#that's a wrap for this meme folks!

[bethanydelleman]

Mansfield Park Memes, Ch 48

[moreroads]

Choose 20 books that greatly influenced you. One book per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. Tagging @northstarfan because it was their idea and they want to see. (strongly recommend tagging them if you do this)

[candyunicornsateme]

Hello!!

I hope you’re doing okay!

Sometimes I read your posts and see how you long to talk to someone and make friends but maybe scared? I also feel that way very much and wanted to let you know that you’re not alone and I and many others enjoy seeing your headcanons of the k2 boys and yeah :)

Hey ;; thank you that's really reassuring. It can be difficult for me to not think no one'd care about my thoughts, even if it's about what most people probably freakin follow me for ??? Yanno?? So it means a lot ;-; Pls always feel free to pick my brain about stuff!!

[see-arcane]

Our good friend Jonathan Harker is getting ready to leave for his business trip, Mina Murray is picking out a new journal, Lucy Westenra is charming a gaggle of smitten suitors, Abraham van Helsing is wrapping up his lectures, and Castle Dracula is prepping the guest room for a very long stay.

Which must mean that Dracula Season is here again!

 ‘Dracula Season’ being a catchall term for the voracious reading, memeing, writing, illustrating, analyzing, and general fun-having that’s ensued since Matt Kirkland’s project, Dracula Daily, caught on with us back in 2022. The Substack had already been running before then, but it sparked a conflagration as time went on and readers old and new to Bram Stoker’s Dracula—the actual novel, not Coppola’s fanfiction—devoured it in a way that scratched an itch none of us knew we had. Stoker wrote the book in epistolary fashion, clumping sections together as needed for the pacing without perfect adherence to chronological order. Matt went ahead and put all the events in order and proceeded to set up a lovely chain of emails that delivered entries on those correlating dates.

This style of organization and pacing turned out to not only make the virtual book club that much easier to engage with, but left space in-between to stew on the story and relate with the characters themselves. Every day of waiting in the book feels weightier when you have to pace and sweat and worry in tandem with poor Jonathan trapped in the castle or Lucy wasting away or Mina running out the clock before she loses the fight for her own humanity. And while we sat with the story or the lulls between Dracula Seasons, some of us found ourselves craving more of that ghastly gothic horror goodness to the point that we figured:

“Well. Why don’t I make something?”

And then we did! Tons of creative works have been churned out in the wake of Dracula Daily’s high. I figured that while we’ve still got a bit of time to wait for May 3rd, we should check out all this new stuff in the meantime. (Plus a handful of neat stuff that just clicks with the Dracula itch overall.)

So, in the interest of Dracula Season pregaming, let’s take a look at…

FICTION

Blood of My Blood – A recent addition to the Dracula Bad Ending AU pile, and definitely one of the most harrowing and addictive group-produced narratives I’ve ever come across, Blood of My Blood is the dramatically gothic currently-WIP work of @ibrithir-was-here and @animate-mush’s devious design. Give or take a heap of other fascinated folks (hello!) adding ideas to put more Horror into the Horrors that our cast has to face. The premise:

The Transylvanian climax went fatally sour and the Harkers were forced to shelter with Dracula himself, including their half-vampire son, Quincey. Cut to two decades later, and Quincey finds himself out in modern London, smitten with Lu, adopted daughter of Arthur and Jack, and diving into certain bloodstained old documents that detail the real history of how his parents came to live in the castle. Said revelations coming not a moment too soon, as a storm is coming for him straight from the Carpathians…

Dracula Daily Sketch Collection – An array of illustrations that captures every entry beat by beat, the Dracula Daily Sketch Collection by Georgia Cook, alias @georgiacooked was dished out over the course of the last Dracula Season. Some of the most fun character designs out there.

Fanfiction Spotlight: BlueCatWriter – With a whopping 99 works devoted to the novel Dracula (so far, the number may have gone up since I blinked), @bluecatwriter is one of the most prolific and talented fanfiction scribblers out there. Romances, nightmares, and overlaps between the two seem to crop up the most, give or take a crossover. Seems fitting that those blue paw prints have contributed to BoMB too.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlefolk – An ongoing comic in which all your favorite characters from the Classics section get together and tackle some perils ranging from the mundane to the monstrous. Started by the amazing @mayhemchicken and posted on @lxgentlefolkcomic, this series is a love letter to beloved Victorian era lit, with a spotlight on the two couples leading the League. Namely, the Harkers, ala Dracula, and the Nortons, ala Sherlock Holmes,’ “A Scandal in Bohemia.” Mina and Irene are the driving investigative and steering forces here, and still deeply in love with their likewise-infatuated husbands, just like in their canons! What a concept! Alan.

Without spoiling the full character list, just know there are going to be a ton of familiar faces roaming around before you finish reading the first arc. Said arc having conveniently wrapped up just a few days ago! Give the comic and its bonus silliness a look if you’re in the mood for a new comfort-adventure epic.

Re: Dracula – Probably the most well-known and incredible thing to come out of the initial Dracula Daily wave. This podcast is a full audio drama that follows the same format as the Substack, with episodes coming out in time with the entries themselves. And it has an unfairly cool soundtrack. They have a Tumblr with @re-dracula, a site and a Patreon to check out before the series kicks up again on May 3rd. (Also, keep an eye out for their next work, an audio drama in the same style with Carmilla.)

The Soldier and the Solicitor – Another treat from @ibrithir-was-here, this one involves a bit of time travel trouble. Quincey Harker has stumbled out of World War I and into the same dark forest where his father once fled for his life…then runs into the man himself, on that same night. Jonathan Harker, young and starved and lost, who has no choice but to trust this stranger while the Weird Sisters are at his heels…despite said stranger having no shadow. It’s a tasty emotional trek, already complete on Tumblr, but now it’s turning into a Webtoon. While Ibrithir is juggling a number of other stories, she’ll be redrawing spruced up versions of the comic and adding a few new scenes as things unfold.

Substack Stack – You know what’s better than one emailed-out public domain book club? A mountain of them. Just. So, so many of them. You’ll see that a lot of these are finished, but some are still ticking along. Either way, they’re all great picks if you’re craving some more old school lit to fill the void between undead emails.

Frankenstein Weekly – Frankenstein

Jekyll and Hyde Weekly – The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Voyage of the Nautilus – Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Letters from Watson – Sherlock Holmes

The Invisible Mail – The Invisible Man

Letters from Bunny – E.W. Hornung’s short stories of the eponymous Bunny and Raffles

Letters Regarding Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster short stories, including the novel, Right Ho, Jeeves

…

……

………

…The Beetle Weekly – The Beetle (NOTE: Do Not Read This.)

The Vampyres – A novella I finally wrenched through the gears of self-publication as of March this year. Starring a petite but powerful paranormal cast, The Vampyres, centers on an unscrupulous undead fellow who finds that the revenants of the world are being mowed down by an entity known only as ‘Quinn Morse.’ Between trying to save his neck and figure out where the shadowy bastard came from, the Vampyre in question crosses paths with a new paramour and handy human shield in the form of a grieving Good Samaritan. He’s even polite enough to invite the Vampyre into his home while he’s in dire straits! Surely this will end well. All the info is available here and a little author site is over here.

