#not my proudest work i'll be honest

[thetomorrowshow]

Whumptober 19 - Blood Trail

title: washed up

fandom: hermitcraft smp

cw: blood and violence

~

It was his own fault, really. His own fault that he didn’t check the durability on his elytra, that he hadn’t bothered to enchant them with Mending. How was his laziness more pressing than Mending?

So Etho had tumbled out of the sky, drifting where he could on his damaged wings, until he managed to crash into a tree and fall through its branches, where he landed on the ground just at the edge of a forest.

Etho groaned, pushed himself up onto his knees. His face stung from the lash of the branches against his cheeks, his entire body sore from the impact against the ground. He might have broken his right wrist, caught under his body. It was already swelling up, his hand practically useless.

He wiped his other hand across his face, grimaced when it came away bloody. A quick look down showed he was bleeding from a multitude of different scrapes on his body, his clothes torn here and there. None of them looked serious, or even all that deep, so that could have been a lot worse.

A wrist and some scrapes wasn’t the end of the world, but the dull pain coming from his ankle told him that wasn’t all. He shifted to sit, tugged down the sock of his right foot to check it.

Yep, it looked about the same as his wrist, already swelling up. Maybe broken, maybe badly sprained—either way, he wasn’t walking out of there.

It wasn’t too bad, he supposed. He could be in a lot worse of a situation. Sure, night was falling, but if he messaged the main chat for help, someone would come get him.

<Etho> hey anybody on-world and awake

<Docm77> Hello

<Cubfan135> I never sleep

<Tango> so not bdubs? haha

<Etho> my elytra broke far away… ://

<Tango> oh etho

<Cubfan135> no mending?

<Etho> I haven’t gotten around to it

<Docm77> how far away are you?

<Etho> idk pretty far out

<Etho> [COORDINATES]

<Tango> oh dude that’s forever away

<Etho> yup

<Cubfan135> needing some help?

<Etho> well I think I broke my ankle

<Cubfan135> oh nooo

<Docm77> no potions?

<Etho> nope

<Cubfan135> suiting up now

<Docm77> omw

<Etho> thanks guys haha

Etho set his communicator down in the grass, dug through his satchel. He usually carried a couple of bandages, so he could at least wrap the ankle, get it some support.

He did find an ace bandage, thankfully. He set one end against his ankle, started looping it around the arch of his foot and the joint of his ankle. He moved with practiced efficiency, pinning the loose end and pulling his sock and his shoe back up over it.

He tested it carefully, putting a bit of weight on that foot. Not too bad, but nothing that he thought he could reliably walk on.

A groan sounded from the treeline, and Etho’s head jerked up, scanning the trees for movement. Had the sun already set enough for monsters to spawn?

He wouldn’t be able to wield a sword all that well. He last practiced left-handed combat . . . two or three years ago, probably, on a consistent schedule, he just hadn’t needed it in so long. . . .

“This is why you stay on top of your skills, Etho,” he told himself. Maybe he could construct some sort of shelter? Or—

Another groan from the forest. He’d never been that fond of building, so he didn’t tend to carry that kind of stuff on him. Especially not when he was just flying out to find some unexplored cave, his pockets as empty as they could be. Sure, he had torches, but that wouldn’t be enough to fend off a horde of zombies.

He passed over a village not too long ago, didn’t he? If he could find a large enough stick to lean on, maybe he could make his way back toward it. Surely it wouldn’t be too far of a trek—he remembered seeing it just before he crashed.

Etho glanced back at the forest, the most likely place to find a stick. No sun filtered out through the thick canopy of trees, the darkness much deeper than it ought to have been, even at this late hour.

Yeah. That probably wasn’t going to happen.

He had to lean on his sword, then, and hope that it was enough. Luckily, the ground was dry enough that the tip shouldn’t just sink into the earth. Etho counted that as a blessing and started off, adjusting his left-handed grip on the hilt after each step, trying to find what worked best.

It wasn’t all that helpful, to be honest. The sword was just too short to work the way he wanted it to, and he would have preferred it on his other side. Just his luck that he happened to break the wrist and ankle of the same side of his body.

He probably should have wrapped his wrist, too, but he wasn’t in the habit of carrying more than one ace bandage, and he didn’t really have time. His arm shoved into his sleeveless coat, held in place by the halfway-zipped zipper, would have to do.

He should message the others, let them know that he was moving and heading toward a town, but when he reached for his communicator at his belt, he found the holster empty.

Uh-oh.

Etho turned (slowly, too slowly), spotted his communicator on the ground where he’d left it, ten feet behind him, resting in the grass.

Come on.

“Okay,” he breathed, staring at it. How long had it taken him to walk those couple of steps? Not too long, surely, mere minutes, but minutes were everything at sundown.

Should he risk it? Grab his communicator, or keep making his way toward the village?

It was more important to be able to update his friends, probably.

He tightened his hold on his sword, started to hobble back to his communicator. He tried to keep his uneven footsteps quiet, careful not to disturb any monsters in the woods, but the grass underfoot was dry and crunched, and his gait wasn’t particularly suited for quiet at the moment.

He made it to his communicator, though, and puzzled for a moment with the concept of picking it up. He could bend forward if he put his weight on his sword, but he wouldn’t be able to pick it up with his free hand. Not to mention, when he attempted to bend over, his back shot through with stiffening pain—deep tissue bruises from his fall, no doubt.

Right. How was he meant to do this?

He could crouch, he supposed. On one leg, though? Well, his right leg might not take much weight, but it could at least steady him. He would have to put his sword into its sheath, unable to hold it and unwilling to drop it.

He fumbled with it, awkwardly trying to work his sword into the sheath with his left hand. He managed to slide it in, though, and was about to crouch when he heard the snapping of underbrush.

Etho looked up, eyes trained on the dark woods. He scanned them, back and forth, and quickly identified the source of the movement—a bush, right up at the edge, trembling as something pushed its way through—

A rotting hand shoved aside the last branch, and a zombie stumbled out, arms reaching toward Etho.

Now, Etho didn’t usually have any problems dispatching zombies. A quick stab and slash, maybe a running jump, and they were down. One of the easier monsters to handle, honestly. Far easier than creepers or skeletons.

But this zombie was . . . different.

Etho had seen zombie villagers before. He’d always shuddered at their twisted features, their not-quite-right noises. He’d killed those as well, if they were too far gone to be restored.

This one was, quite notably, not too far gone.

It was a farmer, once. Its wide-brimmed hat protected it from the last rays of the sun, its blood-stained overalls not thick enough to save it from whatever zombie bit it, blood staining the jean. Gloves hung from its belt, one almost entirely slipped out, just a finger pinning it in place.

It wasn’t quite a zombie, though, not yet. Sure, its skin was splotched with green, its mouth hanging open to show rotting teeth. Its eyes were completely clouded over with white, its fingernails cracked and blackened. But something about it screamed human, something in the way it checked right and left before lurching toward Etho, something in its repetitive swallowing of saliva instead of letting it all drip down its chin.

This was a freshly-turned zombie villager. Its reflexes were likely to be quicker, its bites stronger. Usually, Etho would turn the thing back, but as proved earlier, of course he didn’t think to bring an Ender chest with him.

He didn’t want to kill it, though. It was just a farmer, maybe still conscious enough to recognize that something was wrong, and he hated to condemn it to death for not being able to defend itself against a monster—not when he should have been able to help it.

Ah, well. He cared more about surviving this encounter than feeling bad for a zombie.

“Whoa there, buddy,” Etho said, hopping back a bit on his uninjured foot. His communicator remained on the ground as he tried to get his sword back out, sweaty fingers pulling fruitlessly on the handle. “If you want to just hang tight for a minute, my friends are on their way. They can turn you back.”

He didn’t think that the zombie could understand him, but there wasn’t any harm in trying.

His sword came free—

The zombie lunged—

Etho missed. Etho missed, and the zombie reached for him—he did his best to twist away, but his good foot slipped out from under him. He hit the ground and swung back blindly with his sword, pulling himself away on his bad arm. His wrist buckled under him and he gasped, pain surging through it.

Before he could properly turn around and defend himself, the zombie was on top of him. Etho writhed, tried to shove it off, but before he could get any leverage, it was biting down on his upper left arm.

A pained noise escaped his clenched teeth as he felt his flesh break under the zombie’s teeth, fire spreading from the bite. Involuntarily, his fingers released the sword, letting it clatter to the ground beside him. He shoved back, managing to dislodge the zombie—but a glance down showed several of the teeth still stuck in his bloody flesh. Etho rolled onto his back, scooted backwards as quickly as he could.

The zombie threw itself at him again, and Etho had nothing to defend himself with—

It bit into his chest this time, and Etho kicked and kicked and beat at its head with his fist, grimacing as its soft head gave way partially under the heel of his palm. White-hot pain burst from his chest as its jaw clamped down on him—Etho’s arms spasmed, but he just forced himself to breathe through it and kept trying to push the zombie away.

Without warning, his broken ankle erupted in pain. For a moment, he couldn’t make sense of it—the zombie was still on top of him, pulling away with a mouthful of flesh, blood dripping everywhere: how could it have grabbed his foot?

