#nominally;; but I’m not gonna actually write it

[maximwtf]

“Whatever soul I may have left, is for you to keep.”

Capitano x M! Reader

Words: 3770

Google Docs Pages: 6ish

Warnings: 5.1 spoilers…actually just in general Natlan archon quest spoilers, angst, yearning, romance but in the sense that we all know it’s never gonna happen but it’s a nice thought, Capitano with actual rot idk maybe some abyssal mixed in there, M Reader but I don’t use a lot of pronouns so can go as GN too.

Opening: 500 years ago had he last met someone like you, and that was the problem. He couldn’t tell you that, nor could he get closer if he was unable to see you as yourself and not a vision from the past. 

AN// Thank you so much for requesting, happy to write for Capitano again AGH. I’m sorry if this feels like it drags on, I can’t help myself. No matter how simple notes I make, I end up yapping like crazy. Somebody sedate me pleaseeee

“Whatever soul I may have left, is for you to keep.”

You’d told him, of course you had. Told him that facing Mavuika likely wasn’t the way to get his hands on the gnosis any faster, but he’d insisted. Saying he had it all planned out, no matter what the outcome may have been. As if that had made you worry any less. He was a strong man, that you didn’t doubt for a second, but to say Mavuika was any less formidable would have been a lie. But as he had firmly stated, he was prepared for any outcome. 

You weren’t aware anymore if the warmth coursing through your body was due to Natlan’s natural heat or simply the anticipation while waiting for his return. And which only increased after a grand explosion of light emerged from the stadium with a loud wave of noise. Leaving you wide eyed at the closest base with a few other guards. 

The air felt still after the explosion disappeared, still as warm as ever. But that didn’t seem to bother you anymore, left stunned as you waited for any sign of life from the stadium. Any flicker of that familiar icey blue, yet it only seemed that a gloomy smoke kept rising from the middle. No other major movement. 

Only the footsteps of another guard got your attention back to the present moment. The man firmly informing the rest that the Captain had been hit by one of Mavuika’s attacks and was being transported back to a base further back, to give the troops more time to assess the situation. That the new guy that’d been following Capitano around had seemingly saved him and the few other guards that’d come along. 

You wanted to question him more, to ask if anyone had seen how severe the injuries were. If you’d have to prepare yourself to see the worst. Knowing it would be some form of a burn you’d be dealing with once meeting up with the rest of the group. But there was no time for that. The more this group was stalled, the longer the rest would have to wait for your assessment. There was no time to be selfish. 

Hearing some of the guards start to usher you to hurry up, assisting you with picking up the equipment from that base. Doing their best to wait up, but ultimately having to hurry up and follow the command given. They had to move up to not be caught after such commotion. 

You weren’t necessarily a trained medic nor any other form of a healer. The Fatui had their own section trained for such matters, but this group didn’t have one. Most of the men had the basic crumbs of medical training, if even that, under their belt. So by popular vote, they’d nominated you as their medic. Having the most experience with any sort of medical care. Likely now also expected to be the one able to check the wound inflicted and to be able to determine how the group would continue on from here. 

Knowing that after attracting attention like that to the Fatui’s presence and Capitano himself showing up for a fight, it was only in due time someone would come looking for him and the rest of the platoon. There wasn’t too much time to waste, only hope that the wound wasn’t so serious it would require months to heal. And even then, that it’d be minor enough to not cause him harm while working. 

You barely had the time to set the equipment up when the word of his arrival came to your ears as well. Turning to face him as the man himself along a couple of guards entered. None of the bases were truly anything spectacular. You didn’t have to be a medic to determine the lack of resources in a place like this. That being a worry each time someone got injured. This one consisting of a smaller cave under a cliff where if the group stayed near, it had a chance of being completely unseen. The cave itself providing you a cooling shade to work in, feeling rather bad for the rest of the troops who spent their time outside it. Underneath the scorching sun. 

The area had no chairs to speak of, no proper tables. Crates being used as both, of which you pushed out one for Capitano to sit on. But being too quick to ask questions of his condition for him to be able to sit down before answering. “How do you feel? Is the burn area only on the chest?” Noticing this a little too late, cringing as the two guards still there had likely witnessed the urgency in your speech. Hoping they only took it as a hurry to check up on the Captain, knowing he was a high ranking fatuus. And if anything happened to him due to your tardiness, that fate would be for you to explain to the next higher up. Truthfully speaking, only hurrying like this due to your genuine care for him. 

It wasn’t this mission alone you’d been within his chosen troops. And a part of you hoped, knew, that it wasn’t merely because of your medicinal capabilities. A decent fighter among many other, so that shouldn’t have mattered to him. Yet you’d noticed yourself delivering messages to him little by little more often, him requesting your presence in situations you thought not suited for someone like you. Perhaps for an assistant of sorts, but for a mere soldier by then, it was by no means a usual position to be in. To be seemingly favoured by such a high ranking member. 

And when he’d asked you if you had any interest in becoming his aide, it hadn’t exactly come as a surprise. In his eyes, the things you’d already done for him counted as training. Which he wasn’t wrong about, he had practically trained you for the exact job even if he hadn’t meant it. So who were you to refuse? If he saw the potential in you, it must have been the right choice. Someone of his status likely knew better than you either way, able to spot specific talents amongst soldiers. 

“Believe me, this will heal over time. My desire to protect this nation still stands. If anything, Mavuika’s show of strength was important for those to witness it, to uphold hope.” He insisted, swearing that Mavuika hadn’t been at her full capability. And knowing Capitano, he most certainly would have never taken advantage of a situation such like that. All he would do is use the information he’d gathered to push the mission onward. But never start playing unfair, that much was for certain. Yet you found yourself wondering if that would have made the fight even. Knowing the condition of the Captain. 

You were all too aware of the curse and its effects, as much as he’d initially insisted on keeping it a secret. At first thinking it must have been a form of insecurity, but truthfully you weren’t so sure about that anymore. Knowing he’d opened up a lot more about it later on. So hearing Capitano declare his morals once more felt off this time. It almost worried you, if he’d only be willing to go all out if Mavuika was fully empowered. That would surely leave him as the weakened opponent. Having to shake that though away as soon as it appeared, not wanting to imagine such a fight. The outcome of the last one had been tragic enough, you thought. 

Yet, as much as you wanted to believe the man was unfazed by what had happened. You couldn’t help but see those subtle flashes that resembled something akin to astonishment in his speech and movements. Each aspect something you had to diligently pick up on to notice, a habit mastered over time working alongside him.

You ignored his former response, seeing it as something not worth following up on. The burn area still had to be checked, if only for your sake. Capitano letting you rather willingly, aware of how much peace he’d have left if he were to refuse the check up now. 

Before removing the outer pieces of clothing you ushered the two guards out of the cave, waving your hands at them in a quick motion a few times. To which they responded, signing out before making their way back under the sun. Eagerly waiting for the next move, leaving you to carefully start tending the burnt area. Eyes ignoring the corrupt, rotten areas with practised ease. Not an aspect you hadn’t seen before, a part of the man you’d become familiar with. It was him, it was something you knew him by. A part of him that’d always been there, ever since your paths had intertwined. 

Capitano listened keenly at the command thrown at the two guards, hearing susurration of the gravel under their boots as they turned and walked out. A part of him amused by their behaviour, willingness to take the command and follow. Something that would have otherwise been frowned upon, an absurd action to take from someone not pulling the reins. And so would have he thought as well, if it hadn’t been him who’d allowed you that power over the guards. 

The prerogative something not often seen from his aides, but something that now had an odd echo from the past each time he witnessed it. The tone of your voice, the formatting of the words and the action that happens almost immediately after. How a trained soldier listens, moves when commanded. There was something so familiar about it all, a familiarity dating back 500 years. 

Capitano’s memory swirled, a feeling that nagged at him every now and then. An altercation with his own mind, as if none of the memories were fond enough to think of. They were, a lot of them were. But when it came to how it all ended, were the good memories worth nothing more but agony? Agony that he couldn’t avoid, there was no hiding from one’s own mind. 

An image of a person long gone, never forgotten. Each detail still there as they’d been over 500 years ago on that day. Time that now felt so far away, remembering how much younger he’d been and how little he’d seen. How much he thought he’d experienced by then. And how little that version of him had truly seen. One person stuck by him through most of it. An aide assigned to him, someone he hadn’t meant to get close to. A person meant to ease his workload, but still someone he’d grown to care for. Grown fond of over the years, gaining high respect from the troops due to that as well. That very same aide having gotten the very same prerogatives as you had. 

And there it was. This person, now nothing more but an image in his head, someone who’d been dear to him, now stood by him again. As if some sort of a reincarnation. Of course, he knew better than to believe that. There was no peace for a Khaenri'ahn, no such thing as reincarnation to get to live a full life once more. You were your own person. 

But he couldn’t help himself. Not when you acted the same, had the same tone of voice…everything he could still remember. The memories he’d held on to, as if some sort of sick parting gift from his homeland. And how could he not hold on. For a very long time he’d believed this aide hadn’t been but merely a comrade in his eyes. But he was a high ranking commander of the forces, what face would he have left if he’d been to mingle with an aide? Thinking of the greater good of his homeland, he’d abandoned any hope of pursuing his thoughts further. 

Had he known what was to come, he wasn’t so sure if he would have truly chosen those actions. The years he’d spent pondering over those peaceful years, the chances he’d had to try and pursue what he assumed to be a possible future. The regrets that he’d now accumulated over the years for the decision made all that time ago. 

When Capitano had escaped with the remnants of his troops, this aide had held on. A trained aide, by no means a seasoned soldier, it felt a miracle to see them still standing by after the escape. A flicker of hope had ignited within him as they’d settled into Natlan. That perhaps this nation which he viewed similar to their home, would have been able to protect what he still held close to his heart, the very remnants of that. But the world wasn’t known for its kindness, or so he had decided then. In that moment when this aide had fallen, slain as one of the last of his men. Having fought side by side with him to the very end. The men he had failed to lead and command, something he’d been trained to specifically do.

As valiant as the death had been, the then soured commander had begun to blame himself. And how could he not? He was a commander without his troops, without anyone to command. He was a soldier without a home to return to. He had failed his homeland, his men and the very thing he’d hoped to keep fighting for if nothing else. But not even the years could truly erase those regrets that kept accumulating. The yearning to get another chance to protect what had been his, if only for his own dignity. All of the memories piling up with the what if’s as he watched his form rot. Diligently constructing a new him, holding on to his morales while being forced to dwell among the living. Cursed to having to watch anything close to dear for him rot away along with himself. 

Then again, as much as he might have hoped the memories of the aide he had, had changed over time, they hadn’t. The way you spoke and behaved reminded him deeply of that person. All of those small details bringing him back to times he liked to think had been simpler, realistically the time likely having sullied the truth. Nostalgia had always been such a dreadful creature. 

But pondering over those similarities would never help anyone, him the least. There would never come a time when he’d be able to tell you of these memories and thoughts. Especially not if he wished to keep any face as an authority figure, the last crumbs he had left of that in your eyes. Nevermind the companionship he’d grown fond of. 

How could he possibly come to you solely for the reason that you reminded him of someone from the far past? Merely because you shared similarities with someone whom he’d highly respected. That would surely only lead to further complications, which he did not wish for. There was no room to be selfish. 

Having to force his mind to pinpoint the differences, be it subtle or not. Truthfully, there would have been a difference in the way both of the aide’s viewed him, who they knew him as. How would have this first aide reacted to seeing his corroded form now? What this curse had done to his body, to the man he once had been known as? A part of him was glad the men he’d unknowingly led to their slow end hadn’t seen their commander in the state he was in. The men he’d failed to bring home. Having fallen by his side, in duty. 

But you had. As much as he had insisted on keeping this certain problem to himself. Something he found hard to find shame in, yet not seeing it as an aspect to be shown around. If he was to ever regain those missing pieces of his former self, he didn’t wish to be pitied. But much to his dismay, he’d grown closer to you. Allowed himself to be perceived by your eyes, knowing there wasn’t much to lose. The look in your eyes then told him as much. 

So at the end, you were different. Your own person, fully unaware of his past companions, just like it should have been left. You’d made your judgement on him long before, something this initial aide hadn’t had the chance to ever do. He would never know how the events back then could have turned out. But if this was the way the fate of this world had played out, who was he to resist now. 

He hadn’t had the chance to even thought of such things back then. No time to simply even wonder how and what he could have said to that aide. So if he’d now been gifted the chance to try again, he was prepared to not redo the same mistakes. If anything, the events he’d endured had taught him how ephemeral something like this could be. As much had been clear to him for a long time, the past had to be left to rest in its rightful place. These thoughts having been one of many he’d go through and ultimately put to rest. It was easy to dwell in the past, but with the time he’d been forcibly given, he was going to spend fighting for what he hadn’t been able to in the past. Whatever soul he may have had left, was yours to keep. 