What Manner of Man – This is the one made for everyone who started out hoping there’d be a real love story with our good friend Jonathan Harker and the Count when he was at his most charismatic. Where that sea of wonders dried up into a mire of horror, What Manner of Man by @stjohnstarling keeps things firmly on the romantic tracks. This Substack stars the letter-writing priest Father Victor E. Ardelian as he finds himself meeting with one enigmatic Lord Alistair Vane. It isn’t long before interest turns into intrigue and intrigue into undead intimacies.

The entire novel has been completed—along with multiple epilogues in the author’s Patreon, allowing readers to choose for themselves just how the uncanny romance plays out in the end—and the Substack now has a number of other gothic goodies piling up in the meantime.  

NONFICTION

Dracula Daily: A Unique Reading Experience: This one comes courtesy of @realwomenofgaming. It’s a short and sweet piece that amounts to a fun snapshot of the entire Dracula Daily ride. A cozy couple-minute read.

‘Dracula Daily’ is the One Substack You Need a Subscription To: Features my favorite Matt Kirkland interview. @mattkirkland, if you’re still floating around on here, thank you for dispatching our vampire newsletter again this year.

Dracula Daily is Tumblr’s hottest new book club: Alright, the ‘new’ part is worn out by now, but this one is still a delightful article to swing back around to. Two years on, this Polygon piece is a time capsule of those early months when people outside our bookworm bubble realized we were all happily receiving letters from our favorite classic gothic horror blorbos.  

“How Mina Murray Became Dracula’s Girlfriend” – Princess Weekes, if you ever read this, thank you, thank you, thank you. I am sending oceans of love and millions of rewatches to your video essay. If you haven’t seen it yet, “How Mina Murray Became Dracula’s Girlfriend” is one of the most refreshing and well-made breakdowns of both the title subject and numerous other issues that have proliferated in the public view of Dracula’s cast and plot as adaptations endlessly warp or outright bastardize the actual novel. An incredibly cathartic watch.  

Literary play gone viral: delight, intertextuality, and challenges to normative interpretations through the digital serialization of Dracula: A mouthful of a title for an even more elaborate article about the Dracula Daily phenomenon. This one is a full-on study that analyzes just what happened within the big bloodsucker book club surge and how its ‘wandering reading practices’ enriched the experience for participants.

 “The Undying Undead: An analysis of the Dracula Daily community for a theory of online community formation and interaction” – We have a thesis on here! Look at that! @sirangelothebestest’s MA thesis used our vampiric book club as the bones for a massive brick of an academic piece that definitely deserves a look.

…And I think I’ll go ahead and cap things here.

This isn’t everything I got recommended, but if I had squashed all of it in here, I think folks’ eyes would start to fall out of their head. I hope you can find something cool to comb through here. Or, if there’s something great I overlooked, tack it onto the list! We’ve got just two weeks to go until we’re off with Mr. Harker. Let’s enjoy our respite before those castle doors close behind us.

[todayontumblr]

Monday April 10.

Consider us wrecketh: The Owl House finale *spoilers*

WARNING: Spoilers for the finale of The Owl House follow, so please read at your own discretion.

Thank you, Owl House. We previously expressed the wish that this final episode of #the owl house, without a release date for so long, would never arrive. Sadly, however, it materialized on our collective screens just this weekend—with a series closer rather aptly-titled "Watching and Dreaming". There was a lot to cover in this finale, and the creators behind this beloved show faced a seemingly uphill battle to do justice to such a complex narrative, and wrap up its many, *many* threads. Against all the odds, it did just that, and with some considerable style and emotional heft, over these three, hour-long specials. Here we must doff our collective caps to showrunner Dana Terrace and the team behind The Owl House for delivering such a satisfying conclusion.

So it fills us with all kinds of complex, conflicting feelings that that really is it. Conversely, this, we suspect, is evidence that the wonderful team behind this precious show did such an exceptional job at wrapping it all up. It's been quite the ride, and it will be missed and cherished in equal measure. There is a fandom of fine folk here on Tumblr paying their own tribute with discourse, memes, and gifs galore.

[aclassitag]

Announcing Krem Week!

#kremweek2024 — 22-28 July 2024

background art credit: @xfreischutz [link to original post]

*text prompt list under the readmore

This year will mark 10 years since the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition! In celebration of that anniversary and the game that gave us our first trans character, here is a prompt list - and dates - for any who would like to participate! All sorts of creative content is accepted so long as they are not A/I generated. (See examples below)

*If you want to portray Maevaris Tilani instead, that is also fine!

Please read the guidelines!

If you have any questions, reply to this post and I will do my best to answer :)

Prompt list:

1 — Anniversary 2 — Euphoria / Expression 3 — Casual / Formal 4 — Family / Love 5 — Respite / Fight 6 — Play / Satiate 7 — (Free space!)

Guidelines:

Use the tag: #kremweek2024 (@ this blog is fine too) — If you want to portray Maevaris Tilani instead of Krem, that is also welcome! Please @ me so I can rb :) For non-Tumblr folks that somehow got here: You may post submissions, please link your socials. You may choose one of two prompts in a day or do both. You may also combine as many prompts as you want from any or all of the days into a single work, just mention it somewhere.

Types of content allowed:

Illustration and writing are the most obvious forms of art allowed, but they're not the only ones! Literary arts fanfics, drabbles, poetry, plays, lengthy headcanon/meta posts (for headcanon and meta posts, minimum of 100 words+) Visual arts doodles, paintings, graphic design, photoshop memes, photography, animation, tiktok skits, abstract, fiber arts (embroidery, knitting, etc), ceramics Audio art fanmixes(curated playlists), original or cover songs Other crafts are also welcome! e.g. culinary, resin, woodworking, etc etc ..essentially, whatever type of art it is, I'll accept it so long as it falls within rules and is related to Krem or Maevaris :) For things that are more abstract, do include an explanation of your thought process on how it relates to Krem. E.g. you made Krem's Seheron Fish Wrap or Rice Pudding, take photos of your cooking, and post that (with the explanation that it is Krem's recipes) - that's an acceptable submission! You're allowed to explore different mediums everyday! You don't have to stick to one form of art for the whole week. I will be attempting to schedule reblogs in the 'prime time' for engagement, and in the interest of fairness, things like headcanon posts, fanmixes, and WIPs will not take priority in that time slot over fully rendered illustrations or complete fanfics. They will still be reblogged, but scheduled for other time slots.

Content Rules:

No A/I generated content. (Specifically GenAI content) As above, any and all forms of art is welcome. It must be human made, and by you. The whole point of working off a prompt is to explore a creative process, anyway - do yourself a favour and just enjoy making something! It doesn't have to be pretty! No reposting of other people's works. This must be your own creation. Obviously, no transphobic content. No harrassing others over their specific headcanons - be it in regards to any trait or quirks that come with being a person. People come in all sorts of wonderful variety, please respect that. In addition to above: No whitewashing, racism etc. Please note that Krem is not pale-skinned in canon, and I will not be reblogging content of him being portrayed as pale. 18+ works need to be labelled. On this blog, its tagged as "#adult art". Please add content warnings as appropriate. (E.g. portrayal of binding with bandages should have a warning label of "cw: unsafe binding", etc.) If your post/submission is lengthy, please insert a read more. This helps readability on the dashboard. Progress / WIPs are fine too!