There was a hand wrapped around his bad ankle, and as the zombie pushed off of him, Etho saw it.

Another zombie villager, and this one was a teenage boy. It was a farmer as well, made clear by its jeans and straw hat, and Etho had a moment of staring at the two through tear-blurred eyes before he realized that they were probably father and son.

Then the son pulled, and Etho had a second realization.

He’d only seen this happen once. A villager reported missing from one of his villagers, that had been seen dragged away by multiple zombie villagers. Etho had ventured out in search and discovered an entire zombie villager family, feasting on the kidnapped villager.

These two were taking him to their family.

That wasn’t good. That wasn’t good at all.

“Hey,” Etho gasped, trying to spot his communicator as they started to haltingly drag him toward the forest. “Hey, I don’t really appreciate this. I’ve got—things—”

There it was, glinting in the grass—he reached for it—

The farmer’s boot came down on it, the screen cracking and fizzing out.

Maybe it still worked?

Etho twisted around onto his stomach, gritting his teeth against the scream that tried to tear from his throat at the turn of his injured ankle. His efforts were wasted, anyhow; his communicator was already out of reach.

He kicked, grabbed the grass, tried his best to fight, but the father growled something like a warning and Etho let himself go limp. He just had to wait for an opportune moment.

They breached the treeline, and Etho groaned aloud when the branches and roots of the underbrush began to pull at his clothes, scraping his skin up even worse.

This was going to be fun.

-

“Uh-oh,” Cub said as they landed at the coordinates that Etho had sent. Doc made a noise of unease.

Before them was Etho’s communicator, a large crack splintering down the screen. His sword lay abandoned a couple of feet away.

More ominous than anything, however, was the clear sign of something heavy being dragged through the broken grass and into the woods, the trail dotted and smeared with darkness that shines in the light of Doc’s torch. Blood.

They looked at each other, a quick analysis of the situation passing between them.

No discussion was needed. They turned toward the forest and charged in.

Following the trail was easy—blood marred it, of course, but whatever had taken Etho had made sure to drag him through the worst of the underbrush, making a clear path all the way through. Cub kept one eye on the ground while Doc followed close behind, his mechanical eye whirring.

Then they heard a sound that chilled their very bones.

A scream, cut-off and choked, sounding from not too far within.

Without a word, Cub broke into a run. Doc followed right behind.

-

Etho was still pretty sure he could make it out of this alive.

They hadn’t reached the rest of the zombie family yet, and the two dragging him hadn’t shown any signs of tiring out, but Etho was just resourceful like that.

He’d managed to roll back onto his back (terrible for his elytra, which he just knew were getting as destroyed as his mask already was), and from there he had pulled his satchel onto his stomach and begun pawing through it, ignoring the quickly-failing mobility of his right arm and the pulsing pain and slow seeping of blood from his chest.

He had torches, a pickaxe repair kit, some basic redstone. Food. Some finer instruments for chiseling. Not much, but certainly enough.

His left-handed throw would be rough, but surely he could launch something at these guys. If he could catch the kid in the face with his chisel, it might loosen its grip enough for Etho to sit up, then swing the miniature sledgehammer at the leg of the father. That should shatter the bone, give Etho a moment to grab his pickaxe off his back and swing.

He grasped the chisel, rubbed it between his bloodstained fingers. He had this. He just needed to breathe, ignore all the pain, and. . . .

Before he could take aim, they broke into something of a clearing—still with heavy tree covering, but few obstructions.

Sitting in the clearing were three other zombie villagers: the farmer’s wife, a baby, and another son.

Oh, no. He’d better not have left this too late.

“I really don’t want to die,” Etho said, as casually as he can manage. “I know that’s kind of your thing, but—”

He threw.

That part worked, somehow. The boy dragging him let go as the chisel hit him square in the nose, stumbling back and covering his face.

The next part . . . didn’t. Etho tried to sit up, tried to swing the sledgehammer at the farmer, but his back seized up with all-encompassing pain, just as it had earlier. He was stuck on the ground, muscles jerking, he couldn’t sit up—

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Etho muttered frantically, doing anything he could to roll to his feet. He’d run on a broken ankle, he didn’t care anymore, but this was getting dangerous and he had to go.

He was too late, not even able to turn onto his stomach as the farmer’s hands closed around his right foot and twisted. Etho screamed, briefly, at the horrible jolt and drag of pain as he felt his bones crunching together—he shoved his forearm into his mouth to stifle the noise, tried to focus through his watering eyes.

He threw the sledgehammer—missed. Just his luck. And now the other zombies were stalking toward him, and the older son was back to it, reaching toward his other leg with his mouth open—

The father bit down on his foot, his teeth held at bay by Etho’s shoe. Etho jerked, tried and succeeded in kicking him in the teeth, despite the added pain to his ankle. The farmer dropped him, but the son had his other leg and bit down on his shin—it hurt, it hurt, and the little baby was crawling toward his face, green hands reaching for Etho’s eyes—

This was it. Etho was going to die here.

He had a good run, he supposed. Friends, laughs, some redstone contraptions. Looking back, he’d had more good times than bad times, and that had to mean something. He must have done something right, right?

He didn’t have the energy to fight anymore, but he didn’t give up. He still tried to get away, still struggled and kicked and flung out. He still shoved the baby away.

But his energy was flagging, and soon enough, he would be nothing more than zombie food. The farmer’s wife, bent over him, tore into his stomach—the other son was gnawing on his shoulder—this was definitely it—

He’d never been this bone-chillingly terrified before, it washed over him like a tropical storm, he was dying—

Etho didn’t hear the thud and twang of the crossbow firing, nor did he see the bullet land, but he did see the wife zombie stumble away from him, landing hard on its back. He watched it, confused, his left hand coming up to uselessly try to staunch the bleeding from the gouge in his stomach.

This time, he did hear the whistle of an arrow, which buried itself in the older son’s throat and sent him crumpling to the ground, dropping Etho’s leg.

Etho looked back, over his shoulder and to the left, and there—

Cub, Cub drawing another arrow, Doc tossing a crossbow to the side and coming forward, sword already drawn.

Etho could have cried.

They had come for him. They were going to get him out of here.

The other zombies were taken out with relative ease (though Doc did splash a weakness potion on the baby and led it away to give it a slice of golden apple), and Cub was at Etho’s side in mere moments, light touches cataloging each wound.

Cub’s face had never looked so beautiful. And Doc’s.

He was going to survive.

“Hey,” Etho rasped, trying to smile. “Took you long enough.”

“Dude,” Cub shook his head. “We can’t leave you for one second.”

“Yeah, I’m a noob.” He felt a bit lightheaded. Probably the blood loss. “Got any . . . uh, potions?”

Cub clicked his tongue. “Yeah, but we’re gonna want to clean these out before you have anything. Which ankle did you hurt?”

“Uh, the right one. My wrist, too.”

Cub examined them both, his frown growing deeper and deeper. “You’ll probably want to get these checked out by a real doctor, off-world. I don’t wanna give you a potion if it isn’t set properly.”

“Whatever,” Etho said, biting his lip to keep his teeth from chattering. Now that the danger was over, he couldn’t seem to stop shaking. He watched as Cub uncapped a bottle of disinfectant, pouring some onto a piece of cloth and beginning to wipe down the wounds—it stung, of course it stung, he knew it would. Etho tried not to make too much noise.

“No head trauma?” Doc asked, approaching. Etho hummed, still gritting his teeth against the sting of the disinfectant.

“Don’t think so,” he said. “Don’t even remember hitting it on the fall.”

Doc knelt beside his head, took his face between his hands—surprisingly gentle, considering the cold metal of one of them. Etho’s mask was ripped to shreds by now, but Doc still straightened it as he stared into Etho’s eyes, his mechanical eye flashing.

After a moment, he smiled. “You can sleep, Etho. We’ve got you.”

Honestly? Sleep sounded really good.

So Etho fell asleep.

When he woke up, he was home, wounds bandaged and a soft glow coming from the lamp at his bedside.

He was safe.

He closed his eyes again and let sleep take him.

[csainzoperator]

yummy: LN4 ☆

summary: y/n is a chef in the mclaren hospitality who is famous for her fabulous recipies. everyone is head over heels for her recipies, and a certain someone is most definitely more than head over heels. but not just for the food.

(lando norris x fem!reader)

read more under the cut!

itsmey/n has posted!

another day at work! for the british gp, their special "sticky toffee pudding" was a success :)

tagged: landonorris and oscarpiastri

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri, lewishamilton and 76,123 others.

landonorris it was so yum (she fed us the so called desert forcefully after giving us a 4 course meal)

- oscarpiastri you're such an ungrateful brat. it was great, bestie itsmey/n

- itsmey/n thank you pastry, and lando...i might leave you to starve to death.

lewishamilton i would kill for a pudding rn! you should drop by merc hospitality y/n!

- mclaren look at you trying to steal our goddamn chef....

f1wagsss oh my god you're so pretty

landonorris has posted!

