#i'm not gonna tag these fandoms though there's too many and it's too small a thing

[olderthannetfic]

Sad confession time. I very rarely accessed the email I used for AO3. I never bothered to check if the authors I subscribed to years ago ever posted anything. Lately, when I find an interesting story, I just visited the author's page to browse their other stories. When I have read everything, I leave their page and browse the tags again, and so on. For ongoing stories/stories I haven't commented on/stories I need to reread/authors whom I haven't browsed in full, I just keep my tabs open and refresh them to check if there are any updates. Those only amounted to 30 tabs (I consider this a small number).

I just checked my email inbox, and there were thousands of updates from 200 authors or so. There were a lot of updates for new stories from fandoms that I don't care about. It makes me think, how many authors will actually only post for fandoms that I'm interested in, after months and years? What are the chances of them landing in the same new interests as me? How many more emails am I gonna skip?

I'll probably start purging my subscription list. I'm probably just being emo right now but it feels like a goodbye to authors whom I used to love. I'm not gonna get new emails from them anymore.

Or am I just subscribed to too many authors? How many authors are you subscribed to? How often do you unsubscribe from authors you're no longer interested in?

--

I don't think I'm subscribed to any authors. I subscribe to a few WIPs.

If I like an author enough, I'll just try the canon for their new fandom though.

[das-a-kirby-blog]

alright, this goes out to you guys. just gonna build off of this post

(THIS IS ALL JUST MY OPINION, NOT FACT!)

soooo I think the reason there are so many contrasting headcanons is not only because of the open interpretations the games leave, but because of what kinds of kirby media people are introduced to at first. you got the main games, the anime, the mangas, the light novels, etc. which. wow that's a lot of material you can build on. AND CONSIDERING THE AMOUT OF LORE EACH OF THESE TOPICS ARE COOKING???? DAWG WH

and I GUESS I can understand why some hcs are so bizarre in other people's eyes. but the way this fandom handles those different headcanons is...a lil bad.

YES I KNOW THIS ISN'T SPECIFIC TO THE KIRBY FANDOM, but the whole reason why I'm making this is to at least understand why people take it so close to heart.

and. not calling anyone out. but I do see quite a lot of posts with people (critiquing? complaining?) about how popular headcanons "ruin" the fandom (and this goes with ships too, but I'll get into that later) and all I gotta ask is

does it really??? does it really ruin the fandom?

I'm just gonna say. no. it doesn't.

you are focusing on a small percentage out of...oh idk...AN ENTIRE FANBASE? at LEAST open up a little and find a new circle if it is bothering you that much. or better yet. BLOCK! filter out tags!

with the amout of differing kirby medias, please understand that there will be headcanons that will oppose yours and that's okay! just don't be a jerk about it!

--

NOW. with the ships. specifically metadede. gonna try to put my overwhelming bias aside for this one I promise.

though metadede is the most popular ship in the fandom, it still comes with it's critics. and some are. actually valid! such as their relationship doesn't immediately have to be romantic. it can be seen as platonic! and I can understand why people feel that way.

but things get sour when people immediately try to crap on it because in their eyes, and correct me if I'm wrong here, metadede overshadows every other ship in the fandom. you hardly get to hear about their rarepair because of how metadede is everywhere.

if you take a step back and really look. there is a reason it is so popular. because of the LARGE amounts of media they have together. in the games. in the mangas. in smash. in official art. I mean if you wanna count the anime go ahead.

what I'm trying to say here is that compared to any other character interactions, meta knight and dedede are definitely up there for the most interaction in the franchise. and I'm not trying to downplay any rarepairs or other ships with a smaller fanbase.

BUT DON'T BLAME THE SHIPPERS! they are only doing the same as anyone else, they are going off of what they are given by canon and simply building off of that.

though, because I am a metadede shipper myself, you can take this segment with a grain of salt.

---

in conclusion...people can have their different takes. and that's okay! having different opinions is what builds this fandom and draws the attention of so many. but please! do not take any of these takes personal!

If there is a point in here you would like to argue against or build on, feel free to do so. I'm open to any other views.

[gt-jar]

The poll is far from being over and the majority of the g/t community probably doesn't know about secret santa 2024 yet, but I wanna start with organizing everything as soon as possible!!!

I'm not gonna explain what secret santa is in general (or is that necessary?) and will skip to the important changes right away.

MAJOR CHANGES:

Here are a few things I want to exclude this year.

- fandom g/t (This secret santa is going to be for original artists/writers only. If your blog is centered around fandom g/t, no problem :) But the gift you're going to make has to be original!)

- vore (Sorry, guys! Last year only a small portion of participates was into vore, which will probably be the case this year too. And the chances of a vore blog drawing a giftee who's also into vore are so low that there's no point in including it. Also last year I was exposed to many different types of vore (the list you had to sent me) and... I want to avoid that this time. If your blog includes vore, no problem! But make sure it's tagged properly, if you want to participate, so your secret santa can block it in case it makes them uncomfortable.)

- nsfw (This one is a given. And doesn't count as change, since it wasn't allowed last year either, but I wanted to make this one clear. Also! Don't participate with a blog that includes nsfw stuff! I have 'NSFW DNI' in my bio for a reason!)

...

Something else I want to adress:

If you're going to participate I want you to take this event seriously.

What does that mean you ask?

Well, it means that you should put effort into the gift you're going make (and don't participate if you know you won't have the time, obviously) :)

I don't want people to think they can get a commission basically for free and can get away with spending like 10 minutues on the gift for their giftee...

How do I make sure that doesn't happen?

For writing it's easy. If you want to participate solely as a writer (or already know you're going to write a one-shot as a gift) the one-shot you're going to write has to have a certain word count. Aiming for at least 1k words.

When it comes to art, it unfortunately gets a little tricky, because you can't really measures art. Well you can based on the time you spent on it, but that's something I can't supervise and also depends on the artist's skill level. Speaking of skill level, I don't want to exclude anybody depending on their skill level nor do I want to discourage beginner artists, BUT!

You don't have to be a professional artist nor do you need years of experience to ensure (This mostly applies to traditional art. Digital art will be allowed as well, of course!):

- you erase something completely, if you need to use an eraser

- the pencil lines look clean and aren't smudged or wonky

- that if you use colored pencils the color is applied evenly (no visible pencil strokes, no paper showing)

- the drawing is on paper made for drawing and not writing (don't use checkered paper for example)

And I know anatomy is hard (I know shit about it myself, so who am I to judge?), but I believe it doesn't take years of anatomy lessons to not draw one arm/leg/eye twice as thick as the other.

And just so you know... if I can't find any art/writing on your blog, I won't let you participate.

Which brings me to one of the most important and drastic changes:

I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ENTRY TO ANYONE!

Sorry, not sorry!

Like I said in my last post, if I'm going to host secret santa this year, I want to guarantee the exchange runs soothly. Last year definitely taught me a lesson and now I know I was way too naive :)

I let anyone who wanted to participate, even though I never saw that person in the g/t community before, even though that person didn't have a g/t centric blog and I needed to scroll for ages to find a g/t related post/reblog (if I could find any at all), even though my guts were telling me 'maybe I shouldn't let that person participate'.... BIG MISTSKE!

Also this is something that @might-be-tiny-gt point out to me (and I'm kinda dumb for not looking at it from this perspective), but I want you to know that not a single one of the participates who never posted the gift for their giftee reached out to me to inform me about being unable to provide a gift, so yeah...

I won't be so lax this year!

...

There will also be some organizational changes, I'll go into more detail about it in a separate post (general guide how to participate), but something I want to adress now is the "Do's & Don't's" lists.

First of all, you won't send me your list/I won't send you the list of your giftee. Waaaaay too much unnecessary work for me.

All the participates are going to post it on their blog, so your secret santa can look it up for themself. But more on that later!

What's more important is the list itself. Something I noticed last year was that the people were waaaaaaaay too specific. Remember that the "Do's" are merely a suggestion for your secret santa, so me pointing this out isn't all that important, but if you're looking/hoping for something super specific as a gift, maybe you should look for people who are making commissions instead.

"Do's" are supposed to be things like general g/t genres, like romanctic/platonic relationships, fluff/angst/fearplay, shrinking/size-shifting, fantasy (fairies)/classic borrower stories, etc...

Or simple prompts like first meetings, giant finds tiny in the snow, sick fics and so on.

...

That was the most important information for now, I think...

If you want to participate, you can let me know already :)

So far not too many people have voiced that they want to participate, I hope that's going to change in the next few days, I also think last year was such a success (participate number wise) because some really popular g/t blogs reblogged my original post, and maybe it's not the best decision to post this when most of the g/t community is asleep, but... meh!

Let's get this party started!

[cosmxc-ars3hol3]

Oh, ashes, ashes, Dust to dust

Title - Oh, ashes, ashes, Dust to dust

Rating - General Audiences

Archive Warning - No Archive Warnings Apply

Category - M/M

Fandom - Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger

Relationship - Councillor Bronte/Fintan Pyren

Characters - Fintan Pyren, Councillor Bronte

Additional Tags - Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 03: Everblaze (Keeper of the Lost Cities)

Summary - ‘After Fintan burnt Oblivimyre down during his healing, he sneaks his way into Bronte’s Castle in Eternalia so he has somewhere to stay. Bronte decides to help him stay hidden/keep people thinking he’s dead.’

its gonna be a multi chapter (hopefully) fintante fic that my tumblr mutual kale gave me when i was bitching about the appalling lack of fintante fics on ao3 (thanks kale!)

‘Councillor! Are you okay?' A younger Bronte yelled out to the councillor.

‘Yes, I am fine. Thank you, Emissary Bronte,’ he replied. ‘I should’ve expected that to happen.’

Bronte sighed and gave a small chuckle.

Councillor Fintan had been attempting to create some fire, although it wasn’t a type that was known or studied. He was attempting to create a brand new type of fire. He called it ‘Balefire’ and said that his end goal was to make a fire that could sustain itself without fuel, contained inside of a crystal, just like the ones used for leaping. Bronte asked if he could sit in while he figured out how to design and create this idea.

What had just happened was that in one of Fintan’s many attempts at trying to bring his ideas to reality, the crystal had shattered and rained little glittering sparkles over the two of them. The crystal had made a loud bang as it broke, scaring Bronte to his feet.

‘Do you really think this can work, Fintan?’ Questioned Bronte.

‘Do you doubt me that much, Bronte?’ Responded Fintan.

