#thank you @naps4bats!!

[roamingbadger]

WIP Wriday (tagged by @naps4bats and getting around to it belatedly because I needed to write more words, lol. THANK YOU! <3)

Excerpt from the next chapter of Who Made the Snow, a Christmas Declan/Alison Modern AU:

“It was supposed to be a surprise,” said Declan, and Alison blinked up at him, a slight frown of worry between her brows. His heart turned over. “Did it not work?”

“Oh, it worked…”

Those words gave him a presentiment of dread, but then Mags said, “We’re going to have a wander down to the other end of the market. Someone’s brought farm animals. Care to join?”

Declan was about to decline, but then he caught sight of Alison’s expression. Her eyes lit, and her frown smoothed away. “Oh. Er. Why not?” he said.

He was rewarded by that joy spreading out from her eyes into her tentative smile. “Really?”

“Really, Number Three. But if a farm animal is all it takes to make you smile, I know a place.”​

[ulfrsmal]

Assumption: you carry a small knife, for emergencies like carving your initials into things.

Half true? I do carry one but I don't carve my initials into things, that's just asking for trouble xD

[emma-ofnormandy]

Pass the happy! 🌻🌈 When you receive this, list 5 things that make you happy and send this to 10 of the last people in your notifications!

When my kitchen smells like fresh baked bread

The site of calves running around their mothers on May pasture

My daughter

Delicious food eaten in good company

A clean house

[emilyhufflepufftlk]

Em's 500 Followers Challenge

Thank you again for the 500 followers, it means a lot. This is a fun challenge to celebrate and to hopefully get everyone's creative juices flowing. This is a Taylor Swift inspired challenge because I love her music and I find her lyrics make great prompts.

Rules:

It's open to anyone whether you follow me or not.

You are welcome to create whatever you like - fics, headcanons, gif sets, edits, fanart, moodboards etc.

What you create should be for/inspired by The Last Kingdom/Seven Kings Must Die but can feature any character/ship/topic you like.

For fics, you can write anything you like (angst, smut, fluff, whatever you fancy) but please tag appropriately and use readmore if it's long.

Pick a prompt from below - you can either use the song title itself as a prompt, a lyric from that song or the whole song; likewise for the albums you can use the title itself as a prompt or create something off the general vibe/colour/theme of the album (which I've included in brackets).

Please let me know which prompt you would like to use. You can have as many as you like but only two people can have the same prompt (I will cross prompts off once two people have picked them).

Soft Deadline: 1st July

Album prompts:

Debut (green, coming of age, innocence)

Fearless (yellow/gold, fairytales, teen love, first heartbreak)

Speak Now (purple, regrets, toxic relationships, growing up) @persephones-journey @mirandahamilton

Red (red, autumn, heartbreak, 'happy, free, confused and lonely')

1989 (blue, neon, new love, finding yourself, starting afresh) @geekandbooknerd

Reputation (black, revenge, secret relationships) @itbmojojoejo

Lover (pink, established relationship, love, happiness, romance) @axe-does-writing @lonnson

Folklore (grey/silver, summer, stories, forests, nature) @errruvande

Evermore (orange/brown, winter, stories, cosy cottage)

Midnights (navy blue, self reflection, late nights, past regrets) @persephones-journey @arcielee

Song Prompts:

