#then comes this domestic love scene where they're perfect

[iiotic]

Hi

Maybe you could write Wriothesley x fem!reader moving in together, maybe some cute moment where Writhesley understands that all his dreams about a family come true

Sorry if it’s not for your liking

Have a great day!!!

"SO WHAT DO WE NAME THE CHILD?"

in which you and wriothesley, who just got married, moved in together. however wriothesley seems to think about other things..

before you read -> fluff, suggestive, fem reader, implied marriage, swearing, not proff read

word count: 0.7k

it's honestly so so cute!! I'm dying. thank you for your requests anon!! ((it took so long YET IT'S SO SHORT im dying) i cringed readinf thus ngl)

wriothesley never imagined himself starting a family, with all of his duties and the fact that he practically lived in the fortress of meropide it all seemed impossible. however that changed when he met you, you were so sweet and carrying he caught himself thinking about starting a family with you.

dreaming about moving in with you, having a sweet child running around; preferably a girl but the gender doesn't matter! most importantly being able to come home to you, the love of his life.

soon enough his dreams came true.

you were now standing in the local furniture store in fontaine with your soon to be husband, looking at different cabinets and kitchen appliances. it was truly a difficult decision to chose a furniture to your liking, whether it would be the colour or the right shape.

"what do you think about this one? it's vintage, cute." you said, pointing at a white, milky cabinet. the edges were quite sharp, dangerous even if you'd accidentally bumb into them.

"They're too light, they'd get dirty really quick" wriothesley said looking at the other side of the room. he quickly caught your attention pointing at another cabinet, seemingly a different style. modern, on the darker side, almost pure black.

"It's too dark, we wouldn't be able to see where it's dirty." you sighed, pinching your nose.

you were arguing over stupid cabinets for over 15 minutes. you were starting to get a headache and you didn't pick half of the furnitures for your kitchen yet.

"how about this one?" he asked, nudging you shoulder, nodding at a darkish cabinets with a milky white on top of them with soft edges. it wouldn't get dirty easily, it wasn't too light nor dark too. the perfect contrast. "the edges aren't sharp enough for the kid to bumb into it.." he added

yes.. this one was perfect

the day that you got the keys to your own house your imagonation was going wild. you'd run around the house with wriothesley on your side, telling him about your vision and him giving short remarks.

he felt like he was on cloud nine, he couldn't believe that it was actually happening.

unfortunately for you both, you had to assemble the furnitures alone. you agreed that the team that would do it for you was way overpriced.

this would lead to cute, domestic moments. whether someone messes up something or reading the instructions for over 10 minutes not understanding anything.

"wrio, do you know which screw is the right one for th.." you stopped in your tracks as you saw your husband all covered in water.

"do not laugh." he gritted through his teeth, but it was too late you already burst out laughing at the pure comedy scene in front of you.

wriothesley was assembling the sink in your bathroom, at least trying to. unfortunately he was no plumber nor did he wanted any help from you saying that "he was the man of the family" however that might sound.

you yelped as he pulled you to him, wetting your new white shirt in the process.

"i told you to not laugh." he said with such seriousness but his smile betrayed him. he softly pulled you in for a kiss to shut you up, his hands finding their way on your waist. you kissed back almost immediately, your hands tangling in his wet hair. fuck, he looked so attract with wet hair..

2 months later you finished putting the final touches to your new home. some pictures on the wall, plants in the corners and near the windows.

you were very satisfacted with your work in the kitchen, you organised everything with the help of your husband. everything was neat and pleasant for the eye.

the first night together in your new bedroom, in your new bed was rather.. passionate and left you fucked, with his seed inside you.

you cuddled wriothesley, hiding your face in his chest with your arms around his neck making yourself comfortable. you were sure that after tonight you will wake up sore.

wriothesley was so much satisfied and pleased with the fact that his dream of starting a family with the love of his life already succeded in 90 procent.

he purred slightly, nuzzling closer to you, whispering in your ear. "so, what do we name the child?"

© 2024 iiotic. — do not steal, translate or repost any of my content onto any other platform

[irisintheafterglow]

Hiii!! I’m absolutely in love with the way you write kiyoomi :) he’s literally perfect. If you have time, I would love a scenario where his partner meets the black jackals for the first time!! Whether it’s accidental or on purpose is up to you :)

but he was so much fun (and he had such weird friends!)

cw/tags: gn!reader, swearing, mentions of cooking and eating, domestic omi crumbs, established relationship and pet names (love, baby), pure jackals crack

note: hi love!!! this prompt is so funny omg i'm obsessed. hope you like it!!! i got extremely carried away

likes, reblogs, and replies are always appreciated :)

"i'm-" he starts, huffing out an irritated breath and setting his knife on the cutting board, gripping the edges of the countertop. you turn to look at him from your spot at the stove, tapping the wooden spoon against the edge of the pot and placing it in the spoon rest. you check the vegetable prep over his shoulder and find neat piles of cut carrots, cauliflower, and potatoes. it didn't seem like anything was wrong with his knife skills, so it perplexed you why he was suddenly having trouble expressing his thoughts. "i'm having..."

"you're having?" you wipe your hands on a kitchen towel and gently turn him to face you, snaking your arms around his neck while his hands find their natural place on your hips. your thumb absentmindedly brushes over his moles, right above his furrowed eyebrows of annoyance.

"doubts," he says uncertainly, glancing at the dining table set for four more than its usual two occupants. the corner of his mouth juts to the side in obvious discontent, even though he was trying not to dampen your excitement for formally meeting his friends. not that he would ever call them that, at least not in this lifetime.

"how so, baby?"

"they can be a little...hard to handle," he mutters. "you know them. you've seen it," he says, voice strained and it makes you chuckle at the memory of the first time you actually met his friends.

kiyoomi wishes that it didn't happen that way at least twice a day. it was partially your fault, overestimating your ability to find him in the back halls of the msby gym facilities after only a few months of dating. after turning yourself around about four different times and unable to retrace your steps, you settled for walking in the direction of a nearby conversation. you ended up, however, steering a wrong turn into the men's locker room, yelping in surprise when you were met with three bare chests, none of which belonged to your boyfriend. apologizing profusely and briskly walking away, you were fleeing too quickly to hear the three players equally as alarmed.

it was like a scene from a cartoon; you could vaguely make out the sound of things being thrown like shirts, water bottles, and flailing limbs. there were hushed whispers of holy shit, someone just walked in here and they're so pretty and put some fucking clothes on, shoyo, that's indecency. you make the executive decision to just wait for him outside, but before you leave, your boyfriend's voice rings loud and clear from around the corner.

"what the hell are you guys freaking out about?"

"omi, dude. you just missed them."

"missed who?"

"there was this really pretty person that walked in! they were wearing the same zip-up that you were wearing yesterday, isn't that neat?" your attention darts down to the jacket that was very much kiyoomi's and definitely not yours, your face warming from pure embarrassment. "maybe you could ask them if they shop there frequently; i think they'd be your type."

"since when did sakusa have a type?"

"hey, wait! where are you going?" is the last question you hear before your boyfriend comes barreling around the corner in nothing but shower shoes and sweatpants and looking just as bewildered as you and the three guys in the locker room. after a palpable moment of shocked silence, you both word-vomit at the same time.

"you're wearing my jacket."

"why are you shirtless?!"

"you're wearing my jacket." his voice drops in volume to a yelled whisper, his hand pulling you further down the hallway and away from the locker room despite his lack of clothes. a few of the gym staff eye you in confusion and you give them a weak smile, fighting the urge to stare at the muscle rippling across kiyoomi's body. "you're wearing my jacket," he repeats for the third time, as if it was taking several tries for his brain to compute the information in front of him.

"that's your main concern?!"

"no, shit, no," he shakes his head, regaining his composure after his mind short-circuited. "my main concern is you running into the three stupidest members of my team without me there-"

"and while they were shirtless," you add and his nose scrunches in pure distaste. "wait, why don't you want me to meet them without you there?"

"because they're stupid and-and i love you and they're-and they're stupid," he stammers, visibly flustered in a way that you'd never seen him before. it sets your face on fire, hearing how easily he said he loved you when you'd never said it to each other up until that point. the same realization must hit him at the same time and he pinches the bridge of his nose in defeat, sighing through his nose. "i just said i love you."

"you just said you love me," you echo, a delirious smile widening on your mouth as you peel his fingers away from his face and lace them into yours. "you just said you love me."

"he just said he loves them!" a very eavesdropping-sounding whisper comes from behind the wall and you both flinch. like a straw breaking a camel's back, kiyoomi's face contorted into a vengeful scowl. he composed himself for a moment, promising you he'd be right back, and then stomping around the corner where you heard receding screams of terror.

that was five months ago, and you finally convinced kiyoomi to let you meet his friends formally, along with atsumu's brother who was bringing more food to help you feed four pro athletes.

"i've seen a lot more than just them being stupid," you remind him, giggling when his face turns a light shade of pink. "and, i think it's endearing how much they care for you. i know you won't admit it, but i know you care about them, too." he gazes at you so softly that it makes you melt a little. i'm gonna marry you, one day, he thinks. "now, i promise i won't be deterred by their idiocy, so let me get back to cooking, okay?"

"okay," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the corner of your mouth. "i love you. a lot."

"i love you even more, omi."

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[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: Wild Hearts

In the idyllic English countryside, far from the hustle and bustle of the big city, two teachers at Willowbrook Hall set out to transform their students’ lives through the world of theatre. But for Mr. Crowley, the challenge of navigating his long hidden feelings and dear friendship with Mr. Fell may prove to be the greatest drama of all.

Length: 145,589 Words

AO3 Rating: Explicit/ Spice Level 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Best for: Mostly Safe in Public, Human AU, Romance, Slow Burn

Triggers: None

Read it here, fic by foolishlovers

*Minor Spoilers* Welcome to Willowbrook Hall, or as I like to call it, The Gay and Trans School for Gay and Trans Teens. Come meet professors Mr. Fell and Mr. Crowley, and their colorful cast of teens as they spend the school year getting ready for the performance of a lifetime in the school play. This place has it all: hijinks, dances, costumes, drama, and best of all a cat.

