#int. juliet

[vanessagable]

Van had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes -- what was wrong with people these days that they weren't willing to risk one tiny night in a holding cell for the sake of having a little fun?

"Yeah, nothing against the law," she agrees, though disappointed, and swerves her plan.

"How good would you say you are at fake fainting?"

Juliet smiled at the woman. "As long as is not anything against the law." She pointed out, it wouldn't be a good example for a detective in her first week on the job to break the law, but harmless mischief she could do it. "Tell me your plan."

[sweetyan]

Virtual Girlfriend NPTU's 🎀ྀ

Names: Amorette、Amoresse、LoveBite◞LoveBitye、LuvCute、Lovesse、Lovelle、HeartLove、Dollie、Jule、Juliet、Dwarling、Darling、Natsuki、Ribbonsse｡

Pronouns: Com／Computer、Cli／Click、Cu／Cute、Che／Cher、Lo／Love、Lu／Luv、Mou／Mouse、Vi／Virtual、GF／Girlfriend、Bo／Bow、Rib／Ribbon、Int／Internet、Ido／Idol、Sim／Simulater、Pi／Pixel、Bi／Bite、Web／Site｡

Titles: The Virtual Girl、Virtual Girlfriend、The Ai Girlfriend、PRN Who's A Virtual Girlfriend、Your Ai Girlfriend、The Cute Ai、Virtual Lover、PRN Who's In Ur Computer

Users: VirtuyGf、virtuai、Computegf、Kissgf、Virtualcute

For Anon、Art By @ 1100_2299 On Twitter、SO Sorry For The Bad Usernames Thats All I Could Think Of My Apologies｡

[mybloodygrimsey]

Roleplay info post

I'm looking for someone who can commit to long term rps and be somewhat consistent on replies. I'm also super descriptive/literate and get super into it if I'm in the mood. At some points I'll write 2 sentences then in another scene I'll be writing a whole essay. I'm seeking long-term writing partners to roleplay with on a personal discord server. I'm looking for someone who can get invested in writing and characters as much as I do. I <3 brainstorming, sending inside jokes and headcanoning! being in contact ooc is really fun for both parties.

DNI

proshippers, alpha/beta/omega, anyone who uses yoai/yuri unironically, bigots, ddlg. keep in mind I will not hesitate to ghost you if you don't respect my boundaries.

INT

slice of life, parenting, occasional smut scenes, fluff, angst, comfort, seahorse dad enjoyers

okay with:

mentions of past SA/trauma that could be important to the plot, internalized homophobia, struggling with dysphoria, dark themes, 100% non sexual age regression, nsfw (depending on which couple)

Ships:

derby/johnny (bully)

derby/bif

derby/bif/johnny love triangle (PLEASE)

peanut/johnny

peanut/tad

gord/jimmy

trent/kirby

lola/pinky

ennis/jack (brokeback mountain)

bradley/max (an extremely goofy movie)

bradley/tank

patrick hocksetter/henry bowers (it)

dally/johnny (the outsiders)

sodapop/steve

juliet starling/nick (lollipop chainsaw)

lewis legend/zed

bull/colt (brawl stars)

feel free to message me for my disc if you're interested!

[consanguinitatum]

David Tennant's Obscure Performances: Sweetnightgoodheart and its time traveling release date(s)

Heya all you David Tennant fans! I'm back with a small thread about a 2001 short film which David starred in called Sweetnightgoodheart (hereafter called SNGH).

SNGH was 9:16 in length. It was written and directed by Dan Zeff and produced by Litmus Productions in association with Bliss.com films for BBC Films. Its original title was Sweetnight Goodheart (with the two words separated) but somewhere along the way, the words were connected.

More about the title, this time from the BFI: "This entertaining short film takes a lighthearted look at the anxiety of modern relationships. The mix up of the title - a play on the familiar WWII song 'Goodnight Sweetheart' - highlights the confusion and miscommunication that is the film's premise."

Now, although I just said it was released in 2001.....if you look at the IMDb entry above very closely, I'm sure you've noticed it says 2005.

This, my friends, is wrong. And I'm about to prove it.

According to the British Film Institute, SNGH was one of the short films which made its premiere in August of 2001 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. It was a nominee for Short Films. It also screened at the 45th Regus London Film Festival as part of their Urbania Shorts slot in November of 2001, and was a nominee for Short Cuts & Animation.

Sooooo.....unless David and everyone involved with the project are all time travelers and they somehow filmed the short in 2005 but took it back to 2001 to show at the festivals?....well, you get the picture.

After SNGH's premiere at the two festivals, it was sold to HBO and Cinemax. It was broadcast in the USA (and yes, you read that right!) on Cinemax beginning in August of 2002. It was shown every couple of months or so until July of 2004. It was first aired on HBO beginning in March of 2003 and was broadcast intermittently until June of 2004. Judging by the broadcast listings, it appears both networks used it as short "filler" material in between their full-length movie offerings. And after those two stopped airing it, PBS in the USA then aired it as part of its Imagemakers series in September of 2005. Here are some newspaper blurbs (with the newpaper titles and dates above them) to prove these broadcasts occurred:

Further proof? On Valentine's Day of 2009, the BFI screened SNGH with its other main features. That screening's entry for the short also says it was released in 2001.

I wanted to find out why IMDb would say 2005, so I poked around a bit. Oddly, its release date information specifies "Hungary" (okaaay?), while sources elsewhere have the 2005 date noted as the date of its "world premiere". The Hungary release date might well be accurate, but I'm not sure exactly what world premiere means...besides, it's obviously an error (since we've already shown it aired in the US in 2002 through 2004). So I think we can safely cross out 2005, don't you?

