#so while most of the shit i describe in this fic is fictional

[fanfictionsweetheart]

His Place

Part Two

Pairing: Jey Uso x Reader

Summary: (Name) and Jey have been together so Long everyone wonders why they aren’t at least living together yet. He knows and he hopes he can change her mind. Maybe proving he will take care of her no matter what will help.

In this chapter: Jey tells his family everything he can, what (Name) gives him permission to share. Then he spends the weekend making sure she is taken care of and that she knows she can count on him.

Trigger/Content Warning(s): reader is disabled, self doubt and worry, mentions of a past abusive relationship, a shitty family, and shitty friends

Word Count: 2170

A/N: A second fic today? Yeah, I just felt like it. While my iPad was busted I was stilly typing on my phone. this is so self indulgent for me I love it, dealing with any kind of physical disability is hard, especially when it makes it hard to walk. I and describing my experience with how Sciatica affects me physically and mentally. It was a car accident that caused the bad disc, but the way it happens in the Fic is different and totally fictional. Enjoy part two of my self indulgence.

There will probably be another part.

Previous Part(s):

Part One

The pain meds and Jey’s warm hands massaging her hip thankfully worked like a dream and (Name) was able to doze off in his bed. Jey checked on her again after they’d finished their talk about their upcoming filming plans.

Still, his family hung around, they had questions. He knew that. And he knew what he could share. What she gave him permission to share.

“Hey, your girl okay?” Roman asked him.

Jey sighed, “She will be,” Jey said, “Gonna take some babying this weekend,” He did his best to joke.

“What happened to her leg?” Solo asked.

Jimmy, who’d heard that it could be bad, was concerned with seeing just how bad it could get, “I mean you told me sometimes she has trouble walking that looked like she can’t fucking walk sometimes,” he said.

“Yeah, it’s not always this bad...she didn’t think I noticed, but I could tell her leg was gonna act up in some way today…” he shook his head.

He figured how he was going to explain this was to just be plain about it. Talk around the fact that her ex caused the accident on purpose.

“She was in a...car accident, really bad, messed her back up, then when they tried to fix her back they messed it up worse, she’s pretty much stuck dealing with sciatica. She don’t know when it could get better or not. But she knows that she doesn’t wanna go back under the knife for it,” Jey explained, “At least now with her meds she can walk most of the time.”

Jimmy knew his twin well, he knew there was more to the story just by how Jey said ‘car accident’. There was more to that accident and that worried him.

“There anything else she can do?” Solo asked.

Jey shook his head, “Not as far as she knows,” he said.

“That why she won’t move in?” Roman asked, he’d heard over and over how much Jey wanted her to move in.

“Yeah, that’s also why I want her to move in. I hate the idea of her suffering alone...but she doesn’t want me to take care of her…” Jey sighed, “She was fucking terrified when I had to just now.”

“Why? You’re her man, that’s what you’re supposed to do,” Jimmy voiced what they were all thinking.

(Name) hadn’t told him anything about explaining this side of things. And while Jey felt guilty about maybe betraying her confidence he needed to vent about this at the same time.

“Cause she had one ex leave her over this shit, but not just him, like half of her old friends...so called friends more like it, pretty much dropped her the second she couldn’t always be available to take care of their shit and needed their help instead...the second she needed a fucking cane to walk through the damn mall…” Jey ranted, “Even her high school best friend,” he sarcastically added, “dropped her from her wedding party ‘cause of the cane.”

“Nah man, that’s fucked up,” Jimmy said and the others readily agreed, voicing their disappointment and anger on (Name’s) behalf.

“There ain’t a thing you can say to comfort a woman whose crying cause of that...and it’s worse because her of fucking family started doing that shit too, she didn’t even get an invite to her brother’s wedding, she found out he was married when we were on a date...cause of Instagram,” Jey ranted, “Hold on I took a screen shot of the post you need to see this bullshit…”

He got up and grabbed his phone to pass it to the other three men at his kitchen table. The post was of her brother and his bride, now wife, all dressed up at a table in a nicely decorated venue, a hotel if he remembered correctly. You could see her parents beside the brother at the table and their smiles were bright and happy. Like a piece of their family wasn’t missing.

The caption read: “So happy to have our day with everyone special to us. I love you all.”

Jimmy froze, “Did she confront them?” He asked, the double meaning to the caption clear.

“Yeah...I was with her when she called her parents and they just made excuses saying that even though her issues had gotten better, she was still too much trouble to risk it,” Jey sighed, “I heard the call, it was on speaker. I wanted to step in...but she told me not to. Said it wasn’t worth it.”

“Sounds like that as the last reason she needed to give up on them,” Solo said.

Jey nodded, “Ever since she got hurt people have dropped outta her life...she’s scared I’m gonna be next. I just wanna show her that she ain’t gonna lose me just cause she needs help sometimes,” he admitted.

“Maybe use this weekend to have that talk, but more than that, show her,” Roman said, doing his best to be supportive.

Jey planned on it. He wanted her to know he was serious. Serious about her. Serious about their relationship. He was going to take care of her.

But he’d gotten almost everything out. Explained (more than) what she told him to explain. She’d been living with this issue basically alone for over six years. He wanted to show her that didn’t have to be alone anymore.

—

Solo and Roman left after another hour, going back to refine their plans. Jimmy stuck around. He knew there was more to this story that he needed to hear.

Jey checked on (Name) again. She was sleeping soundly. Her eyes still puffy but that couldn’t be helped from how hard she’d been crying.

He walked back out and looked at his brother.

“What didn’t you tell them?” He asked.

“And ex caused the car accident. He was driving too fast while she was on the floor of the backseat of his car after he threw her in there.” Jey said, ripping it off like a bandaid.

“Jesus Christ,” Jimmy cursed.

Jey sighed and shook his head, “She told me I could tell you the truth.” He said, “I just wanna take care of her uce, there ain’t another woman for me.”

Jimmy laughed and shoved his shoulder, “Man she got you all soft and shit,” he teased.

He couldn’t blame him. He had seen how happy (Name) made his brother. He wanted him to stay that happy.

—

A couple hours later (Name) stirred awake when there was a soft knock on the bedroom door. Jey came in with a glass of ice water. He set it on the bedside table and sat beside her, gently running his fingers through her hair.

“Hey baby, how you feelin?” He asked.

“A little better, but I’m not gonna risk moving just yet,” she mumbled, leaning into his touch.

Jey chuckled, “You gave us all a scare, Mamas,” He murmured and leaned over to kiss her temple, “You shoulda called me if something was wrong.”

“I didn’t want to bother you with it,” She admitted.

“It isn’t a bother to help you, baby, I love you, I wanna take care of you,” He said seriously.

(Name) hid her face in the pillow and whimpered softly. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust.

He loved her, she knew that.

She loved him.

It should be so easy to relax and let him take care of her. But it wasn’t. That nagging voice in the back of her head telling her she was too much.

“Jey,” She murmured, “I...I don’t know…”

He stroked her hair softly, “Give me the weekend to prove it to you, please,” he pleaded softly.

“Okay…” (Name) murmured, peeking at him with a nervous smile.

She wanted to trust him.

Desperately.

—

It was around seven when the dinner Jey had ordered was delivered. He made them both plates and brought them into his bedroom. He didn’t usually eat in bed, but he didn’t want her to have to get out of bed if she didn’t have to. She needed to rest her leg.

He helped her sit up and they ate together while a movie played quietly in the background.

“How you feeing?” He asked.

“Better, honestly you were better at remembering when I need to take the next dose of my meds than I was…” she laughed softly.

Her brain was foggy due to the pain. But it was clearing up more as the day went on.

Jey wanted to tell her he was right and she needed somebody to help take care of her. But he didn’t. He was certain that she was thinking it already.

“Thank you...for putting up with me today,” she mumbled.

“It’s not ‘putting up with you’ if I wanna take care of you, baby,” he insisted.

She just nodded a shy smile on her face. It was actually nice to not have to deal with all of this alone. Having someone with her to even just hold her hand while she cried was a relief.

He set his plate aside to reach out and gently take her hand. Giving it a reassuring squeeze. He wanted to tell her without words that he would be there for her no matter what.

She squeezed his hand back, looking at him her soft eyes shimmering with things she was scared to speak just yet.

—

That night they lay down to sleep her head on his chest, his arm around her. His fingers tracing patterns on her shoulder. While she traced the lines of his tattoos on his chest. She wasn’t speaking but her feelings were loud and clear.

She was still nervous. But she was starting to trust him.

“I love you,” She said softly, “I trust you.”

The word trust meaning more than love at this moment.

Jey’s heart swelled at the meaning behind those words. He had earned her trust to take care of her. At least for the weekend. He turned his head to kiss her forehead.

“I’m gonna keep that trust, baby,” he assured her, “I love you too.”

—

That entire weekend Jey was stuck to (Name’s) side like glue. He still worked out in the morning, after making her coffee perfectly and being sure she had something to eat. Usually one of the muffins she had baked the first night she stayed there before her leg went to hell. And made sure she took her meds.

After he worked out and grabbed a shower he would climb back in bed with her and cuddle her.

If she needed him to rub her leg again he would.

When it hurt too much he would hold her and let her cry.

He helped her stand when she needed to move.

And by dinner the next night she was able to lounge on the couch without pain.

Jey insisted on carrying her out there still. And she wasn’t really complaining about her man showing off his strength like that.

He sat on the couch with her, letting her use him as a pillow and allowed her to pick what they watched. Laughing when she settled on Stranger Things...again. It was one of her favorite shows to watch when she didn’t feel well. She called it her current comfort show.

“I love you,” She murmured softly.

“I love you too, Mama,” He said softly.

He didn’t say anything now. He would later. Right now he wanted to enjoy this moment with her feeling better.

“Jimmy texted me asking if you wanted to come to a pool party at his place next weekend, before we gotta hit the road again,” he said.

It was unspoken that Jimmy was worried she wouldn’t be up to it with her leg. She thought for a moment.

“I should be up to it,” She said, “Even if I’m not at 100, I’ll at least be able to relax on a deck chair looking good.”

Jey laughed and nodded, “You gonna wear that sexy two piece...the red one? Makes you look like an ice cream sundae with a couple cherries on top?” He asked.

(Name) laughed and smacked his chest playfully. Even after taking care of her for almost two entire days he hadn’t let up on his dirty flirting in the moments when she felt better.

“Maybe, you gonna keep your hands appropriate when you gotta put sunscreen on my back?” She asked.

“Only if you promise me you’ll nail Roman in the back of the head like you did Jimmy last summer with the water balloons I’m bringing.” Jey grinned.

“Deal. And besides you can get into my swimsuit anytime after baby,” She said and leaned up to press her lips to his softly.

Her heart was pounding with joy. She was still nervous but she was starting to truly believe that Jey meant it when he said he was going to take care of her.

[mask131]

How do you feel about shipping greek gods? (for lack of a better word to describe two or more people being together in a relationship I just used shipping)

Well... It depends? I don't know? Xp

The thing is that the Greek gods are horny gods, that cannot be denied, so you know, they already almost all slept with each other at some point so there's a lot of "shippng" material that's for sure.

What I would say is... it depends on why the shipping is happening, for which purpose? It is for a purely fictional storytelling, or just for personal enjoyment? And I would point out two precise things that are important to show you're not just making stuff up randomly (though I will say making stuff up randomly is allowed, and can sometimes be bloody genius - but that will be for my point B, the person who is making stuff up should know themselves and be clear that they're making stuff up)

A) Always be aware of the characterization, traits and features of the Greek gods before "shipping" them so that you don't end up making some sort of HUGE misunderstanding or misinformation thingy going on. I'm going to take an obvious example, but for example shipping Poseidon and Athena, or Athena and Ares will require it to be with full understanding of their rivalry and/or hatred for each other (so you know, perfect for "rivals to lovers" fic) - though again, with Athena there's also the need to understand she is this virgin goddess that is like a huge asexuality symbol, so you can slide romance in there but none of "Venus' craft" if you know what I mean. And for you it might seem obvious but for example there was this deleted scene of the Clash of Titans remake which was talked about a lot because Athena appeared in there and she was like this very sensual and sexy goddess that tried to basically seduce another god, so you know, the basics of mythology are not always there.