What I really loved about this story was how cinematic it felt. Sure, some scenes intentionally reference a movie (Wild Child, so fun and camp!), but that's not what I mean. The whole thing plays out like a movie or its own TV show. We get big dramatic moments of romance and heartbreak, plus fun ones like a mini makeover, the school dance, and the play. And there is tons of subtle foreshadowing along the way that will make you jump up and down when things come to fruition. It's thrilling and engaging, and waiting for updates when this was a WIP was excruciating because I wanted to know what was going to happen next so badly!

The side characters especially are so much fun! I loved the kids and their side plots. Even though we don’t follow their story directly, we see enough to get hooked. Adam and Warlock are standouts, but they aren't the only ones I enjoyed! Honestly, I'd read a standalone from the kids perspective! The teachers are excellent too. I have a soft spot for Newt, who pops in now and then, always a sweetheart. Crowley could be in the depths of heartbreak and still manage a smile for Newt. All the teachers (plus Nina) don't feel like they're just there. I was interested in them, and you really get a sense of how much of a family they all are. It's a real skill to make side characters as interesting as the main duo.

Of course, the main attraction is Crowley and Aziraphale. They’ll make you fall in love with them all over again. They’re the perfect domestic couple well before they admit anything. So many lovely details about them, from note passing and bets, to their shared bond with Beethoven the cat (aka the best character ever). You'll experience everything with them: the highs of gender discovery and euphoria, and the lows of miscommunication and misunderstandings. What drama is complete without that? Yes, they’re a bit thick headed, and yes, a single conversation could have fixed everything. But where's the fun in that? I'm here for the drama! The pang of heartbreak and yearning makes the reunion so much sweeter! They are wonderfully characterized, and yet still have an air and life of their own. Unique to this story, but true to their characters.

You’ll be mostly safe reading this in public. There are a handful of explicit scenes but you should have enough notice to get away from prying eyes. The sex here is delicious and heart pounding! Plus the way that Crowley's gender fluidity plays into those scenes was very beautiful. There are so many reasons to love this story. It's engaging, cinematic, dramatic, funny, and romantic. This was an incredible achievement and I hope you have just as much fun and I did!

Read it here, fic by foolishlovers

[cuddlytogas]

an incomplete list of terrible but extremely popular Our Flag Means Death takes that I would like to never see again please

(and I do mean popular, as in, lots of people seem to think they're canon, to the point where I feel slightly insane and like I was watching a different show to everyone else)

1. Ed's mum was loving and nice and supportive, if hampered by her bad situation

this comes up more in fic than analysis, to be fair, but good god, what show were some of you watching? this isn't to vilify her, because yeah, she's clearly a product of colonialism, white christian supremacy, and domestic abuse, but like. that doesn't make how she raised Ed good. clearly she was trying to keep him safe, but "we don't deserve nice things", and especially "it's not up to us, it's up to god", speaks to me of someone who squashes down any ambition on her son's part, has fully bought into the lies of christian colonialism, and tries to pass them down to her son.

as does happen in colonised communities, particularly among older generations. I know us white people like to think that every indigenous person is a perfect left-wing anti-imperial activist, but that's simply not the case, and Ed's mum is so clearly an example of an older conservative christian indigenous parent who had to believe the lies told by their coloniser in order to survive, but is now passing on that trauma to their children. and I just...

if I read one more fic where Ed's mum is a perfect loving supportive angel who always believed in her kid and always supported and protected him, I'm gonna scream. yes, it's sweet, and it's fun to sometimes veer from canon and give your blorbo nice things, but it's still veering from canon. and yet, I see very few people acknowledge that, or actually talk about the nuances of Ed's mother, and how she definitely tried to protect him, but was far from sweet, doting, and unconditionally supportive.

2. Ed's loving look when Stede is picking food from his beard in 1x07

like most of these things, I enjoyed it as a joke or exaggeration at first, until I realised that people were actually being serious. but every time I watch that scene, I see Ed looking absently-mindedly over Stede's shoulder, because a) that's what you do when someone leans in to pick something off you, and b) surely the point of the scene is that they're so comfortable and easy together that they don't notice the intimacy of what they're doing, but Lucius, an outside observer, thinks it's obvious. right?? I can't be the only one seeing it???

[sigh]

anyway. finally, the really really big one:

3. Ed is a soft uwu babygirl princess femme bottom sub who loves her cat collar and is teaching Stede how to dom him in the "say you're the captain" scene

I mean, there's not much to say except to link to duke's absolutely phenomenal twitter thread about "how the 'babygirlfication' and infantilization of ofmd ed teach is an extension of racist perceptions of indigenous men being inherently violent and thus needing to be emasculated to be considered sympathetic"

but especially That One Fucking Scene, good lord. talk about taking shit out of context. everyone looked at a slowed-down gif of one shot in the trailer and cried "babygirl!! he's such a simp, he just wants to be dommed!!", when actually that scene is about how a) Stede is cringefail and terrible at being a typical harsh, commanding pirate, and b) Ed is lovingly embarrassed by this. he encourages Stede to assert himself (and give Ed something to do during his probation/help him make amends with the crew), but like. normally. he's acting perfectly normal in that scene, and mostly annoyed by the outfit and embarrassed by how badly Stede fails. but just because he's sitting down while Stede is standing, and he happens to take a breath in that one shot (because, you know, people breathe sometimes), everyone's doubled down on their "submissive babygirl" bullshit, and I can't get the fuck away from it.

which - listen, it's fun for me, too! it's fun to explore exaggerated aspects of a character, it's fun to read/write/draw that angle in smut, I get it! but I keep seeing people keep claim it's literally canon, and I cannot stress enough that that is Straight Up False. for the love of god, please just watch the show without your (potentially kinda racist) bias glasses on, and remember to treat the characters with respect instead of projecting onto their every interaction a shallow dom/sub binary just because you find it hot.

Our Flag is a show very specifically about masculinity, and what it means to be a man; how assumptions about that can harm and restrict men; and how men can grow beyond them. it's a nuanced and sympathetic examination of this. the whole point is that Ed is allowed to like nice fabrics and be tired of violent piracy and still be a man. the point is that two men fall in love - equal, honest, sincere love - and are still men, still exactly who they are.

(on that note, insisting that Ed is canonically trans or femme because of these things often ends up just leaning into gendered stereotypes: men are harsh and active and dominant, and women are soft and passive and submissive, and if Ed's not the former, he must be the latter, right? it also tends to hetero-ify the central relationship, casting Stede as "the boy" and Ed as "the girl", needing one to be masc and one femme. not always, and again, I understand and have enjoyed transformative works that take those elements and run with them, and explore what the story could be like if Ed were trans/nb/etc - but it's still a transformative interpretation. it's not canon.)

relatedly: those fucking wedding toppers! it seemed blatantly obvious to me that half the point of those scenes was that Ed is distraught and blaming himself for Stede leaving because he wasn't the ideal partner. it's his entire arc for the first half of season 2! Ed hates himself and believes there's something wrong about him that makes him unlovable. so he keeps and then discards the wedding toppers, painting himself onto one of them, because he's projecting himself onto an image of ideal/successful romantic love that he thinks Stede wants, and in which he doesn't fit. he's trying to mould himself into someone else to make himself lovable, not realising that Stede already loves him for himself.

so it's important to the whole narrative that Ed's yearning for/projection onto the wedding toppers is false, and born from his insecurity. he gets drunk, and play-acts a stereotypical image of romantic happiness into which he doesn't fit, but real love looks nothing like that, because real love isn't found in stifling hegemonic cultural structures, but honest, emotional connections between people allowed to be their whole, vulnerable selves. Stede is not like the groom, and Ed is not like the bride, because they shouldn't have to be. Ed should not (and does not) have to warp himself into a demure bride in order to be worthy of love: he's already lovable and loved exactly as he is! that's the point!! of the scene!!!!!!

like, it's important that the groom figure isn't actually like Stede, either. yes, it's blond and has a nice, peach-coloured suit, but a) Stede was very specifically unhappy in the posh, heterosexual, married state the figures represent, and b) Stede by this point looks nothing like that figurine. it's directly contrasted with the image of him in the rowboat, scruffy and plain and earnestly in love, rather than fancy, cold ceramic.

[EDIT 29/12/24: I ended up writing a whole Twitter essay about the wedding cake toppers that I then gussied up for Tumblr; so if you want a clearer, more substantial, and better supported argument about those, check that out!]

but no, I have to wade through swathes of art and fic and meta about how badly Ed wants to be a sweet little demure kitty princess, how he wants a wedding night and a ring to prove he's Stede's property, and acting as if this is somehow canon, because people on the internet have zero reading comprehension and are scared of brown men.

the whole point of Our Flag is that you don't need to compress yourself into prescribed social roles, and in fact, doing so will only make you miserable; and that racist, patriarchal, colonial institutions should be resisted and dismantled at every opportunity.

so tell me again why the ultimate message is that Ed and Stede should get married under an arch in front of an altar and their lined-up friends, with flowers and rice falling around them, all dressed in white, one in a suit and one in a dress, with rings and a kiss and a honeymoon after, before they move into a detached house with a yard and a fence and re-adopt the kids that Stede abandoned? and this isn't about promises, fidelity, or even monogamy - I'm specifically talking about everyone in this fandom who seems to think that the ultimate goal is the most stereotypical 20th century cisheteropatriarchal christian wedding, but with the name "matelotage" slapped on top, as if that takes away all of the underlying baggage.

just - I know we're all meant to hate men and masculinity and yadda yadda yadda, but actually, to be earnest for a second, men deserve respect too, because all people and all genders do. and two men are allowed to be in a relationship and still both be men - complex men, with their own, layered relationships to their gender - without having to fall into neatly-arranged dom/sub masc/femme roles, or seal the deal with a hegemonically-approved ceremony.

so please, stop reducing an indigenous lead character to a caricature of a femme uwu princess bottom just because he has long hair, wore a robe once, and you're too scared of brown men to imagine him with proper agency. and then please, for the love of god, stop claiming that that interpretation is canon.

[whore-ibly-hot]

Neighbor!Yandere x reader drabble (Thoughts and ideas)

(AN: My first time trying out a yandere concept, lemme know how I did!)

