to because they look amazing:

sun peeking through the sky series by dontcallmebree | M, 16K (2 Parts)

Author's summary: Steve clears his throat, curling his hands into fists to hide them. “Alright, say I believe you. Hell, you’re here. So what?”

Scott pins him with an unshakable stare, alive and unyielding. He never realized Scott could be so intense. Sam was the one who knew Scott better, but then again, Sam was always the better one of the two of them. “Look, the place I was in—the quantum realm—it messes with time, it lets you go back.”

Steve wants to throw him out.

A post-IW, twice-over canon divergent series. In the first part, Scott and the Ant Fam (or what's left of it post-Snap) burst into a heavily depressed Steve's existence and slowly turn it into something resembling a life again, and together they hatch a plan to save the world. What that plan entails? I'm not going to spoil it here, but let's just say it's much more clever and original, not to mention more logical and emotionally satisfying than anything that happened in EG. It's a quietly humorous, suspenseful, heartbreaking, and at times brutally tender series about finding and accepting second chances when you least expect them.

To Live It Again Is Past All Endeavor by trinityofone | T, 21 K

Author's summary: Time travel bodyswap! Present-day Steve and Bucky wake up back in their old bodies in 1938, while past Steve and Bucky wake in a future where they're both built like comic book heroes and Bucky's got what he thinks is a swell future robot arm. Adventures are had, and the ethics of time travel are debated. Also, everyone trash talks Willem de Kooning.

A story that really drives home some hard emotional truths while never entirely losing its light touch. Accompany Steve and Bucky as they travel into the future AND the past, and discover their once and future selves. I call this fic "the clairvoyant one" because it features Steve and Bucky contemplating staying in the past and a subsequent discussion of the ethics and purpose of time travel that had me frantically scroll back up and check that, yes, this fic was indeed written all the way back in 2014. I then proceeded to lose my mind a little bit because it is such an eerily specific and accurate rebuttal to Steve's EG ending that I'm more than half convinced the author has clairvoyant abilities.

Where All Roads Lead by DrowningByDegrees | E, 46K

Author's summary: When Steve Rogers inadvertently touches a relic in the course of a mission gone sideways during WWII, he’s catapulted seventy years into the future. Before he's even sure where he's ended up, his search for help puts him in contact with Bucky Barnes, a historian and college professor who has built a career around studying Captain America. With Bucky's help, Steve means to find out how exactly he ended up in 2017, and solve the bigger mystery of how to get home. There's just one problem. The closer they get to their goal, the less certain Steve is that he wants to go home.

A Shrunkyclunks AU where Steve accidentally time travels straight from WW2 to the 21st Century. It's funny and heartbreaking, well-written and cleverly plotted. Also features beautiful art by alby_mangroves that not only beautifully augments the story, but actually is a part of it, too.

The Restoration Artist by superheroresin | E, 109K

Author's summary: As a conservator of rare oil paintings for The Met, Steve Rogers thinks of himself part scientist, part archaeologist, but hardly an artist in his own right. Only when he’s faced with the daunting task of restoring a frozen painting from a recently unearthed Nazi art hoard does he start to feel his passion for the craft return. Before he has a chance to understand what that means, Steve is transported to the 1940’s, where he meets both The Winter Soldier himself, and his own destiny.

A Shrinkyclinks AU in which art conservator Steve travels through time to save Bucky... who has been trapped in a painting...? Mystery! Romance! Art Talk! I practically inhaled this thing in one go, despite the length. This is a really lovely story, full of clever ideas and twist and turns that will keep you guessing. And on top of that you'll learn a whole lot about art restoration! What's not to love?

the world on fire by burlesquecomposer | M, 62K

Author’s summary: Steve loves old vinyl records, doodles on his files, and cannot remember a time that he didn't serve the TVA. And that suits him just fine—that is, until stray variant Bucky Barnes, fresh out of HYDRA's grasp, drops into his time theater and makes Steve question everything he believes in.

A really well written fic that has time travel and variants and alternate timelines and parallel universes and... you get it. A whole lot of timey wimey stuff, but the author keeps track of it all and ties up everything beautifully in the end. A super fun premise, clever plotting, wonderful characterizations, and a firm grasp on the SteveBucky dynamic in every incarnation/iteration/variation. It's a really lovely fic and I think it deserves a lot more love and attention.