(I'm speaking here mostly in terms of you know, fic and personal artwork and whatnot to bring my example, but you know it can also apply to if you want to, I don't know, publish a book or make a cartoon or whatever)

B) But the most important thing to maintain there, and what is ALWAYS important when dealing with ANY mythology of any kind: be conscious of the differences.

The thing is that, as a creator facing myths and legends, you can basically do almost anything. ("Almost" because there's still stuff that you can't do unless you just want to look like someone who doesn't know shit about the source material). Myths and legends are here to be exploited, interpreted, reused and reshaped and redrawn. I'll go on a side-rent here but there was this post criticizing "modern retelling" of Greek myths in video games, novels and comics, and it concluded with "Just don't touch the myths again, let them as they are". And while I did understand why the person would dislike these modern works (though I do not agree with the entire selection), this conclusion is just wrong. If medieval scholars and Renaissance artists and World War playwrights had not constantly reinvented the Greek myths, it wouldn't be part of common culture as it is today. Heck, Greek mythology itself relies on a bunch of authors from various countries (because they were city-states you know) and from various centuries making WILD reinterpretations of "canon lore" and "previous takes" on gods and legends (remember that a lot of things people claim is part of "Greek mythology" come from stuff like theater plays and philosophy essays... Not really as sacred as the Bible). So to demand mythology to stop being represented and depicted is just... you know, wishing for its death and the stop of its cultural richness.

On the other hand here's where the problem lies: there is so much misinformation and popular misconceptons and erroneous cliches due to how it was all handled carelessly or without any knowledge of actual material (there's especially this whole wave of bringing in Christian ideals into the Ancient Greek world, from Disney's Hercules to Netflix's Blood of Zeus - at least season 1 I didn't watch season 2), that people need to be literaly taught again the simple basic. I know it sounds stupid but the whole "Medusa is a monster, not a girl turned into one" I literaly knew as a kid just because I read guides and books about the Greek myths - not fictional books, just, you know, manuals and encyclopedias and stuff. Yet, this thing found in any basic "101 to Greek mythology" absolutely baffled a lot of people... It shows how, again, people are somehow willing to take more from, I don't know, Internet posts (*cough cough* yes I'm doing Internet posts *cough cough*), cartoon series and novels than from just actual books presenting Greek mythology, not in a fictionized way.

Anyway sorry for the rant X) But my point is: one is allowed to do anything and reinvent all things however they want, as long as they have enough knowledge and understanding of the source material. It is my personal logic but, if someone can defend their choices in a way that shows they actually do know their stuff, are conscious about what they changed and recognize that they modified things, then I'm fully okay with it. To still go the shipping route, if someone says something like "Oh yeah, Aphrodite and Hephaistos are in love and the best couple ever", I can accept this if the same person does, you know, recognize how in the myths Aphrodite cheats on Hephaistos and/or Hephaistos divorces from her. "Yes I am aware of that, but for X reason or X purpose I decided to change it". Then I'm fine, you know. But if the person starts saying stuff like "I didn't know that" or "I don't care, it's not like it's important anyway", then I'll have a problem.

On a final note for the "shipping" - again I don't know for which purpose or on which level this all takes place so I am doing a BROAD answer I hope is vague and general enough - there's a little something very important to remember: the relationships of the gods are all very important. As in, on a symbolical level, there's always a sort of meaning down there you must get, you know? I talked about it before but the relationships of PosEidon, Demeter and Zeus are reflection of more primal Earth-Sea-Sky relationships. Why did Hermes and Aphrodite had "Hermaphrodite"? Because while Aphrodite is the symbol of feminity and womanhood by excellence, Hermes was originally a symbol of the phallic power (see the penis-by-the-side-of-the-road thing), so it makes sense they would create a being uniting male and female genders.

And there's a distinct evolution when it comes to the "incest" of the gods. I need to talk about it because the Greek gods thrive on incest, you know, but it is something people tend to not realize - that Greek mythology has a sort of "chronological evolution in-universe" of how the incest works. The most brutal, raw and obvious forms of incests (daughter-father, brother-sister) actually belong to older and more primordial generations of gods, reflecting how they come from an earlier time of more chaos, less civilization, and also less people: Ouranos and Gaia, the Titans, the first Olympians... But when you move by the second-generation Olympians for example, you realize a step is taken forward and the incest is not direct anymore. They still sleep with each other, but it is more "uncle-niece" and "half-sister, half-brother" or "cousin" relationships. You won't see Apollo smooching his twin sister. You don't see Ares sleeping with any of his two sisters either. And that's because, under the rule of Zeus, by the age of the Olympians, a new form of civilization and order starts encuring, one which starts to remove the most brutal and violent primal pulsions of the gods, one which moves towards the very present day and human civilization where incest is not allowed. It's a little detail people can miss, but as with everything it is very important. (And if you start telling me about "how Zeus slept with Persephone", correct me if I'm wrong but I think that's an Orphic belief, or at least comes from some Orphic fragment, and people should also start realizing that the Orphic people were weird - even by typical Ancient Greek standard - and were doing their own thing on the aside. Though, it still works with another thing prevalent throughout Greek mythology as a whole - this very interesting, ambivalent role of the first Olympians like Zeus or Poseidon, who are the rulers of this new, orderly, civilized world, and yet still end up bringing over habits and elements from the older, more brutal and chaotic past, much to everybody's problem. You know, that's when Zeus and Poseidon tend to cause trouble for everybody - if the gods had a psychology, you could write a whole thing about "generational trauma" and how despite building a new world free of the chaos and disorder of the primal gods and "bad" Titans, the older Olympians are still reproducing the same habits and patterns as their previous generations, which is the very reason there's some of the conflicts in Greek myths. But we're getting too far ahead Xp)

All of that to say - you can ship, but know that in Greek mythology, shipping will have consequences.

[riddle-me-ri]

Heya!! Love your fics, they’re so good!! 😊 Idk if you’re still doing requests. If you aren’t, that’s fine.

But if you are, could you maybe do a Mad Hatter (BTAS or any other) x villainess!reader fic? here the Mad Hatter and the reader – who’s themed after the Wizard of Oz and L Frank Baum’s Oz books, though they don’t use mind control – start off just disliking each other and trying to one each other up in crimes and arguing on whether Alice in Wonderland or the Wizard of Oz is better. But slowly, they find themselves starting to admire each other. Basically just starts off as a Oz vs Wonderland rivalry. Typical enemies to lovers fic lol.

(Also as a side note for what the reader wears, she dresses up as Glinda the Good witch)

a/n: ooohhhh this is the best way for me to finally attempt the enemies to lovers trope lmao although they're not enemies for too long lmao I will say it's also been a minute since I've read either of these tales so sorry if some things are off and don't beat me over a technicality, they're both shit-talking so...cut me some slack lmao

Word Count: 1.3 k

Content Warning: mentions of crimes (stealing, mind control, entrapment), bantering, hint of enemies to lovers if you squint, nothing crazy or explicit

BTAS Mad Hatter x Wizard of Oz Themed Villainess Reader - Oz vs. Wonderland

Your rivalry rivaled that of Joker and Riddler.

The only reason it never led to a full war was because you two didn't care for it to reach that scale–

It wasn't about control of Gotham…it was about which fictional tale was better…

It was about how whoever pulled off the most heists that best fit their theme…clearly had the better theme!

The Rogues made sure to stay clear whenever you two went to blows…

“Oh please, who wants to be in a land full of nonsense?! At least Oz is real!”

“Oh, yes, the land of Oz…where its capital is run by a fraud!”

“Better a fraud than a psycho queen!”

“Hmph, she rarely actually executed anyone…”

and–

“Ha! Why not click your heels and just wish your way out of Arkham!”

“Oh fall head first into a short rabbit hole!”

Most general Rogue meetings ended with you two spitting venom against the two famed texts and each other…It took a couple of the others just to break you two up before you all could be discovered by Batman.

The headlines of the Gotham Gazette were flooded with all sorts of illustrative headlines–

“Off with their heads–Mad Hatter Strikes Local Park!”

“She'll get you–And your little valuables too! The Witch steals from Gotham's elite!”

“Down the rabbit hole…and to the Asylum Hatter Goes!”

“There's no place like Arkham! Oz villain returned back to asylum after a string of heists!”

Now, here you two sat.

You two literary themed villains were so caught up in your competition…you completely overlooked Batman. Who had no problem taking advantage of your little competition.

You were on one end of the couch in the common area while Jervis was on the other.

The other Rogues were all sitting dispersed in tables. Every once in a while looking over their shoulders to see if another quarrel was about to begin.

No one dared open their mouths in fear that it would start something. A few Rogues actually enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the calm.

You watched the news anchor report on your unceremonious return to Arkham.

“Batman brought the Mad Hatter and the Witch back to Arkham–after catching them both distracted in the midst of what can only be described as a petty quarrel over who committed the best crimes. Despite valiant efforts from both, the two were ultimately forced to wake up back in an Arkham Asylum cell.” The anchor reported.

Joker broke the silence with a giddy chuckle that turned into full on hysterics.

You and Jervis both sneered at the clown.

“Wake up, bwahaha, wake up back in Arkham...oohh that's a good one. A wake up call! Like Alice and Dorothy!” Joker jeered.

“And you need to shut up, clown! No one asked for your opinion..” You warned.

“May I add, you're stuck in here too, just like the rest of us!” Jervis mentioned.

“Ooh, hit a nerve? At least I'm here after a lengthy getaway chase, multiple accidents! A high measure of calamity and destruction was caused…unlike you two… who were caught because you were in a bickering match…”

With that the Joker left, laughing maniacally all the way back to his cell.

You hated that the crooked jester had a point.

You crossed your arms in a huff and stared down at the floor, as if suddenly the tiles have also started mocking you.

“Hm, pay him no mind..” Jervis started. “He's likely trying to make himself feel better about his own predicament.”

You raised your eyebrow at the scientist. “Are you trying to comfort me?”

Jervis huffed. “N..No, I just know how infuriating he can get.”

That didn't answer your question but you'll take it.

“Perhaps we can agree on one thing.” You said quietly as you leaned back against the sofa.

Jervis chortled. “Indeed.”

What was once a tense silence soon became lighter.

It became much easier to breathe, if one were to speak it wouldn't sound so intruding as freshly broken glass.

“I, um, that heist you did at the park…” You mentioned, your head turned to face him properly. “..what you did with the flower crowns was pretty impressive.”

Jervis’ head perked up.

Did…did you just compliment him?

It was his turn to lift up an eyebrow and look at you.

There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in what you said. Your posture was relaxed, almost opened.

You weren't looking to start a fight.

“Um…ah…” He wasn't sure what to say even though he was certain there was no malice waiting after he replied. “Thank you…it's a much easier attempt to plant mind chips than swiping a bunch of cards behind people's ears…”

You chuckled. “I bet.”

You propped your elbow against the top edge of the cushion. Your body fully turned to face Jervis, your legs crossed.

You rested your cheek against your fist, mindlessly running your finger along the tongue of your laceless tennis shoes. Your eyes were downcasted still to the floor, not willing to look up into Jervis’ blue ones.

It was enough courage just to say something positive to him for once. You weren't sure you could look him in the eyes too while doing it.

Deep down, way, way deep down…you always did find the man rather handsome in his own way. Starting with his rich blue eyes.

“Your heist with the bubbles was fascinating--never quite considered the capabilities of them before until I saw you ensnare some of Gotham's wealthiest…”

Your eyes shifted up slightly before finally glancing over at him.