General tips:

First and foremost, do what you are able to! Don't feel pressured to complete a full week if you need to take care of yourself first. Some people work on the prompts before the week even begins, and only post it day of. You are not required to do this, but if you really want to fill something for each day, this helps reduce stress day of.

Mod things:

The mod isn't from the Americas, so due to timezone differences, there may be a delay in reblogging people's works. Either way I will not reblog the moment that it's posted in order to screen properly. Posts will be queued between 30mins-1hr apart, if there are multiple entries being submitted at the same time. All submissions will also be requeued after a week for later perusal :)

[burningcheese-merchant]

I promised people on AO3 some BurningCheese memes

I said I'd help fix the ship tags and I will, ok here it goes

And that's a wrap folks, thank you for absorbing my genius comedy, I'm going back to touching grass now, later haters

[epickiya722]

"How is Horikoshi going to wrap up everything on five chapters?"

I don't know, you don't know. We just know Horikoshi and his team have a plan and they know how MHA is going to be wrapped up in five chapters.

They got it, they'll handle this. At the end of the day, this is Kohei Horikoshi's story.

Regardless, I feel like this is the case with some of you.

You're afraid of being disappointed. You're afraid of being disappointed because you have these expectations set so high. With that kind of standard, you're never going to be satisfied with anything.

So stuck on "this must satisfy me and only me" that you forget that that story not written by you is a story that is just being shared with you. Not given to you because you're special and you're not.

On top of that, some of you just crave for more, more, more. And more. And more. Even more.

You want nonstop content being pushed out while being impatient about it (looking at you, 'how dare we not get a new chapter this week' folks).

Just because one manga had been going on for longer than another, maybe even came out before that one, doesn't mean every manga is meant to last for a long time. Manga, anime, TV show, comic book, novel series, etc.

Fun fact, Horikoshi's previous works didn't last for ten years. His last one, Oumagadoki Zoo, lasted little less than a year. From July 2010 to April 2011.

Three years it ended before My Hero Academia came into the picture. And I'll be honest, I doubt Horikoshi even planned for MHA to last this long because he didn't have the experience before.

Once it got to a certain point, I doubt he even wants for MHA to go even longer.

Hell, that's something I know all too well as someone who writes. And from what I remember, stories have a beginning, a middle and an end.

Stories aren't meant to keep going on forever. They're meant to be read, to be told, to be understood, to be enjoyed.

Not be graded like some college report and not ongoing like the people who create those stories are damn machines.

Something that it's very clear to me that some of you forgotten that. Or even care, let's be real.

Some of you want perfection so bad and yet can't even write your own damn story.

Who even wants a perfect story anyways? I don't know about the rest of you, but a story with flaws is a story that could be learned from. Stories can guide you, too, in more ways than one.

Horikoshi's writing to me, at least, isn't perfect. It's entertaining. I got into MHA because I was entertained by the concept. I got interested into it because of a meme I saw. You think I wouldn't want to seek it out and see if it will entertain me?

Yes, there are some points of the story where I wanted to pull my hair out and I don't doubt that a future part may make that feeling return.

But at the same time, what if... that's the point? Maybe you were meant to feel that emotion? Maybe that's what the writer was going for?

Are you understanding me?

Maybe, example, with the end we got for Tomura was meant to upset you? Sadden you, anger you even? Stories work like that sometimes!

But I doubt the writer should be condemned for it because at the end of the day, it is just a piece of fiction. My Hero Academia is the same story where a woman can grow to the size of a building and a kid has a speech bubble for a head.

Now does that sound like a story that you should be acting like a complete fool over? Wishing harm towards and arguing with others over? Huh? Does it?

Honestly, after MHA ends, if you choose to move onto the next manga, anime, whatever how about stop expecting so much?

How about stop having this entitlement that the story must go your way and your way only?

How about remembering that eventually that story will end?

[anyasathenaeum]

Can I request a first time smut with Vash please???? big bonus points if you can make it reunion sex hehehehe im a huge sucker for that kinda stuff. thank you so much!!

A/N: The way I'm immediately putting this with Eriks!Vash (I wanna smash him so bad he just makes me wanna *insert horny grip meme here*) I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. Anyways, feel free to think of this as a follow-up to this fic. Anon who requested that fic - guess you're getting that spice after all!

Warnings: MINORS DNI, AFAB!reader (female terms used), smut, lots of smut, hints of Vash having a size kink, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it folks, practice safe sex!)

The only thing you could register, other than the sound of your heartbeat in your ears, was just how warm Vash's skin was against your own.

You'd been separated from Vash for two years, since the destruction of the city of July, and you'd only just found him in a quaint little town, disguised as a man named Eriks. His hair had grown longer, and he had scruff on his face and now wore glasses, but deep down, he was still your Vash.

Your reunion had been filled with tears of sadness, regret, happiness, love and disbelief, with you both clutching onto one another as you both cried and rejoiced at being reunited. And now, as the house where Vash had been living became silent as people drifted to sleep, the two of you had fallen into one another, pressed up against each other, clutching at each other with a desperate need to be comforted and assured that this was real.

Clothes had quickly but gently been shed, leaving you bare before Vash for the first time. You could feel the heat rising in your face as you stood there, your body exposed to Vash in a way you'd never done before.

You and Vash knew that you had feelings for one another, and despite being in a relationship prior to the events in July, this was the first time you and Vash had ever gotten so... intimate.

Now, Vash was looking at you with wide, blue eyes, filled with an awe and a love so tender that it would have others believing you had hung the stars in the sky.

"(Y/N)... G-God..."

Vash's voice was low and rumbly as he pressed you up against him, his body trembling slightly at the feeling of you against him.

You felt a shiver go down your spine as Vash's large hand pressed against your bare lower back, pulling you into him as his lips ghosted over the sensitive skin on your neck, his scruff scratching against you slightly.

"You're so beautiful."

Vash's warm breath fanned over your skin, sending another shiver down your spine, your fingers digging into his arms slightly as you tried to suppress a quiet moan.

You could feel Vash's muscled and scarred body moving against yours, and before you could process it, Vash had lifted you up, his hands tucked under your thighs as he carried you to the bed, gently placing you down so that he sat against the headboard with you in his lap.

"V-Vash," You got out breathlessly, looking up at him as you sat in his lap, straddling him a bit. Was this really happening?

You could feel the silky warmth of Vash's cock brushing up against your folds, a shiver coursing up you as your eyes widened - he was big. You had known that from the moment you saw his cock; long, and surprisingly thick with a beautiful reddish-pink head, veins visible along the sides.

However, now, as you felt Vash brushing up against you, you realized you didn't understand just how big.

"I-I don't know if I can... take you," You mumbled in embarrassment, your cheeks flaming pink as you felt Vash's cock twitch against your pussy - did he find that idea attractive?

"Oh, (Y/N)," Vash whispered gently in return, his large hands rubbing your thighs tenderly as he spoke, "I'll prepare you. Don't worry, love. I plan to make sure you're ready before we go any further."

Sure enough, with that, Vash pressed his lips to your neck, gently sucking and kissing your skin with just enough pressure to leave little marks - signs of his love for you. You stifled your moans, but the moment one of Vash's prosthetic fingers found your clit, you let out a choked gasp.