You inspected the damage, using what little time there was to the best of your ability. For a man having taken such a serious blow, he was in rather good shape. Nevertheless, on a mission such as this, even small injuries had to be taken into consideration with the next step. Having patched the area up, hands working with practised ease by now. Gentle in their movements as the last bit of the gauze was tied down. There wasn’t time to start being fancy, not after such a huge event. The whole camp had to be moved to a safer location. 

“I recall telling you that this would be a bad idea, and should have been kept as a backup plan, if anything,” the complaint slipping from you. No malice in the words, what truly mattered was that everyone was safe. Furthermore, having heard him preach of why he hadn’t felt the need to finish the battle. The upkeep of his morals never ceasing to amaze you. Which in all honestly puzzled you, knowing that the man himself was weakened as well. 

But there was no use in going over small details, especially not now. Nor was there time to truly worry about him. You were aware of his ability to somewhat heal, so there was a possibility he could have treated this injury by himself. So seeing him sat in your care was a mind calming sight. He was going to be okay. 

In truth, you knew multiple of these small details about him. Minor mannerisms he often performed, having noticed them by simply following him around. By that time having grown rather close to him, an obvious reason why his men earlier had listened to the command. Yet, as many details and personal information you’d accumulated over the years, it still felt as if he was somehow far away. Only allowing you closer, but keeping himself at bay. As if you were something to admire and respect, but as if some force was causing him to behave this way. The thought of time possibly fixing this keeping you from pondering about it further. 

Surely for someone forced to live and dwell among the living for so long, forming any sort of close bonds was a thing to deeply consider before giving in. So allowing him to think on his own felt like the natural choice. Fully aware that he wasn’t keeping things from you out of malice or to break the bond you had with him, never. Knowing it probably wasn’t appropriate to ask him about this, as his aide, while fully aware that the man had a long past. Even if you weren’t fully in on with said past. 

Capitano’s eyes followed your movements as you carefully buttoned his shirt back up to cover the scarring. Tugging the rest of his clothing back onto his weary shoulders, careful yet diligent in your movements. “You have my thanks. Keep proving yourself to be useful, as always,” his voice came through the mask, a compliment you’d grown used to. “Oh please, I’m not even a medic.” Was your response this time around as well. Yet a part of Capitano knew you would have requested a check up for him if he hadn’t come for one himself, that was merely how you’d always been. No matter for his own ability to heal himself. 

And perhaps this was how it was meant to be. Everyone from the platoon on this mission working as they had always been, not a step out of the ordinary. That would keep his men safe. Wondering how ironic of a thought that was, considering the past he’d just been reminiscing. The future he held a flicker of hope for. 

Capitano thought to himself before saying his goodbyes, aware of how little time there was to waste for mind games such as these. 

Perhaps today nor tomorrow would come the day when he was able to return to these thoughts. When there was safety and time for him to tell you all this. He needed not the comfort from you for this, merely to have the knowledge and peace of mind of one day being able to come to you with these thoughts. He was fully aware of what he had to offer anymore, what was left of him. That he had come to terms with. 

But somehow this world had blessed him with another chance. As if he hadn’t failed his men, failed to bring them home. That didn’t seem to shake Fate, a devious thing that concept was. His own regrets hadn’t held it back from allowing him this turmoil. A new chance without the worry of having to be on the run. He had nothing but time anymore, neverending time to pursue something taken from him then. No destiny should have been unchangeable, that he believed in. So if he was allowed to tie a loose end from 500 years ago, that would be enough for him. 

There wasn’t a lot of him left, not much he was able to give. But that what he still had, he was willing to surrender to you.

[celli-ohs]

I Can't, I Have Rehearsal

pairing: socially awkward!park sunghoon x fem!reader

genre: high school au; crack, comedy, fluff

synopsis: What happens when you get seated right next to the most handsome boy in your entire grade? Well you thought it'd be a great excuse to get to know him better, but the guy won't even talk to you! After a mishap in the science lab, you come to find out that Park Sunghoon, the cold-hearted prince of EN High, isn't in fact rude, he's just afraid of women.

before you read: character profiles

warnings: language, physical violence in the forms of hitting and stomping, mentions of pushing someone in front of a bus, sunoo getting revenge on riki

word count: 3.7k

taglist (open): @ancnymcnzjy , @frankenstein852 @tasnemluvs

note: part 1 of my and scene! series, loosely based off en-drama.

Log 5: Monday - May 13th, 2024

“So why do you need to beat up Riki again?”

Sunoo rolls his eyes for the umpteenth time that morning. “Because I have to scare that damn Belift guy off.” 

Jaeyun blinks. “Okay, but that doesn’t explain why you need to beat up Riki.” 

“We’re not actually beating me up. He’s just gonna pretend.” Riki adds. “We’re gonna fake a fight and make it seem like Sunoo’s the leader of a gang. That way the recruiter gets scared and Sunoo never has to see him again.” 

“And who thought of this?” Sunghoon asks, skeptical.

“Me, duh!” Riki stands tall and proud as he says this, only to be slapped up the head.

“Ow! What the fuck was that for?” Riki growls. “For creating the most dumbfuck shit plan I’ve ever heard.” Jongseong sighs.

“You’ll be regretting that when my plan works and I save Sunoo.” Riki grumbles to himself. “Okay stop,” Sunoo swats Jongseong away. “Riki and I agreed to do this, we’ll be fine, Jongseong.”

“Anything he’s involved in already has me worried.” Jongseong throws a finger towards the youngest. “Hey! It’ll be fine, Riki A and C are gonna be there too, they’re gonna be Sunoo’s lackeys.” Riki rolls his eyes.

“Whatever, just don’t get caught up in anything, Jungwon and I have to go to election rehearsal after school today and I’m not gonna leave if something goes wrong.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me, I still have to write my speech.” Jungwon covers his face in shame.

Though he planned to drop out, Jungwon and everyone else soon found out that dropping out wasn’t allowed once you were nominated, as there was only one other person running for president, some second year named Byun Euijoo.

So now Jungwon was forced to actually run, though he showed absolutely no enthusiasm.

“You don’t even care though, don’t you want to lose?” Heeseung brings up. Jungwon nods as they all walk down the street. “Yeah but I also don’t want to go up there and make a fool of myself.”

“Don’t worry, we’re not actually gonna fight, Konon said we could borrow her makeup, we’ll make some fake bruises.” Riki assures the other boy.

“Did she actually say that or did you just steal her makeup without her knowing?” Sunghoon questions, though he already knew the answer. 

“Does it matter? What matters is we save our friend. Which none of you have done anything by the way, only me!” Riki marches forward, leading the seven inside the school building this morning.

Sunghoon slows down and grabs Sunoo’s arm. “Why are you going along with this? You could just call the police, you know?” 

“Oh I already did, I have a restraining order on that guy,” Sunoo agrees as they walk to Sunoo’s classroom. “But this is my revenge on Riki for his stupid April Fool’s prank. I told him to help me or I’ll tell Konon about the time he slept over at my house and he cried that night because he couldn’t sleep without her or Misora.” He grumbles. 

(Sunoo found out that Riki’s prank for him was making him audition for the newest “act” the theater club was performing: Spongebob Squarepants The Musical. Poor Sunoo had shown up with bright yellow face paint and suspenders while everyone else was auditioning for Les Miserables.)

Sunghoon shrugs it off and walks down the hall to his classroom. 

“Hi Sunghoon!” A random girl smiles and waves as he passes her. “Hi,” He gives her a small smile back, and pretends to not notice her squeal of excitement to her friends. 

Just last week it’d come to his attention that Sunghoon was in fact not hated in his entire school, but actually quite popular.

Well in reality, his friends told him.

“You were so scared of girls you never noticed more than half of them are in love with you,” Jaeyun laughs. “Yeah, and now that you can talk to them without running away, we thought we’d tell you.” Sunoo adds.

While he was initially a bit upset his friends would withhold such information from him, Sunghoon’s anger soon morphed into hope: does that mean you are also in love with him? That thought brought butterflies to his stomach immediately.

As he enters his classroom, he’s ambushed by a few female classmates.

“Good morning Sunghoon! I got these cookies for you-” 

“Yeah well I bought you some juice, and I wrote you this letter-”

“Move aside! Hi Sunghoon! I hope you like this muffin, I made it myself-”

“Ahem.” 

Someone behind him clears their throat, and he spins around. 

“Excuse me, you’re blocking the door,” You glare right past him and towards the other girls. Everyone moves out of the way, and you walk towards your cubby. “Excuse me,” Sunghoon mumbles, pushing the girls to the side to follow you.

“Hey,” He beams at you, opening his cubby to your left. Before you can greet him, a pile of letters and presents fall out. “Oh shit,” He scrambles to pick them up, stuffing them back in. 

You watch him as he struggles, giggling a little. “Need help?” You ask as you close the door to your cubby. “Nope! No, I’m good!” He tries to play it cool, finally shutting his door and leaning against it awkwardly. 

“Okay,” You eye him up and down before smirking and leaving for your desk. Sunghoon follows you like a puppy.

As you get your supplies out for the day, Sunghoon sits and watches patiently. Recently, he’s noticed something was off with you. You seem to be keeping your distance more often than not, and it’s more noticeable when around others. 

At first Sunghoon thought it was just his imagination, but then he started to notice the weird looks your friends would give you whenever he joined in the conversation.

The only time he felt like you were yourself was whenever you two had a calligraphy club together, away from the crowds. Your eyes seemed to sparkle whenever you two were alone. It didn’t help that he now had a massive crush on you, seeing you shine like that.

“So!” Sunghoon clears his throat. “How was your weekend? Do anything fun?” He tries his best to create small talk, hoping to remove the awkward air.

“Oh yeah,” You nod, glancing at him. “My family and I visited my grandmother, I’ll have to show you the-”

“Hey Sunghoon!” Another classmate calls from across the room. Sunghoon can’t remember her name, but she grins at him like they’ve known each other their whole lives. “Did you have a good weekend? I was wondering if you were free after school today, we could go to a cafe? Jaeyun and Yuri are coming too.”

The girl gestures to his best friend and another girl conversing by their desks. With the way this girl smiles, Sunghoon has a feeling her intentions aren’t just to go eat pastries after class. And using his best friend as bait wasn’t going to bite either. 

“I have club today, maybe another time.” He tries to apologize. The girl pouts. “What about after? I can wait-”

“No thanks, like I said, maybe later.” He waves her off, turning back to you, feeling embarrassed. Just weeks ago he would have cried if he knew a girl was even staring at him, now he was busy rejecting the hoards who got in his way. 

You on the other hand, don’t look happy at all, facing the book on your desk and shoulders tense. “Sorry, what were you saying-”

The bell suddenly rings, and everyone scrambles back into their seats as Ms. Hong enters the class to start homeroom.

“It’s nothing.” You mumble, sighing as your eyes dull. You don’t even look in Sunghoon’s direction for the rest of the day.

Sunghoon frowns as he stirs his spoon around his soup, moping.

“If you’re not gonna eat your rice, can I have it?” Heeseung asks with a full mouth as he points to the pile of untouched rice on Sunghoon’s tray. Silently, he slides it over to the senior, who looks delighted to have a second portion.

“Where is everyone?” Sunghoon finally asks, realizing 15 minutes had passed and the only people sitting at their table were him and Heeseung. 

“Huh? Oh, Jongseong is helping Jungwon write his speech in the library I think. Riki and Sunoo said they’re practicing their fake fight in the small gym with the other Rikis. I don’t know where Jaeyun is though, I thought you’d know.” Heeseung fills him in.

Sunghoon’s frown deepens. Heeseung suddenly clears his throat, taking big gulps of his milk.

“I don’t mean to pry, but are you okay? You’ve been kind of killing my appetite with your weird mood.” Heeseung asks. Sunghoon eyes the empty tray of food, as well as Sunghoon’s previously full tray dwindling down to zero with every bite the senior took. Sunghoon was pretty sure Heeseung was eating just fine.

But when he looked up at Heeseung, for some odd reason his mouth began to speak faster than his brain could comprehend.

“I think the girl I like hates me.” Sunghoon confesses.

Heeseung blinks, shocked. “Why do you think that? I thought Y/n was in love with you.” 

The sudden mention of your name has Sunghoon’s stomach doing a flip. He sits up straight, looking around to see if anyone had overheard them. “D-Don’t say that out loud!” He shushes the other boy.

“What? That you like Y/n-” One glare and Heeseung shuts up. 

Sunghoon sighs, rubbing his face, now stressed out. “Sorry.” Heeseung mutters. “But can I say something? I know we aren’t close or anything,” 

He peaks through his fingers, making eye contact with Heeseung’s big brown eyes. He can feel the sincerity through his gaze.

So he sits up again and nods, wondering what advice someone like Heeseung could ever give him.

Heeseung fiddles with his spoon, looking down at his tray. “I think you should try being more confident. You’ve got everything I’ve always wanted: you’re good-looking, humble, well-liked by everyone.”