You saw the same thing he did with you.

There was no hint of sarcasm or venom in his voice. He didn't scoff, roll his eyes, or smirk in a mischievous way as if to deceive you.

Unsure of how else to respond, you shrug with a small smile.

“It took a lot of trial and error but it paid off…plus had to stay on theme, y’know?” Your cheeks slowly heated up.

Jervis nodded. “Hm, stay on theme indeed.”

The Rogues were looking at each other with astonished expressions as they took in the scene before them.

A strong urge came over you to somehow get closer to Jervis–like you wanted him to validate your presence as much as he validated your skills.You found yourself unconsciously scooting closer to Jervis on the couch, and Jervis didn't seem to mind, almost welcomed it.

You were about to say something when a booming voice was heard over the loudspeaker–

“LEISURE TIME IS OVER! ALL INMATES PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR CELLS! I REPEAT ALL INMATES RETURN TO YOUR CELLS!”

Your shoulders slumped in disappointment.

For once you're not walking away in a shouting match, wanting to get away from him…everything in that moment was quite the opposite..

And you couldn't deny that it felt nicer than winning any bantering match.

Jervis seemed reluctant too, as he slowly rose up from the couch as to not rouse the guards ire and have them come in and force you out.

However, he held his hand out to you.

Jervis’ eyes shifted shyly, but his hand never wavered.

You smiled at the sweet gesture and silently accepted his offer by putting your hand in his as he gently pulled you up out of the seat.

“Thank you, Jervis.”

“My pleasure, dear..”

Ah, there goes your cheeks heating up again.

As you two walked out side by side, you wished each other well before returning to your proper cells.

However, you couldn't help but look over your shoulder back at him, to find him also looking back at you.

Ivy and Harley were following some feet behind you.

Harley giggled. “See? I told ya, Red! They're made for each other!”

[newbornwhumperfly]

whumpmas in july day 14: ideal fic wishlist

one of the most frustrating parts of being a writer is dreaming up a delightful fantasy, saying to oneself "damn, wish i could read that..", and then realizing..."fuck. i have to write it, don't i?" 😅💖 but, in lieu of that, i want to describe an ideal fiction i haven't yet written or read!

one my absolute guaranteed sources of whumperflies is some massive, yet plot-relevant, misunderstanding that results in catastrophic distress and pain 😈😢😈

for years, i've had this fantasy about a "villain whumpee" (this is a nebulous definition, typically describing someone outcast, perhaps because they are a magical being or perhaps because of being trapped in a nefarious position in life) being inducted into a team of "heroes" (typically people cast as "good guys" in some socially significant way, usually a combination of people genuinely trying their best to be good in a flawed, shitty system or genuine assholes of some brand). typically, this "villain" character does genuinely buy into their own "badness" to a degree that severely impacts their self-worth. 🥺🥺🥺

anyways, of course, this villain whumpee, who is so desperately trying to prove themselves to their team, to society, and to themselves, is caught in a situation where they must (seem to) ✨ betray their team ✨ and, oh no, my poor whumpee is horribly punished in some...Socially Justified Manner for their perceived betrayal (perhaps by the authorities, perhaps by other "villains") but regardless, this villain whumpee is left permanently and profoundly hurt 😰😢

this villain whumpee now must flee, running away for their own safety, because they cannot bear being further harmed and punished by their team, both because they know the impending punishment would be horrible to experience (and they are already so very hurt, they are in so much pain) and also because they cannot bear the people they've become close to now being their - of course very justified - tormenters 🥺🥺🥺

so the villain whumpee flees, carving out a meager, difficult little life for themself, while nursing their disabilities/injuries and also their heart-wounds at the betrayal they do not want to reckon with as well as the actions they committed against their newfound friends 😭🥺

but eventually, their former friends, the team of "heroes", tracks down the "villain whumpee" and the whumpee believes with all their heart that their former friends are here to enact revenge or justice or both. 🥺💔😭 a particulate feature of this story which i enjoy imagining is the villain whumpee desperately, in terror, trying to escape and get away and still getting caught, cornered, perhaps tearfully pleading for mercy? 😭😭😭

(whether or not the team is there to genuinely reconcile with their former friend because they realize they were in the wrong OR they are there to...apprehend this person for some reason - perhaps plot relevant information reasons, perhaps even begrudgingly, perhaps still believing their old friend was a traitorous piece of shit - is variously intriguing to me....😈😈😈 in other words, it is entirely plausible that this "reunion" has many earmarks of a capture.)

the apprehension of this deeply injured, malnourished, exhausted, terrified, outnumbered person by a cadre of powerful, pissed-off, former friends, all faces this whumpee knows and loved and can personally plead with by name, is...extremely delicious to me and my trope-loving little heart 🥺💖😭

i've had some loose sketches of characters here and there stewing on the back-burner for some time now, some of the inspiration for this character being found in my blog's tag "vasily vibes", in case anybody is curious! but i've never written and fleshed this idea out fully but it is a brand of fantasy i've greatly enjoyed whenever i come across anything remotely fitting the bill. 😍😍😍

gimme desperation, gimme aching angsty sadness at not being believed and thinking oneself abandoned and cast aside but still loving and being devastated by that loss, gimme social exclusion, gimme complex and morally dubious good guys, gimme indulgent levels of sheer "weeping over the memory of those who despise you" hurts, gimme disgustingly tropey disgust and ostracization and a lack of meaningful self-defense. 💔💔💔 i'm an absolute sucker for a well-meaning outcast falling deep into the "oops i care so much" hole and being subsequently fucked over for it 😈🥺😈

if you have a tale that seems similar at all to this - or you just want to share your headcanons! - please hit me up. i love suffering 😍💖

have a very merry @whumpmasinjuly everyone and stay safe! 💖

@whumpmasinjuly-archive

[obsessivelollipoplalala]

I really want to write fan fiction again but, I'm kind of bad at articulating and creating different scenes and I thought about using chatgpt and I know that's frowned upon but I need help writing lol. Need some advice.

Do not use AI. People look down upon it for a reason. People will always have more respect for genuine, clumsy first attempts at writing rather than someone who publishes what a machine spit out for them. AI is not your work, and you will not improve by having a computer do things for you. I am being stern here to strongly discourage you from Shit GPT. If you tell people in the author’s notes that it’s your first fic, or first fic in a long time, you may very well get supportive comments! If anyone finds out it’s AI, at best, you’ll get people clicking out of the fic because they don’t think it’s worth their time to read something a person didn’t even write, and at worst, you might get angry comments calling you a cheater, in a similar way AI “artists” do. Please don’t do it. You’ll only be hurting your writing and the progression of your skills.

So, what should you do? First of all, know where your strengths lie and lean into them, and know where your weaknesses lie. I’ll give an example. Readers of my fic can feel free to confirm or deny my self-assessment, but I actually don’t think scenery and that kind of descriptive writing is my strong point. I think about what the reader needs to know about the physical space in a scene, maybe little things that could add to the atmosphere, such as describing candlelight glowing upon someone’s face, and I move on. I make sure the reader knows what’s happening in the physical space so nothing is vague or confusing, but that’s about it. I instead focus my writing on the internal monologue/prose of the character’s emotional state and dialogue, because I think those are my strongest points. That’s what I can do well and what pulls people in.

How to create a scene to begin with? It depends on the kind of fic you’re writing, but most of my fics have started out with me thinking about the characters so much that different scenarios pop into my head, and eventually, one takes root; or I’ll watch a scene and think it would be interesting to explore if it had gone differently. My current WIP is at 65k words with 6 chapters, and it began with the simple change to one scene in canon: Aziraphale and Crowley not simply knowing each other in Heaven as angels, but having a romantic relationship. A starting point as simple as that can produce a lot. Think about what you actually want to say about these characters, what kinds of scenarios you want to see them in. You can even think of a type of fic you’d love to read, and instead write it yourself. You can start small! Instead of searching for a fluffy morning-after in bed, for example, write it!

Once you have a starting point, ask yourself what is the most realistic, in-character next step for these characters. Good fic relies on good character analysis. That’s how you make your fic in-character. I generally don’t plan out my fics a lot, and instead have a core idea and some future scenes I want to write, and I ask myself how these characters would naturally build up to those future scenes. Would it be natural for the character to say this? What would they do in this situation you put them in?

Lastly: the key to writing well is reading. This goes for all kinds of writing. Read widely, read often. It helps you expand your vocabulary and to see how descriptions, dialogue, and the structure of scenes and stories work in real time. I began writing as a young teen, and while I absolutely think my writing is better now than it was in my first fics published in 2014, I was able to write at all because I was such a voracious reader at the time. It’s also why I was a good writer in school, because reading helps you write multiple types of pieces.

I hope this was helpful. Also, at the end of the day, it is just fan fiction. It’s fine if it’s not perfect. Open up a document and start jotting down ideas or snippets of dialogue to get your brain started

[niningtori]

pls do not answer this is it makes u uncomfy cus it's a bit personal! but i'm curious as to if your writing is puuure fiction or is some of it based on personal experiences?

i ask bc i relate to a lot of the heartbreak in your angsty fics and i remember you saying something along the lines of how you find joy making us cry LMAO

part of me is like 'i know another fellow jaded person when i see it' but also 'maybe they're just a literary genius' (well duh i mean u obvious are!!! but two things can be true at the same time u get me? 🙂‍↕️)

if you truly can relate then omg virtual broken heart club losers group hug!!! if u can't then it's a compliment bc you've touched our souls u beautiful gifted skilled individual i love u thank u for getting me through some angsty emo times 💕💗💞💖💘💞💕

omg thank u for being so sweet n considerate 🥹 and thank you for the compliments im NOT a genius but im so happy u took the time to not only read and enjoy my work but to think of this and ask me! i really like this question a lot and my answer is personal so if anyone doesn't wanna hear my business stop reading now! also this answer is super long

i think the best way to describe it is that i do relate to a lot of the heartbreak but not really the circumstances surrounding it in the sense that a lot of my fics have a third party involved but irl i've never really had to deal with that. but i find it easier to write about the feelings of inadequacy manifesting from a tangible external factor like a love rival bc most ppl can relate to that and i feel like it's easier to understand and immerse yourself in rather than my own personal beliefs ab myself and their intricacies and origins

but i have said before that i write for my fellow pushovers and doormats so i relate to pretty much every mc in my fics big time and i feel like most of my readers do too. it's part of the reason why i started writing my own fics bc while i do admire empowered characters i simply don't relate to them very much unless they've become empowered after tolerating more than what's reasonable or sometimes even fathomable to others and the lack of angst w a happy ending in the txt fandom was too much for me to bear

in most of my fics the love is unrequited which i'm sure most ppl have felt before myself included and in my experiences my feelings have always eventually become requited and the person i was pining over regrets it just like my fics LMAOOO but the difference is in my fics there's usually a nice resolution whereas in my actual life i rlly just dont care anymore and what's done is done. even so i think it's satisfying for ppl who are used to being treated like shit to move on while the other person is stuck in the same way you used to be. i once told an ex of mine that i wanted to make him feel like i felt in the past and when i dumped him n moved on he said he finally understood how i used to be which was a feeling i think everyone craves when they've been wronged

probably the fic that most closely resembles my actual experiences is "i know it's over" like i literally found a huge ass apology text from my ex after i dumped him and based beomgyu's apology to the mc on that because the sentiments were so similar. in that fic there is no resolution for the "main couple" though there was originally an alternate ending where there was but in my work those i'd consider irredeemable are redeemable because that's how i want them to be

anyway this was prob more detailed than u were asking for but i'm so happy u sent it!! im glad u find comfort in my work and i'm sending u a hug right back 🫂

[peggyao3]

20 questions about Feyd-Rautha

I was tagged by @psycheetamore to answer these super interesting questions about our common blorbo Feyd and these were so fun to think about 😍

1. was there any specific point / any specific moment that suddenly made Feyd-Rautha your Blorbo, or did you slowly grow to love them more and more until they became a Blorbo to you?