Vash just smirked a bit at your reaction, "Bingo."

With that, he gently pressed his lips to yours as he continued to circle your clit, drawing more muffled moans and cries of pleasure from you against his lips. You bucked your hips desperately in his lap, seeking more friction as you felt your orgasm beginning to build deep in your abdomen, your heart racing as Vash's fingers continued their nimble work.

"God, (Y/N), you look so beautiful like this," Vash all by growled out, his eyes filled with desire and love as he gazed at you coming undone by his touch, "I-I've missed you so much."

"I-ah! M-Missed you, Vash," You replied between gasps and moans, your orgasm nearing with every second Vash had his hands on you, "L-Love you... love you s'much."

"I love you, too, (Y/N). I've thought of nothing but you," Vash panted back between kisses to your skin, relishing the taste of you as he felt you tense in his arms, his lips ghosting over your chest and neck, "Nothing but you these last two years."

His passionately words of love for you, plus the feeling of Vash circling your bud perfectly, had you cumming harder than ever before, a cry of Vash's name leaving your lips as you came undone, the pleasure washing over you in wave after wave after wave.

"That's it, (Y/N), God, you're so beautiful when you cum for me," Vash mumbled gently, kissing your lips softly as he held you close.

You were panting softly in his embrace, your head resting on his shoulder as Vash hugged you to him, letting the aftershocks of your pleasure run through you.

"W-Want you, Vash," You panted out, gently grinding yourself on Vash's cock - you could feel the precum leaking out of its head, likely from just the sight of you cumming in his embrace, "Want you so bad."

You heard Vash hiss softly as you pressed your pussy down against his cock, his whole body tensing and his hands clutching onto your hips so hard he probably bruised you.

"(Y-Y/N)! G-God, Mayfly, pl-please, be careful! S-Sensitive!"

You couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh as you looked at Vash's face - those beautiful, blue eyes, wide and filled with pleasure and awe, the beads of sweat on his brow, his expressive eyebrows, his pretty nose and lips, his long, blonde hair, everything - he looked different than the last time you saw him, but God... he was still gorgeous.

"So... beautiful..." You whispered gently, your hand coming up to cup Vash's cheek as you pressed the softest and most tender of kisses to his jawline, the scruff rubbing your skin as you did so.

"Make love to me, Vash."

You surprised yourself with your own words, and you could see Vash's eyebrows rising in surprise, but the smile on his face spoke of his desire as he nodded, his hand coming up to stroke your cheek delicately. You watched the most beautiful blush spread across Vash's cheeks and the tips of ears and his nose, those baby blues focusing on you with a gaze filled with love, tenderness and desire as his hand returned to your hip.

Slowly, oh-so-slowly, Vash's hands lifted you by your hips, letting you reach down to align his cock with your soaking wet pussy, teasing him gently by swiping it through your folds a few times first. The gasps and whines Vash let out were worth it, his voice rising in pitch and volume at the sensation of his cock brushing up against your slick.

"(Y-Y/N)!"

You couldn't help but smile softly, letting the head of Vash's cock push into you slightly as you sunk down onto him, causing you both to moan out in sync at the feeling of Vash stretching you out at last. The stretching feeling burned slightly, but within moments, the discomfort was giving way to pleasure.

"I-I love you, Vash," You gasped out, clutching onto him so hard you're sure your nails broke his skin, leaving marks, "I love you. Don't ever go... somewhere I can't follow you."

"N-Never, (Y/N), never!" Vash replied, whining at the feeling of you clenching just around his tip, desperately fighting the urge to slam you down onto him in one move, "I love you. N-Never wanna be apart from you again. It almost killed me..."

Your whole body felt like it was on fire, each nerve feeling like a livewire as Vash touched you and pushed into you gently as he shifted you, his words making your heart pound frantically in your chest.

Looking up at you tenderly, Vash whispered, "You ready?".

All you could do was nod, not trusting your voice to work at the moment. In one consistent but slow movement, Vash sank you down into his lap, pushing into your pussy inch by inch until he was in to the hilt, gasping as he felt you clench around him.

You hissed at the sting of him stretching you out, but it was outshone by the pure pleasure and happiness you felt as being joined with Vash this way at last. Finally... the two of you could share in this intimacy.

"Big... y-you're... big, Vash," You whimpered out, bringing your mouth down to his shoulder and biting down a bit, causing Vash to shiver.

"Sorry, (Y/N)," Vash cooed back softly, his hand brushing through your hair gently, "But you took me so well, Mayfly. So well..."

You whined in response to his praise, your pussy tightening around Vash and causing his breath to hitch.

"God... I can feel every bit of you. So tight, Mayfly. Try to relax..."

You did as Vash said, taking a deep breath and trying to relax yourself, letting yourself rest in Vash's lap. You wanted nothing more than to stay this way, holding onto Vash, feeling him against you, in you, for the rest of time.

"I-I'm gonna move now, (Y/N). Is that okay?"

"Yes, Vash," You whispered breathlessly, feeling so unbelievably full, "Please. Move."

Vash's smile was so bright, hearing you say that, and as gently as possible, he lifted your hips, sliding out of you almost entirely before pulling you back down into his lap and thrusting back into you, drawing out a moan from your lips as pleasure shot through you.

You shifted slightly, moving your own hips in time with Vash's guiding hands, allowing Vash to thrust deeper and deeper into you, both of you gasping, moaning and whining at the friction between you. Soon, that same feeling from before began to build again in the pit of your abdomen, a feeling of pleasure getting you close and closer to the edge.

"Nngh! (Y/N), G-God, you feel amazing... you're incredible, M-Mayfly..."

Vash's moans of pleasure had you clenching on him, a small gasp escaping the both of you as you continued to roll your hips, Vash holding you close in his lap as he thrusted up into you in time with your movements. You could feel his large hands splayed across your back, holding you close to him in a protective, almost desperate manner, your own hands clutching onto Vash's shoulders for leverage.

You two were close, so impossibly close.

"V-Vash, I- I'm gonna cum, I-"

"M-Me too, (Y/N), m-me too!"

With a few thrusts, you finally felt your orgasm wash over you, pleasurable wave after wave crashing into you, causing your pussy to clench down on Vash's cock in a way unlike anything he'd ever felt before. With a final thrust, Vash spent himself inside you, a warmth blooming in your abdomen as Vash pressed his lips to yours passionately, holding you close to him as he painted your walls with his seed.

"I love you, (Y/N)," Vash gasped out against your lips, holding you close to him as his chest heaved. You could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he spoke, his voice quiet but so, so loving, clearly moved by the intensity and the intimacy of the moment.

"I love you, too, Vash," You replied, pressing your forehead against his and just hugging him close, relishing in the feeling of his warmth against you, your own eyes burning with tears.

All the emotions coursing through you were overwhelming, but you couldn't help but feel love, happiness, and relief. Vash was here with you, and you were here with him, and there was no doubt that the two of you would never be separated again.

"So... can we do that again?"

You sighed at Vash's question, a small smile appearing on your lips. You might've just awakened a whole different beast.