“And I know you’ve been working hard on your social anxiety, but maybe you can show your newfound confidence by confessing your feelings to her. Why let yourself get in the way? You’ve gotten so far now, why not go a little further?”

Heeseung’s words click inside Sunghoon’s head. It’s true, he’s at an all-time high for the first time in his 17 years of living. He doesn’t know if he would have ever been able to conquer his fears without you. 

Sunghoon has always sabotaged himself, continuously mentally feeding himself the worst case scenarios, but you showed him how to break those walls down. You’ve been happier than himself at his growth.

Even if it killed him, he needed to tell you.

Sunghoon suddenly stands up from his seat, scrambling out the table. 

“Where are you going?!” Heeseung asks worriedly. But instead of answering, Sunghoon smiles fondly at his friend, running off. “Thanks Heeseung!” He shouts.

“Does this mean I can have the rest of your food?!” Heeseung calls out after him, only to get no answer.

And that’s how Sunghoon found himself running through the entire school, searching for you. 

He’s gasping for air as he checks the time on his watch. He had 30 more minutes before lunch ended, yet you were nowhere to be found.

While he knew EN-High was a giant school, with many twists and turns in the hallways, he also knew you wouldn’t just drop face off the earth in the middle of the school day.

Winded, he lands in an empty hall, leaning against the wall as he catches his breath. Looking around, Sunghoon realizes he’s right by the old library, where you two held calligraphy club. There’s no way, right? He thinks as he quietly enters.

The tables are empty, the room feels stiff, as if no one was there but him. It reminds him of the day he discovered it, where you two had your first real conversation. 

Silently Sunghoon walks around, his hopes of finding you falling. Though he knew he could just wait until later today, he felt as if he couldn’t keep this information to himself, and he swore to himself that he’d find the courage to confess-

Sunghoon stops in his step, head whipping around. He swore he heard a whisper. He stills, hoping to hear it again.

"...swhswhshwshwshwsh..."

There it was again! A whisper! Slowly Sunghoon makes his way down the aisles of books, getting closer and closer to the noise.

“-just say something. What’s the worst that can happen?” Sunghoon recognizes that voice, he peeks through a bookcase, and suddenly he connects the dots.

“I can’t, I couldn’t bear risking our friendship,” You sigh, looking distraught as you talk to your best friend Kai. The both of you are speaking low. Sunghoon tiptoes closer.

“Well sooner or later you’re going to have to say something,” Kai crosses his arms. You shake your head. “How can I?” You ask.

“Well you like him right? Don’t you think he deserves to know?”

Hold up. You like someone?! 

The pep talk Heeseung had given Sunghoon earlier begins to turn into slush as he starts to worry. Who could you possibly have a crush on? He hoped it was him of course, but he could never be so sure-

“Yeah,” You hum. “But you know Taehyun’s-”

“Ignore it, just tell him.” Kai opposes, just as Sunghoon’s heart shatters into a million pieces. He was no longer listening to the conversation.

Taehyun was one of your best friends. Someone you’ve known for years and have done everything with. To top it off, you’ve been helping him more frequently for the elections, spending more time together. It made sense why you’d like him. 

But no matter the truth, hearing it didn’t hurt any less, and Sunghoon had to refrain from bolting out of there and causing a scene. 

Except he does. Because of his distress, he doesn’t realize he’s bumped into the bookshelf behind him, causing one of the novels to fall and land loudly on the ground.

The slam of the book hitting the carpet is loud inside the silent library. You and Kai have stopped your conversation, and Sunghoon is regretting that he hadn’t run out when he first thought of it.

Swiftly, you round the aisle, finding Sunghoon looking at you with wide eyes full of terror. “Sunghoon?!” You gasp, looking just as horrified.

Out of habit, he spins around, facing away from you as he mentally prays you don’t see him if he stands still.

“Sunghoon, I can still see you, you know?” You call him out. Fearing for his life, as well as trying to tame a broken heart, he rigidly turns back around to you. “Hi. Fancy seeing you here,” he waves like a robot.

Kai tries to hide a giggle, covering his mouth. “I’m gonna go, see you later Y/n,” He nudges past you, giving you a playful wink as he leaves. 

You sigh, hiding your face as you mutter something to yourself.

“So I’m guessing you heard.” You finally say. Sunghoon feels his stomach drop as he nods.

Your cheeks are bright red, you can’t look at him. “I’m sor-

“No.” Sunghoon interrupts. You’re shocked, and so is he, but no matter what happens, he was going to tell you his feelings, even if you rejected him. 

“I mean- Uh, Can I say something first?” He stumbles over his words, realizing he probably came off too strong. You nod slowly, brows furrowed. 

Taking a deep breath, Sunghoon bites the inside of his gum. 

“Y/n, do you remember the first time we had calligraphy club together? When we were walking home that day, that was the first time I’ve ever really looked at a girl and not felt scared. You smiled at me.” Sunghoon begins sloppily. 

“I’m not really good at speaking, I’m better at writing, but I want to tell you how much you've helped me these past few months. I don’t even think I’d be able to talk to you right now if you hadn’t encouraged me. I’m really grateful for you.”

“I don’t know when I started to feel this way, but I do know one thing, I like you. More than a friend.” Sunghoon gulps as you gasp quietly. 

“I like you so much, if it meant I’d have to sacrifice everything I’ve worked hard for to disappear just to be with you, I would do it. If I have to embarrass myself in front of our class again, I will. Heck, I’ll even fight Taehyun- I mean I know you have a crush on him and that he’s the captain of the boxing club, but I just like you so much I don’t mind getting my ass kicked for you.” He begins to ramble, not noticing your confusion.

“Wait,” You hold a hand up to stop him. “Say that last part again.” 

Sunghoon freezes. “I like you so much I would push Jongseong in front of a bus if you told me to?”

“What? No! Before that!” You look at him bewildered.

“I’ll fight Taehyun for you because you like him?” He repeats and you suddenly slap your hand on your forehead. 

“Sunghoon,” You grumble, approaching him. Even when you’re glaring up at him, you make his heart race. “I don’t like Taehyun.”

Sunghoon blanks.

“Huh?”

You sigh, again, and grimace. “I don’t like Taehyun. I like you, idiot.”

Now he’s really confused. 

“But you and Kai were-” 

“You obviously heard wrong. I thought you heard the whole thing, which is why I was freaking out because Kai was trying to convince me to confess to you.” You poke his chest with your index finger, looking away shyly. 

“Him and Taehyun have been pushing me to say something for weeks.” You admit. “I’ve just been stalling since elections are so close.” 

Wait. So you like him back?!!

Sunghoon is malfunctioning as you wait for him to speak. 

“Hold on!” He suddenly yells, grabbing you by the shoulders. “Then why have you been ignoring me these past two weeks? You barely even talk to me!” He points out.

You blush again, scratching your head. “I-I wasn’t doing it on purpose,” You mumble. 

“It’s just every time we try to talk, someone interrupts. It’s been getting annoying. Especially the other girls-” You suddenly stop talking, glaring at yourself. Sunghoon cracks.

“You’re jealous? That I’m getting attention from other girls? Oh this is gold, I never took you as the possessive type.” He chuckles. “No I’m not! Stop laughing!” You argue, though your red face proves you wrong. 

As you try to make up some other reason why, Sunghoon can only smile. This is the you he likes, one so full of life and passion. You stop talking, words trailing off as you realize Sunghoon’s been watching you with a lovesick smile.

“D-Don’t look at me like that.” You turn away, but Sunghoon stops you, engulfing you in a hug. He feels you reciprocate, squeezing him tightly.

He can feel how fast your heart is beating. He wonders if you can feel his.

“Two months ago you would have rather eaten a bucket of bugs instead of hug me.” You mutter into his chest after a long silence.

“Way to ruin the mood.” He groans, cringing at his own past self (and how right you are). You two laugh, and as the bell rings, you both walk back to class together. 

“Does this mean we’re dating now?” Sunghoon asks you, ears pink. “I would hope so.” You joke. 

“Good, I’m telling everyone you’re my girlfriend now.” He grins to himself. “Well, as your girlfriend, I’d like it if you held my hand.” You tease.

“And as your boyfriend, I’d like for you to give me a minute, my palms are sweaty,” He wipes his hands on his pants as you laugh, before taking your hand in his.

The two of you don’t say anything more as you walk down the hall towards your shared classroom. Hands swaying together, Sunghoon only has one thing on his mind.

You two were a perfect match.

Bonus:

“Can you believe I’m the first person in my friend group to get a girlfriend?” 

You look at your boyfriend, astonished. “Seriously? I swear I thought at least Jongseong had a girlfriend,” Sunghoon shrugs as you two walk home together.

It’s only been a few hours since he’s become your boyfriend but he couldn’t be happier. He loved holding your hand, it fits so snugly into his own. Knowing that you were all his, and he was all yours now was the best feeling in the world. 

He hadn’t shut up about it since, and now the entire student body of EN-High knew you two were a couple. 

(Sunghoon marched you two up to the front of the class and announced to everyone you were dating. He claims he did this so that the other girls wouldn’t approach him so much anymore so you wouldn’t have to be jealous, but a part of you suspects he just wanted to brag. Either way, you were embarrassed.)

“Hey,” You suddenly slow down. “What’s up?” He asks, looking at you concerned. You’re not paying attention to him, looking forward. “Uh, isn’t that Riki and Sunoo?” You point.

Sunghoon follows your view, and sure enough he finds himself with a front view of Sunoo beating the shit out of Riki. 

“Y-You-Agk! You said you were going to pretend!” Riki whines as he lays on the street, shielding himself as Sunoo stomps on him.

“Gotta make it look believable!” Sunoo grins. Behind him, Riki C is recording while Riki A laughs.

“Should we stop them?” You ask, looking concerned. Sunghoon contemplates the idea, but in the end shakes his head. 

“Nah, they’ve got it covered.” He steers you away, assuring you his friend will make it out healthy and alive. 

“Come on, don't get distracted, we still have our first date to go on.”

Log 4: Monday - April 1st, 2024

I Can't, I Have Rehearsal masterlist | and scene! series masterlist | kpop masterlist

author's note: ahhhhh!!! finally finished with sunghoon's story! what did y'all think? i loved writing for him lol he's such a silly goofy guy stuck in a hot body. this entire plot was created based off that one scene in en-drama where he's like "girls never talk to me since I was young" lmaoo anyways thank you so much for reading and supporting! look forward to mr park jongseong's series next!!

[joeybrr9]

Part 1 - Espresso

Summary: Aurora reflects on her past relationship struggles while she still continues to write new music

Warnings: None

a/n: I know this part is super short but I was so excited to get it out. Joe should make his first appearance in the 2nd or 3rd part. Super excited for this story!!

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

“I feel like I should use this photo. The baby blue dress really makes my lip color stand out.” Aurora mindlessly said while spinning around in her studio chair.

“No, you definitely need to use the dark blue one. It’s aesthetically pleasing to look at it. See.” Sydney held up the two photo options while Taylor and Aurora analyzed them deeply. 

“Dark blue”

“No, baby blue. Look at how it makes her face look. It’s obviously better”

“Listen to me, dark blue”

No, you’re not listening to me-”

“Guy’s stop, I actually need help. This is just making it worse. I need this album to be huge so everything needs to be perfect.” Aurora had enough, everything over the past few months had put her over the edge. While writing her album emails i can’t send fwd: Aurora met her now ex boyfriend, Paul Mescal. The two were together from spring of 2022 to spring of 2023. It was easy to say, Midnights was Aurora’s breakup album. Only to make it worse, the entire breakup was public. There were hundreds of photos of Prince and Mescal fighting on the streets of L.A., even more of Aurora leaving restaurants teary-eyed and makeup half gone. The paparazzi also didn’t mind hunting her down while she would go on walks right after their split. Moral of the story, Aurora knew she couldn’t stay in L.A. forever. It had become too painful.

"Hellloooo, what's wrong with you. We were just having fun" Aurora just realized that both of her friends were staring at her oddly and Sydney was sitting on the armrest of her chair.

“I don’t know, I need everything to be perfect. I feel like I haven't been able to enjoy this writing process for my next album.” Aurora couldn’t help but remember what happened last time she released an album. “I’m afraid people will react the same way they did with Midnights. I put my entire heart into that album and all people could see was him.”

“I know how badly that affected you, but people are always going to have something to say. Aurora, you were nominated for a Grammy last year. I don’t care what anyone says, you write amazing songs with deep emotion. That’s what any artist does.” Taylor always knew what to say when Aurora couldn’t get out of her head. Taylor was right, Aurora has been nominated for not only one but two Grammy awards last year. Aurora was nominated for Album of the Year for Midnights and Song of the Year for “Anti-Hero.” 

The feeling when Aurora won her first Grammy for Album of the year was something she won’t forget. While her speech was absolutely terrible, she stood up on the stage blabbering trying not to cry. She knew she needed this feeling again; this was the goal with her next album.