The two elves locked eyes with each other, and Bronte was the one to break the slightly uncomfortable silence.

‘You’re right. I should doubt your vision, Councillor.’ 

Bronte said, stone cold, but Fintan could see his embarrassment on his face. Despite his tone, Bronte’s face was alight with red and rosy cheeks, and he was awkwardly looking away from Fintan, not wanting to meet his eyes as Fintan stared at him intensely.

‘Look at me, Bronte.’ Fintan asked, although it didn’t really feel like a request coming from the councillor.

Bronte still felt too embarrassed to meet his eyes, so he decided to look at Fintan’s circlet.

He first looked towards the sides of the circlet, golden metals making pretty patterns that led to the centre, where a crystal made of a sunset orange-coloured sunstone was set in place with smaller shards of red carnelian, the circlet demanding respect.

‘I said, Look at my eyes, Bronte. Not my circlet,’ Fintan commanded, assertive but not aggressive. Bronte looked a little further down Fintan’s face, down to his bright blue eyes.

Fintan’s gaze was both stern and calm, a complex display of emotions that made Bronte slightly uncomfortable looking into his eyes.

‘I'm sorry, councillor, for any disrespect; I didn't mean it.’ Bronte answered back.

‘'s ok, Bronte. I know you; I know you meant no offence by what you said. Be careful next time, though; not everyone is as nice as me.' Fintan said it with a teasing tone and a playful smirk. Bronte looked away again, and the blush returned after it had finally left his face alone.

~~~~~~~~~~

‘Bronte, hey Bronte.’ Fintan said, drawing Bronte out of his imagination.

He missed the days when Fintan was known for his goodness, his ability to help.

If only he had known how Fintan felt about the world, maybe he could have helped change everyone’s minds. Maybe Fintan could have never started a rebellion, changing so many lives.

Unlike not long ago, Fintan was now known for his bad acts, the all-consuming everblaze he learned how to summon, the rebellion he ended up leading. Bronte wished it was how it used to be. Fintan was a pillar of hope for people who were just like the two of them. 

Not many people knew for certain who he and Fintan were to each other. Now that Bronte thought about it, he realised that Oralie and Kenric reflected him and Fintan in a way, two councillors, in love, but both never stepped off together before it was too late. One of the striking differences was that Kenric and Oralie would’ve been a perfect pair, both in their souls and on their matching scrolls. He and Fintan would’ve never had that for themselves.

‘I’m sorry, Fintan. i got lost in my thoughts.’ Bronte responded after sometime

‘i get it. do you wanna talk about it while i try to fix up my injuries?’ Fintan added

‘maybe later, but you don’t have to try to fix your injuries by yourself,’ Bronte assured ‘hand me the cream and bandages, would you please, Fintan’

Fintan reached over to where the medical kit was resting, grabbing what Bronte needed with a little wince when he had to stretch to grab the bandages.

when Bronte saw that Fintan had what he needed, he walked closer and sat down behind him

[exitpursuedbyavulcan]

The Silver Dragon (40/?)

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Original Female Character

Word Count: 5527

Story Summary: Lady Arianwyn Targaryen, the Lady of Runestone, was seeded by her father, the Rogue Prince Daemon Targaryen, in an act of unbridled hatred, and borne of her mother, the late Lady Rhea Royce, as a desperate grasp at revenge.

Ignored by her father, and alone following the death of her mother, she is raised in King’s Landing alongside her cousin, Prince Aemond Targaryen. As they grow, the two find themselves indelibly bonded. But their lives are far from the fairy tales they read, and as tensions in the family rise, they find their paths may diverge.

Will they be pulled apart when the dragons dance?

Chapter Summary: Aemond and Arianwyn mount their dragons to fly in separate directions. But not before saying goodbye.

Warnings: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 18+ MINORS DNI

Author's Note:

I definitely took liberties with the Valyrian translations here, but there aren't words for exactly what I want to say, so I just get as close as possible.

And I wanted to give y'all a heads up that the next two chapters are probably gonna take longer than usual. At the moment, I'm anticipating them being in the 10K words range (oops!) since I don't want to split them into multiple chapters. So it may be a few days, but I promise you'll like them!

Also... hope y'all enjoyed a little spice 😉

Series Masterlist

Taglist: @thelittleswanao3 @trap-house-homiecide @50svibes @literishdegree99 @dc-marvel-girl96 @henriettadreaming @multiple-fandoms-girl @gyuxmilk @somemydayy @kittykylax @whore-of-many-hot-men @slavicvvitch @crazymusicgirl104

(Please let me know if your tag isn't working, and I'll do my best to correct it! And if you would like to be added to the list, just shoot me an ask!)

The Long Goodbye

Arianwyn had so many admirable qualities.

She was brave. She was strong. She was clever. She was kind. And so much more besides. Aemond could sing her praises forever.

What she was not, however, was skilled with a blade.

Not in the slightest.

In fact, she was very near to hopeless.

It had been a massive struggle just to get her to hold the blade properly without dropping it. Though it was the smallest one he could find, the hilt was still too large for her – made for the rough hands of the knights and guards of the castle, not the small, smooth grip of a Princess. It had not helped that every time she huffed in frustration or yelped in fear that she had cut herself (which she had miraculously avoided), the attention of the entire training yard fell upon them, making her even more nervous than she already was.

She had only begun to relax when more of her Runestone guards appeared and, sensing her shyness, moved to block the spectators’ view. By the time all twelve were there, they had all but formed a wall around her and Aemond, granting them the privacy they needed to make even the smallest amount of progress.

Still, Aemond noticed each wince and frown from the Valeman every time Arianwyn lost her grip, tripped, or missed her target completely. Yet they were loyal enough to swallow most of their reactions and applauded heartily whenever Arianwyn did hit land a hit or managed a lunge without tumbling into the dirt. Every time they called to her with words of encouragement, she blushed with pride.

Though perhaps the red on her cheeks was simply from exertion. After yet another failed attack on their training dummy, which she missed spectacularly, striking with her elbow rather than her blade, she sighed heavily and dropped her head.

“How I ever managed to hit Daemon instead of gutting myself, I’ll never know,” she grumbled. Then, angrily, she threw down the dagger and took another swipe at the dummy with her fist, but she only managed to make contact with Aemond’s shoulder.

“Careful!” he warned, rolling his shoulder. It hadn’t actually hurt – Arianwyn was nearly as weak as she was apparently clumsy. But her ego had been bruised enough today without him mentioning it. “Keep your eyes on your target, and your weapon should follow.”

She rolled her eyes. “If it’s that easy, why have I only hit this gods-damned thing five times today?”

Aemond had no answer for that. He didn’t understand it himself.

“You have actually landed six blows, your Highness,” called Ser Trevor from where he stood by the wall. “I’ve been counting!”

Overlapping calls for the young knight to be silent immediately erupted from the other eleven knights, but they again fell silent when Arianwyn turned to him. But there was no anger in her face, only exasperation.

“And how many times have I missed, Trevor?” she asked.

The poor young knight blanched when he beheld the silent threat in Prince Aemond’s eyes as he glared at him from over Arianwyn’s shoulder. “I…I have not been counting that, your Highness.”

“How good of you,” Aemond muttered before placing the dagger back in his wife’s hand. “Just keep trying, my love. The more you practice, the better you will be.”

Arianwyn glanced at the weapon in her hand, then back up at her husband. A smile crept across her lips for the first time in more than an hour. “The more I practice,” she said quietly, so as to be heard by only him, “the more tired I will be tonight.”

He took half a step closer to her, lips pursing as he struggled to maintain his composure. But there was no mistaking the darkening of his eye. “Then you will sleep well. It would be wise – you would be rested and ready for your journey.”

“You have always been so practical, Aemond,” she replied with no small amount of annoyance.

Under the guise of brushing something off his jacket, she laid her hands on his chest. “But at this rate, I will be too exhausted to even say goodbye to you, jorrāelagon valzȳrys.  Kesan daor sagon able naejot vūjigon ao ēva īlon both māzigon aril.” Dear Husband. I will not be able to kiss you until we both come back.

Aemond’s mouth fell slightly open, and he took a shaking breath, holding her hand over the dagger’s hilt. “Pār nyke pendagon istiti sagon tetan syt tubī.  Kesan henujagon ao lēda aōha egros, se jorepagon emā daor jorrāelagon naejot gaomagon ziry.” Then I think we must be finished for today. I will leave you with your blade, and pray you have no need to use it.

She looked up at him, silver eyes brimming with gratitude. “Gaomagon daor henujagon nyke sepār yet, ñuha jorrāelagon.  Daor ēva emi daor tolie iderennon” Do not leave me just yet, my love. Not until we have no other choice.

“Hen rhinka daor, ñuha dōna ābrazȳrys,” he replied, looking over her head and nodding a dismissal to the guards. Of course not, my sweet wife.

He waited until only two – their escorts for the day – remained, and had averted their eyes, to look back down and give her a short, chaste kiss. “Sir, issi ao sīr ēdrugī bona istin gryves ao naejot ēdrugon, iā kostagon geron konīr aōla?” Now, are you so tired that I must carry you to bed, or can you walk there yourself?”

Arianwyn did not hesitate to choose being carried.

Nor did Aemond hesitate to lift her, sliding one hand beneath her knees while the other cradled the small of her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold herself steady, and the brush of her cool fingers against his skin was exhilarating.

He was careful to ensure that her dress stayed in place around her, so that only the tips of her slippers could be seen by anyone who looked upon them. He was still a Prince and a pious one at that. He would not have anyone see his wife in any improper state. Even her stocking-covered ankles were only for his eyes.

She was only slightly less concerned about propriety than he was. While she never did anything while others were around, whenever they found themselves alone (save for the two Runestone guards that followed them) in one of the halls, she peppered his face and neck with quick, teasing kisses.

It amused her to no end how hard Aemond was fighting with himself not to kiss her back. Each time she pressed her mouth to the sensitive spot just under the corner of his jaw, he instinctively turned to meet her lips. The look on his face when he bit his tongue and forced himself to turn away from her was nothing less than thrilling.

By the time they reached their chambers, she had driven him so mad that he kicked the door open, startling the servants that were midway through packing their saddlebags.

“Out,” he commanded, hardly looking at them before striding across the room to their bedchamber door. “Now.”

Brynna huffed and would have placed her hands on her hips menacingly had she been able. “We are not finished preparing for your journeys tomorrow, my Prince,” she said, even as Kirin and Elsie sprinted out the door.

“Then I suggest you do so quickly,” Aemond grumbled, fumbling to open the door when Arianwyn was so eagerly unbuttoning his jerkin to access his collarbones. “I do not imagine… ah! Aria, can you not wait a single moment?” he scolded as she brought her lips up to his so fast he had to roughly jerk his head back to avoid the kiss.

She pouted and buried her face in his chest, allowing him to turn back to Brynna. “I suggest you do so quickly, as I do not imagine you wish to hear what I am planning to do.”

He could not tell whether the maid was impressed or horrified. Either way, he did not care. He had finally gotten the door open, and he wasn’t going to waste a moment before getting Arianwyn on the bed.