[bluecryptic]

After (finally) figuring out how to make a link thst won't expire, I want to try to convince folks to join the Radioapple Park discord server using memes.

So part of the reason why I created the Radioapple Park discord server was because I was tired of seeing the occasional annoying twat complaining about shipping Alastor with anyone because "he's aroace and we need to respect the sexual identity of a fictional character" and I figured why not make a discord server where people like that aren't welcome? Just you know, have this server where fellow fans of Radioapple can talk about these two old men being gay and in love because we like it and think it's neat.

Also

Radioapple may be the center stage, but that doesn't mean other ships aren't allowed or can't be talked about. We're open to talking about other ships, too. Be it a canon ship like Chaggie to minor fanon ships like Applerot, nobody here is kinkshaming. Hell, it's also okay if you ship Alastor or Lucifer with other characters, too.

We're open to all sorts of shipping content.

(Seriously, from cats and dogs to ferrets and shrimp, they're all adorable)

To wrap things up,

I could give a whole lot of reasons as to why one should join the Radioapple Park discord server, especially if you ship radioapple, but I feel like it's also best to let the incredible people I've met on the server speak for themselves (you know who you are), plenty of folks have already joined and I think they're all wonderful and I just want to bring in more people on the fun we have.

(Will now be adding the invite link)

https://discord.com/invite/Xp5yXna2AE

And just one more meme to convince you to join^^

[hymemena]

Trials in Tainted Space Transformative Items Magic Anons

Feel free to change pronouns as necessary, and remember to specify muse for multimuse blogs. These are taken from the game Trials In Tainted Space. Inspired by this meme by @sunbun-memes.

CW: General NSFW, Heats, Ruts, Transformation

—

Amazona Iced Tea - Increases breast size, height, and/or muscle tone in female-identifying individuals.

Amber Seed - Grants the consumer avian attributes. If consumer is feline, the amber seed will change them into a griffin. If consumer is equine, the amber seed will turn them into a hippogriff. If consumer is a naga or similar snake-like being, the amber seed will change them into a quetzalcoatl.

Bovinium - A small bottle labeled "Bovinium" that contains a small, cow-shaped gummy candy. Grants the consumer cowgirl attributes. If consumer has a penis, their penis will shrink. If the consumer has breasts, their breasts will go and begin to lactate if not already lactating.

Breeder's Bliss - Induces heat or rut in the consumer.

Cackler - A chocolate bar filled with crisped rice. The front of the wrapper has the name spelled out in big, blocky letters. Grants the consumer hyena attributes.

Canine Popper - Grants the consumer canine attributes. If consumer does not already have a tail, the canine popper will cause one to grow. If consumer has a penis, it will become a knotted canine penis. If consumer has a vagina, it will become a canine vagina.

Capraphorm - A small, disposable inhaler full of something called “Capraphorm.” It is blank white in appearance with a black silhouette of what appears to be a goat above the mouthpiece. Grants the consumer caprine attributes. If consumer does not have hooves, they will gain hooves. If consumer does not have horns, they will grow horns.

Catnip - Grants the consumer feline attributes. If consumer has a penis, it will be transformed into a barbed feline penis. If consumer has a vagina, it will become a feline vagina. Accidental or intentional overdose will cause the consumer to become a cattaur.

Chocolac - Causes the consumer to lactate chocolate milk upon consumption.

Dicksprout - Causes user's penis to grow larger. In some cases, causes user to grow an additional penis.

Dose of Soak - Effective only on those who possess a vagina. Will dramatically enhance lubrication and sensitivity of the consumer's vagina.

Dumbfuck Pill - Causes the consumer to become a himbo or a bimbo, depending on gender identity.

Goblinola Snack Bar - A snack bar that is gaudily advertised on its plastic wrap as a tasty, healthy treat. Grants the consumer goblin attributes. Will cause taller folk to become as short as three feet six inches.

Horse Pill - Grants the consumer equine attributes. If consumer has a penis, it will be transformed into an equine penis. If consumer has a vagina, it will be transformed into an equine vagina. May cause the consumer to become a centaur.

Illumorpheme - Grants the user moth attributes. If user does not have wings or antennae, illumorpheme will cause them to manifest. Lemon

Loftcake - A lemon cake roll designed to dramatically increase the consumer's height to a maximum of 120 inches.

Lion-Os - Grants the user lion attributes. If user is female-aligned, can cause the growth of a second row of breasts.

Lip Tease - Allows the user to shrink or enlarge their lips, as well as change their lips' natural color.

Mousearella Cheese - A cheesy snack covered in a thin plastic wrapper with the image of a cartoon mouse nibbling on an oversized wedge of Swiss cheese. Grants the consumer mouse attributes. Will shrink taller individuals down to a maximum of 60 inches tall, and cause the growth of mouse ears and tail.

New Ewe - Grants the consumer sheep attributes. This includes a thick layer of fluffy wool, and the growth of ram horns in male-identifying consumers.

Ovilium - Causes the consumer to become pregnant with eggs.

Pandaneen Pill - Grants the consumer panda attributes.

Pussyblossom Pill - Causes the consumer to grow a vagina. Maxes out at three.

Shark Bites - This is a simple white pack containing three brown coloured jerky-esque bits. Grants the consumer shark attributes. Consumers will gain scales and shark markings, as well as gills.

Strawberry Shortcake - A strawberry cake roll that dramatically reduces the consumer's height to a minimum of 48 inches.

Swineapple - Grants the consumer swine attributes. If consumer has a penis, it will be transformed into a swine penis. If consumer has a vagina, it will be transformed into a swine vagina. Will also cause consumer to grow a corkscrew tail.

Tittyblossom - Grants user enlarged breasts. Has also been known to reduce muscle tone and increase femininity.

Virection - Causes the consumer's penis to grow larger, with a maximum size of thirty inches long. May also result in the consumer growing another penis, up to a maximum of ten.

Zil Ration - These are dried rations appear to be made from local fruits and plant nectars. Grants the consumer bee attributes. Often results in lactation of honey in female-identifying consumers, and honey cum in all consumers.

[moirindeclermont]

Bridgerton folks, this is the end of this story. Thank you for all your support and encouragement! See you maybe tomorrow with a meme, definitely on Monday with Daddy!Colin (and I'll do also Pirate!Colin, and then starting on the 9th of December something really nice for the whole festivity period, so stay tuned...)

This is "5 times Colin Pen's first and one time she was his", enjoy!

(Moirin - post writing - would suggest a tissue... Fair warning)

---

"We kissed. Bloody hell, me and Pen kissed. I had the courage to ask her and she admitted it was her first kiss because she was waiting for me. I'm still wrapping my mind about that. I am completely obsessed with her and she was waiting for me. How blind must I be to not see her sooner? And yet, she asked me to ask her again about the kiss. I did and she nodded. I've not kissed a lot of girls (and a couple of boys... A couple of times, just to know) but that kiss felt like a revelation.

I heard so many people saying that when you find the right one, you just know. I didn't understand. Until Pen and I kissed. Was this love?

Just in front of me this whole time?

And as the kiss deepened and we started making out, I could feel my heart racing and my heart spinning. She was there the whole time. "

They separated for a beat before going back for another one. And ohhh that might be a problem. Because now that he knows what Pen taste like, he is not sure he can go back.

