#me already in the middle of writing 1 fic.... my brain: what if we write another???

[riovidalharkness]

AgathaRio AU | Agatha is an up and coming photographer who prefers to be behind the camera. She is asked to photograph a new client. When she sees who her client will be, she's hesitant to say yes. According to others who work in the same field as her, Rio Vidal is a well-known model with a bad reputation and a mean streak. She's said to be impossible to work with. Still trying to build her portfolio, she can't say no. She's nervous to photograph her. As they work together, Agatha finds that talk isn't everything.

[ Idea inspired by this post by @multifandominfj ]

[littlespacereader]

So I’m only on episode 2 of season 1 of Good Omens but I’m already OBSESSED! So here’s a little fic I whipped up. Disclaimer: I don’t know if this is at all accurate to anything the characters would or wouldn’t do so please keep that in mind when reading. I promise once I’m further along in the show I’ll write a proper fic and open the fandom up for writing prompt request. Anyway please enjoy! 💞

Waking Up In A Bookshop

Caregiver!Aziraphale, Caregiver!Crowley & GN Little!Reader (SFW)

Tw- car accident causes reader to get hurt. It’s minor but I wanted to put it out there just in case!

Tags- Reader gets hurt! (nothing violent, they just pass out), hurt and comfort, accident, diapers, pacifier, stuffie snake, Crowley and Aziraphale become cgs.

Nicknames- kid, kiddo, little one, darling, sweetheart, sweet one, Papa (for Crowley), Dada (for Aziraphale)

Of course I was late! And this would be the second time this week! I rushed down the sidewalk, weaving through the crowds to make it to my job.

I wasn’t my fault! It seemed as though London was working against me. The bus was always late and the walk from the bus stop to the coffee shop is about a 15 minute walk.

But today it seems the universe was out to get me. Even with the bus always being late I still missed it. So I had to take the later bus. Once I got off I knew I had to RUSH.

So here I was…running. The streets of London were packed as always. I tried to maneuver my way through the many people so I could make my job on time for a change. I decided to take a path down a different road which resulted in me waiting at a corner to cross the street.

I anxiously waited for the light to give the pedestrians the right away to cross the street. But it was taking FOREVER! I looked across the street and noticed there were no cars coming. So I decided to go for it and take my chances. I should realize that I shouldn’t gamble with fate like that.

A black car rounds the corner at a record speed. I was half way across the street when it happened. Without any time to react my backpack clips the car, causing me to spin and fly backward onto the payment below.

I hit my head hard against the road. For a moments everything went blurry as my brain and body tried to process what had happened. I stare up at the sky laying on my back in the middle of the road.

Tears start to fall from my eyes as my regression takes hold of me. I hear the car come to a screeching stop and two people get out of the car.

“I told you not to take turns that fast! Look what happened!” One yelled.

“They came out of no where! How is this my fault?! They were jaywalking!” The other argued.

One of them ran over and kneeled next to me on the street. “I’m so terribly sorry! Are you alright? Do you need an ambulance?” I couldn’t even move, my head pounded and my vision was too blurry to even make the man out. I just cried and tried to lift my arm up to him.

“Angel don’t be ridiculous they’re fine-.” The other man stopped mid-sentence when he came over and saw me.

“Tell me, what’s your name sweetheart?” The less harsh one asked as he took my hand in his.

“…Y/N…” I tried to say, but I’m not even sure if it came out that way or not. My head and my body couldn’t take the pain. My eyes started to close and I started to slip into unconsciousness.

“Hey, hey, hey! Stay with us darling, don’t close your eyes.” The first man said with a voice layered in worrying. But it hard trying to stay awake. I kept fading in and out.

The second man kneeled beside me. I felt my head being lifted up. “No blood, cuts or bump yet but they might have a concussion or worst.” My head was gently placed back down.

“We have to take them to the bookshop.” The first guy replied.

“What?! Are you crazy? Why would we need to worry ourselves with that? Listen, why don’t we drop them off at the hospital and be on our way.”

“Crowley!!”

“Okay! Okay! Fine! We’ll take the kid home.”

I felt myself being lifted up from the street and into someone’s arms. I whined without even realizing it because I heard the second man…Crowley I think…start to say, “Hey, it’s okay. Easy does it kiddo. I’ve got you.”

I rested my head against him as he carried me over to the very thing that put me into this position, the fancy black car. Crowley gently laid me in the back seat.

He shrugged his jacket off and laid it on me like a blanket on before he sat in the drivers seat and his partner jumped in the front seat.

My eyes opened a little bit to make out the two. One of them had red hair and wore all black and the other had white hair and wore tan. Both of them looked at me worried.

The man with the white hair smiled and caressed my face. “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you I promise. Just stay with us okay, I want to see those beautiful eyes.”

I tried to nod but the slightest movement hurt. But he seemed to notice me trying. He smiled back with a warm comforting smile.

As the engine started with a roar and we started to raced down the streets of London, my new found headache returned to me. I watched as my imagine of the two men started to fade more and more into the darkness.

“Y/N? Y/N stay with us…Crowley this is the only time I’m going to say this but, speed up!”

“I’m going as fast as I can. Come on kiddo just a little longer, stay with us.”

“Y/N?” ………..

“Y/N!”………………………..

Then darkness took me as I slipped into unconsciousness.

~~~

The front door the the bookshop swung open. Crowley carried the unconscious Little through the door with a frantic Aziraphale walking behind holding their backpack.

“Hurry upstairs. I want to put ice on their head right away.” Aziraphale ushered.

“Angel they’re not dying, they’re just hurt.” Crowley tried to say, more for himself than to Aziraphale. Not that he would admit it.

“Regardless I want to get them in our bed and rested.”

“Our bed?!” Crowley whined.

“You hit them with the Bentley!!” Aziraphale reminded him.

“Yeah, you’re right. Right….” Crowley sighed at the reminder of his guilt.

The two quickly went upstairs with the Little. Aziraphale dashed into the kitchen, dropping their backpack on the table while rushing around to grab the first aid kit and some ice packs.

Crowley brought the Little into their bed room and gently laid them down on the bed. But that’s when he noticed something.

“Angel…come here for a moment.” He softly called for the angel.

“What ever is the matter Crowley?” He asked walking into the room, arms full of ice packs and bandages.

But just as Crowley froze, Aziraphale froze as well. But for Aziraphale it was just for a moment. He immediately got to work. “It seems as though the little one had a small accident. Nothing we can’t take care of.”

“They had an accident,” Crowley repeated, “You know that means they’re on the younger side of things.”

“To begin with, you hit them with the car so I can imagine the trauma of it all threw them into their headspace, which happens to be younger.” Aziraphale started to say.

“Will you stop reminding me!” Crowley yelled only for Aziraphale to shush him.

“And secondly the accident is easy to take care of see,” With the snap of his fingers Y/N’s pants became magically dry thanks to a small miracle. “There, it’s as if it hasn’t happened.”

Crowley was next to snap his figures, this time twice making two miracles. Aziraphale looked over at Crowley who looked at the Little, still laced with guilt.

“I just gave them a diaper…you know, just incase. Plus a gift from me after hurting them.” Under Y/N’s arm was now a stuffed animal snake tucked in securely.

Aziraphale smiled at Crowley’s generosity. “I’m sure they’ll love it. Now, let’s let them rest a bit while you help me with the bandaged and ice packs.”

The two spent the rest of the morning tending for the Little. Making sure that when they woke up they would be alright and safe in their apartment above the bookshop.

Aziraphale sat on one side and Crowley sat on the other side of the bed, both looking at the unconscious Little who was now all bandaged and ice up.

“Perhaps we should look for their wallet.”

“Angel is this really the best time to be robbing them?”

“Crowley! We’re not robbing them! I just thought we better check if they have a Caregiver. They better notify them of what’s happened.”

“Oh. Right.” Crowley nodded.

The two went off to the kitchen leaving the Little while they spelt. Over on the table sat their backpack. While Aziraphale would’ve had a softer, more gentle approach to finding the wallet inside the backpack, Crowley just picked and dumped all the contents onto the table.

Aziraphale sighed and started to sort through everything. He grabbed their wallet and then their Little emergency card.

“Ah! Well you were right, they’re definitely younger headspace wise. And it says oh….” Aziraphale stopped, his face turning sad.

“What’s wrong?”

“They don’t have a Caregiver. There’s nothing but info about them. No caregiver listed.”

Crowley took the card and looked it over. “How could they not have a Caregiver? They’re too young to be without one. What if something happened?”

Aziraphale raised an eye brown, “Something did happen.” He sighed and started to think. But in that moment something struck him. “Wait.” He looked back up at Crowley. “What if this is all meant to be?”

“What do you mean?” Crowley lifted his head up to look at the Angel.

“Y/N! Maybe they were meant to get hit by the Bentley! Tell me, how long have you and I been searching for a Little of our own?”

“Oh well…let’s see…”

“It’s been years! But we never had the time to actually sit down and find the right one. Well…” he gestured towards the bedroom. “We found them!”

“Angel…you can’t be serious.” Crowley rolled his eyes.

“Who knows? Maybe this is all a part of the grand plan of things?”

“So I was supposed to hit them with the Bentley as sort of this grand plan by the higher ups to give us a Little…I’m understanding this right?” Crowley put his hands on his hips. Looking at Aziraphale all sassy like.

“I mean naturally we’d have to ask them but I’m sure that they’re our Little. Look, all I known is I don’t care about anyone as much as I do you. But they bring out a new sort of feeling in me. I’m worried for someone other than you. I’ve just wanted to care for them ever since the moment we first saw them. So it must be true! I mean don’t tell you haven’t felt the slightest bit nurturing with them? Making sure they’re comfortable, putting an ice pack on their head?” Aziraphale looked at Crowley, already knowing the answer to his question.

“I might have,” Crowley said as nonchalantly as he could. He took a seat at the table. “I just…I just don’t want to get my hopes up incase it’s doesn’t work out.” It was an honest and sincere response. He never took rejection well.

“I’m going to grab a book then sit and keep an eye on the little one. Could you put the kettle on for us?” Aziraphale asked and Crowley nodded. With that Aziraphale disappeared downstairs to the bookstore.

Crowley paused and watched his partner go. With a sigh he walked over and put the kettle on for the two of them.

After he planted himself back at the table, looking through all Y/N’s belongings noisily. He picked up a plain pacifier and even plainer diaper. Oh no, if they were his Little, he would have to get them some supplies with the cutest designs and colors. He smiled to himself, he would spoil his Little rotten.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the kettle going of behind him. He jumped out of his seat and went off to make Aziraphale his cup of tea.

Aziraphale returned, book in hand. He knew just what he was looking for, “How to Care for A Young Little, A Caregiver’s Guide.” He might as well start to get familiar…it never hurt. Taking his tea cup from Crowley, he made his way to the bedroom to watch over the little one while they rested.

~~~

The first thing I realize was I was no longer on the street. Memories came back in bits and pieces but what came through the most was the pain. Oh right, I was hit by a car.

I whined and squeezed my eyes closed. Just as I gave away I was awake a soft voice spoke to me and took my hand in theirs. “Easy there sweet one, you’ve had quite a troubling day. Open your eyes at your own speed, don’t force yourself.”

Taking his advice I slowly started to open my eyes. Slowly I started to see the person with the sweet and comforting voice. His face started out looking blurry at first but eventually I could see him clearly.

“There you are darling. How are you feeling?” The man with white hair ask me. He rubbed small circles on my hand to comfort me.

Before I answered back I took in myself and where I was. I was in a very comfortable bed wrapped in the softest blankets. I could feel a bandage on my head and a bandaid on my hands. The room was cozy and warm, smelling like old books and tea.

He looked at me with a small smiled filled with concerned. “Hurts.” I told him, squeezing his hands in mine. My little side couldn’t articulate all these big thoughts properly.

“Aww, I’m sure it does hurt. But the ice pack should start to help the pain go away. You’re okay darling. Just a little bump on the head but nothing serious. You’re very brave.” He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the tears from my eyes.

“Brave?”

“Oh yes very brave.” He smiled back.

“What’s…what’s your name?” I asked the sweet man.

“My name is Aziraphale and my partner with the red hair is Crowley.”

“Az…Azraph…”

“I know it’s a bit of a mouth full.” He laughed.

“Aziraphale.” I said more confidently.

“That’s it! Wonderful darling!” He praised.

And for the first time that day I smiled. Aziraphale was treating me so kind for someone who hit me with their car. Wait…wasn’t there someone else? Aziraphale wasn’t the drive…Crowley….he was the driver…

Like clockwork the other person knocked at the door. Aziraphale turned towards it, “You can come in Crowley. They’re awake.”

Soon the door opened and in came the second guy. Now I remember him! He was driving the car and he had the really red hair. He looked guilty as he took me in.

“Hey kiddo. How you feeling?”

“Head hurts.” I lifted my hand to feel my bandages but Aziraphale stopped me.

“No, no darling. Keep them on. They’re to keep the ice pack on your head.”

I sighed and put my hand back down in my lap. That’s when I noticed the new stuffed animal. “A snake!” I lifted it up and admired it.

“Yes, I thought you might like a gift for everything you’ve been through.” Crowley took a seat on the other side of the bed.

“I love it! The colors are so pretty!!” It was red with black stripes. And it was soooooo soft.

“I’m happy you do.” Crowley smiled. He picked up the snake and made it slide up and down my leg. Then he had it pretend to attack my hand. I couldn’t help but giggle every time he did it.

He handed me back the snake before he spoke again, “I want to apologize though. I’m so sorry you got hurt. It was never my intention.”

I lifted my eyes and looked at Crowley sincerely. “It’s okay. I should’ve waited and not just walk across the street. But I accept your apology.”

I could instantly see Crowley start to relax a bit. “Thank you kiddo.”

“Y/N we happened to notice your ID card says you don’t have a Caregiver, is that right?” Aziraphale asked.

I nodded my head. “Yeah…” I looked down, a bit saddened. “I’m fine on my own though.”

“You’re are a bit young, kiddo. I don’t want to think of someone as young as you being on their own.” Crowley added.

“Why I bring this up is…well, Crowley and I are Cargivers. Now you don’t have to accept right now or make any sort of decisions, especially with your head injury, but if you’ll allow us, we’d like to take care of you. Then after you feel better if you’d like we could become your Caregivers.” Aziraphale explained.

The two looked over at me eagerly but was honestly too in shock to say anything at the moment. The two guys who hit me with their car want me to be their Little? But they both seemed so nice and they’ve taken such good care of me when they could’ve easily left me there.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” I smiled at the two.