Brynna was seething as she turned to chase after the others to retrieve them. “Just don’t rip anything on that dress,” she shouted over her shoulder, “it is new!”

Arianwyn laughed into his ear. “You’re in trouble!” she practically sang as he dropped her unceremoniously onto the bed. She had not stopped bouncing before she was back on him, kissing him fiercely while her hands slid into his to guide them to the laces on her back.

“No, my love,” he chided, tearing his hands from hers and flexing each one as they tingled with the desire to rip the silly dress to shreds. “Brynna said no ripping. And if I undress you… I don’t intend to provoke more wrath than I already have.”

She whined pitifully, leaning back on her knees. “Aemond…”

“I’ll make you a deal,” he said, cupping her chin in his palm. “You will undress yourself. And for every item you remove, I will also take off one of mine.”

Though her brow remained furrowed in frustration, there was no mistaking the twinkle in her eyes that showed she was more than happy with the arrangement. “I wear far more than you do,” she teased.

Aemond laughed and stepped back until he was out of her reach. “Then you will be satisfied well before I am. One more rule: there will be no touching until we are both bare. Do you think you can handle that?”

As a wicked smile spread across her lips, Arianwyn nodded and stood at the foot of the bed. Then, never breaking eye contact with her husband, she reached up and removed her necklace, letting the silver chain fall onto the carpet. Then, she raised her brows at him expectantly.

“I don’t think jewelry counts,” he chastised. Though he did appreciate the sight of her bare neck, especially now that her bruises had faded to yellow rather than deep purple.

Arianwyn balked, though it was clear she remained quite pleased with herself. “That wasn’t one of the rules. And you can’t change the rules once we’ve started the game.”

He wanted nothing more than to kiss that stupid, smug smirk off her face. But he had made the ‘no touching’ rule, so he had to follow it. He licked his lips and bared his teeth before returning the smile. “Very well.”

Then he reached down and unsheathed his dagger, tossing it on the rug beside her necklace.

She rolled her eyes. “Surely that and its belt count as one item.”

He raised his brow. “‘That wasn’t one of the rules.’”

“So that’s how we’re playing this,” she crooned, with a cheeriness that let Aemond know he had just lost this game.

She removed a single earring.

Oh yes, he had definitely lost.

He took his sword from its sheath and propped it against the wall.

She removed the other earring and tossed both to the table beside the bed. She missed.

His dagger belt came next.

Then her bracelet – the one from her left arm.

His sword belt.

Her right bracelet.

Aemond hesitated.

She still had three rings and her own belt to remove before she got to any actual clothing. All he had left was his eyepatch, but he wanted to save that for last. And he still wanted to tease her. He ran his eye from her fidgeting feet to the hand that tucked a piece of unbound hair behind her ear.

There was his answer.

He reached behind his head and removed the leather strap holding back his hair.

“You know that looks ridiculous, right?” Arianwyn asked. The strap of his eyepatch still held most of the hair back, leaving it hanging awkwardly around the leather rather than falling gracefully.

He only shrugged. “Your turn.”

She hummed slightly and removed one ring. The simple silver band soon joined the pile that was growing between them.

Aemond leaned down and took off one boot.

Another ring, this one set with a small amethyst.

His other boot.

Her bronze signet ring.

One sock.

Her belt.

The other sock.

Arianwyn leaned against the bed and kicked off her left slipper.

She watched impatiently as Aemond unfastened his jerkin with agonizing slowness. How she wished it was her doing so, while his long, lithe fingers undid the laces of her dress.

All she wanted was for him to hurry up. When he had carried her here, she had hoped it meant he would be quick and that they would have already found their first release by now.

No, he wanted to tease her first.

Well, she could tease him, too.

She fully sat on the bed with an overdramatic sigh, leaning back on her arms as she spread her legs apart until the fabric of her dress strained. Thank the Seven, the skirts were not as full as what she usually wore. Otherwise, Aemond may never have noticed the movement.

The smug look on his face fell as his eye drifted down to what he knew to lay beneath the fabric. His breath came noticeably quicker, and he bit his lip, tearing his jacket off as fast as he could.

Arianwyn smiled. Her husband didn’t possess half the patience he pretended to have. And she simply adored how he looked in only his tight black pants and flowing white cotton shirt.

“We must play this game more often,” she said, kicking off her other shoe. “It’s fun.”

“For you,” he scoffed.

“Come now, my love,” she laughed. “It was your idea. And from where I sit, you seem to be enjoying yourself very well.”

Indeed, with his jerkin out of the way, the straining in his trousers was quite apparent. Aemond didn’t need to follow her gaze to know what she was referring to.

“It’s your turn,” he said flatly.

She stood and reached beneath the panels of her bodice to release a pair of hook-and-eye fasteners.

The despondent look on Aemond’s face when he realized that the dress was in two parts – an ornate surcoat pinned over a simple linen gown – was one of the best things Arianwyn had ever seen. She wished she had skill in painting, so she could capture it. Perhaps she would embroider it on a pillow instead.

“That’s not fair,” Aemond groaned.

“What was it that book said?” Arianwyn asked with a coy smile. “The one by that war-philosopher. ‘A wise general knows everything about his enemy before engaging,’ I believe it was.”

He frowned as he pulled his shirt over his head, taking some small victory in the lusty way she admired his bare chest. “Are you my enemy, wife?”

“You’re the one who started this game,” she said as she stood once more to reach behind her for the laces of her gown. “And you know how I hate to lose.”

She had only begun to tug on the small bow at the small of her back when Aemond spoke again, his voice soft and rasping with desire. “Turn around.”

“Why?”

“I want to watch,” he explained, bringing his hands to the laces of his trousers. “So we can do this one together.”

“What if I want to watch you, too?” she asked, her heart pounding faster with each moment of anticipation.

“You can look over your shoulder,” he explained. “In fact, please do. Now, will you turn around for me?”

She obeyed, turning tauntingly slowly before looking back at him over his shoulder, just as he said. He took a short step to the side to give her a better view of his actions. “It’s your turn,” he said, “you start.”

So, she began to unlace her dress, each movement of her fingers mirrored by her husband. He had far fewer laces to undo than she did, so he finished well before her. But he did not lower his trousers until she again turned to face him and slid the dress from her shoulders.

Now, he was bare before her, save for his eyepatch. Yet she was still frustratingly clothed.

Still, he was thankful her chemise was thin. He could still see the outline of her breasts and the peaks of her nipples. It was such a beautiful sight. Were he not so averse to letting anyone else see her this way, he would commission a painting of how she looked at that moment.

“It’s your turn,” she whispered.

Actually, it was hers. He had taken his turn along with her. But the rules didn’t seem to matter so much anymore.

Aemond reached up and pulled his eyepatch off, dropping it into the pile of clothes, jewelry, and one dagger before them.

She still blushed, even when the sight was now as familiar as her own reflection.

“You are so beautiful,” she murmured.

As he felt a seed of warmth blossoming in his heart, he realized he had begun to believe her.

“It’s your turn,” was all he said in reply.

Arianwyn rolled her eyes. “Are we still playing? I’m sure Brynna wouldn’t mind you tearing some of my underclothes. If you still want to, that is.”

“Some other time, I would certainly like to,” he answered. “But today, I think I should like to simply watch you finish what we’ve started.”

The sight of him naked – and so visibly eager for her – almost had her ready to tear off the clothes herself. But not quite. Though there was an eager ache between her thighs, and she was more than wet enough to take him immediately, she would not make it so easy for him.

“Aōhoso, valzȳrys.” As you wish, husband.

Though it was unnecessary to actually remove the garment, she took an undue amount of time untying the ribbon that lay on the neckline. Undone, the thin cotton drifted further down her breasts until its hem lay just over her nipples.

When she looked up at Aemond, he was no longer looking at his face but at her breasts. His chin was ever so slightly tucked in, and he stared at her chest with such intensity she was sure he was trying to will the fabric lower with only his mind.

Arianwyn was so enjoying the power she held over him that she stilled. She wanted to see how long he would stare before realizing she had stopped.

It was longer than she had guessed.

“Please,” he finally begged.

He said it with such desperation that she took pity on him, and gathered the fabric of the chemise before lifting it over her head.

She wasn’t sure whether the noise he made then was exactly a moan or a sigh, but it sent a shiver through her veins that nearly had her giving up all her plans of teasing him.

Her silver eyes never left his face as she once more sat on the bed, again spreading her legs wider than she really needed to give him a glimpse of what he so desperately wanted. But then she took it away, crossing her legs as she began unbuckling her garter.

The latches were too complex for her to tackle without looking away, but when she looked back to him as she readied to lower her stocking, she was overcome with righteous anger.

Aemond’s hand was on his cock, pumping lazily.

“Absolutely not!” she shrieked, yanking her stocking further up her leg.

His face twisted in confusion, though his hand did still. “What?”

“You said ‘no touching’ until we were both naked,” she reminded him sternly. “Do I look naked to you?”

He scoffed. “I said no touching each other.”

“You did not!”

“Well… that’s what I meant!”

“But it’s not what you said,” she countered firmly. “No. Touching.”

Aemond heaved a great sigh but lowered his hand to his side. He had to clench his fist to keep it there. “Be quick about it, Aria. Please?”

“Only because you asked so nicely.” She gave a wolfish grin as she finally lowered her stocking, then the other, the garters themselves soon following, and she was finally as bare as her husband.

He surged forward faster than she could follow and wrapped his hands firmly around her head as he toppled into the bed with her, kissing her like he needed her more than air. But his patience was at its end, and before long, his hands were roaming all over her body in a desperate quest to feel every inch of her skin.

Arianwyn decided then she would tease him more often in the future. She liked what it awoke in him. His usual gentleness and reverence were wonderful, of course, but this had its place, too.

“I don’t know if I never want to do that again,” he said through his pants between kisses, “or whether I want to do it every night for the rest of our lives.”

Her responding laugh turned into a wanton moan when his hand finally made its way between her legs. “So long as we end up here, I don’t give a damn how we get there.”

“You know,” he mused as he pulled himself from her lips and settled onto his knees at the end of the bed. “I think here might just be my favorite place in the world.”

With that, he wrapped both hands around her hips and pulled her towards him, so close that she squirmed at the feeling of his hot breath on her folds. He breathed in her scent deeply before leaning ever so slightly forward, resting the tip of his nose against her.

“In fact,” he said before flattening his tongue and licking a long, slow stripe from her entrance to her clit, sucking the sweet pearl between his lips before finally drawing back. Her wanton moans were more melodious than any music he had ever heard, her taste more delicious than anything he had ever eaten. “I’m quite sure of it.”