Initially, when Yan!Neighbor moved in next door, their thoughts weren't even centered around the family living just west of the house. Between their parents divorce, and the sudden move, the only thing on their mind was the swirl of anxiety, anger, and (though they didn't choose to acknowledge it) the loneliness gnawing at there heart. Even before everything happened, they didn't get along with their parents, but now, after all of this, they can't stand them. Not only did they feel that they had been unfairly ripped from the town they grew up in, and their friends, but their dad just expects them to be happy about it. Admittedly, their father wasn't very emotionally available, and tended to respond negatively to any anger or sadness from Yan!Neighbor, considering it a 'poor attitude'. However, their dad's plan to just simply wipe his hands of hands his old life and force his child to do the same only drove a further wedge.

At their dad's insistence to 'straighten up', they had begrudgingly agreed to attend a dinner party being held next door, at your own home. They didn't really pay much attention to the party around them, simply observing the middle-class dads and PTA moms mill about with a grimace, gazing at them from a corner. They did their best to tune out the conversations, ignoring the chats about kids accomplishments and new fad diets, when suddenly, they heard a sound that caught their attention. Turning their head, they could just barely peer into the kitchen, and they stand to follow the sound they had heard, a soft humming. As the peer around the door frame of the kitchen, they feel as if the entire party behind them has simply vanished. The sounds of the evening are replaced with the soft thrumming of their heart, and the humming coming from you. You were just washing the left over dishes, trying to help out your parents while avoiding the socially-draining party itself, but to Yan!Neighbor, you looked like an angel.

What drew them to you, they didn't really know, and even now, they still have trouble placing it. Perhaps it was your sweet face, or the melodic sound of your voice. Maybe it was the domesticity of the scene before them, with you happily scrubbing away the at the dishes as you bobbed your head in song. In that moment, they saw the home life, the domestic bliss that they craved. Though it was only for a few seconds, Yan!Neighbor could swear they saw you in a new home, your shared home. You where just cleaning up from the dinner you had prepared that night, fulfilling the role of the perfect house-spouse, ready to greet them with a loving embrace before sitting down to enjoy a meal with them. Maybe you would sit beside them and intertwine your hands while you asked about their day, or maybe you would offer to feed them. The thought makes them so flustered, they're suddenly hyper-aware of their surroundings, and remembering their place at the party.

For quite sometime, Yan!Neighbor would be far too nervous to approach you, choosing instead to watch you from afar. After that night when they first saw you, they quickly learned that their bedroom window gave them quite a *satisfying* view into your room. As time went on, their father went over to your parents house more and more often, and Yan!Neighbor finds them-self attending too, (though always trying to play down their eagerness). Most likely, your parents goaded you into talking to the quiet, oddly intimidating neighbor's kid. You had always gotten an odd vibe, since they never really seemed to want to talk with you.

While you make polite conversation, Yan!Neighbor only responds with nods or headshakes. They aren't trying to appear disinterested, but they can't risk not knowing what to say. Adjusting to a new home and school isn't easy, so their lack of social interactions with others isn't helping them out. "So, you just moved here?" They nod in response. "That's cool, just, uh, let me know if you ever need someone to show you around." You say this just to be polite, but that isn't what Yan!Neighbor hears. They hear an opportunity to spend an extended period of time with you, alone. They can feel their heart about to burst out of their chest, and they swallow as if preventing the organ from leaving. "I... yeah, I'd like that. A lot." You looked up, shocked at the first thing they had said to you all night.

From this singular, awkward interaction, a sort-of friendship blossomed. As you learned more about your odd friend, you actually began to pity them, and found yourself determined to help them fit in around town. Yan!Neighbor didn't care what your motives were, all they knew is they were closer to you. Once they figure out your plans to help them adjust, it doesn't really change how they act. Why would they need to bother fitting in, or hell, even re-connecting with their family? They have you now. As far as they were concerned, they didn't need anyone else.

Yan!Neighbor has quite a few ways of spending time with you, even if your a little hesitant at times. They are in love, but they aren't stupid. They know you probably won't want to hang out with them if you learn about some of their more *unconventional* activities, so they try to keep things subtle. As mentioned above, they greatly enjoy the view of your room they get from their upstairs window. Seeing you doing mundane things, like reading a book or watching your favorite show provides them with a feeling of closeness you don't tend to give them when you're hanging out. Seeing things that you usually do alone or in privacy feels intimate, and feeds into their domestic fantasy. While gazing at you, they dream of the day they'll be on the bed, right next to you, being able to partake in these activities with you. That's not to say Yan!Neighbor doesn't enjoy some of the moments people consider to be *very personal*. They'd have a photo folder on their phone of you doing your simple little activities, and a separate folder for a different kind of picture. Photos like these bring Yan!Neighbor back to the fantasy of them lying in that bed with you, but usually end up with them having to get a little more active with themselves to refocus on other things.

A few times you've arrived home to realize that your spare house-key is missing, and rather than getting soaked in the rain you opt to go to your neighbors house. You find your quickly welcomed in, and sat on the couch. In front of you, you will usually find a few dvd's and an array of snacks laid out. You are often too tired from the rain to realize the snacks were all your favorites, and since it's just them at home, it seems like an awful lot of food for just one person. Almost like they were expecting company. They assure you that anything you need until your parents get home to let you back in the house is yours. Tired? Don't be afraid to take a nap, you can even use their bed if you want. Soaked from the rain? They'll let you shower, just be sure to specifically use the one attached to their room, for no particular reason. They'll even let you wear their clothes, and don't worry about washing them when you're done with them. Yan!Neighbor will take care of it.

Unlike Yan!Neighbor, you've lived in this neighborhood your whole life, and are pretty close with people from around town. Unfortunately, Yan!Neighbor catches onto this pretty quickly. All of a sudden, neighborhood watch meetings are filled with complaints and concerns. Threatening notes left in mailboxes pop up all around, and even people not from their neighborhood begin to avoid it. Friends you once had, and even a couple suitors decline to visit your home due to the reputation the area has developed. The few people who decide to brave a visit to your home often leave to find their windows smashed, tires slashed, or a note tapes to their window, threatening their lives. Quickly, you find yourself spending all day alone, so you decided the solution seemed to be to get out more. You tried to go see friends in places outside of your home, like parks and cafes.

This doesn't pan out either. Yan!Neighbor was temporarily thrown into a fit of panic. They wanted to keep you to themselves, not drive you away. They couldn't stand you being away, even for just a few hours everyday. So, they began to threaten your home as well. They would never harm you, of course not, but if your parents thought someone would, there would be no unsupervised leaving of the house. Besides, added damage to your family's vehicles ensures no sneaking out.

While you sit in your room, attempting to find a way to overcome the loneliness that has begun to creep in, Yan!Neighbor has begun working hard to endear themselves to your parents. It was hard at first, as their father hadn't exactly talked them up to your folks. They didn't let that sway them, though. Whether it was a lawn that needed mowing, a dog that needed a walk, or even a car that needed fixed due to a strange series of recent window-smashings, Yan!Neighbor was always there to help out. Overtime, they assured your parents that they would look out for you, easing the anxiety they had developed about leaving you home alone. Soon enough, they find themselves home alone with you more than your parents. You're just happy to have someone, anyone outside of your family to talk to, even to the point where you can ignore some of their odd behavior, and some of the even odder things happening around you. You've noticed a perfume bottle missing from your dresser, and a few pairs of your underwear didn't seem to make it out of the wash. Meanwhile, Yan!Neighbor is ecstatic over the collection they've started, along with that spare key to your house they took a while back.

Overall, Yan!Neighbor isn't nearly as violent as some yanderes, but isn't to be underestimated. As long as you're good, and continue little actions like cooking for them or watching a show, that feed into that domestic fantasy they have, you probably won't suspect anything. Yan!Neighbor will accept any love or affection you give them, but won't be fully satisfied until you're married, and possibly expecting a bundle of joy.

[dcfanfictioncatalogue]

stephanie brown NOV 2023 fic awards

this is part of a new experimental thing I'm doing, where I will comb through every fic posted/updated in a character tag for a specific month and find my favorites! I hope this will encourage people to read and comment on new and active fics with less-focused-on characters.

-> Action & Plot <-

Purr-ple Power [series: 2/2], by Cephalogod. 5.7k, T, timsteph pre-relationship. summary: batman wouldn't listen to steph about her dad, but luckily for steph, a certain cat-themed vigilante is more than willing to. my notes: I adore "stray" fics/AUs, so it's about time steph got one! her particular brand of mischievousness is more than suited to selina's, and tim in this series is so funny. love!!

&&

Road to Recovery, by Solemini. 19.8k, T, gen, 6/6. summary: cass leaves steph the batgirl suit, and everything changes. a complete rewrite of batgirl 2009. my notes: god. this steph is angry. and she deserves to be-- she hates the world for not treating her right, she resents her upbringing. this is our angry robin. but it is, despite that, a tale of joy and love. basically, it's a gorgeous retelling of batgirl 2009.

-> Fluff & Humor <-

the relief of home, with you, by MermaidMarie. 2.5k, G, stephcass. summary: a series of little moments in the home steph and cass share. my notes: AAAGHGHG this was so cute!!! absolutely adorable and lovely 10/10 no notes the perfect friends to lovers domestic fluff

&&

the purple menace and camera boy, by waffleinatorinator. 1.2k, T, timsteph pre-relationship. summary: steph is spoiler, tim is a civilian, and he finds her injured in a dumpster. my notes: they're so cute!!! this is just one little scene but it's an adorable setup and I enjoyed it immensely.

⇘     click for more!     ⇘

-> Whump & Angst <-

distress signal, by waffleinatorinator. 5.4k, T, implied stephcass. summary: cass's distress signal goes off. steph runs across a city for her. my notes: the angst is DELICIOUS. the author's tag of "if there was a pwp tag for whump i would use it" rings very true. definitely good steph angst >:)

&&

i swear that i'll be yours forever 'til forever falls apart, by waffleinatorinator. 800, not rated, timsteph flavoring. summary: steph comes back as the red hood, and she's out for revenge -- but she doesn't get what she expected. my notes: this concept is everything to me -- reverse robins tim as red hood always bugs me when steph is logically supposed to be in that spot in the order and when it fits her story so much better. I also love tim's dedicated loyalty to her here, and how insane they both are &lt;3

-> Currently Updating <-

Girls Against God, by cookiesncrows. 36.3k, M, stephcass endgame, 22/?. summary: jim gordon falls ill, which means babs and james have to tolerate each other enough to take care of him. in the interim, kate kane moves back to gotham to be the new batgirls' mentor, which steph and cass are not fond of. my notes: ohh the angst is so good!! this fic is very heavy on the character interaction and the plot which I personally adore, and the inclusion of lesser-known characters that are written very well makes this whole world feel fleshed out and real.