And they smiled back. Aziraphale squeezed one of my hands while Crowley took the other. Little did I know this was just the beginning of something beautiful!

~~~

My old job fired me but I got hired to work at a bookstore…Aziraphale’s bookstore! I arrive there every morning perfectly on time! I help him rearrange the books, work the cash register and take inventory.

Then after a long day I regress upstairs in the apartment with my two Caregivers safely by my side.

Crowley, who at first was a bit unsure how good of a Caregiver he would be, soon feel into the rhythm of it fairly quickly. He was a big troublemaker like myself! But he also loved to play any game I came up with including dress up!

Aziraphale has a gentle touch, always looking to make sure I’m comfortable. He a huge cuddle bug and loves to sit with me on his lap while reading a book to me.

Today Crowley picked me up and threw me over his shoulder when he arrived home. “There you are! Thought you could hide from Papa? Huh?”

Aziraphale just laughs and shakes his head at the sight of the two playing together in the living room. Once Crowley put me down I took off towards him, hiding behind him from Crowley. “Protect me Dada!” I hold onto him tightly.

“Always my dear! Back demon! Stay away from my baby.” Aziraphale laughed to himself, the nickname demon making him chuckle. Their baby doesn’t know the truth about the two of them and for now that’s quite okay.

Crowley rolls his eyes to the comment, “Don’t you mean our baby?”

Aziraphale picked me up and smiled at Crowley, “You’re right, our sweet little one.” Aziraphale pulled Crowley into a group hug with me. Crowley smirked and wrapped his arms around the two of us.

The three of us hug. Once and for all a family of our own. Suddenly the apartment didn’t feel like an apartment but a home filled with giggles, smiles and love.

[mara-tevith-solo]

Sing a Little Song For Me

Part 1 of at least a few drabble-esque fics? They aren’t really in any particular order as their from a larger fic I’ve been writing that I’m afraid my brain won’t let me finish, so I’m sharing as much of it as feels completed. Photo also not mine, obviously.

Warnings: Talk of death, Canon levels of Violence, Canon levels of hunting, Quaritch is his own warning let’s be fair, beginnings of a relationship, enemies to lovers, they’re kinda idiots 

Pairing: Colonel Miles Quaritch x named Na’vi/Avatar reader/OC depending on how you want to see her. I never truly describe her. 

Rated 18+ so if you don’t meet that, kindly gtfo, I don’t write kid appropriate material. 

Words: 2.1k+ 

I'd forgotten how freeing flying on a Toruk was. The wind whipping through my hair as we sliced through the air. It felt like freedom, true freedom. I whooped loudly, clicking my tongue a few times afterwards as we passed over the ship, waiting as the Recoms and their Ikran joined us in the air. Zdinarsk was the first to join, followed closely by Quaritch and then Wainfleet, Mansk, Ja, and Prager. Spider cheered happily from his place in front of me, pumping his fist in the air like a victorious warrior coming home. Our next classroom island was in the middle of seven spire islands that made it inaccessible by the ship, and the water was too shallow between the spires for the boats, so by air was the only way to get in.

Our island getaway was bigger than the last, but was not a very desirable location for a village because it could only support a small fruit grove and not anything near enough for a group larger than ours. Even our group was going to push it if we stayed longer than a couple days. As soon as we landed I unpacked the tent poles from Thor and began to set up our shelter, a storm brewing on the horizon that didn't look entirely inviting. Quaritch and Wainfleet immediately stepped in to help, the two easily the tallest of the group, easily getting the canvas over the center pole as the rest of us worked on securing the edges to the bases of trees so that the canvas wouldn't have a chance to fly away if it got windy. Once the main part of the shelter was done, we all unpacked the interior bits like the sleeping mats and the cooking implements before letting the Toruk and the Ikran leave for the spires to weather out the storm. "Well this puts a dampener on the evening." Wainfleet yelled over a crack of thunder.

I picked up my spear from where I'd left it in the sand, breathing in the charged air with a soft smile "Don't have too much fun while I'm gone!"

"Are you out of your damn mind?" Prager yelled after me as thunder cracked across the sky again "You'll drown!"

"I'm from Hawaii! This is just another Tuesday!" I laughed back as I entered the water, instantly calling for an Ilu the moment my head was under. It clicked and danced around me in greeting, smiling in that uncanny but adorable way that they did before it offered a kuru. We hunted until the sun set and the storm passed, only an hour in reality, a string of fish slung over my shoulder as I brushed wet hair out of my face "Sorry that took so long, the fish went deep." I apologized with a bashful smile as I replanted the spear in the sand near the tent "They're already cleaned, and ready to cook."

"Hell ya." Wainfleet cheered while taking the string from me, taking it back to the cook fire in the middle of the tent.

"What was that you rode? Looked like a dinosaur." Zdinarsk asked, motioning vaguely towards the water from her seat in the doorway.

"That," I smiled as I began wringing out my hair in sections, twisting each one tightly before letting it go and moving on "is an Ilu. They are amazingly friendly creatures. A lot like dolphins, but much, much less homicidal." I stopped to think on her comment for a moment, smiling absently when I realized she was right "Huh, I guess they really do look like plesiosaurs. Good eye."

She smiled with pride as Prager clapped her on the back before going to help Wainfleet with the fish as a curse sounded from inside the shelter. "Where'd you get a fur pelt? I thought there wasn't a creature alive on this moon that bore fur." Ja asked suddenly, leaning against the center pole on the opposite side of the fire.

I twisted all of my hair together as I looked to him, ignoring my reflection in his glasses as I worked "It was a gift, just before the battle of the Tree of Souls. There's only one animal I know of that has fur, and they're very highly prized by the Plains Clans." I began making my way inside when my hair was sufficiently wrung out, though it was still a little wet. I didn't want to talk about those days, knowing that they were a sore subject for most involved.

"Got an admirer back home?" Wainfleet teased lightheartedly, like he was ignoring the elephant in the room and encouraging all of us to do that same. I didn't miss Quaritch scowling out the door as soon as the question left Wainfleet's mouth.

I laughed, taking the bait and happily running with it "Nah, no one waiting on little ole me." Quaritch's attention snapped back towards me, though he quickly looked away as soon as our eyes met "It was a courting gift from a Chief of a Plains Clan. He wanted the chance to get to know me after the battle." I shrugged with a smile, sitting on the pelt that made up my bedroll.

"So he was trying to buy your affections?" Zdinarsk asked, shifting in her seat to face the interior of the tent.

"No," I shook my head "A courting gift is meant to show interest and respect. At no point during courting are the two parties obligated to the other. Either one of them can break the courtship at any time, for any reason, with no ill will." I stretched in my seat, not paying any of the others any mind "After dinner we'll do a night exercise, just a little light exploration of our safe haven, nothing big."

"Isn't it dangerous to swim at night?" Prager asked, looking around everyone nervously.

I smiled softly, trying to reassure him, all of them. "On Earth, yes. Here, the planet does not sleep. Daylight hides the true beauty." The moon was higher in the sky after the fish were done cooking and everyone had eaten their fill, Spider going to sleep instead of exploring with us "Come." I encouraged, shifting to Na'vi with a warm smile, up to my knees in the water already. They all followed with much less hesitation, trusting me completely. As soon as we were all submerged, their eyes were wide at the wonder of the bioluminescent world around them, turning this way and that to take in as much as they possibly could.

I motioned for them to fan out and explore, they were all adults, they all knew how to mind their air. I made my way to the barrier reef, wanting to explore it more thoroughly. Right as I reached it, a hand closed around the tip of my tail, tugging at it gently, just letting me know that someone was there. I turned over, smiling widely at Quaritch as he continued following me, his own expression relaxed as we swam. At the barrier reef I motioned for him to follow me up to the surface for air, the man staying a respectful distance away as we both breathed in the crisp air before diving back down. I was inspecting the bottom of the reef, having seen a gap that we could have potentially fit through on Ilu, measuring it with my height until Quaritch was tapping me on the arm and pointing towards an opening in the reef. Curiosity no doubt got the better of us both in that moment, neither of us really thinking about it before going inside. It was large enough for Quaritch to swim comfortably, and stayed that way the entire way through until it suddenly moved upwards and opened into a small cavern. We were in sync as we breeched the surface of the water, breathing in the damp, murky air of the cavern. The walls and ceiling were covered by twinkling grubs and fungus, all emitting blue or green light into the darkness "Beautiful." He murmured softly, eyes soaking up every single detail that he could see.

I turned to him, my face pulling itself into a smile that I couldn't gauge as I watched him "It really is." I hummed softly, afraid to break the moment. He turned to me, a word dying on his tongue as soon as our eyes met, his pupils dilating further as he licked his lips. It was suddenly like he had his own gravity, some force pulling me closer to him until I could feel his heart beating against my flesh, feel the heat he radiated envelop me like a comforting blanket. Feel his skin against mine. I moved slowly as I placed my hands against his chest, afraid that we would both wake up, that he'd rebuff me with thunderous anger. He didn't, one of his hands closing around the small of my back delicately like he was afraid I'd bolt, the other continuing to tread water. Slowly, so painfully slowly, he began leaning in, his eyes half lidded as he watched me, watched as I leaned up towards him as well, just as slowly. The moment our lips touched it was like a bolt of lightning was lighting up my nervous system, everything felt so alive and tingled so good and I wanted so much more of him. I groaned against his mouth as my hands drifted up from his chest and to his shoulders, one of them cupping the back of his neck. His own grip increased, his hand splayed wide on the small of my back, pulling me into him as tightly as he could without causing pain. My heart was beating so fast I was almost sure it would explode as he deepened the kiss, giving up fully treading water to tangle his fingers in my hair to pull me in further. I reciprocated, wanting everything that he was willing to give me as I became slightly dizzy from the blood rushing around. I thought I was going to faint when his tongue brushed my lip oh so lightly, begging entrance that I wasn't going to deny him. He tasted like fish and salt and something entirely just him, and it did the last bit of competent thought I had in my head in.

He pulled away after a moment, just gazing down at me like I was something he'd never seen before, watching me blink away the kiss drunk haze that was trying to swallow me whole. "We should get back, before the others think we've drowned or something." He frowned in regret as he spoke, his tone hesitant and unwilling as he watched my expression shift.

I knew he was right, I knew it to my core. The others would think something bad had happened, and would do something stupid to try to find us. But that stupid part of my brain, that tiny bit of hopeless romantic moron, decided that his words were a rejection. That, despite kissing me like that, he didn't actually want me. That I was still his enemy. And always would be in some way. "Ya," I nodded, trying so hard to not look upset, fighting irrationality with rational thought, but my emotions were having little of it. I held my tail out to him before he could ask why I was blinking so much "So we don't get separated." I explained, beginning the swim back as soon as his hand closed around it.

We were the last to arrive at camp, and the others were sure to take the piss out of us "Find somewhere nice and cozy?" Wainfleet teased with a knowing wink, the Recoms obviously knowing something that I didn't have a whole idea of.

Quaritch just half-heartedly growled at him, waving him off to go dry off in the tent "We found a cavern off the barrier reef, its filled with glowing grubs and fungi. It's absolutely stunning!" I smiled warmly, beginning the whole process of wringing out my hair again. The thought of cutting it short entered and exited my mind quickly, knowing I'd never have the heart to have shoulder length hair ever again.

"Was there a nice sandbar in it?" Zdinarsk asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows, furthering the teasing of the others.

I raised a brow at her but decided not to entertain their antics, rolling my eyes when I realized what was going on "Nope. Not a scrap of dry land in there. I'd wager it floods, judging by the smell." I wasn't going to give them shit, and I was going to enjoy it.

"You're killin' me." Wainfleet pouted, catching on pretty quick.

"I live to please." I grinned as I twisted "We should catch some rack, we've got a long ass day when morning comes." I blinked at my words, wondering when the reversion had begun, but I didn't comment on it, and hoped they didn't either.

[distinguisheddwarffriend]

My brain is FULL of TH fic ideas but I've already got 3 WIP and most of them are just "what if"s with no plot so I'll just post them here I guess and maybe some writing god hears me/ reads them and someone else actually uses them.

Here's Nr. 1:

Frerin did in fact NOT die at Azanulbizar but was transported into our modern world, sometime in the second half of the 19th century.

After some adjusting (industrialization is in full force but it's still not as 'bad' as it would be rn) he builds a life, him being a dwarf meaning that he ages extremely slowly compared to us lowly humans so he has to move after a while and again and again.

He lives in the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Finland.....

He fights in both world wars depending on where he lives during that time (WW1 on the German side, WW2 on the UK's), other than that he goes to university and works all kinds of jobs like policeman, fireman, soldier, teacher, carpenter,smith, weaver, factory worker, violinist etc etc etc

Around 1900 he meets this fella J R R Tolkien and befriends him, and after a time finds out that his friend is writing books about middle Earth, not only that, but one about his very own brother. Tolkien apparently is a seer of some kind because it's still almost a century until "The Hobbit" would happen (he does the math).

Frerin helps Tolkien with authenticity for his books, because the dude is smart and found out about Frerin after he corrected his Khuzdul one time too many.

Anyhow, after reading what will happen to his family, he becomes a mite bit obsessed with returning to Middle Earth and having ammased quite some wealth and with the help of some friends in high places starts founding various research projects into things like teleportation, multiverse, magic, alchemy, you name it. He also becomes a member of the Freemasons due to his occult knowledge.

In around 80 years there's almost no progress towards Frerin's goal of returning home, he does still have a research company but only a small group of mostly students works on the multiverse hypothesis, the rest does all kinds of stuff, technology, energy, whatever.

He has for the time being settled somewhere in Scandinavia, is a College Professor for Sociology and Political Science and volunteers as a social worker for troubled children.

He is fostering 2 or 3 children himself (ages 6 - 16) and has two grown up adopted children that still live & work with him (they found out about him), a guy & a lass ( both early twenties).

Somehow (don't ask I don't know) the whole household (meaning Frerin, his two young adult children, the foster children, his south American householder, her tiny dog and their personal Butler (more of a live-in family friend by now, think Niles from "The Nanny")) all get sucked into a portal or whatever end get spit out into Middle Earth.

Not at Ered Luin of course, that would be easy, no, but somewhere extremely inconvenient. The Lone lands, the Brown lands, Moria, something along the lines of "we are so fucked".

So now it is a few years (1-3, or the characters have too much time to become Mary-Sues), before the quest to Erebor, and they have to reach Thorin before then and somehow survive a world filled with orcs (and elves!) while juggling a 6 year old, a tiny & barky dog, a cliché Mamacita, a British butler, and Frerin's realisation that he has gotten much too used to modern convenience.

(my weak ass would probably include some romance between one/more than one of the original characters and the canon characters, I'm a sucker for Fili or Kili x OFC and rare pairings like KilixBifur or ThorinxNori and I want Frerin to date an elf or Bard I think.)

.... Does this sound like something you would read/write? I'd maybe try to write this with someone else, alone I don't dare to. What do y'all think?

[circle--of--confusion]

This Love is in Retrograde - Part 1

I was inspired to write a fic about Terzo and my OC Amelia from my Dracopia fic. This will be in 2 parts, Before [backstory leading up to their breakup] and After [after the Copia/Sarah fic where she and Terzo get back together].

Summary: Set before my "Cardinal and the Seamstress" fic, Amelia, the head of the clergy sewing department begins a relationship with Terzo, the new Papa. They navigate the highs and lows of her anxieties around dating the Emeritus brother.

Paring: Terzo | Papa Emeritus III x OC Amelia

Chapter 1: Before

Words: 10.2k

Read on AO3

| Part 1 | Part 2 |

MASTERLIST

Tags: fluff, angst, intense make-outs, friends to lovers, closet confessions, time skips, poorly translated itallian [google translate sorry]

divider credit to @gothdaddyissues

Amelia just came back to the studio from a meeting where Papa Secondo was announced to be stepping down and his slightly younger brother was set to take Papa’s place. Cardinal Terzo. The Ghost Project has been a growing success and it’s time for a new era.

New era. New Papa. New ghouls.