Turns out they don't need to separate because Pen is right on the same page with him. He whispered against her lips "I don't think you can rid of me now, Pen" and her smile was the best thing he ever saw.

The Serengeti? Way overrated.

The lights of New York at New Year's Eve? They could not hold against Pen kissing him and smiling like that. "I was hoping you'd say that," she said and their hands slide together.

Suddenly he feels like a real idiot, because he knew that she was his way before. He was just on the cusp of puberty, when Pen took his hand for the first time and he knew at such young age. He knew with a certainty that he had lost somewhen over the years. He knew that could never been something else like this.

It took years all over the world and a couple (or more) dreams for him to rediscover that deep truth he knew all along.

He told her about that and Pen shed a tear. "I remember that day, it's when I knew I'd never love someone the way I love you," and fùck, wasn't he about to say the same thing?

Pen told him about an exercise her therapist ask her to do. To describe a day in her future. "I don't need to read it, I know by heart."

She told him of a marvelous day waking up cuddled with her husband ("that's you", she said and his heart somersault), the kids (another somersault) home from school.

A walk near the sea or by the lake after breakfast and then while the kids play she and her husband ("me, me, me" was thinking Colin) writing by their desk, trying to not get distracted by each other presence like so often happens (a wink on her side, oh... He can't wait to get to know that side of her soon). A nice lunch together and then going on a little adventure in the afternoon all together.

And at night, after supper ad putting the kids to bed, finally she ad her husband will have some time alone ("I left it vague here, but if you want to, I can give you a description of the night as well," and Colin must have died there).

"I like that day," Colin says, as she sheds tears of happiness.

"It never felt like a possibility, until now."

That deserved another kiss.

Their second kiss. And yet it still feel it like the first.

"I wonder if our kiss would still be the same thrill in 50 years," Colin says and she is absolutely convinced it will. Colin is sure too.

"A life for first with you, seems like the perfect life for me," she says again, and as he takes her hand and kiss her, Colin whispered on her lips "I could not agree more."

The end

[clearlyacollectortragedy]

Hey, how’s everyone doing? So here I am again, like a year later since my last post, because I just need to vent before I lose my mind.

So, the thing is, I was watching 9-1-1 again for like the millionth time, and just so happens that my mom walked by and got curious about what I was watching, so naturally, like the very noisy mom that I have, she decided to sit down and join me. And of course, the episode I was watching just so happened to be the lawsuit one where Eddie and Buck are fighting (iykyk), I don’t remember the exact episode number, but you get the idea.

Anyway, my beautiful yet very old fashioned mother looks directly into my soul with this very serious expression and goes, 'Are you watching a gay show?' Now, my mom isn't homophobic but feels a bit uncomfortable about queernes and all of that, she's kinda having a hard time accepting people but she's not against it, although she's trying her best. So, you can imagine I was shitting my pants a little bit with that one when she came out with that. I was like, 'Uh, yes… but also no?' Then I asked why she thought that, and with a very 'Are you shitting me' look she says, and I quote, 'They’re married, like, they’re literally fighting over custody, right? Talking about lawyers and all that. I did this with your dad so you can't tell me they’re not... Homosexual or whatever you call it these days.'

So yeah... All I did was laugh like a maniac and managed to explain her the situation (sort of) and even showed her bits from other episodes to give her the full picture of Buck and Eddie’s dynamic. And I kid you not, just when I was showing her The kitchen scene™ my sister walked in and got somehow involved, a minute into the conversation she tells me 'Michelle what the fuck are you talking about, those two have to be fucking, look how the guy with the beer is looking at that other dude, is like that meme with the cat and the cookie.' Like I'm not the one who is obsessed with the show, anyways my mom later agreed and in disbelief told me that they've had to fucked at least once. At this point, I was on the floor, either crying from laughter or pure shock because here’s my 'I'm very uncomfortable about gays' mother telling me that the way those two looked at each other was with, and I qoute again: 'Very sex deprived eyes.'

So, to wrap this stupid and totally unnecessary post I’ve come to two conclusions:

1.- My mom may no longer be in the "I'm not homophobic I just don't really like when two boys or girls kiss each other" category because, after all that, she literally started rooting for those two to not only kiss but fuck each other. So... Thanks 9-1-1 I guess?

2.- And two, if MY mom is now convinced that those two Need to be together, or more like belong together in words of my sister, so can ABC. So if Buddie doesn't become canon these season I will personally go down to the ABC studios and force them to make it happen.

That’s all folks, thanks for letting me rant, because I was about to lose it. Have a lovely afternoon or night or whatever you're having. And if you’ve got someone who may be homophobic or is uncomfortable with queerness, maybe tell them about Buck and Eddie. It did worked for my mom after all.

[sparklepocalypse]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks to @cha-melodius, @kiwiana-writes, @anincompletelist, @orchidscript, @myheartalivewrites,

… aaaaand @firenati0n for the tags! (This five tags per line thing really is for the fucking birds, y’all.)

How many works do you have on AO3?

106 works and counting.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

461,281 😱

What fandom(s) do you write for?

Currently? Red, White & Royal Blue, and RWRB RPF.

Historically? Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel the Series, Queer as Folk, Supernatural, That One Fandom With The Wizards and the Bigoted Creator, Smallville, Glee, and a handful of other RPF fandoms.

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Even though, IMO, kudos are a poor metric of the quality of a fic…

What’s Symbiotic will Always Be | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 2.6k words — my Kinktober 2023 breeding kink fic.

Be Worthy Love, and Love Will Come | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 30.8k words — my epic childhood friends to lovers AU.

Wrap Me Up, Unfold Me | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 4.3k words — my mile high club smut inspired by one of Hann’s incredible art pieces.

Take it Down Low / Make Me Get High | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 2k words — my Kinktober 2023 rimming fic, which has been described as that rimming fic.

I’d Wanna Be Held By You, Felled By You | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 2.3k words — my lake house smut inspired by Henry sharing Alex’s clothes.

More under the jump to save you a scroll!

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I’m horrendously behind, but I promise I’ll catch up one of these days… I hope.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

We’re just gonna focus on my RWRB works here so I don’t have to dig too far. I don’t really do truly angsty endings in this fandom, but I did write one piece with an open-ended ending:

Back, Bring it Back | RWRB | Alex/Henry | T | 1.2k words

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

It’s a toss-up between two of them, so have them both!

Single Sad-Sack Seeking Same | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 7.7k words, and

Count to Ten & Breathe Real Deep | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 8.1k words

Do you get hate on fics?

I have had an anon throw a tomato emoji at one of my fics, which still stuns me. I used to get significantly more hate when I was writing in more problematic fandoms… 😅 but if you want to read the fic where Alex bottoms for the first time, and I got this comment, where they not only flung produce but also… felt the need to censor the word “top” for… reasons:

… then you should read In the Low Lamp Light, I was Free | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 3.1k words, which is my take on what happened with that second condom wrapper in the Paris scene.

Do you write smut?

Oh, fic meme creator, this is the cutest, funniest question.

Do I write smut? Hilarious.

What’s your craziest crossover?