And then a great crash came from behind the dressing room door, followed by muffled cursing and the sound of footsteps retreating.

Aemond rested his head again her thigh, suckling gently on the soft skin as he laughed. “I thought they’d be done packing by now. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay quiet, my love. At least for a little while longer.”

But as his mouth drew ever closer to where she needed him, Arianwyn arched off the bed with a barely restrained cry. “I really don’t think I’m capable of that.”

Indeed, when he nuzzled his nose back into her, she whined in such an extraordinarily high tone he was sure all the dogs in the keep would be sent howling. And though he trusted Kirin and Brynna – and Elsie, to a lesser extent – he selfishly wanted those noises all to himself.

Keeping his head as close to her as he could, he reached toward the pile of discarded clothing they had left on the rug. He had meant to grab a belt or even her necklace. But his hands landed first on his dagger.

He was too impatient. It would have to do.

Flipping the blade in his hands, he pressed the hilt against Arianwyn’s lips.

“Bite down,” he instructed.

She looked at him in disbelief for only a moment before she opened her mouth and let him slide the hilt between her teeth. Though the leather was smooth, the braided gold wire that spiraled around it was rough and cold against her tongue. Yet it, and the mild pain in her jaw at the strain of holding it so far open for so long, somehow made the pleasure she felt when Aemond dove back into her folds all the sharper.

The blade served its purpose. Her noises never stopped, but they were quieter. Now, they were truly only for his ears. He savored each one, trying not to think too hard about how his stomach tightened each time he glanced up to see her with her jaw clamped tight around his dagger.

He continued to devour her with even more vigor than he had the night before. First, by repeating his first slow stroke of the tongue until her legs trembled around him. With each lick, he gained speed and pressed further and further into her until his nose was driving her nearly as wild as his mouth.

Aegon had always mocked him for inheriting their grandsire’s long nose. How well it was serving him now.

The moment Arianwyn’s hands flew into his hair to pull him closer, he dug his fingers into the soft flesh of her hips, lifting her off the mattress and further into his face. He let his chin – another fortuitously large feature of his – press against her entrance as he ravaged her clit, alternating between swirling it with his tongue and sucking on it with all he had.

She nearly crushed his head between her thighs as she came, wailing like a banshee. Were the hilt of his dagger not still in her mouth, he was sure the whole of King’s Landing, perhaps even all the Crownlands, would have heard her.

Knowing he could bring her such bliss was almost as pleasurable as achieving his own relief.

Almost.

As she fell back into the mattress, head lolling to the side as the dagger tumbled from her mouth, Aemond again became aware of the tightness in his own stomach and the nearly painfully hardness of his cock. He had never imagined losing sight of his own desire, and yet he had. Every single time.

“Oh, ñuha gevie riña,” he sighed, darting his tongue out to draw the rest of her release into his mouth. “Skori iksan lēda ao, nyke ojughagon nykēla.  Se gaoman daor mirre jaelagon naejot sagon maghatan aril.” Oh, my beautiful wife. When I am with you, I lose myself. And I do not ever want to be found again.

She smiled at him and tugged on the ends of his hair to draw him close to her. Then, when he hovered over her once more, she caressed his cheek and kissed him softly.

Distantly, he heard a door shut louder than it needed to. The servants were done, then. They were finally alone.

Arianwyn must have heard it, too, for her next words were anything but soft.

“Lo gaomā daor qogralbar nyke bisa olvie moment, nyke kessa gaomagon se ñōghe hen aōha egros isse dīnagon hen aōha orvorta,” she whispered with the innocence of a maiden. If you do not fuck me this very moment, I shall use the hilt of your blade in place of your cock.

In honesty, the idea delighted Aemond. But not today. He grabbed the dagger and sent it flying across the room before gripping Arianwyn in one hand and raising her onto his lap.

His cock had never slid home so easily. Her cunt was warm, and tight, and utterly perfect.

Arianwyn, too, had never felt so sublime. Her spine still tingled from her release, and she was eager for another. Chasing that, she immediately started to grind her hips into him, savoring each impact of his cock against her walls. 

He did not just press into that spot that dazzled her vision but into every inch of her. Her blood danced with ecstasy as she rolled her hips against his and felt him seep into her soul.

She reached a new peak within mere moments, wrapping her arms around his head and bringing him into her chest as she cried out again, her walls constricting around his cock. Still, she never stopped moving.

Aemond tightened his grip on her, teeth bared as he brought himself up from between her breasts.

“Istia keligon, se tepagon nyke iā moment, iā kesan māzigon gō iksi drējī bē syt ziry,” he begged, burying his face into her neck as he nearly wept for the intensity of his pleasure. You must stop, and give me a moment, or I will come before we are truly ready for it.

“Issa sȳz, ñuha jorrāelagon, she whispered, stroking his hair. “Ivestragī jikagon, se māzigon syt nyke.” It is fine, my love. Let go, and come for me.

He did. His final rut into her was so forceful that her head jerked back, and she went limp in his arms. But even her gentlest touch drew him in, and they fell back against the bed together.

“Iksan vaoreznuni,” he whimpered as he showered her with small kisses, “Nyke - īles tolī olvie. Iksā tolī olvie, tolī vok” I’m sorry, I - it was too much. You are too much, too perfect.

Arianwyn laughed and brushed aside the hair plastered by his sweat to his face. “Don’t you dare apologize,” she scolded lightly. “After all, I came faster than you did. Twice”

“Still,” Aemond sighed, rolling onto his back beside her. “You deserve more than that as a goodbye.”

“Then I shall have more!” she declared, only laughing harder when Aemond’s eyes grew wide with both happy anticipation and healthy trepidation. “We broke our fast in bed. Who is to stop us from lunching here, and even taking dinner? I say we stay here until the morning, and use every last moment before our departure to say ‘goodbye.’”

He did laugh at that, clapping his hands over his face as he said a silent prayer to the Warrior for all the strength he could muster. Once that was done, he let his left arm fall to the side and beckoned his wife back to him with his right.

“Very well,” he agreed. “But go easy on me, my love. If I am to last until morning, you must ration your… zeal, for lack of a better word.”

Giggling delightedly, Arianwyn climbed back on top of him. She was more than happy to simply kiss, and kiss, and kiss him. That is, until he was ready for her ‘zeal’ once more.

-

Neither of them lasted until morning.

It had not been long after sunset when they fell asleep in each other’s arms, too exhausted to even stir when Elsie entered with a tray for their dinner. The girl sent most of it back to the kitchens with a chambermaid, but left some bread, cheese, and a large pitcher of water on a table in the bedchamber should they wake to find themselves hungry.

They did not.

But they ate their fill that morning when they broke their fast. They remained mostly silent during the meal, content to simply be in each other’s presence for at least a while longer. Once they were dressed in their riding leathers, they walked hand in hand to the stables, where they briefly greeted their new flock of sheep before boarding a carriage to take them to the Dragonpit.

Aemond rode with Arianwyn, wanting every moment he could manage with his wife before they were separated. He was keenly aware that this would be the longest journey both she and Emrys had ever taken. So, he spent most of the ride through the city going over maps with her, ensuring she knew the landmarks to guide her to the Mountains of the Moon and the Eyrie.

He stayed by her side as her bags were attached to her mount’s saddle, and he held the dragon’s reins as she climbed onto his back

“Three days,” he reminded her. “If you can return before that, all the better. If not, send a raven immediately so I know you are well. Promise me, Arianwyn.”

She knew when he used her full name that he was deathly serious. “I promise, Aemond. And you must promise me the same.”

“I do,” he said, running a gloved hand down Emrys’ snout. Then he leaned against the beast and whispered too low for Arianwyn to hear. “Mīsagon zirȳla.  Nyke daor, sīr istis sagon ao.  Kostagon gaomā bona syt nyke?” Protect her. I cannot, so it must be you. Can you do that for me?

Emrys huffed affirmatively and pressed into him.

“Kirimvose,” the Prince replied, patting his glossy black scales. Thank you.

“Aemond?” Arianwyn called from atop the saddle. He looked up at her mournfully, for he knew what she was going to say. “I need to leave.”

He grimaced and turned away from her, blinking away tears he could not allow himself to spill  - not even before the Dragonkeepers. “I know,” he said, finally looking back at her. “Just… be safe, my love. Come back to me.”

She gripped her reins tighter and gave him the best semblance of a smile she could muster. “I always have, haven’t I?”

But then he stepped away, giving Emrys the room he would need to take flight, and her smile fell.

Her lip trembled as she called to him again. “You must come back to me, too. I love you, Aemond. So very, very much.”

“Avy jorrāelan, ñuha riña hen gēlenka,” he shouted back. I love you, my lady of silver.

Then Emrys took flight, and Aemond and Arianwyn were separated once again.

Next Chapter

[hard-deckpilots]

Chew toys.

Fandom: Top Gun. Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Fem! Reader 'Trigger'. Summary: Jake likes to chew on things, whether it's toothpicks or his dog tags. So you decide to get him a small gift. Warnings: Little bit of swearing. Softness. No other warning. Wordcount: 597 Tags:@sebsxphia

Jake had always had some sort of oral fixation. Especially when trying to focus on the theory work for Top Gun selection. Countless toothpicks had been lost due to the level of concentration, his dog tags got some abuse from his fixation as well. The little rubber protector that stopped the tags from clanging, had many, many bite marks in them which probably weren't good for his teeth.

On this particular day in the classroom, the Dagger squad were doing theory work on air to air combat maneuvers. To you it seemed like Jake had ADHD or something along those lines, and it was quite obvious that he couldn't focus. You counted. Six toothpicks had been broken and discarded back into Jakes pocket. This was number seven. Snap!

"Shit." Jake mumbled then sighed, placing his last toothpick away.

"Hey... Jake you okay?" You asked quietly,

"Can't bloody focus, this damn work is driving me absolutely crazy." He places his head on the desk and sighs. He hears you rummage around in your bag, and then he feels you tap on his shoulder. Jake looks and sees a blue rubber version of a dog tag.

"Here, chew on this... I know you like chewing on things to focus. So I got this for you." You smiled shyly. You were one of the more quiet pilots in the group, but the more observant not too much unlike BOB. Almost a female version of WSO.

"Oh? Y/N you really didn't have to... but thank you truly." Jake responded with a soft smile. You were the only one he was truly nice to.

"It's better than potentially getting splinters in your mouth from broken toothpicks. Or biting your metal dog tags." You spoke softly, just for the two of you to hear. Jake took the blue rubber dog tag from you, not a snatch but a gentle passing of hands.

For the next hour and a half, Jake had remained quiet and focused finally completing the essay that was to be written on air to air combat techniques. Jake also thought that this was one of the best pieces of work that he had done. Finally, the squad was dismissed from the room for the day, a groan of relief and a sound of excitement of going to the Hard deck.

You walked out last, ready to get out of the standard issue Khaki uniforms. As you walked out across the courtyard, Jake jogged over to you smiling.

"Hey Trigger... thanks for that thing you gave me... it really helped me throughout that class... thanks." He smiled placing a soft hand on your shoulder.