New things to worry about.

Today, Terzo will be measured for his new “uniform” that he will wear as Papa and they will service as his Ritual costume. From what she knows about the Emeritus brother, this meeting will probably be a tedious nightmare. The flirty bastard doesn’t know when to turn it off, regardless of who he’s speaking to. Amelia rolls her eyes every time someone would mention how he would “help them find their release!” while they swoon and retell the story.

She can concede that he’s handsome. Handsome and charming to everyone and he always seems to act as if he’s one sentence away from charming the pants off of you.When Terzo sauntered into the studio for Amelia to measure him, she could already tell the headache remedies will need to be on standby. He’s smirky and slippery as he walks into the room. Terzo doesn’t have his cassock on, instead he wears slacks and a light sweater.

“Terzo, ready to get started? We need to get a mockup put together soon.” Amelia gestures to the middle of the room.

He laughs. “So eager to get your hands on me?”

She rolls her eyes. “Just. Please get on this square platform over here. I’ll be quick.”

He steps up and stands there waiting for Amelia to measure him. Throughout the process her assistant Alex took notes while she shouted numbers and body parts. He’d quip something and she’d quip back. Sweet Lucifer can he ever shut off his mouth!   

Amelia takes his arm and moves it to extend outward so she can measure it. “You know, normally when I have someone this close to me with their hands roaming my body, we have a lot less clothes on.” Terzo looks over to her.

She flicks her eyes up at his for a moment before looking back at the number on the tape measure. “Apologies for not sensually feeling you up enough while I do my job.” she mumbles. ”I will make sure to do better next time.”

“Oh no your skilled hands are doing just fine as they are.”

She smiles sarcastically at him. “Wonderful.” Amelia crouches down at his feet. “Ok, Terzo. One more and then we’re done. I need to get your inseam measured.” What will he say, Amelia could only imagine. She starts the tape at his crotch and extends it down to his foot. The room falls silent in anticipation and she swears she can hear the blood flowing in her brain. She feels bold enough to look up at Terzo and he’s simply looking forward with a soft smile. Nothing else. No quip. Nothing.

She looks back down at the tape and hides a slight blush. Damnit. She stands back up and drapes the tape around her neck like a scarf.

“I take it that we’re finished?” Terzo asks. Amelia nods and he steps off the platform.

“Yes. I plan to have a suit mockup ready in a couple weeks or so. I haven’t had time to come up with a theme, it’s all been so sudden. Do you have any ideas on suit inspiration? Have you thought about the aesthetics? The colors?” She takes the notebook from Alex and looks at Terzo.

He crosses his arms. “I haven’t been able to give it much thought as well. Lately I’ve been reading about the rococo and baroque art movement, maybe try something with that?”

Can’t say I was expecting that. Amelia writes down his response and puts on an impressed face. “I’ll take that into account, thanks. You’re free to go now and do… Papa type things.”

“Thank you, Sorella.” He walks over to the door and turns around. He has a look on his face that Amelia doesn’t like the moment she sees it. “I can’t wait to see what your brilliant brain and hands do to me.” He walks out of the studio with a wink and closes the door after him before she can respond.

◊◊◊◊◊

Amelia and Alex had been brainstorming ideas for the suit the past two days. They have printed photos pinned to a cork board on a far wall of the studio. The theme is rococo for now but the color scheme is very minimal. Black and white. After a while of very frustrated scribbling Amelia decided to go to the library for inspiration. Walking around to the history section, the last person she expected to find amongst the books is the subject of her ire, Terzo.

“Oh! Handsome and well-read. Can’t say I expected to find you here.” Terzo startles at Amelia’s words.

He bows his head and sighs. “Why is that?” he looks over to Amelia with an unamused smile.

Nothing about calling him handsome? she smirks. “You don’t strike me as a book worm.”

“I get that a lot. It annoys me. Very much.” Terzo scoffs. “I was a cardinal! I studied just like everyone else.”

“I’m going to be honest, Terzo, but I don’t think I know what a cardinal actually does here.”

He nods his head and looks to the side. “I’m not sure I really know either.” Terzo returns to the books on the shelf in front of him.

Amelia looks over at the shelves. “You wouldn’t happen to know where the books on European Royalty are?” She asks. He wordlessly moves his right hand to the shelf one section to the right and points down. “Ah.” Amelia crouches down and begins her search.

Terzo hums a small tune to himself while he looks for his book of choice. She looks up to watch him pick through the options the shelf has to offer. He moves closer to the right and his leg bumps Amelia’s arm. He makes a small surprised noise and looks down to see Amelia already looking up at him. “I think I’m getting a sense of déjà vu.”

“I may regret this, but what were you thinking about the other day?” she stands up. “I figured you’d make a lewd comment about me on my knees in front of you. You certainly weren’t holding back earlier in the session.” Amelia crosses her arms.

He swats his hand in the air. “That’d be too easy.” She raises an eyebrow. “I was just… thinking about how happy I was to become Papa, to finally have an opportunity to perform.” He smiles. “I wish to see, how did mio Fratello put it, ‘masses standing in awe’? It’s all still a bit surreal.”

She snorts. “Did you just allude to yourself as the Antichrist?” Terzo winks. Amelia nods her chin to his book. “What’cha reading?” She looks at what he’s holding.  

Amelia looks genuinely interested and he smiles at her. It takes him a second to look back at the book he grabbed from the shelf. “Oh! I was browsing other eras of history and became fascinated on the 1920s art deco aesthetics which led me to reading about 1920s America. It was a very fascinating time culturally.” she hums, encouraging him to continue. “On one end, you have the roaring twenties, a time of great prosperity and opulence. People were over-spending and over-indulging just because they could. And then on the other end, prohibition, making the sale of alcohol to be illegal! And despite all that, people still found a way to drink.” he's waiving his hands while one of them is still holding the book. “Fundamentalist and religious groups managed to con the people to make it- wait what’s so funny?” He stops and stares at Amelia who’s started giggling.

“No, oh I’m so sorry, but I never imagined you as such a… nerd!” How endearing.

Terzo’s free hand grabs her arm and he leans in as he whispers to Amelia. “Shhh don’t speak so loud.” he smiles at her. “I’ve cultivated quite the Casanova image for myself. I can’t have you ruining it.”

She rolls her eyes. “Ok. Whatever you say.” Amelia walks to her section on the shelf for the book she planned to check out. “Except I’ll know that you’re a big.” she grabs her book. “Old.” she stands back up and leans in towards Terzo, whisper-hissing to him. “Nerd.” Amelia can hear him shush slightly as she walks away.

While she gets the book checked out at the front desk, she can overhear Terzo and a Sibling talking to each other. Amelia looks back and he has his hand next to the woman’s head on the wall as he leans towards her. She’s blushing profusely while he smooth-talks to her. The sister looks down and softly says “Oh, Papa.” Terzo briefly looks up and over to the front desk while Amelia is still there, watching, and he winks before turning his face back to the Sibling of Sin. Alright, Casanova.

◊◊◊◊◊

Alex flips to a page in one of the books Amelia checked out. “What if we did something like this.” He shows her the page. “He’ll still have his robes but we could do a different outfit that looks like something kings wore back then. White shirt, long coat, embellishments and buttons?”

She takes it in. “Ah! Good idea. I’ve been reading about this Swedish king from the late 1700s. He reigned in the latter half of the century, and it was in the rococo time period. The pictures I’ve seen of him show him in those long coats like you showed me.” Progress!

Soon after sketching out a rough outline of the coat, she pins it to their cork board and the two get to work on cutting the mockup pieces. To save time, they’re cutting the shirt and jacket as if it’s all one cohesive garment. It saves them time on sewing and keeps the layering to a minimum.

“I actually ran into Terzo while I was looking for the books. We talked for a bit.” Amelia says while cutting out fabric.

“In the library?” He sounds surprised. “What was he doing there?”

She hesitates to tell Alex about his bookish tendencies. “Oh, the usual. Flirting with a sibling.” She scoffs.

Alex stops cutting fabric and looks up at her. “You sound… annoyed by that?”

Am I? “Oh, am I?” Amelia laughs and dismisses Alex. I can’t have a crush on Terzo, I am a grown woman!

“Hm.” He goes back to cutting.

◊◊◊◊◊

With the mockup done and ready for Terzo, he visits the studio a week and a half later for the first fitting.

“Wonderful to see you again, Amelia. What do you have for me today?” He says as he walks into the studio.

“I took your rococo suggestion and managed to come up with something. I have it in the dressing room. Please get the suit on and come out when you’re ready.”

Terzo claps his hands and walks to the dressing area. He takes a few minutes to change and then he walks out, sauntering over to the step in front of the mirror to look at himself. She watches Terzo as he takes in the suit mockup. Her hands are wrung together and she looks back and forth from his reflection in the mirror and the mockup. He’s moving around, observing himself and occasionally his eyes find Amelia’s looking back. She can’t take the silence any longer.

“King Gustav.” she says, breaking the silence. Terzo turns around to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “Gustav the Third, former king of Sweden. He ruled from 1771 through 1792.” Amelia rambles. “Rococo period. That… was my inspiration.”

He nods his head and hums. “I wonder if the Cardinale knew him. Ha!” he chuckles.

She walks up to Terzo, crossing her arms. “Just because he’s lived for hundreds of years doesn’t mean he’d know every historical figure.” She jests.

He points his finger at Amelia. “You say that but Copia claims he’d stumbled on Jack the Ripper one night while he was hunting.”

She knits her eyebrows together. “Wait, which one was hunting? Copia or The Ripper?”

Terzo moves his eyes off to the side, thinking. “He never specified.”

“Anyways! Do you like the suit? Does it fit well?” she nervously smooths down the shoulders and the back of the jacket, fiddling with parts of the upper section of the mockup. “I wanted it to be easy to wear while you’re performing; not too many layers.” he nods. “For the actual suit, I thought about placing a Grucifix patch,” Amelia touches the tips of her fingers on the left side of his chest. “,right about here.” She looks up at Terzo.

“That sounds good.” he looks down to look at her.

They don’t say anything for a handful of seconds. Her icy demeanor towards Terzo has been melting and lately she’s been wondering more about him. She was worried he wouldn’t like their decision and it really would’ve hurt. A loud, theatrical cough rings through the room and it’s in that moment she realizes Alex has been there the whole time. Amelia yanks her hand from Terzo and steps back. Terzo looks stunned, however his eyes haven’t left her as she moved away.

“Uh, if you’re fine with this mockup, we can get started on an actual suit, yeah? I should have one ready in a week, maybe less. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

“If I have any other suggestions, I should come by?” He nods his head and raises his eyebrows.

“Oh yeah! Feel free. I could give you my number and you can text me anything that comes up if it’s late.”

Terzo smiles. “Bene. Sometimes I get my best inspiration at night. I’m more stimulated.”

And there he is. “Yes well, go back and change and we’ll get started on a suit. We’re going to have to make a lot.” She sighs.  

Terzo changes back into his clothes and walks back to Amelia. “I was thinking. Could you include purple in some way? Maybe my robes?”

“Sure! Any reason why?” Amelia grabs her notebook to write his suggestion down.

“Well, purple is associated with royalty. Since you were inspired by a king, I figured you could include it as another nod.”

“Noted! Thanks.”

“And do you know why purple for royalty?” Terzo eagerly asks.

God, what a nerd. “I think I do. The source of the pigment, right? It was hard to find, making it rare and therefore expensive, so only rich people and nobles could afford to have their clothes dyed the color.”

He smiles. “Exactly!”

Terzo leaves the studio shortly after he gets Amelia’s number. It’s quiet in the room when Amelia walks to where the fabric is being stored to start on the official suit and Alex asks “What the Hell was all of that?”

“I uh,” she scrambles for an answer. Amelia waves her hands around aggressively. “I don’t know!”

◊◊◊◊◊

--------

Terzo: 3:25 pm

I looked up this Gustav fellow. You made me a suit after a man who was ASSASINATED.

--------

Amelia: 3:26 pm

Let’s hope for all of our sakes you don’t meet the same fate.

--------

Terzo: 4:28 pm

Yes, let’s. I wouldn’t enjoy being ambushed by a shot from behind from someone in a mask.

--------

Amelia: 4:29 pm

I’m not sure anyone would.

--------

Terzo: 4:35 pm

Could you do me a favor?

--------

Amelia: 4:36 pm

I’m not telling you what I’m wearing, Terzo

--------

Terzo: 4:37 pm

No! Nothing like that!

Terzo: 4:37 pm

Unless….?

Terzo: 4:39 pm

I need you to come with me to some dinner tomorrow. Sister Imperator is throwing something together for the upper clergy now that I’m Papa. I will have to come wearing the paints and “be Papa” and I need backup.

--------

Amelia: 4:41 pm

Oh! That reminds me, do I need to start calling you “Papa” now? You never correct me. You’ve been wearing the paint for a while but I still forget to use it.

Amelia: 4:42 pm

And yeah, sure, I’ll go. I’m always down for a nice meal. But why me? Couldn’t you just find a sibling to go with you?

--------

Terzo: 4:44 pm

Terzo, please. I am happy to be one but hearing “Papa” has been taking some getting used to. And of course, I wouldn’t have a problem finding a sibling to go with me but I don’t know! I like you. And you know a little more about me than most people. I feel comfortable around you.

--------

Amelia 4:45 pm

Calm down there Mr. Humble. What should I wear?

--------

Terzo: 4:46 pm

What are you wearing right now? ;)

--------

Amelia: 4:47 pm

I’m blocking you now.

--------

Terzo: 4:48 pm

Mi dispiace. Mi dispiace. You can wear anything you like. I’m Papa after all, and what I say goes.

--------

Amelia: 4:49 pm

Wow! this papacy thing clearly hasn’t gone to your head at all.

­­­­--------

◊◊◊◊◊

The last few finishing touches on Amelia’s outfit are almost complete when she hears a knock at her door. She opens it to find Terzo on the other end, he messaged earlier that he will escort her to the dinner.

“Hi! I’m almost ready.” Amelia says to him, opening the door wider to let him in. “Come in! I just need to grab my shoes.” Looks like I won’t be overdressed.

He stands by Amelia’s door after he closes it. Terzo wears a black button up -a couple of them undone- and the sleeves are rolled up to his elbow. His pants are dark gray slacks and he’s decided on a pair of loafers with a gold buckle across the foot. “Take your time, Amelia. If we’re late maybe they’ll cancel the dinner.” He hopes. His crisp skull paint and the straight line of his lips give off the look of an eternal disdain.

She leans against a chair as she slips on her flats. “Don’t want to go? Couldn’t you have said something and they would’ve canceled?” Amelia walks closer to Terzo. He’s admiring what she chose to wear; a dark purple square neckline dress with gathered sleeves that cinches in at the waist and flares out to end just past the knee. “Am I dressed well enough?”

“Perfetto. Sei bellissima!” he smiles. “I love the purple.” Terzo holds out his arm and they start walking to the dinner location where Sister Imperator, Nihil, the previous Papas and upper clergy members await their arrival. “Let’s get this over with.”

“So why are you not in love with what’s happening tonight?” She asks as they walk together.

He waives his free hand. “It’s not that I’m antisocial. I enjoy being around others but I just don’t have it in me today. I’ve been busy writing songs and I summoned ghouls earlier this afternoon.” Amelia perks up at that. “I didn’t get all I needed but I have some.”

“That’s exciting! I can’t wait to meet them when I get their measurements for their suits.” She smiles at Terzo. He gives her a tired smile back.

When they make it to the dining hall with the rest of the Clergy members, Secondo yells over at them.

“Fratello! Sono felice di vedere che finalmente sei arrivato.” he stops for a moment to take in Amelia. “E con un ospite?”

Terzo’s arm stiffens as Secondo walks closer to the pair. “Si.”

Secondo is confused. “Non mi hai mai detto che stavate scopando.”

“stai zitto, Secondo.” Terzo spats. “I invited Amelia because she’s the one making all of the costumes the ghouls and I are going to wear, I figured she deserves a nice meal as compensation.” He nods towards Amelia and smiles.

“And honestly, good food I don’t have to pay for is always a bonus.” She snaps and gives finger guns.

Secondo laughs. “You’re right about that, sorella.”

Once they’re all seated for the meal, Nihil at the head of the table, Imperator to his left, Terzo at his right, Amelia is seated on Terzo’s right side, much to the dismay of the Cardinal Copia. She gave a whispered “sorry” to him as she sat down, causing Copia to find a seat elsewhere. Shortly after everyone starts eating, Nihil starts up a conversation with Terzo.

“I heard you summoned ghouls today? How was it?” Terzo’s father asks.

“It was fine. I summoned a Quintessence, Air, and Earth ghoul. They should help me get started with working through the music I’ve written so far.” He tiredly responds. Terzo pokes at his food on the plate.

Sister Imperator nods. “That’s great! You’ll need to finish up that album as soon as possible.” She hums.

Nihil looks over to Imperator. “Seestor! Can we at least let him enjoy his Papacy for a moment before you have him off on a tour?”

Terzo slumps in his chair, his chest deflates at the mere idea of a tour. Amelia moves her left hand to rest on Terzo’s knee as a small, silent support. She looks up across from her spot at the table to see Secondo looking very curiously at the two.

“Of course I don’t want him to feel rushed. I just want to make sure we keep up the momentum.” Sister Imperator responds.