Feyd became my blorbo after ~9 months of ao3 hiatus because of some other fandom shit. I saw Dune 2, felt a small tickle of a crush and thought "Might as well." I wrote Preyd and gave it to my sweet friend to beta read and she was so into it, we immediately started brainrotting about Feyd and within a few days, the hyperfixation was born 🥹

2. what’s the thing you love the most about your Blorbo?

That I get to explore the terrible abyss of the human mind and society with him, how the environment can shape a character into an unapologetic lack of empathy. Yet we are given enough scenes to work with to deduce his humanity and vulnerability, which is exactly what a "villanous" character needs to become three-dimensional. Plain evilness with no vulnerability is boring to me.

3. what’s the thing you dislike the most about your Blorbo?

In all honesty, his polyamorous tendencies, bc that's a bit too close to infidelity to me, which is a bit of a trigger for me 😂 But luckily I can just headcanon that part away and my brain is happy.

4. if you could talk to your Blorbo, what would you say to them?

I would tell him that it wasn't his fault 🫂 iykyk

5. what’s the one thing the fandom gets wrong about your Blorbo?

There is no right or wrong way to interpret a fictional character. What I find wrong is when people act like there *is*.

6. is your Blorbo an introvert or extrovert?

While like I feel like he thrives when admired by others, I don't think that's what truly fulfills him. I'll say ambivert.

7. describe your Blorbo in 3 words

Sociopathic, traumatized, violent, (and cunning, because you can't stop me from putting a 4th word xD)

8. if your Blorbo were real, would you trust them with your life?

If I was certain that I meant something to him, yes, absolutely.

9. do you talk to your family or in-real-life friends about your Blorbo?

Family: hard no xD Friends: My irl friends know I like Austin and Feyd, but I don't brainrot like I do in online spaces.

10. is there any crime, any wrongdoing your Blorbo could commit that would make you stop loving them and remove them from your hyperfixation entirely?

That's a bit of a strange question to me, because it's literally my own brain that decides what he does or doesn't do. If he were to do anything new in canon (which he won't because he's dead lol), I could just pretend he didn't.

11. do you like seeing your Blorbo suffer?

Seeing dominant, powerful men suffer and crumple into the traumatized boys they are on the inside is my SCHTICK 😩

12. do you ship your Blorbo with any character?

I mainly ship him with my wonderful bestie's OC in our RPs ❤️ But I'll also go with any FMC/Reader that people come up with in fics.

13. if your Blorbo is from a live-action media, are you also a fan of the actor who plays them?

Fan is too tame a word 🥹🥹🥹 Austin Butler makes me feel gushy like I have a real crush, but it's also better than having an actual crush on someone near me, cause irl men can kiss my ass.

14. would you still love your Blorbo if they were real?

In Feyd's case, of course not, because the things that make me go yesyesyes in fiction are hard nononos in reality.

15. is your Blorbo a victim of badly written script / bad plot / character assassination in the hands of canon?

I don't think it's a *badly written* character assassination. It makes sense for the plot as it is, but naturally I regret the lack of future scenes with him 😭

16. if you could change one canonical thing about your Blorbo, what would it be?

*points at the polyamory* — But even that, it makes sense for his background. I still like to play with that trope because it's a part of him, but I usually just move him away from it in the course of the fic/RP, via character growth and him realizing what he actually craves, etc.

17. when you first discovered your Blorbo, did you realize from that moment that they would become your Blorbo?

I knew that he completely ticks my boxes when I first saw him, but I always need to *lean into* it a little bit, offer my brain a treat by writing something about them, which then usually kickstarts the proper hyperfixation lmao 🥹

18. do you gatekeep your Blorbo? / would you want more people to know about your Blorbo?

I mean I definitely "gatekeep" my OCs because they're dear and personal to me, but I don't think I've ever done that with a franchise character. So no, I don't gatekeep Feyd.

19. has a fanfic about your Blorbo ever made you cry?

All the time!! But I'm also a baby who cries very easily 🥺

20. do you think this character will still be your Blorbo three years from now on?

I mean, I dearly hope so. But from experience, I'd sadly have to say no, because my hyperfixations tend to fade after a few months. But Feyd/Austin has been my *longest* so far, with 11 months as of now. My second longest lasted like 8 months, so maybe this means Feyd is meant for eternity 🤭

[professorspork]

debated with myself whether to ask about a happy scene in order to spare myself the agony but: since it has haunted me unceasingly since the first time i read it i would love to hear the commentary on the scene in newsbees where adam. well i can't say cuts off because that happens later but. destroys yang's arm? i consider myself to have a pretty high tolerance for dark/disturbing stuff in fiction but that scene made me feel physically ill (positive? as in insanely well written) so i would love to hear what went into writing it because it is a fucking Achievement. (i have not picked out a smaller passage but if you want to pick a specific section to talk about go crazy)

well first of all thank you for the incredible compliment, gosh

and second of all-- to talk about the genesis of this scene we actually have to rewind the clock pretty much all the way back, because it wasn't entirely clear to me how all this would work for uh... a really good percentage of the drafting process, tbh

[warning for squeamish readers this will eventually get... a little intense bc I'm describing some very violent shit under the read more]

figuring out how Adam would fit into the basic framework of the Newsies film plot was a major hurdle in my planning process before I could actually start writing the fic. Blake and Yang don't map perfectly onto David and Jack, they're sort of constantly swapping who carries which beats, but Jack's on the run because he knows the cops will give him back to Snyder, the warden of the juvenile hall. Jack has systemic issues that ultimately have systemic solutions, resolved by the dismantling of The Refuge as an institution. so in the very earliest versions, when I was figuring out my antagonistic forces, I considered all sorts of ways for Clover to be chasing Blake, too, or for Adam to somehow be manipulating the Atlesian carceral state as a way to get Blake on the run.

one of the reasons I thought I had to use the cops was because I wanted to capture the visceral fear that happens in Newsies when the police break up the union's rally. I wish there were a youtube clip I could link to, but the basic outline is that Jack, having been outed by Snyder as a ~runaway outlaw~ to the chief of police, is slated to talk on stage at this massive rally of all the striking newsies. The cops surround the concert hall, and then storm in as Jack's speaking. Jack's friends try to help him get away, but it's chaos. there are mounted officers inside the lobby, and that terrifying moment-- a horse rearing up and the desperate scramble to get out of the way of its falling hooves-- is the true kernel of what ultimately became the Yang's arm scene. the violence of it is so distinctive and outsized to the situation, and felt true to both source materials in a way I was eager to keep.

so the stomp was kind of there from the beginning, because Newsies gave it to me... though it took me a while to realize it. I knew I didn't want Adam to have a sword, because that felt like it broke the world and was a little too cartoon-y. that meant I had to choose between Adam cutting her arm some other way (cleaner, but requires a lot more context to pull off in terms of what he'd have access to), or issuing such a catastrophic injury that amputation was the only option (much more achievable no matter how I wrote the scene, and brutal). I read up a lot about like, what does and does not constitute an irreparable break, and the bones in Yang's arm being crushed was the most "this is inarguable, they'd just do it" solution. the idea of Adam warning Blake resisting just makes the boot come down harder was something that I'd already had floating around my notes, and so the idea of using that as a parallel and him saying it again while actually stomping down was just... once I had the thought, I knew I had to.

figuring out how that scene would work took a lot more doing, though. as you'll notice, newsbees doesn't actually have a rally scene; the people Blake and Yang are talking to are the press, not their fellow strikers. for a long time, the rally was going to be played much more straight, and I was going to use that moment for Adam to out Blake as a Faunus and insinuate her as a member of the White Fang (something something "great job darling, you fooled them" "what the fuck are you talking about??? he's lying!" sort of thing) and there would be some kind of reveal about the crowd being filled with White Fang plants. I got.... really far into the draft, before I let go of that being the shape of the scene. it really wasn't until I reached the part after Blake and Yang's arrest and the gang had to come up with a plan that it all finally fell together organically, based on this idea of "Ruby should talk to the press" being the script that goes sideways.

so once I had the venue, it all kind of came together. the pieces fell into place; I knew I needed to blow up the Schnee garage to cause damage to the property that wouldn't threaten any of the cast in the manor, and to get Ilia access to a getaway car. having Adam hit Yang to start the scene then laid out the players on the board the way I'd wanted them (Blake surrounded, Yang largely incapacitated).

and as for the actual writing of the scene itself... the vast majority of what's published was the very first draft, which I wrote in one feverish sitting just trying to get my own, like, revulsion at Adam's actions down on the page. Blake's anxiety manifests as nausea often throughout the story, and this was always intended to show why--he's just absolutely stomach-turning, in the things he's willing to do and say. I tend to be adjective- and adverb-heavy in my writing even at the best of times, but I really tried to maximalize my descriptive language to always land back on violence, here: it's not just that he's menacing, it's not just that Blake is scared out of her mind, it's that he's purposefully doing everything he can to make this hurt (physically, emotionally, mentally) as much as possible and they both know it. it's why one stomp was never going to be enough for him; it's why he goes out of his way to make Blake parrot that it's her fault, which immediately back-fills in all the millions of times the reader knows he must have done that throughout their relationship. in his head, this is Blake's punishment for defying him: look what you made me do, this wouldn't have happened if you'd just behaved. and for a punishment to stick, Blake has to FEEL it.

which: the cruelty here, just like in the show, is that this is a pivotal moment in Yang's life and it doesn't get to be about her. Adam's not hurting Yang to hurt Yang; he's doing it to hurt Blake. Yang's just a prop, and useful or important to him only as a way of showing there's no part of Blake, nothing she holds precious, that she can protect from him. he hurts Yang for the same reason he'd punch a wall next to Blake's head, or tear pages out of her diary and break her pencils or something. he doesn't see Yang as a person. he doesn't see Yang AT ALL. he's making eye contact with Blake, talking to Blake, putting pressure on Blake the entire time he's doing this. the only time he addresses Yang, period, is to reveal that Blake used to be in the White Fang and hid it from her-- which, again, was a dig to make Blake feel like shit. he couldn't care less what that meant for Yang.

which, you know, is exactly what Blake was afraid of and knew would happen and was trying desperately to avoid :)

[prettyboykatsuki-moved]

ohhHh hi it is specialgradefckr from the other day! asking on anon because my main blog is in a completely unrelated fandom that i've totally lost the love for lmao.

honestly it was such a mood seeing your reaction bc YES. it was weird!! it was DIFFERENT! it was Some Kinda Mood going on in that fic!!!

sometimes you just. get a neat little idea. a little corner with all these nooks and crannies to mess around in. you light up and you just GO. and what comes out of it seems kinda weird, definitely not what you'd normally write but GUESS WHAT!!

this world has a place for funny little fics! weird stuff!! what is the POINT of being a writer if you are not making your dolls take off their clothes and smash after a suicide attempt and discussions of sexual slavery???

i actually came across your work wayyyy back when i first got into jjk. i read "How To Be A Dog" and i still don't know what to say about it.

the best way to describe my feelings towards that fic is that it's like i got there late to the party. there's some meat left on the bones i haven't eaten. i don't think i've gotten everything out of it.

for example, i had to re-read some sections over again to fully parse what was going on with the reader's curse (i think it was a snake and i am saying that from memory, scout's honor). and the fic spends a lot of time in gojo's POV, which I very much enjoyed!

but most fanfics, especially reader-inserts, stick to the reader POV and are written to be much more immediately digestible than other forms of fiction. you know the characters, you know the setting, let's get to the MEAT of it.

but your fic was like, the type where you really need to Pay Attention to each and every line, because each line does contribute something distinct to the characters or tone. it was so DENSE and i was NOT prepared to run into that while cheerfully looking for noncon gojo/reader porn skjfhglhdsg.

it's rare to find a fic that goes that hard. like if you want your fic to be That Deep you gotta commit to it, you know? and you don't have to do that for a fic to be good or enjoyable, you just do it For The Art, because you see what the fic could be and you want it to be that way. kudos to you.

it was an amazing work of fiction. maybe one day i will have the attention span to read the whole thing and actually feel like i'm understanding everything and the fic will stop haunting me whenever i think about it

anyways apologies for rambling in your inbox, i do hope you don't think i'm too weird lmao i just really like writing and fics. thank you for sharing yours <3

SDFKJSDJKFSDKJ i agree!!

i think like. i love the genre of absurd stuff so much in my media consumption but ive always had a hard time finding space for it in fanfiction. so writing that gojo dark comedy fic was an attempt to make some room for it and try my hand out and it ended up being a person favorite piece despite how insane it is

so i was really happy hearing other people enjoyed it and were rececptive to it bc really whats the point if you can't go and write something completely insane just for shits and giggles you know. sometimes u get a neat little idea and u just gotta go ham on it i agree

ALSO AAAAA !! A HTBAD READER IN THE WILD.... htbad is like. genuinely my magnum opus at least to me. its one of those things where i dont think im ever going to fully recover from it so when people tell me they've read it i automatically feel super emotional.

it is . super high praise to hear that you feel like you get something from it every time you read the fic. im not much of a planner but i really did pour my soul into each and every line of that thing so it means the world that it comes through!!