P2 AT HOME RACE BABY!! so proud of the team to be finishing at P2 and P4. also special thanks to y/n for feeding us well :)

tagged: oscar piastri and itsmey/n

liked by georgerussell63, carlossainz55, itsmey/n and 872,182,283 others.

landonorizz are we gonn ignore the fact that y/n just made it to a lando post???

lechaaair OH Y/N FEEDS US TOO. SHE SERVES ALL THE DAMN TIME. MOTHER 🙏🏼🙏🏼

itsmey/n its literally my job tho...?

- oscarpiastri some people are bad at their job. he's appreciating you for being good. (lando you fr have no rizz man)

carlaando lando are you trynna make a move GN

- landonowinss BROS PROBABLY REGRETTING RN 💀

(time skip!)

it was the hungarian gp. you were in the mclaren hospitality. the mclaren kitchen was quite big, and your co-workers were extremely sweet. you mainly cooked for the drivers and mechanics, while guiding the others. you were tasting a dish when you feel a presence behind you. you immediately recognise who it is.

"what is it now, lando?" you ask with a knowing smile on your face. he sits down on the counter beside you and watches you as you work. "i was wondering if you would like to, maybe, just maybe, come outside with me and sit down and talk and get some food you know?" he blabbers

"are you asking me out on a date?" you tease him. "well, yeah. only if you want it to be. its okay if you say no" he says with a sad smile on his face. you cup his face with one of your hands and give his cheeks a squeeze. "ofcourse i'll come, dumbass. now shoo, let me work. you're too distracting"

the smug smile he has on his face makes you blush. "so i am distracting huh? what else am i? you can give me details when we go on that date" he winks at you and walks off. you just simply shake your head in amusement.

the date goes well. to be honest, more than well. you both have the most fun ever. lando is everything that you craved. he was the sweetest boy. day by day, meal by meal, both of you started talking more, discovering each other. one fine night, in his apartment in london, where you taught him how to bake his favourite cake, he surprises you by asking you to be his girlfriend. you say yes without hesitation. you knew he wasn't going to play around with your heart.

it was the brazilian gp. lando had placed P2 again! you were the proudest girlfriend to exist, and the happiest. you were just so incredibly proud as he was doing so good this year.

itsmey/n has posted!

brazil you were brilliiianttt <3 liked by oscarpiastri, mclaren, landonorris and 92,233 others.

f1wags HOLD UP. SOFT LAUNCHING????

oscarpiastri yuck i hate being around the hospitality now.

landonorris 🌟

- carlandodod PLS IM NOT OK WHAT DOES THIS MEAN.

- leclercvc oh. my. god. guys. i think its lando and y/n.

f1gosssip apparently some people saw looking for his "girlfriend" after the race, and some people even saw him kissing a girl in the mclaren garage! we hope its y/n 😫

y/nfannn MOTHER WHO IS THAT

landonorris has posted!

brazil with bae. thank you team for making the P2 happen! more to come.

p.s i don't believe in soft launches. she let me hard launch after 8 races 🖐🏼

tagged: itsmey/n and mclaren

liked by mclaren, itsmey/n, charles_leclerc and 827,123,12 others.

oscarpiastri GAG

carlandooo MAMA Y PAPA

carlossainz55 finally mate! congrats :)

maxverstappen1 lando isn't a kid anymore

f1wags OFFICIALLY OUR FAV WAG (with lily obv)

itsmey/n i love you, baby! super proud <3

- landonorris i love YOU. so much. so much.

paddockclubb 8 RACES?? HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON OMG

the end ♡

[sondescent]

the cranberry collection (9 items!)

y'all remember me?

hey strangers! so I'll be honest, the whole drama situation with EA's TOS around last August kinda made me lose my mojo for creating cc, so much so I just disappeared off the internet altogether, i'm sorry for that. However I had been working on some pieces during the time I was away and i've slowly got back into the love for creating and thus I bring you the cranberry collection! this set has taken me so long and is definitely my proudest accomplishment in cc yet. You'll notice my change in editing yet again and I am so happy to share this one with you. Thankyou to everyone that's stuck around and I can't wait to keep improving for you all - SD <3

everything is bgc!

9 items altogether 

DOWNLOAD (released for public 27-07-23)

follow me on insta <3

[writergirl2011]

I got tagged by @musing-and-music!! Thanks!! 😊 So here goes...

Story I'm proudest of...

Argh. That would be so unfair to the other stories I've written. But if I had to choose, it would be the baseball story, Diamond in the Rough simply because I always wanted to write about baseball and finally found the perfect pairing for it! Not to mention how much research went into the story.

Your story that's gotten the most love online...

Funny that this came up because this just overtook the baseball story for most hits--though to be honest, I probably would've put this anyway given that it actually got several mentions on Twitter during the 2022 J/B fic exchange: you who know what love is (lol, musing-and-music, you tagged me in this and our regency stories are the most popular!!)

Tease a current WIP or idea that you're currently working on...

Speaking of fic exchanges, I just started working on my very short story for the 2024 J/B fic exchange. So sorry, can't...oh, what the heck. Heeeeeere's...a little bit from the next story in the "A Girl for All Seasons" series!!

JAIME: I don’t know whether I’m going to kiss you or kill you next time I see you

TYRION: ahhh I see you talked to ros

JAIME: you didn’t think she’d keep that to herself did you

TYRION: guess not

TYRION: it was for your own good

TYRION: not to mention mine because if I had to listen to you moaning about your blue balls one more minute I was going to smother you in your sleep

TYRION: though now that I think about it that would’ve cured yoru problem too

Your top 3 fandoms...

I only have two. A Song of Ice and Fire and Bridgerton at the moment.

Your top three ships...

Jaime x Brienne, Eloise x Cressida (shut up) and I guess that's really it. If I had to have a third, it would probably be Sansa x Margaery since I've paired them off in some of my fics, but they're not the main focus of my stories and I don't write for them specifically.

Rec someone else's fic...

Yikes, there are far too many I want to rec, but I'm going with the story I received in this year's smut swap because I just love it to death: BT, Phone Home by @angelowl-fics. Brienne as an alien!!!! Jaime as her wannabe boy toy!!!! If you haven't read this already--go read it!!!!

Pick one!

Fluff or Angst: I don't think I write things that are especially fluffy. At the same time, I don't think my fics are super angsty for the most part. Dramatic at times? Sure, but angst--the part that really, really hurts--not so much. But I'll put angst because I do drift in that direction more often than fluff. Where's the "snark" option? That's definitely my speed.

Oneshots or longfics: 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Was this even a question???????

Canon compliance or canon divergence: I think it depends on the canon. For example, I'm not great at writing canon fic for J/B, so I stick with mod AUs. I was better at writing canon fic in other fandoms, though. So I'd say that for now, canon divergence. But I'll read both.

AO3 or ff.net: I somehow completely missed the ff.net experience. AO3 all the way.

[utopiastri]

Fic Writer Interview!!!

tagged by @1425fivefive (forever ago, whoops!) and @miamimaiden

(this was such a funny ask game bc i did mostly end up discussing my F1 fics but I also have a Number of musicals fics on my ao3 so those do also crop up in my answers lmao)

How many works do you have on AO3?

10 in total!!! 4 F1 fics so far though

What's your total AO3 word count?

62,635 apparently (mostly being driven by one of those aforementioned musicals fics lmao)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

who actually texts people this much (3,076) (again. the musicals fic)

you must like me for me (646)

tell me 'bout the first time you saw me (508)

you're always on my team (464)

and i'll learn how to fly (253)

ok other than the obvious outlier at the top, i'm thrilled that my four F1 fics are the ones that have made it into the top 5 because they are undeniably the ones i'm proudest of right now

insane to me how many people have liked you're always on my team!!! i was a little nervous about posting my first chaptered fic in a while and i'm so happy it got such a lovely reception

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes!!! oh my god i love responding to comments as much as i love leaving comments myself!!!

the only thing with this is that i do find myself forgetting to actually put time aside in my day to do it!!! so sometimes, about two weeks after i read a comment and internally squealed about it, i'll go "oh FUCK i didn't reply that comment" and sprint to my laptop

so, uh, if you've ever received a late comment reply from me? now you know why lmao

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

oh god um. none of them? i guess the one abandoned fic on my ao3 account (a she-ra fic from 2018 lmao) has the angstiest ending by virtue of the fic not being finished and no resolution being reached lmao

but genuinely i don't think i could ever write a fic with an angsty ending!!! i think at best i could plot an angty ending??? or maybe write a drabble or something??? but honestly, i really struggle reading angsty endings so it would be a rogue move to write one lmao

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

ooooooo excellent question

honestly any of my finished F1 fics probably work but i think i'll go with you must like me for me! truly one of my favourite brands of happy ending is a reciprocated love confession and (not to spoil the fic lmao) that might be one of my favourite ones i've ever done!

Do you write crossovers?

nope!!!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

oooo once upon a time i received a comment on that musicals fic, who actually texts people this much, that was fairly harsh on the writing??? the worst part was enough time had passed since i'd written the fic and i'd honestly reached the part of the writing cycle where i hated everything about it so i almost agreed with the commenter lmao

even today, i think the critique was accurate! but perhaps not a polite/kind thing to comment on someone's fic lmao

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i'm trying to!!! i haven't posted any yet

i am terrible at describing things (including like. physical movement) so, so far, any smut i've attempted to write has been fairly dialogue-heavy!!! but honestly that's generally my taste in smut so i think this tracks

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

that musicals texting fic has been translated somewhere on the internet! one of my friends in uni dug it up lmao

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

never co-written before! i am a huge fan of brainstorming fics with my friends though! either their fics or mine - i just love the collaboration of it all!!!