Picture to Burn

A Place In This World @ errruvande

Cold As You

I'm Only Me When I'm With You

A Perfectly Good Heart

Fifteen

You Belong With Me

You're Not Sorry

The Other Side Of The Door

Mine @persephones-journey

Sparks Fly

Never Grow Up @ errruvande

Enchanted

Better Than Revenge

Haunted

Last Kiss

Treacherous

I Knew You Were Trouble @persephones-journey

All Too Well

The Last Time

Everything Has Changed

Begin Again @geekandbooknerd

The Moment I Knew @magravenwrites

Better Man

All You Had To Do Was Stay @ persephones-journey

I Wish You Would

Wildest Dreams @morosemagick @ persephones-journey

How You Get The Girl

This Love

I Did Something Bad

Don't Blame Me @ itbmojojoejo

Delicate

Getaway Car

Dancing With Our Hands Tied

Call It What You Want

Cruel Summer @finanmoghra

Death By A Thousand Cuts @princess--of--the--dragonstone

Soon You'll Get Better @ princess—of—the—dragonstone

Afterglow

It's Nice To Have A Friend @ persephones-journey

Daylight @ errruvande

the 1

exile @volvaaslaug

this is me trying @ princess--of--the—dragonstone

illicit affairs @ persephones-journey

invisible string

peace

champagne problems

'tis the damn season @finanmoghra

tolerate it

no body, no crime

long story short

right where you left me @ persephones-journey

Anti-Hero

You're On Your Own, Kid @ mirandahamilton

Vigilante Shit @princess--of--the--dragonstone

Sweet Nothing @timetravelingpenguin1066

The Great War

Bigger Than The Whole Sky @solinarimoon

Would've, Could've, Shoud've @arcielee

Tagging mutuals who might be interested (no pressure): @lauwrite1225 @93xdiagonxalley @trenko-heart @medievalfangirl @muddleofnervouswords @anotherwinchesterfangirl @blah-blah-blah-bla @aelswiths @eretriahs @finantheagile @halfmylife @mommytauriel @agreyraincloudd @dailytlk @chaoticdumbassary @pupzbitez @onesaltyhunter @moonlight-rider25 @charming-merlin @aadmelioraa @nanahachikyuu @lazypeachsoul @cheerylogan @mrsalwayswrite @for-bebbanburg @wildwren @naps4bats @cibs

[shelivesinhermind]

10 Characters// 10 Fandoms// 10 Tags

pick 10 characters from 10 fandoms and tag 10 people. Thank you for the tag @ladyyennefer and @therealvikingstrash !!

Guy of Gisbon (BBC Robin Hood) Currently doing a rewatch of this show and forgot how he was a favorite. Clearly dark, hot-headed, men with a soft spot are just as much a thing from my past as it is true for me today :)

Emma of Normandy (Vikings: Valhalla) She's an icon. A badass in her own way. And marries a dark, hot-headed Viking man. How can I not be obsessed with her?

Daniel Arlington aka Darlington (Ninth House) I also have a love for demon fighting, hell exploring, men with a dark past and cynicism. His girlfriend is also a badass fellow demon fighter, so double the trouble ;)

The Fool (The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb) I love this queer, silly, loyal, outsider. That's all. He is everything. And I need to pick this series back up.

Gabriel De Leon (Empire of the Vampire) Again, dark, hot headed, complicated past, soft spot, the pattern is clear. This man is the only vampire I have considered my favortie, and this book is an all time favorite. I can't wait for book two!

Morgana Pendragon (BBC Merlin) My original queen with a dark heart. She will always be a favorite and always included on any list.

Calian (Walker: Independence) It is so hard to pick a favorite from this short lived western, but I also so happen to love a long-haired, heart of gold, humble man (ode to my Prince Caspian days). Calian was the best ❤️

Donna Noble (Doctor Who) You know, Donna was never an all time favorite companion of mine, but I am loving her in the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary. And plus my favorite Doctor is back! I think this special is gonna make me supper emotional when it is over.

Rissa (Plated Prisoner Series) As for a lot of fantasy romance that I read, secondary characters tend to become my favorite. This is true for my little spit fire, Rissa. She has crawled her way out of the pits, and I just want her to be happy. Particularly with a grumpy, hairy, obsessed with her soldier named Osrik. Gold can't come soon enough! ✨️

Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars) Watching the new Star Wars series -- Asoka and the Obi Wan-Kenobi tv series -- has reminded me of my early kid days and watching Hayden Christian as Anakin. The Original dark, complicated past, misunderstood character. The nostalgia was real.