“I have most of the songs written at this point. I just need the ghouls and I should be ready to put the album together.” Terzo responds.

Nihil smiles. “See! He’s fine. Let’s enjoy the rest of the meal without stress, Seestor.”

And they do. Or at least Amelia thinks so. Someone asks her about the costumes and she explains all about the technical aspects of the process to a Cardinal who clearly couldn’t follow but tried hard to seem like it. Amelia was rambling on about the pattern making process. “And so, I had to cut part of the bodice to make them separate pieces to make the ‘coat’ pieces and the ‘shirt’ pieces be all one top to prevent too many layers during the performances. It’s themed after an outfit that kings wore back then during the rococo art movement! I got the idea from,” she looks back to Terzo to include him and he’s staring at her while she talks; he slouches at the table to watch her speak. His elbow rests on the surface while his head is cradled in his hand. She smiles awkwardly under his watch. Amelia takes a breath turning back to the poor Cardinal “I got the idea from a book.”

“Must’ve been some book.” Secondo chuckles. “Rococo art is very theatrical and romantic. Does that remind you of anyone, Sorella?”

Amelia smirks. “No clue.”

Later in the evening when the meal is over and everyone retreats back to their homes to rest for the night, Terzo walks with Amelia back to her room. They stride down the halls in a comfortable silence, arm-in-arm like earlier.

“Thank you.” Terzo says when they get to Amelia’s door. “I appreciated you being there for me. With me.”

“You’re welcome. And I want to say I’m sorry.”

He’s surprised. “Sorry? For what?”

Amelia looks down. “For being shocked that you’re ‘well-read’ when I saw you in the library a while back. It seems there’s more to you than I thought. Than most of us think, really.” she sighs. “I’ve thought a lot about that day.”

Terzo looks at her for a moment before speaking. “I believe you also said I was handsome?” He grins.

She blushes intensely and looks down at the floor. “I did.”

“I think you may even like me.” He chuckles.

She looks up at Terzo. “Well, now, let’s not get too presumptuous.” Amelia smiles at him and then looks down again.

Terzo steps closer to her. His left hand moves to tilt Amelia’s head up so he can stare into her eyes. “Maybe I will.”

Amelia feels very flustered. His eyes bore into her own. The imposing Papal paint on his face and stark white eye contrast with the delicate touch of his hands on her chin and the softness in his eyes. Terzo closes his eyes and he leans towards her, Amelia’s eyes close in anticipation. She feels his lips on her forehead and lets out a shaky breath.

“Amelia, may I?” He whispers.

“Yes.” She quickly responds.

He laughs through his nose and both hands move to hold her head in place. When he kisses Amelia, it starts as a soft touch to her lips and at first and she doesn’t know what to do. Terzo presses his lips more to hers, pulling her face closer. She can’t fully understand that Terzo is kissing her yet, it all feels slightly surreal. A short few seconds pass and Amelia’s brain catches up with the situation; she starts kissing him back. Her hands move to Terzo’s back to pull him so their bodies are flush with each other. Smiles into the kiss when he feels Amelia pulling him closer to her. One of her hands travel to his hair and she threads her fingers through the silky black strands.

Terzo’s left hand slides down from her face to her waist, then to her lower back. Amelia’s tongue pokes over to Terzo’s mouth, asking to entry. He hums an approval and their kiss evolves into a frantic back and forth of tongues and tenacity. Mouths battling for each other’s breath, the only sounds in the quiet hallway are of their sloppy make-out and satisfied hums. Lost in the fog of their lust, her left hand moves from his hair to Terzo’s chest, making a fist with in the fabric and Terzo’s hand on her lower back slides down to cup Amelia’s butt; he gives a slight squeeze.

The two stop kissing once she opens her mouth and tilts her head back, letting out a low groan. She can feel something stirring inside, deep in her stomach. Their chests heave slightly to get air back into their lungs and they stand in each other’s presence, breathing heavy. Her head leans back to rest against the door and she watches Terzo. His head is tilted to the side, eyes still closed while he has a massive, dopey smile on his face. Amelia freezes in pace and her eyes are wide as she looks forward.

When did Terzo’s hand get on my ass? She comes-to and nudges Terzo off of her, removing her hands from him. “Uh.” she coughs. “Thank you for this evening, Terzo, I enjoyed… it.”  she quickly turns to open her door and walks into her room. On her way to close it she sees Terzo’s confused expression. His head is still tilted to the side, eyes are now squinting and his mouth is pursed. Terzo’s mouth paint is incredibly smudged. “Goodnight, Terzo.” She smiles awkwardly at him and closes the door.

Amelia can hear a muted and confused “Goodnight?” from him through the door and then the sound of his footsteps growing silent as he walks away, back to his room.

The rest of the night is devoid of sleep for her. Tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about their kiss. It was so good. Very good. As Amelia thinks more about her feelings towards him, she’s scared.

◊◊◊◊◊

Over the following three days if you’d asked Amelia what she was doing, she’d say she totally hasn’t been avoiding Terzo. She’s been too busy to answer his texts and calls! And coincidentally every time Amelia’s walking down the hallway and she sees Terzo, she just so happens to have remembered something and needs to head back in the other direction.

Amelia has had to rip out a shirt sleeve seam about three times now and when she slams down her seam ripper onto the table, Alex calls over to her.

“Hey uh, boss? Is everything okay?” He asks, looking up from his machine.

No, I’m not okay. I kissed the most beautiful man and now I’m making it weird. “I’m alright, Alex. I just…” She sighs. “I just uh… realized we haven’t measured the new ghouls yet!” she snaps her fingers and perks up. “Could you go to Terzo and ask if they’re all here and summoned… and stuff?”

He looks at her, puzzled. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”

Alex returns about half an hour later and says they can all be here tomorrow for measurements. She nods and they get back to work for the rest of the day. Every so often Amelia can feel Alex’s concerned eyes on her. He leaves once the work day is over and Amelia waves him off. “I need to finish up a couple things. I’ll be out soon!”

“Ok!” Amelia’s phone buzzes and she anxiously looks over to the screen. Alex calls out before he closes the door. “Have a good night.”

She hums and goes back to work. Another text from Terzo. Another spike of worry. “It’s not wrong to have enjoyed it.” she thinks out loud. “Why am I being so weird? This is nothing.” The siblings would eat me alive if I took him off the market because I don’t share!

After enough time has passed where she thinks Terzo will have walked back to his room for the day, Amelia turns off her machine and begins to walk back to her room. She passes by a storage closet on her way and it looks partially opened. She walks over to close it and out from the darkness of the closet, a hand pops out and pulls Amelia in. She yelps as her abductor maneuvers her into the closet and closes the door. She fights against him and he’s grunting. The door is fully closed and it’s dark, then there’s a flash of light.

“Terzo?” she shoves him away. “I almost had a heart attack!”

“You’ve been avoiding me for days, Amelia!” He’s breathing heavy.

“This was your genius plan to talk to me?” She huffs back.

He laughs deliriously. “What else should I have done? You won’t answer my calls or texts. Any time I see you in person you run away.” he points at Amelia. “You even sent your assistant to ask about my ghouls. So tell me, what else is there for me to do?” He waves his hands out to the side.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy!” Amelia defends and Terzo scoffs. “It’s the truth!”

He takes Amelia’s hands into his own. “Did I do something wrong? Did I cross a boundary? Did I do something to make you uncomfortable?” He asks with genuine fear in his voice.

She gives a deep sigh. “No. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Amelia looks up to him. “It’s me that’s the problem.”

His hands drop Amelia’s. He’s confused. “I’m not following…”

Amelia interrupts him. “I’m terrified about the fact that I really liked kissing you, Terzo. And I’ve been avoiding you because every time I see you, I think back to that evening and I can’t think straight.”

“Oh.” Terzo moves back half a step, he’s slightly surprised. “Oh.” he smiles. “Was I that good?”

Amelia grumbles. She shoves Terzo back more. “This isn’t funny, you smug bastard!”

“No, no, I just haven’t ever been in a situation where someone would avoid me because they enjoyed kissing me.” he shakes his finger in the air and nods his head. “That’s a new one.”

She rolls her eyes. “Well, I’m happy I could be a first for you on something. You’re welcome.” Amelia deadpans.  

“Grazie.” he replies smugly. “I owe you a proper date, then.” Terzo states matter-of-fact.

“What?”

“Amelia, if you think I’m letting you go, you have another thing coming.” He laughs incredulously.

She knits her eyebrows together and crosses her arms. “Shouldn’t I have a say in the matter?”

“You do, but I doubt you will say no.” he smirks. “Anyways, that clergy dinner was a lousy attempt of a first date.”

Her face contorts. “Was that your attempt at a date?”

He puts a finger up in the air to defend himself. “I’d like to call it an experiment.”

“I’d like to get out of this closet.” Amelia opens the door and Terzo follows her out.

He grabs her hand as they stand in the hallway. “So, what do you say? You. Me. Tomorrow evening? I’ll text you the details around lunchtime.” One hand comes to rest on her cheek.

She laughs incredulously. “You’re going to keep me in suspense all morning tomorrow while I’m measuring your ghouls?” She looks up at him with raised eyebrows.

“Yes.” Amelia scoffs. “I now enjoy watching you squirm, actually. It’s cute.” she playfully hits at Terzo’s chest and he laughs.

“Fine. Yes tomorrow evening sounds good.”

◊◊◊◊◊

All day Amelia has been on edge, waiting for Terzo’s text with their date details. At least measuring the ghouls had gone okay. They showed up on time and behaved relatively well for Demons that have been summoned from Hell, though the Fire ghoul had quite the spark in him when she measured anywhere near his waist and hips.

--------

Terzo: 1:45 pm

Meet me in the library at 8pm. Wear your purple dress, per favore?

--------

Amelia: 1:46 pm

I can do that. I’ll see you at 8!

--------

The library? Ok then.

Amelia and Alex spent the rest of day drowning in pattern paper. The ghoul measurements weren’t too varied between the five she measured so they plan to make two pattern blocks: one bigger and one smaller. A couple of them will come back and be fitted to make sure it’s not too big on their bodies.

7:40 pm rolls around and Amelia determines that she’s waited long enough on her room. After coming back from the studio, she took a shower to calm her nerves and re-dressed in the outfit she wore the other night at the clergy dinner. Away from the studio, from work to distract, her mind is idle and it won’t shut up. Amelia attempted to calm her mind by casting on a knitting project but she kept dropping stitches. With shaky hands Amelia put on her shoes and she heads over to the library. Her thoughts swirl with anxiety. Has he done this with other siblings? He said he wasn’t ‘letting me go’? Does Terzo even date?

She checks her phone. 8:00 on the dot. Do I knock? Will he hear it?  She walks in and standing by the reading couches and chairs, on the far-left side of the library is Terzo, wearing the same outfit from the dinner the other night. He’s fixing something on the table so his back is facing Amelia. She watches him for a moment; Terzo appears to be fiddling with the food placement on the table. He’s just as jittery as I am. And in a small way, she’s comforted by it. He wants a do-over.

Terzo startles and stands upright when Amelia gives a small cough, signaling her arrival. He turns around and she sees his face is without the skull paint. He’s just Terzo tonight.

“I hope you like charcuterie.” he gestures to the platter on the table. “It was the only thing I could put together that didn’t have the kitchen staff coming at me with knives.” He clasps his hands together nervously.

She smiles. “I do like it. Thank you.”

“Sit, please.” Terzo sits down on the couch and leaves room for her to sit next to him on his left side.

Amelia sits down, leaving a foot of space between them. They eat in silence for a bit. Once she’s finished, Amelia turns her body to look at Terzo, her legs shifting so she can lean into the side of the couch. “Great choices on the food. Thank you.” Her hands rest in her lap.

He hums. Just like Amelia, he turns his body to look at her. “How did the measuring go today? Did my ghouls give you any Hell?” He smiles.

“They weren’t too bad. The Fire ghoul as I suspected has a little more fire in him compared to the rest. Any time I got near his hips he’d start purring!” They both laugh.

“The ghouls are going to be magnificent on tour! I can just tell. While we practice my songs, it already feels like they’ve been playing together for centuries.” he’s beaming. “It’s only been a few days but I can tell these ghouls are special.”

“How do you have songs written already? You were announced as Papa only recently?”

“Ah! I figured when Secondo became Papa that I was on borrowed time.” He waves one of his hands in the air.

She nods. “I see, makes sense!”

Terzo scoots closer to Amelia. “What was the rest of your day like?”

Amelia lets out a breath. “Oh, well, after the ghouls left the studio, Alex and I made a mad dash to start the pattern blocks for the ghouls’ costumes before the day could get away from us.” She smiles. “I think I have at least three or four papercuts on my hands at this point.”

Terzo grabs Amelia’s hands. He rubs at her palms and pretends to be worried. “Oh, per favore Amelia, I can’t let you hurt your skilled hands! Your precious tools!” He lifts her hands to give a small kiss to the palms. She blushes and looks down.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds. I should probably be more worried about carpal tunnel from knitting too much.” She giggles.

His eyes go wide in mock-surprise. “She sews and knits! I didn’t know I was in the presence of a double threat!” More giggling from Amelia. Terzo leans in closer to her. “What other skills are your hands hiding from me?” He raises an eyebrow and then leans away. He lets her hands go and she tries to hide the disappointment. Terzo lays his left arm to rest on the back of the couch. Amelia shifts herself by bending her right leg to lay in the cushion and leans on her right, propping up her head in her right hand by leaning on the back of the couch.

“Tell me about your day, Terzo. What does a recently inducted Papa do?” She swats his knee.

“It’s pretty boring, if you can believe it. Right now, my main focus is song writing and rehearsing.” he counts on his fingers. “I’ll probably be able to go on a promo tour in a few months!”

“Already? Wow!” she looks away and hesitates before looking back at Terzo. “Could I listen and watch in on your rehearsals one day?”

“Of course! When you have a free moment, I will gladly give you your own private Ritual.” he leans in. “I would love to serenade you with it being just the two of us.” He smiles softly.

They go back and forth talking for what feels like hours. Terzo’s eyes watch Amelia with an intensity she’s not used to. Sure, she’s been on dates but no other man has looked at her with purpose like Terzo does. He watches her speak like it’s his job, like he’s trying to absorb her words and not just hear them. She feels like his white eye specifically is trying to look into her mind. It’s slightly intoxicating to have his full attention.

He asks Amelia about her sewing and knitting hobbies. She can tell that Terzo has no idea what a ‘cast on’ or ‘circle yoke’ means but he’s a champ nonetheless. On the flip side, Terzo can tell when Amelia’s eyes glaze over at the differences in guitar brands versus the particular sounds they make. Are they not just the same sound with different bodies? To which Terzo softly replies “No, tesoro.”

At this point they’ve scooched closer to each other so much that their knees are touching, nearly overlapping. Amelia’s right hand rests on her knee and Terzo’s placed his hand on top of hers. Their nerves dissipated as the night went on but the calm haze in her mind shifts slightly once she realizes Terzo’s face is creeping dangerously close to hers, reminding her of their first kiss a few nights earlier. His cologne, the way his shirt rests open at the top where Amelia can see some of his chest hair. And the way he’s looking at me. Is he going to kiss me again tonight? Amelia looks down and her hand tenses up on her knee; he notices.

She breathes in and then out. “Terzo?”

“Yes?” He responds quietly, rubbing lightly on her hand with his thumb.

She looks up at his lips and then into his eyes. He half-smirks. She places her left hand on his shoulder. “Could you kiss me?” Terzo nods.

He wastes no time and his lips fall to hers in a fury. There’s no hesitation this time around between them and she moves her hand from his shoulder up to the back of his neck, pulling Terzo forward. His hands find themselves onto her back and his right leg that hangs off the couch helps to give him leverage as he pushes himself up and leans into Amelia causing her to fall back into the couch on her back with Terzo resting his body on top of hers; he slots himself in-between her legs. His left hand stays on Amelia’s back and his right arm supports himself as he continues the kiss from her lips down to her neck. She has one hand on the back of his head while the other rests on his chest. Terzo nibbles at her neck lightly and Amelia feels him smile before his mouth latch onto the sensitive skin, lightly sucking and biting. She lets out a few soft “Ah!” sounds in his ministrations.

Terzo’s left hand drags itself from under her back and glides down from her hip to slip under the hem of her dress to caress her thigh as he moves his body further up. She breathes out a heavy sigh when she feels him rubbing small circles on her inner thigh. They’re grinding lightly against each other, and Amelia can feel Terzo’s hand starts to slowly move up her leg. She remembers in that moment where they are and the rational side of Amelia’s brain makes her groan loudly before speaking up.

“Terzo…”

He hums into her neck. “Mmm. Si, amore?”

“As much as I would enjoy taking things further ah!” Terzo sucks lightly again on her neck. “We can’t do it here.” She can feel his mouth turn to a pout.