Speaking of smut — I don’t really write crossovers, but I’ve written a few monsterfucking or monsterfucking-adjacent fics:

If We’re Caught in a Wave, I Will Carry You Over | RWRB | Alex/Cecaelia!Henry | E | 5.9k words

Just Let the Night Go Down | RWRB | Alex/Henry/Oviposition Toy | E | 2.2k words, aaaaand

All the Ocean was Sleeping | RWRB | Alex/Siren!Henry | E | 6.4k words

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. Fic (and fandom) are pretty reductive though. For example, I know that there’s someone writing a King Henry AU for @aroyallybigbangrwrb, and I’ve been working on my own King Henry AU since last September. There will probably be some similarities; can’t be helped. I’m not worried about it though, unless there are wholesale chunks of paragraphs that are somehow magically identical.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don’t believe so, but I have a blanket permission statement on my AO3 account, so if someone wanted to translate my work I’d be down!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Eons ago, I used to co-write Kurtofsky fic in the Glee fandom. Pretty sure all of those works have been lost to the ether, as this was before AO3 was absorbing archives as they went kaput. I’m not completely heartbroken about it.

All time favorite ship?

Darcy/Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice. No, I’m not kidding.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a couple really old WIPs from previous fandoms that I put a lot of work into, and then the ADHD took hold before I could complete them. It would be interesting, at the very least, to revisit these. Maybe retool them into something usable for this fandom, IDK.

What are your writing strengths?

Making people absolutely collapse in a heap of devastation with my angst, as @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @kiwiana-writes, and @ad-astra13 will attest; smut with “multiple different positions laid out in such detail you can almost see the gifs used as reference,” according to @bigassbowlingballhead. I also like to think that my spicy trauma makes me pretty funny.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Brevity — given the option, I’d rather write 5k words than a drabble every time. I also really struggle with saccharine sweetness and fluff for the sake of fluff, despite what y’all keep saying in my comments section; my sweetness is always bittersweet. And kidfic gives me the ick, as the youths would say, even if I’m the one writing it.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Yes! Just make it something that I can Google Translate and I’m good.

Which fandom was the first you wrote in?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, way back in the 1990s. (Yeah. I’m that old.)

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

So, I have two. My favorite fic overall is my King Henry AU, Facing Tempests. I affectionately refer to this fic as KHIX (King Henry IX) and The Big Giant AU, and it’s my baby. I’ve commissioned some really incredible art from @seanchaidh7 for Facing Tempests that I can’t wait to share with y’all when the fic is ready to post.

My favorite published fic is If We’re Caught in a Wave, I Will Carry You Over, for which I commissioned some absolutely stunning art from @artofobsession which is now embedded in the story on AO3. There are several other fics that come close, but octoHenry is my beloved.

My tag is always open! Because this meme has been out for a couple days, I’m not gonna cold call anyone, but if you’re reading this, yes you with the clenched shoulders and the mild headache from staring at a screen, then consider yourself tagged!

[kjack89]

Dare I say we could all use more gay westerns in our lives ;) You are most welcome!!

If you're still taking Spotify requests: E/R for which ever song is your favorite that ISNT a repeat from last year. (Or Taylor Swift. My coworker has been over playing Midnights in the office and I'm so sick of it atm.)

Oh man, this was a hard song to pick, because I love so many songs on this playlist (obviously, or they wouldn't be in my top 100!). In the end, I went with the song that I have loved the longest, the one that I used to ask my father to play whenever he drove, like, 4-year-old me anywhere because the album this was on was one of the cassette tapes he had in his car.

Well, it was this album or Enya, and sadly Orinoco Flow didn't make my top 100 for some reason.

87. "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" by Billy Joel

It's a Western AU. Because why the hell not at this point.

The night was quiet and peaceful, its stillness broken only by the gentle crackle of the dying fire and the ubiquitous chirp of crickets, but Enjolras couldn’t seem to enjoy it, his own ears still ringing with the sounds of chaos from earlier.

As a general rule, Enjolras didn’t like robbing trains. Too high a possibility of innocent people being hurt or recognizing one of Les Amis, defeating the purpose of how they handled their robberies, and besides, word of mouth spread faster when robbing banks.

But when Combeferre got reliable word that the Corinthe, headed from back east out to the west coast, was carrying a stash of money belonging to none other than F. H. Tholomyès himself, one of the wealthiest and most exploitative robber barons the West had ever seen, Enjolras knew that not even he could pass up this opportunity.

Which was how Les Amis had found themselves that morning perched along the train tracks, guns and horses at the ready. As they waited for the train to round the bend in the tracks, Enjolras could not help but share a few words, knowing they would never have another opportunity like this one. “Gentlemen,” he started, sweeping his hat off his head to catch their attention, “where are we going?”

To his right, crouched behind a rocky outcropping, Courfeyrac muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “For Christ’s sake,” but Enjolras ignored him, instead glancing around at their compatriots.

Joly sheepishly raised a hand. “Are we going to the train?” he asked, barely managing to hide his smile as Grantaire and Bossuet sniggered on either side.

Enjolras’s eyes narrowed, and Joly’s smile disappeared. “Yes,” Enjolras said, with a bite of impatience. “We’re going to the train just as we are going to the future. And what we do here today is in service of all people. Gentlemen, we are no mere robbers—”

“We do not steal for riches,” Bahorel recited in what was clearly meant to be an undertone but carried a little too well.

“We do not steal for glory,” Feuilly added, a grin twitching at the corners of his mouth as Prouvaire chimed in, with the cadence of an orator, “Thievery, I hate you, but I make use of you—”

“—For by stealing this money, so too do we steal our future from those who would keep it from us,” Bahorel, Feuilly and Prouvaire finished in unison, and Enjolras glowered at them.

Grantaire cleared his throat. “Maybe if you didn’t use the same speech at the start of every robbery—” he started, but Enjolras ignored him, barreling stubbornly onward.

“We are advancing the unity of man,” he said through gritted teeth. “The common man out from under the thumb of the rich, that is the goal. And whatever happens here today, through our failure or through our success, we are creating an alternative to those who think there’s no other way to live.”

He glanced at Combeferre on his left, who also looked a little like he was trying not to smile, and Enjolras scowled. He was saved from saying anything by the train finally rounding the tracks, and instead jammed his hat on his head before he raised his voice to shout, “Courage, and onward!”

From there, things had devolved into the usual controlled chaos that was the undercurrent of every robbery they had ever done, all leading to this moment camped out by the fire, their afternoon’s takings – even more than Enjolras had hoped – in a series of nondescript bags to be tied to a horse’s saddle. 

As much as Enjolras disliked robbing trains, he disliked the aftermath of a robbery even more. He could never find a way to calm himself after the excitement, always ready to move onto the next. He reckoned it was part of what made him so successful, even if it meant always feeling a little like an outsider as his friends traded jokes and stories around the campfire as he brooded on their next plan.

Still, there was nothing else for it, and with a sigh, he sat upright, grabbing his hat from on top of his saddle and placing it on his head before standing. He bent to pick up the saddle, carrying it over to his horse, Mabeuf, who was drowsily grazing where he was picketed. “Sorry for the early morning, boy,” he murmured, rubbing the horse’s neck before lifting the saddle onto his back.

A similar movement caught the corner of his eye and he immediately turned, his hand automatically falling to the pistol at his hip. He relaxed when he saw it was just Grantaire tending to his own horse.