I don't believe I have 10 people who I can tag, but I will do my best. @lafiametta @naps4bats @phoenixwrites @guinevereslancelot

[muddleofnervouswords]

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

Rules: answer the questions and tag 15 mutuals

thank you for the tag @kingslionheart <3

1. Are you named after anyone?

yes, a character in a book it's about a girl who only realises she's in love with a man once he's off on a fatal quest and ends with her returning to the place where they had spent time together:

"the sea had moved in through the breached walls and covered it over. Nothing was left to break the utter desolation. No marsh fowl had dared to return. Only the frightless gulls wheeled and soared and mewed over the place where it had been."

thanks for the invocation, mum

2. When was the last time you cried?

yesterday it was just a little, out of happiness for a friend

3. Do you have kids?

no

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

not a great deal a medium amount?

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

hands

6. What's your eye colour?

green

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

sad endings! but happy endings if I must choose one of these

8. Any special talents?

I'm good at tasting things, I'm naturally friendly to strangers, and my friends always say I have a nice speaking voice

9. Where were you born?

my parent's bedroom, in a tiny house on the edge of a tiny town, in rural Australia

10. What are your hobbies?

reading, walking, copying out poetry, rearranging the furniture as procrastination

11. Have you any pets?

no but I'm in the process of applying to adopt a darling boy from the pound please keep your fingers crossed it comes through

12. What sports do you play/have played?

I played everything in school, always with more optimism than talent

13. How tall are you?

161cm or 5'3"

14. Favorite subject in school?

English, Drama, Art

15. Dream job?

a life of leisure my dreams are heavy on kissing, light on labour

taggle: @emilyhufflepufftlk @lauwrite1225 @solinarimoon @volvaaslaug @monroesimons @hederasgarden @chaoticdumbassary @trenko-heart @wildwren @sigridsdottir @naps4bats @saint-helga @ulfrsmal @aadmelioraa @osferth

[kingslionheart]

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

Rules: answer the questions and tag fifteen mutuals

I have been tagged by @aelflaeds and @aethelflaedel, thank you both for the tag!!

1. Are you named after anyone?

Well... not an actual person, let's say that, I will not elaborate.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Three days ago, worst mental breakdown in months :')

3. Do you have kids?

Nope

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

It depends, but mostly yes!!

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

Eyes

6. What's your eye colour?

Green with some shades of brown

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

I don't really enjoy scary movies so I guess happy endings!

8. Any special talents?

I think the way I fail each time at the same exact thing at work can be considered a special talent OR???

9. Where were you born?

Italy, which is both a bless and a curse

10. What are your hobbies?

Reading, editing, watching silly little shows like tlk and reading historical things for the fun of it

11. Have you any pets?

Yes!! I have a dog, he's a border collie and his name is Tommy, my favourite boy out there <33

12. What sports do you play/have played?

I have played judo, basketball and probably something else I can't remember right now, but they all have one thing in common: I have quit after a few weeks in all of them :/

13. How tall are you?

167cm

14. Favorite subject in school?

Italian, English and history

15. Dream job?

Historian, especially a medievalist (I have screamed when I have read the same for you @aethelflaedel, you get me)

No pressure tags @lannisterdaddyissues @corinthussy @muddleofnervouswords @wildwren @ivyithink @osferth @silentsihtric @saint-helga @demythesimp @lllostgirlll @bisarcastic @beterparker @naps4bats @errruvande and whoever wants to do it as well <3

[bitchofdarkness]

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

Thank you for the tag @saturnian-dean 🥰

Rules: answer the questions and tag fifteen mutuals.

1. Are you named after anyone? After a prominent person in real life, yes. This blog? not so much.

2. When was the last time you cried? Couple days ago. A good cry helps regulate my emotions and feels relieving.

3. Do you have kids? No one would want that, least of all me.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? A lot is an understatement.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people? The way they look at me.