&&

The Ping-Pong Wars, by fadesfanfic. 6.6k, G, gen, 5/?. summary: steph beats damian at ping-pong, and damian becomes hellbent on reclaiming his honor. my notes: it's silly and fluffy and somehow manages to perfectly capture the batgirl 2009 vibe of steph trying to bond with this feral little child. well worth the read!!! &lt;3

send me an ask for fic rec lists ++ to find a fic lost to the sands of time

[tanoraqui]

For the russingon ask game : 4 (+ Celechwes <3 ?) and 24

(Belated response to this ask meme)

4. What do they each think is the other's most attractive quality?

Maedhros falls in love with people for qualities he yearns for but cannot find within himself. In Celechwes: her refusal, nay, innate inability to be bound, by responsibilities or worry. In Fingon: his relentless optimism, hope, faith, estel.

Fingon falls in love with people for qualities that he shares but which he worries, in his heart, that he's only faking. In Maedhros: his compassionate instinct to look out for others, with protection are care, often beyond and before looking out for himself. In Celechwes: her flinging-her-self-from-a-cliff 110% commitment to a course of action, be it a race or a political scheme or love, once she has decided to do it.

Celechwes, to be perfectly honest, fell in love with both of them when she watched Fingon slide off the eagle by the edge of Lake Mithrim, and Maedhros stumble-fall after him, though she didn't know it at the time. She fell in love with both of them for kind of the same thing, which she does have herself but which she really needed in those dark days of the Enemy's recent, savage assaults on her people: the ability to simply endure and go on. There's a difference between them, though: in Fingon, his relentless optimism - but where Maedhros sees (sometimes needs to see) an easy-coming faith, Celechwes better sees how much it's often a matter of force of will. And in Maedhros: his blazing, unceasing fire.

(And if you were looking for horny responses, well, I'm a strict headcanoner that the fëa > hröa rule means that elves are, on average, distinctly demiromantic by modern human standards, and most likely to be turned on by things they love about a person. But also: Fingon can do a smirk, usually while sparring, that communicates with a single lopsided flash of teeth, I'm going to kick your ass and I'm going to look so good doing it that you're going to be so angry-horny that you fight worse and I kick your ass even harder, in a vicious cycle that ends with both of us naked and me #winning, and it has NEVER ONCE FAILED to send Maedhros into a competitive tizzy.)

.

24. What’s a Russingon AU you often daydream about?

I suppose the superhero au... They're openly archnemeses with intense foe yay and secretly living out a Superman/Lex Luthor raising-a-child-together domestic au; it's so good... Their son's superpower is negating other people's superpowers; he literally COULD be a Villain's perfect brainwashed-clone(ish) superweapon against the Hero, but instead they took him out of the test tube as an infant and bought a house together in a nice neighborhood with a good school, and when Ereinion is like 14 they'll finally let him burst onto the super-scene as Kid Valor, who was toootally speed-grown in a test tube in the past year in a villainous FëaTech lab, but broke free and is now Valiant's new sidekick...

Celechwes is already their friend (and sometimes third in bed?) by the time Erein is born, and Maedhros and FIngon both sometimes call her for advice on "normal" childhoods, because she's the one of the only people in the world who knows about their secret relationship but wasn't raised in, well, the house of Finwë. So she'll randomly get a call like, "Hey, which would be more traumatic for a four-year-old: to be told that their dad isn't coming home for an unknown amount of time because he has Musically induced amnesia, or to be introduced to their dad who doesn't know who they are?" And she has to be like, "I don't know - but Erien's a pretty smart kid, and he does know about your night jobs. Did this sort of thing ever happen to either of your parents, when they were active heroes? How did you feel about it then?"

Sometimes she babysits. She's Erein's second-favorite aunt (Aredhel wins on sheer coolness.)

[itsjaywalkers]

Hii! In honor of half the fandom hc that today is regulus’ birthday, how would each of your reguluses celebrate their birthdays? (I just know oby reg would be having some of the best sex of his life because oby James would make that his #1 priority) ps I love all of your fics!!!

hi nonnie!!

omg u guys know i loveeee these questions, so even if i really don't support the reg is a cancer agenda, i'm more than happy to indulge u <3

i feel like i've spoken about this to mil before, but i think it was regarding how oby jegulus would celebrate james' bday. but when it comes to reg's day, i feel like . they spend a very quiet and domestic day together . regulus doesn't like big crowds and he isn't fond of parties, and james is aware of that, so he'd make sure that reg is the most comfortable during his day. they'd have a lot of amazing sex, ur right about that, james is definitely waking him up by eating him out but !!! then reg is also probably having lunch with sirius, just the two of them, and once he gets home james is definitely cooking for him and letting him choose what he wants to watch that night and drowning him in gifts bc if there's something oby james likes is spoiling reg. and then they're absolutely fucking again.

in making ghosts, before james came into the pic and reg and sirius reunited, reg never made a big deal out of his bday. his parents did give him gifts and all that, but they never treated it like it was an important day, and considering how many of those he spent on his own or just like . only around his parents . he's not super fond of the concept. obviously evan and barty still organise this lil party for him, with just the 3 of them, and even tho reg complains every year and tells them to stop, he appreciates it quite a lot and is very thankful for the fact that . they go out of his way to celebrate him and make him feel loved. so it's not really this big thing (im pretty sure u get a peek of what they usually do on reg's bdays in that one scene where james is reviewing the footage, with reg blowing the candles of the cake barty and evan got him) but they do something special every year

once james is there, he would go all out and he'd take reg to this day-long date, and would probably make a lil game out of it, try to surpass himself every year and come up with fun stuff he thinks regulus would enjoy but has never tried. since regulus stayed with his parents until they died and has always lived at grimmauld, there are a lot of things he's never experienced??? especially in a romantic context??? so james would make sure he gets the full experience, always wants him to feel loved and appreciated. i also feel like they're the ones that give each other the most sentimental most personal gifts. and the day would end with them meeting all their friends for a lil dinner bc if barty and evan don't get to celebrate with regulus during his bday bc of stupid james they'll end up committing a crime

in nothing happens james is super annoying and obnoxious about it. he's organising a party for reg months in advance. he's reminding everyone that reg's bday is coming up, making sure absolutely no one forgets. he has a list of things reg wants and sends it to all of his friends, especially the ones who are struggling with what to get him, just so he's certain that reg will love every single present he gets. it's an odd mix of him being a bit . obssessive and controlling bc he needs everything to be perfect for regulus while also . letting reg choose what they do and how they celebrate (apart from the party) bc it's his day and it's supposed to be all about regulus. but again, this is mostly before they actually get together. when they're official james is more chill about the whole thing even tho he still smothers reg in affection and is very dedicated to giving him the best day he can. he also tends to hog reg quite a lot on his bday, more than usual i mean, which doesn't always go over well with other ppl (sirius mostly)

[ssweeterthanfiction]

another song by charli that would capture the essence of like billy and readers party girl daughter would be spring breakers. lowk i think it’d be so interesting if like in alternative tl she js is in the rave scene. and like again she’s always in some sort of drama, even like public feuds with other singers etc. i think maybe after getting arrested for a dui for like the third time she’s sentence to house arrest and she ends up spending it at her parents residence (let’s say her current boyfriend made her move out their flat until she gets her shit together) and it’s just awks…

and like billy and reader try to use this to reconnect with her. i wonder if they’d be disappointed or upset? likely but also they were in her shoes at one point. she knows this and lashes out at them. i wonder if that would incite like guilt? shame? anger? shock? maybe all of them.

but she goes into billy as a “hypocrite” specifically and reader stops her. and like it’s just a mess. they want her to get clean too doe bc they can see her going through withdrawal and it’s not pretty - 🫧

i think they would like try to be understanding of her situation, like you said they’ve been in that position before so they know that what she needs (even if she denies it) is a support system.

and like they would try SO hard to reconnect with her but she would just like be so stubborn and want to like left alone and she would just not want any of their help and it really like saddens them because like they’re watching her spiral and it’s also like looking into a mirror when billy sees her. like they would def feel a mix of emotions because they know that she’s slipping

and as for calling billy a hypocrite, it would like spark an argument that’s would just blow up.

so like while reader and billy's daughter (we really need a name for her omg) is staying with them she like takes not at how loving they are towards each other and she's like lowkey jealous of them, like she's jealous that they have each other to lean on.

and like this is where the argument kinda comes from,

she goes downstairs to get like food or something (she skipped out on dinner cause she didn't want to eat with them earlier), billy and reader are on the couch like watching a movie or something and for some reason this just makes her like mad.

like all day she's been seeing them act so like lovey-dovey with each other, she's also been seeing how like "domestic" reader has been (quick explanation for this: reader is still making music and working, but most of her work keeps her at home so like to keep herself busy she just does chores, billy has told her like multiple times that she doesn't have to do all of that but she says she wants to and that she finds it therapeutic. billy still helps her like all the time when he's home though) and that also like kinda pisses her off.

like in her mind they're just playing house and pretending everything is okay, which is how the argument starts.

she says that they're just pretending everything is okay when it's not and she like says that THEY'RE the reason she's like this.

of course they're both taken aback cause like ???? billy like tries to calm her down and is like "we're just trying to help you"

but then she's like "that's funny coming from you" and then she says sm like "you’re the last person who should talk about helping anyone, dad. you were a train wreck, and now you’re acting like you’re better than me just because you cleaned up your act. you're such a fucking hypocrite. you act like you’re so wise now, like you’ve moved past it all, but you wouldn’t even have this perfect little life if mom hadn’t saved your ass back then."

and then reader tries to tell her to stop but then she says sm like "and you. you let him walk all over you, mom. he cheated, he lied, he nearly ruined everything, and you stayed. you just forgave him like it was nothing. and now you expect me to sit here and take advice from you two?"

and then reader says "you think you know what it was like for us back then? you have no idea. I stayed because I saw the man your father could be, the man he is. he fought every single day to be better for this family, for you. and how dare you stand there and act like that means nothing. your father has carried the weight of his mistakes for years, and he’s done everything to make up for them. so don’t you dare throw that in his face and say he’s some hypocrite for trying to save you from the same mistakes."

this shuts her up REALLY quick and then she runs off into her room again and locks the door.

and like reader and billy are just really upset because they just want her to be okay :(

(UGH I LOVE FAMILY ANGST)

[kim-ruzek]

I'm just gonna talk about the beauty and poetic and totally perfection of the framing of the domestic burzek scenes, and the proposal because I just rewatched it and I'm losing my mind all over again.