What's your all-time favorite ship?

god this is difficult!!! my taste in ships moves around all the time to be honest

ok for F1, it's fairly easy - landoscar do unfortunately possess my entire heart and there is very little i can do about that lmao

other than that? i do have to mention how much i still adore the les mis pairing enjolras/grantaire because i did spend a good portion of my teenage years thinking about them and only them lmao

and i spent many a year in steve/bucky from the mcu hell so i guess it's important that that goes on here too!

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

so many!!! in particular though, i would love to one day finish the first ever landoscar fic i ever worked on (the idea was that oscar and lando are friends with benefits but, through miscommunication shenanigans, have somehow never kissed lmao)

i think i'd just really enjoy the full circle moment of getting to finish that first wip!

What are your writing strengths?

dialogue!!! dialogue my beloved! my favourite thing i have ever written is the unreciprocated love confession scene in you must like me for me - writing a dramatic not-argument/discussion was just so tailored to my strengths of writing dialogue and not much else lmao

there's a reason i'm having so much fun with you're always on my team! and it's because what is a texting fic if not a fic made only of dialogue!!!

What are your writing weaknesses?

description!!!!!! tell me 'bout the first time you saw me was a delight to write but truly i don't know if i could do a first meeting fic again because trying to work out how a stranger would describe oscar piastri was a NIGHTMARE

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

as someone who can only speak english, i simply don't have a good enough understanding of any other language to do it without defaulting to like. terrible google translate

i think it can be fun to read though!!! it depends what effect the author is going for tbh

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

...glee (i wasn't even that into glee!!! my two best friends at the time were though so i wrote a couple things i thought they'd enjoy lmao)

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

galex!!! i don't know if i could do it but i really really want to one day - if only because my girlfriend's sister adores them and i think it would be fun to write something for her!

although i have also been pondering gax a lot with @jusst-you-race!!! so maybe i should throw gax in here too

What's your favorite fic you've written?

you must like me for me undoubtedly. it's the most complete fic i think i've ever written in that there's a clear plot with a clear resolution and, as i said earlier, that unreciprocated love confession/first kiss scene is genuinely my favourite thing i have written of anything ever!!!

it was also the first fic i'd posted in nearly 6 years!!! and i'm so glad i felt happy enough with it to share it because i've just had the most wonderful time in this fandom since doing so!!!

i cannot for the life of me remember who has done this so no pressure tagging @ipleadbritney and @jusst-you-race and anyone else who wants to do this!!!

[zenkindoflove]

How about 11 for the ask game? 💕

11. Which Elucien work are you proudest of?

I was going to say Summer Heat, my recent Elucien multichapter fic I completed. But I think if I'm being honest with myself the one I brag about the most to people is my collab fic Dear Lucien, Dear Elain with @crazy-ache. It'll be the fic I'll tell people about years from now. I just like how we tried something completely new with the epistolary style, and it was the most fun I've had writing a fic. Creating with your friends is a completely different experience, and I know that fic couldn't have been done without her.

Thank you for the ask!!! <3

Elucien Week Ask Game

[bropunzeling]

If you're up for some random-ass questions, here are some questions for the new year!

what fic were you proudest of this year?

what fic are you most surprised you wrote?

favorite old (to you) ship this year

favorite new (to you) ship this year

favorite old (to you) ship you picked up again this year

favorite old man (old man being a state of mind not gender) ship (maybe you ship a younger version of them but they're Old Men now)

ships/characters you're excited about in 2024

fics/plot bunnies you're excited about working on in 2024

give a random prediction of any kind - about your own writing, about your fandom's fic trends, about canonical developments in your fandom

share a random thought about fics you've written, characters you're thinking about, writing in general, etc

Feel free to pass on if you'd like, or not! Happy new year!

thank you anon! what a great excuse to ignore the work computer. also consider this a blanket "steal these prompts" from me for whoever is so moved bc i don't want to tag everyone

what fic were you proudest of this year? i might have to say only fools rush in aka marriage bets! it certainly is the longest one i've written and had the longest gestational period. plus i wrote a lot of it while incredibly busy (tho maybe that helped?). im still happy i managed to hit the balance between ridiculous premise and genuine feeling that i was aiming for, and that i managed to figure out and feel comfortable in a new pov.

what fic are you most surprised you wrote? linger. if you told me a year ago i was gonna write 65k of omegaverse i simply would not have believed you! it wasn't a trope i ever thought i would write! and yet here we are. lmao.

favorite old (to you) ship this year? i mean. viva la ratfiction. someday we may run out of steam but not this year by golly!

favorite new (to you) ship this year? the amount brady/quinn clawed its way into my brain this year cannot be overstated. maybe i was exploring last year but this year is when it really got me in a fucking chokehold. the pining! the friends to lovers of it all!!!!! exquisite. honorable mention to matthew/sasha. those two ARE in love.

favorite old (to you) ship you picked up again this year? earlier this fall i started a rewatch of miss fisher's murder mysteries and god. jack and phryne. they are EVERYTHING. someday i really will write fic for them.

favorite old man (state of mind) ship? gotta be honest first thing that came to mind was band of brothers winters/nixon. we'll go to chicago. i'll take you there.

ships/characters you're excited about in 2024? hmm brady/quinn, obvi. the general state of brady tkachuk and how i'd like to give him a midlife crisis and by midlife i mean when he's 29. jamie and trevor are BACK baby, and i wanna make trevor sad and making poor choices for 50k before he finally gets to get kissed. has someone written timmy stu and mo seider as summer boyfriends yet? bc i still like that.

fics/plot bunnies you're excited about working on in 2024? i think i have tentatively figured out my next long matthew/leon project (which i can't start until the new year) but i don't want to say quite yet in case i scare it off but! that. it WILL be a true slow burn which will be fun. also ballet quinn i WOULD like to put more than 2k in your gdoc. hopefully at some point soon inspiration will hit again/i'll feel less dull and burnt out

give a random prediction of any kind - about your own writing, about fandom trends, about canonical developments in your fandom: the kraken will sign yamo to a longer contract. i will start a project thinking it will be nice and short and then watch it double, like bread dough rising.

share a random thought about fics you've written, characters you're thinking about, writing in general: did you know the more you write the better you get? even though there’s plenty of areas where i want to improve and become a stronger, more thoughtful developer of sentences/plots/et cetera, i can really see my growth from month to month or year to year and that's neat!!! i'm slowly getting better!!!

[actualbird]

hope you have a great Christmas and new year!! what fic/headcanon/ficlet did you enjoy writing the most this year, and are there any fic/headcanon ideas you want to write in 2024? 🎄

hi hi anon, thank you for the well wishes!! i hope you have a wonderful holidays too, and a happy new year :DDD

thank you ALSO for this question cuz uehhhhh i feel pretty emotional over my writing journey this 2023. i didnt write as much as i wanted, but im still proud of myself for what i managed to get out

the fic i enjoyed writing the most this year has got to be, hands down, growing pains

(yes i will shamelessly self promo it HAHA, it's the fic im proudest of writing this year!! to anybody out there hasnt read it, if you do read it, itd mean the world to me)

while this fic didnt do numbers or anything, it's the one fic that i'd been wanting to write basically ever since i learned of marius' family's lore and his backstory. it was an idea that i kept in my head for the longest time, and finally being able to write it was so rewarding. the comments i got on the fic too, both on the fic or from people telling me or from aRT INSPIRED BY THE FIC (CHIKA IF UR OUT THERE, KNOW THIS ART LIVES IN MY HEART!!), it all made me so so so grateful and happy. just goes to show that theres no such thing as too late to write a fic idea ;w; someone out there will always be able to resonate with the story ;w;

as for 2024......i....actually dont wanna be writing very much anymore, if im being honest ;w;

i know i just posted a wip of a christmas fic but after some reflection ive come to the conclusion that! writing isnt making me very happy lately if im being honest HAHA. and life is too short to waste on things that make me feel upset. the only reason im writing right now is because it feels like homework, which....isnt a great way to think about a hobby thats sposed to be bringing me joy.

maybe one day in this upcoming year, the joy to write will come back and i'll ferally work on a wip with passion and gusto again. but until then, take this ask as me taking an informal hiatus from fics and most hcs

anyhoo, thank you for the ask anon!! to a fruitful 2024 for us all :D

[liviavanrouge]

Jasper Bloom Banquet

Jasper: To think that my birthday would come so soon, I'm having a lot of fun here in the school, I wonder who my presenter is gonna be...

Jasper: Hopefully, they'll be someone chill

???: Jasper! Happy birthday to you~~

Kalim: *Beams* I'm your presenter for today! I hope your excited!

Jasper: *Screams in fear, his eyes wide*

Kalim: You sound excited! That's good!

Jasper: A-Aha....y-yeah...