“Why not? The doors automatically locked half an hour ago.” he pleads. Terzo lifts himself off her body slightly to look at Amelia.

Her hand on his head shifts to run her fingers up through his hair. She tugs on the strands lightly and he leans his head back, smiling. Terzo gives an intense stare into Amelia’s eyes. “I’m not going to let you fuck me on the library couch, Terzo.”  he looks at her slightly disappointed. “At least have the decency of doing this in a bed.”

Terzo smirks and then removes himself from her. He smooths his shirt down his torso and holds out his hand for Amelia to come with him. “Si, padrona.”

“What about the food?” She asks as they walk out of the library.

He wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her into his side, leaving a kiss on her temple. “I’ll come back for it later.”

◊◊◊◊◊

It’s been a few weeks since their date and they’ve settled into a calm rhythm together. Amelia will eat dinner in the dining hall and head over to Terzo’s to spend the evening with him. She still sleeps in her room from time to time, only long enough before Terzo asks for her to come back. A few times she’s had dinner with him in his room, sharing a small meal while recapping their day. Some siblings have caught on to their routine and sometimes she can hear them talking about her.

Amelia finishes up in the bathroom and walks out to see Terzo, leaning back in bed, wearing his reading glasses with a book propped up in his lap. She smiles. “Have I mentioned how much I love your glasses? They make you look so handsome. So distinguished.” Terzo smiles when she places a kiss to the top of his head as she passes by to sit on her side of the bed.

He hums. “Do my bifocals turn you on, amore?” Terzo turn his head to Amelia and smirks.

She thinks for a moment and then tilts her head, dramatically batting her eyelashes at him and smiles. “Yes, the glasses stay on during sex.” She grabs her knitting project and goes to work. A simple scarf project has made its home at Terzo’s bedside for nights where she stays over.

Terzo laughs and pecks her cheek with a small kiss. “If you insist.”

For a while they sit in silence. He gasps slightly at something and Amelia can’t help but wonder.

“When did you become such a bookworm?”

He places a bookmark in between the pages and sets down the book. “Recently, actually. Becoming Papa allowed me so much extra time in my day.” Amelia tilts her head. “I’ve been devoted to Sathanas and the Church for my entire life but never had the time until the past few months to do what I want. My brothers were Papa, my father was Papa! His father…“

“Papa?” Amelia stops him with a playful tone in her voice before he can go on further.

Terzo’s face scrunches up in disgust. “No no no, Amelia, I am not Papa with you. Around me, I am Terzo. I will always be Terzo Emeritus: Lover…”

She knits her eyebrows together. “…and?”

“Well that’s pretty much been it. We had a big expectation put on us to lead the band once it looked like Primo would start it back up again. Our wants and needs were put on the proverbial back-burner.” he chuckles. “But how could I resist when a pretty face comes to me, asking for help in their carnal desires?”

She rolls her eyes. “What a hero.” Amelia lets out a yawn and decides that knitting is done for the night. She lays down on her side and wraps an arm across Terzo’s stomach, under his arms as he holds up his book. “What are you so enraptured with tonight?”

He turns his head and looks down at her. He smiles softly. “It’s about an art thief. The man and his amore managed to work together and steal hundreds of pieces from small museums around Europe before getting caught.”

“Read some of it to me?”

“Of course.” Amelia snuggles her head into the pillow. “European oil works that blossomed at the end of the Renaissance and the dawn of the Baroque. Paintings that distil dreams…“  Terzo’s voice soon soothes her into a peaceful sleep.

◊◊◊◊◊

Terzo’s album, Meliora, is about to be released after a few months of non-stop work with the ghouls. He let amelia know a couple nights ago that there would be a short tour to promote it. A small group of music stores and radio stations would be graced with his unholiness in the form of an intimate, acoustic concert. “And there’s a special surprise, amore!” He said excitedly before brandishing a kazoo.

The rest of the Ministry now know they’re together. It’s not like he formally said anything, she made sure to talk him down of any sweeping, romantic public declarations of love. Terzo is compromising by kissing her just on the cheek when they’re around others. He still manages to make others think they’re interrupting a private moment when he gives her a simple kiss. The weird looks haven’t ceased from the other siblings, however. It seems Terzo being in a relationship is… odd to the rest of the clergy. Amelia swears she hears dramatic, wistful sighs when she walks by.

On the evening before he heads out on the unplugged tour, Terzo texted Amelia that he’s staying late in the rehearsal studio to refine a couple things with the ghouls. He said for her not to wait up and she goes to her room to rest for the night. By 11pm he hasn’t messaged anything to let her know he’s back to his room, so she makes a plan to walk over and see if he wants some company. On her way to the studio, she walks by a couple of Terzo’s ghouls and waves at them. She and Alex have finished up their suits and the ghouls are ready for their debut.

She’s made it to the rehearsal space when she can hear Terzo talking to someone. A sister? Terzo sounds tired. She watches from around a corner and eavesdrops on the scene.

“Papa, are you tired? Sit down. Let me rub your shoulders.” She asks.

Amelia rolls her eyes.

Terzo sits down. “You may be right sorella, about the sitting. My old legs are not made for all this standing.” he shakes his head. “I’m not sure why they promoted me now to be Papa!”

The sister smiles and walks behind him. She places her hands on Terzo’s shoulders and he tenses up. “Oh, Papa you really do need a massage.”

“Ah, there’s no need for that.” His eyes flick from side to side.

There really isn’t!

Terzo stands up from the chair, groaning slightly. “Sorella, please, go back to your room. Get some rest.”

Amelia walks away slightly and then calls out to Terzo, making some noise to announce her arrival. When she walks into the room, Terzo’s tired face looks a bit less pouty through his paint. He must not have had a chance to wash it off yet.

“Amore!” He makes it obvious to the woman. “I am so happy to see you!”

Amelia smugly smiles to the sibling and then looks at Terzo. “I was worried sick.” She dramatically sighs.

Terzo’s eyes light up, catching on. “Oh, amore mio, mi dispiace.” He takes hold of Amelia’s hands in his gloved hand and sighs into a kiss on her lips. He’s taken to wearing white gloves with his new suit.

When they separate, Amelia looks around the room and the sister has disappeared! Imagine that! She laughs.

Terzo’s arms loop around her waist and he pulls Amelia’s body up to his. He leans down to her ear and whispers “Jealousy is an interesting shade of green on you, amore.”

She leans away to look at him. “I don’t like seeing people flirt with my… boyfriend.”

One of Terzo’s hands cups her face. He leans in an kisses her. “They don’t do it that often.”

What? She frowns. “But they do do it?”

“Amelia, I can hear the cogs turning in your head. It’s fine. They’ll eventually give up.” Terzo kisses her cheek. “Let’s go to bed now, eh? I have a tour to start tomorrow!”

◊◊◊◊◊

Terzo’s been gone for a week and a half and Amelia is still thinking about the other night with the sibling. He reassures her repeatedly that the advances of others are nothing for her to worry about. It still doesn’t help her mind that it’s happening in the first place. While he’s been away, she’s gone into an anxious spiral and today it’s all come to a head. Amelia decides today that her body is too weary to go to the studio.

--------

Amelia: 7:45 am

I need a personal day, Alex. You can do whatever you want in the studio today.

--------

Alex: 7:46 am

Can I work on Marilyn? She’s been calling my name like a siren’s song!

--------

Amelia: 7:48 am

I don’t know why you insist on naming MY sewing machine but sure, go ahead.

--------

Alex: 7:49 am

Because she’s a vintage 1950s beauty! She deserves the honor. The respect.

--------

Amelia: 7:50 am

Sure.

--------

Amelia’s not hungry enough to go down to the dining hall so she snacks on a box of granola bars she keeps hidden in her room for times like these. For the rest of the morning, she decides to knit a simple hat to keep her mind busy. The TV on the other side of the room plays old episodes of Scooby-Doo. Episodes she’s seen countless times and the steady rhythm of the knit stitch lull her into an impromptu nap.

There’s a knock on the door and Amelia jolts awake; She fell asleep while knitting and the needles are still in her hands. She checks the time on her phone, it reads “2:37 pm” and there are some missed texts from Terzo and Alex. There’s a slight crick in her neck from her head lolling forward while she napped. Amelia gets up from her bed, lightly rubbing at the back of her neck on her walk to the door, and opens it to see a frantic Terzo clutching a tub of soup in one hand and some rough looking roses in the other hand. He’s wearing the Papal paints on his face but they’re noticeably smudged around the eyes.

He walks towards her and wraps his arms around her as best he can while his hands are occupied. “Amelia, amore mio, what’s wrong? I got back today from the tour to find that you weren’t at the studio.” he pulls back and looks into her eyes. “Alex said you weren’t feeling well?”

“Basically, yeah.” She sighs. He walks into her room and Amelia closes the door. “I think preparing the costumes for a tour, however small it was… and everything else caught up with me.” she looks at the flowers in his hands. “Oh! Let me get something for those.”

“I brought some soup, a Secondo Classic, to feed the belly and flowers from Primo’s garden to feed the soul.” Terzo explains. “Secondo was happy to give up the soup but Primo… was not the same about the roses.” he laughs. “When he caught me cutting off a few, he threw a shovel towards me. I had to yank the rest out of the ground at the last second.”

Amelia looks up to him in horror. “He what?”

Terzo smiles at her when she takes the flowers from him. “Ah it was no big deal! It was just a warning shot.”

With the roses now in the biggest cup Amelia could find, she sets it down and walks up to Terzo, she puts her hands on his shoulders. “Well, I don’t take too kindly to someone trying to hurt my Papa. Even if it was… a different Papa”  

He raises an eyebrow. “Your Papa? Some of the members of this ministry might have some trouble with that.” Amelia frowns slightly. “Go lay down, amore. I’ll join you.” He gives a light kiss to her hairline.

She looks down and notices his shoes. “Could you take off your shoes? I don’t want dirt tracking all over the carpet.”

“For you, anything.” He laughs and removes his shoes from his feet. Amelia gets comfy in bed and Terzo follows right after. The soup rests on her nightstand next to the roses she’s placed there.

Amelia lays down on her left side and Terzo lays down on his right so he can face her. He wraps his arms around her and Amelia wraps her right arm around Terzo’s waist. She’s tucked under his chin and for a few minutes they lay there in silence. Amelia lets out a deep sigh and snuggles closer to Terzo’s chest. He runs his left hand up and down her back. Her eyes are closed and she yawns.

“Could I tell you about the tour?” He whispers.

She mumbles “Mhm” into his chest and nods. 

“I think it went very well. The audience certainly liked my kazoo surprise!” he smiles. “I’m excited to plan a full-fledged tour now that the album is out.” He lets out a loud yawn and settles more into the bed, closing his eyes. “But now, we rest.”

The pair drift off into a short nap. After about half an hour, their arms fall asleep and they wake up with pins and needles in their arms. Amelia and Terzo sit up and she decides it’s a good time to try the soup he brought. While she drinks the soup, Terzo takes the moment to go to her bathroom to wash off his paint. He always says that around her, he doesn’t want to be in the paint, the costume. Around Amelia is where he wants to feel like himself. He says that Papa and Terzo are two different people. How long will it take before the two merges into one? Amelia worries. How long until Papa gets tired of me?

◊◊◊◊◊

One night, some months following Terzo’s unplugged tour, Amelia is sitting in his room nervously biting her nails and checking her phone. Some clergy dinner or event needed Terzo there as the current Papa and she’s sitting in a chair nervously bouncing her knee, waiting for him to come back to his room. These types of events have cropped up more lately and Amelia can’t bring herself to attend them. Siblings still stare at her. Terzo as Papa is a tantalizing sight to the congregation and some of the sisters and brothers lament that his charms are being reduced to just Amelia’s direction. And they make it very obvious.

She knows she shouldn’t worry. Terzo reassures her there isn’t anything she needs to be concerned about! Every time he reminds her though, Amelia feels like a burden and she feels like shit because of it. His door opens and he stumbles through and Amelia shoots up from her seat.

“Amelia, amore mio, you’re still up?” He asks.

“Yes, I couldn’t sleep without you.” She trails off towards the end and then looks down to the floor.

Terzo walks over to her and holds her face to give her a kiss. Amelia dodges Terzo’s advances and he removes his hands. She notices something on the white fabric of his gloves. Kiss marks?

“Terzo, what happened?” She grabs his hands and he looks tired.

“Nothing, Amelia. Really! A sweet sorella was being a little too devotional is all.” she rolls her eyes. “I didn’t want to disappoint her as Papa!”

“You also have a mark on your collar, Terzo!” she points. “Was it the same sister?” his eyes look off to the side and he frowns. “Are you serious?”

“It means nothing personal to me!” He reassures.

“What’s to stop someone from getting bolder in the future. What if I walk around a corner to meet up with you and see someone getting way too handsy?”

He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t let anyone get to that point. I wouldn’t want anyone to get to that point!”

Amelia’s fingers pinch the bridge of her nose and she closes her eyes. “I can’t do this anymore, Terzo! I don’t want to feel…” she waves her hands in the air in surrender and walks around the room. “I feel like a burden to you. I feel like I’m making you choose between me and the church and I can’t do it anymore.”

“Can’t do what?” He rushes to her.

“You can either be Terzo and be with me, or Papa and be there for the Clergy.” she pleads. “Obviously, you’re Papa so that should come first.”

“Do you think I’d prefer anyone else?” he asks.

Amelia shakes her head. “No, I don’t. But the Papas are known for… being with siblings from time to time.” She puts delicately. “It’s almost considered a badge of honor.”

His hands rush to grab Amelia’s. “Amore…” he whispers. “Please understand that I wouldn’t betray your trust, ever.”

“I believe you, Terzo.” he moves to speak and she cuts him off. “But I can’t-” she feels her eyes welling up “I can’t handle this anymore. While you lead the band and the Clergy… It’s all too much on my mind. The siblings won.” she removes her hands from his and walks away from him. “You deserve to help your flock without me weighing you down.”

“Amelia, wait! Please don’t go.” He frantically pleads to her as she walks towards the door.

Her hand is on the door handle and she hesitates for a moment. “I wanted to ask you about the smudged paint around your mouth, but I’m not sure the answer would’ve helped in the end.” Amelia walks out of his room. Terzo chokes out her name, calling her to come back but she’s too far down the hall to care about turning around.

◊◊◊◊◊

--------

Amelia: 11:29 pm

Congrats on the Grammy. It’s a beautiful song, worthy of the award.

--------

◊◊◊◊◊

Open browser… Y-o-u-tube… Search bar… ‘Papa Emeritus the third’… ‘pulled from the stage’… Enter…

…

…

…

“Oh my god.”

Thank you for reading!

Translations:

Sorella [sister]

per favore [please]

“Perfetto. Sei bellissima! [perfect. You’re beautiful.]

“Fratello! Sono felice di vedere che finalmente sei arrivato.” “E con un ospite?” [Brother! I'm happy to see you've finally arrived. And with a Guest?]

“Non mi hai mai detto che stavate scopando.” [You never told me you two were fucking]

“stai zitto, Secondo.” [shut the hell up, secondo]

grazie [thank you]

[shark-myths]

🍓 🥤 🌿 for the ask game!!!! <333

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

one of my favorite k facts tbh. i invented fanfiction at jesus camp with my new friend eden. we clutched each other on a hillside while a god rock band performed below, puffy with mosquito bites and illicit ideas, and whispered to one another of the members of our mutual favorite band, what if they kissed each other? we were 13 years old. camp was so in-the-middle-of-nowhere you could see the whole milky way at night, the thickness of it. the grass got wetter and wetter the longer you sat in the dark, hiding from the flashlights of your counselors. every few breaths you'd see a shooting star, til you were numb to marvel, til that was just what the night sky looked like and you expected it everywhere. it was magic and no one had ever thought of it before, boys in bands kissing. when we went home to our separate cities, i started handwriting fic (decorated with gel pen! this was the year 2003) and mailing it to her in hot pink envelopes. imagine my surprise when i discovered the internet.

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

one of my favorite fics i ever read was a girl!one direction story about squirting. here it is: you change, water sea by got2ghost

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

love this question, as someone who has struggled in the workplace to maintain the same creative energy i had access to in school.

for creativity: read. read endlessly. try to understand on a granular, sentence-and-word-level, why you like the things you like; what makes a line funny, what makes a line scary, what draws you in to a writer's style vs pushes you out of it. what do the books you can't put down have in common? read things that challenge you--long-form novels, old novels, things way outside your preferred genres. and try to have lots of experiences in the time you aren't writing. try new things! paint something, walk down a block you've never been on, look in people's windows, cook a new meal, get coffee at a new place, go for a drive, listen to someone else's favorite record, listen to a record you hate actually, go to a new store and just look around, touch fabrics, dance, have conversations, travel for no reason, watch videos on youtube about new skills you don't intend to master. READ NONFICTION, especially essays. try to avoid doing the same things you're comfortable with or things that feel easy for a whole afternoon. bury yourself in sensation. chase pleasure. let yourself play.