6. What’s your eye colour? A fancy blue.

7. Scary movies or happy endings? If I have to choose from those, I pick the latter.

8. Any special talents? Calming down babies and animals. Idk if there's a correlation though...

9. Where were you born? In a hospital of my place of birth.

10. What are your hobbies? Creating and consuming art of any kind.

11. Have you any pets? No 🥹

12. What sports do you play/have played? lol. I played volleyball and hockey in school?

13. How tall are you? Taller than most men I encounter, but not all.

14. Favorite subject in school? Chemistry, Physics and Art.

15. Dream job? The dream is not to have a job, but that's sadly not an option.

tagging: @captainkilly @bouncehousedemons @ritual-unions @emma-ofnormandy @naps4bats @ulfrsmal @heronamedhawks @naaladareia @pdxtrent @shelivesinhermind @queenfinehair @home-of-sexual-and-dumb-of-ass @charming-merlin @outtoshatter @halehathnofury

[aadmelioraa]

2022 End of Year Fic Review

tagged by @monroesimons @jeynepoole and @skatingthinandice thank you, friends! <3

1. What is your AO3 account?

greenwillow!

2. How many words did you write total in 2022?

I published 264,087 words of fanfic, but I wrote at least another 100k that never made it out of scrivener/pages/gdocs (I'm so sorry Regency Aldflaed and all my other neglected wip).

3. How many fics did you publish in 2022? How many multichapters vs oneshots?

30 fics, 5 of which are multichaps...2 of those multi chaps were started prior to 2022 though (and are still unfinished lol...I did update them this year though!).

4. What was your longest fic? Your shortest fic?

Longest fic is Something Wretched, Something Precious at 92k (TLK, Aethelflaed x Aldhelm, which I started back in 2020), shortest is Understanding at 600 words (ROP, Galadriel x Míriel).

5. What was your most popular fic? Your least popular fic?

Going by kudos, most popular was The Farmer's Daughter (Sanditon, Alison Heywood x Declan Fraser), least popular was The Royal Treatment (TLK, Eadgifu x Edward).

6. What fic didn’t perform as well as you thought it would?

I genuinely try not to think this way because it makes me insane!

7. What fic performed way better than you thought it would?

The number of comments and kudos on Preparations (ROP, Elendil x Míriel) surprised me, but some of that is probably due to it being the inaugural fic in the tag.

8. What was your favorite fic you wrote from 2022?

Limiting this to complete fics, I will say Moonrise (ROP, Isildur x Valandil). I really love all the fics I wrote for Rings of Power, but that one explores an area of Isildur's character that is imo under-discussed in fandom so I enjoyed digging into it a bit.

9. What was your favorite fic that somebody else wrote in 2022?

I refuse to pick one, but even picking 3 is so hard...@wildwren's series An Unconventional Marriage (ACGAS, Helen Alderson x James Herriot x Tristan Farnon in various combinations) is a masterclass in character study, structure, and relationship development, I love those fics so much (and I am now realizing I'm due for a re-read!). And surrendered at the start of the game (ROP, Elendil x Míriel x Valandil) by @monroesimons is making me fully insane in the best way. Also, this is cheating doubly since the fic wasn't written in 2022 but I discovered it in 2022....a library of all the tears in history by dialux lives in my head rent free, I think it should be required supplemental Akallabêth reading, I can't recommend it highly enough, pls read it.

10. Tag your friends to do this year-end fic review as well!

@weavemeamyrtlecrown @forasecondtherewedwon @wildwren @brynnmclean @roamingbadger @ulfrsmal @naps4bats (sorry if y'all have already done it, feel free to tag me into the comments if so!)

[ulfrsmal]

Thank you for tagging me @kingslionheart ! Let's see...

I. I don't know how this came to be. SIhtric I am SO sorry (>_<). YOu should be a number 1 too but the thing didn't let me pick ou in ANY option more than maybe 1-2 times!! I can't believe I have this many faves I'm--

anYWAY No Pressure Tags: @lauwrite1225, @volvaaslaug, @aadmelioraa, @naps4bats, and @thesophiawestern. Have fun lovelies!

i’m a bit addicted to them so i made this!

it contains a very reasonable 46 characters and you can do it here if you have about 10 minutes free!