Kalim: Wanna begin with the interview now?

Jasper: Yes please

Kalim: What is your best class?

Jasper: Hm, I'd say Ancient Magic..I've learned about it from the ghosts at home, they'd tutor me and teach me some of the spells

Kalim: Woah, you can talk to ghosts, that's really cool!

Jasper: ....all students talk to ghosts, Kalim, I just talk to them more often than others because they have a lot of knowledge

Jasper: Ghosts are really kind once you get to know them and they're really smart, not at all like how most people perceive them all

Jasper: I always make it my goal to say good morning to at least a hundred ghosts. Let them know they're appreciated

Kalim: *Beams* That's so sweet!

Jasper: Learning Ancient Magic from them was a fun experience, I'd like to make it a tradition if I can

~~~~

Part 2

Kalim: What is something that made you glad you could use magic?

Jasper: Hm, to be honest, I've never thought about this before

Jasper: There are some things that don't really bother me, like me being able to use magic

Jasper: If I absolutely have to answer, it'd be being able to protect by baby sister

Kalim: Why's that?

Jasper: When I was ten and she was six we were playing and running around town but a hostile dog leaped at us

Jasper: I remember zapping the dog and sending it running away, I was praised by my sister and family for it

Jasper: It's my proudest moment and it made me relieved that I could protect my sister

Kalim: She must admire you a lot! How lucky she is to have you

Jasper: *Smiles slightly* Yeah....I guess so..

~~~~

Kalim: Wow, time certainly went by fast didn't it? Here's our final question

Kalim: How do you spend your days off

Jasper: I usually join in on games, Idia showed me lots of them and we play with his online friend almost every day

Jasper: The raids are really fun and lots of items get dropped or earned through each of them, it's certainly quite the experience

Kalim: That sounds fun, you should show me the games sometime

Jasper: ...ah..sure...I'll see what I can do..

Kalim: Anything else you do?

Jasper: I play spooky pranks, it's tradition back in Halloween Town to play pranks twice a week, and that tradition still comes with me despite being at school

Jasper: I play lots of pranks with Lilia and Ace, they give me lots of great ideas, I mostly play my pranks on Riddle, Idiq and Azul since their reactions are the funniest

Jasper: Besides, I also feed on the fear of people, it's more like a snack because it just sustains me long enough until lunch or dinner

Kalim: Mind if I join in sometime?

Jasper: ....

Jasper: *Closes his eyes* ....

Kalim: Jasper?

Jasper: *Opens his eyes and smiles* Sure, I wouldn't mind that actually...

Kalim: Awesome!

~~~~

Kalim: That's the end of our interview, Jasper!

Kalim: Here's your broom!

Jasper: Violets, yellow pansies, and roses it makes a nice broom...

Kalim: Yeah! Now have fun and fly safely

Jasper: Thank you, Kalim...

~~~~

Jasper: ...I hope I can have more fun at school with everyone

Jasper: Starting today, I'm going to work harder!

----

Jasper: *Hangs upside down by his legs, holding his head out with one hand laughing with a big grin on his face*

@anxious-twisted-vampire

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

i have some questions, if you feel up to it: which of your published fics are you the proudest of? which of them have you reread the most? and, which of your wips should the average buddie fic enjoyer be most wary of?

Of my published fics it's hard to pick just one, since I have about five that I really consider the best examples of my work or milestones in my writing abilities.

(For example, my Hunger Games fic I wouldn't say is my best work today, but it's still one of the fics I'm the proudest of since it was in my opinion a really well-done fic for a sixteen-year-old and marked a milestone in trying to tackle really difficult subjects including unlikable characters and main character death.)

Of my Buddie fics the three I'd say I'm proudest of are Your Fingerprints Smeared on My Heart (Lead Me Back to You), In the Gray You are Golden, and Further Than Blood (Or Than Bones).

The first is my soulmate fic and a rare fic where I feel like I set myself a very high bar and actually accomplished what I set out to do in my head with the fic. The unending lament of a writer is that the story rarely turns out as good on the page as you see it in your mind, but I think with this one I came close. It was a challenge to write, and I'm really happy with the finished product.

The second is my Zombie Apocalypse AU that I dashed off in a fit of inspiration in 48 hours. I'm really proud of the atmosphere I created and the worldbuilding. My goal was to write a zombie fic where non-zombie and non-horror lovers could still enjoy it, and given the comments I've received I think I've succeeded.

The third is my long vampire fic that I wrote for Halloween this past year, and it wasn't coming together for me the way that I wanted. I was extremely frustrated and disappointed with myself. And then I got the idea to write Eddie's moment of being shot as if it were poetry, a 'life flashes before your eyes' moment, and sprinkle passages from that moment throughout the rest of the fic. This turns the fic into actually one long flashback, something the reader isn't aware of until they hit the shooting and all the fragments of the poem (so to speak) are repeated as one piece. That made the fic come together for me, and I'm really proud of that idea and how it turned out.

I'm actually not sure which fanfic of mine I've read the most since I uh actually don't reread my fanfics much. I do, however, enjoy reading the comments, since they help me see my fics through fresh eyes and appreciate them anew. I reread @extasiswings fics a lot, and so of my fics I'd say A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words (But Love is Undefinable) and Carbon Date Me, Excavate Me are the ones I've actually reread most since they were co-written with her and I adore her sections of them. But of my solo works... probably my Zombie AU if I'm being honest? I've reread it a few times, I just love what I did with that one.

Occasionally I'll get a comment on a slightly older fic like The Best Lie is a Truth (My Best Mask is My Face) or Even the Darkest Night (Can't Outshine the Stars) - to name the two examples I can recall at the moment - that inspires me to reread the fic. But I actually don't make a regular habit of rereading my fics. Does this make me an outlier? Mayhaps?

Which of my WIPs hmm... hmmmmm...

Probably All My Shattered Oaths. All four WIPs are angsty (the fifth is just fun monsterfucker smut) but I think that one is a little bit more painful than the others.

NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING ANYONE SHOULD WORRY ABOUT. BECAUSE YOU SHOULDN'T. SHHH. IT'S ALL FINE HERE.

[anthonyartz1109]

Here's the full animation, complete after about 4ish weeks

I spent almost every in the studio trying to finish this and I did one all-nighter just to render it

It is definitely one of my proudest animations and I'm more than happy with the way it turned out and that I actually managed to finish it considering how big the animation was in comparison to the other animations I've created

When making this animation, which really emphasised the validation of my process of making animatics, I learnt that colouring/inking the animation can take just as long as trying to animate in TVPaint and that is all thanks to the pixilation in TVPaint's canvas'

The pixilation makes it really annoying to select the areas you need coloured/inked and, even if you increase the selection depth, if it thicker than the lineart, it will select the whole canvas

I say it every time and I'll say it again, TVPaint would be so much better if it was, at basis the same, but had passive features that are to today's standard of animation software

I've never programmed a software so I don't know how difficult it is, but it's an industry software, the developers can afford to make those updates >:(

The camera movements, timing, and putting all the scenes together was all done in after effects and to be honest, I was working off of muscle memory with after effects

For the most part, it's one of adobes not-as-complicated software which was why it was simple enough for me to remember how to do what I wanted to do for this animation; can't stress enough how important those camera movements are and how much it adds to the animation

There were two parts to the sound, to edit the sound where I needed to (making the bear running sound from editing the sound of a horse galloping), I used audacity which I would say I am well versed in using because I use it all the time

To put the sounds in the animation and have them play at the right times, I used premiere pro, another of adobes software's that aren't too unnecessarily complex to use, again allowing muscle memory to kick in to do what I needed to do

The music, which isn't copyright free, is 'Since U Asked' by Swim Good Now and I thought it fit the scene perfectly in my opinion

[citizensofeggtonarchived]

"Yeah, I guess anyone wouldn't be much compared to a God at the end of the day." Poppy had heard that line in many different ways said to her, though at least this time it was because she was an opossum. "Unless any of those myths back home about Opossum blood being poison to a deity are true, though I high doubt it." She's heard that story since she was a kid.

"At this rate I may just owe you my life with how much you're offering to help me with." Poppy had met kind folks before, though this was the first time someone was this kind to her. The opossum was gonna have to try extra hard to convince Blaze's mom to let them stay here. 'What's a taxi?' She thought to herself, never having heard of such a thing before.

"Wow, that's a whole lot of people to keep track of. I mean, I'm good at counting, though I'm not sure if I could count how many people stay at a palace." Lily was already trying to come up with a number in her head as to how many people work there. "Can I look at the flowers when I get there?" The young opossum liked smelling flowers and hoped this place would have one's she hadn't seen before.

"Sorry kiddo, but I'm putting you down for a nap after we find out what we gotta do to fix that eye of yours." Poppy was sure by then Lily would be all tired out given everything that had happened. "I'll make sure you get to see the flowers at some point, promise." The opossum was sure she could manage that even if Blaze's mom doesn't all them to stay.

"Please tell me I won't have to kiss up to any politicians before meeting with your mom." Poppy would do it if she had to, though if she could help it would want to avoid them as normally politicians were too stuffy for her taste. "I'm sure you've guessed this, though I ain't no city girl." The opossum was raised in a small town out in the country where she's from.