But ohhhh, we're not yet done on the dates, because some sources also give a release date of 2003! This date, however, is much easier to explain. The 2003 date originates from its initial broadcast on BBC2. It aired as a part of a 50-minute program called Ways To Leave Your Lover (hereafter called WTLYL) at 11:20 pm on 25 March 2003. WTLYL featured five 10-minute short films with a common thread - the end of love. in addition to SNGH, the other four films were Stag, Dog, Unscrew, and Dumping Elaine.

So...now that we've taken care of the date mix-up, let's get into the short itself!

SNGH starred David as Pete, and Kate Ashfield - who he would also go on to star with in a 2002 audio drama called The Island and in 2005's Secret Smile - as Juliet. It also starred Diana Hardcastle as Anthea, Cliff Parisi as Colman, and Thusitha Jayasundera as Yasmin. Here is the archived BBC press release for WTLYL before it was aired.

And the plot? Well, if you haven't yet seen SNGH here's a great plot synopsis which might intrigue you enough to chase it down. It's from the 23 March 2003 edition of the Sunday Times: "Dan Zeff's cautionary tale Sweetnightgoodheart observes [how] David Tennant's attempts to ditch his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield) spiral out of control." And from the

Here are also a couple of photos!

And while we're at it, here are a number of short summaries - and one longer article from the Evening Standard which includes a photo! - which appeared in various newspapers when WTLYL aired in 2003:

During my research into the origins of SNGH, I've seen the BBC series it featured in variably titled as Ways To Leave Your Lover, and Eight Ways To Leave Your Lover. This discrepancy appears both in print and on the CVs of various actors and crew involved with the project (here's an example). While not confirmed, my belief is Eight Ways to Leave Your Lover was a working title. Five films aired on the program, but I've found an additional two which didn't (which makes me think there was a third whose title I have not been able to ascertain). I believe that at some point in the process, a decision was made to remove three of the films originally scheduled to air, and the name was changed accordingly.

in addition to SNGH, the other four films aired during WTLYL were Stag, Dog, Unscrew, and Dumping Elaine. I didn't find places to watch most of them, but you can see Dog and Dumping Elaine at the links I've provided. Here's what I know about them:

---

Stag - written by Ian Iqbal Rashid and starring Stuart Laing and Nitin Ganatra: a bridegroom wakes up on the morning of his wedding in bed with the best man.

Dog - written by Andrea Arnold and starring Joanne Hill, Freddie Cunliffe and Veronica Valentine: a fifteen year-old girl finds the will to stand up for herself when she witnesses a disturbing and violent incident.

Unscrew - written by Clara Glynn and starring Douglas Henshall and Emma Fielding: a surreal short about a guy whose girlfriend unscrews his penis and takes it with her when they begin separating their belongings after their breakup.

Dumping Elaine - written by Peter Lydon and starring Susan Lynch, Matthew Delamere and Dido Miles: waitresses play Cupid.

---

SNGH is archived at the BFI on VHS and Beta, and in two master forms (16mm/35mm). You can see it there, but I'll save you a trip: while a 4.35G digital copy was made off the master, there's no access to it. The viewing copy MP4 is only 305MB.

If you've read this far, you're probably wondering how you can see it. There are plenty of ways! If you are a registered BFI Screenonline user - and registration is free for users in UK libraries, colleges and universities - you can watch it here (and perhaps download it, though I'm given to understand it's only available for download during certain times). It's also floating around the webs in various forms and qualities on Vimeo, Dailymotion, FilmNow, etc. All of these aren't the greatest of quality, but it's the best we've got. Ah, for a better quality video file taken off the master copy!

But I'd recommend watching it at Dan Zeff's own website.

And that's it for Sweetnightgoodheart. I hope you've enjoyed reading about it as much as I have writing and researching it!

[silkchvffon]

« HMM. LIKE YOU ? » he teases as he walks them carefully from the living room into the kitchen. sitting her down on a stool, making sure her foot is propped up safely, kace walks to the opposite side of the kitchen counter. « kinda hard to forget them when it was about the only thing you insisted i bring, » he points out as he holds up a bag of mini marshmallows triumphantly. « i'm about to make this so good you'll forget i almost killed you. »

❛  oh,    have  more  faith  in  yourself.  ❜    juliet  teases,    brow  raising  as  he  reaches  towards  her    –    arms  instinctively  moving  to  hook  around  his  neck.    the  searing  pain  in  her  ankle  quite  dulled  by  the  feeling  of  his  palm  against  her  sweater.    ❛  you  got  the  mini  marshmallows  right?  ❜

[ratjay-art]

Crime Dad plus the other Crime Parents, Juliet & Foxtrot. Between the three of them they are most of their little gang. Delta so obviously has a type it makes him look stupid (he has +4 Int.)

[sprnklersplashes]

hello all!

I've been contemplating this for a bit and I've decided to follow int he footsteps of other artists and use my writing to help palestine!

for the forseeable future, I'll be taking comissions for fics in exchange for donations to either operation olive branch or care for gaza, alternatively you can buy an esim!

to comission a fic, use this form. I will start writing as soon as I receive the prompt, but I won't publish it until I've received proof of donation. hopefully, the fic will be written in two weeks maximum, but please remember I am only one person.

I'll do a more in depth rundown of things I write under the cut, but the fandoms I have listed are Six of Crows, Heathers the musical, Mean Girls the musical, Gilmore Girls, Osemanverse and one ship from CAOS. If you know I ship something but it's not listed here, feel free to send me a dm and ask if I'll write it!

also if you're a writer for any of these fandoms and would like to get involved, please do reach out to me! we're stronger together!

from the river to the sea, palestine will be free!