The episode starting out with Burzek doing their routine dance, showing them in their groove and utterly rocking domesticity, and family life balancing work, their relationship and a child highlights just how far they've came and how settled they've gotten. They've truly hit their stride, and you can see the confidence that exudes of both of them, but especially Kim, that it has created. They've created this amazing safe space for themselves, built a life where they truly get fulfilled and supported - and have the family and ease they both have dreamt of.

It really sets up that Kim can afford to go so hard in with this case, because she has her family, her partner. And she can afford to help out as a spanish speaker in a much needed time, because she doesn't have to worry about the affect on her family. She has Adam. Adam is fine, and Adam has Mack so she can be cop!Kim, without worrying she'll be like her parents. There's nothing she has to sacrifice anymore, because her and Adam have worked out their kinks and ruts.

Like in a lot of her episodes and with cases that hit her hard, we can see that she's gone all in. She's not going home or sleeping, and she keeps working at the case, keeps feeling what she needs, but it's different from before. She's more confident in her movements, and she doesn't feel as desperate, like she doesn't get so 'lost' in it, and that is because of Adam. Because she knows she has him, knows he's anchoring her, and knows when she goes home, she can talk to him, share her thoughts and he'll be there with her.

Which we then see her do, when we see her at home. We see her talking to Adam about everything, see her tell him about the cards, and how much she needs the family and how this makes her feel.

The framing of the two scenes, the start and the end, very much shows how things work in Kim's mind, and how they always really have. When she's home, she's home and when she's at work, she's at work. And before that has meant that she has to shut off at work, and bury everything down at home and that's not been healthy for her - but she needs that divide.

But here we see she's gotten that balance down. She knows she's supported and loved, and she knows she can come home to a family and also that she can lock that part away when at work to not let the darkness touch it, but not in the unhealthy way she did before, that she's not shutting it down and more just getting herself into that routine - and she's still engaging in that side of her, for example, when she texts Adam. She's no longer, as well, living just for the job, but for that family.

At the start, Kim is relaxed and at ease. Then she has a tough case, and while she's still a little wound up in a tired way, you can see her physically relax when at the end she comes back through that door. She knows she can decompress and she knows Adam will be there.

I love how in the bedroom, Kim can talk open and honestly about everything and Adam just comes with support, love and validation. They truly have become partners in every way. And Adam listens, he hears what she's saying, and he knows that it is the perfect time to get out the ring, because she needs that.

Really, all she needs is to hear him say he'll always fight for them, and this is what he gives her even before. And how Kim reacts to that, and how she looks at him when she asks, it's not because she's never heard that, it's because she has and she knows if she asks, he will reconfirm that they are forever.

The engagement, in many ways, is just an acknowledgment on both of their parts how they've gotten into this routine, that they're good, and solidifying it. A visual and legal reminder to say we're forever and this is something we'll always fight for. And it's solidifying the book-ending of the two domestic scenes, and everything it means.

This is of course expressed visually, and I've talked already about the role the ring plays, but it's also expressed verbally. At the start, Adam says "third times a charm" about Mack's permission slip, which is then called back to with Kim saying it about the proposal which just unites both their family life, their routine, the past and the two scenes.

And it's just so beautiful.

[clearlyclairesblog]

So I thought I'll write some random domestic scenes from time to time when I am on the bus from uni. Enjoy!

Lestappen life bites: Pancakes

Max has a wide smile spread on his face as he gets the eggs from the fridge and walks to the counter where Charles has already put the flour into a bowl.

They were cooking pancakes because apparently Max has a list of things he's never done as a kid and when Charles found out he decided they would fulfill it together.

It had been his idea, so he is the one in charge.

"Alright, Max" Charles says as he puts on his chef hat, because of course he owns one. "Leave the eggs to me. You can start pouring the milk as I crack the eggs open".

"Don't I get a hat, too?" Max asks as he carefully measures the milk he's adding to the flour.

Charles looks at him offended. "Of course not, chérie. You're only the assistant." he smirks, taking out the whisk from the drawer. "Hand me the bowl, please?"

"Do you want me to do it for you, scha- erm, chef?"

Charles thinks about it for a few seconds, but the image of Max splattering the batter all over the kitchen scares him so he quickly shakes his head. "Non, I'll show you this time."

Max rolls his eyes. How hard could that be? Does Charles really think he's not capable of anything? First the eggs, now this. Alright, he burned the milk that one time, but it was months ago. He can use a whisk, right?

"No"

"What?"

"I'll do it. I am the assistant, no? Assistants mix the eggs."

Charles hands him the whisk and closes his eyes because he doesn't really want to see. When a few seconds have passed he opens them again, only to find Max carefully mixing the batter, almost more scared than Charles himself.

Charles is about to compliment him when he realizes Max has taken too much confidence in the gesture and is steadily speeding up, like he would do on a race track.

"Max, slow down, you're done"

But Max is almost hypnotized, gaze firm on the bowl.

"Max!" Charles tries once again.

"Max, you did amazingly amour, but we need to actually cook the pancakes now"

Nothing, Max is still focused on the bowl.

The way he's moving his hand is weird to Charles, not the usual way one would use the whisk for sure. He's going straight instead than doing circles, then left, then righ- oh my god he's doing freaking race-sim

And it's in this very moment that Charles does something he should have never done. He touches Max's arm. Max snaps out of his bubble, panics and in a fraction of a seconds loses control of the whisk.

The batter is splattered all over the kitchen, on his clothes, his face, Charles' face.

"I- sorry?"

Charles glares at him, but it doesn't have it in him to be angry at Max, not when he looks so adorable.

"I wanted to prove you I know basic cooking skills but I guess I don't"

"You were actually going well until you thought you were doing lap times in Silverstone."

"How do you know it was Silverstone?"

"I can recognize the way you take Copse even when it is with a whisk. I told you to leave more space on the inside."

Max looks like he's about to reply but he doesn't in the end, after all Charles passed Lewis there and he collided with him. "There's still some batter in here, by the way. Sorry again."

"It's fine, we'll clean it up. Let's see- oh, I don't think this will be enough for pancakes." Charles comments.

"Unless," he says suddenly as he takes the bowl from Max's hands. "Look at this beauty"

Max looks at him as he's pouring the little batter that was left on the stove. No way.

"Stove..Vale..and Club! Here we go, a perfect Silverstone pancake coming. We have enough for another couple circuits. Which one would you like?"

"Do Monza for you, I know you love it. And Monaco maybe? That's where we got together after all."

A few minutes later, they're sitting at the table eating their gp-themed pancakes, not caring about the devastation left behind in the kitchen.

"Oh my god, these are amazing." Max says happily, and to Charles he looks exactly like any kid making them for the first time.

"So, what's next on the list of thing you never did as a kid?"

"Swimming naked?" Max says, and Charles almost suffocates.

"You could have mentioned that this morning, we wouldn't have major cleaning to do now."

[keithal]

Do you have any supernatural fic recs?

ANON. i have been waiting since 2019 for someone to ask me this. prepare to regret this decision (FYI: i'm taking all these recs & following notes from my public bookmarks on ao3, which you can find here. i'm cutting the notes short, so if u don't mind spoiler-y drawn-out comments, check that out too if u want!)

deancas focused:

A Reasonable Amount of Trouble by xylodemon -> an spn au where dean is a p.i. and a hunter on the side, cas is still an angel, and they get caught up in a plot that's a mix of seasons 4, 6, 8, and 9. this was my introduction to spn and deancas. the characterization is flawless and the prose is beautiful (very cs pacat-esque). the plot is crafted with close attention to detail and the pacing is perfect

the point of our being by noviembre -> a post-s15 fix-it that takes place immediately after the penultimate episode. noviembre is undoubtedly my favorite spn writer of all time. one of the best dean voices i've ever come across. this ties up the narrative threads into a beautiful, sound, satisfying ending, and both destiel & saileen survive. despite the odds, they're happy.

i projected onto dean winchester when i was twelve years old and now im making it your problem by alittleduck (amidsizedfrog) -> another post-finale fix it. and, to date, the funniest thing i've ever read. every fic in this series has a good balance between scenes that make u laugh so hard u hurt ur throat and Scenes That Make You Want To Gurgle Cement.

So Says The Sword by komodobits -> a s4 au and a fandom classic for a reason. if u haven't read this, i'm of the firm belief it's best to go in as blind as possible. but definitely keep this verse in the back of ur mind while reading: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father" (matthew 10:29)

sir this is a wendy's by noviembre -> yall remember when misha collins said that a modern au deancas would be like if a wendy's janitor and the president of the usa fell in love? well noviembre took that seriously and now we're here. and u should all be thankful bc it's somehow the single funniest and most romantic thing i've ever read

the pie isn’t a metaphor (it’s just pie) by noviembre -> post-finale s15 domestic deancas fic that's the emotional equivalent of drinking tea and lying under a warm weighted blanket. it makes me so happy and i think abt it every time i eat a pastry. i just sit there chewing like “dean and cas are eating fresh pie in their kitchen” and it puts a smile on my face.

Muscle Memory by komodobits -> a "50 first dates" au that i think abt every single day. i'm not joking. it's so sad and touching and sweet and unexpectedly funny, and no one writes deancas like komodobits. it just FEELS so them and i'm obsessed w it.

Strandlines by aeli_kindara -> au where s4 cas meets stanford-era dean. dean's voice and characterization is incredibly in-character with the early seasons and his voice doesn't falter once. and of course castiel! robotic s4 cas with this tremendous power and this fierce yet wavering loyalty to heaven that eventually focuses solely on dean! likewise, his character is spot-on and i enjoyed reading from his pov immensely.