Poppy would pick up Lily, placing her daughter in the pouch of her out fit as she follows Blaze outside the building, shielding her eyes for a moment before getting a good look at where she was. Amazement couldn't describe her reaction upon seeing the city, though there she got a look as to what a taxi was, at least she assumes that's what a taxi is. "Holy Didelphi, this is the coolest thing I've ever seen! What even is this thing and can I have one?!" If the opossum couldn't stay here one of these things would be so cool to have.

Poppy was quick to realize she was being extremely loud and maybe a bit rude to Blaze. "Sorry, even I get a bit over excited sometimes. Guess you know where my little girl gets it from," Poppy said, giver Lily a light pat on the head. "Well, I've done all kinds of job. Cooking, cleaning, farming, even was a maid at one point." The opossum would say that job was awful, though it was mainly due to the face her employer got a bit grabby and she broke his arm in response.

"I, uh, also may have been involved in some underground fighting at one point. Not my proudest point in life, though I had to do what I had to do in order to get by." Thankfully it was before Lily was born, though it was a dark time. Poppy was aware she didn't have to mention that, though Blaze had been so kind thus far and knew hiding anything could cause problems down the rode. Best to be as honest as she was willing to be.

@atangledfate

Blaze kept her hands behind her back as Poppy spoke, her eyes focused past the possum to the hole in the roof. What ever had caught Poppy couldn't have been mystical in nature. Even she could feel the other's Dulling of magic around her from this distance. It wasn't painful for her but it was like a tingle along her fur, and down the tip of her tail. Her Glamor taking a small amount of effort to keep in place when they made physical contact. So she had to wonder what had pulled her here and why. Was it simple a freak accident she wondered.

Her eyes returned to Poppy and she offered the same warm smile she had earlier. She had an aura like a warm summer day, bright as sunshine despite the situation she tried to be as friendly as she could be. But she had no idea how her mother would react to such a request, but she prayed Poppy would be allowed to stay. Her home sounded awful in many ways. She wanted to give her a chance at a better life.

" I doubt your aura will be an issue for mother. You are but a drop of rain amongst a great inferno. A minor inconvenience but she is the goddess who created these islands, and have birth to life ins this word... i doubt there is much anyone could do to harm her directly... especially in her Temple where her power is magnified. You may rest easy about that "

" I will have the Royal Physicians care for your child once we arrive. She may well need to go to a proper hospital for treatment, but they will be able to recommend a proper cure. If that fails... I know a certain friend who is quite skilled in technology. He may be able to help where we can not. But i will do what i can for your child i promise "

She turned slowly to one of her officers again her attitude was much softer now then it had been on arrival.

" Lt. Would you procure a Taxi for our return to the Palace... and call ahead and let them know of our imminent arrival. "

She turned her attention not to poppy but to Lilly as she couldn't help but laugh a bit and leaned down so she was closer to the childs eye level. She was a bright child with a bright soul, and Blaze had a soft spot for children. Having not had a real childhood herself moments like these always made her smile.

" There are many jobs among the Castle staff, everything from our castle guard, to the chefs who prepare meals, to those who tend the gardens, down to the janitors who insure the castle looks presentable. Of course there are many politicians who dwell within... much to my dismay ...ah, as for where you may go. "

She chuckled and gave Lilly a little pat on her cheek for reassurance, before turning to poppy fully once again. Mostly to answer her request though it might again not be the answer she wanted but it was the best she could do.

" Well i'm sure something could be arranged, we have many positions within the palace walls. Though i suppose knowing your own life skills would help in that determination. However until mother makes her decision for now i fear we shall await her decision on this matter. "

She explained with a soft smile

" Come the Taxi will be here soon, from there the Palace...I'm sure you are both curious where you have landed. It is about time you seen the city beyond this shops walls is it not? "

Blaze turned on her heels making her way outside hopefully with her guests in tow. The city beyond was something out of a book almost, great spires of crystal rose into the sky beyond. Magical lights lit the streets, and floating buildings above them seemed to ride on the clouds themselves. It was a marvel and many sought to walk these streets. But few got that honor but here poppy was, standing in t he streets of Solenna the capital of Sol.

As if on Que the vehicle pulled up in front of them while it was a simple Taxi you might expect elsewhere. It was powered by magical crystals, and floated above the ground ever so slightly. As long as poppy and lilly didnt touch the engine Blaze was sure it would be fine as she glanced back at the two.

" So why not tell me of your work skills i can consider them while we wait for mothers decision, then i can see about employment either at the palace or perhaps the city beyond... should things go in your favor at least "

[multi-writer]

The Lonely Princess and The Nerd Knight Pt. 3

Eddie Munson x Rich! Reader

The Lonely Princess and The Nerd Knight Pt.2

Summary: Help arrived, but Eddie is still in danger. But what if his only salvation means you have to walk away from him?

Author´s note: I'll be honest, it's not one of my proudest works, I feel that something was missing in this ending, maybe in the future I can complete it as I would like to. For the moment I will take a little more breaks since sadly one of my dogs has just died and I don't feel very inspired to write as I did before. But I'll continue with "Love in the Past" no problem, I'll just take some time off so I can be better.

I hope you like it and we finally have the fluff we've been waiting for so long. I love you all so much <3

Warning: angst and finally fluff lol

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

Seeing that the monster coming at you had stopped and escaped, you turned to look at the girl with the gun, who was still pointing at it in case the thing came back. The man -whom you thought was Steve- approached you and Eddie to hold him in his arms and start walking towards the opposite side of the portal from where you had entered.

"Hey!" You were trying to get up but seeing that you were having a hard time because of your footing, a tall girl with short hair and freckles on her face came over to help you. "There's a portal closer, that way" you pointed with your hand where you had entered making everyone look at you. "We have to run, Eddie doesn't have much time" you said as your eyes filled with tears again, you couldn't lose him, not again. The other man looked at Dustin who nodded and then trotted off in the direction you had pointed. The girl who was helping you bent down to pick up your things that you had left next to you on the floor.

The first to leave were Dustin and the other girl who had a gun in her hands, then Eddie and Steve, who bent down slowly to help Eddie go towards Dustin and the girl so he could be out of this hellish place. The last ones were the short haired girl and you, who helped you out while the other girl with the gun helped you back to your world. You have to ask their names.

As you exited the portal you saw Steve leaving Eddie to Dustin as he ran away. You just pointed at him and looked at the frightened teenager.

"Where is he going?! We don't have much time" You claimed to him making the girl who was helping you stop you by the shoulders so you wouldn't do anything stupid.

"We have a trailer nearby, it's our best bet to get Eddie to the hospital faster" Dustin commented in tears as he adjusted Eddie's 'bandages'. It wasn't long when you saw a trailer pull up and Steve behind the wheel. Steve got out so he could get Eddie into the car while the girl with the gun took her place to drive. Everyone got in, taking different places. You, in fear and shock of what had happened, sat next to Eddie and remained silent.

Every now and then you found yourself watching Eddie's chest slowly rise and fall as you prayed that everything was going to be okay.

When you arrived at the entrance to the emergency room, several nurses came out and reacted quickly when they saw Eddie unconscious and his clothes full of blood. While they were tending to him, you were following them. Your concern increased when several doctors started yelling at each other and then rushed Eddie to the ER room. As you tried to enter, you were stopped by a nurse, denying you the entrance.

The rest of the guys - minus Steve - came over to you to comfort you and take you to one of the hospital chairs. Several nurses and doctors passed in front of you asking if you were all right as you all had some kind of injury.

Minutes later Steve arrived with three other teenagers who were shocked by what had happened but none of them had injuries to deal with. Time continued to pass and the night went on as the group told you everything that was happening in Hawkins, from Eleven - a girl with powers - to their confrontation with Vecna in the Upside Down, which apparently was the place they had been. 

The next time you saw Eddie, he was lying unconscious in a hospital bed. He had been induced into a coma by the doctors so that his body could heal faster. However, they didn't know how long he could last like that or if he would survive. After thinking about it, you decided to call your mother to tell her where you were, when she arrived she hugged you while tears fell from her eyes, then she took you by the cheeks and began to inspect you. When her gaze returned to your eyes, she could see the tears in your eyes causing her to hug you again. Physically you felt fine but your heart was hurting, you didn't know if you would ever see Eddie again, especially after what had happened.

When you opened your eyes again, you could see your father behind you, causing you to pull away from your mother in surprise, after all he was supposed to be in Washington. After seconds you went to hug him.

"First Derry, now Hawkins, apparently we have bad luck picking places where you can live a normal safe life" Said your father through tears as he flashed you a small comforting smile. Tears kept falling as he hugged you again. When you separated from them you began to tell them everything that had happened making them both look at each other and then at you. You turned to look at your father with teary eyes.

"Please help him, for me. Clear his name, he is innocent and, and, and, and I love him dad. I love him so much" you finally broke down after all that had happened. Your father just went hugged you for the third time.

"I will help him on one condition" hearing this you looked up quickly as you nodded your head. "You will live in Washington with me, you will not return to this place and you will go back to homeschooling until you enter college" When he said that you pulled away from him and walked away, disbelieving what he was asking. However, your father continued. "It´s the only way I’ll know you´ll be finally safe. Just then I can help him."