“Soooo, did you guys wanna hear the single?” Aurora smirked up at her two friends. They all burst out laughing, the tension in the air broke like ice. “Okay okay okay, move, I’ll play it but you have to swear you won’t tell my manager I did. He would kill me. I won’t even play it for him yet.” Aurora said while giggling and moving over to the control set. She put on a headset to hear her first single loud and clear. Sydney and Taylor were sitting right behind her on the couch waiting patiently, kind of.  

“Okay, be honest. If it’s not single material you have to tell me. Especially you Taylor.” Aurora looked over her shoulder. Inside every part of her body was nervous. This was her entire life right her put into a 3 minute single that people would listen to on the poolside. 

“Yes we get it. Now fucking push play or I’m gonna kill you” Sydney kicked her legs up resting them on the table in front of her. These three girls had been friends since they met at a party two summers ago. The three of them had been inseparable since then, always seen on red carpets together. 

“Just do it, what’s the worst thing to happen? They don’t enjoy the song.” 

“Okay. Here’s my first single. You’re listening to the hit of the summer, Espresso.”

[rootspiral]

in your professional opinion (of someone who’s done much analyzing), what do you think, if any, are marvel’s plans for rio and agathario? cause i’m scared they’ll just simply never be addressed again, esp since agatha is probably gonna be more of a side-character from now on, but maybe i’m being paranoid lol

Okay, I'm not entitled to a professional opinion here, I'm no expert on TV streaming or anything. I'm gonna only speak as someone who's been in the trenches shipping wlws for many many years.

My honest answer is: maybe?

Before AAA actually aired I would have said: zero chances, a cancellation waiting to happen. Now that the show has proven to be beloved by critics (with a chance for Hahn to be nominated for some awards) and, more importantly, a streaming success, I can just see the Mouse Powers That Be rubbing their hands in excitement. They've found a golden goose and they at the very least will want to use Agatha in upcoming shows and movies. With the big caveat that I absolutely don't trust anyone other than Jac & co. writing her, so I would expect her to be brought along in a Marvel property only to crack some jokes, with no interest, room or time for any character development.

Keeping this creative team is the most obvious way we could ever see Agathario again, and that's where the maybe comes from. It's possible that we'll get a season two or any other form of spinoff where they both get to play a part. There is obvious interest from the head honchos, but you know how these people are, they always learn the wrong lesson. AAA was so good because they didn't care about the property and left everyone relatively alone, I hope they see that and don't get their greedy little hands all over any future iterations.

I know I'm sounding pessimistic, but I've had to learn the hard way to never expect the same miracle to happen twice. AAA is a miracle and I'm going to cherish it for what it is. If we get some more I'll light a candle to the gods and accept the new gift, but as far as I'm concerned Agathario is ours now, we keep it alive and we keep their story going.

[steddieas-shegoes]

Hi!! I love your writing! Submitting a request for fluff where famous/ rockstar Eddie is at an event where Steve is very clearly ogling him. People suggest they flirt (thinking it won't go anywhere bc Eddie is notoriously hard to get) until they end up seen together, completely smitten (they've been together for eons at this point, no one seems to add up their matching scars or rings)

I will admit some of this was written when I was on some heavy dose pain meds so if it’s completely incoherent or something doesn’t have continuity it’s because I forgot I started this and then just picked it back up without really reading most of it. I always love reading rockstar Eddie, especially when Steve has to be like his assistant or bodyguard instead of his date to things. They say write what you know so this is what I know! - Mickala ❤️

———————————————————————

Eddie Munson was nominated for a Grammy.

It almost didn’t seem possible that he was sitting in the same room as musicians he’d looked up to his whole life.

And Steve was here, too.

Technically, Steve was his plus one, but since he couldn’t exactly have a boyfriend in public, he was disguised as his assistant.

He didn’t necessarily mind as long as it meant having Steve by his side for the biggest night of his life.

But then the band’s manager told him that he couldn’t sit next to Steve, that it would look weird that he sat next to his assistant instead of the band members or a date. So Steve was across the table, looking sadly down at his plate of disgusting fancy food.

Eddie couldn’t really blame him; He felt pretty upset too.

But then he was expected to mingle for a bit, and Steve was instructed to stay at the table. It wasn’t that they expected to be able to do everything together tonight, but it was quickly turning into Eddie being unable to spend any time with him.

He mingled.

He felt Steve’s eyes on him the entire time.

But he resisted looking back.

Instead, he played with the ring Steve got him the year before on his ring finger. It was a plain silver band, the most plain thing Eddie wore.

Right before the actual awards ceremony started, Steve snuck up behind him, placed a hand on his lower back, and whispered in his ear.

“Can’t wait for my Grammy winning fiancé to fuck me on every surface of our hotel room tonight.”

And then he walked away.

He walked away like he hadn’t just broken Eddie’s brain.

Eddie called it after that, unable to focus on any conversation that didn’t involve any of Steve’s plans for the night.

By the time he got back to the table, Steve was smiling at him in a way that told him he was in trouble. He loved that smile.

Eddie felt a nudge and turned to see the guitarist for a band in a different category smirking at him from the next table over.

“Man, that guy has been staring at you all night. Isn’t he your assistant?”

Eddie did what he practiced: he lied.

“Oh, yeah! That’s Steve. He’s more security than anything, but he’s playing assistant tonight. Can’t really break him of bodyguard habits though,” Eddie shrugged as if to say ‘what are ya gonna do?’

“I dunno, dude. Seems like he might be into you.”

“Nah, I think you’re reading into it,” Eddie shook his head.

But when he turned back to his plate and glanced at Steve, Steve was practically glaring at him.

“Gareth,” Eddie whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

“What?” Gareth said at a normal volume, like the fucking oblivious idiot he was.

Eddie rolled his eyes and leaned in to try to get the point across that they needed to be quiet.

“I think I’m gonna skip the after party tonight. Steve’s not having a good time and I’m kinda not interested in another two hours of having to pretend he’s just my assistance. Think you guys can handle it without me?”

“Yeah, man. No problem.”

Gareth quickly turned back to his date, who probably had never even listened to their music before, but was hand chosen by their manager when Gareth admitted he didn’t have a date.

The rest of the guys had actual dates, girls they’d been with for months, or in Jeff’s case, years.

But none of them had what he and Steve had.

And it sucked that he was stuck having to pretend that he wasn’t completely in love with him.

So he made an executive decision that when the awards were over, he’d feign a headache and claim his assistant could ride with him back to the hotel so the rest of the guys could enjoy the night.

He gave Steve a look that begged patience, begged him to just enjoy the night as it was the best he could.

And because Steve was a good fiancé, a good person, he smiled and took a sip of his wine before involving the person next to him in a conversation.

But the awards started up shortly after, and they didn’t have to pretend to want to talk to anyone else. Eddie managed to find Steve’s foot under the table, started running his foot up Steve’s leg until it was just above his knee, until Gareth nudged him and whispered that he was sinking down in his chair and it was almost their category.

Eddie sat back up, smirking at the way Steve was trying so hard to focus on the stage, but his eyes were glassy and his cheeks were red.

When they announced “Best Rock Album”, and all the nominees, everyone at the table sat up straight, nerves thrumming through their veins.

Corroded Coffin had worked their asses off to be here. Broke bar tours in the Midwest, trying to slip in original songs when they could but still keep people entertained. Broke bar tours on the west coast when Steve bought an RV that he let them use from September to November and February to May. Then a record label signing them only to find out they expected them to change their entire sound and tour the entire east coast for four months, right when the kids were graduating high school. The band agreed they had to find a way out. Luckily, Steve’s mom was one of the best lawyers around and kind of owed him for just being a shitty mom, and she managed to find a loophole in their contract that got them out without having to pay anything except a small studio fee for when they recorded a song.

But things turned around quickly for them after that.

A record company saw them perform in Indy, said they loved that they were a “listener friendly heavy metal”, wanted them to make an album and tour all summer.

They agreed.

The first album took off in ways no one could’ve expected. They were in magazines and newspapers, on late night shows, and performing in places Eddie could’ve only dreamed of.

The second album went even better.

This third album, though. It was different.

The guys called it his love letter to Steve, so they had every right to say they didn’t want to record it or perform it, but they did. It was still their sound, still rock, but the lyrics were about yearning for the person who wanted you most, and being proud of the people you were together, and loving someone who’d never been loved right.

It was disgustingly romantic, but because there were amazing guitar solos and drums, they maintained their street cred in the rock family.

Steve cried for hours the first time he listened to it, and when it was done, he proposed to Eddie.

But Eddie’s plan all along was to propose to Steve after he listened to the album, so while Steve was down on one knee, tears still falling from his eyes, Eddie dropped to one knee too.

They’ve worn matching silver bands on their ring fingers since, but no one seems to have noticed.

In all fairness, Eddie wears a lot of rings, a lot of jewelry. It’s not immediately obvious unless you see his hands every day.

So this album meant a lot to him and to Steve. When they got news of the nomination, they cried and then Eddie fucked Steve for six hours straight, which shouldn’t have been possible, but through the adrenaline of being nominated for a Grammy, all things are possible.

Now they were here, being forced to keep some distance because they’d all agreed he couldn’t be out yet, couldn’t say who this album was about even though they get asked in every interview.

He maintains the mystery and it kills him.

He knows it kills Steve too.

“Corroded Coffin with their album, ‘Into Battle With You’!”

Everyone at their table was jumping up and yelling excitedly, and Eddie could barely breathe. He desperately wanted to kiss Steve, but he knew he had to wait.

He felt Steve’s eyes on him the entire walk to the stage with his boys, the whole speech he gave, and the whole walk backstage.

The post-interview process was annoying, especially when they all just wanted to get back to their dates, but it had to be done.

Pictures were taken, hugs were given, and they were finally given the chance to go back to their table.

“Dude, how did we beat Metallica? This feels like a dream,” Jeff asked, eyes still a bit wide in disbelief.

“Don’t question it, they might reconsider,” Gareth threw in.

Eddie was laser focused on sitting down at the table to talk to Steve, even if they had to have distance between them.

But when they got to the table, Steve was gone.

Eddie tried not to panic. Maybe he needed to use the restroom and thought Eddie would be longer.

But five minutes passed and he still wasn’t back. He turned to the guy who’d spoken to him earlier.

“Hey, have you seen my assistant?”

“Yeah, he said he had to get some air.”

“Thanks.”

Eddie wasn’t even thinking when he stood up and made his way outside, their manager whisper shouting at him to sit down.

Steve was more important.

It took too long to get outside, guests and press and guards congratulating him the whole way out. They had blocked off the side exit for everyone to leave later, made sure the side road was secure and only approved vehicles got through. Steve was probably here somewhere.

But he wasn’t. Eddie started to panic.

He walked up to the valet to ask if he’d seen him. He hadn’t.

Then he walked up to a guard by the end of the road. He hadn’t seen him either.

Maybe they missed each other somehow, maybe he’d gone back inside and there were too many people to see Eddie coming outside.

But as he looked across the road at a diner that somehow still remained on this strip of fancy dining and coffee shops, he saw him.

He was sitting at a table with a milkshake in front of him. Two straws.

Eddie bit his lip to keep from crying.

Back in Hawkins, they weren’t able to really go on dates. Robin would sometimes third wheel just so they would be less suspicious, but it was awkward. But at the diner, they could get a booth in the back, share a milkshake, and no one would see or question it if Steve’s hand slipped across the table to run his fingers across Eddie’s arm.

Eddie ran to the diner, he had to be with Steve right now.

When he walked up to the table, Steve smiled up at him.

“Got your favorite,” he said, gesturing for Eddie to sit across from him.

So Eddie did, because if Steve wanted him, he had him.

That’s how it’s been for years, that’s how it always would be.

Steve reached a hand over to run his fingers over his arm, smiling at him fondly.

“I’m proud of you, Eds. So proud.”

Eddie wasn’t going to cry.

But the way Steve was looking at him, he couldn’t hold back the tears.

They sat like that, enjoying their milkshake, for probably longer than they should have.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see people slowly leaving the awards, rushing into vehicles, not paying attention to the diner across the street.

But eventually, they knew they needed to go, needed to find the guys so they knew they were safe.

Eddie went up to the counter, felt Steve’s eyes on him the whole time.

“All set?” The woman behind the register asked with a smile.

“Yes ma’am.”

“That’ll be $2.50.”

Eddie handed her a $20 bill and told her to keep the change, pay for someone else’s bill if she felt like it, and she nodded.

“You know, that boy must love you a whole lot to be lookin’ at you like that.”

“Hm?” Eddie asked as he turned to see Steve watching him with a content grin. “Oh. Yeah, he’s obsessed with me.”

The woman smirked.

“And you?”

“Oh, I’m so obsessed with him, I wrote an entire album about him. Just won an award for my obsession.”

“Good. You take care of each other.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Eddie walked over to the table to help Steve up, but separated again before they walked outside to join the now heavier crowd waiting for their cars.