"Oh hey Jake that's okay. They're called chew toys and they help me as well. If you want anymore, then I have more or I can always order some for you." You spoke leaning into Jake's hand softly. His touch was always a comfort to you.

Jake nods and smiles softly, not his typical cocky one. That it is just a front that he puts on, but not for you.

"See you at the Hard deck?" Jake asked softly,

"Yeah... I'm gonna grab a shower first, even though we haven't flown today I still feel a bit gross." You spoke back.

Jake nodded and gave you a soft kiss on the side of your cheek, which then burned bright red. He nonchalantly walked off, as if nothing actually happen. But since that day, Jake always used the chew toys that you had gotten him. Even asking you to get some more, when one had gotten to the point where it couldn't be chewed much more.

[tarpitbell]

10:30 (February 3rd) / *5:27 / *9:14 / *1:38 / *2:46

This is the journal(ish) I've talked about before. Or, I'm going to be treating it as a journal. This is just my vent account though.

My main blog ( @sotogalmo ) will only reblog the most important posts, while the rest is going to stay on this blog.

Very “semi-personal” entries are going to be under the “read more”. I do advise for you to not interact with those posts if the tags trigger something (but I cannot fully stop you from reading my posts). — all of my posts are (kinda) 'semi-personal' though. But some time I know I'll make some non-personal entries, some day.

I suggest you turn on the setting to see the day on my posts, since the time can be weird for others. But it's alright if you don't do that.

But do know, that my typing quirk is setting the time on top. If that bothers you, then I suggest you don't hang around here or my main blog(I do that there too).

I might already say that this is a vent blog for @sotogalmo , but this will also just be more exploring who I am, finding some terms that might fit and such. Almost a lot of my posts would be me wondering about my identity (as of now, I feel I might be a therian? Feline to be exact; maybe a domestic cat, probably a Maine Coon? — But I also might say I "kin id" with Satan from Obey Me! Shall We Date?, but I'll get more into his character to make sure I'm not making a mistake on what I said, but as a small overall of what I got from him from past interest in said fandom, I do heavily relate to him. Maybe even Itzusumi from Dungeon Meshi too, I'll get into that fandom to know if I do)

And just general rambles. (I'm also questioning therian; and my Theriotypes— Maine Coon cat, husky, bleeding heart dove, and probably more? (I feel like there's more due to some shifts with scales and such). Also with being a copinglinker too)

I might even think I have other mental illnesses. But I'll make sure of that with my therapist (I most definitely have some sort of derealization/depersonalization of sorts, maybe OCD? maybe BPD? depression of a weird kind, etc. but I'm just a weird girl)

Emojis: to explain why my posts are the way they are ↓

🕵️‍♂️🌂 -> Shuichi Saihara, DRV3

🌘🕵️‍♂️🕳️🧿 and 🟦🤖 -> Avoid/Detach Eye & Blue Robot.

⚡🔥 🐍🧶👾-> Raph, TMNT12/TMNT:MM, Needlem0use & Nemesis/Surge, Satan.

🔮🩹 -> Casey Jr, ROTTMNT: Movie

🫧🩺 -> Gaster mixed with rise Leo?

👁️‍🗨️⛳🧩 -> Tony Becker: GGY FNAF

🐕‍🦺🐕⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌕 -> Servant.

🕷️🌸🦚💞💞 -> Voice of the Smitten & Angel Dust(ish)

🍝🍊 -> THE GREAT PAPYRUS!

🧸🌀 -> CC

Shuichi: remembering, finding out, piano music & stars. Justice seeking and friendship.

Avoid/Robot: detachment, wanting to be detached from a situation/feeling detached from a situation. Feeling robotic or even sounding robotic/too formal. Only when talking about trauma(or just anything serious)

Raph/Needlem0use/Nemesis/Surge/Santan: my anger part. Quite obviously and is most present almost all of the time. Many faces for that part but you get the idea

Casey: family issues part. Finding comfort in ROTTMNT/how families are portrayed in ROTTMNT.

🩺🫧: mentality, “fascinating”, “oh! my apologies!”, old timey quotes(??), fancy talk part

Tony: Casey & Shuichi mix. Tony is all about how families work and how friendships work. Mainly will be talking about siblings and what I have left of them in my mind

Servant: how I act in school/me just following rules

Smitten & Angel Dust: love, desires, relationships(romantic), sexual & emotional intimacy part of myself. Also sin, since that connects very much to desires (for me). Validation as well

PAPYRUS: only(maybe?) in all caps. Bravery, autism autisming. General excitement!! Very expressive part of me

CC: little me/me feeling little. Mainly just gonna be emojis of plushies or talk of toys. Ig (if something so serious happens and I regress into them)

I separate a lot of my feelings to be their own characters. And then those characters would be then influenced by other characters. And then they just become different parts of me. That's why I use their names and such. — maybe this means, I'm probably a copinglinker !

[sampersandman]

This is just to get it off my chest, and it isn't meant as an "You're stupid and I hate you" because I know you uh... probably have way too many of those already.

I'm just trying to state this for my sake, and maybe I hope that you consider this for a moment, but you don't have to, of course. Go forth and live you life however you wish. I'm probably gonna block you after sending this because I think it's just for the best.

I think you're wrong about Metalocalypse. Like on a lot sometimes, in regards to certain characters. Mainly Pickles, his family, and sometimes Abigail (this is mostly in reference to your opinions on what she represents/how she was handled). Which sucks because I really do think you provide a lot of resources for the fandom (+I really do enjoy your art)

In general you seem to just kinda not like it when people have headcannons (no this isn't about Pickles being trans/cis.) I think you can come off as super pompous and closed off in your own little world, kinda in a bad way. You seem to believe you're the "only one who actually appreciates the show for what it is" , which isn't true by a long shot dude. The other members in the fadom may prioritize things I assume you find to be small scale, but they still matter to them. A whole lot. I just think you need to try and consider the fact that sometimes people just wanna draw and talk silly stuff about a silly show! MTL is stupid and absurd, this is said with love, of course!

Long story short, I think you need to maybe take a little step back and be a little more considerate of the fact that what people are posting online is usually for fun! Maybe if you wanna get down and hash the shit with someone about the show, it's themes and whatever, join a discord server if you haven't already! I'm in one and they talk pretty much every day about the things that seem to appeal to you!

I wish you no harm or ill will, I just think that the way you're going about this could be making this the frustrating experience it is for you. Have a good day! ♡♡♡

? dunno what triggered this, I haven’t been posting much. Certainly not enough to be alarming lol

If it’s anything to do with what’s in my recent recollection atm, my explanation is that I just talk at people. I would think that if you’re posting in the main tags (and if what you’re saying is about how something is misinterpreted/unexplored by fans) then you would enjoy that sort of engagement. Especially if it’s not even combative and only really adding to the topic you had enough interest to post about in the first place

Though, now, when you talk to somebody on here or on Twitter about opinions on a show, there’s a knee-jerk reaction (some) people will have to any disagreement, oftentimes. One where they suddenly switch from talking about the show, to talking about themselves, and recontextualize the entire conversation to having been about them personally, making any observation that they disagree with out to be an attack. To me that’s very bizarre. It’s like an immediate emotional escalation just to hurt your own feelings lol. It’s also counterintuitive for another reason beyond just being messy, since I believe we should want to see things from other people’s perspective and understand them better, that that’s what we should be using media for, instead of wanting to experience something immediately relatable and applicable to ourselves exclusively. With this approach, I feel like I can relate and sympathize with a person who isn’t like me in almost every way.

for me, it’s fun to reverse engineer your way into understanding how different people operate. The logic informing their worldview and behavior. You would hope to encourage more people to be like that, so that instead of putting walls up and shutting down anything that makes you feel invalidated, you could invite a sort of mindset where you actually stand a chance at being truly understood, and feel less afraid of understanding others.

P.s. it’s fine to disagree with me or anyone else for that matter, and still use anything I post as a resource. cuz it’s not my stuff lolz

[books-are-my-life-stuff]

hiii! tysm for your kind tags on my post-canon lemon post (i keep re-reading them) <333 i really wanted to draw from canon and not make stuff up so your tags mean a lot! tbh i have so many ideas for lemon, including her relationship with the boys (she'd be besties with finn and surprisingly lance too! she goes to the farmer's market with dot. and mash would confess to her but she wouldn't get the hint lol) i'll making more posts as we speak haha and ty for all your lemon posts/sets, they always make my day! do you have any ideas for lemon?

I love your post-canon Lemon headcanons so much, thank you for sharing your ideas as well! I like how your ideas are very connected to what little information we have about her in the canon, so it all makes sense!

This ask has gotten a little long so under read more!

I like the idea of how the tables are turned (after Mash does not get a hint about Lemon's feelings in the original series, eventually the situation is flipped over and Lemon is too serious in doing her job when Mash confesses so now she ends up not getting the hint!), it's very satisfying! I want to know more about your ideas about her relationship with the boys! I'm sure it's gonna be fun to read!

It's not a problem! I like Lemon as well and I have fun making simple gifsets of her, and I'm happy to find someone who likes her as well! I love all of your pastel-colored gifsets too, they're all pretty and I adore all of them! I always love pastel-colored gifs, I often find them in bigger fandoms but they're a rarity in small fandoms like this, so your gifsets make me so happy! Thank you so much!

I do have some ideas about Lemon! Though I don't feel really confident sharing them until I feel it's "polished" enough if that makes sense, because I'm afraid of making her out of character hahah. It's just how I am! I wrote a fic of her, but it's from Finn's perspective and it's just how much I want them to be friends and how I imagine their friendship would be! It's here if you're interested!

Other than that, my other idea about her is that the final battle changed her. After the battle against the Innocent Zero, Lemon realized that she couldn't do much when Mash really needed her help. Deep inside, she was frustrated that as her future wife, she wasn't able to directly protect him on the battlefield as his heart was taken away. Her possessive nature was increasing, but that was merely a facade to hide her internal frustrations and how much she blamed herself for her helplessness in the final fight. She spends so many sleepless nights crying over it.

So, she hones her magic secretly, she asks Kaldo's help for his guidance because she knows from Finn that his magic has been greatly improved after his training with Kaldo, so from that she secretly trains with Kaldo as well. So much to the point of overworking herself and that's when Mash finds out. When Lemon collapses and Mash carries her to the infirmary, Lemon apologizes for making him worry, explains what happened, and says that as a future wife, she wants to be on his side and helps him whenever he needs it and becomes the first person he can rely on. After that, she properly confesses her feelings to him instead of forcing it like how she always did. Mash, who still doesn't understand romantic feelings, appreciates Lemon's great effort for his sake, but he is worried about Lemon who works too hard to the point of falling ill. So, in exchange, Mash will take care of her as much as he can until she feels well again. Unfortunately, the best that Mash can do is to remind Lemon to eat and drink her meds at the right time and offer cream puffs, but Lemon appreciates the gesture.