CHEERFULLY LOOKING FOR GOJO NONCON JHHDSJFKSD WELL YES ... i understand though i think that fic tends to jumpscare ppl in a similar way all the time since its extremely heavy tonally. it was definitely a fic i wrote For The Art if nothing else and definitely a fic i incidentally poured a lot into it. it genuinely always means the world to me to hear good things about it and im so so so elated to hear you talk so highly about it.

THANK YOU FOR READING. AND FOR LEAVING ME SUCH A KIND MESSAGE. i was basically dead on my feet last night trying to do anything but i was extremely happy seeinf this before bed. i hope today is kind to u

[corvidcrybaby]

11, 12,and 15 for the fanfic ask game! Hope your weekend is going well 💜

-- @the-frankenman-writes

Thanks so much for the ask!!! <3

11. How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

My stories are definitely equal parts character and emotion driven. I often write my fics to explore or vent complicated feelings that I have trouble articulating elsewhere, or that I might feel would be inappropriate to express in any form that isn't art (I struggle with this a bit in my personal life, so it's a beloved outlet). In order to do this, though, I need to craft characters who I find equal parts compelling and entertaining to read. Sometimes I nail it, sometimes I don't. Beyond this, I would describe my style as self-aggrandizing and crass but also heartfelt and tender. I like gratuitous violence, excessive swearing, and emotional beats that'll make you cry.

12. Who is your favorite author? 

Right now, it's without a doubt Sam Sykes, author of the Grave of Empires. Not only is his writing style every bit as sarcastic but also deadly serious as I would hope for mine to be, it's as vulgar and uncouth too - and I just fucking adore that about his stuff. I also love the way he creates characters and tropes and motifs and how unafraid to Rule Of Cool shit he is - and yet, I rarely question any plot contrivances because I'm just so hooked on the world he's created and the protagonists who are diverse and unique and special in a way that makes them all feel so fucking HUMAN. Sal the Cacophony is my favorite protagonist right now and she's a huge inspiration for Zemira if I'm being honest. Loud, obnoxious, irreverent, murderous, heartbroken, and hopelessly queer. It has everything I look for in fiction except vampires, LOL.

15. What is the fanfic you’ve written that you’re most proud of? 

That would be my current project, Lesions of a Different Kind, on AO3! It's my first long-form fanfic, and while I'd dabbled in fan stories before back on a Pokemon forum when I was a wee high school lass, this was my first time really digging into a story of my own creation and sharing it with the world. Writing was always something I wanted to explore more on a serious level but hadn't had the chance to till recently and I'm glad I took the plunge.

Lesions of a Different Kind is a product of many core facets of my existence: my adoration for extreme metal, a love letter to Hellsing, and a celebration of every element of myself - transness, Judaism, general delinquency, etc. I'm really proud of how I've incorporated a blind spot into the religious themes of Hellsing (although I will fight you over the fact that Hirano TOTALLY makes deep-cut allusions to antisemitism throughout Hellsing which often go unnoticed) by making use of golems, dybbukim, and the presence of Rabbi Loew as this Obi-Wan Kenobi style of character - or perhaps Prophet Elijah? Hehehehe.

It's a trans youth coming of age story, it's a Yiddish folk tale, it's a black comedy, it's gorehouse schlock, it's a fucked-up romance, it's about BDSM, it's about healing from past trauma, it's about hyperindependence and alienation, it's about being human, it's just a hodgepodge conglomerate of things I'm never not stewing on. The protagonist, Zemira, is just my id ran wild.

TL;DR i'm glad I wrote a self-insert because I'm fucking weird and it producted a really unique angle to write from.

[dixons-sunshine]

Aaaahhhhh this was even better than I could have ever hoped for! I’m relinquishing my ‘crown’ as the dad!Daryl writer (even though I don’t really see myself as the writer for him as a dad, but a few people have told me that I am) and to you because this was out of this world! Truly a work of art! Please, somebody, get this printed and published as a best seller!

Everytime Daryl said ‘sunshine’ in this, I felt all happy inside and even more like this was dedicated to me (because of my username lol). I counted a total of seven times he called the reader ‘sunshine’ in this, although I could have potentially missed a few.

The archer begged internally to whatever force above that it was not the latter. "Please tell me ya peed yerself..." Daryl mumbled under his shaky breath; already slightly on edge.

Not even gonna lie, that made me laugh so hard. My sister was looking at me in concern.

The thunderstorm hadn't calmed down in the slightest; was raging on and had caused a tree to fall and land in the middle of the street. "Shit... 'S too big ta move it... We have ta take a different road." His eyes landed on you, just like his hand on your swollen belly. "Can ya both hang on a lil' while longer? 'S a stupid question, ain't it?" You shook your head and gave him the most convincing smile you could muster in that moment. "It's not. I-I'll try... Right, peanut?" You addressed your unborn baby. "We'll try."

Aaahhhhh this paragraph as a whole was just amazing!!! And the reader talking to their baby!!! We don’t get to see a lot of that in fics. It’s always mainly Daryl talking to the baby. Don’t get me wrong, that’s cute and adorable and I want more of that in my life, but I wanna talk to my (fictional) baby as well!

I need to write more scenarios of that...

Unfortunately wasn't the fallen tree the only obstacle you had to overcome on your rushed journey to Alexandria... The storm was going on and definitely took its toll on the nature. And that wasn't the only problem... The night had settled over the world and the dead weren't exactly a help as well, and at some point were your contractions only fifteen minutes apart... It was a race against the time now - and your upcoming nerves. The closer you got to actually birthing your child, the worse it became. Fifteen minutes apart and you didn't even know if everything was fine and going the way it should down there. It was excruciating.

The nerves I was feeling during this... I love the way you included the timing between contractions. It made everything feel so much more dire and it had my heart racing omg.

You watched your husband and newborn daughter; a tired, but happy look on your face, and you realised soon, that everything had been worth it... Everything you've gone through. Every obstacle you and Daryl had to overcome, just to get here - to experience this moment. She was worth it.

Excuse me while I go cry over my imaginary family with Daryl because this perfectly encapsulated how I feel about Daryl becoming a dad. He deserves this. Please, give this man his own family.

No words in any dictionary can perfectly describe how I felt reading this. It’s like a birthday present, even if my birthday was (as of today) two months ago. This made me so happy. Thank you so, so much for writing this for me. I don’t know you personally, but I love you so much and I’m giving you a hug right now 💜.

Dad-to-be!Daryl fighting tooth and nail to keep the reader—who’s water had broken while they were on a walking around in the Hilltop—safe while trying to get her back to Alexandria so that Siddiq and Carol can help with the delivery of their little one. (Plus maybe the post-delivery fluff that ensues when Daryl and reader get their first moments alone with their baby.)

No pressure to write this! I just saw your post asking for dad!Daryl requests and had this idea, and thought I’d throw it your way. Love you whether you write this or not. 💜

In the Eye of the Storm

Daryl Dixon x fem!Reader

Summary: You go into labor while staying at the renewed Sanctuary. Daryl has to safely get you back home to Alexandria, of course - through a thunderstorm...

Warnings: usual TWD stuff, pregnancy, childbirth, baby things, mentions of blood, weapons, quite a bit angst, fluff, protective!Daryl

I tried to write this as accurate as possible. I'm no expert, heh.

Set in the beginning of season 9!

Word Count: 4,5k (whoops)

a/n: I'm not kidding when I say that I literally pounced that request. Gods, I loved to write this! Thanks for requesting, @dixons-sunshine ! I hope I did this justice! 🥹

EoH Masterlist °☆• Daryl Masterlist °☆• Masterlist

Daryl had a critical gaze directed at the darkening sky above him. The wind had picked up; bringing dark clouds over the Sanctuary. A thunderstorm was approaching - and fast.

Unbeknownst to him, had the archer started to chew on the inside of his bottom lip; causing you to gently squeeze his side. "Earth to Mr. Dixon," you giggled; trying to get his attention. "You okay, Dar?" The archer blinked and lowered his gaze back to you - his wife, who was neatly tucked against his side on a walk through the yard of the renewed Sanctuary; past the not yet growing crops which had been planted. You smiled up at him - slightly grimaced, but you smiled. He shook his head; "I shoulda been askin' you tha', sunshine..." eyes drifting to your prominent baby bump. You took a deep breath, but nodded. "Just Braxton Hicks, you know..."

Daryl's eyes drifted from your eyes to your (yet) unborn baby and back; a mix of worry and fear swimming in his blue-greyish orbs. You could tell. "Ya been havin' them already the whole day... Since we got up this mornin'. Ya sure this ain't the real thing?" Now you were the one shaking your head. "No. I promise, we're okay." "A'righ'." The archer jutted his chin towards the factory and looked back up in the sky. "Let's get ya back inside," he prompted and gave your hip a soft squeeze, before he started to walk; urging you on to follow. You nodded and scrunched your nose. "Yeah... Looks like rain."

With the first roll of thunder, Daryl closed the door behind you and him, without his hand leaving your body for even a second. He was so adamant to always be by your side; steady you and help you walk, it was ridiculously cute. It made you fall in love with the archer even more - not knowing it was even possible.

You giggled; one hand on the small of your back, the other on top of your belly. "Babe, you know I can stand on my own, right?" "Don care. Want ya close. 'Specially round 'ere... Ain't trustin' 'em..." You knew of course what he meant. The smile on your face immediately vanished; replaced by a concerned frown.

You understood Rick's intention; wanting to make Carl's last wish true. You'd do the same for your own child - within a heartbeat. You just didn't understand why Rick had charged Daryl of all people with the supervision of the Sanctuary. Sure, he was his bother, his right-hand-man, the one he possibly trusted most besides Michonne, but... After everything Daryl has been through here? After all the psychological torture? You knew it wasn't easy for your husband to be here. Even though he didn't say anything. You could feel it.

You took a step towards the archer; invading his space. Placing a hand on his chest and the other on his cheek, you scanned his face. "Daryl... You... You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be the one having to do this. I'll have a-" You stopped dead in your sentence; eyes widening and heart leaping into your throat at the feeling you had just experienced. Daryl was immediately on alert; completely ignoring what you had just said. "Y/N?! Wha's goin' on?!" His free hand came to rest on the bump which was his child instantly.

You swallowed hard; taking a step away from him again and looked down yourself. A prominent wet patch was spreading across the crotch and inner thighs of your maternity sweatpants. "I-I think..." Your husband's eyes followed yours quick; realisation dawning on him right away. It could mean only two things...

1) You peed yourself.