———

The next day, the news was focused on all the Grammy winners, Corroded Coffin among them. Steve proudly read aloud from the newspaper delivered to their hotel room, standing up completely naked and reading it theatrically.

But when he got towards the end, he froze.

His brows furrowed and the line in his forehead got bigger.

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“There’s a picture of us. At the diner.”

“Oh?”

“We look…”

Eddie walked over to see what he was talking about.

Even in the blurry black and white newspaper image, you could see the love between them. It would be impossible to deny what was going on there.

Eddie smiled and leaned in to kiss the corner of Steve’s mouth.

“Alright?”

Steve looked at him, searching his face for any sign of panic, smiling when he didn’t find any.

“Perfect. This is perfect.”

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  Pricklywhicket/@messessentialist ! Prickleywhicket has four fics published to AO3 -- All in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by pricklywhicket:

so let's sneak in from the cheap seats, honey

it's supposed to be fun (turning twenty-one)

start by pulling him out of the fire

"Sadie is so super talented in the way she describes literally everything. She is so good at writing and it's a shame that she's flown under the radar because she's not the quickest at putting things out there." -- Anonymous

Below the cut, Pricklywhicket answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

Why do any of us write anything? Because we want the story to exist in the world, and it doesn’t yet, so we gotta hike up our pants and do it ourselves!

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Hurt/Comfort. I’m always a sucker for the blorbos taking care of one another, in whatever form that takes. This has always been true, across a truly astronomical number of fandoms I’ve found myself dabbling in over the years.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

…actually, probably hurt/comfort! I just need to get those little dudes some validation and unconditional positive regard, okay?

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

I’m sure I won’t be the first one to say this, but: I HAVE TO PICK ONE????? Okay, alright. I can do this. I’m gonna say…Sanctuary by SpicedSage.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’ve only written canon or canon-adjacent fic so far, so I’m eager to work on something that’s completely AU. I think there’s a unique challenge to keeping characters recognizable as themselves in a world that might not have all the same contexts that made them into that person.

What is your writing process like?

I would love to say it’s super organized and well-planned, but the truth is it’s mostly about routine and responsibility. I set aside time to do it every day, even if I can only tap out a few sentences. I’m not very strict about writing in a straight line - I can stop a scene if it’s giving me trouble, write a note about what I think happens in some [brackets], and move on to something that I have more fully fleshed-out ideas for. Sometimes writing the next scene helps you know more about what needs to happen in the current one. 

Do you have any writing quirks?

I'm sure my betas would say yes 🙃 I tend to write a lot of dialogue - a lot of my revision process is going back through and realizing I have two pages of a conversation with no indication of what’s physically happening in the world around the speakers.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Definitely when I’m finished. Prior to my ‘23 bang fic, I had never written anything chaptered. I knew going in that I could NOT start posting if it wasn’t finished, because I’ve been burned too many times by abandoned works. I didn’t want to do that to people reading my fic, and the best way to avoid it is to finish before you post.

Which fic are you most proud of?

Easily start by pulling him out of the fire. The biggest, most ambitious thing I’ve ever attempted - I still kind of can’t believe I wrote 85k.

How did you get the idea for start by pulling him out of the fire?

Like most terrible ideas, it was spawned in a fandom discord chat. We were discussing the tendency of Steddie fics to centralize the party at Steve’s house, because his parents are never there anyway. And then someone mentioned what if the parents came home and found their house occupied, and someone else mentioned Wayne being there, and it just sort of…spiraled out from there.

When writing start by pulling him out of the fire, what was something you didn’t expect?

I had no idea, going in, that I was going to write a comprehensive history of the Wayne and Eddie Munson relationship. I started writing it where I did to give some background on Wayne’s existing distaste for the elder Harrington, and then I just…kept writing. Over the course of a month or two I wrote 20k of WayneAndEddie that I had no idea was in me - it just kept coming.

What inspired it's supposed to be fun (turning twenty-one)?

@wynnyfryd. It was a gift for her birthday. We were talking about our mutual love of Letterkenny, and she mentioned that the episode was her favorite and wouldn’t it be funny if someone wrote… and the rest is history.

What was your favorite part to write from it's supposed to be fun (turning twenty-one)?

I had an unreasonable amount of fun with that one in general. But I think my favorite part was Eddie polling the party about what Steve means to them all. It was fun to sort of put myself in each character’s shoes and think about how they would answer. Plus y’know, any excuse to unironically love on Steve Harrington.

How do/did you feel writing so let's sneak in from the cheap seats, honey?

I believe my exact words upon deciding to write it were “jingles miserably to a blank google doc.” This was a classic case of saying “god I wish there was a fic where—” and having friends tell me that it was now my responsibility to write it. I’m glad I did, though. I love that story, and it proved to me that I could write sex and publish it and not burst into flames. I also just really, really love summer storms. And Wayne’s use of the singular ‘herpe.’

What was the most difficult part of writing so let's sneak in from the cheap seats honey?

Getting over the fear of publishing something E-rated. It was just something I hadn’t done, and I had a lot of anxiety that people were not going to respond well to it. I made three people individually review the sex scenes before I even asked anyone to beta the full fic. Of course I was worried for nothing, the reception for that fic was super lovely and gave me the confidence boost I needed to attempt start by pulling him out of the fire!

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

This is like asking me to pick a favorite child. I’ll say this: most of my favorite lines in start by pulling him out of the fire were taken directly from conversations @wormdebut and I had about the fic. She’s my number one cheerleader and sounding board, and sometimes she’s so goddamn funny that I just have to include it. You have her to thank, for instance, for Steve quite literally dropping his croissant when he first sees Eddie in glasses.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I have a couple of irons in the fire, but nothing I’m ready to share just yet! I’ve been taking a breather from writing (blame baldur’s gate 3, okay) but my WIPs are still very much IP. Stay tuned!

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

Not that I can think of!

Thank you to our author, Pricklywhicket, and our anonymous nominator! See more of pricklywhicket's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[paintedscales]

FFXIV Write 2024 :: Day Seven

Prompt: Morsel Characters: Nomin tal Kheeriin Word Count: 750 Notes: Digimon AU

Master List

A typical physical therapy session these days was walking on a treadmill for Nomin. After several successful weeks of building up her muscle and stamina, she was getting back into the swing of even doing short jogs. The string of successes left Nomin coming home all smiles as she did her own physical training later in her room. She had been doing arm curls with two kilo dumbbells, and then squats with an eight kilo kettlebell.

Teiamon was an excellent hypewoman herself, cheering on Nomin and even doing little exercises alongside her.

“That’s twenty!” Teiamon happily chirped, hopping up and then staying afloat in the air with a big smile on her face as she fluttered about. “You reached your goal, Nomin!”

The kettlebell was lowered to the ground and hit the rug with a rather audible thud. Nomin, though clearly breathing hard from exerting herself, stood up straight and grinned. She had been doing her stretches and exercises consistently every other day for a month now. Progress had been…well, it felt frustrating in the beginning, but now that Nomin had been able to actually lift and last much longer, she could not help but show her joy at the improvement.

“So, are you going to take Estinien up on his offer to do physical therapy with you?” Teiamon asked, hovering closer to Nomin. There was a bit of a tease to her tone as her smile turned cat-like.

Nomin’s face scrunched in response as she frowned. She would have happily taken Estinien up on his offer -- she had no idea he was actually into fitness and having an exercise regimen, truth be told. But…Nomin looked over to the full length mirror in her room, her expression falling as she looked at the fuzz of hair that sprouted from her head.

“I…would feel better seeing him…anyone, really, if I had a wig on… Just…you know, stretching and exercising with them on isn’t easy when I don’t use any adhesives to keep them on,” Nomin sighed. This response caused Teiamon to puff up and then flit over to perch herself on Nomin’s head.

“It’s just hair!” Teiamon said. “It’s already growing back, and it feels so soft! I think if anyone really likes being with you and around you, they won’t care that your hair is the way it is!”

Nomin gave an amused scoff. “Easy for you to say. You’re just a little ball of fluff and feathers!”

“And you love me!” Teiamon laughed, nuzzling Nomin’s head.

“More like I’m stuck with you, you little scamp,” Nomin shot back, reaching up and lifting Teiamon into her arms. The two of them giggled together, a bond formed over six years of having known one another. Nomin eventually settled, and she pet Teiamon idly. “But…maybe you’re right. I mean…he certainly didn’t have to visit me all that time in the hospital.”

“You can cross that bridge when you get to it,” Teiamon reassured Nomin. “If you’re shy about it, I’m not gonna tell you to go out of your way to be uncomfortable around people.”

“Yeah, I know. Thank you, Teiamon. I do appreciate you putting some things into perspective for me at least. But…yeah, let me warm up to it.”

Just then, the sound of Nomin’s phone buzzing as it vibrated against the top of her dresser surprised she and Teiamon both.

Walking toward it, Nomin released Teiamon back into the air before grabbing it to see the notification. She had a text from Estinien.

“... It’s almost like he knew we were talking about him just a little bit ago,” Nomin commented.

“Maybe he does!”

“That would be concerning,” Nomin replied, shooting Teiamon a sheepish smile. She then viewed the text in its entirety.

‘Do you want to go to the Festival of Lights in the next hour or two? No Digimon allowed, unfortunately…’

Humming in thought, Nomin looked toward Teiamon with a bit of a frown. She explained briefly the text she received. “Would you be fine staying here with Esenaij and Bayarmaa? I assume Gonetomon has a plan to stay behind wherever Estinien lives.”

“I’m fine staying here! Besides, Bayarmaa gives me so many delicious treats and morsels sometimes!” Teiamon was clearly overjoyed by the prospect of her expected scenario, flying in circles overhead before diving into Nomin’s bed and hopping around excitedly.

“You seem more excited to stay here with my siblings than coming with me,” Nomin shot. “You sure you’re not actually one of their partner Digimon?”

[jujumin-translates]

★ Main Story | Act 13 - Budding Spring | Chapter 7 - Hazy Spring Weather

*Typing*

Tsuzuru: …Ughh, this one’s not… and this one’s too boring…

Tsuzuru: (I know they said the performance is gonna be the way it always is, but how am I supposed to not have that in the back of my mind?)

Tsuzuru: (Just what kinda script will give us a surefire shot at being nominated…?)

Tsuzuru: (Not only do we need to gain new fans, but we need to keep the fans we have now too…)

Citron: …

Tsuzuru: Aghhh, I got nothing…

Citron: Tsuzuru! It is time for our strategy meeting!

Tsuzuru: !? Ah, gotcha.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: I do get why you’re worried, Tsuzuru-kun.

Izumi: The burden we’re all carrying is different from what we’re used to, so I’m sure you don’t even know where to start with picking a theme.

Masumi: Not only the theme, but we’ve got to figure out the lead and co-lead too.

Chikage: So a theme and casting that’ll bring in more votes for us, huh…

Tsuzuru: Thinking about it like that makes me feel even more overwhelmed.

Citron: This is the age of core between fractions without the blood and tears!

Tsuzuru: …

Citron: Tsuzuru, you do not even have the strength to correct me!?

Itaru: It’s score between traction, right?

Citron: It is war between factions! Even Itaru is going crazy!

Chikage: Regardless, the pressure that’s being put on Tsuzuru is immense.

Tsuzuru: I was completely absorbed in writing during our first performance, so this is an entirely different kinda pressure than it was back then.

Tsuzuru: And even though the act-off with the First Generation was really hard, at least our opponent was clear, but with this, it’s just…

Chikage: Our opponents this time are every other theater company and the general public who’ll be voting. There’s just too many opponents, so there’s no way to know what the right answer is.

Tsuzuru: Assuming there even is a right answer, to begin with…

Itaru: You’ve got a point.

Sakuya: At the end of the day, all we can do is go back to just trying to do our best to perform.

Itaru: That said, it’s hard to tell exactly what our best is.

Tsuzuru: You’re right about that…

Masumi: What even is a play that’s like our Spring Troupe?

Chikage: Like us, huh?

Sakuya: What kinda play would that be…?

Izumi: …

Izumi: Let’s do the event.

Sakuya: Huh?

Izumi: The workshop for beginners we put on hold.

Izumi: How about you try remembering what you’re doing this for, going back to your origin, and trying to just enjoy theater with people who are doing it for the first time?

Sakuya: Remembering what we’re doing this for…

Sakuya: …So like, remembering how fun it was to be on stage for the first time, and finally feeling like you had a place to belong.

Tsuzuru: Yeah, that might actually work.

Tsuzuru: I want others to feel the excitement I felt when I first stood on stage.

Sakuya: Exactly. I want others to know just how interesting theater really is.

Itaru: There are some things you don’t realize until you actually do something for yourself.

Chikage: So seeing the participants experience things like that to help us remember how we felt in the past, huh…

Citron: Now it is time for us to go back to our fruits!

Tsuzuru: You mean roots?

Citron: Tsuzuru is finally back!

Itaru: I think it’ll be good for us to try new things within our skill range.

Masumi: I want to try it.