The relaxation was short-lived, seeing as how Grantaire had never been an early riser and had managed to drink enough whiskey to drown a lesser man, and Enjolras’s eyes narrowed. “What’re you doing?”

Grantaire didn’t even glance over at him, adjusting the saddle with a practiced eye. “What’s it look like I’m doing?”

Enjolras scowled. “Looks like you’re packing up.”

Now Grantaire did look over at him, a small smile creasing his face. “I always knew you were more than a pretty face.”

Enjolras crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Why are you packing up?” he asked, ignoring Mabeuf nudging his shoulder in search of an apple or sugar cube.

Grantaire shrugged. “Because I’m going.”

“Going where?” Enjolras ground out. No one managed to irritate him quite like Grantaire did.

Grantaire shrugged again, squinting out at the horizon where the first hint of light was just beginning to break. “Well, now, that’s a good question,” he said easily. “Not sure yet.”

Enjolras sighed. “You know you can’t come with me.”

“I do,” Grantaire said.

Enjolras scowled. “You know why we do it like this.”

“Hasn’t changed.”

“Grantaire.” They’d had this argument so many times before that Enjolras really only needed to say Grantaire’s name in that tone for them to both know exactly how this would play out, just as it had every time before. It was as familiar to them as the sun rising over the plains, and almost as comforting in a strange way, as if a mission wasn’t complete without its familiar cadence.

Which was why Enjolras kept his tone calm but firm in the explanation he’d given a hundred times before. “I’m the one who has to go,” he told Grantaire. “We do the job, I split off with the money and distribute it to where it needs to go. That way, I draw all the attention to myself, and let you all get away. No one ever suspects you. You can’t be implicated.”

They hadn’t always done it this way, but after the first posse got together to track them down, Enjolras had insisted on the change, had insisted that everyone else cover their faces so that the only one anyone ever got a good look at was him.

There was a reason Les Amis wasn’t well known throughout the West, and it wasn’t because they weren’t damn good at what they did – it’s because to every sheriff from the Mississippi to the Rio Grande, they were known as Apollo the Kid and his Gang.

He didn’t need to remind Grantaire of that, though – Grantaire knew. Even in the dim light of the dying fire, Enjolras could see a muscle working in Grantaire’s cheek. “That is indeed the plan.”

Enjolras suddenly found he couldn’t quite meet Grantaire’s eye, and so busied himself with Mabeuf’s bridle. “Which is why you can’t come with me,” he said, his voice rough.

“You already said that,” Grantaire said, matching his tone. “I ain’t deaf.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Enjolras shot back.

Grantaire scowled at him. “Listen, the job’s done, right? So there’s no need for me to stay. Way I see it, I’m free to go.”

Enjolras jerked a shrug. “I guess.”

“You guess?” Grantaire repeated. “And here I thought freedom was the entire point of what we were doing here.” He paused before adding pointedly, “Isn’t it?”

Enjolras rolled his eyes. “Of course, but that’s not—”

Grantaire gave him a look. “Ain’t you the one who keeps saying that the working people need to unite because the only thing we have to lose is our reins?”

“Chains, but—”

“Then let a man pack his horse in peace,” Grantaire finished.

Enjolras scowled. “Fine, if you’ll answer me one question.”

“What’s that?” Grantaire asked, not looking over at him.

“Why’d you suddenly decide to pack up now when I started to?”

Something that might’ve been a smile twitched at the corners of Grantaire’s mouth. “Coincidence.”

Enjolras’s eyes narrowed. “Helluva coincidence.”

“Sure is.”

Still, despite himself, despite everything, Enjolras had to admit that packing up seemed to go faster with Grantaire at his side. Or at the very least, it seemed just a little bit less lonely.

When they were both packed – and the money they’d stolen carefully stashed in Enjolras’s saddlebags – Enjolras pulled himself onto his horse, glancing over at Grantaire. “You heading out?”

“Yessir,” Grantaire said, patting his horse’s neck as he added in an attempt at casual, “Which way are you headed?”

Enjolras jerked his chin toward the horizon. “West.”

Grantaire nodded slowly. “Well, whaddya know,” he said. “So am I.”

Enjolras just shook his head. “Coincidence?” he asked wryly. 

Grantaire half-smiled. “Sure is.”

Just as the packing was less lonely with Grantaire by his side, so was the ride. It was early enough that neither man worried too much about anyone else being on the road, though both kept a weather eye out, just in case.

But the ride in comfortable silence could only last for so long, and eventually, Enjolras reined his horse to a stop, Grantaire stopped as well. Enjolras nodded to the fork in the road up ahead. “This is where we part ways,” he said, a note of warning in his voice.

Grantaire’s expression was unreadable. “If you say so.”

“I do,” Enjolras said with conviction. He hesitated before adding, “Thank you for coming all this way with me—”

“It was nothing,” Grantaire interrupted. “I was headed this way anyway.”

Enjolras managed a small smile. “Coincidence.”

Grantaire smiled as well. “Well, something like that, anyway.”

Enjolras nodded, something sharpening in his expression. “Just like it’s coincidence how you always seem to be headed my way after every robbery,” he said lightly.

Grantaire’s smile faded, and he shrugged. “Ain’t the world a remarkable place,” he said noncommittally.

“I suppose it is.” Enjolras glanced over at him. “Where are you headed now?”

Grantaire shrugged again. “Oh, here, there, and around,” he said, purposefully vague, but Enjolras didn’t miss the way his hand twitched toward his gun in its holster. “Got some business to keep an eye on.”

Enjolras frowned. “You know I don’t need you to protect me,” he said bluntly, tired of playing this little game every single time.

To his surprise, Grantaire barked a laugh before running a hand across his mouth. “Enjolras, you don’t need me for a damn thing.”

“I don’t know that I’d go quite that far,” Enjolras said before he could stop himself, and he quickly looked away, feeling the back of his neck burn despite being protected by his hat. “In any case, I’ll, uh, I’ll see you at the rendezvous.”

Grantaire nodded. “Yessir.” He kneed his horse forward, ostensibly toward the fork Enjolras wasn’t taking, then paused, turning back to face him. “Oh, and Enjolras?”

“Yeah?”

Grantaire raised his chin just slightly. “Anytime you want it to be something other than a coincidence, all you have to do is say the word.”

Enjolras’s throat felt tight. “I know,” he said, his voice low.

For a moment, it looked like Grantaire might say something more, but instead he just touched the brim of his hat before kneeing his horse forward again. Enjolras watched him go before starting forward once again, alone.

[todayontumblr]

Wednesday March 8.

The Winchesters.

An extremely satisfying way to wrap it all up and an ending that was deserved: it's what #the winchesters deserved, what Supernatural deserved, and what you good folks, the fandom, deserved. A lot happened and there is a lot of ground to cover here—not to mention it was heavy. However, it is hard not to feel some sense of closure, and if this really is to be "it" (there are still considerable question marks hanging over the future of this series) then that was possibly the perfect way to sew it all together.

For now, we hope beyond hope that this was not the end of #the winchesters, but if that is to be the final curtain, we are grateful it went out with such an ending. Of course, you can always head over to the Tumblr fandom for a celebration of memes, gifs, and fanart of all things Supernatural.