[podfic] right hand on his rife, swore it on the bible by be_brave13 for quensty, floorsirens -> u can't possibly expect me NOT to include this. YES my friend and i wrote the fic but be_brave13's love and appreciation for it makes it feel like a completely separate work. my favorite podfic (and gift) of all time so i implore u to give it a listen.

something suddenly everywhere by noviembre -> the finest post-s15 fix-it of all time. cas is in the empty, they've defeated god, jack is gone, and all that's left is sam, eileen, dean, a bunker, and trying to move on. i know i already said that but this is the same author so it still counts! i cried, i laughed, i grieved, i jumped from excitement. it's a rollercoaster of emotions. it should be put behind a velvet rope at a museum so we can all gather around and clap.

To Boldly Go by 8daysuntiltheapocalypseiguess -> au where dean writes star trek fanfiction. it follows him from the beginning of the show to the older seasons and is told entirely thru his fic summaries, reader commentary, and livejournal dms. warning that it is unfinished, but it's a masterpiece

saileen focused:

Loveletter (Dear Eileen) by voynichs (Xenerik) -> a short and beautiful meditation about love and eileen from sam's pov. it's only 300 words but it feels like 15k. definitely at the top of my fave saileen fics of all time. when i first read it i stayed up until 2 am crying abt it

Livin' on a Prayer by Dredfulhapiness -> EILEEN MEETING EARLY SEASONS DEAN AND SAM I'M SCREAMING. do u understand how this could've changed the timeline but, more importantly, me as a person. eileen there when dean and sam were trying to find a way out of the deal, there when everything happened with ruby, there for dean's resurrection, there before they met cas, there after sam dies and dean retires and cas goes m.i.a. and DEALING with the aftermath of a foiled apocolypse. everyone hates the winchesters but the winchesters are gone and all that's left is eileen to deal with the brunt of it.

With Hands Clasped by Xenerik -> a handful of snippets from the eileen wedding that explores gender and religion and love so beautifully. i haven't been able to read it completely yet, but i can tell this is going to be another saileen fave.

other pairings/no pairings

The Love Story of the Runner Up by Margo_Kim -> told from the perspective of a guy cas had a brief affair with as a semi-drunken story he tells a friend in a bar. it's technically deancas but since cas's relationship with another man takes main focus, i elected to put it here.

Ten Years by Margo_Kim -> a bela talbot character study and the best i've been able to find, no contest. *rowena voice* good girls are pathetic here's to evil skanks <3

The Archangel Gabriel Is Dead by seizethefire -> fics that have half a million kudos in my mind. it's about how and why rafael comes to think that god is dead. it expertly explores the familial relationship between gabriel, lucifer, michael, and rafael. it's devastating and beautiful in equal measure. definitely a personal favorite and one i think everyone should read

put them in a box somewhere by amidsizedfrog -> a mary & dean fic told from mary's pov from before she died. a gut-wrenching story about performative/toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia and mothers.

lastly, if ur interested, i also write spn fic >:) which u can find by clicking here. happy reading!

[yeetmetotheforbiddenwildwest]

Ok, so movies you watched as a kid?

Run-down time

Major spoilers for certain movies so I'll cut

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA

I loved this movie, and still do. Delgado's character is *chef's kiss*. I think the first movie is better than the sequels. The human cast for the first one was great but they changed the cast for the second movie.

Aunt's niece stays to dogsit for her rich aunt while she's in Europe. Rachel takes the dog with her and her friends to Mexico. Chloe is dognapped. Brought to the dog fights. Introducing Delgado's character. Depressed middle-aged brooding ex-cop. Opens the cage(though if he could do that why didn't he do it a long time ago??). Saves Chloe from el Diablo (the Doberman) but not before letting all the other dogs escape. Carries Chloe -scales barbed wire fence and hauls over it- in what can only be described as the coolest dog move ever. A roller coaster of emotions and then El Diablo finds Chloe and Delgado helps her hide in a museum until they're clear and he takes her to a pier where he goes to talk with his police dog cousins. The landscaper (Sam) and Rachel(the rich woman's niece) team up to find Chloe, and end up finding homes for two strays from the dogfights. THE TRAIN SCENE. Delgado takes Chloe to a train yard where they meet a coyote. No, seriously I love the detail where the coyote is a literal coyote. Delgado puts Chloe on the train and tells her he isn't coming with her. The train leaves. 'don't turn around don't turn around' *turns around* 'Delgado!' 'Chloe!' 'Delgado!' *jumps on - slips* 'Hold on, I'll pull you up' Delgado, scrabbling around trying to push himself up, 'STOP HELPING STOP HELPING' They end up jumping off the train and walking in circles in the desert. Chloe realizes Delgado has no sense of smell. Cue the backstory about how he lost it to Diablo. They're attacked by mountain lions(I'm pretty sure cougars are solitary so I'm not exactly sure why a pride/band was hunting them, I think it was just for plot reasons). THE ABSOLUTE DUSTSTORM OF CHIHUAHUAS. Love Montezuma. The Chihuahua City. Also Papi. These movies were not so vaguely racist.

The rest of the movie was great.

2. Bolt

I LOVED this one.

A TV show in a movie.

Bolt's nose is like the size of Wyoming. His superpowers are so cool. PENNY!!! (she got captured in the show) The cats. *Escapes*

STYROFOAM -- IT WEAKENS ME

Mittens.

The scene where he runs straight into a fence.

The pigeons helping him.

No, you got to twist, then pull.

I can confirm this is a method I use for stuck things all the time and it does work.

Where he gets the leash stuck around him and Mittens. *Holds mittens over the side of a highway* Another great train scene.

Jumps out the back of a truck.

'What is this red liquid oozing out of my paw?'

'It's blood, you idiot'

*Stomach growls*

'You evil agent of the green-eyed man poisoned me, where is the antidote?!!'

*Brings him to a campground/Trailer park/cookout* 'There's your antidote' (it's food)

Mittens has to teach him how to beg.

RHINO (I love him)

The journey scene was amazing.

The carboard boxes.

The song.

The trailer.

Playing with the labrador.

Dude when they get captured by animal control.

They literally blew up the pound.

When Bolt gets to Hollywood and thinks Penny replaced him.

Mittens going to 'get back in there'

The fire scene

twas perfection.

The mom quits and throws the agent out of the ambulance.

And then domestic life.

'I thought I lost you when you ran away and tried to find me'

3. Moana.

absolute bops

4. THE AIR BUDDIES MOVIES

My favorite characters were Rosebud and Mudbud

5. Shark boy and Lava Girl

6. Spy Kids

7. Homeward Bound

8. Balto

9. Call of the wild

10. A dog's purpose

Literally the only time I ever cried during a movie was when the dog got shot protecting the little girl as a police dog

11. Any one else remember Dolphin Tail (was it tale?)

12. HTTYD

13. White fang (the animated one with the golden brown wolf put in the dog fights)

14. SPIRIT stallion of the cimarron

One of the greatest masterpieces

15. My Little Pony the movie

(the one with the storm king and tempest and sia lol)

I'll probably update this list later.

More recent movies

Spies in Disguise

Encanto

Again I'm probably going to update this as I remember them

I'll also probably do one of these for shows

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Random thoughts about 6x13 before we can move on with life again

OMG. That whole episode was chaotic perfection!!! I really love those "filler episodes" that are just wacky calls, mingled with some domestic firefam shenanigan, a lot of Buddie goodness, and some heartfelt drama. Like, girls (gn), we've been FED this whole episode.

Here a not at all ordered assembly of what was going through my mind, watching the episode:

Human Calculator Evan Buckley

I do hope Buck gets to keep his math skillz a while longer. And I'd really love to see it come in useful on a more serious call, too? But oh well, a fangirl can dream. Chimney asking if he did math "in his head???" was sending me. Just like Eddie's facial journeys during the math homework scene. Like, he's such a muppet.

On a more serious note, I wonder what they are going to do with that, moving forward. They laid on pretty heavy with the whole theme of figuring out the equation (hence answers in life), missing the assignment, and how Buck's skills may only be temporary. So it might be that he'll lose his way again (the same way his math skillz may leave again). We'll have to see. But it's... intriguing.

Babytrap and Sugarbaby

Like seriously. They stole this straight out of fanfic, I'm not even kidding. Eddie is babytrapping Buck so hard, only to start hustling together with him, and Buck happily handing over the money. Eddie Diaz, I'm in your walls.

Love to see Eddie being like: I will use your abilities, for evil. This guy (affectionate).

For real, though. What is the point of all that if not to give those two a nudge in the right direction (aka each other's muscly arms and taut tummies)? Eddie taking out Buck for poker dates... Them doing crime together... Them doing homework over at Buck's apartment... Buck being alone with Christopher to make cookies for school??? What is even happening??? And what's the point if not the BUDDIE AGENDA???

Also, Eddie Diaz, wear some sunglasses, your hearteyes are showing. Geez, wear some protection, you freak.

The Man with the Answers

Speaking of which, Buck's journey this season has now taken him to the stage where he feels like he is the one having the answers he's been seeking for so very long. He began this season, reading self-help books and asking e.g. Hen for the right answers. After his coma dream, Buck figured out some things about himself. He learned to appreciate his inherent value and could let go of the ghost of Daniel haunting him ever since that revelation.

Which is to say: They're moving the chess pieces in the right position, for the strategy to fully unfold. And I do believe it is the Buddie Agenda, I do.

I think a big hint was Eddie telling Christopher that the point of doing the homework himself instead of letting Buck run the calculations is that this is what's for Buck in store as well. Buck will only truly learn and get those life lessons he's so desperately seeking if he's the one to find the answers. He can't rely on self-help books or the opinions of others. He has to figure out that equation entirely on his own. He has to figure himself out.

Details that pointed me in a similar direction:

Buck telling Eddie why he didn't just get more gas: Because figuring it out was "more fun". AKA the getting to the destination is actually the goal. Buck is already where he needs/wants to be.

Eddie pointing out that those "superpowers" aren't permanent: Which may indicate that Buck will find himself struggling further down the road. Once he doesn't have the answers anymore (or rather, has them, but doesn't know how to act upon them).

Buck asking Eddie if he thinks Buck knew math all along (which is why it's actually no secret superpower via lightning ex machina): Because yes, Buck, you knew all along how to solve the equation, you're just running the wrong calculations right now. But I have faith in you that you will figure it out. Maybe just use a different measuring system!