Izumi: Alright, it’s decided! I’ll let Kazunari-kun know.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: That’s not too heavy, is it, Masumi-kun?

Masumi: I’m okay. I even have enough strength left to be able to carry you like a princess too.

Izumi: That won’t be necessary.

Izumi: Let’s bring those flyers to the store that always lets us put up posters there.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Towa’s Aunt: Towa, can you put these out on the table when you take a break?

Towa: Got it.

Izumi: Oh?

Towa: !?!?

Towa: No way, I can’t believe I’m getting to see my oshi this often… was moving to Tokyo like some kinda platinum ticket that guarantees me a response from my oshi…!?

Izumi: No, I think it’s just a coincidence.

Masumi: Can’t believe we ran into this annoying guy again…

Izumi: Do you work here part-time?

Towa: This is my aunt’s shop, I’m staying here with her.

Izumi: I see.

Izumi: Ah, right-- we just printed these flyers, if you’d like to take a look at one.

*Paper rustles*

Towa: Beginners workshop…?

Izumi: You said that you have yet to see a play live, and maybe I’m being a bit presumptuous here, but…

Izumi: This is an event we came up with after talking to you, Towa-kun.

Izumi: It’d be an opportunity for you to get to know even more of the charm of theater and Spring Troupe, we’d love for you to come.

Towa: Ahh… umm…

Masumi: Director invited you, so you better come.

Izumi: Masumi-kun, that’s not how we invite someone to do something!

Izumi: If you’re really interested in it, just consider it, okay?

Towa: Yeah…

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

momo has entered the chat.

momo: My ability to draw my oshi to me is so strong it’s starting to kinda freak me out, and just thinking about acting in front of him is making me pray for death /neg, but I really wanna observe him momo: I don’t wanna embarrass myself in front of all of Spring Troupe shiki: It’s for beginners, so it’s it normal for people to not be very good at first, isn’t it?

Kar has entered the chat.

Kar: Sup. Whatcha talkin abt? Iv: bestie got invited to a beginner’s workshop by his oshi but can’t make up his mind if he wants to go Kar: Who wouldn’t go? Iv: that’s what i’m saying like

momo: Butbutbutbutbut Iv: just go and check it out Kar: And if you chicken out, just go home shiki: It’d be a waste to not go since you were personally invited. And if you don’t go, you’ll just regret it later, right? momo: Okay, yeah, but

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[morally-grey-girlbosses]

Propaganda under the cut.

Vriska Serket has too much propaganda for this post! You can find her propaganda post here.

Galadriel:

ok so by the time LotR rolls around she’s a fancy queen in a whole special girl kingdom but she STARTED as the youngest daughter of the youngest son of a king, with five million cousins and three older siblings who were all older and probably better-respected than her; and then some shit happens and the king dies and they all decide to leave Elf Heaven in order to chase down the guy who killed their grandfather, and she is SPECIFICALLY noted as wanting to leave because she wants to rule a kingdom of her own, and she can’t do that in Elf Heaven where there aren’t any openings to rule bc everyone already has a king. so she goes with most of her extended family to try and make their way across the ocean and back to the continent their grandparents travelled to Elf Heaven from, where they hope to avenge the king and also rule some kingdoms (although it’s worth noting!! that other people already live there, and they all KNOW this), and then some more stuff happens and some of her cousins on the “leaving” side start a fight that escalates into a pitched battle where they kill! her mother’s father’s people! (bc she’s also a princess on her mom’s side, lol) and in some versions tolkien decided that she actually fought AGAINST her cousins and killed some people in defense of her mom’s side (which is a BIG DEAL for an elf to Choose to do). after this, her dad is like “actually i Will Not be leaving with you people, murder is Not Okay and i’m going back home to ask the gods for forgiveness and if you had any sense you would too” but galadriel decides SHE’S STILL GOING. anyways then some more stuff happens and her entire extended family on her dad’s side dies, but not before killing some more of her extended family on her mom’s side and also (indirectly) her favorite brother; amongst all this she spends some time as a handmaiden in her great-uncle’s court but eventually decides that that’s not enough for her, so she packs up and heads further east to found her own kingdom, which incidentally will be populated not by her own close family’s subjects, but by some people who at one point were subjects of her great-uncle and may or may not have decided to leave his rule. and then once all the first age drama has died down, even though there is very much a new, undisputed high king of their people on her father’s side who’s still ruling (and doing a damn good job of it), she just Doesn’t swear fealty to him or join his court. instead she founds her own realm. some more intrigue happens and sauron stuff too and she’s forced out of power so she leaves; there’s a war, the king of the place she’s been staying in dies, and then a while later there’s Another big Problem and his son (the new king) just dips, so she just Executively Decides that she’s gonna be in charge of his people now, and THAT’S how she became the Lady of Lothlorien. and then she hangs out being Queen (functionally, if not nominally) there for like two thousand years while occasionally going other places to use her vast magical powers to fight sauron but mostly she just protects her fancy special kingdom. and then LotR happens and she does some mind magic on the entire Fellowship which is also at least a LITTLE creepy, and she admits that she’s Very into the idea of having the power of the One Ring, but doesn’t take it bc she’s got Wisdom now (and also imo bc she’s HAD her chance to rule a kingdom for a very long time so she doesn’t crave power now in the same way she did when she was young). and tolkien writes about her like she’s Perfect but genuinely she’s kinda fucked up and power-hungry! good for her!

[spnfanficpond]

January 2024 Angel Fish Awards

(Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words. (Click here to learn more about how to nominate a fic for an award!)

Nominated by @heavenssexiestangel

The Unconventional Meet-Cute by @schizonephilim

I wanted to read something different from my usual go-to, and I had this story in my To Be Read 'pile' for a while, so I read chapter 1! I can't wait to read chapter 2. It's really well-written and the sexy times are awesome.

~*~*~

Nominated by @spn-fanfic-reblog-writes

Full of Grace by ilovehowyouletmefall (AO3)

I love this fic. I have read this thing so many times. I love the intimacy and how they develop organically. How Cas just takes why Dean gives and it’s how it should be in my head. It’s sweet and fluffy. I wish Dean would stop calling Cas “pal” as if he’s fucking Mickey Mouse and Pluto but it’s amazing. I return to it a lot. It’s a comforting story that deals with mental health and I’m glad it’s set in heaven.

Cuddle Deprivation by @destielshipper4cas

This is sooo good. It’s an incubus that feeds off affection and emotions through touch. It is so good. So fluff, Castiel and Dean confused about the different cultures, which I think is a great element because it's a common problem with relationships from people of different countries or even skin color at times. Must read.

Cuddlibus by @destielshipper4cas

It’s an incubus that feeds off affection and emotions through touch. It is so good. So fluff, Castiel and Dean confused about the different cultures, which I think is a great element because it's a common problem with relationships from people of different countries or even skin color at times.

Heartstring Promenade by @winchester-reload

This is the ending to the series I wanted.

Destiel's 1st Time by @chaoticmotherofall

Holy shit. Wow, primal. Rawr. Must read smut. I think it’s the scene most of the fandom would want to see if they could. Sorry, not sorry.

Dean's Delights by Redamber79 (AO3)

Destiel. Baker Dean. Can smell each other through blockers. Insecure Cas. Love it! He just wants to eat Dean up and kind of does! True mates are delicious, don’t ya think?

The Company by CasCase (AO3)

You’re gonna get intimidated by the language of ballet vocab but don’t worry, it isn’t important. It’s such an amazing love story and so well written. Wow. There is even artwork of the seriously important emotional scenes that just make it so much better. Omg! I wish this was a fucking movie because it’d be gorgeous!

Room for Two (The Mattress AU) by @almassi

Schmoopy fluffiness. I love it! I also love that Cas actually gets everything but doesn’t show it. Lol. He got the references.

truly there's nobody for you but me by Abi_in_the_Cosmos (AO3)

Omfg, hotness. Cas so teasing Dean. The shorts are used. The shorts in the BTS on the show of Jensen wearing denim short shorts, which of course Dean says they exist for an in-story reason. I don’t care. It’s great.

this heart and flesh shall fail by ValandraWrites (AO3)

Monsterfucker story, technically. Great story. Dean is not technically underaged despite what it says. Twist ending. Beautiful story with a sexy but sad twist.

The Biological Ways by @sitruunavohveli

Three words: Accidental office romance Destiel! A/b/o! Love it. Love that it’s Charlie too. Yay! I also am a huge fan of this author’s works. I’ve had the pleasure of working with them and they’re just amazing to work with. Please check them out.

Weighted by amireal, tiamatv (AO3)

I absolutely love this fic because I actually sleep with a weighted blanket and when my kids are sick, they love their own. I even have one in the car. It’s light but enough to feel it. This is just so fluffy and romantic all thanks to our favorite redhead introducing weighted blankets which helps so much. It’s been shown to even help babies but blankets aren’t great for them. Anyway, they’re so cute and that scene where Dean opens his eyes all slow and gentle with “hey”, just broke me. My husband and I do that periodically and it just means more snuggles and sleep. lol. Poor Castiel thinking he couldn’t have Dean which I understand since Dean has said so much he is straight or implied it rather often. Ugh. This was done so well. Thank you both!

~*~*~

Nominated by @deeranger

When There's Only You by AnOddSock (AO3)

It's such a visceral and extremely well-written story, dark and full of intense angst but at the same time it highlights that profound tenderness and affection between Sam and Dean. The whole "there is no me if there is no you". I was on the edge of my seat all the way through, my heart breaking for the brothers in such a delightful way. This fic is a great rollercoaster ride, like a dark porn with a substantial amount of well-thought-out plot. Heed the tags though... Your feels might not come out intact.

~*~*~

Nominated by @spnexploration

She Thought She Was Normal (series) by @aylacavebear

This is @Aylacavebear's first fic she's putting out into the wild and it's going to be a long multi-chapter journey. What a way to start! This first chapter takes us to poor Maria as a child, who has just lost her mother to a yellow-eyed demon, and Bobby sets her and her Dad up with Sam and Dean. Can't wait to see the whole journey!

Cuddle Deprivation by @destielshipper4cas

This was adorable!! The whole concept of cuddlibus was so cute and I loved when both Dean and Cas were trying to get more out of the relationship but thinking the other didn't want it. And including Sam's cuddlibus daughter was also adorable

Power Grows out of the Barrel of a Gun by Alaisabel (AO3)

I absolutely loved this AU. There are so many twists and turns and I had such a fun time working out what was going on. Dean is so anti-authority and he ends up in a relationship with Cas, a cop.

~*~*~

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

Fluffy Faerie Tales (series) by @ladylilithprime

This universe and the characters in it are so fascinating! Sam and Dean are half-fae, and Jimmy and Cas have a backstory that is wildly different than anything else I've ever read! (No spoilers!) Sam/Cas/Jimmy is a threesome I've never read before, I don't think, and I'm loving it. So far, all of these stories are filled with plenty of fluff, and the perfect way to end my day. Sweet dreams of faeries and friends are always welcome!

Cuddle Deprivation and Cuddlibus by @destielshipper4cas

I am now OBSESSED with the idea of cuddlibi!!! Like those who have nominated this story above, I find this idea adorable and sweet. And Cas is just SO SWEET! And there's so much delicious pining in both of these stories!! I now want to read ALL the cuddlibus stories!!

THANK YOU ALL, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

- From your Admins and Manta Rays, @manawhaat, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mariekoukie6661, @thoughtslikeaminefield, @spencereliotwinchester, and @heavenssexiestangel!

[katarinapaui]

The Beauty of Deviating Norms in Strange Magic

Katrina Pauline M. Samillano

Have you ever stumbled upon a movie you didn’t think you’d enjoy, only to find yourself strangely enchanted? That was me with Strange Magic.

Now before we delve into it deeper, would you believe me if I say that this is the leading man of the movie?

Surprised? Looks like a typical villain of an animated film, but yes. This is the leading man in the actual film.

Before we talk about it, let’s discuss the facts first because, by the end of this blog, I might convince you to watch this movie. Strange Magic is an animated musical film by George Lucas inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, released in 2015. The movie takes place in a fantastical world divided into two realms—the light and the dark. It's a story where fairies, goblins, elves, and magical creatures interact in unexpected ways, all set to a soundtrack of iconic pop and rock hits.

I guess I won’t say a lot about the plot anymore because we want a spoiler-free experience in this blog.

Now, let me tell you a backstory when I watched this film for the first time. I was like… ”This movie is absolutely ridiculous! Who casts an ugly leading man and makes him end up with a beautiful young butterfly?”  Another thing, why did the girl choose a rock metalhead over a sweet romantic matinee idol type of guy? Well, I get that the latter has a cheating issue but my 11-year-old self (take note: 11 years old) would rather choose him than an ugly and scary-looking insect with a weird musical taste. (Disclaimer: I was young, okay. Please don’t judge me 😭🙏 it’s all different now, I swear.)