When you turned to see the rest of Eddie's friends you could see that Dustin was crying while hugging who you thought was Eddie's uncle who had arrived quickly after calling him. The thought of never see them and Eddie again made you sad but you would do everything you could to make sure he was okay. When you turned back to see your father he was expectant. With all the pain in your heart you nodded accepting your fate.

The next few days you were packing in the mornings while in the afternoons you went to visit Eddie. Your father had gone out to talk to the news, mentioning that Eddie was not the one who had killed the victims and that he was a hero for saving you from being attacked, which is why he was in the hospital. This caused a commotion thanks to the fact that an important senator was in Hawkins and that the town freak had saved his only daughter. Your mother had spoken to Eddie's uncle and told him not to worry about the hospital bill, it would be on your parents. Mr. Wayne thanked them while crying.

The last day you would be in Hawkins you went to say goodbye to Eddie's friends and then went to the man you were in love to talk one last time. Dustin was in the room keeping you company.

"Hey...as you know, I have to go now" tears began to fill your eyes. "I'm so sorry for the way I behaved with you, you didn't deserve any of that. I also brought you several things to remember me... in case I don't see you again..." you opened your backpack. "First, I brought you a letter, there it explains the reason why I left, why I won't be with you when you wake up. I also brought you my copy of “To Kill a Mockingbird” I know you will like it" looking at your backpack you found the last thing you had to leave. "I also want to lend you this..." you pulled out the die Eddie had given you. "I'm leaving it for you to play with it while I'm gone and as a promise that I'll look for you when I´m finally free to travel wherever I want, after all the die is still mine..." you laughed through your tears. Dustin was also crying, so you approached the boy to hug him. "Take care of him for me, okay?" Dustin just nodded.

You left the room where you met the rest of the group, who said goodbye to you while you thanked them for helping you in the other world. As you walked away you felt a pain in your chest and an enormous weight on your shoulders, after all you would not see them again for a long time. At the door of the hospital your parents were waiting for you with open arms ready to continue their life in Washington where they could be with you 24/7.

The road to Washington was long, through the window you could see the town, the people were living their lives quietly, unaware of what had happened. It was as if destiny wanted the hell you lived through to be only yours while the rest lived in ignorance.

When you returned home you could feel the loneliness that you had hated so much, it was as if you had returned to a gray world from which you had escaped for months to return of your own free will, as if you were destined to live in a dark color life with no one to keep you company.

The next few months in Washington were the emptiest you have ever experienced, you hardly left the house, the days passed slowly, you hardly spoke and you were sad every day worrying your parents about your physical and mental health. Every day you thought about Eddie and whether he was well or not. You would write letters addressed to Eddie just to never send them. This was the only way you could capture your heart, with empty words, lovely feeling and tears to fill the spaces.

Your life had become monotonous and quiet. You missed more than ever living in an unfamiliar town where you could go for walks, where you could live with people your own age, where you could find love. At night you couldn't help but imagine what your life would be like if nothing had happened, maybe you would have started dating Eddie, maybe you would have had more friends. Maybe you would have graduated with Eddie and made a happier life with him compared to the prison you were living in.

"Honey, everything okay?" your mom asked from the doorway of your room, seeing you lying on your bed made her heart skip a beat, wondering if they had made the best decision for you. "You know you can talk to me."

You only turned to see her with tears in your eyes causing her to come in to hug and comfort you the way a mother does. Your head was on her chest making you listen to her heartbeat and remembering the moments when you were a child and she hugged you the same way.

"I know it still hurts, but please understand it's for your sake" she commented making you stand up.

"For my sake? Look at me, I'm not even doing okay, I'm broken and the only one who can help me is not here, I don't even know if he is still alive" you replied making your mother let out a sigh and leave your room. The rest of the day was spent as usual, alone.

That same night you decided to go to sleep early, trying to keep your aching heart away from any thoughts you might have, however, a sharp noise at the window made you wake up, you turned to look at it for a moment and then ignored it, turning around so your back was facing the window. The second one attracted your attention again causing you to stare at your window again until you heard the third one making you sit. However, the third came with a familiar voice.

"Oh princess, I have come to save you, please show yourself" You stayed in bed shocked, your loneliness was really messing up with your mind now.

“Princess, don't make me go upstairs, I'm still a little weak so please show yourself”. Your mind finally reacted and you ran to your window to force it open. Downstairs, on your garden, you could see Eddie Munson looking into your room with the most beautiful smile you had ever seen making your eyes to fill with tears again. Seeing that you weren't talking out of surprise he slurred again. "Are you coming downstairs or not?" he let out a laugh. After a few seconds you were able to speak.

"What... how?"

"I've also come to get revenge because you didn't wake me up with a kiss. How dare you?" shouted Eddie making you laugh after months of not doing it. He was the only one who had that effect on you.

“Are you here to save me or to get revenge?” you asked with a soft smile as you leaned against your window.

“Get down here to find out” He answered.

“What a fine knight, demanding that the princess do all the work” you said making him laugh, provoking your heart to beat harder on your chest.

“Just come with me”

You moved away from your window and went downstairs as fast as you could. When you opened the door Eddie was already standing with his arms outstretched. Behind him was his group of friends smiling from the cars. You ran up to stand in front of Eddie, your hands began to touch his face to check that he was real causing Eddie to let out a soft laugh.

"I'm here (y/n), I'm fine" he said as he took your hands, his eyes sparkled at the sight of you and you couldn't help but move closer to kiss him, your hands went around his neck as he hugged you tightly.

"We're here too!" Steve and Dustin's voices interrupted you making you let out a laugh.

"Hey guys!" the two boys raised their hands to greet you as Eddie gritted his teeth.

"Don't look at my noble horse, look at me" Eddie said making Steve yell a 'hey'. "I came to bring you two things you left at Hawkins" He reached into his pants pocket pulling out the small die and leaving it in your hand making you laugh "your little die so you can beat the whole club at D&D" He then took your other hand and placed it on his chest. "And I also brought you my heart, which has always belonged to you" He said making your cheeks to blush, and also making Steve and Dustin groan.

“Munson that was so cheesy and awful” Steve covered his eyes.

“Shut it Harrington, if she liked it I won in life” Eddie shouted, then he turned to you and asked lowly “You liked it right?” making you laugh and nod.

"What are you doing here?" you asked.

"We have a dream to fulfill, remember?" asked Eddie as he put his forehead to yours. "And they let me take you away" he looked behind you. Turning around you could see your parents looking at them smiling. As you separated from Eddie you went to your parents to hug them.

"Don't forget to call us" said your mother as she hugged you. "You will finally live the life you always wanted."

Then your father hugged you. "Don't forget to visit us either" then he raised the volume of his voice so Eddie could hear. "We know how to disappear people in case something happens" Eddie just let out a laugh. "Perks of being in the government. But it's no joke little girl, come whenever you can” He hugged you again, finally ready to let you go.

When you turned to see Eddie smiling you could see the best view you had ever thought, finally you were going to live a life full of happiness, freedom and color with the love of your life beside you.

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[katefiction]

My Forever Guiding Star🌟

By TheCambridge_memes on Instagram 

Prologue 

This a short story portrays behind the scenes of the amazing Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony.

Please,consider any mistakes♡

~

Catherine's POV

"Catherine, can I have my tea in office?", William asked as he passed me my tea cup. We usually have the morning tea together but sometimes we broke our tradition although it barely happens. "Will you be working again?", I asked then, "You should relax now, William.. You worked until late night" William smiled, "I have to finalise everything by now. I'm not tired at all, don't worry", he said. "You'll never admit even if you are", I said and caressed his cheek. He smiled once again before leaving for his office.

An hour later, I went to William's office with another cup of tea for him. I knew he would love to get a tea break during work. He's been working so hard for The Earthshot Prize Awards which would happen in a week. It was like his 'baby'. I could really see his anxiety about it in his eyes. The office door was slightly opened. I took a peek and slowly pushed the door. William's concentration was totally on his laptop screen. I approached him and put the tea cup on his table. He startled a bit and looked up at me. "Get a short break now", I said and smiled. He smiled too, "Come, sit",he said and pulled me on his lap which made me giggle. "I want to show you the list of the award presenters. Let me know what do you think and if I should replace anyone", he said then. "Okay but I'm sure you chose the right people", I said. He grinned and said, "I'm sure about that too!", and then pointed to the screen, "There.." I looked at the screen showing five names: Emma Thompson, David Oyelowo, Emma Watson, Mo Salah and Catherine Wait... I read again and then again and looked at my husband.

William's POV

Catherine looked at me with pure shock. She looked at the screen again, "Why my name is there?", she asked. "You're going to present one of the awards", I replied and smiled. "You're kidding!",she said. "No, I'm not", I said and took her hands into mine, "You are one of the presenters. I want you to do it. It's my biggest project ever and I can't imagine it without you in it" "William... I will be there with you to watch the ceremony.. So I will be a part of it anyway", Catherine said anxiously, "Don't tell me to do this, William.. I'll just mess it up all" I shook my head and squeezed her hands, "You won't mess up anything and even if you will, it doesn't matter. I want to see you there shining, announcing a winner and being the proudest husband once again!", I said. My wife was in tears now! I wiped a tear drop by my thumb. She smiled and sniffed, "You're crazy!", she said. "I have always been!", I said and we both chuckled. She put her head on my chest, "I hope I won't mess up and will really make you proud",she whispered. I hugged her tightly and kissed her on hair. I knew she will make me proud, she always does.