On the Cover of Dawn by adeepeningdig | T, 6K

Author's summary: “Listen,” Bucky says again, and pads to Steve, book still in hand. “I’d sell my soul for that/fawn/of a boy night walker/to sound of the ‘ud & flute playing/who saw the glass in my hand said/“drink the wine from between my lips.” He kisses Steve then, insistent, tongue sweeping into his mouth, body to body. Steve buckles beneath it. Two stories. One poem.

I'm cheating a little with this one... maybe. To be perfectly honest, I don't really know what's going on here even after I read this several times. Is it time travel? An alternate universe? Reincarnation? None of it at all? The thing is, I'm not sure the reader is meant to definitively know or understand what exactly is happening, and ultimately, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is the poignancy, the beautiful, at times lyrical language, and the reassurance that Steve and Bucky will find and love each other in every possible universe and incarnation. Also features one of my favorite George Barnes scenes ever.

From Tralfamadore, With Love by newsbypostcard | E, 106K | Part 1 in From Tralfamadore series

Author's summary: In 2018, Steve, Sam, and Bucky embark on a mission to explore a Hydra-owned warehouse when a kid with mutant powers sends Steve 18 years into the future. Steve's just as in love with Bucky as he was when he left, but for Bucky it's been a long 18 years. As he gets used to life in 2036 and the flaws in Bucky's idyllic life expose themselves, Steve also has to manage a suspiciously ubiquitous security force, a Brotherhood of Mutants, and old competing loyalties among his aged friends. There's a Bucky in 2018 waiting for him to come home, but if he does that, it means leaving this Bucky behind for a third, unforgivable time. How can he choose?

Yes yes, I recced this not too long ago, I know. But there is simply no way in hell that I'm going to put together a time travel rec list and NOT include this fic. The summary is pretty self-explanatory, and I really don't want to reveal anymore than that. Much of the tension and emotional drama in this fic comes from not knowing what's going to happen, and from desperately guessing at how on earth the author is going to solve Steve's impossible dilemma. I loved the way the author explored the relationship of a Steve and a Bucky who have been separated for two seconds and 18 years, respectively. Also, possibly the best use of a Fleetwood Mac song in fanfic ever.

🕰 +3 To Reads:

Savage God by PottersPink | M, 36K

Author's summary: Past, present, future, Steve knows Bucky Barnes. It’s why he recognized him when he found him in that alley in April of 1942, even though Bucky was older, stronger, wearier; he called himself The Asset, and had a metal fucking arm. The Asset was only with Steve in 1942 for a few days, but it’s enough to change the course of Steve’s life forever.

Seventy years later, Steve wakes up in the twenty-first century, and he doesn’t know whether to be heartbroken or hopeful when some of the things Bucky revealed to him in 1942 start falling into place.

Every You, Every Me by Starshot | E, 48K

Author's summary: Desperate to follow when Bucky ships out to war in 1943, Steve volunteers for Project Rebirth, an experimental program meant to turn him into the world’s first super-soldier. Instead it fails, leaving him with a condition dubbed “Chrono-Impairment” which sees him travelling uncontrollably through time, to random points in both his and Bucky’s lives.

But with Bucky brainwashed into working for HYDRA, and Steve living life on the run, torn between his own time and Bucky’s, will they ever find the happy ending they so desperately desire? (AKA the Stucky AU based on the book, "The Time Traveler’s Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger)

a day in the life by powerfulowl (StuckyFlangst) E, 20K

Author's summary: Steve wakes to the sound of someone moving about in the kitchen below him. He lies for a few moments, trying to recall—a dream?

He looks over at the nightstand and there is a piece of card propped up there. He reaches out to take it.

You are Captain America. You are Steve Rogers. It is 1956. You are married to Peggy Rogers, nee Carter. You live in New Jersey. Sometimes you have trouble remembering.

Steve Rogers wakes up on Tuesday October 30 1956, and doesn't seem to remember his life that well. Why does every day feel so familiar? And why does he keep getting visited by tall, dark, handsome men who remind him of Bucky?

____________

You can always send more asks for fic recs if you want. I love inflicting my taste on everybody else!

[bi-fiend]

Hey! I’ve never watched an anime series apart from Avatar stuff, if that counts. Do you have an anime series to recommend? I strongly prefer dubs over subs, and I like fantasy. Thanks !

Might I suggest delicious in dungeon? It's about a dnd party cooking and eating monsters in a dungeon, as they save their leader's sister from a red dragon's stomach before it digests her. it is on Netflix!