Christopher pointing out that Buck may get more superpowers the stronger he gets: Which may be the big hint that Buck can have so much more than he currently has (more powers), the moment he understands that he already has these things (the family unit with Eddie and Christopher). He just has to claim his winnings.

I tend to believe the upshot is going to be that Buck has the answers, he just didn't put them together yet. It's like he has all the puzzle pieces, but he has to stick them together to see the grander picture (the secret ingredient). And my guess would be that it's going to be the resolution of the sperm donor storyline as well. He's looking right at the solution, and yes, it's Eddie and Christopher. And it has been all along.

The Sperm Donor Storyline(s)

Speaking of which YET AGAIN, I do find it interesting that we got this donor parallel (or antithesis) with Nathaniel and Denny vs. Buck and Kameron's and Connor's baby. Like, they now established that Nathaniel will get to play some role in Denny's life, because that is what Denny wants.

Which makes it hard for me to believe that the writers will choose the same route for Buck, also for the plain reason that they seemingly put Buck and Connor on different trajectories. Whereas Hen and Karen had an agreement with Nathaniel to keep his distance, Connor keeps sending sonograms and what not. He involves Buck actively in this whole "process" or "experience", which makes for an entirely different premise of how they are going to negotiate Buck's future role in Connor's life as well as that of Kameron and the child.

Which is something I honestly didn't see coming, I'll admit. I figured they'd take the route that him and Kameron would rather try to push Buck away (while he'd try to push into their lives). Because they chose someone as their donor who's not as much part of their social circle as Buck may have been, back when he and Connor were still roommates. The point being: I thought the storyline was going to be that Buck has to (painfully) accept Connor and Kameron having chosen him as the donor also because he'd be "easier to cut out of" their lives (and that of their child by extension). But that's not the route they are taking thus far.

But in the light of how they chose to have Nathaniel interact with Denny, I guess it makes sense. Because that'd be repetitive, in a way. Which isn't to say that Buck won't overstep and try to insert himself more into their lives than he should. I actually believe he will (it's been foreshadowed with the baby cozy and all). But Connor actively involving him thus far gives me a different vibe from what I'd previously estimated.

I'm interested to see whether they wish to explore how hard they make it on themselves, by Connor having Buck be that invested. Even though the reality is that Buck's always going to be donor not dad for that child. Like, I see great potential there. Just like I see potential character development for Connor, say, in a scenario where he feels like he's not the child's dad or so. And how he may come to struggle with that (or may even project that on Buck). There are many paths this could go.

But to turn this back to Buck here, the Nathaniel-Denny-storyline fits in so damn neatly. And I personally hope we get that kind of antithesis by the end of the season (because I'd find that very neat storytelling, is all). Namely, that Buck will do the opposite thing and extract himself from the child's life, having finally solved the equation that his family equals NOT Buck + baby but Buck + Eddie + Christopher. Because that is the stark contrast with Nathaniel. He doesn't have the family Buck already has. So that'd be the kind of bittersweet finale to that storyline I'd love to see, personally.

The Wilsons and Nathaniel

I still love to see the show standing true to exploring the different shapes family can take, now also by adding Nathaniel to the mix, portraying the tough reality that comes with this. It felt very real to me, how anxious Hen and Karen were that their son was slipping away from them.

I also liked to see Nathaniel owning up to his actions (albeit belatedly) and apologizing for his irresponsibility, without demonizing him. That guy feels very alone in this world, it'd seem, and to seek out that connection with Denny... It felt very human. So I loved to see them making it out to be just that, people making mistakes, but those mistakes being motivated by love.

And I LOVED to see Toni's growth as a character. Like, she's really trying to be there for her family, she serves as the messenger between Denny and his moms. And now she's seemingly also part of the rules Hen and Karen are setting for Nathaniel and Denny to safely interact. I love to see her safeguarding her family by opening up conversation and accepting people for who they are and how they feel. LOVE TO SEE IT. LOVE IT.

Also, loved how the Wilson family seemed to visually match, when they went to see Nathaniel at the hospital. Like, we saw a lot of yellows and blues, which signified to me that they were being there as a unit. Which tells me they're gonna be alright. Or as Toni said, they just need to figure out the right way.

Chimney's Journey to Healing

First of all, loved to see his interaction with Denny and with Hen. He's such a supportive uncle and friend (note: VERY different from what we see Buck and Christopher doing this whole episode, coz Buck ain't his uncle!!!). Like, I loved to see how he showed understanding for Denny and even let on about his own troubled feelings about his father. Even though that must still be heavy on his mind.

I do find it interesting that Chimney and the Buckley children seem to follow the same path: Which is not to forgive their parents, but to choose to let that anger/grief not control their lives anymore. Chimney has a family of his own and it's wonderful. So him coming to terms with his troubled relationship with his father in an effort to embrace the future he has as a family father is great for him. I do hope it pans out like that.

It also shows how the next generations (Chimney, Maddie, Buck) try not to repeat their parents' mistakes by holding on to e.g. grief but to choose to move on and embrace the future instead. Like, Chimney recognizes his father's humanity, well aware that this man's not changed one bit and did the terrible things he did and still does not see his son for what his son sees him (a fallible human being)... it highlights the long way Chimney's come and the great person he's become. And that's owed to the family he's found and his own strong character.

Like, I love to see that we get different versions of breaking vicious cycles.

With Eddie and Ramon, they seem to take a different route, in that Ramon seems to show genuine interest in reconnecting with Eddie, trying to find a better way for them to be father and son again.

With Toni and Hen, we see a similar thing. They reached a level of healing. Also, in that, Toni is stepping in and actively supporting her daughter and her family.

But then we still got those absentee parents who are seemingly never going to get past themselves. Which I feel is... very real in that way? You will have those people in your life. Some of them may even want to change, but they can't, past a certain point. And buying your son a new couch won't mend that relationship because you still haven't taken full accountability for what you've done in the past. Showing up to one family dinner (and being an absolute pest about it) is not going to mend things either. That's as much the reality of troubled family relationships as are the examples where there is a moving forward, together.

3 Minutes and 17 Seconds

That one's still sending me across the universe, right into a black hole. Like, they are nudging Eddie and Buck in a certain direction, but neither one is seemingly ready yet to solve the equation. Eddie knows down to the second how long he lived in a world where Buck was dead. And he feels the need to point that out, unprompted.

I honestly thought they'd have Captain Mehta point back to the shooting regarding the matter. But again, I guess timing is of the essence (maybe also signified by Buck's and Eddie's fancy watches). But after they were told that Eddie was welcome back without Buck as his human calculator, maybe we will see a second poker scene to get us there?

Like, there is something very purposeful about bringing the actor for Captain Mehta back after he left acting, really. You wouldn't do that if it didn't serve a purpose, right? And up until now, I haven't seen it. So maybe Eddie will play poker without Buck. And then Captain Mehta will say something about the shooting that either we as the audience don't know yet (e.g. Eddie lied to Buck about how little he remembers and he's only ever shared that in the poker family) or Eddie doesn't know (what Buck was like after he got shot, something that Captain Mehta witnessed first-hand).

Performance Anxiety Underway

Something that struck me was that Buck was, on the one hand, rather confident in his abilities that he started to hustle with Eddie. On the other hand, he seems very unsure about them (and what they may mean, or if they're meant to stay, or if they've been there all along). It gave me similar vibes to Buck being unsure if something's wrong with him, when the doctors did more and more tests, without telling him what may be wrong with him.

We got a hint in the previous episode that Buck still has a way ahead of him in dealing with his trauma. Right now, he is more caught up in those "new sensations", and doesn't know how to move on with his life. At the poker table, I also had a feeling that there were those moments when he wasn't just confused (as he often tends to be) or putting on a poker face. I felt like he feels out of place in a way, like he doesn't yet know what to do with his abilities/with his life, after this event. He is still doing lists to be sure he's back to reality (back to life), after all.

Deep-down, Buck is immensely insecure. And the moment he felt like something he used to be confident about (his abilities to sexually please his partners) may actually hit closer to home than just... you know, ego. They played it for laughs, having him call the women he's slept with. But they might actually turn this around to be something more serious (i.e. a symptom for something else).

Like, Buck is hellbent on pleasing other people, so potentially not being satisfactory in bed may just be the kind of performance anxiety we may see in the next episode. It ties in with Buck's previous fear that his donation isn't good enough, so he spends weeks being horny and hangry thanks to green smoothies.

If I remember correctly from some of the interviews, Buck has no intention to dip his toes back into the dating pool and will basically have the shutters on for now... Which makes it unlikely for me that he's gonna start sleeping around, to be sure that he's good at sex after all.

But if it wasn't just for laughs, I could see the theme of "having the answers already" coming back into play here. Though I'm not sure how. There's just something to that theme of Buck needing his body to be functional, and how it may give him serious anxiety, feeling like his body isn't doing what it's supposed to do (or rather, what he always believed his body was supposed to do).

On a side note: Buck telling Christopher that he likes to measure everything to feel like an actual chef hit a similar mark to me. Like, Buck is overthinking things, which may make him miss the assignment for now. Buck seemingly feels like he's only pretending at things right now (which may feed into his insecurities, really), or like he has to seize control (measuring things, calculating everything, doing those lists, and texting Bobby). Like. There is something there. I just can't wrap my wee head around it just yet.

So yeah, I can very well see Buck continuing to have performance anxiety. And I'd love to see more of that, in all of its awkward facets.

Healing Starts in the Kitchen

Kitchens continue to be the places to be for meaningful conversations for characters, and it seems to be back in full swing for Buck and Eddie. Last episode, Buck found himself finally relax when he was at Eddie's (and on Eddie's couch, hopefully soon just on Eddie). The conversation with Eddie in the kitchen definitely helped him in some ways, but the road ahead of him is still long.

It's an interesting choice that we continue to see Eddie, Buck, and Christopher being this domestic in the kitchen/at dinner tables. Like, we started out this season with Bobby's infamous lasagna and Boggle, and now we're here for math and popcorn and more math and cookies.

Others have already pointed this out, but Buck learns to express his care by cooking for his loved ones (contrast that with takeaway for his parents and waffles for Taylor at a point in their relationship where they were basically done for already). So having him repeatedly cook for/with Christopher and Eddie is just SUCH a big thing, I believe. We're shown that Buck's not just the uncle to come pick Christopher up when Eddie's car's broke. He is alone with Christopher, baking cookies for school with him. He is not just a donor, not just legal guardian (AKA the backup plan) here. And I do believe that part of Buck's journey is going to be to figure out that part of the equation.