Fandoms I write for:

Grishaverse:

-romantic wesper

-romantic kanej

-romantic helnik

-poly!crows

-any friendship pairing between the crows/found family

-familial dynamics between wylan and marya, jesper and colm and kaz and jordie

-character centric: wylan, inej, jesper, kaz, matthias, nina

-romantic zoyalai

-all can be canon compliant, canon divergent, show or book canon or au (please specify if you do/don't want one of these)

Heathers:

-romantic healthy jdronica

-romantic toxic jdronica

-dunnmara (martha x heather mac)

-romantic or platonic martharonnie

-anything veronica sawyer centric

-I will also write oneshots from the not beyond repair universe or the time won't fly universe 

Mean Girls:

-romantic cadnis

-platonic damian/janis/cady, platonic damian+janis

-character centric: janis

Next to Normal:

-anything natalie-centric 

-romantic henry/natalie

-natalie+diana, natalie+dan, natalie+gabe

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

-romantic theo/robin

Gilmore Girls

-romantic luke/lorelai

-romantic jess/rory

-familial rory+lorelai

-complicated familial lorelai+emily, lorelai+richard

-anything rory centric

Osemanverse:

-romantic nick/charlie, lister/jimmy, bliss/juliet, pip/rooney

-platonic aled/frances, paris squad, shakespeare squad (loveless)

-romantic, platonic or inbetween michael/tori

-familial charlie+tori(+oliver)

character centric: charlie spring, tori spring

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Jerry Coyne

Published: Jan 31, 2024

I predicted (or hoped) that with New Zealand’s new Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon of the centrist National Party, New Zealand’s educational system, which was circling the drain, would find its way out. After all, Luxon promised to reform the educational system by emphasizing “teaching the basics.”  (New Zealand performs poorly in math and reading compared to countries of comparable well being.) Most of all, I hoped that Luxon would purge the wokeness of the Kiwi educational system, especially the teaching of indigenous superstitions and “ways of knowing” that seem to be insinuating themselves into science education.

Now I’m not so sure.

Reader Al sent me the tweet below, which was like a (mild) punch in the gut. It comes from the (now protected) account of New Zealand’s Chief Science Advisor, Dame Juliet Gerrard. She was appointed for a three-year term on July 1, 2018, a term that was apparently renewed in 2021 by the woke and now ex-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Gerrard’s present term expires on June 30 of this year. I hope Luxon replaces her, as she’s clearly woke and misguided, and a fan of those who sacralize the indigenous people, a tendency that’s warped New Zealand academics.

At any rate, have a look at this tweet:

The first sentence is okay, the second is crazy, at least regarding “sex”. The third is mixed, for if you go to Wikipedia under Intersex, you see the declaration that sex is not binary, but also that indicators of sex, like genitalia, are pretty close to binary:

Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, “do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies”. Sex assignment at birth usually aligns with a child’s anatomical sex and phenotype. The number of births with ambiguous genitals is in the range of 1:4,500–1:2,000 (0.02%–0.05%).[3] Other conditions involve atypical chromosomes, gonads, or hormones.

The best source I know of for the frequency of intersex is that of Leonard Sax, which is also quoted ion the Wikipedia article:

A study published by Leonard Sax reports that this figure includes conditions such as late onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia and XXY/Klinefelter syndrome which most clinicians do not recognize as intersex; Sax states, “if the term intersex is to retain any meaning, the term should be restricted to those conditions in which chromosomal sex is inconsistent with phenotypic sex, or in which the phenotype is not classifiable as either male or female,” stating the prevalence of intersex is about 0.018%. This means that for every 5,500 babies born, one either has sex chromosomes that do not match their appearance, or the appearance is so ambiguous that it is not clear whether the baby is male or female.

In both cases, the number of people considered “intersex” is very low.  But that’s pretty much irrelevant to the discussion of whether sex is a spectrum, for biologists, as we discussed yesterday, use a definition of sex involving gametes: if you have the reproductive apparatus to produce small mobile gametes (even if that apparatus is inactive), you’re a male who makes sperm. If you have the apparatus to produce large immobile gametes (even if you can’t, as if you’re postmenopausal or sterile), you’re a female who makes eggs.  If you don’t fit either of these classes, you’re often (but not invariably) classified as intersex.  The athlete Caster Semenya, for example, has internal undescended testes, designed for making sperm, but other female sex traits, like a vagina.  Biologically I’d call her a male, but wouldn’t quarrel if others want to call her “intersex”.

But the point is that intersex individuals are not members of a third sex, so don’t really affect the sex binary: there remain only two types of gametes. We have males, females, and those unclassifiable, with the latter having frequency of one individual in 5600.

I keep repeating myself on the sex binary, along with others like Richard Dawkins, Carole Hooven, and Colin Wright, but I’ll add that the sex binary humans says nothing about the humanity of intersex individuals or transgender individuals (who usually can be classified as biological sex). With a few exceptions involving things like sports and jails, the legal and moral rights of transgender or intersex individuals are independent how “sex” is defined by biologists, and these individuals should never be denigrated for their desire to transition or for the fact that they have a biological condition that makes them intersex.

Finally, the Science Advisor cites Siouxie Wiles, who you can read about on this site (two posts here), a science communicator and microbiologist who’s done some good things, but also vigorously opposed the Listener letter that argued against teaching indigenous ways of knowing as science.  As for @whaeapower on X, it’s another protected account, so I don’t know what it’s about. It may be a Māori site given that “whae” means “mother or aunt” in that language, and because Dame Gerrard has a Māori koru (fern front) tattoo on her back.