Below are some more anime recs with short summaries and where to watch them, keep in mind I'm shit at summaries ↓↓↓

Mob Psycho 100: middle school student, shigeo kageyama just wants to live a normal life, Despite his psychic powers. He is taken advantage of for said powers by a con man pretending to be a psychic, reigen arataka. He runs a business called Spirits and Such, where he (mostly mob) (that's shigeo's nickname) exorcises spirits bothering his clientele. Mob's powers are also a good metaphor for autism, I think it's canon that mob's autistic? Anyway, it's fuckin' fantastic. I love this. And I love mob?? Forever and platonically?? It's on Netflix, Hulu and Crunchyroll (season 1 is free but 2 & 3 need a premium subscription)

Sk8 The Infinity: high school student Reki introduces his new friend Langa to skateboarding, and. I can't recommend you watch this enoughm despite the simple premise I gave, it's fucking fantastic! I can't put these feelings into words!Please! It is free on Crunchyroll with ads, but the dubs after episode 3 require Crunchyroll premium.

Bocchi the Rock!: and here I thought mob was literally me! Hitori wants to be in a band, because in the words of the band that inspired her, a band is where an introvert can shine! She spent her days practicing and pouring her soul into the guitar, practicing to be ready to perform at her middle school's culture festival! But, well, in her own words,

"I practiced six hours every day, so I could learn how to play in front of people... The result? Middle school ended and I never played a single note for them! I never performed once... at the culture festival! I never put together... the members for a band! And I never made a single friend... In three whole years! Now, in high school... I gotta form a band or die trying! But, despite my vow, it's been a whole month since high school started, and yet my heart remains grounded in the guitar, little better than a shut in..."

Sasaki To Miyano:

Anyway, she joins a band and that's all I'm gonna say because thisssss is getting too long. She has social anxiety! Jus like me! And she has my exact fear for the future. it made me cry tears of deep unfocused fear and misery. It's free on Crunchyroll with ads, but there's no dub. But! But! I promise you it's worth a watch! The animation is great, the voice acting is great, the humor is great, the characters are great, the story inspires me to get my shit together (thus great), and the SONGS? OUGGGHHH DONT GET ME STARTED ON THE SONGS. THSI ANIME SINGLEHANDEDLY MADE ME REALIZE HOW MUCH I LOVED MUSIC. IVE CRIED AT SOME OF THE SONGS FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. EVEn if you don't watch the anime, at least listen to the soundtrack! try Rock'n roll, Morning Light Falls On You! It's crack cocaine in song form! Thank you for coming to my ted talk!

oohhhhhhgodherewego

Alright first things first, this shits adorable. Understatement! High school student Miyano befriends this guy Sasaki, and he gets interested in the bl manga that miya reads, and he borrows one. Much to Miyano's surprise, he loved it! ohhhhhgod i can feel the hyperfixation taking hold once again over time, they start to fall in love. Yeah, it's BL!!!! Fuxk! I love yaoi! I love life! The world hath gained colour! Funny part is, uh.miya's straight. He contemplates things on front of his bookshelf of BL manga. Taking a line from a summary I saw on YouTube, reading bl manga everyday and having an entire bookshelf of bl manga, while saying "yeah I'm straight!" Is a special kind of in the closet. Anyway fuckkkkkkkkkkkki love thsi series soooooososososososoo much. I have RAMMED MY HEAD INTO A WALL BECAUSE OF THIS. I HAVE PACED THE LIVING ROOM LISTENING TO THE SOUNDTRACK LIKE RETIRED MIDDLE AGED DETECTIVE GOING THROUGH A DIVORCE HAUNTED BY A COLD CASE HE JUST CANT CRACK BECAUSE OF THIS. granted that was me going delirious with hungerSASAMIYA IS MY REASON TO LIVE. anyway it is unfortunately exclusively on Crunchyroll for a premium subscription, but you can READ it! Yeah its 10 volumes are online to read! for free! call your dentist, you will gain cavities! but I do hear the dub is phenomenal!

Sorry for yappin', and happy viewing if you decide to watch any of these! Can you tell sasamiya and bocchi are my faves?

[zyrafowe-sny]

I am once again strongly recommending @thegrimshapeofyoursmile's Strange Infatuations series. There's lots of interesting worldbuilding in the Nimona movieverse, subversion of the soulmates trope, and awful family backstory explaining why Ambrosius can't even request no olives on his nachos.