for writer's block: write anyway--in a journal, in your fragmented notes file with ideas, edit or polish something that's already written, get one sentence out. i like to set a timer for 20 minutes and give it a proper try (this means staying off tumblr and my phone) and then, if it doesn't lead to anything, i'm off the hook guilt-free, because i made an effort. try writing in a different notebook, with a different pen, in a different place, even in a different font on your computer. set yourself challenges like, write a 100 word story. write a specific type of poem like a villanelle. respond to a prompt or create one for someone else. if there's a part of the story--or a different story--that feels more easeful to write and you're just trying to get there, skip to that part. to be quite honest, writing in a notebook away from technology is the #1 thing that helps me just keep moving. it breaks me out of distraction and perfectionism cycles. it feels good to fill pages, even if it's with words you don't even up using.

the other part is, accept that our brains won't do what they won't do. great writing is not created by use of force. the biggest thing i have learned about myself is that if i can't write, there's something wrong. maybe the characters in my story aren't making sense, maybe the plot is boring and readers will be just as bored as i am, maybe i need to go back and rewrite something to end up in a better place for the next scene, maybe i need a week off from a story because i'm burned out on it and i should write something else or nothing at all. but most often there's not something wrong with the story--there's something wrong with my life. i don't have the time or the energy; i'm giving too much of the best parts of myself to the wrong thing; i'm trying to write at the wrong time of day for my energy level; i checked my email first and now my concentration is entirely shot; i need to work fewer hours if i want to write more; i need more help around the house if i want to write more; i need to just let it be dirty for a while and skip my chores if i want to write more, etc. figuring out what you need to actually feel like writing--learn to feel that again!--and making it possible to set other things, even important things, aside in order to write when you feel it, is so huge for me. making a commitment to the practice of writing and not the product of it. if you're doing that, you can relax. take care of yourself and fix the imbalances in your life. the ideas will come. writing is organic and we are organisms. given space and time, things will always change from how they are right now. let yourself and your creative practice ebb and flow when it needs to instead of forcing it to be something it's not.

thank you for the ask darling sorry i ranted at you for twenty fucking minutes!!!

[tired-night-owl]

Blood Runs Cold

Fandom : Star Wars The Bad Batch

One shot ?

I tried to write a small fic about Crosshair and Omega in the new promo that’s been released because I can’t wait to see them together in the new season even if I know my heart is gonna get crushed by Dave Filony again… Hopefully I am the opposite of last season and I am soooo wrong and they will all be reunited as a big family where no one dies or sacrifice themselves for the others ! Anyway I hope you enjoy :) 

Word count : 866

Summary : Crosshair has much to think about in his new conditions, what doesn’t help is when a far too bubbly and optimistic teenager comes and ruins his peaceful self pity moment.

Notes : brief mention of torture I guess, small but graphic description of tech’s death, Siblings!crosshair x omega, Spoilers for the new promo clip !

He noticed it a while ago, when they first started their wicked experiments on him. He tried to keep it under control mostly for his pride because seeing as with such a condition, his (now rendered useless) talent would be even more so wasn’t helping his morale. Crosshair didn’t mind it too much for now because not one clone in this cursed facility was in any shape or form to judge him in his misery. That is until the girl showed up. 

That child has been the sole cause for any misfortune he had to live though in the last couple of months he thought, but scolded himself to at least not make it show. She has enough to deal with too at the moment without having to suffer his endless wrath and sorrows. Still she cost him everything. His family, in more ways than one, his station, attempting to save her branded him a traitor and a VIP ticket to Hemlock’s test table and —

His mind went silent 

His brother Tech…. He had to give his life for hers. Skull smashed to pieces because they didn’t heed his warning. There's no way the batch can survive without its brain now. 

His mind whirled with thoughts like these locked in his dark cell all day. Some would say they were enough to drive a man insane but Crosshair already knew insane, and it wasn’t by his choice. Now he sees it, the effect that damn chip has had on him. How it made him turn on the only people who ever cared for him. He couldn’t turn on this one now. 

« Crosshair… »

« Crosshair ! I tried to come earlier, but there are too many guards watching me…»

He tried to calm his usually snappy tone for the sake of the girl who must be as terrified if not more than he is at the moment.

« You shouldn’t be down here at all » he tried to make her realize a little harsher than he wished.

It was foolish of her to put a target on her back by snooping around, on THEIR backs. In a situation like this where there is no hope, it’s best to comply and hope you die as painlessly as possible. Though that seemed unlikely for him at the hands of that sick scientist. But there might be hope for her yet if she stopped escaping her quarters.

The girl continued with her misplaced energy and optimism.

« How else are we gonna plan an escape ? »

An escape ?! Had she gone insane? Did she not realize they were in the middle of no where, in an unknown imperial playground, surrounded by guards with no moral compass except loyalty to the credits they earn at the end of each shift filled with screams of tortured people. Better to kill that idea in the egg before she gets too altruistic. 

The sniper resumed his usual cold and unapproachable attitude, hoping the girl would realize that planning an escape in a place such as this with only 1 ally was foolish already but with no one, it was simply stretching your neck to help the executioner do his job. 

« There is no WE, and there is no escape… I’ve already tried. » 

The young clone didn’t budge.

« Every stronghold has a weak point ! Maybe I could convince Emerie to help, she’s one of us. »

His brothers has taught her well he could tell, and by that he meant by filling her head with useless idiotic tactics and informations for a obviously changing galaxy. Besides if they shouldn’t trust one person in this Sarlac pit, it was HER. That double crossing scientist woman. Testing on people was bad enough but on her own « brothers » that was being a plain sociopathic hypocrite. 

« Not every clone is your ally ! » The sharpshooter reminded her.

« You trust too easily… »

He expected a reply and one sounding similar to that one too, so he doesn’t know why her words struck him so. 

« Maybe you don’t trust enough. » Omega replied with that same misguided hope as earlier.

An uncomfortable silence surrounded the two and then it started again : the shaking.

The stupid shaking he couldn’t stop. The best sniper in the whole GAR with quivering hands, how ironic. He felt uneasy having her see him like this. It was as if his own brothers could see how low he had fallen and for a prideful man like Crosshair, it was not an easy feat to overcome. 

« Crosshair ? »  The young girl asked after her gaze fell upon her brother hiding his hands from her. 

Not so long ago he would’ve snapped at her for simply seeing him in a state like this, desperately trying to steady his once reliable hands but now, he just didn’t have the heart or the energy to do so…

« Just… Go. » he simply said. 

« Before you make things worst for both of us… »

In this moment he came to the conclusion that yes, he didn’t want to be punished for the girl’s misbehaviour but he also mostly didn’t want her to suffer because of him. 

Knowing Hemlock, he wouldn’t even do it to punish Omega… but he would do unexplainable things to the girl to make HIM suffer. 

[alpydk]

How do you do that? (Fanfic writing)

I've not seen many of these posts. I always see a "well the words come in my head and I just do." So I'm going to be me and write too much and tell you how my work process is for writing and how I write the stuff I do. Good? Good. - Warning - This is a long post.

Step 1! The idea!

The best stories are written in truth. So if you have something you've experienced, adapt it and get it down. 1, it's therapeutic. 2, you can channel your own emotions and experience into it. It's more real when there is something behind it. Take f.x The Moment - a lot of my personal experiences and trains of thought went into that and it gives the character in it a lot more life.

"she would sit alone in her tent, her legs pulled close to her chest, her eyes on her pack comparing the pros and cons of the act, before eventually she would move to the campfire where her allies would act as her unknown protectors." - I've done this with the pros and cons and eventually just sticking around people. Real experience = More relatable to the reader.

Other ideas come from common tropes you see in movies, tags I've seen on Ao3 which light something in me, scenes in movies that I've loved and just a vivid imagination that's very dramatic. Seriously folks, write down your daydreams.!

Step 2! Planning!

For poems, don't plan and do very little editing. Some will probably hate that. I'm expecting Jourdane to be biting the bars of her cage at that statement, but the best poems just flow from the heart (At least in my case.) For fics, I grab a pen and jot down an outline. You've seen my pokemon book and the many pages with random notes like "FEELINGS, Comfort smut." - This gives me my basis, the start middle and end, what characters will be involved and the dots I need to connect. I'll usually also include some inner perspectives I want to put in. f.x "Guilt/Fear/Control" - Sort of character themes. This reminds me of the character motives and reactions so they don't go off as I'm writing.

Now, this doesn't mean the plan will change as I write. It has done in the past, but that just means a new load of notes is written.

Step 3! The writing!

This is the part you all really want. I'm going to use some of As you Wish - To break it down.

Descriptions

When it comes to fanfic, especially in canon, we already have a set idea of the characters and locations in our mind. So I spend very little time on character and location descriptions unless they matter in the scene.

"Pale fingers spun the wedding ring mindlessly on the wooden table of the tavern as the now owner of the band spoke." -

Pale fingers, that's a signature of Astarion, could also talk about hair colour, red eyes, key features. For Gale, it's usually robes, dark eyes, beard. The wedding ring (most associate with gold or silver but it is not important, mind fills it in). The wooden table in the tavern, brain will hopefully put us in the Elfsong or similar - but again, not really important, as this is not what the scene or story is about. I stick to what is needed, or it just becomes more about details than the message. Dialogue

Start with the canon dialogue. Do not be ashamed to use it to give you an idea of how characters talk. You see in the game that Gale is very wordy. I am not. So what I do is take a standard line and then 'Gale it up' - What I mean is I go onto OneLook - Take a word and replace it with something more intellectual. Gale does not say "I'm sorry" very often. He says "My apologies" He doesn't say "we're talking about."; he says "We're discussing..." - You get the idea. Include character actions they commonly do. Astarion in mine spends a lot of time scoffing and smirking. Flamboyant hand actions and the like. Karlach speaks loudly, Gale gestures and gazes. Emotions A lot of thinking, a lot of wondering, a lot of feeling. So much character introspection put into non dialogue parts. Either in the form of some internal monologue. "Of sorts... Of course, he’s said it like that," or questions the character would ask themselves. "What would happen with it tomorrow as they took on their final battle with the Netherbrain?" Combine with genuine ways the characters would question these things, how a real person would act. So many fics I've read either become very 2 dimensional with their characters. They spend so long on direct dialogue or physical descriptions that they miss what makes a person a person, and it's this inner soul that speaks more than anything. It's the doubts and the worries and the love and the happiness we FEEL. It needs to be written in too. Take, for example, Gale - Man is filled with self doubt, crushed under the weight of his past with Mystra. He may act outwardly confident, but inside he's not. These things need to be included to get it right.

Poetic Language

The analysis part... I like to call a spade a spade. If I've used a metaphor or something, it is exactly how it's meant to be used. There is no speculation of meaning, no "but the author is possibly conveying a sense of loss through the description of the red carpet." - There's a place for that and I'm sure that's what makes other people's fics considerably better than mine, but I don't have the time or longing for that. My comparisons are very obvious, again so the reader can relate. "What was marriage if not chains to bind?" - See? Very obvious way of thinking that marriage is a prison, and it not only includes the emotions of the character's introspective thoughts but also some of that well-used billedsprog (picture language, can't think of the English word - am not schooled enough).

Anyway, metaphors and such - Don't gatekeep your work trying to be intellectual. Reading, especially fanfic, is there to be enjoyed by everyone, so as a writer just keep it simple.

Step 4! Editing!

I personally used ProWritingAid for spelling and grammar checking. Grammarly is also a good one but very pushy in its premium advertising.

I try to avoid using repeat words too often, again see OneLook for alternatives. I also read my fic through on word first checking for errors, then copy and paste to Tumblr where I read again. The font and layout is different, so I can spot more that I might have skimmed over the first time. If I want to be sure, then I might go out for a few hours and then read through again later and will surely find something. If you want to be really sure, find a beta reader (I personally don't because I can't handle the critique unless I know the other person is very skilled and trustworthy, even then it's my work, not theirs.) Congratulations, you have just written a fanfiction!

Share it on Tumblr, share it on Ao3 (or your chosen site), get depressed when it does not get the traction you want. This is the writer's way.

I hope this helps at least one person to join the fanfic writing community. Honestly, just write and be creative. Don't doubt yourself, don't think you're not good enough, just put words on paper and go for it. There is a reader out there for every writer. You just have to find each other.

[plusultraetc]

Liza's School Briefs 1 Review (1/2)

School Briefs 1 saved me from my reading slump, thank u School Briefs 1.

I actually did read a ton these past few weeks, both long fics I've been chipping away at and my physical TBR, and I feel like reading this book with the intention of writing some kind of review was what finally booted my brain back into book mode (hi alliteration). If I can finish my current read by my next bookstore visit I am picking up the second one so fast !!

It's been a minute since I typed up a full, actual book review, so this might be even more disorganized than my usual word salad. I am reaching back for those bookstagram skills but the arms of memory are not quite long enough 😔 I did stick a lot of page tabs in this book to help me out, because old habits die hard, or they don't die at all, but page tabs are pretty and I'm one of those people who can't write in my books, even the ones I intend to keep. Idk, I just can't do it </3 Also do you know how difficult it was to not stage a full 2020 era bookstagram photo for this post. Do you know.

Overall, I really enjoyed this! It was cute, and the illustrations were so <3 <3 There were definitely some things I could live without (mostly comments from Mineta and Midnight, which are def also present in the main series, but I feel like they were even more over the top in this book?? Like??? I genuinely found myself grimacing at times while reading, it was very uncomfy). Also, Uraraka, Tsu, and Yaoyorozu's sidequest, while incredibly cute, was definitely... ig a 'the girls that get it get it, and the girls that don't don't' moment and I did not get it. Why were we so obsessed with underwear in this book. ANYWAY ON TO THE TABS.

Starting off strong with Todoroki's Sick Burns (no pun intended). He really tried to come for Sero's 'Funniest Bakugou Takes' crown in this book. Todoroki's subplot was actually my favorite thing about this story--more on that in a moment.

Also, this made me so 🥺 He fit in so well with 1-A from the start that it's easy to forget Midoriya was decently unpopular in middle school. The palpable social anxiety in this line is so real.

Can we talk about the Todorokis... (actively dissolving into a puddle of tears) can we please talk about the Todorokis... Rei tries so hard in this book. FUYUMI tries so hard. Their storyline was such a tender thread running through what was otherwise an incredibly goofy book. There were some aspects of like, Todoroki Family Life(TM) that I had never given much thought to? Like how Todoroki's poor social skills among his own age group had probably impacted his (and Fuyumi's) life pre-UA, the responses of other characters like Midoriya, Iida, and Aizawa to what they respectively know about his situation, etc. It was just. Really ough. Augh. Alack, if you will.

TODOROKI STAND UP COMEDY TOUR. I live for Shouto & Fuyumi & Natsuo interactions, my skin is clear and my crops are watered. Shouto & Fuyumi were so precious in this.

I talked about this scene already, but omg how I loved the entire staff room chapter. I've always found the UA faculty as a concept deeply entertaining (what do you MEAN the superheroes are teachers. 'Sorry, I can't hang out after school. I have to study for a test in Batman's class.') and this chapter was just. So silly. I love them.