I also have a MashLemon idea, separate from the above: I think the reason why Lemon is very bold at expressing her feelings is because she knows damn well that her feelings won’t possibly be reciprocated. The person she loves is a kindhearted, physically strong young man with no thoughts head empty only cream puffs. There’s no way he would know things such as love and marriage, nor would he care about it. Especially after she visited his house, which just reinforces her assumption. That’s why she can be extremely bold with her feelings and advances because she knows he won’t answer her feelings. Even if deep in her heart she wants him to see her as more than just a friend, she knows it will never be possible.

This is why when he DOES respond to her advance, she gets extremely flustered and confused about what to do. Of course, as soon as he shows even the slightest hint of that, she would immediately punch him in the face just like in S1EP8 to deny that. She did that because she knew Mash wouldn’t lift a hand to stop her even though he could. This is why when he DOES hold her fist as she attempts to punch him in the face with little effort, and says: "You’re right, Lemon. We should get married.", Lemon is left speechless with her face now dyed in red due to embarrassment. She cannot reach out to her wand to cast a spell. Besides, knowing him, he would break free anyway, it’s pointless. When Mash gets a hold of both of her hands, his yellow eyes staring right at her as if he really means what he says--he’s bad at lying anyway--when he does reply to her feelings... Well, needless to say, Lemon doesn’t expect this outcome, and she’s running out of tricks.

There's also another idea of Dot properly confessing to Lemon and putting a resolution to his unanswered feelings, and what Lemon actually feels for him, but it's not polished enough so I can't say much.

But, yeah, I guess that's it! When I have ideas that I feel are "polished" enough I often immediately turn them into fanfics, but right now I'm in the "writer's block" phase after writing lots of them lately so I can't write much at the moment, and can only put some scrambled ideas.

It's really fun talking about Lemon with you!

[arimakes]

Writer Tag Game

Snagged from @mojowitchcraft

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

11

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

257,474

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things (mainly Steddie)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Late Bloomers - Eddie discovers he's bi through a "platonic" kink dynamic with Steve. Co-written with @mojowitchcraft March Madness - Sub Eddie featuring c*ckwarming and edging A Piece of Something (You Think is Gonna Last) - Tommy learns about Steve's new life in a small lake town Dog Days of Summer - Steve's journey of self-discovery over six summers in a small lake town Right Where You Belong - Eddie has a condition that causes him to time travel

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to keep up on AO3, but I am definitely behind right now. I love reading them so much and am slowly trying to catch up!

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

I think Right Where You Belong has the angstiest ending? But it isn't even angsty. It's a happy ending, just emotional!

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

Probably Late Bloomers with Amy. In general, it was the happiest/fluffiest story I've ever written!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not that I've seen!

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

Oh yes! Queer smut, always! I've dabbled in some kinky smut, too. But mostly I like to toss in some dirty talk to pack a punch.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Not really. Right Where You Belong is a Time Traveler's Wife AU. But the themes in my fic are very different from the themes in the original source and the ending is very very different (happy).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. But I would if someone wanted to.

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

Yeah :) Late Bloomers with Amy, linked above!

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

Steddie all the way

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

I have ideas that I've started but haven't left my docs. I intend to write them all eventually.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told scene setting is one of my strengths! And I think I plot things out pretty well.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I notice myself repeating sentence styles/structures. I'd love to develop that more!

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

I only speak English, so I wouldn't personally be able to do it. If someone has it in their fic, I'd just google translate it!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Stranger Things only!

20. Favorite fic you've written?

It's so hard to say. But I think Right Where You Belong and Dog Days of Summer are my top two. RWYB because it's the first thing I ever wrote. I never thought it was something I'd do, but I fell in love with it during that process. There is so much about that story that I am so proud of as well. I think I really stuck the landing (ending) on that one. Dog Days because it's just so special and personal to me. It seems as though it's touched people in a personal way, too, so I feel connected in a very real way with those who have taken the time to comment and message me about it.

If you've made it this far, then tag, you're it!

[frankenjoly]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @cursedvibes thanks!!! i love these things

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

68 but for Reasons (a fanweek i'm very hyped for), it's gonna be 69 next week.

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

287,330 (and counting ofc)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

mostly bsd, jjk & a bit of genshin, but i throw in ficlets and/or one-shots of other stuff to let Thoughts out.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Connecting the dots. silly pre-canon fluff and humor won people over after arcane's s1 finale.

Between the pages: part 2. mix of bsd ficlets/drabbles, bcs i love doing small thingies (i'm already finishing part 4 laksdjflk).

Misread. aka jealuc from barbara's pov, aka humor that stemmed from a teensy lil angst.

Remnants. more of me letting thoughts out after arcane's s1 ending, this time timebomb with pining Jinx.

Por el amor de estepresidente... the bsd crack fic (or my first one, at least), in which Mori and Fukuchi sort of ally to crash fukuzawa's date with any 3rd person but are also competing against each other.

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

i do, bcs i either have the need to thank ppl or ramble about the fic they're commenting on (or both).

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

probably Remnants, though i intended to go with the "it's not/won't be unrequited" vibe.

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

i'm a pussy and a slut for happy/hopeful endings, so i have those by the ton aldkjfl.

8. Do you get hate on fic?

not hate per se, but i've had complaints about tagging all ships from the start in my genshin ficlet compilation... when i was gonna throw them all into ao3 in one sitting.

also that one person who came to one of my Utahime Week fics, who was tagged as both gojohime and shokohime, to tell me "nooo shokohime are just friends yadda yadda" while praising gojohime as canon (i love it too, but it isn't). it was odd.

9. Do you write smut?

i have this thing when it comes to nsfw in general and smut in particular, aka up to certain point it makes me uncomfy but below that idgaf and even go like "nice, my ship having sex"... so.

most i can offer is barely-explicit stuff, and for fic specifically i see "depictions of character bein horny" and "pre- and post-sex" rather than actual smut.

10. Do you write crossovers?

not a lot, but the bsd+jjk thingie that came from rp and also birthed the dnd-ish au got me by the throat.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

as far as i know, nope.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

as far as i know, nope (x2). though i do translate some rp solos to turn them into one-shots adding up stuff as well (i could just post them in spanish, but).

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

i guess rp is like schroedinger's yes here? but when it comes to literal fic... not yet, but i know what and with who.

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

i can't choose, sorry laskdjf.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

not really a wip, but i had one Uraume-centric fic that i'm not sure if it'll see the light for... some reasons. long story short, it's based on another fic that's a roleswap and has modern socerers (and students) Uraume and Sukuna.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i apparently never run out of insp and will to write, so i can go fast as fuck. and my writing is one of the things i'm most confident about like fr.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i still feel like english nerf me, at least when it comes to narrating, bcs i cannot be as descriptive or poetic as i am in spanish.

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

as someone who's first language isn't english but writes fic in english, you go ppl. and also, native english speakers can be kiiinda entitled lol.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

both for rp and my first fic ever, abc's once upon a time (that was also my first fandom being online).

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

another instance of me sucking at making choices alsdkf, sorry.

no pressure tag: @ildi-dragonheart @bungoustraypups @monday-headache @noirewaves @rhymbic @minluce @bunniezai @neonganymede @fyodorkitkat

[affectionatelyrs]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank u to @read-and-write- @daisymae-12 @inexplicablymine @happiness-of-the-pursuit and @kiwiana-writes for the tags! :) I loved reading all of y'alls answers heheheheh

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

6 and i'm proud of each one even though this is somewhat of a small number

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

33,929

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Red, White and Royal Blue as of now - I would like to maybe write for Heartstopper one day but we shall see

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

You Came Out of Nowhere (And You Cut through All the Noise)

All of This Silence and Patience (Pining and Anticipation)

Far too Enamored to be Content Now

King of My Heart

Baby, You're Gonna Lose Your Own Game

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

YEAH ALWAYS! :) Comments are one of the top things that keep me motivated bc just knowing that ppl read my writing and like it enough to tell me? Yeah.... that's insane and they genuinely mean so much to me

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

I don't think any of them do? If anything maybe my most recent one Help Me Hold On to You because it's more of a hopeful ending

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

All of them do but a genuine happy ending that I adore and always makes me smile and giggle and kick my feet would have to be All of This Silence and Patience (Pining and Anticipation) (I honestly just love a great mutual pining reveal and the giddiness that comes with it)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No and thank goodness for that

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

I do indeed.... heheheheh - idk what to even say as for what kind but I will say that I am seemingly incapable of not adding a lot of feelings to my porn as of now (even my one quote unquote enemies fic had some internal what's going on feelings in there) y'all can ask @read-and-write-

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don't

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of but I think it would be so epic

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

Not yet but me and @inexplicablymine have a very silly idea in the works that i'm very excited for