At any rate, I guess Dame Gerrard did protect her tweets, as this is what you find when you look for them:

My point, however, is this: the official Science Advisor to the Prime Minister should not be making erroneous statements about sex, even if those statements are made to give succor to people that are not of conventional gender. That she misunderstands sex does not bode well for science education in New Zealand if Dame Gerrard continues in her position after June 30.

As for whether what looks like a quasi-official “X” account should be protected, well, you can be the judge.

==

The supposed Chief Science Advisor position for any country should not be held by someone pretending they don't know where babies come from. It would be far better to employ someone like Ken Ham; he thinks we all got here by magic, but he doesn't pretend he doesn't know how a baby is made.

A post like this should be taken as a formal resignation letter.

[sarcaasmic]

"I mean..., " Ellie teases back as she looks away for a moment, 'Will you be the Juliet to my Romeo?' could be interpreted as such, though she hoped he'd meant it with a little less tragedy in mind. "I guess that'll have to do," she replies and even throws in a fake little pout. She couldn't say no to free food. Maybe an iced drink would help cool her off since that little wink he'd sent her way certainly didn't help in getting rid of the flush in her cheeks.

Ellie tilts her head slightly in amusement, "Well, it would be hilarious to see you in a Scooby Doo costume," there's a pause, "But why would I be Velma? If anything, you'd be Velma and I'd be shaggy" She had nothing against the girl, but she saw no similarities except- she scoffs, "It's the glasses, isn't it?" she shakes her head. She knows it's not that serious, it wasn't like Alex shared many similarities to Scooby, a literal dog.

Now to think about what couples matching costumes they could go as. "I mean Romeo and Juliet's not a bad idea actually, we could do the 1996 movie version," she suggests. "With the wings and the armor," she adds. "I'm sure we could come up with something else though if you don't want to," give her like an hour and she could probably come up with a multitude of ideas for them.

alex can’t stifle the smirk that tugs at the corner of his lips,  nor can he control the wave of warmth that’s rapidly overtaking his cheeks.   there’s a fine line between a good-natured,  friendly banter and flirtatious comments,  and he’s suddenly aware that they’ve most likely just crossed said line.   “and how did i word it before?   didn’t sound like a marriage proposal,  did it?”   he inquires with a chuckle,  running his fingers through his sandy curls and shaking his head.   “will you accept a coffee and a donut instead of a diamond ring?   don’t think i can afford more than that right now.”   joking as they stroll down the crowded avenue,  headed for his favorite indie bookstore that also serves as a café.   “well,  that depends.”   on what kind of costumes she has in mind,  of course.   his heart does a little backflip upon hearing that she’d be willing to go with him to the party,  a warm tingle spreading down his back.   “now i’m intrigued,  tell me more.   do you plan on going as velma?   are you mustering the courage to ask me to put on a scooby-doo costume?”   he gently elbows her,  glancing down and even winking at her.   if truth be told,  he’d go as that rat from ratatouille if it made her happy. 

[prince-rowan-of-the-forest]

Assassination?

----

The plan to assassinate the prince was simple, get in, stab him int he back, get out again. Easy, simple, very little room for error.

So how the hell does that end up with the prince not only still alive, but now accompanying Janus and his friends who all plotted and actively attempted to murder him? I hear you ask.

Well the answer is actually quite simple, both Janus and the prince are very, very gay.

----

| Ao3 | Next part |

Warnings: Assassination, talk of murder, faked character death, weapons, poison, talk about fighting, brief mention of suicide in context of Romeo and Juliet, a very brief bit of species racism.

Pairings: Roceit

Word Count: 2881

Notes:

not me, pumping out almost 3k words in about an hour after barely writing anything for ages.

I'm really spoiling y'all this week, there's another fic coming up on Sunday!

This is for the second day or Roceit Week! I hope you enjoy!

----

It was supposed to be simple.

Get in, kill the prince, get back out. All under cover of darkness during the biggest celebration of the winter. He was supposed to sneak into the castle, disguise himself as a servant during the preparations for the gala, find the prince’s room, tell the prince he was there to do some job or whatever that would get him vulnerable and then stab him through the back.

And after that he was supposed to redisguise himself as a soldier, leave the prince’s room and get out of the castle, stopping by the furnace room on the way to dispose of the evidence. Leave the castle, meet up with Virgil and Logan and get the fuck out of the kingdom.

Simple, less than ten super simple steps, the main part of which involved disguise, which was Janus’ speciality.

Very little could go wrong, his companions had made absolute sure of it.

So of course, the moment they attempted to carry out the plan everything went to shit.

The first thing he realised was that he was supposed to know every other servant by name. Obviously a system set up to stop this exact kind of plan. Janus, of course, had a list of every servant’s name that Logan had acquired, but that didn’t exactly help him match name to face, he simply had to guess and hope that the name he said when describing who he was running off to help wasn’t the name of the servant standing in front of him.

Luckily, he had mentioned he was going to help Cicely, and the girl who had asked him was called Janet. Thank goodness.

And then he had gotten lost, because apparently the map that they had acquired wasn’t up to date on the castle’s layout. Janus had gone in circles for almost twenty minutes looking for the Prince’s chambers and when he’d arrived, another servant seemed about to go in, so he stopped her.

“Excuse me,” Janus said in the politest voice he could muster, “What are you doing going into the prince’s chambers?”

“Um,” She said, staring at him confused, “I’m his handmaid… I’m supposed to get him prepared for the celebrations? What are you doing here, and why didn’t you know that? And why don’t I recognise you?”