Really quick, do you think they ever get tired of being so everything to me? Aizawa spends this entire scene rolling his eyes at the other teachers' bs-ing and wasting time, deliberately not getting involved, but of course Mic still manages to drag him into it. Just couldn't help yourself could you.

AIZAWA STAND UP COMEDY TOUR.

[cellsshapedlikestars]

Seeing all your cool home updates && half-watching some HGTV w/my mom while drawing had a simple prompt idea if you might be interested! Basically HGTV reno show Jonsa - Sansa is a designer and finally gets a chance for her own show but loses Rob (her #1 contractor) to an injury before filming starts && Jon jumps in (either to help Rob /or/ the studio execs (maybe Targs?) throw him in) and the two have to work together somehow. Idk idk, just wanted to share! <3

ANON.

No, you have no idea, I already HAVE a house reno wip. It's not super long, but... yeah. I've got that.

Here, I'll post what I have written of it, since we CAN'T GET ONTO AO3.

this isn't exactly your prompt, though I do honestly love yours a lot and sort of want to change mine. If I changed mine, the show Sansa works on would definitely be like Rehab Addict, where she restores old homes to their prior state instead of making them "modern"

But mine is sort of similar? This snippet is just the set up and doesn't include the part where Sansa decides to start a youtube channel for her renovations, (a la WabiSabE, which I used to watch and was probably the inspiration for this fic when I first started writing it like a year ago lol), and everyone starts shipping her with her contractor Jon, who she keeps forcing to be in the videos because she can't really make them without him being in it...

.

Sansa winces as her car hits another bump and jolts her in her seat.

“You owe me,” she huffs out, hands tight around the wheel.

“I know, I know,” Robb's voice comes through her sound system and fills the car. He's distracted, she can tell, and she bites back a snippy comment. Robb's just so busy, he couldn't possibly get away.

That's not fair, the small part of her brain that's still being rational thinks. Of course Robb couldn't drop everything and come out to the middle of nowhere to deal with their Great Uncle Brynden's estate. Robb's got a new baby and his job.

Robb's got a baby, Arya's got her tournaments, Bran has school, and Rickon's still underage. All of her siblings have lives they can't get away from. All except her.

No significant other, no kids. A tenuous career that she can technically do from anywhere.

“Oh no,” she breathes, when the house finally comes into sight through the trees.

“What's wrong?” Robb asks, his full attention back on her.

“Robb,” she whines, the car coming to a pathetic, rolling stop on the overgrown gravel drive. “It's a mess.”

“A mess?”

She doesn't answer, too busy staring at the mansion in front of her. Or, what used to be a mansion, she thinks.

It's still vaguely house-shaped, but... The roof is missing shingles in multiple places, the windows all seem busted out. The steps up to the covered front porch are fine, but the porch itself has a massive sinkhole, and half the wood looks rotted and ready to crumble.

Gods, if this is what the outside looks like...

“What kind of a mess?” Robb asks. She's just about to start listing the many problems when she hears another car approaching.

“I've gotta go,” she tells Robb. “I think the lawyer's here.” She hangs up before Robb can answer, and watches the other car slowly emerge through the trees up the bumpy road, past the broken gates, and onto the circular gravel drive. It stops behind her and a man gets out. She gets out, too, phone clutched in her hand, just in case.

“Miss Stark?” the man asks, and his face splits into a kind smile when she nods. “Perfect, perfect. I'm Samwell Tarly. It's nice to finally meet you.”

Sansa moves forward to shake the lawyer's hand. He isn't what she was expecting. He's young, for one – maybe only a few years older than her. And he seems just as nice in person as he'd been over the phone. She didn't think lawyers came in nice.

“We should have met at your office,” she says, eyeing up the weeds sprouting from between the gravel and brushing against her ankles. “I didn't realize the road here would be so...”

Mr. Tarly laughs. “This place has been abandoned for quite some time,” he agrees. “I never met Brynden myself, but I’d heard about him. Apparently he decided to up and travel the world and left this…”

Sansa looks back at the crumbling mansion and feels her face scrunch up. She tries to smooth it out. “So, how fast do you think I can sell this?” she asks.

That’s when Mr. Tarly’s smile falters. “Well,” he starts, hesitant, “you see, it’s in such a poor state, I can’t imagine anyone would be willing to buy it.”

“But the land must be worth something? They can just knock it down and-”

“Ah,” Mr. Tarly winces, and Sansa’s sentence breaks off, unfinished. “I suppose you didn’t read all the fine print?” At the slow shake of her head, he grimaces. “Riverrun Manor is a historic property. You, legally, are not allowed to tear the structure down. Anything you do needs to go through lots of committee approvals…”

“So what you’re saying,” Sansa says, closing her eyes as reality crashes down around her, “is that literally no one is going to want to buy this.”

“Maybe if you find someone who’s both very rich, and very interested in Riverlands history?”

She opens her eyes and there must be a glare on her face, because Mr. Tarly winces again.

Then she turns back to the manor, and really looks at it this time. Beneath the grime and the moss and the crumbling wood, she can see what it used to be.

“What if I fixed it up a bit?” she asks, turning back to the lawyer. “What if I just did the major repairs, do you think someone would buy it then?”

She doesn’t want to do that, but it beats letting the property sit around even longer and paying the taxes on it. Or, worse, not paying the taxes and having that on her and her sibling’s financial records.

“I’m not a real estate agent,” Mr. Tarly responds, looking at the building thoughtfully. “But this is a good location, lots of historic stuff around. I wouldn’t doubt you could sell it if the building weren’t… well, that.” He waves his hand towards the manor.

“Alright,” she nods. “Maybe we should head to your office to do the paperwork, though? Then I’ll… I guess I’ll look for a contractor?”

Sam nods, and a bright smile lights his face again. “Oh, I know someone you can call!”

[dashielldeveron]

Hi Dash! I hope you're doing well. I'm writing this ask literally 1 hour before I need to leave for one of my sem finals (which I'll be fine at hopefully, since I studied). But while I was anxiously awaiting purgatory, I read one of my favourite of your works again - Monoma's route in Soulmate Trope. Istg I am not exaggerating, no writing has made me laugh harder than that single scene where he just... wordlessly pulled down his pants. I laughed so hard that my roommate had to come check on me. And the word "cum gutter" had dealt irreversible psychic damage to my brain. Sometimes while doing some mundane stuff, I think back about that scene, or countless other scenes from the book and had to remind myself I'm in public. I've only watched MHA up till season 3 and a bit into 4 but I was kinda already spoiled about the ending, so I'm so in love with the world you build there. I've always kinda wanted to try writing my own work because I sometimes have a budding idea that had me go, 'oh I think that'd make an interesting story', but then I realised I suck at writing. Writing just 1000 words took me an hour or more, I don't know how you wrote 60k words for 1 chapter!! That's absolutely insane. Also also, because your writing is so hilarious, when you get emotional, it hits so hard. "and i've gotta crow" is absolutely one of my all time favourite fan work, though idk what the title means. My writing, just after the first few paragraphs, feels like sandpaper to read. But your work really inspired me to want to at least try, even if I don't post anything. Especially after my finals, I'm going to try shitting this one idea out of my head in the summer (oh I'm in Australia so my summer is almost here). So yeah thank you for making me laughed so hard and also fingerbanged my heart. If you have nothing better to do, would you mind sharing your general writing process with me? As in, is there a forbidden jutsu move that amazing authors use when writing? For me, I feel like I'm typing and deleting and retyping until it forms a coherent sentence, but after putting them together it's dryer than my chicken breast that I forgot for 30 minutes in the oven. If not it's okay too, I hope you have a wonderful day!

yes.......YES.........let the monoma adoration flow through you!!!! we need more people in our monoma coterie!!! it's now you, me, 📌 anon, and like, two other anons i believe???? we are officially a Club, i say!!!

writing discussion/advice/process under the cut

okay, who told you you suck at writing? and why do they think so??? odds are you don't. odds are, you're overthinking your own work too much. when i look at stuff i've written, i see the writing process in every sentence, and odds are, you might, too. seeing the process takes away parts of being able to immerse yourself in the writing. so, your stuff probably isn't bad; it's just that you know all about how it was made!!!

writing takes me a long time! mostly bc i have academic/work writing to do all the time, so writing fic as my breaks from work isn't always efficient and fun. and i'm pretty sure some people may get frustrated with me for taking so long to update, but that's just how my life is rn. it's ultimately perfectly fine if you take a long time, though, because this is a hobby. we're not getting paid for this. we're providing art for free.

anyway......my process.....hmm. well. step one is to be haunted by visions.

step one is actually to think about that first idea you have to spark the fic. doesn't matter if it's in the middle or end, or anything. and you want to consider what kind of people would get in this situation (helps define what kind of character reader will be) and what could possibly lead up to it. it's okay if it seems like a bunch of disjointed ideas at first.

i am a big outliner, but i always allow seredipity during the writing process. as in, if something starts happening that's cool that i didn't plan, i'm cool with it, so long as it makes sense for the characters.

so, if i start a fic, i will start with an outline that's just a list of things i want to happen in the fic. sometimes it's specific events, and sometimes, it's something like "and they get romantically closer here through some tragic accident." put those events in an order that makes sense for the emotional progression of your characters.

i also keep running lists of hot lines of dialogue that i come up with, sexy outfits to put people in, sexy gestures, domestic things that would ruin me, or other fic-specific lists--like for tenko's soulmate route, i kept a running list of weird facts that reader could bring up. not many ended up going in the fic, but still.

like, this is a screenshot of a working outline/list from aizawa's route:

not all of this happened!! and more scenes got way fleshed out!!! i plan for Large Events and Emotional Resonance, but i am open to strange directions that just happen while writing the scene itself, so long as i get to where i need to go eventually. like.....the only one bed stuff on the undercover mission never happened, because suddenly, the club scene got super detailed, and aizawa would probably be too exhausted to spend the proper time having the argument, let alone sex, with reader that night.

but basically, i always want to know where i'll end up, even if i don't know how i'm going to get there. because the process of the characters getting there is where fun, detailed, character work happens. bc if your characters are distinct enough, they'll drive the story more than whatever plot you have.

i'm not every writer ever (obviously), so i know that more thorough outlining or not planning at all works better for other people!!! maybe try experimenting with completely planning and completely pantsing some shorter stories to see what works better for you.

i don't have a daily routine for writing bc i am Busy All the Time, but i carry a notebook in my purse if i am struck with visions, and when i type on my computer, i usually turn on an ambient mix from ambient.mix.com to block out other stuff. usually, i can find an ambience to fit the mood of the scene i'm writing, too lol, which doesn't necessary help but makes things more fun.

i honestly think i spend more time daydreaming about the story than writing it?? i am a big advocate for daydreaming. it's important that you spend time thinking about everything that could go wrong, bc it often makes for a better story if it's fucked up, somehow. idk it may also be bc of work that i'm away from a computer so often. i like writing in the notebook by hand bc it's less pressure to make it "good," and so i can edit as i type it in a word doc later.

and editing is, of course a huge part of the writing process!!! i would say it'd be weirder to write a sentence just right the first time, as opposed to deleting and rephrasing repeatedly! you're doing just fine!

but i wouldn't say there's any secret besides doing it a lot!!!! i know i'm not a great writer, but i know i'm okay, and that's the result of working and practising it for about two decades now. i just have practise, read a lot, and spend a lot of time, academically, discussing written stories.

so!!! if you're feeling like your stuff isn't as good as you want it to be, you just need to start allowing yourself to suck!!! nothing is perfect the first time!!! and eventually, you can edit your sucky stuff into stuff that's compelling.

good luck with your semi finals and finals!!! and thaaaaaank you for 1) valuing my advice as an artist (gosh!!!!!) and for 2) saying such nice things about the silly little stories i write!!!! it means a lot to me!!! you're so kind!!!!! i hope any of this helped at all!!!! and i hope your day is peaceful!!!! xx.

[forerussake]

3, 6, 12, and 30 for ao3 wrapped? 🥰👀

Wheeee hi hideyyyyy <333 Thanks for the aaaaask!!! See 3 and 6 here! As for the rest:

12. How many WIPs do you have for next year?

HAHAHAHAH too many... let's see... I'm hoping to get maybe one or two of these done before New Years still, but who knows... The question doesn't ask me to list them, but I'm gonna anyway :P

That I'm actively working on:

Separate matters - QZGS, 5 things FSQ learns about WJX over the years and 1 thing he learns about himself.

Lucky numbers - QZGS, WJX and ZJL at Worlds.

As of yet untitled The First Shot fic, in which GYR becomes first a substitute middle school teacher, and then a substitute parent?? Maybe?? Idk yet where the plot is heading (it has too few words yet to have plot atm anyway) but the plot bunny DEFINITELY tried to steer me there yesterday and idk yet if I want to go hahah

a something wanting - Weilan Derivative, crossover between The Long Night and Lighting up the Stars in which Mo Sanmei and Jiang Yang learn to deal with fear, love and grief, not necessarily in that order.

Boundless - Guardian novel, horror-y multi-chapter casefic.

An as of yet untitled Zhubai RPF fic set after the FFDZ roadshow.

That I hope to return to soon:

Cats, Calligraphy and Conversation, or Operation Get to Know the Ghost Slayer - Guardian novel, pre-canon, exactly what it says on tin.

Unblinking, we turn to face the sun - Guardian drama, post-canon multi-chapter casefic.

There's SO MANY more WIPs, but these I can reasonably see getting finished sometime in the not too distant future... The rest? Oh god I wish... Muse give me the strength to finish ALL my WIPs!!!

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

Idk that I've really been surprised??? Maybe that In the end we'll share a tomb got as much response as it did? I was proud of it when it was done, but I didn't expect to get so many comments on it! Maybe also the decision to start writing boundless? I'm not good with horror fics, my brain is bad with them, but BY GOD will I write this thing. Luckily this time I can dictate what the scary stuff entails :)))) Maybe also the discovery of new fandoms (look at me writing for TFS!!!) and my return to a fandom that had slipped to the back drawers of my brain and I had already mourned the loss of (I'm writing QZGS fic again yay!)??? I haven't had any big revelations about my writing itself this year I think. Guardian Bingo taught me last year and again this year during the summer that I am a more prolific creator under time pressure hahah, but that is not a new realization. The past year has also taught me, not strictly writing-related, that I really do want to be a creative. That I want to make things for a living. Maybe next year will have to be about figuring out how to do that in this world and economy and with my background?

Thanks again for the ask my friend <333

[lutiaslayton]

Hi! I really love your timeline analyses and have been thinking about them a lot as I try to write my own Layton longfic. (I hope you don't mind me referencing your timeline and puzzle research for it ^^;) It's very well done! I have a hard time figuring out so many details at once like that, so it's been a huge help.

...I don't want to be annoying or overly nitpicky when I point this out, but I just thought I'd mention something.

We know that Dropstone was founded on August 12th (by the JP version) and Layton travels there on its 50th anniversary (also August 12th). In your deduced timeline you have that arrival date down as Wednesday the 12th, 1963. The year with a Wednesday on an August 12th is actually 1964. In 1963, the 12th falls on a Monday.

I don't know if the day being a Wednesday specifically matters at all, or if Layton's days of the week aren't in sync with ours, but from what I understand, your timeline might be 1 year behind. (Or that date was meant to be Monday the 12th...?)

I figured with SLS (one of my favorite fics ever, by the way!) being in 1953, a detail like this could be important to you, but you can totally ignore this ask if I'm wrong! I just wanted to let you know just in case.

Hi! The fact that you picked up on this is a true testament to your dedication and rigorous work, congratulations!!

I haven't touched this timeline in a long while for a number of reasons (far too many other projects + "um actually I think there might be multiple timelines and you can't put every single game/novel/manga/movie/other in the same chronology but it becomes soooooo much more interesting if you start placing them in multiple ones, also puzzle theory makes that not only plausible but also quite probable"), so sadly I have forgotten most of the details of how past me from over a year ago reached the conclusions that she did. From what I remember, however, the quick answer to your question is simple: yes, the days of the week in the Laytonverse are out of sync with ours.