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oh goodness I have hyper fixated on many but I would honestly say FirstPrince and Narlie are pretty close to one another

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

I don't want to say any of them bc I genuinely love all of the ideas that I have and I would love to see all of them get written

16. What are your writing strengths?

Prose and introspection seems to be my loves at the moment - I think I'm pretty great at writing very descriptively, using literary devices, and getting into character's minds

And feelings.... simp action for everyone all around (but I've also apparently made ppl cry so there's also that)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Maybe dialogue? I think it's just a part that I need to practice more so that I personally feel more confident in my ability to write it

Also (sorry if this sounds so faux interview of me) but I think I write too much sometimes maybe? Like I cannot find it in me to be succinct. I want to try to write fics that are more plot oriented and whatnot but I have to figure out how to not end up writing 8-10k for just one day/night first

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

I'm not the most confident in my abilities to do so but @read-and-write- has helped me whenever I wanted to include spanish in my fics

I also like the idea of pet names in other languages so I would incorporate those too

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Red, White and Royal Blue

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

If I include two.... no I didn't (yeah I did) but I love them for seperate reasons

You Came Out of Nowhere (And You Cut through All the Noise) - It's just so so so so special to me. It's so soft and sweet and fluffy and I love writing flustered Henry and confident and snarky Alex and mutual pining and boys hiding in a small closet together and and and and (and I'm writing a 3+1 companion fic for this one soon too which I'm so excited for)

Help Me Hold On to You - My most recent fic. Hurt/comfort, very cathartic to write, genuinely means so much to me, I got to write so prosey and use all the literary devices that I wanted to use (the bees.... the bees) and get into my Alex's mind more and many people have sent me love for it which makes me incredibly happy

I had a lot of ppl tag me in this so let's see I'm going to tag @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @welcometololaland @hypnostheory @sherryvalli @tintagel-or-cockleshells @littlemisskittentoes @14carrotghoul @cricketnationrise and anyone else who wants to do it

[reggieblk]

20 questions for fic writers

thank you sm for the tag, @liquidluckandstuff !! <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 4, though there should be another arriving before the end of the year

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

278,494 but with me being the kind of person to not post WIPs, that number is not representative of how many words I've actually written.

I just checked all my docs, and my unpublished WIPs come out to 460 393 words so far (across 4 different long fics and 3 oneshots).

So my actual word count is 738 887. what the fuck. i started writing this year btw (in february i think) so this is probably a sign of something worrying lol

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Harry Potter

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I only have 4 fics posted but the order is : equals in life, let the light in, love is such a dreadful thing (and dread is so lovely), and to hold your life in my decaying hands

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

Yes! I just enjoy interacting with people who took the time to read, enjoy, and comment on my fics. People are generally very nice to me too, so it's always a pleasure to chat.

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

I don't really do angsty endings lol. I suppose I have to say equals in life bc it's bittersweet? but it's not angsty imo

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

We're gonna have to stray into WIP territory here, but I'm going to have to say If we were lovers; the ending is very sweet

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have not, no, which I am super grateful for lol. I have gotten annoyingly critical comments though

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

Yes! I'm confused about the second part of the question, what kind? Idk man they bone, what more can I say? But I do write explicit smut scenes bc they're fun

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I've had a few people inquire about translating equals in life and they're always so so lovely and respectful! Thank you to all translators out there!

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

I have not, no.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

If you asked me this last year I would've said Drarry, and my answer would have been the same over the last ten years. However, I have come to favour Tomarry & Harrymort, I sway more closely to Harrymort between the two but not enough for me to give a definitive answer.

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

Er, I didn't count this one in my answer to the word count question but I have a tiny bit of it written. It would've been an eighth year Drarry fic where Harry's struggling through the aftermath of losing Voldemort's soul -- it would've been the most Harrymort coded Drarry fic lmao. But I don't think I'll ever finish it, simply bc my other WIPs are a lot more interesting.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I would say dialogue, and I'm quite good at what I call recall, I rarely forget details about my fics so I like sprinkling in recalls to lots of little details previously mentioned, sometimes so small the reader wouldn't be able to pick them up I think.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes are the bane of my existence. I'm just Not Good at them. The writing doesn't flow, the scene is badly set up, they're just not my thing. I actually have a WIP I started in the hopes of getting better at action scenes haha.

I'm not that good at describing people. With it being fanfiction I just assume people know what they look like, but even if they do, physical descriptions add so much to the fic, and I should do them more often.

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

I'm guilty of this lol. I like doing it in french bc it's fun, but for another fic I had to sprinkle in some italian (i don't speak italian) and it's just stressful (thankfully my beta does understand italian so they helped me). I try not to do it in languages I don't speak.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I'm going to say Harry Potter, but I'm not going to check that. I know that when I was younger I wrote quite a bit of fanfic I kept to myself, and I'm fairly certain the first was Harry Potter. But I also know I wrote some other stuff that I will not be disclosing lol

20. Favourite fics you’ve written?

I have to say it, equals in life (partners in death)

But, I'm very fond of this oneshot I wrote: to hold your life in my decaying hands

And my favourite long fic I've written is If we were lovers, which will hopefully be out before the end of the year.

Tagging: @auphaniim @thequietsoliloquy @tommarvoloriddlesdiary & @pinktom (pretty sure some of you have already been tagged, sorry) no pressure ofc!! x

[qilingxiong]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @extraordinarilyextreme, 谢谢

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

On my current account, 25! (not counting everything from my old account I deleted in 2020)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

On said current account, 53,972

What fandoms do you write for?

As of right now the brainrot has taken me to MLC, and if I ever get my motivation back, then also DMBJ

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. The War Is Over, And We Are Beginning - Jiang Cheng & Jin Ling, 7.6k, Post-Canon

2. all of this mess (is just my attempt) - Chengning, 2.6k, Cloud Recesses

3. hold the world to its best - Jiang Cheng, 859, Long After Canon

4. won't run away (we're here to stay) - Chengning, 3.5k, Post-Canon

5. welcome to the storm - Jiang Cheng, 1.6k, Fall of Lotus Pier

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to, but god help the ADHD. I read and cherish every one I get though, I promise!!

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

It's either didn't want us to burn out, which was canon timeline Chengxuan, or come back and haunt me, which was canon timeline Sangyu. I think I'll go with the latter. It had more tragedy about identity and memory, I think

(There's also one Hamlet fic I'm proud of, but that was a one-off I wrote. You can go find it if you want)

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

Oh boy, uhhhhhhh. Out of the stuff currently associated with me, it'll be one of the Chengning fics, I think, or my aro!Wei Wuxian Ningxian fic. Not gonna lie it's slim pickings for happy endings around here haha

Do you get hate on fics?

No, thank god. I was always too much of a small fic writer for that.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Hahaha, not really. I'll do handwavey and fade to black but that's about it. Might get there one day though!

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope, not a crossover person unfortunately unless you want to count the sins on my old laptop from my superwholock era (I don't)

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Ehhhhh..... as of recently, ideas yes but actual written fics, not that I'm aware of

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A couple of my MDZS fics and one MCU fic back in the day got translated into Russian

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Bestie I live in multishipper hell you can't make me decide

What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Basically every DMBJ wip at this point in time, but particularly the one I'm furthest along on that I do not have a working title for other than 'horrible huaxie backstory'. My relationship with DMBJ has changed a LOT since getting into it this year and now my hyperfixation is somewhere else, so who knows what'll happen *shrugs*

What are your writing strengths?

I've been told my narration has a distinctive voice to it, and I think that's what people tend to compliment most? Dialogue is also something I've tried to consciously work on over the years, and I don't know that it stands out as a strength necessarily but it's almost something I find easy to write these days if I'm in the swing of it

What are your writing weaknesses?

Action and smut. Basically don't make me mentally choreograph complex stuff

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Now that my Mandarin has improved after two years of study, I think writing bilingual fic could be fun. There's definitely dialogue I've thought up in Mandarin for C-Drama characters that just won't have the same impact in English, and it's a shame I can't just casually drop it into a fic untranslated and be done with it

First fandom you wrote for?

First fics I ever wrote were for Star Wars and they were written longhand into a horrid little hipster notebook from Indigo. The first fics I posted on Ao3 were for the MCU though

Favorite fic you've written?

Nah I'm not choosing on this, I have no idea <3

Tagging @nutcasewithaknife, @eirenical, and @ilgaksu (only if you want to and apologies if you've already done this 😅)

[bluejaysandblackbats]

If There’s Nothing Missing In My Life…

Fandom: DC Comics, Superfam

Summary: Newly-emancipated popstar and child actor, Conner (screen name: Lucky) navigates high school and stardom on his own.

Chapters: 16/?

Characters: Conner Kent, Lois Lane, Roxy Leech, Rex Leech, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Hillary Chang

Additional Tags: Highschool AU, Celebrity AU, Conner Kent Needs a Hug, Conner Luthor, Lex Luthor is Conner’s Parent, Teen Angst, Angst, POV First Person, No Powers AU, Conner Kent-centric, Bisexual Conner Kent, POV Conner Kent, Protective Lex Luthor, Child Celebrity AU

Chapter Sixteen: In The Wind

The wind hit my face as I stood on the ledge of my apartment building. I texted everyone I knew and said goodbye. I didn't think it'd be so hard to jump, though. My eyes were red and swollen from crying, and I could see just enough to be paralyzed with fear. I held onto the wall and stared straight ahead. "Kid! Lucky!" Rex yelled. Rex used me, too. He was the worst of them all, and it reminded me of why I was there. People like him telling me who to talk to, what to wear, and how to look...