“Apologies, I’m new, but didn’t Janet tell you?” Janus lied, using the only name of a higher up servant he knew to not belong to this girl, “You’ve been given the day off today, I’m taking over your duties for this evening so you’re free to enjoy the celebrations, as a reward for all your hard work…”

“Oh really?” She asked, gasping, Janus was internally relieved that she seemed to be delighted by the fact rather than suspicious, “I shall have to tell her thank you after the celebrations, oh I’ve always wanted the night off to go! Oh- what’s your name, I’ll tell her to give you something as a thank you for letting me know!”

“I’m- er- Jay?” Janus said, trying for smooth, he couldn’t very well tell her his real name, nor his usual cover name for talking to clients, ‘Deceit’ certainly wouldn’t fly in this context.

“Alright Jay! Good luck with the prince, he can be a handful, thank you so much again!”

And off she went sprinting down the hall. Janus knew he was on an even tighter time limit now, because she would certainly tell someone and immediately find out about the lie. He just had to hope she would take a while.

But hey, if the prince’s handmaid was that easy to deceive, the prince himself should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong.

Because apparently the prince was as observant as he was rumoured to be an idiot (which was very, but Janus would very soon find out that the rumours were untrue). Prince Roman seemed to know something was wrong the moment Janus opened the door.

“You aren’t Lucinda.” He said, narrowing his incredibly pretty amber eyes at Janus from where he sat on the window seat. Janus dropped into a bow just as they had practiiced.

“No, your highness,” Janus said, trying to keep his tone even, “Lucinda was relieved for the evening so that she could attend the festival, I am her replacement for the night.

Roman hummed, closing the book he had been reading and standing up, walking over to Janus with long strides and wow this guy was tall. Janus had to keep from instinctively reaching for the knife he had hidden on his person. He couldn’t give himself away yet. Roman circled around him once, before stopping in front of him and making such intense eye contact that Janus was struggling not to melt. His eyes were in fact incredibly beautiful, amber like the gem and lit with fire, flecks of gold and orange and red and brown and why exactly was Janus focusing so much on this guy’s eyes?

“I’ve never seen you before,” Roman said bluntly, “I would remember a face like yours, very pretty.”

Janus did not squeak when the prince he was here to murder in cold blood for a grudge that was not even his own said that he was pretty and anyone who said otherwise was a dirty liar.

“Um, thank you, your highness? I’m- new to the staff.” Janus explained, fighting every instinct in his poor body that was telling him to look away.

“Ah, they’re always hiring newbies these days, what’s your name?”

“Jay, sire,” Janus said, before doing something he would definitely regret later, but it wouldn’t matter, because he was here to murder the prince, right, “Short for, uh Janus.”

“Janus, huh?” Roman said with a smile, and yeah, that was the reason, because the prince had such a wonderful voice, the way it sounded to hear his name - his real name that no-one but he, and now the prince, knew - said aloud in such a wondrous voice and oh god how the hell was Janus supposed to murder this guy.

“Yes, sire,” Janus said, finally averting his eyes.

“Oh do drop the ‘sire’s and ‘your highness’s” Roman said, walking away and waving a hand as though he was wafting away a fly, “They’re so stuffy and formal, call me Roman, please, all the staff do.”

Janus was fairly certain he was very rapidly descending into a full fledged crisis right now and he wasn’t exactly sure what to do about it. His species wasn’t one of the few that took names, but somehow being given permission - even though he wasn’t really a servant - to use the Prince’s name felt like a little too much. Especially when he was very quickly starting to feel worse and worse about the idea of murdering him.

“Are you alright, Jay?” Roman said from halfway across the room, when did he get there? Did Janus really just space out ? Virgil would kill him for letting his guard down so much, “You haven’t moved since you first came in…”

“I’m- I’m fine, apologies, um, Roman.” Janus said, coughing as he tried to get rid of the blush on the more human side of his face - luckily he was a snake, not a chameleon, he’d seen the colours they go when embarrassed.

“No need, I know I can be ‘full on’ sometimes,” Roman waved a hand, once again dismissing his statement, “Now, are you going to attempt to assassinate me now, or later?”

“What.” Janus said, eyes going wide, how the hell had Roman known? Roman turned and smirked back at him.

“You’re in the old servants uniform, I’m surprised no-one picked up on it.” Roman pointed out, “The name of my handmaid is Beatrice, not Lucinda. My parents are also incredibly specist and thus all of our staff are either human or human passing, which you, good sir, are not - an oversight on your part I’m sure - and besides, I meet all new servants, we haven’t had someone new in weeks and even besides all of that they wouldn’t have assigned such a new staff member to cover for my handmaiden should it be necessary, which it is not considering Beatrice did not really have a night off tonight, or I would have been informed much earlier.”

Janus could only stare, jaw ajar, at the prince, wondering how on earth they had thought this plan out so badly despite the hours of thinking they had put into this.

“You have a knife in your sleeve, one concealed in your belt and another tucked in your shoe, surely poison would’ve been better? You could have brought me a drink and slipped it in and I would have been none the wiser,” Roman said, sitting down on a stool and looking at him expectantly. Janus knew he was supposed to say something now, but he wasn’t sure quite what.

“I- well- I suppose that might have worked?” Janus tried, what the hell was happening, “You’re not- your not going to call the guards?”

“No,” Roman said, “This is the most interesting thing that’s happened to me all year and besides, now that I’ve found you out I doubt you’re going to fight me head on, you’re much more built for stealth than battle and I’d also assume that I have more training in that regard than you do, based on your current stance, so I’d likely win that fight anyway.”