Or

2) Your water broke.

The archer begged internally to whatever force above that it was not the latter. "Please tell me ya peed yerself..." Daryl mumbled under his shaky breath; already slightly on edge. It wasn't a fortunate moment for the baby to make their appearance... You were at the Sanctuary, for God's sake! Rosita and Eugene were the only one here you could truly trust. Not much medical supplies and even less people who knew how to birth a baby either.

"I-I'm honestly not sure, Dar..." He nodded; trying to keep his calm. "A'right. Let's, uh, get ya in a fresh pair of pants 'n check?" "Uh.Huh," you answered; nervously nibbling on your lip as well. You actually didn't want to 'do this to Daryl' now, but it wasn't like you could take a pick. It wasn't in your hands... It was in the tiny hands of the peanut living in your belly.

You felt your husband's strong arm around your waist once again; supporting you as best as he could and helping you to walk through the darkish, grey hallways of the 'former' enemies hideout and towards your shared room.

After the sweatpants and your panties were not much longer on your body, you and Daryl realised quickly that you did certainly not pee yourself. It was a different... substance - which meant the one thing the both of you hoped it wouldn't be... Your water broke.

"O-Oh, fuck, that's..." You cut off your own sentence; "W-What are we, uh, going to do now?" swallowing hard and balancing on one foot, while you gripped Daryl's shoulder as he helped you step inside a fresh pair of underwear and sweatpants.

The archer looked up at you; panic swimming in his blue-grey orbs. You could tell that his mind was working on overdrive to find an answer to your question. "I-I dunno, sunshine, I-" He inhaled a deep breath; eyes darting around the room. "Ya can't have the peanut here... 'S no doctor 'round. I ain't risking tha'..." Daryl shook his head and stood up; palms immediately lading on your hips. "W-We gotta get ya back to Alexandria. To Siddiq. Now." You nodded; clenching your jaw at the incoming contraction - and Daryl noticed, of course. "'N we gotta time 'em contractions. C'mon."

Trusting your husband and his decision making blindly, you quickly threw a few things you might needed in Daryl's beige backpack, while he was informing Rosita about the situation you found yourself in.

It didn't take the archer more than a few minutes to return to your side; giving you a helping hand and finally walking you back to the door, which led to the yard - but once he opened it, a harsh breeze hit him (and you) instantly; rain splattering across your faces.

Fuck... The thunderstorm... Daryl had totally forgotten about the weather conditions; too occupied with you and the baby. You did, too.

"Fuckin' shit," the archer cursed under his breath; trying to shield you from the rain with his broad body. "Well, that's gonna be a fun car ride, eh?" You halfway joked; trying to lift the mood, but without success. "I'll get the truck; park as close as somehow possible. No matter wha'... We have ta get ya back home."

The Sanctuary had borrowed a truck from the Hilltop for moving things and other 'heavy' stuff. It was the only car option Daryl got. Of course he couldn't take his bike. Hell no.

"Ya wait inside. Don want ya ta get wet 'n cold." You nodded; bracing yourself beside the door against the wall. "Ya good bein' alone?" Once again you nodded; giving him another half-smile. "Go." He gave you a last once over, before he stepped out in the rain to get the truck.

Soaked to the bones, he helped you down the stairs then and outside; sitting you in the passenger seat of the truck; not letting go of you for even a second. "Y-You're soaked, baby..." You noticed with a furrowed brow; concerned. "You'll catch a cold if you-" Your husband immediately interrupted you; shaking his head and squeezing your hand. "Doesn't matter. This ain't 'bout me. 'S 'bout ya 'n the baby."

You knew that arguing would be just a waste of time. It wouldn't help. And honestly were you way too tensed and stressed to discuss. So you said nothing.

"Ya comfortable, sunshine? Tha' okay fer now?" His voice was on edge. You could see how hard he was trying to not lose it. This spurred you even more on to keep a cool head yourself. After all, this was your first birth. Your first child. You wanted to panic and give into the nervousness, concern and fear, but you knew you couldn't. You had to try at least. For Daryl.

You nodded and gave him a soft smile. "Y-Yeah, I- We're good, I-I think. Thanks, babe." The small smile he gave you was sloshing over with nervosity and concern, but he tried as well.

Daryl quickly rounded the car and got inside the driver's seat; immediately starting the engine. "Let's get ya home." He started to drive, while you tried to focus on your breathing like Carol taught you. Both your hands splayed on your big baby bump; feeling the subtle movements of the child within you.

Some time passed until the next contraction hit you. You breathed through it; grimacing. "Damnit..." You gasped once the waves of pain subsided; noticing how Daryl gazed back and forth between a watch around his wrist you never saw before and the street. "Been 'bout forty minutes since the last one." You swallowed hard. "T-That's already quite close, isn't it?" He shrugged his shoulder. "I dunno, but... Feels like it." You shifted slightly in your seat and placed a hand on Daryl's hand, which was gripping the gear shift for dear life. "We're gonna make it, 'kay? Everything's gonna be okay," you tried to reassure Daryl - and yourself. You could see how he chewed on his bottom lip. "Shouldn't 'ave taken ya with me... Shoulda left ya back home where ya 'n the baby 'r safe 'n taken care of. Hell, I shouldn't 'ave left at all... 'S my fault tha' we gotta do this now."

You immediately shook your head and gave his hand another squeeze. "Dar, this is everything, but your fault. I was the one encouraging you to go... And I practically begged you to take me along, because I can't stand to be away from you - especially now. I knew the risk, but I made the decision. If anyone's to blame, it's me." Your husband just scoffed at your words and just as he actually wanted to answer, the sight of the street a few miles ahead forced him to stop the truck.

The thunderstorm hadn't calmed down in the slightest; was raging on and had caused a tree to fall and land in the middle of the street. "Shit... 'S too big ta move it... We have ta take a different road." His eyes landed on you, just like his hand on your swollen belly. "Can ya both hang on a lil' while longer? 'S a stupid question, ain't it?" You shook your head and gave him the most convincing smile you could muster in that moment. "It's not. I-I'll try... Right, peanut?" You addressed your unborn baby. "We'll try."

Unfortunately wasn't the fallen tree the only obstacle you had to overcome on your rushed journey to Alexandria... The storm was going on and definitely took its toll on the nature. And that wasn't the only problem... The night had settled over the world and the dead weren't exactly a help as well, and at some point were your contractions only fifteen minutes apart... It was a race against the time now - and your upcoming nerves. The closer you got to actually birthing your child, the worse it became. Fifteen minutes apart and you didn't even know if everything was fine and going the way it should down there. It was excruciating.

"Sonofabitch," you suddenly heard Daryl exclaim, which snapped you out of your thoughts. Lifting your gaze, you instantly understood what caused his small outburst... A few walkers were exactly in your way; stuck in the rain soaked, muddy ground. "Have ta get rid of 'em, sunshine," Daryl stated and already moved to unsheathe his knives from their confines; his barely dried clothes about to get soaked all over again. "I-I can help-" "Hell nah," he cut you off immediately; scoffing. "Yer stayin' right here inside the truck where ya 'r safe. I ain't riskin' a damn thing. Gotta keep ya safe." You nodded in defeat; realising once more that arguing wouldn't get you anywhere.

Daryl gave you a stern but loving look, before he took a deep breath and exited the truck. Anxiously, you watched your husband fighting off the undead threat. Sure, most of them were kinda stuck, but the noises had attracted more walkers... The headlights of the truck provided enough light for you to see what was going on in front of you, but not besides and certainly not behind the vehicle. The relentless rain made it difficult to see straight as well, and when another, much worse contraction hit you and the pain managed to blur your vision entirely, you lost sight of Daryl. Sweat was dripping over your brow as you couldn't hold back the scream which wanted to break free from your lips; hands clutching your baby bump. "O-Oh f-fuck..." Your fingers clenched into fists as you tried to breathe through the contraction. Agonisingly slow subsided the pain; leaving you breathless. You looked around through the windows; trying to find your husband. But you couldn't see him. It was quiet. Except for the running engine and the rain drumming down on the truck.

"D-Daryl?!" You called out; knowing very well that he couldn't hear you. Uneasiness crept up in you; threatening to cut off your airways and sent your anxiety skyrocketing. It didn't help that you were on edge already... What if something happened to him? What if he got bit? What if he...? Your brain already conjured the worst case scenarios, as suddenly two pale hands slammed against the window pane beside you; the tow curling growl almost giving you a heart attack. "Fucking hell!" You squeaked and clutched your now rapidly beating heart.

The hands clawed and scratched at the wet glass - but to your sheer endless relief didn't they stay long. With a dull thud hit the undead man's skull the window; blood splattering everywhere, before it got slowly washed away. The hands stilled, before they entirely disappeared. Blinking, you watched it happen, still somewhat caught up in your thoughts. But then, the driver's door got opened and slammed quickly shut again. A familiar grunt urged to your ears - and you could've cried of relief and happiness.

"Daryl!" You more or less whimpered; shifting in your seat as good as you could and turned to him; taking in his water and blood soaked appearance. Some blood was on his cheeks and water dripped down his long, brown hair. You reached for him; grabbed onto his wet sweatshirt and slippery vest. "A-Are you okay? I-I lost sight of you a-and..." You hiccuped; taking a deep breath. The archer immediately nodded and leaned in for a sweet, soft kiss; letting you feel that he was alive and well, before he moved to take your hands in his bigger ones. "'M good, sunshine. 'S a'right. 'M here." His blue eyes scanned your body then; lips pressed together in worry. "Wha' 'bout you?"

You swallowed hard. "H-Had another contraction..." His eyes widened. "Darlin', you had one barely ten minutes ago..." "I know." Daryl looked at you a few moments longer, before he gently let go of your hands and gripped the steering wheel instead. "We gotta keep movin'," he mumbled and kept on driving - and you knew he was right.

Luckily the truck didn't get stuck in the muddy mess ahead of you... That would've been the cherry on top.

It took you longer than planned to drive back to Alexandria, but in the end you finally made it - most likely just in time. You swore you were never that happy before to see the familiar gates of the place you called home. Daryl felt the same. You could tell.

The thunder and lighting had ceased by now. It was still raining, but not as bad. Due to the bad weather conditions was nobody on watch, but the archer knew that at least one person was positioned up in the windmill; looking out for threats from up there. So, he gave whoever was up there a sign; flashing the truck head lights three times and signalling that friends were standing in front of the walls and not enemies.

"Jus' a few minutes longer, sunshine. Almost there," Daryl tried to reassure you as he gently squeezed your hand. You just nodded; occupied with taking deep breaths.

Moments later, the gates got opened for Daryl to drive through, which he immediately did and headed straight for the infirmary; parking the car as close as he could get.

The approaching headlights must've caught Siddiq's attention, since the doctor immediately went to the door; trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on. He watched the archer quickly rounding the vehicle; getting soaked in the rain a third time. "Daryl?!" Siddiq called out; switching on his porch light. "What-" Daryl didn't let the man finish; cut him off mid sentence as he opened the door and helped you out. "Need yer help! Y/N's in labor!"

Siddiq didn't need more information. He knew and was immediately on high alert. The doctor opened the door and let the both of you in; instantly helping Daryl to steady you. Usually, he would've asked about your condition, but Siddiq knew the moment he saw you. "How far apart are the contractions?" You wanted to answer, but Daryl did for you. "'Bout six minutes." The black haired man nodded, "You got here just in time, I'd say." and helped you sit on the bed inside the room he had led you and Daryl in. "I'm afraid we have to get you out of these..." Siddiq nodded at your sweatpants. "Daryl, would you...?" Your husband's eyes were locked on you as he nodded slowly. "Yeah, I got it. C'mon, sunshine."

While Daryl helped you shimmy down your pants and panties, Siddiq prepared some things he needed in the upcoming hour(s)... Towels, gloves and some other medical stuff.