Catherine's POV

It was the night of The Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony. William was visibly nervous all day long. When I was doing my make up, he was already dressed up. And I can't lie about how handsome he looked. To be honest I couldn't take my eyes off of him for more than a minute! I got up and approached him. He smiled a bit. "You're looking breathtaking, William", I whispered. He chuckled nervously, "It's all your credit as you chose them", he said as taking me in his arms. I smiled and caressed his chest, "Are you still nervous?", I asked then. He nodded, "I am... I am super anxious about it all", he replied and sighed. "Don't be..", I said, "It's going to be an amazing night" "I hope so...", William said and sighed but second later he smiled, "Are you nervous about your speech, Babykins?" I was but I didn't want him to know it at all. I shook my head, "No! I'm confident about it", I said. "That's my wife", William said and caressed my cheek. I closed my eyes to feel it more. "Come on now, help me with my hair",I said then. For the first time on that day, William giggled happily as he curled up my hair...

We were waiting on the backstage as just a few minutes were left until the ceremony would start. I could feel my fast beating heart and I felt like William was able to hear it too! He was even more anxious by now. He was constantly walking all over the floor and taking a look through the curtain. "William... William", I called him and held his arm. He sighed deeply and asked, "Am I being too nervous?" "No... it's fine..", I whispered, "But try to relax, okay?" He nodded, "I'm trying so hard.. Believe me, I really am. But it's not working!", he said. "Take a deep breath...", I said, "Everything's going to be incredibly successful as it should be" William breathed, I could feel his body relaxed a bit as I was holding him in my arms. I kissed him on chest and he calmed down more. He looked at me and smiled shyly, "I feel better", he said. "Come here...", I said as cupping his face and pressed my lips on his. And that's all that he needed. We deepened our kiss as long as we were out of breath...

William's POV

There came the night of The Earthshot Prize Awards, the night I dreamed of for 2 years! It really was incredibly successful just like my wife said. I couldn't stop getting emotional as I watched all the award moments, all the performances. I couldn't be more proud when I watched my wife confidently giving her speech. She did it better than any other. I just took her into my arms when she came back on the backstage. "You were amazing", I whispered. Her eyes were shining, "Did I make you proud?", she asked whispering. "You certainly did... You did make me proud more than you'll ever know!", I whispered again.

The ceremony ended with a short speech given by me. When I went back to the backstage, Catherine smiled at me and hugged me as tightly as she could, "You don't know what you've just done, my William!", she whispered, "You made a history! I'm the proudest wife ever today!" "I couldn't have done it without you, Babykins", I said as breathing into her scent. She lifted her head up looked at me and smiled through tears and shook her head...

She will never admit but I know I did it all because my wife was by my side all these time. She believed in me when even I couldn't. 20 years it's been and she never gave up believing in me, never gave up holding onto me, never stopped loving this guy who's life has always been a mess...

Looking at my sleeping wife in my arms, I could only think what my mother told me once - "If you were lucky enough to find someone who loved you, then you must protect it"

I promised Catherine forever... And by forever, I meant Forever...

[The End]

[tiredassmage]

17,20, and 30 from the creator asks :)

Thank you, friend! <3

17. What are some tropes and dynamics found in your wips?

Specifically in my wips, hmmmm.... Well, I do have to say I think I've revealed my weakness for the mentor-type relationships and while I don't think I have anything actively in the pile that chases that dynamic, I expect it won't be going anywhere any time soon - both in that I definitely want to explore more of Tyr and the mentor figures in his life and his potential for sharing that experience forward.

Currently, I'd say the biggest one is the developing ride-or-die Savosta has built up with Rhystyl. I have a snippet of a piece started that's meant to retell their time in carbonite as a shared sort of hellscape dream-land (the base idea being that, even if Savsota's head is where Valkorian decides to kick his feet up, both of them are experienced with Vitiate's influence, so it'll still affect and connect them both) and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to finish that one off sometime because it lets Savosta shine in a role Rhyst has traditionally taken for him thus far: the calm in the storm, the support when everything else is going wrong.

Fun fact: while I was writing sacrifice, part of my hold up was trying to determine if there was something other than friendship developing between them. The opportunity for it was absolutely there and I couldn't ignore it, but it just didn't feel right and I did sort of hesitate to leap on the possibility because I didn't want to overplay something. Ultimately, I found Savosta like me: somewhere on the ace spectrum! It was most important to me (and Savosta) to build a friendship - that's not something he's properly had in a really long time. KOTXX really seals their friendship as inseparable and there's absolutely love there. They're best friends who go through a lot together and I, ironically, haven't written a lot of characters that share marginally in the experience of asexuality with me, so it's kind of an exciting thing to have discovered and decided. I wanted that friendship and that journey of healing, self-discovery, and self-love to remain focal in Savosta's story and friendships can be just as vital to that. It makes the most sense for him and for the kind of story I hope to see him through, I think.

20. What story are you proudest of? Why?

Not to reuse, but partially sacrifice, for actually finishing that idea from start to posting. Version history of that on Google Docs tells me I spent about a month and a half with it and I'm incredibly pleased with how it turned out. Savosta finally getting one of those moments to really connect and... I guess not necessarily feel positively, given the stress of the situation, but to go through a moment with him where he engages his emotions in a way that accepts them and acknowledges what him and Rhyst have both been through is really gratifying. He started as this character that was mostly motivated by the achievement hunt for DS5, to be honest, and then I... grew attached. And I genuinely decided "I want to see him succeed and I want to see him heal." So, it's... kinda heartwarming to have that go full-circle, at least in my head. There's a lot of other stops along the way in him and Rhyst's story I still want to tell and explore, so, hopefully, I'll be able to continue to create and share those in the new year. <3

Also, greedily picking another, imbalance was such a fun exercise, so honestly thank you for enabling that, lol! I'm proud of this one because of how thoroughly it shows of Tyr's more Cipher side. I've explored a lot of his sort of struggle and his connections, I think (and I hope its at least sort of showed, lol), but I hadn't really showed how Tyr worked as Cipher Nine. imbalance shows where he's willing to cross lines, where some of his willingness to compromise himself and ideals crops up when he's on a job. Yes, it's been incredibly important to me to show his very small inner circle, the very few people with whom he tries and tries (and fails, sometimes) to be an at least more honest version of himself - more honest to himself about everything he's been through, but to really feel the ease of the shift he makes when he works is so fulfilling. I feel like it added some much-needed weight to my musings about his inner workings and how he feels being a Cipher. He is, in fact, rather good at his work - if not in the most traditional sense. (I'm still reeling from Watcher Seven going for the fucking throat intentionally or not after... everything that happened, okay? Yeah, maybe he is mentally unstable and you're not helping!!!!)

30. How are you doing? <3

Okay, I know I got all sappy on my New Year's post unexpectedly, but WWWWWW. Really. Really. I just want to say that our friendship was a highlight of the last few months of '22 and I'm just. <3 I treasure it. And you're a joy to see in my notifications. Keysmashing, etc etc

aH. Okay. Uhm. Otherwise, I have survived my first week back to classes for spring semester and I am! Hopeful and kind of excited again. I was a bit nervous given how stressful last semester was (generally a poor semester for me as far as time management, etc), but my classes so far seem cool and interesting - I'm doing primarily just elective credits to satisfy eventual hour requirements for graduation this semester with the idea of hopefully being kinder to myself than last semester's schedule, so I think it'll be nice. I'm excited to be back with the campus group I joined last semester.

Overall, pretty good. I'm looking forward to it and I think it'll be a really valuable and informative semester!

[snowinks]

SNOWINKS' MONTHLY WRITING UPDATE; november 2021

statistics:

- words written: 21,136

- projects worked on: ironbloods and keyless hearts

- proudest accomplishment: i read SEVERAL books over this month specifically over writing and it feels really nice to get back into it <3

general:

- in news to the reading thing, i read six of crows and when i say WOW... i really loved it, and it definitely inspired me to keep some secrets away from the reader like kaz did

(side note, feel free to send my book recs I'm always open for suggestions 👀)

- genuinely i am so happy to start writing again, as well as re-joining writeblr. it's been a blast so far, and it's been a big step in actually starting to get my wips down on paper (or, uh, a document)

- i will be honest in the fact that !! i have started reoutlining both ironbloods and keyless hearts in order to make it more manageable on my health instead of having a really loose outline. keyless hearts has also gotten a revamp which i should be posting soon enough

- i should be at least STARTING on the revamp this month though, so I'll have more to show 😌 but for now that's it !! I'm excited to get this going again

taglist (ask to be +/-)

@suhaylahs @ladywind @stormharbors @mournfulpursuit @loverofallthingssmart @flowerwebs @catstatistics