“Right,” Janus said, rolling his eyes, “No, I’m not going to fight you head on, but- what- you’d rather remain in a room with an assassin than go enjoy the gala?”

“Of course,” Roman said as though it were obvious, “I’d much rather stay in here with a pretty criminal than go out there to have girls gawk at me and my parents breathing down my neck.”

“And your brother?”

“I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he got himself a fake identity and hired you to murder me as a practical joke.” Roman said bitterly, Janus winced, the prince really didn’t seem at all happy to be here.

“I see- wait, did you call me pretty? Again?” Janus asked, once again a little flabbergasted.

“Of course,” Roman rolled his eyes, “You are incredibly beautiful, little naga, I don’t flirt with all my staff, fake or not, you know.”

Janus hid the human side of his face with a hand, knowing for sure that he was bright red, he didn’t get compliments often, sue him, “How the hell am I supposed to murder you when you’re complimenting me like that?”

Roman flashed him a smile, “That’s the idea, sweetheart.”

Again, Janus didn’t squeak. He was far too dignified for such a thing.

“Anyway, I have an idea as to how I can get what I want and you can also get what you want, if you’re willing to hear me out?” Roman suggested, resting an elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand, still looking over at Janus with those gosh darn eyes.

Well… Janus didn’t really have any better options, so he nodded and Roman gestured him to a seat opposite his own stool. Janus sat down hesitantly.

“With speed, though, I’m not sure how long it’ll be until someone finds out your handmaiden isn’t doing her job.”

Roman nodded, before pulling a small vial out of his pocket and turning to him with a cunning grin.

“I propose that we fake my death.” Roman said simply, Janus looked from the vial back to Roman in surprise, “This- when I drink it - will simulate the effects of death, so I’ll drink this, you will hide, it’’ll kick in, I’ll ‘die’."

“And then?” Janus asked, raising an eyebrow, “Won’t they take away your body?”

“No, they’ll leave me here, under normal circumstances dress me up a little and put me on display for people to pay respects before cremating my body,” Roman said, crossing his legs, “In our case, you’ll let them find me and sound the alarm that I’m dead, and then you’ll steal my ‘dead’ body and sneak out of the castle, I read about a plan like this in a story, once.”

“And did it work, in this story?” Janus asked, seeming more doubtful by the second.

“It did not, the lovers had no communication, so when one drank the poison to get out of an arranged marrage the other found her ‘dead’ and stabbed himself, she woke up to find her dead partner next to her and killed herself too, it was quite upsetting,” Roman explained, Janus just huffed, “But! That won’t happen to us, because you know that I’m not really dead, therefore this plan should go flawlessly.”

“Right,” Janus huffed, “Ok, sure, we can try this batshit plan of yours, Prince, it’s not like my first plan went as it should have.”

“Wonderful!” Roman grinned, “Now listen, a guard should arrive in roughly ten minutes to escort me to the gala, I’ll take the poison now and lay down, it’ll look like I died in my sleep, you go out of the window onto the ledge and hide out of sight-”

—-

Almost an hour later the news of the Prince’s death had already travelled throughout the castle and likely beyond. Janus had been waiting on the window ledge for what felt like forever as people bustled in and out of the prince’s room. He wasn’t sure why he waited, really. He could easily escape now and let the palace staff cremate the still living Prince. He’d be free, because he hadn’t actually done anything at all, but…

Roman had been so trusting, he had put so much faith in him to carry out his plan. The way Roman’s eyes sparkled at the idea of being free… his eyes...

Janus found he couldn’t stand the idea of never seeing those eyes again. He’d only known the prince for an hour now, wasn’t that just pathetic?

But no matter how pathetic, Janus still waiting until the flow of people seemed to have ceased for now. He wrapped up what looked like the lifeless corpse of Prince Roman (And even though he knew the prince would wake up again, the sight still made his chest hurt a little) and lifted him over his shoulders.

Roman was taller than Janus, by half a foot at least, and heavier too. His broader frame with far more muscle mass was huge compared to Janus’ small, thin frame which some may even describe as sickly or frail. It made it difficult to carry the prince, but in the end Janus managed to find a position that worked and left the room.

Somehow - because luck seemed to have turned by that point - Janus managed to escape the castle un-noticed. Somehow a tiny naga running through the streets carrying what looked like a corpse wrapped in very obviously expensive blankets went un-noticed and Janus got safely back to the rendezvous point where Logan and Virgil waited with a cart without confrontation, though he was exhausted and out of breath from carrying the prince, to the point where he practically buckled the moment he entered the small private space.

“Jay!” Virgil cried from the cart, jumping down and running over, “What the hell? You were- you were supposed to- what the fuck dude?”

“I- I kidnapped the prince,” Janus said after taking a deep breath.

“We can see that,” Logan said, appearing behind Virgil, “Though he looks dead.”

“Some poison that apparently makes him look dead for a while,” Janus said, making sure Roman hadn’t gotten hurt when he fell, "I'm not sure how long it'll last."

“Everyone’s saying he’s dead,” Logan said, “The rumours are already spreading, we need to leave, do we leave him here?”

“Of course not!” Virgil cried, “Jay has already fucked us over by bringing the prince here! We can’t just- leave the guy for someone to find!”

“As much as I don’t agree with the part about me fucking us over,” Janus said, dusting himself off, “I do agree with the rest of that statement, we need to bring him.”

“Wonderful,” Logan said, sarcastically, “Why didn’t you just stick with the plan we came up with?”

“He found me out,” Janus explained, standing up and lifting the prince once again, this time carefully placing him in the back of the cart and climbing up after him, Virgil followed, shooting a withering glare at the prince before looking back at Janus.