"Alright. I have to check on you. Is that alright?" Siddiq asked carefully; knowing how... protective and territorial the other present man in the room could get. You nodded; trying your hardest to not scream due to the contraction you were going through. The doctor noticed and placed a reassuring hand on your knee. "Deep breaths, Y/N. We got this, okay?" You gave your friend another nod, before he went to check as soon as your contraction subsided again.

"You're about eight centimetres dilated, I'd say." "'N tha' means?" Daryl spoke up with your hand neatly tucked in his, as he was standing by your side. "Two more and she'll be able to start pushing. Means, your baby will see the light of day in the next one or two hours." The colour visibly drained from the archer's face. He knew that he'd be a dad soon, but... That soon? You, on the contrary just groaned and threw your head against the pillow. "Thank fuck. I want this to be over... Hurts like a bitch - and I finally want to hold my baby."

Siddiq witnessed both very different reactions and tried to hide a smile; quickly deciding to give the soon-to-be-dad a little task to keep him from freaking out.

"Daryl?" The archer's gaze lifted from where he was staring at the floor and gnawing nervously on his thumb. "Could you get Carol? I might need her assistance." Daryl frowned in confusion, but the feeling which started to flood his veins was happiness. "She's here?" Siddiq nodded with a smile. "Yes. She was on the road and decided to stay for a few days. Might as well call it providence." The man nodded; shaking a few bangs of wild brown curls from his face and nibbled on his bottom lip again, but turned to you; needing your permission. "'S a'right if I go 'n get 'er, darlin'?" You nodded; sweat doting your forehead. "As long as you'll come back to me... Go. I'm in good hands." Your husband gave you a loving look and gently squeezed your hand, before he let go to get himself soaked in rain again - for the nth time... Not that he cared, though.

The archer didn't even had to ask where to look for his best friend. He knew. After all has she been sharing a house with the both of you, before she moved to the Kingdom. Where else to look but there

Opening the main door, he stepped inside; calling out for his friend. "Carol?!" It didn't take long for the grey haired woman to peak out from the kitchen in the hallways; frowning. The frown immediately vanished, though, when she saw who the 'intruder' was... "Daryl?" A bright smile darted over her face, as she quickly bridged the distance to hug her best friend. They hadn't seen each other in a while after all.

"Ya good?" He simply asked; definitely enjoying the embrace of the woman he got luckily stuck with since the very beginning of this shit show. "Yeah, I am. What about you? And especially Y/N?" Daryl instantly retreated from the hug; a frightening, but also happy look on his face. "W-Well, uh... S-She's in labor. 'S why I brought 'er back here... Siddiq sent me ta ask for yer help..." Carol's eyes widened, but she immediately scrambled for the kitchen to turn off the stove. "Of course, I'm coming to help! Can't miss my best friend becoming a daddy, can I?"

Daryl blinked. "Best friend? Really?" Carol ignored his sceptical question and grabbed him by the shoulders instead; turning him around and maneuvering him towards the door. There were more important things to do now than discuss that.

Siddiq's predictions had been quite on spot. About one and an half hour, quite a few painful contractions and several tiring and debilitating pushes later, you finally held your baby in your arms. Since the doctor's announcement that you gave birth to a - as far as he could tell, healthy little girl, Daryl's mind had gone blank. He was physically present, but mentally, he was somewhere lost in a haze; trying to process the life-changing information... A girl. His daughter. He was a father now. A father!

Of course, you noticed. Carol and Siddiq did, too and all of you decided to give him the space and time he needed right now; just letting him stare at the white wall across your bed.

Only once the afterbirth was done, you getting cleaned up as well as the baby, the umbilical cord cut by Carol (Daryl would've most likely fainted if he was asked to do it. He already looked as white as a ghost...), a few further instructions and information shared by both your friends, and your newborn daughter wrapped up in a diaper and a slightly too big beige romper suit with cute teddy bears on it, you decided to try to guide your husband out of the haze he still was in. Especially now that you were given some time alone...

"Daryl?" You called out softly; voice barely above a whisper to not startle him. He didn't react, so you tried again... Same result. Freeing a hand from the baby tucked against your chest, you reached out to gently touch his arm. "Babe..." You whispered; letting your palm glide down the length of the limb and brushing the clammy skin of his hand. "Hey..." That seemed to finally do the trick...

The archer blinked and redirected his glance; eyes focusing on you instead. "'M sorry, sunshine, I-" His words quickly died in his throat, when he finally saw his daughter nestled against you; greedily suckling on your exposed right breast and making the cutest little noises he had ever heard. You smiled tiredly and slipped your fingers through his; giving them a soft squeeze. "Your baby girl, Daryl... Your daughter..." He swallowed and lifted his free hand; almost hesitatingly hovering over the infant, before his pointer finger came into contact with her soft cheek.

Daryl gasped; releasing a breath he didn't even know he was holding. You watched the interaction with loving eyes; only now noticing that the small girl had stopped nursing and was wriggling around in your hold instead. Her eyes were closed and she had her legs pulled up against her belly; tiny fingers clenching and unclenching.

Your husband had cupped her head now, which was covered in a dark brown fuzz. "She's perfect, darlin'..." Daryl whispered after a long moment; smiling that smile you loved so much.

"Do you want to hold her?"

That question caused Daryl's hand to immediately stop caressing his daughter's head. "I-I..." He stammered; nervous, yet with such a strong urge. "Y-Yeah, I... I wanna hold 'er." You patted the empty space on the bed beside you. "C'mere, then." The archer followed your 'command' and switched from the chair to sit on the bed. Only now did you notice that he hadn't changed yet and that the shirt he wore was still damp. Worry roared to life within you. You didn't want him to catch a cold or even something worse...

"Baby, you should change... I don't want you to get sick..." Daryl shook his head. "Do want ta leave ya..." "I know..." You bit your lip; uncertain if you should propose the suggestion in your mind or not. "Then, uh... How about you take the shirt and vest off? Carol and Siddiq won't be here for at least another hour and skin-on-skin contact with your daughter would be good, too... Helps her bond with you." You gave him a soft smile. "It's your decision, though. I won't force you to do anything."

You could practically see the gears turning in your husband's head, but in the end he nodded and started to peel the damp clothes off his upper body. Once he was shirtless, you started to transfer the little girl over to her father. "Make sure to support her head, Dar," you instructed him; noticing his eager nod, and suddenly was the infant tucked in the crook of his arm. She snuggled against his bare chest; definitely enjoying the warmth of his skin.

And suddenly the world stopped to turn around Daryl.

He gazed down at the tiny human being he helped create - and she was the most wonderful, beautiful creature his eyes had ever seen (besides you, of course). Love flooded his veins; heart threatening to slosh over with the warm feeling.

Yes... He'd rip the world apart to keep her safe. Anything. Just to make sure his girls were protected.

You watched your husband and newborn daughter; a tired, but happy look on your face, and you realised soon, that everything had been worth it... Everything you've gone through. Every obstacle you and Daryl had to overcome, just to get here - to experience this moment. She was worth it.

You smiled. Yeah... You could definitely get used to Daryl being a dad...

Tags: @angelwings-crossbowstrings @belitoxx @lou12346789 @fictive-sl0th @marvelcasey05 @loz-3 @mischief-dream @whore4romance @stitchintimefan @bigbaldheadname @making-the-most-0f-it @erebus-et-eigengrau @km-ffluv @0-aubrie0 @sweetz1919 @mikaela-granger @secretsicanthideanymore @dilfdixon @txtttttttttttttt @dixons-sunshine @stiveroon @cakesandtom @mayday2007

[friday-answers]

AHHH HIII ITS UR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOORHOOD ANON [B] HERE AHHAHAHAHA!! I MISSED SENDING YOU RANDOM ASKS AND WHATNOT, Mx. CREATOR, YOU! Anyway, Sorry for disappearing on ya for so long! I've been so caught up with literally just living a normal day-to-day life recently that I forget to sneak back into the interwebs... heh... Ok, one of the last posts I saw a while back was you saying that the blog was getting kind of quiet, and how you miss getting asks! So not to fear, for I am here! I have a random question, and also just ramblings: Q: I know that UF takes place in the future, but they seem to still have telephone boxes: something basically obsolete and extinct here. So does that mean tthat they also have other OLDER technology, such as flip-phones or old box-TV's? Random thingie: I've been considering making a UF based fan-fiction over on AO3, so we'll seeeee... 👀👀 Also another random thing, WHY IS THOUGHT FOR THE DAY GETTING SO POETIC AND SOMETIMES BORDERLINE SPOOKY?? THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THEIR SHAKESPEARIAN ERA!! Also quite random, but I forgot to sign it when I asked last time, so to let you know I was the one who asked if you enjoy Undertale. So. Ehem. Yeah. I feel like if Undertale had been out when Radio Silence was written, it would have come up as one of the interests that Aled and Frances had shared. Q: Are you the one who voices over the UF podcast, or do you have a friend or someone else do it for you?? I personally think the voice is quite nice and soothing. I put on the podcast occasionally at night to help me fall asleep ヾ(•ω•`)o Anyway, I think you do the gender-neutral voice quite well! I tried to get my mom to listen to it, and she enjoyed it but pretty much had the same reaction that Frances's mom had over listening to Universe City as described in the first few chapters, lol. ANYWAY, Happy PRIDE MONTH!! TELL RADIO THAT I SAID HAPPY PRIDE MONTH AND TO NEVER STOP TALKING OVER THE RADIO, BECAUSE THERE'S MORE PEOPLE LISTENING AND SUPPORTING THEM THAN THEY THINK (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) PS: I'M SO SORRY THAT I TYPED SO MUCHHH </3 -Your (currently) most excited regular, [B]

HEYYYYY it does feel like it has been Too long

thank u for ur service in providing me with much to ramble about i love. yapping

about the telephone box Q!! honestly, the telephone box is from an actual excerpt, one of which i Cannot remember the number of right now But! yes haunted telephone box on tomsby street was something i took right from the OG without thinking much of it.

i suppose its also quite out of place for radio to be using a Radio. but that's also cleared up in the first excerpt when they say how it one of last forms of communication that the city doesn't monitor!

so i guess, my interpretation i suppose, is that there very much are still older forms of technology that became outdated to the point they were forgotten before they could be like... destroyed or cut off.

and hey like i live in the uk and there are phone boxes here, ofc u still find them in like london mostly for tourists... honestly now that i think about it, they're mostly only still in touristy areas lol! but i think for universe city, at least imo, the city are so busy on always trying to be Futuristic if u will and they're building crazy infrastructure and new technology and all these things that they just forget that the old, outdated stuff can still very much be used... which honestly!! as someone who goes to a uni that is CONSTANTLY building new buildings yet not putting money into fixing the ones that are already there....????? it checks out

i'd also assume that radio wouldn't use older phones like flip phones cause of cell towers and shit like that which the city probably would monitor, but im very entertained by the idea of radio having a silly lil flip phone so they're canonically there because of that. alone.

holy shit i read that fanfic bit and went 'oh yeah a universe city fan fic cool!!' and then have to do a double take and go WAIT WHAT A WHAT FIC

that's. fucking awesome if u make a uf fanfic that will be genuinely huge to me. honestly I WANT to make a uf fanfic... this medium is very hard to convey shit in sometimes!!!! the things i want to write do not always make sense to happen over a call!! esp when radio goes and does things i always have to be retelling conversations because it makes no sense that they would be on the radio during it T-T it's tough!!! so i am in full support that's awesome

and I DONT KNOW. I DONT KNOW WHATS HAPPENING. I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD BE FEARING FOR MY LIFE. ITS SO OMINOUS BUT SO ENTERTAINING.

ah!! wait that's crazy why was i convinced that undertale came out in like 2013 wtf do u mean 2015??? i was Sentient for that. no but ur so right. with alice's known interest in story driven games (like me fr fr) they totally would've put it in. aled and frances would love undertale Absolutely.

can confirm that the podcast is all me...!! it is in fact my voice and i'm Glad u think it's soothing because i cannot listen to the recordings back so i Don't so really i'm sending them out into the wild just absolutely unknown to me half the time lol. i cannot stand my own voice so its really ironic i decided to start recording the excerpts lol. really honestly crazy to me that u find it soothing im so serious sometimes i stumble over my words and go eh whatever bc ive already done like a million takes of it which were much worse

but tbf (other than the radio effect and pitching) it is Not what i sound like irl, i really try to pronounce my words will and speak clearly because my accent is not often the easiest to understand! but glad its ok for people lol

that's Crazy that u listened to it with ur MOTHER. that is so endearing and so cool to hear. glad to have her somewhat approval i'll absolutely take that as a win

YES HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!! each day im on this account it continues to be a struggle not to talk about identity stuff that would expose me too much lol. not a shocker to say that i am queer but unfortunately that is as far as i could possibly go. because that does not thin down the suspects at all this is TUMBLR. also that running this account has sure as hell been fulfilling gender wise what a way to LIVE just completely anonymously being called they/creator it's Awesome

that is so so so sweet to hear thank u :( i'll pass the message onto radio for sure

if u thought YOU wrote a lot then consider me the final boss. like i said i love yapping. big yapper.

thank u again!!! this was so sweet to hear and im EXCITED about that possible uf fanfic that would be crazy!!