(I kinda like how I take it as a bigger reminder that the Laytonverse really is disconnected from our world's History in a number of ways, from the mention in the novels of kings and queens that do not exist IRL to the simple logical fact that there is no way History happened the same way when mechas are a thing, the Azran happened, Targent happened, and also puzzles break the laws of physics daily. But that's just personal preference.)

I think what started it was the fact that London Holiday takes place on a Sunday and that I could not find any way to make the whole "a few days ago" for both Curious Village and Diabolical Box work alongside the "They arrive in Dropstone on August 12th." I won't redo the math right now because schedule and to-do list and other stuff (+ I trust you more to check it since your brain cogs are already warm and revving in the middle of it, so you would be more efficient at figuring it out as well as more critical than present me), but if memory serves, this was the best I could manage at the time, and I never went back later to recheck the math. I really just stopped at "Yes, there is a desync, so what? That's not supposed to be the real world anyway. Also huge kudos to whoever notices."

---

My mind is set on the fact that the Layton timeline places the original trilogy on the year 1963 because of the promotional UF artwork implying that UF would take place during the winter between 1963 and 1964, but that part is personal preference since I know (and stated on the timeline web page iirc) that in-universe, this date does not appear in the game. I know other people use for example the "Year 1960" unused artwork which had been datamined from Curious Village. I also know that the World of PL interview just says "There is no official date, it's inspired from the 1960s but we are never going to give a date because we don't want to." I also also know that some others, who consider the PLvsAA crossover canon, take the Ace Attorney timeline and thus completely yeet the "1960s" part into oblivion.

So the choice is ultimately up to personal preference, and you're free to choose a different one! The only reason I put 1963 in the timeline instead of "Year YYYY ; Year YYYY - 50 ; Year YYYY + 1" and such is for obvious readability reasons... and because past me had not thought that perhaps there could be a Javascript way to say "hey put here the year you'd like the original trilogy to take place in," have the user click on a button, and make the whole page do the calculations and display the new dates according to the user's chosen year of reference. darn it now I'm going to be nagging myself into implementing that but it would also be so tedious.

---

Anyway TL;DR yes I was aware of this, and past me either forgot to mention it or thought "Eh it's not like anybody will notice/care" hahaha. Rather insensitive from past me admittedly, I do now wonder why I didn't add that as a small paragraph in the preliminary notes... Most likely reason is that the thought just didn't cross my mind at the time.

Good luck on your own longfic, don't hesitate to send me the link (no promises on reading it the day it comes out because there are SO many fics already on my to-read list, but nnngnfhghh I wish I could read other people's works as well as continue working on SLS), and thank you for your ask! Even though I was personally aware of it, you can absolutely feel proud of having picked up on it, and don't hesitate to come back to me (and make me sweat cold bullets) if you figure out a way to make "1963" + "London Holiday on a Sunday" + "No week day desyncs with the real world" work. Thanks to you, other people can now be made aware of this detail which I had apparently forgotten to explain explicitly!

Lastly, I don't remember whether I mentioned it here or not because it's still far from done and isn't going to be truly useful before a LONG while, but just in case what little info is on there could still be useful to you or someone else in any way: among many other things, I'm working on a Lore Map. Imagine having the ENTIRETY of EVERY SINGLE CANON FACT we have been given, in a single web page, with a whole list of tags so you can filter only the trivia that is relevant to your fanfic research <3

---

(Now this paragraph is completely unrelated to your ask, I'm going to leave this here for a different person (or not? would be good luck if you're the same anon): I am so sorry to the anon who asked me if I considered the LMJ ARG event canon or not, I uhhhhh... got carried away and I don't think the answer will be posted anytime soon, because for the sake of answering it in an exhaustive way I wanted to re-read the entirety of what has been preserved of it + add every bit of trivia I could find to the Lore Map mentioned earlier. And I'm juggling between many other projects too so progress is very slow. TL;DR version of my personal opinion so far: as for everything else it is up to personal preference, but I could theoretically see at least parts of it being canon. The trickiest part I found by reading just the introduction of the ARG is the fact that Kat would apparently make livestreams. Which implies the existence of the internet or a similar technology, the existence of streaming platforms, and the fact that she would have a decent-ish enough following for her random viewers from all around the world to want to help her. And if we go with the hypothesis that there could be multiple timelines, I could see that happen in an Ace Attorney-based timeline such as the one in which the PLvsAA crossover is canon, for example! I don't know enough about AA to be able to speak about it with confidence, but I think that 20+ years after the original AA trilogy, internet technology is indeed quite advanced enough for this to be possible? anyway. Just thought I'd give you a first short answer so you don't have to keep holding your breath and/or think I completely forgot about you. I'm sorry :'D)

[voxofthevoid]

i shall ask once more. \o/ 12, 26, 39 (is there another snippet in stock, void-sama?) and 55! <3

Welcome back 💚

List of questions here

(I should start keeping a list of things people call me on Tumblr...)

12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

Like I said in response to another of these questions, I am not immune to having expectations...which have admittedly been skewed by hanging around in MCU/stucky (guys, you spoiled me).

Receiving feedback makes me happy, often derangedly happy. There's that simple pleasure in sharing something I made—something I put a lot of time, effort, and joy into—and seeing it have an effect on other people. There's a reason I reread my comments (and Tumblr tags, when applicable) a zillion times.

Not receiving it is predictably disappointing, though the intensity varies a lot with my level of investment in the fandom/ship and, more importantly, the particular story. You know those jokes about how the fics we work most on and are most proud of tend to be less well received than something we throw together in a hurry? Yeah, that's always an...interesting experience.

What feedback doesn't affect is whether I write or what I write. This wasn't the case until last year or so, but now, nearly everything I post is already fully written and being posted on a monthly schedule. It spares me from being discouraged in the middle of writing a fic. Similarly, darkfic tends to not be as popular as fluff or even hurt/comfort, but literally nothing else sparks up my brain like some gourmet fuckery, so nothing's going to make me stop writing those stories.

...holy shit, that got long.

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

THE FUCKING KIDNAPPING FIC

I cannot tell you how weird/wild it is that this thing unraveled the way it did. I know I post a lot of multichapters for JJK, but I don't really consider them multichaps as such. More like...six-shots or something (don't ask). I was content poking at porny bits of canon divergence scenarios.

And then @nearalways asked one(1) question: What'd have happened if Yuuji had chosen not to be Sukuna's host when Gojou tells him to choose his hell? We'd also been talking a lot about how dead-eyed and done Yuuji looked in most of his middle school-era flashbacks. Long story very short, I wrote a 119k answer that has done irreparable damage to my sanity and irrevocably changed how I write Gojou in particular.

39. Share a snippet from a WIP

I always have snippets! Especially since I've got some...300k of JJK fic I haven't even posted yet. You can find it under the cut.

55. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

Yuuji, hands down. The whole reason I'm even in this fandom is because I adore that kid. I haven't been this fascinated by a shonen MC in ages. Me being me, this does mean I put him through unimaginable horrors though!

And no, not at all. You, uh, might notice that I tend to be very set in my opinions 😂

Snippet here:

Yuuji yanks at the hand pinning him down.

There’s a moment where it works. Gojou’s fingers loosen, and his whole rhythm falters, and Yuuji almost, almost frees himself, wholly intent on flipping them over, but then there’s a soft breath of laughter, and a second hand clamps down on the wrist Yuuji has nearly wrenched free.

He makes a furious final attempt, throwing the whole of his strength into it, but this time, Gojou’s hold doesn’t waver for even a second. He’s grinning down at Yuuji, the devil on his lips.

“Devious,” Gojou tells him; it sounds like a compliment. “You’ve grown stronger, Yuuji—much, much stronger.”

And that sounds like pure sex.

Yuuji’s hips buck up helplessly, and Gojou bears down against him, pinning him there too.

“Clearly,” Yuuji hisses through clenched teeth, “not enough.”

“I’m a different kind of beast,” Gojou says easily. His eyes grow heavy-lidded. “But one day soon, Yuuji, you’ll be able to hurt me. Really hurt me. Won’t that be fun?”

Yuuji’s brain is abruptly yanked away from his dick and shoved back into his skull. “What? No! I don’t want that!”

“Of course you do,” Gojou says, laughing. “You will. It’s alright. I’ll let you.”

“Gojou-sensei—”

“But that’s for later. What do you want right now, Yuuji?”

“You,” Yuuji says incredulously, a thousand meanings packed into that one word.

Gojou’s eyes narrow, a different kind of heat than the look he shot Yuuji before. “Don’t cop out on me now. What were you going to do, Yuuji?”

“Fucking—” Yuuji lifts his head just to slam it down on the mattress; it’s not satisfying at all. “I want to fucking touch you! What else!”

“Cute,” Gojou says, his smile growing wider and more unhinged at Yuuji’s growl. “Where, Yuuji? How? I’ve only been gone for nineteen days, but you already forgot the game. I trained you better than this.”

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here my friend after a very, very long week. This is actually my 3rd attempt at sending you an ask. First, I finally had time and was excited to type up something for the latest episode and then the Buck LI stuff came out and the mood for that was killed. Next I had mostly typed up my salty thoughts only to have my internet go down (yes, I whined at home "what i was going to read??!!" and pointedly ignored my very much filled bookcase because my ships aren't in them). So here let's see if this one works out.

So how is it KR and the promo dept always manage to kill any joy we have when we get fed any kind of Buddie content (the follow-up to the Eddie getting shot, and the 5b and premier come to mind here)?? Seriously Buck and Eddie more or less went on a date and had family night together and almost immediately they came back with "look Buck and Eddie are going to go on dates!!". Its exhausting cause it seems like any time they put out a story that might even be slightly suggestive of them being more than platonic bros they insist on following it up with stories to "prove" they are, no matter how recycled those plots are.

And okay let's take a second here to ask WTF is KR doing with these characters? In 6b alone we've had Buck dying, a coma dream, PTSD, super powers, and now he's getting a crush, and we STILL haven't finished the accursed sperm donor storyline??!! Bobby and Athena investigated had the death of a beloved friend 🙄 plot, HenRen had the nonsensical Denny secretly seeing his Dad which was never an issue before plot, and Madney and Eddie are just kinda there?? The other characters have had at best one storyline where the audience has to either invent or rewrite the backstory for. But for Buck he's had like 50 plotlines, none of which have really gone anywhere? I love Buck but I'd rather have him have 1 good arc and resolution than whatever this bullshit is. I'd easily take that screentime and give it to any of the other characters if it meant we got 1 well thought out and executed storyline. Instead we're just recycling and redressing old plots for everyone else while KR uses a magnetic poetry set to plan what Buck's doing from episode to episode. We have 5 episodes left in the season, 4-5 guest characters that are going to be incorporated (including 2 much beloathed ones 🙄🙄🙄), and nothing really setup for our mains to do (even Eddie dating isn't setup, it literally hasn't come up after Ana and you'd think they could have in 6a while he was watching his son mature).

Anyway, I'll stop the rant here though there's definitely more I could say. I'll close off saying I hope you're feeling better today since this week looks like its been rough on you. Sending you virtual tea, soup, and hugs!!

Long week is RIGHT my friend! I'm so sorry you were foiled in your previous attempts! I am right there with you on the Buck LI stuff just...sucking a lot of the joy out of things for me. Because of course we're doing this again 🙄🙄🙄 I was even writing up notes on a possible fic and you KNOW I haven't written anything since Malex and even that was before s4 started. But alas. That sucks about the power going out! I hate when that happens especially if I was in the middle of something! (Also I am SO with you. I keep buying books and then just...not reading them because my brain says "it's not our blorbos so no.)

I am just...so tired at this point. Like yes these people *may* not stick around, but even so, I don't want to loose out on Buddie scenes and Buckley-Diaz family scenes! I don't want Buck to have 90% of his time and discussions with some new character I do not know or care about instead of Eddie and the firefam! They already tried to do that with BT and it was the woooooorst! I want Eddie to have screentime and arcs but again, I don't want the little time we DO get to be wasted on some random side character! And lets be honest, there is no person they can introduce at this point that can compare with the relationship Buck and Eddie have already built and the ways in which they are the perfect partners for what each other needs. So the options are to a) cut down on seeing that relationship so their new het ones don't look so shitty and lame in comparison, b) have these women be mostly just Blurry Girlfriends in the background with no personality or depth just to have the boys paired off so they don't have to do Buddie while still centering their relationship so people can't call them out for not committing to Buddie because their "friendship" looks basically the same, or c) give them LIs that are basically the other's personalities transplanted into a female body in order to have the relationship be anything close to what Buck and Eddie need in a life partner. These are all terrible options, and I hate them, more than I hate the idea of them ending up single even though it undercuts their own narrative set up for the characters but that's a cop-out too.

ANYWAY

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 to everything about Buck's 700 shitty arcs this season while everyone else is mostly twiddling their thumbs. KR is literally the worst at pacing and planning, and constructing a season with any kind of flow. On the bright side, Ravi is coming back and Chim is going to get to do something! I'm so excited! I was really hoping for more of him and Bobby teaming up last week because the little crumbs we got were GOLD.

I did have a very emotionally rollercoaster-y week and the show being Like This absolutely Did Not Help, but I am making it work. Mostly with loooots of fic. Cheers friend, lets see if we can make it through the finale intact, if Buddie dreams can make it through the finale intact, and if the SHOW can make it through the finale intact with how these renewal negotiations are going.

[fragilecapric0rnn]

15 questions & 15 tags

tagged by Alex @gothbat99 thank you my love!

1. Are you named after anyone? 

My full name, technically yes? My parents were teenagers when i was born and as unprepared as any 17/18 year old would be. One of my aunts was holding me and said "I had a friend named THIS growing up, she was really pretty." and my mom heard the name and knew it was mine! My middle name is after my mom's childhood best friend (again, teenagers.)

My nickname, Sen, is a shortened version of my childhood nickname, coined by my little brother who had a hard time talking for the first few years of his life.

2. When was the last time you cried? 

When I was reading the last chapter of @hexiewrites beloved hockey AU!!! the rainbow imagery just GOT ME!!!

3. Do you have kids? 

No!

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? 

No.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people? 

Their eyes

6. What's your eye color? 

Dark brown!

7. Scary movies or happy endings? 

Happy endings for sure. My real life has been scary enough!

8. Any special talents? 

My memory. I'll just remember the most random facts that I hear, it's like photographic memory but with hearing things? Very good with faces and names too. My brain is just a bank full of random facts about people I probably only met once. But also of people in my life now.

9. Where were you born? 

In a hospital.

10. What are your hobbies? 

Writing, reading. Just getting into bookbinding (gf bought me a laser printer for my bday!) and am currently wrestling with a typeset of missed connections fic as my tester fic. Once I get good, expect messages from me asking if i could bind your fics LOL

11. Do you have any pets? 

I wish!!!!

12. Have you played/do you play any sports? 

HA HA!

To no one's surprise, I was a cheerleader from age 7 to 18. I was also a varsity swimmer for 4 years in high school, ran 2 seasons of cross country, and did 1 season of soccer!

As an adult I realized I hate the gym, so I go on runs in my neighborhood and go on hikes! New years resolution is to move my body more, so I plan to pick up yoga at some point!

13. How tall are you?

5'4

14. Favorite subject in school?  

History! Started in 5th grade when we were learning about American History and the fixation remained through college. Which is why I am a barista with a Bachelor's in History, focused on the US!

15. Dream job? 

Screenwriter for films/tv! Would also love to work in production. Maybe write a novel or two.

NOT tagging 15 people but will tag a lot! Again, sorry if you've already done this/been tagged!

@kkpwnall @judasofsuburbia @cheatghost @sharpbutsoft @himboharringtxn @stargyles @hexiewrites @serskets