“How? Our plan was foolproof-”

“It was actually pretty terrible,” Janus interrupted, “for a multitude of raasons, which is why we need inside help for this kind of job.”

“We will aspire to get inside help for jobs in the future,” Logan sighed, hopping up into the drivers seat of the cart and starting them moving, “We’ll discuss this more later, for now, we must get out of the city.”

Janus hummed an agreement and allowed himself to flop onto his back next to the unconscious prince. Virgil stared at him with a look on his face that showed how completely he was done with him already, Janus simply ignored him, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

Today had been something, tomorrow will probably come with even more exhausting hassle when the prince woke up, but for now Janus wasn’t going to think about that. For now, all Janus had to do was fall asleep.

That night he dreamt of amber eyes, full of fire and gold.

----

Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @reptilianrapscallion420 @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess (if anyone wants to be added let me know!)

@roceit2023

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

For Want of a Nail: Send me a minor detail to be changed (i.e., Character A chooses blue instead of red, Characters B and C swap places in one scene) and I’ll tell you how [that fic] would be different

Yorick decides to tell Alicent about his crush on her when they're kids

Well, first and foremost, it would change things by forcing me to write the most awkward encounter known to man. Local 11-year-old boy tells his crush he likes her, only to learn lesbians exist. Granted, Alicent wouldn't be explicitly saying she likes girls, it'd be real repressed & weird & awkward because I can imagine she'd want to return Yorick's feelings...she just knows she can't.

I don't think a whole lot would change from the gentle letdown onward through the events of the first couple episodes, other than putting some tension & strain on their relationship a little earlier, because within SOTF canon there already is a little bit of that, it's all from Viserys though & Yorick being seen as a convenient "what if" safe option. If Yorick tells Alicent about his crush when they're kids, the awkward tension would just be the "you came clean with it, but me not being able to reciprocate made things kinda weird & we can't go back." However, I do think that it would have eliminated the Vizzy baggage? At least a little bit. Like Yorick being Alicent's first "a guy is blatantly into me" is a way better way to process that, & once she's sent to Vizzy by her dad, I think she'd process that way quicker & would go to him for help while he & Ella are in King's Landing for the dragon egg incident from episode 2.

Now, I'm not saying they'd have a Romeo & Juliet type early teen elopement, because Yorick would already be betrothed at that point & he's not the type to dishonor that commitment, but that's still Alicent going to someone. Would he be able to do a lot? Probably not, he's still just a 13/14-year-old boy, but he's still a safe person for Alicent to confide in: because here's someone who expressed interest in her but took no for an answer, who already has to deal with Viserys & dislikes him, who has only ever been her friend, who goes out of his way to help the people he loves. That would clear the air from his confession really quickly, even though I don't think Yorick would be able to save her. Because at that point what can realistically be done? It would jumpstart things though, & have some stuff happening faster, I'm sure.

So Alicent still gets married to Vizzy, Yorick still goes to squire for his dad in The Stepstones, everything still mostly happens as-is, but Alicent has already asked for help & Yorick has already said he'll do whatever he needs to for her. She spent the 4 years he was away processing, getting okay with the concept of Yorick & what he represents because they crossed some bridges already. Given that, & she's already seen Ella around her kids & knows that the Roycegaryens are safe & on her side (even if not in a "we're factioned tf up" type way super early on), I think that would probably see the Targtower kids exposed to their cousins a lot quicker & would maybe even have one of them being fostered at Runestone. Because Daeron is being fostered at Old Town, it isn't out of the realm of possibility for a kid from the royal family to be fostered somewhere, especially if it's with family. Now, who is being fostered in this hypothetical scenario? I don't know, but whoever it is, is going to be way more well-adjusted by not being around The Red Keep & all of that.

I don't know if the fostering one of the Targtowers things would see the Roycegaryens fully coming to Alicent's side in a factiony, ride-or-die peace was never an option way faster, or if would see some sort of reconciliation between Rhaenyra & at least that sibling given how she is fighting tooth-and-nail to keep her cousins for a while. That would require a lot more thought experimenting than I would want to do since this isn't the road I've gone down. It's definitely a super interesting thing to think about though, & I'm glad you asked about it because, truthfully, I hadn't thought about it before now.

[rcdamancy]

          “ did ... no, tell me you did not hear that, ” juliet asked mildly for the very reason she knew that faint click hadn't been a good sign. the somewhat spacious area, at least presumed, a space where she had to feel her way around without tripping over a bucket and mop while her hand rested on the other's shoulder to balance her way to the door in the dark. but she hadn't reached for the handle, illuminated by the hall light shown through the cracks in the door, no, that would have confirmed what she was afraid of.

int. any time of day, any establishment building, supply closet .　　featuring　,　(　@loversfms　) and (　@wandererfms　) and (　@dreamerfms　) .

[rcyalxblccd]

Emmeline gently nudged Madeline with her arm. “I am only teasing Madeline. This just means I will have to visit your room with Rasberry pastries next,” she replied. The older princess couldn’t help the laugh that fell from her lips at her sisters reaction to the lemon pastry. While it was clear her sister distasted the pastry for its tart flavor, Emmeline had always enjoyed lemon pastries and the like since she was a child. “To each their own my dear sister,” she began, placing her hand on top of the others. “You do not have to continue eating it if you do not wish. I just needed a laugh,” she finished, sticking her tongue out in Madeline’s direction.