[ulfrsmal]

5 & 19, please

Hello there, thank you for asking! :D General reminder that the first link only works when logged-on to ao3!

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? Steeler (Sigtryggr/Stiorra/Wolland) got way more popular than I expected from the almost-crackship OT3, but I love it! It was a pleasure to write them, Wolland especially was a sweetheart 😊

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? Mmm leaving aside all ships I've already written for, I really want to get back to the uncountable WIPs I have sitting on a folder... That's next year's goal honestly.

Aside from that, I REALLY want to write Aodhan/Illium (Guild Hunter book series) because I've loved them for YEARS and they recently became the series' first canon gay couple!! And. Honestly. They're angels with a telepathic bond and Aodhan has been damaged so badly that he only accepts Illium's touch and they're childhood friends and coworkers and the pining and aaahhhh I love them :')

[emma-ofnormandy]

WIP Wursday

Tagged by @witch-and-her-witcher, thank you friend! The struggle to write is real, but here is a snippet from one of my vikings fandom event pieces that I am promising myself I will get done on time.

Unfazed by her flustered response, Canute moved into the dimly lit room and stopped to peer over her shoulder, his finger lazily trailing against the nape of her neck. “Mince pie. A good choice.”

Emma stiffened at his touch. She felt like a child who had been caught red handed stealing from their mother’s larder. Her instinct was to run from the kitchen and hide, but it was too late for that now, she had been seen.

As comfortable in the kitchen as he was on one of his ships, Canute sought out a second stool and set himself across the bench from her. “Care to share?”

Tagging @encomium-emmae, @shelivesinhermind, @naps4bats, and @ritual-unions No pressure!

[encomium-emmae]

Oh, and a song for Emma and Canute: If We Were Vampires by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Oh, yes, this is perfect. Definitely one to add to the soundtrack, whether Modern AU or otherwise!

I wouldn't feel the need to hold your hand Maybe time running out is a gift I'll work hard 'til the end of my shift And give you every second I can find And hope it isn't me who's left behind

[send me a sleepover saturday ask!]

[osferth]

thank you @amuddleofnervouswords @emilyhufflepufftlk for the tag!!

rules: put your favourite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs then tag ten people. no skipping!

1. you're dead - norma tanega

2. flyday chinatown - yasuha

3. voulez vous - abba

4. ahh!! - dellaxoz

5. froot - marina and the diamonds

6. badtameez dil - yeh jawaani hai deewani

7. d is for dangerous - arctic monkeys

8. runnin - the pharcyde

9. ruby - kaiser chiefs

10. danga maari oodhari - anegan

(no pressure) @hcrogasm @thismoleculeisacomedian @93xdiagonxalley @themazeskies @levithestripper @aelflaeds @naps4bats @ulfrsmal @volvaaslaug @bigbussyprincess123

[mercurygray]

For Thankful Thursday, I just want to give a little shout-out to @shelivesinhermind @emma-ofnormandy @naps4bats (and of course you, Merc!), whose Emma and Canute stories were such a source of enjoyment and delight this year. Thank you all!! (Can’t wait until January 12!)

❤️

[ulfrsmal]

Thank you @bitchofdarkness 🥰

last song I listened to: Veil of Sin - Kalmah

currently watching: nothing, got no spoons...

curently reading: Moby Dick + fanfiction + old books on my shelves to unhaul bc I need the space like crazy

current obsession: assassin's creed + Kalmah's latest album

no pressure tags: @aadmelioraa, @heronamedhawks, @its-tea-time-darling, @naps4bats

9 people you want to know better xo

tagged by @disasterpenguin

last song i listened to; kilby girl by the backseat lovers

currently watching; criminal minds and gaming youtubers

currently reading; does proofreading my own shit count?

current obsession; criminal minds, teen wolf, my paint by numbers? maybe? oh and zelda; tears of the kingdom! xo

tagging my babies cos i can; @softcoremaybank @solarluvs @inkluvs @levithestripper @littlesatanicassholebitch @ohwowimlonley @dreamingwithrafe