[renosser]

ISO Mutuals and New Friends (...or at least mutual reposters and interactives)

Heya folks, I'm a writer and reader in my 40s. Most of my writing is non- and original fiction, but most of my reading is somewhere in the halls of AO3. I've become quite fond of Elder Scrolls and Final Fantasy related work, though I've never played the Final Fantasy games, aside from casual strolls around early-game areas in FFXIV. So all I know about Final Fantasy I learned from AO3.

I have a "real" blog, but it's become quite personal, and ever since I felt seen, my writing over there has gone to shit. Which, being seen is a double-edged sword. While it validates a person's existence, it has caused me tremendous performance anxiety. The best way I can describe it is that scene in The Jerk when Nathan R. Johnson sees his name in the phone book for the first time, except with panicked hedgehog levels of anxiety.

So I made a Tumblr for myself under a pseudonym.

Anyway, I was hoping to meet new friends or interactive people (if you're both, that's even better!) on here. Here are things I'll be writing about or sharing:

<- hey there's bullet lists!

writing instruments (pens and notebooks/travel journals)

copious amounts of coffee

reflective thoughts

poetry

scraps from original work

fantasy art

thoughts on fan fiction that I read

whining about my hesitancy to post my Elder Scrolls fan fic

original photography (mostly flowers, weather, and water)

digital video game photography

indie/experimental/acoustic/coffee house music...and jazz.

mystical/spiritual/metaphysical stuff

reposts of any of the above

If any of that interests you, or if you're just nice and want to connect, say hi!

[xirae]

This random Open Borders non fic comic book caught my eye at the library, easier non fiction while I try to recover my clear brain back, but it's kind of a nightmare book bc it's actually a super right-wing libertarian argument for open borders

I'll try to describe the first argument chapter (chapter 2) in good faith and some of my hangups and confusions. Adding a break bc this is long-ish though not that long

This chapter is about how the economy will rise if we open borders, and how we don't need to worry about immigrants stealing our jobs. Starts off with a thought experiment: if ppl were trying to farm in Antarctica and were trying to grow crops and were barely scraping by bc oh bad conditions, to move and grow crops in another country would not only benefit them through better conditions, but it would benefit the world bc their increased success would add to the world economy.

So the argument becomes, immigrants generate more US $ here than they do in their home countries. But I'm just like wondering what that specifically means, since the Antarctica example isn't 1 to 1; no one's coming over and making new farms or new whatever, they're going to be absorbed into already-existing companies and infrastructure for the most part I think. What does it physically mean that they make more $ here than in a home country? I don't understand how that gets quantified. Is it just them getting paid more for the same job, or is he pointing at another dynamic? From my perspective it's more of the Abstract Cash Nexus in action, it seems so arbitrary to say "well, they generate more $ over here!" Feels like handwaving the function of third-world economies in their own homes and in the global economy, no mention of colonialism and its economic impact either

The real funny part is the second half. In a world of mass consumption we need mass production, which we can start producing more once ppl come in through the open borders. So we'll get even more shit in the first world, and a lot of our fading cities are going to start thriving again, with new cities popping up. I bristle at this under my own view that cities rely on extraction from other parts of the world to maintain themselves, so more cities popping up everywhere for the sake of economy flow isn't super exciting to me. Even as we open the borders, worldwide instability will be crucial at a material level (and essential for sending people our way!) The zinger is while they will take up these base-level production jobs, natives are safe bc new jobs and new demands will pop up, such as managing the new influx of workers coming in. (bad faith translation: we're going to start giving our current wage slaves the opportunity for power over the new wage slaves and further class stratify world society).

I'm like screaming in terror, this all does not sound like a good and I get to be lectured about it by his wholesome comic-sona with that stupid fucking face on his face....... I might not finish it but I feel like I should so I have a general idea of what's going on in other American political sectors

[kayla-kai]

Spec fic scales

I hate the way that fantasy seems to have one scale and sci-fi has another and they’re always treated like two entirely different scales. I get that the high fantasy—low fantasy scale and the hard sci-fi—low sci-fi have different  purposes and intentions as far as grouping and identifying media goes but I just. I feel like only having one scale is limiting. Thus, I propose we start using a cardinal graph to describe speculative fiction. 

For clarity, the high-low scale refers to how entrenched a world is in fantasy elements. High fantasy will have a unique world, races that aren’t human, and lots and lots of magic. The hard-soft scale refers to how well fantastical elements are grounded in reality, how plausible they are, and how well they’re explained. 

To this end I’ve tried including some examples of where I would put certain media on this scale. I wanted to include LotR and Frankenstein, since they’re often cited as the creators of the fantasy and sci-fi genres as we know them today. Funnily enough, Frankenstein in particular doesn’t actually EXPLAIN shit, to the point where it became understood that ol’ Vicky used electricity, when if you read the book it’s almost more implied that he used chemicals and potions. Meanwhile LotR goes into ample detail about how the races work, the society, the implications of magic and monsters, etc. it may not be grounded in reality, but it is an otherwise incredibly hard piece of media. Fantasy gets the association of being soft and unexplainable while sci-fi is more associated with realism. So it’s funny to me that the creators of the genres weren’t bound by those kinds of assumptions. 

I included my favorite webcomic ever, Sluggy Freelance, to show that a given series isn’t necessarily beholden to one spot on the scale. Sluggy uses both fantasy and sci-fi elements, and the level of realism or detail given changes element to element or arc to arc. Magic is almost given more rules than some of the science, and both can interact with each other in unexpected ways (there’s a system of fate that can only be tampered with using magic…and sometimes unexpected science, too.). The comic has like, six different types of zombies, ranging from ‘kids in makeup’ to ‘brainwashing’ to ‘magic curse’ to ‘demonic plant infesting people’ and more. Each version has its own level of realism and explanation. Meanwhile some arcs are set in realistic New Jersey, and others are set in other dimensions full of demons or time travel with deities or both with an evil corporation that can keep people alive forever and try to brainwash them to prevent uprising. This turned into me gushing about my favorite comic, I’m sorry, I digress

Anyway the last thing I found interesting was how most of my examples follow a line going from soft-low to hard-high. Is this the nature of modern media? Or is it just my preferences when I consume media? The two outliers seem to be Star Wars, a series I watched but didn’t particularly enjoy (it’s fine, just not my thing), and the Martian, which I have actually never read or watched but had to look up for something to put in that corner (other than a meme)

Anyway, if anyone wants to use this or add examples, please do! I’m interested if other media shows the pattern I’ve started or if it’s just me. I might make one for my wips as well, so if you’re a writer, put your wips on the graph too!

[ammckk6262]

Didn't realize I literally wrote a thesis and never uploaded it ToT.

Haikyuu fic recs-

 Oikawa's last wishes: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10554512

This story isn’t the most wonderful thing, neither is it a literary genius like some others in this list. However, it feels really nostalgic and you can learn how to incorporate happiness in angst. Happiness always don’t have to big trips to new places or a grand celebration; it can come from a simple ‘I love you’ or even just staying with them. This piece WILL help you understand how to do that better!!

 Lying through my teeth: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24071404 (The whole series is amazing but this one's my fav)

This story is very close to me emotionally. The feeling of abandonment is very hard to explain, especially when others think you have so many people around you, with. They don’t realize how lonely or abandoned you can sometimes feel. This one is also a great example of writing in first person, albeit not the best.

The sky and guilt are the only feelings I have left: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11605827

This is a life-changing type of fic for me. This is to me a literary genius, not only in aspects of writing and literature, but also in terms of moral value. Even though this piece is HUGE, I assure you, you won’t feel bored, not even for a second. It’s a great example for how to keep your readers engaged without being repetitive and how to add subplots and arcs without spoiling the main theme.

the galaxy's endless (i thought we were too): https://archiveofourown.org/works/25651510

I never cry seeing or reading or even writing or hearing, whatever be, fictional things. But this one successfully made me cry every time I read it, hell every time I saw it. Most fics show how a character grief, but this one shows how a character copes. I don’t have many words to describe this but I think even if you aren’t part of the fandom, even if you don’t know shit about this fandom, give it a read because I think you’ll be able to feel every emotion as if you’re one of the characters in it, first-hand.

In another life: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5096105

One thing I should mention even before I even start talking about it, is that you will never be the same after reading this. Most fics I come across are about ‘romantic relationships. While that isn’t a necessarily bad thing, we do need to acknowledge that there are some bonds which are deeper than any other in spite of being unlabelled. This is a fic about ‘what could-be’. It teaches how to add a certain depth to the characters we write.

Shard society: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23718103

A reflection of the real corrupt world with hints psychological thrills. Tragedy is the main theme through and throughout. You’ll surely learn how to put some killer plot twists and sense of fore-boding from this.

Four out of Six: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7922461

A feel-good tragedy. Portrays relationships, especially ones in school life are extremely flawed but are still sweet. Some even last for a lifetime, even if they don’t get to experience it. Love isn’t perfect, it’s just like oxygen, necessary for survival.

He smelled like oranges: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27569593

Life can never be happy for too long. It’s just waiting for a ticking bomb, until everything goes ‘boom’. Coping isn’t always healthy, we need guidance to be okay.

Disrupting his song: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24186010

Peace was never an option. Great example of how to write extremely realistic relationships and friendships.

Every tomorrows(series): https://archiveofourown.org/series/1246454

Great example of how to create an alternate universe and make it similar to canon.

Haikyuu fic recs-

i. Oikawa's last wishes: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10554512 ii. Lying through my teeth: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24071404 (The whole series is amazing but this one's my fav) iii. The sky and guilt are the only feelings I have left: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11605827 iv. the galaxy's endless(i thought we were too): https://archiveofourown.org/works/25651510 v. In another life: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5096105 vi. Shard society: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23718103 vii. Four out of Six: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7922461 viii. He smelled like oranges: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27569593 ix. Disrupting his song: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24186010 x. Every tomorrows(series): https://archiveofourown.org/series/1246454

Now the most imp part. ANYONE & EVERYONE SEEING THIS POST PLZ CHECK THE TAGS B4 READING ANY OF THEM AS THEY CONTAIN DISTURBING STUFFS. THESE ARE JUST MY PERSONAL FAVS + THE ONES I COULD REMEMBER RN, SO I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO SUFFER CUZ OF MY CHOICES.

PLZ SUFFER WIMME. I NEEDED TO DUMP THIS MASTERLIST SOMEWHERE.

Credit for headers: @minecchi @colorless-sea @marcseok @wanderinlights @sweetlyvibe