"Go away!" I screamed.

"Lucky, listen... Don't jump! You've got a lot to live—."

"Shut up! All you ever cared about was the money! So go ahead, take what you want, and get out!" I interrupted. I didn't want to hear his voice anymore. I didn't want to hear anything.

"Lucky, I'm sorry! If you wanna fire me, fire me, but don't do this—."

"Get out, or I'll jump!" I yelled. I heard sirens and laid my head back against the wall. "No... No, please tell them to go away!" I started crying again because I didn't want an audience. I just wanted to go out quickly and quietly.

"Lucky! How many of these did you take?" Lois asked.

"Lucky, come back to the window so we can help you—."

Lois and Clark meant well, but hearing their voices hurt me even more. I felt so unloved and unwanted, and I'd already pushed the only person that ever really wanted me away. "I don't want any of you! I want my dad, and he's not coming! So, I'm gonna stand here until I go to sleep! And if anyone tries to stop me, I'll jump!" I threatened.

There were no more bargaining chips. I was in control. And for once, I didn't wanna be. I closed my eyes and thought about how badly I wanted to curl up in my dad's office and read a book. I wanted to go home with him and let everything return to normal. I didn't see that as possible, so I couldn't turn back. Life wasn't worth living if I couldn't have my dad back. I started crying so hard I could barely hear the police sirens. I felt sick to my stomach, and I wanted to throw up. I swallowed hard as I wept.

"Conner! Conner, don't you dare jump!" Dad yelled. I wiped my eyes and turned my head toward the window. "Let me come and get you!"

"Dad?" I asked. The pills started to kick in, and I felt woozy and needed to sit down. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

He leaned out of the window and reached for my hand. "It's past your bedtime," Dad chastised me. I reached for his hand and stumbled, shaking my head as I regained my balance.

"I can't reach it," I cried, "Dad, I'm so sorry for everything! I should've stayed home with you! I should've listened to you—."

"I'm the adult here... And I wasn't acting like it. I let my pride get in the way, and I stood idly by as everyone picked you apart... I was wrong, and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, Conner. Now, stand still, and let me get you," Dad interrupted. I stood still and watched as he climbed out the window and grabbed my hand. "I need you to walk with me."

I shook my head. "Dad, I can't! I'm too scared!" I cried. He squeezed my hand.

"Me too... But I am not about to lose my little boy," Dad replied, "I'm not gonna let you go this time. Let's get you inside." I nodded, swallowed hard, and we took small steps until he climbed into the window. I started to panic, and he squeezed my hand. "Shhh, I'm still here. I'm not gonna let you fall." I crouched down and climbed in, and my dad yanked me away from the window so hard we both fell down, and he held me in his arms. I pulled away and threw up. It was just us two. Everyone else left. I was thankful for that because I was a mess and didn't want to be looked at by anyone.

"Dad," I gagged. "I'm so sorry—."

"Don't worry about it. I've got you now... It's all gonna be okay," Dad reassured me. Everyone's voices faded into the background as he spoke to me.

I felt so tired and cold that I couldn't talk anymore. I hugged my dad and closed my eyes, but my dad shook me and tried to hold me up. "Conner, I know you're sleepy, but you've gotta stay up late with me just this once. You told me you missed hearing your name. Your real name. Conner. You wanted us to call you Conner—."

"I gotta go to th' hozp'tal. News—."

My dad shushed me. "That doesn't matter right now... What's important is that you stay awake until the paramedics get up here. Can you do that for me?" Dad asked. I wasn't sure if I could. I didn't want to lie to him. "Can you try?" I nodded. "Good boy... That's my boy. Wanna come home here or with me when you're released from the hospital?"

"Wanna go wi' you," I slurred. He held my face in his hands. "'M ready to go now."

"They're almost here... The elevators are slow. Conner," Dad raised his voice, "Conner, I heard your song. Your manager's daughter sent it to me. Did you write that?" I nodded, and my head drooped. "You've matured so much. I had no idea you could write like that."

The paramedics took me, but I wouldn't let go of my dad's hand until they promised to let him come along. I lost consciousness in the ambulance, and when I woke up, I had to speak with a doctor who explained where I was and what would happen to me. I told them that I wanted to be released into the custody of my dad, and they promised to take note of that so I could take it to court. I was still out of it, but I meant every word. My two and a half days at the hospital were a blur, but it was good to finally see my dad again when he picked me up. We immediately got on a plane and went home to Metropolis, and I slept for nearly three days straight.

Dad never left my side. Every time I got up to eat or shower, he was right there, with a hand in my hair and a smile. He was happy to see me home, really happy. After four days of jet lag and feeling like crap, I asked my dad if I could see my phone. He hesitated but gave in anyway. I immediately looked online to see what people had to say. I ran a hand through my hair and took a deep breath. "I'm gonna see if I can call—."

He took my phone and shook his head. "Let's be Conner for a little bit. I missed Conner," Dad whispered, "But we can go outside if you want. Get something to eat at one of your favorite restaurants?" I nodded and got dressed in sweats and a hoodie. I didn't want to be seen... But I wanted to go outside. The concept of having to face anyone but Dad terrified me.

"Hey, Diddoo?" I whispered as he waited by the front door with his keys.

"What's the matter?" Dad asked.

I wrung my hands. "Why—? Lois and Clark... Have you talked to them?" I asked. He nodded.

"Do you want to see them?" Dad questioned. I shook my head. "It's okay if you do... I won't be upset."

I walked up to him and hugged him. "I feel like I screwed everything up," I mumbled. He shook his head.

"No, you're still learning... And I can't shield you from that anymore. You made a lot of good decisions on your own. All you needed was a little guidance," Dad reassured, "Come on, let's go get you something to eat."

[a-gassy-antelope]

Miscellaneous Tag Game

Made by the one and only @ronald-speirs <3

Thank you for the tag @grumpy-liebgott ! Am I finally doing this after being tagged almost a month ago?....maybe

Favorite place in the world you’ve visited?

I haven't been many places truthfully. I loved hiking near Niagara Falls and also hiking in the Smokies near Gatlinburg. (I'm going to Alaska later this year so that will likely take the cake for me!)

Something you’re proud of yourself for?

Working 3 jobs while also caring for a terminally ill parent. Not to get too sad, but yeah, that was a time.

Favorite books?

Oof, gonna age myself with this. The Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart even though it has aged terribly. Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chatlas made a big impact on me as a teenager. One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest by Ken Kasey is a favorite classic. Recently Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison kept me very entertained with pure shock value (although I just finished The Slob last night and it by far takes the cake for the most disgusting thing I've ever read)

Something that makes your heart happy when thinking about it?

When I think about the people I choose to surround myself with. I am a very open person with those I love. Once someone is in my inner circle I am a no boundary kinda person. Let's cut the small talk and bare all our trauma and then tease each other about it. Let's rot on the sofa together. It makes my heart happy to know that I have people I can be like this with.

Favorite thing about your culture?

...what culture... I could say there's a certain culture of the American Midwest that i love. Mainly the 'midwest goodbye' where you stand in the front door chatting for way too long, then in the driveway then in your car with the window rolled down. Also, ever had a midwestern dessert salad?????

When did you join the HBO War fandom? What was the first show you watched?

Well, my brother is older than me and he was very much ww2 obsessed. So watched Band of Brothers way younger than I probably should've. Probably when I was like 8? When I got into my career there was this song at work that would play and it felt so oddly nostalgic until one day I realized it sounded the intro credit music for Band of Brothers. Then it was put on Netflix and it was all down hill from there. Very different to watch again as an adult vs what I remembered from my childhood.

Have you read any of Easy Company’s books? If so, which ones were your favorite?

I just finished Dick Winters' memoir not that long ago! I think I'll read Shifty's next!

Favorite HBO War character and your favorite moment with them?

Everyone in b.o.b is my precious baby. See that generic white man? Yep, thats my child. Honestly though there are certain quotes from various characters that just scratches my brain. Buck with: "Your ass?!" Webster with: "You ignorant, servile scum! What the fuck are we doing here?" and the cadence in which he says "Don't salute the Germans!" Liebgott with "Hershey Bar!" Winters with: "What's that? A piece of paper? I dont wanna see another piece of paper" and Speirs with: "You talk to an officer you say 'sir' " (totally not because it made me feel some type of way)

Do you make content for any fandoms, if so; what sort of content?

I have made Band of Brothers stuff here on tumblr, classic text post as memes. Ao3 I've made Band of Brothers, Star Wars and My Hero Academia content!

Favorite actor/actress and your favorite film of theirs?

hm....that's hard to pick a favorite. Meryl Streep is always delightful, as is Gillian Anderson. Natalie Portman? Keira Knightly? ok, ok, maybe I should list a man...James McAvoy. Jack Nicholson. I dunno, I don't like picking favorites.

Favorite quote/s that you wish to share with others?

"I paint self portraits because I am so often alone...Because I am the person I know best." This Frido Kahlo quote really sticks with me because I feel like I can relate to being isolated and enjoying spending so much time on my own. I am my best companion and draw from my own experiences and emotions.

Random fact your mutuals/followers don’t know about you?

I am a licensed massage therapist and I work with patients with chronic pain and injuries. I love my job and my patients even though it is a very draining profession.

If you’re a writer, do you need a beta reader (say yes so I can be your beta reader 🤭)?

I am a writer! I want to say that I'm open to beta readers but I am also simultaneously afraid of others reading my work and embarrassed that people might not like it. That being said, I am working on a multi part Winnix fic rn.

Three things that make you smile?

My pets: a cat, 2 snakes, 2 leopard geckos and a pink tongue skink

Sweet gestures from my partner (or their dumbass jokes)

Writing!

Any nicknames you like?

Instead of Alex, a friend once called me Al Pal and I'm bewildered that it took me over 20 years to ever hear that.

List some people you love to see around on tumblr!

Uhm, everyone???? I love seeing people share whatever they're passionate about or find cute and funny. I love when people love things unapologetically! @grumpy-liebgott, @blueberry-ovaries @lewis-winters @easycompany123@andromeddog @hanniewinnix and honestly so many more!

What would you do during a zombie apocalypse?

I have two options. Get to my Marine Corps brother who is a borderline doomsday prepper but lives an hour and a half away or die immediately.

Favorite movie?

Again with the favorites? Some of my comfort movies include: Pride and Prejudice (2005), Mamma Mia, Hellboy 2 The Golden Army (specifically 2, not the first one) and Coraline

Do you like horror movies?

Yes! If my above mentioned books weren't an indicator. I love modern paranormal, 80s slashers and any Vincent Price movie

Tagging (no pressure!) : Also, Sorry if you've already been tagged! (does anyone else get nervous tagging people for no damn reason?)

@hanniewinnix, @pettypumpk1n @multifandomfanfic @hbowarandchill @fxxiva