“ perhaps i should have, but i confess i never thought of it.” just like herself, she saw her sister pause at moments, it was ever so briefly but she was well aware of the thoughts that perhaps crossed through her mind. it was why she was too keen to be with her sister, perhaps she could try and entertain her sister’s thoughts elsewhere, for the time being. she reluctantly took half the pastry with her hand –– there had never been a time when lemon had managed to fascinate her. even as a child, she had always preferred all kinds of berries. “ i suppose i must…” madeleine reluctantly brought the soft pastry to her lips, the acidic nature of lemon making her face sour as she swallowed. “ i will never understand how someone manages to like this.” she bumped her sister with shoulder softly, managing to let out a soft laugh. “ this is absolutely disastrous!”

[the960writers]

Juliet E. McKenna:

Today from the creative writing archive - the distinction between writing feminist epic fantasy and writing epic fantasy as a feminist. Interesting reading for me, having now written a consciously female-centered version of Arthurian legend in The Cleaving.

https://www.julietemckenna.com/?page_id=1952

[nauticalnotions]

Understanding Character Motivation

What is Character Motivation? Character motivation is the driving force behind every action a character takes. It is the reason behind their decisions and behaviors in various situations, propelling them toward their goals, through conflicts, or around obstacles. Without strong motivation, characters may appear flat or their actions arbitrary.

Why Important? Strong motivations enliven characters for the reader, clarifying their actions and making their decisions relatable. This understanding fosters a believable journey through the plot and fuels the conflicts that make stories compelling.

Kinds of Motivations

Internal vs. External Motivations

Internal Motivations: These motivations are personal and intrinsic to the character, such as desires, fears, beliefs, or emotional deficits. Examples include a desire for acceptance, proving oneself, or overcoming a personal fear.

External Motivations: These motivations arise from external forces that compel the character into action, like societal pressures or environmental challenges. Examples include quests for treasure, missions to save someone, or escaping danger.

Positive vs. Negative Motivations

Positive Motivations: Motivations stemming from positive desires like love, ambition, or justice. Characters with these motivations are driven to achieve beneficial or noble outcomes.

Negative Motivations: Driven by negative impulses such as fear, revenge, or greed, these motivations typically focus on avoiding adverse outcomes.

Craft Compelling Motivations

Know Your Characters

Backstory: Characters should have rich, detailed backgrounds that inform their current desires and fears based on past experiences.

Personality: Personality traits (optimistic, pessimistic, brave, cautious) significantly influence what motivates a character.

Set Clear Objectives

Specific and Measurable: Goals should be concrete, such as opening a bakery in their hometown, rather than vague ambitions like "being happy."

Achievable: Ensure the goals are realistic within the story’s context, challenging yet possible to attain.

Establish Stakes

What are the consequences if the character fails to achieve their objective? High stakes increase motivation, whether these are personal losses or broader dangers.

Show Growth and Change

Changing Motivations: As the story progresses, a character's motivations might evolve, reflecting their dynamic nature.

Internal Conflict: Characters may experience conflict when their motivations clash with their beliefs or values, adding depth and complexity.

Examples of Motives

Classic Motives in Literature and Film

Revenge: In 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' Edmond Dantès seeks vengeance against those who wronged him.

Love: In 'Romeo and Juliet,' the love between the protagonists highlights the futility of family feuds.

Novel Example of Survival: In "The Hunger Games," Katniss Everdeen fights to protect her family and survive against all odds.

Different Motivations

Redemption: A former villain seeks redemption for past deeds.

Curiosity: An explorer driven by the need to discover new worlds.

Legacy: An artist wants to create works that will outlive their own mortality.

Writing Tips on Motivations

Show, Don't Tell: Demonstrate motivations through actions, dialogue, and internal monologue rather than exposition.

Internal Consistency: Ensure that motivations established at the start align with actions throughout the story to avoid frustrating readers.

Make It Personal: Personal stakes engage readers more deeply than abstract ones.

Avoid Clichés: Add unique twists to classic motives to keep them fresh and engaging.

Test Motivations Against Obstacles: Challenge your characters’ motivations through trials to reveal their true nature and create tension.

Conclusion

Character motivation is central to your story, initiating plot developments and enriching your characters. By deeply understanding and portraying these motivations, you can engage readers effectively and integrate these elements seamlessly into your narrative. Enjoy the creative process of developing your characters!

[amadouers]

“  oh, trust me. you're always allowed to judge people on their book purchases.  ”  the response comes right away, hands moving around dramatically as she speaks, only coming to a halt when she hears more of the story.  “  okay, wait, that's actually kinda sweet?  ”  despite the hesitant tone, there's a bright smile on her face, one hand on her chest.  “  i mean, shame on him for not giving out the good chocolate on halloween but hey, maybe he just doesn't know what everyone else likes.  ”  she might have no problem judging people when necessary, but mila isn't a mean girl per se. in fact, she tends to see things on the bright side, and this one included.  “  are you saying that it's impossible for old people to find love?  ”  she asks, eyes narrowing playfully at juliet.  “  i'm sensing a little judgment over here. that's not nice, babes.  ”

          “ technically, i'm not allowed to judge people on their book purchases, ” she paused, allowing the silence that followed ( a prolonged state ) to fill in the rest of what had gone unsaid, save for the slight quirk of her brow. “ though a mr. jefferson yesterday ... the one who sits on his porch, doesn't hand out the good chocolate on halloween and hangs out by the florist shop. ” hazel eyes glanced up from the books in her grasp, “ yeah, he bought a cook book and dates for dummies. never too old to find love, apparently. ” though she also hadn't stated her other theory that he strangely looked like the cartoon elderly man from the film up.

int. mid day, the weekend, the book nook .　　featuring　,　(　@mcktub　) and　(　@amadouers　) and (　@savvyism　) .