This movie actually received various criticisms in the past. This movie was released after the award-nominated and award-winning animated film, Epic. For some significant number of people, they believe that this movie is a cheaper copy of Epic. Well, plot-wise, the two were entirely different. But I can say that the animated elements are somewhat similar, though, not totally. Some also think that the oddness of the film is refreshing and the deviation of a typical image of a male lead is a bold move to do.

Well, if you’re gonna ask me about my opinion about the movie, personally, I’d say that it’s cute. It was actually the first animated movie I saw as a child that introduced me to the deviation of typical leading actors.

Usually, in the early 2000s, such as the generation I grew up in, leading ladies are depicted as someone soft, very feminine, like a Barbie doll. While leading men look like a handsome knight in shining armor, like a matinee idol.

This movie, however, defied that by representing a not-so-typical depiction of a man and woman. Although I believe that this movie is not for everyone, I still think that this movie is for me. Watching it as an adult makes me giggle because I can’t believe how (for the lack of a term to use) narrow-minded I was as a child.

I also love how the female lead had a strong demeanor in facing her cheater ex. I think she slayed the part where she knew her worth and walked out of the relationship and never looked back when she needed to. 

The thing that interests me most about this movie is the iconic pop and rock hits, reimagined. Walang tapon ang mga music! The artists are so good. All are so worth listening to. In fact, as I write this blog entry, I’m listening to the songs featured in the movie. You can check it out on Spotify, if you want. [Strange Magic (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)]

I’ve said it, but I’ll say it again. I believe that this movie might not be for everyone. But for those who enjoy movies like these—the one that deviates from the norm, you should give Strange Magic a chance. And when you do, let me know—did it enchant you as much as it did me?

[rollercoasterwords]

i’m sure you have such a busy life doing great lovely things but this is my formal request as someone who has read literally all of your ao3 works and is your secret #1 stan

baby i need a long form jegulus fic from you so bad please im on my hands and knees

nothing fades like the light was so delicious but i needed MORE 😭

the really good jegulus fics are LACKING we need a hero and i nominate you

if you’re feeling bored crazy silly goofy this summer……. you know what to do.

hi! i know this message is intended to be complimentary and i’m glad u enjoy my writing but please don’t send me stuff like this lol. not once have i ever indicated that i take requests nor that i want to and it is actually quite odd to ask a stranger to write you a book for free!

like. i’m trying to say this as gently as possible but these kinds of messages are just. SO out of touch. it takes hours for me to write a single ch of a fic, hundreds of hours to write long-form novel length fics—it’s a labor of love, which is why i do it, but it’s still labor. and i’m not gonna work for anyone but myself for free! i am an adult who is in school and working two jobs on top of that to make ends meet and my main concern this summer will be making sure i can pay my rent, not writing fanfiction!

like. in an ideal world i’d be getting paid at least $20/hr for my labor. let’s estimate that it takes ~5 hours for me to write one ch. if u want like a 20-30 ch book length fic, that would run u about $2-3k. and i still might be undervaluing my own work there! does that help put into perspective the amount of work this is? and not just the amount of work i’m doing, but the amount of work ANY fanfic writer is doing, and sharing for free? please realize that it is actually insane that people are ALREADY writing & sharing free books with you.

also. not really sure what u mean when u say really good jegulus fics are lacking and honestly that is a mean thing to say! i know u mean it as a compliment to me but i do not want any compliments that put other writers down. there are lots of really talented and wonderful writers pouring their time and effort into longform jegulus fics; i’m sure you can find some that u like if u spend some time looking. and this is definitely not the place to look bc ‘nothing fades like the light’ is probably the only jegulus fic i will ever write simply bc i don’t like regulus v much! lol

anyway. want to reiterate that i’m trying to say this all gently bc im assuming that u are maybe someone young who does not write fic and/or does not have to worry abt paying rent etc and that’s why maybe u didn’t understand how this message would come across. but please take this as a learning opportunity to understand why this is a very weird thing to send someone and definitely do not send me messages like this again lol

[redahlia-writes]

it's all happening. | javi gutierrez

Abstract: “You know, if you get bored of the industry, you’d make a great motivational speaker,” you hummed, and he chuckled, bowing his head a little.

“Oddly enough, not the first time I’ve been told that,” he admitted, shifting back–you missed the weight of his hand right away, curling your fingers over your lap as you hunched forward ever so slightly. “But before I get bored, I’d like to work with you.”

Words: 2.9K

Content: f!reader (actress); unedited, general anxiety, insecurities, meet cute (question mark), javi being comforting, cursing

A/N: this came to me in a dream. i did write it on a sort of rush and also with a fever/flu thing going on, so be merciful, i don't know how coherent it can be

also on AO3 - masterlist

reblogs and feedback are always greatly appreciated. you can send it here, too

The door creaked when you opened it, making you flinch your eyes shut as you slid inside.

“Careful,” a deep voice called from inside the barely-lit room, and you jumped around, eyes opening wide as you let the door accidentally slam behind you. “Your dress.”

“Shit–sorry, didn’t think anybody would be in here,” you whispered breathlessly, one hand coming up to rest above your hammering heart. You looked down then, the hem of your dress caught inside the door. A lovely dress, really, with rich, soft fabrics you only dreamt of when you were a kid–at the moment, though, it only felt like a hindrance. “Oh, for Christ’s sake,” you muttered to yourself, with a roll of your eyes.

“Need a hand?” the voice came again, a shuffle of shoes against the floor as the person stepped forward. You looked up then, and in the low lights coming from the setting sun outside the window you managed to make out a head of carefully styled curls, a jacketless suit, a loose tie–up a little more, a concerned, gentle expression.

“That’s alright, I’ll–I can find another room,” you said quickly, turning the handle–the door creaked again, the tension on the skirt of your dress being released once it was freed from its clutch. “Sorry to bother you.”

“It was no bother, really–you can stay,” he said, a little sheepish. “Better not to risk running into whoever it is you’re hiding from,” he offered, a grin in his words that made you chuckle and, albeit after a moment of hesitation, close the door again–this time, you pulled the dress inside with you, fabric rustling under your touch.

“I’m not hiding from anyone, I was just–” with a sigh, you stepped deeper in the room, kicking off your shoes at the third too-loud noise of the heel. “I needed a break from the crowd. Everybody is so–”

“Drunk?” he offered at your thinking pause, making you chuckle softly.

“I was gonna say loud–guess the two go hand in hand,” after another moment of pondering, gaze shifting over each seat of the room, you opted to sink on the floor instead, dress pooling around you. You used to dream of times like this.

“Is that all?” he wondered, gentle-voiced, lowering himself by your side. You arched your eyebrows and looked up at him mid-sitting, and he froze. “Sorry, it’s just–you don’t seem to be so thrilled to be nominated for such a big prize, and on your debut nonetheless,” his posture stiffened slightly more at his words, and he shifted to his knees with a worried expression. “Not a creep, I swear, I’m–”

“I know who you are, Mr. Gutierrez,” you said with a soft smile, and accepted his extended hand. It was warm, engulfing yours almost completely as he shook it, shoulders relaxing–though his expression shifted, a half-grimace as he sat down fully.

“I’ll never get used to that–call me Javier, please,” he held your hand–or you held his, you weren’t really sure, its warmth oddly soothing–a heartbeat longer, then pulled back. “Javi, actually, even better,” your smile widened, both hands curling against your chest.

“Alright then, Javi,” he shot you a bashful grin, resting his back against the wall.

His attentive gaze made your dress suddenly feel less constricting, and you eased back as well, letting your hands fall to the ground to support yourself. It felt like a paradox–dressed in such a beautiful gown, but sitting on the floor like a child. Perhaps there were certain things one never grew out of.

“So, is something wrong?” he asked carefully, still gentle, and you let your eyes flutter shut, head tipped back.

“I guess I’m just nervous,” you hummed, and let yourself lean back more and more until you were lying down on the floor–your stylist wouldn’t be happy seeing you like this, but you trusted your ability to fix everything that needed fixing before getting out again. You groaned softly. “First time–always hated first times.”

“Anybody’s nervous at their first nomination,” tilting your head slightly, you watched as Javi shrugged, one leg bent to prop up his arm. “Actually, every nomination is nerve wracking. You get used to it,” you chuckled, the sound coming from that part of you that still could not believe all this was happening. And then you sighed.

“It’s not the nomination itself–I mean, that too, it’s–” you covered your eyes with one hand, face scrunching up in a grimace. “Frist time. First nomination. What about afterwards?” you groaned softly again, dropping your hands to your sides and staring up at the ceiling–you could feel Javi’s gaze on you, and at the corner of your eye you could see his head slightly tilted. “Sounds so stupid said out loud.”

“It doesn’t,” he reassured, his hand tapping gently the back of yours closest to him. “What about afterwards?” he echoed then, shifting as if to get closer.

“I don’t wanna jinx it,” you admitted in a lower voice, before taking a deep breath. “But if it does happen–that’s what everybody will expect of me from now on, is it not? Outstanding performances, grand films, this debut over and over again, and–what if it was a one time thing? What if I’ll never reach this level again? I’ll just disappoint people. The industry. Whatever,” you exhaled, a hand rising up to your stomach, where the knot had tightened with each word and it had made your body tense up again. “God, you must think me so dumb for complaining about this–I feel dumb for complaining about it. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, and–”

“Just because it’s something you wanted, doesn’t mean it can’t be scary,” he brushed across the knuckles of the hand you still had at your side, then chuckled softly. “I had a gun pointed at me, and waiting for the winner after my first nomination still scared the shit out of me,” at that, you pulled your head up almost too quickly. He cleared his throat, shaking his head dismissively. “Another story, it’s–which role did you audition for, initially?” you frowned again, and he tapped one of your fingernails. “Humor me.”

“Side character–the one that gets killed off halfway through the movie,” he grinned, expression somewhat softening.

“And then?” he tapped again, this time a little higher, right above one of your rings.

“I got a call back,” you shrugged. “They had me read for her again, and then needed a stand-in for the main character during somebody else’s audition, and I was there.”

“And then they picked you,” the last tap was against the back of your hand as he leaned forward, and with a sigh you let your head drop back. “You didn’t have enough faith in yourself to try for the main right away, but they saw right through you.”

“It was just luck,” you murmured, fingers drumming across your stomach.

“Was it, though?” you saw him shift slightly on his spot, sitting now cross-legged, his knee resting against the fold of your dress. “I think casting saw it as fate, rather. And talent.”

“I get your logic, but I can’t help wondering if this’ll be a one-off,” there was a pause at your admission, and then Javi’s hand slid underneath yours, holding it with gentleness.

“I don’t think it will–there’s something here, something great,” you found yourself sitting up with the help of his hold, a newfound fierceness in his gaze that shimmered ridiculously in the low lights. “Nick thinks it, too.”

“Nick?” you frown, and then realization dawns on you, sending a shudder down to the pit of your stomach. “As in, the Nicolas Cage?”

“Yes,” he said it as if it were the most obvious thing, with a little shrug of his shoulders. “Actually, it was him who told me to watch your film. Said he saw that something.”

“Fuck me,” you hissed, eyes widening. “Sorry, just–oh, God,” the hand he wasn’t holding rose to your chest, averting your gaze as you took a slow breath in–Javi squeezed your hand then, a centering force that made you exhale. “It’s all happening.”

“It’s all happening,” he repeated, and then, looking at each other, you both said:

“Almost Famous,” followed by soft laughter, your body leaning forward until you rested your forehead on his shoulder–and prayed none of the make-up would transfer on his white shirt.

“Don’t let it get to you–the expectations, or whatever it is you think you must do to appease others,” another squeeze and you straightened your back, meeting his gaze. “There’ll be really really bad movies and then really really good ones, it’s just how it goes, but you gotta keep going, you have–”

“Something?” you smiled then, tilting your head slightly. He smiled, bashful all over again.

“Talent–a gift, and you know how to use it,” his nod was as reassuring as the pressure of his hand, and you had the fleeting thought of asking him to stay at your side for the rest of the night if it helped keep your nerves in check.

“You know, if you get bored of the industry, you’d make a great motivational speaker,” you hummed, and he chuckled, bowing his head a little.

“Oddly enough, not the first time I’ve been told that,” he admitted, shifting back–you missed the weight of his hand right away, curling your fingers over your lap as you hunched forward ever so slightly. “But before I get bored, I’d like to work with you.”

For a moment, you had to wonder if it was a joke–because despite the ease of your conversation, of his mere presence, he was the guy who could call Nicolas Cage just Nick, such a known face and name that, in any other circumstance, would’ve had your gaze lowered in awe. But then again you were both sitting on the floor, his tie was askew and he held your hand before panic could truly get the best of you–so why would he?

“Thank you,” you murmured, and his smile turned wide and bright. Tentatively, you reached over for his tie, fixing it with a careful touch. “Has my crisis stopped you from going anywhere?”

“Oh, no,” he chuckled, tilting his chin slightly up to make your job easier. “I’m hiding from the press until the ceremony starts–I’m avoiding questions about my ex.”

“I’m really not looking forward to that,” you hummed, tightening the knot before fixing his collar, too. “Questions about your personal life sound like hell.”

“See? You’re already thinking like a big star,” he grinned, making you scoff. “You get over it–or you run away. But not tonight.”

“No, not tonight,” you nodded, before inhaling deeply. “Alright, I better go then.”

“Very well–the extra loud cheering you might hear will be mine,” he said, almost beaming. You scoffed again at him, dismissively, and pulled yourself up. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” you reached for the closest lamp–tall and intricately adorned–turning the light on to make sure you could fix your dress properly. It wasn’t wrinkled, a quick brush front and back ridding it of the few specks of dust clinging to the fabric.

Javi was looking up at you, dark eyes wide and soft, his hair still tousled and his lips slightly parted as he leaned back against the wall. It wasn’t odd anymore, feeling somebody’s gaze on you–but warmth still spread from your chest to your limbs under his gaze, an hesitation in your step as you went to recover your shoes, too.

“Could I get your number?” you staggered a little and caught yourself, clearing your throat as you looked away, then back, then away again.

“For work, or is there another reason, Javi?” you tried, voice a little lower–shy, almost, but not quite.

“Little bit of both?” he admitted, that sheepish smile returning to his face. “Depends on how tonight goes, I’d say,” he added, and laughter caught you by surprise, turning to face him with your hands on your hips. “You said no jinxing,” he seemed to be justifying himself, though his smile betrayed him. Boyish, almost.

And, truthfully, you wouldn’t have minded either of the options.

“Give me your phone,” you stepped back towards him, hand extended–he was quick to fish into his pocket, recovering his on-mute phone and handing it to you. “Is this Mallorca?”

“I have a place there,” after a moment, he stood too, a few steps from you as you typed in the number. “I haven’t been in a while, actually.”

“Then if it happens,” you offered his phone back, tipping your chin up just a little, “perhaps you could do that to show me around. I’ve always wanted to go.”

Javi decided he liked you more with confidence straightening your back.

“Deal.”

A few hours later, he watched you walk across the stage once your name was called, smiling wide and breathing quickly, but your head held high–he was too far back for you to see him from there, but he smiled back, cheering so loudly the table next to him turned with surprised expressions. You hadn’t prepared a speech, which he could’ve guessed, and with shaky hands you held the statuette in one hand, the microphone in the other, a list of thankings falling from your lips.

“And lastly, I want to thank the person who held my hand tonight in a dark room while I was spiraling,” though he was sure you couldn’t see him, you still were turned in his direction–and he smiled, while a few chuckles rippled through the crowd. “I guess you do owe me a trip now. And a story,” voices drowned out by his focus fully on you–your gaze lowering to the prize, the wide smile pulling at your lips. “I just can’t quite believe it yet–it’s all happening.”

[wonderlandleighleigh]

1, 2, 3

Abe told him he’d get nominated for a Tony with that play, and he was fucking right.

“Who are you taking as your date?” Midge asks playfully.

“Your father,” Lenny teases back as he sits on Susie’s office couch with another turnover. “He’ll look ravishing in an evening gown.”

Midge laughs - really laughs and puts her hands over her face. “Stop that.”

“Never,” Lenny smirks.

He’s been feeling more like himself since starting this journey with this place. Feeling like he’s doing something that maybe feeds his brain and his soul a little; something that doesn’t remind him quite so much of all the terrible things that have happened.

It’s nice.

More than nice.

“Just take Midge and be fucking done with it,” Susie complains. “You know you want to.”

He turns just a little red and looks up at her. “I would like that very much,” he tells her honestly. “But I understand if you’re nervous about being seen with me.”

She looks at him like he crazy. “Lenny.”

“I know what people think of me,” he states factually. “I don’t want it to hurt your career.”

“Lenny, you’re a Tony-nominated play write. Shut up and take the famous funny woman as your date,” Susie orders.

Midge laughs a little. “What she said.”

He shrugs and grins sheepishly. “If you insist.”

****

The three of them share a limo, and Susie knows she can trust them not to be complete idiots, but Lenny’s been flipping shit about the Tony’s for a week now, and she’s worried the guy might hyperventilate on the red carpet.

“He’s okay, right?” Susie mutters to Midge as they step out of the limo.

“He is,” Midge promises with a grin. “Papa offered to let him wear his cape, and it made him laugh -- the stupid laugh, so it was real.”

Susie relaxes a little. “Good. That’s good.” she turns to Lenny and brushes at his tux jacket. “Tits up, Lenny.”

“They’re too small to lift,” he reminds her.

Midge snickers a little and takes his arm. “We’re gonna get you through this. I promise.”

“Good, because I feel as though I may vomit,” he informs them.

“If you puke on this dress, I will kill you and steal your Tony,” she promises him.

“I don’t have a Tony, and I’m not likely to by the end of the night,” Lenny reminds her.

“Shut the fuck up, Lenny,” Susie orders as she heads down the carpet to talk to some reporters.

*****

They, of course, ask him about his date.

“Midge is a dear friend, and she graciously offered to accompany me so I would actually show up,” Lenny jokes, making the reporter he’s talking to laugh. “But she’s the best, isn’t she? So funny. So talented.”

“Is he talking about me instead of about the incredible play he wrote?” Midge asks as she steps up.

He just gives her a sheepish grin and gets back on the topic of his work, but Midge is kind enough to take his hand while he does.

*****

His hands shake as the director of the play settles the Tony Award in his hands and nudges him to the microphone to speak for the whole production.

He thanks the entire cast and crew and the producers, and his daughter and Susie and Midge, too.

“I’m very grateful to be here, and to have been adopted by the theater community. Thank you very much,” he says hurriedly as he steps back, letting the director have his own words.

In the audience, Midge is beaming up at him, and Susie is looking fucking pleased.

He smiles back and shakes the award at them in disbelief.

*****

“It’s very shiny,” Midge smiles as they get into the cab to go home. Susie had decided to head for an after party, but Lenny is tired, and for whatever reason, Midge chose to slip into the limo with him.

“Thank you, Midge,” he says softly. “It means a lot that you broke out your umbrella for me tonight.”

“I had fun,” she smiles at him. “And I’m so proud of you. I know things haven’t been easy.”

“Things are okay now,” Lenny assures her. “More than okay, really. I don’t know what comes next, but right now, things are good.”

“Good,” she says firmly. “You deserve good, Lenny.” 

He grins gently and pats her hand. “I appreciate that. All of it. Susie. You. Really.”

She turns to him, scooting closer. “Lenny.”

He lifts an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you look at me that way, Mrs. Maisel. I don’t have enough money in my bank account for you to want to marry me.”

Midge laughs softly and shoves at his face. “Asshole.”

He shrugs. “It never would have worked,” he says softly. “You and me. I’m a wreck, Midge. Look what’s happened to me since that night together. You don’t need this.”

She sighs softly, gazing at him. “Maybe that’s true. But it would have been sensational.”

Lenny smiles at her sadly and leans in, kissing her cheek. “You’re too good for me, Miriam.”

“Can we pretend that’s not true for one night?” she requests quietly. “Let’s go get a late fancy dinner and pretend like we got married last month and drink champagne and feed each other caviar or something?”

He chuckles softly and gazes at her. “One night of Mr. Weissman and Mrs. Bruce,” he ponders. “I don’t hate that idea, I have to admit.”

Midge smiles and leans in, kissing him lightly. “Okay, Mr. Weissman. I’m taking you to the Russian Tea room to celebrate.”

Lenny gives a low whistle, trying to recover from feeling lightheaded from the kiss. “That is fancy.”

“Only the best for my temporary hubby,” she promises playfully before leaning forward to tell the driver where to take them.

He watches her and smiles to himeslf.

[graciegoeskrazy]

hear me out.........

what about matty's daughter who is also a muscian but is like 19-20ish and dosent have a great relationship with matty and they like havent talked or seen each other in a hot miniute but she is still really close with the rest of the boys and matty is trying to make their relationship better, and angst. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (sorry for bad spelling and/or being to indepth) your awesome!

Anon....

...I have something to tell you....

SO. Just. Btw. I am such a daydreamer (a nice way a saying I have adhd lol) yk I write fan fiction so OF COURSE I'm gonna get caught up on the daydreams occurring in my head. This is a recurring one that keeps happening...

I imagine that little (or not so little at all really) Y/n goes off to study at some amazing music school and write songs and releases songs all on her own and basically creates this wonderful life for herself and makes these wonderful friends at the school. The school is connected to a big foundation or something like that that puts on a big gala/award show and all of these celebrities come and are nominated and come and watch the students so I imagine that Y/n is one of the top students of the year and is a finalist for this big award and this big scholarship and it just so happens to be the year that her father and his band are nominated for some award like achievement or whatever. So basically the band is going to receive this little award they don’t really care about it and then BAM there’s little Y/n and they see all the things that she’s doing. And is like damn we’re old and Matty feels bad. This fantasy came to me when I was on a plane ride home and listening to free now by Gracie Abrams I couldn’t help but think of relating the lyrics to Y/n and thinking that she wrote this song for her father. And the song talks about the things that happened between her and her dad and her dad and her mom. I listened to the song on repeat so much during that plane ride that I fell asleep to it and it became my top streaming Spotify song of the entire year on my Spotify wrapped and it was when I was coming home for taylor so it wasn’t even that long ago. Anyways there you go I’m not kidding. This is an actual daydream that I have.

[adozentothedawn]

Fic Wrap-Up Meme: 2024

I saw this and I actually did some writing again this year so hell yes, I'm doing it. Thank you @dragonologist-phd for the template! (Also anyone inspired feel free to consider yourselves tagged.)

FANDOMS: Rogue Trader (That was this year?? Damn), Pillars of Eternity, Dishonored. Just. So much Dishonored. 3 FANFICS WITH THE MOST KUDOS IN 2024 -

Magnetism (17)

It starts out small. The group of kids congregating around him as he shows off his skills. (Honestly this is kind of hilarious considering I wrote the entirety of it in 15 minutes on discord. I only posted on ao3 because people on tumblr seemed to like it so I thought why not, it works as a drabble.)

The Many Meetings of Death and Death (16)

Daud is a wreck. Corvo is a player avatar. Neither of them is happy about it. Well maybe the Outsider is. (Corvo is living the worst fucking groundhog day ever and Daud doesn't know but is confused. Also sometimes dead.)

From a Friend (13)

Corvo Attano, disgraced Royal Protector, has been in Coldridge for three months. Three months of enduring torture and his own all consuming guilt as he tries to simply stay alive. As the days are drowned in pain and anguish there is one thing he is forced to acknoweledge. Someone is sneaking him food. Hadria Granville meanwhile, ten years old and now abandoned at a foreign court, is terrified but determined to help. (The thing that jumpstarted my mildly manic Dishonored wiriting. I wrote this in 3 days which is insane considering my normal writing speed. But yeah man, Hadria just wanted to get involved i guess.)

The Words We Speak (13)

Corvo finds Jessamine's letter to Emily. (What it says on the tin. Corvo is just so fucking sad, man.)

FAVORITE OPENING LINE FROM A FIC IN 2024 -

I kinda have to go with "Daud is a Wreck." (The Many Meetings of Death and Death) considering that I used it 3 times for the chapter and will use it a fourth time before the year is over.

FAVORITE CLOSING LINE FROM A FIC IN 2024 -

Gonna nominate three for that actually, two depressing and one wholesome:

He never learns that the worst injury sustained by the Whalers is a broken ankle from falling out of a transversal when the bond breaks. - The Many Meetings of Death and Death chapter 3

The children slept, the adults did not, the warm fireplace threw flickering shadows on the wall, and for a while happiness reigned in Dunwall Tower. - The Height of Friendship

You have to succeed, so you don't care, you don't think, you don't feel, you simply stay silent and unseen, a shadow haunting the Tower, a ghost of past happiness who would suffocate the lies now living where your heart used to be. - The Words We Speak

FIC I’M MOST PROUD OF IN 2024 -

Man thats hard. I guess I'll say The Many Meetings of Death and Death? Mostly cause its a multi chapter fic and I am so close to actually finishing it, which is special for me. I do like the The Many Conquests of Daud though, I need to do more explicitely ace stories. I will defend this canonically ace character with my life, i need to fill this tag more.

NEW THINGS I HAVE TRIED IN 2024 -

Dishonored fanfic. Other than that like I said I finally started doing another proper multi chapter fic that I am not leaving out to dry like my poor Readceras children who have been waiting for like four years for an update, oops.

GOALS FOR 2025 -

I will continue writing Dishonored fic. Probably for 2 at this point then. Also I really need to write the second half of that two parter I started (They Had to Die) which I absolutely will do I'm just not sure if I can do it this year still. At latest in january I should be done, I was just bewitched by the existence of Daud.

I also, as stated, need to fill up the ace Daud tag, it is my holy calling, there's not nearly enough in there.