We've already established in previous seasons that Buck's apartment is a safe space for Christopher, and it continues to be a second home for him. In the same way Eddie's house proves to be the same for Buck (as we were reminded last episode). Which has me think that part of the equation for Buck is to fully embrace that, or rather, see it for what it is, namely his path to happiness that's been there all along.

Honorable Mentions

Here's a list of things that was sending me:

Everyone of the firefam is a himbo, except for Athena and Karen. Which drives the point home that they're the only ones with the brain cell. Like honestly, Bobby and Chimney instantly jumping on detective work like that??? Buck calling his past sexual encounters??? They're all himbos, your honor!

Denny, take your damn shoes off when you are in bed, you little punk!!! Your moms raised you better than that!!!

Hen at the hospital being like "My husband? The heterosexual audacity!" was everything.

Buck continuing to creep people out with random knowledge now fueled by the power of math. We stan a himbo icon.

Eddie interrupting Buck thinking about women he's had sex with, like "I did not take you out to sexy poker night for you to use your brain for that right now, you traitor!"

I guess RIP to a favorite headcanon of mine that Buck's gonna blurt out at some point that he's screwed with plenty of guys in the past. Because he specifically started to think about the women he's slept with, though the guy was talking about partners (gn), I believe. If the writers wanted to keep that door open, I guess he would've said people or partners or whatever, too. But I shall keep it for fanfiction purposes forever and always. Because that scenario is always sending me places.

Chimney asking if Buck did math, in his head??? No, Chimney, he did it in yours, now get the hell out of here.

Buck calling the women he's had sex with... oh, those phone bills. Also: We stan a himbo icon yet again.

Buck and Eddie, doing crime, dressed in blue and red, looking damn fine. I'm here for every damn second of it.

Christopher's sass being back in full swing. We stan the one true icon.

So yeah, that's it. For now anyway. I guess I'll ramble a lot more. But I rest easy in the knowledge that Buck and Eddie marrying in Vegas just became a possibility.

Cheers!

[scabopolis]

In anticipation of the upcoming 2023 Logan x Veronica "New Year, New Fic" fest, I bring you a small selection of fics inspired by epistolary exposition. Traditionally 'epistolary' is story written through letters, but this could be letters, emails, texts, etc.

Day 1 of the challenge is February 1, 2023 so be sure to check out the #2023 LV New Year here on tumblr or the AO3 collection for more fic and art.

As a reminder, there are so many fics that fill these tropes. These are just a smattering, so make sure to make note of the ones you love the most and next week, when the challenge starts, maybe go drop those you love a kudos, a comment, or both to share the joy.

(Apologies for the s4 gif, but they're very cute if you just forget everything that came before and comes after)

Starting these fic recs with the two that inspired the prompt:

Fic: Three Emails Sent Across Continents (and Possibly Five Text Messages) by Care Rating: T for 'these two dumbs' Tropes and Themes: post-movie AU, sexual attraction to forearms, writing smut is challenging and Veronica acknowledges that Read if: You like a little romantic anticipation, also would ogle Logan's forearms over Skype, and appreciate the simplicity of a 'hi' text message that can make one's heart race. Also available as a podfic!

Fic: Wingspan by @theawkwardterrier Rating: G for General Wonderful Courtship and Romance Tropes and Themes: post-movie AU, Veronica writes letters, this person cries tears, 'funtimes communication porn' (author's description), issues will be resolved whether they like it or not Read if: You want to read a fic where intimacy slowly uncurls itself like a cat.

Fic: Just-in-Case Letters by @machawicket (must have AO3 account to read) Rating: T for TEARS STREAMING DOWN MY FACE Tropes and Themes: Logan writes letters before each deployment and I feel emotions in every chapter, pitch perfect dry wit of one Logan Echolls Read if: DO NOT SKIP TO THE END OF THESE LETTERS. Promise me. The final chapter is the letter Logan writes during his movie deployment, but Macha builds to that moment in a way you will want to experience for yourself. (Though I am forever crying over "I want years with you, Veronica.")

Fic: Excerpts from Logan's Feelings Journal by bennet_7 Rating: Author lists as PG-13 but that's mainly because Logan is a smartass Tropes and Themes: Not a very couple-y Logan/Veronica fic but you can read between the lines, classic comedy fic from circa s2, journal entries as exposition Read if: You have 10 min and want some Logan snark in a short time frame and/or want to read a very clever way to account for the events of s2.

Fic: Snapshot by crimsonclad Rating: NR by author, I think it's a solid PG-13 for some thematic content and some swears Tropes and Themes: This fic is non-linear, this fic features a Target, this fic features domesticity, therefore this fic is wonderful and should be celebrated Read if: You want an unconventional cousin to an epistolary fic. Each section is bracketed by a story a tabloid has run about Logan (or a comment in the press) and then what was really going on behind the scenes. Also, a rare pairing of Connor Larkin and Weevil is always a delight.

Ones you love that I failed to mention? Make sure you make note and celebrate the wonderment when the celebration begins on February 1, 2023!

[lyriumlullaby-ao3]

WIP tag game <3

i was tagged by the lovely @illusivesoul, thank you so much!!

i'm gonna tag @broodwolf221, @starstruckkittyface, @jazzmckay, and anybody else who wants an excuse to show off part of their WIP!

seriously. tag me. i love this shit lmao

okayyyy i really struggled to pick a bit to share, but then i remembered this cute, tropey scene i wrote that immediately precedes Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts in my longfic that i don't think i've shared! it's Miri (my inky) and Cullen as they're still in their awkward "oh my god i think i like you" phase lmao. hope you enjoy! <3

Miri found the gardens to be rather sterile. They were too carefully groomed, the angles made where the paths that wound between hedges met were too sharp, and the flowers seemed dull—too perfect in their appearance, and entirely lacking in their scent. It was disappointing to her, and especially so here, on the outskirts of the Dales, of all places. The Keeper and hahrens of her clan had always told fanciful stories of the beauty of the Dales at the time of Halamshiral, and while Miri highly doubted that they were completely true, these gardens could never compare even to what she’d seen in the Emerald Graves. They were too domesticated, too tamed by human hands—just as the Dales themselves were now, she supposed, all these ages since their fall. She had longed to leap from her horse and run laughing into the forests she’d seen to the south of here on their journey, tugging Solas along with her to explore all the things he’d missed during those weeks he’d been gone, and now the soles of her feet itched with the same desire. 

Still, it was quiet here, and Josephine had yet to find her to pester her about more etiquette or dancing lessons, so she supposed she couldn’t really complain. Miri contented herself with pulling at the strings of the Fade with her fingertips to make some of the plants grow a little wild, spilling out of pots and over walkways and fixing the uninspiring blossoms so that the gardens were filled with their fragrance. She had just made several new flower buds bloom on a gardenia bush, its sweet aroma wafting around her as she closed her eyes to admire her handiwork. Keeping them shut as she began stepping away to continue, Miri stumbled unexpectedly into something very large and very solid behind her. Strong hands grasped her by the arms and kept her from falling, and she jumped as her eyes flew open, spinning around and backing away quickly. 

Her heart rate slowed some when she looked up into bright eyes shining gold in the sunlight filtering through the treetops overhead and realized it was just Cullen. Miri let out a breath, chuckling as she clutched at her chest. “Commander! You startled me, I didn’t hear you approach.”

“I can see that, Inquisitor,” he hummed, that crooked smile of his pulling at his scar as he turned her usual joke back around on her. He looked better today than he had the last several weeks, even after their lengthy journey. The shadows under his eyes were all but gone, and he was freshly shaven again. His withdrawals must not be bothering him as much as usual. “Although I feel I must tell you, I’ve been here for some time, sitting right over there,” he teased, gesturing at an overly ornate marble bench behind himself where a book lay abandoned. “It was really you who approached, not me.”

“Ah, that explains it. I can usually hear you coming a mile away with all that plate and mail you wear. Don’t you ever take that off?” Miri joked back.

Cullen flushed, looking away and rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. “What? Oh, I, uh… Of course I do, it’s not as if I sleep in it, and I do have to bathe sometimes—” his teeth clenched and his flush deepened as Miri fought back a giggle at his expression. He was so easy to fluster—he almost did it to himself. “What are you doing out here, anyway?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Fixing their horrible flowers,” Miri replied, pulling a face.

Now it was Cullen’s turn to laugh. “‘Horrible?’ What’s wrong with them?”

“They’re terrible!” Miri scoffed, rolling her eyes slightly as a smile tugged at her lips. “They’re all form and no substance. They don’t even smell like anything.”

Cullen bent over the shrub she’d just been blooming and lifted a hand to bring one of its flowers to his nose as he inhaled deeply. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—it smells like a flower,” he replied, his expression bemused.

“Well, I already fixed that one,” Miri grinned. “What about you, what are you doing out here?”

Cullen flushed again, suddenly very interested in his boots. “Ah, well, I’m… uh, keeping clear of a number of… very enthusiastic young ladies inside the chateau. And a couple of enthusiastic young men, as well, I suppose. I’m not sure exactly who they are, but they wouldn’t leave me alone. I tried staying in my room, but they wouldn’t stop knocking and calling through the door,” he sighed. “I’m hoping they won’t look for me here.”

Miri couldn’t suppress her laughter this time. “You’re… hiding? From some girls?” 

“I’m not hiding! I simply don’t want to be bothered by them, I have more import—” he cut off, freezing as the sound of several tittering voices reached them from just down the path. They sounded like they were just around the corner. Cullen’s face blanched as Miri turned to look over her shoulder, and then all at once, Miri felt strong arms wrap around her torso and she was tugged into a gap in the hedges. 

Cullen held her pressed up against him in the space between the prickly branches—there wasn’t really even room for one average sized person in this little hollow, let alone two, especially if one of them happened to be as large as the Commander was. The hard plate of his cuirass pressed against her chest uncomfortably and restricted her breathing. Or, she thought it was his cuirass, anyway—why else would she suddenly be struggling to get enough air? There wasn’t any room for Miri to step away from him, and she could feel the heat of his hand pressing into her back as she craned her neck back to look at him. He lifted one finger to his lips, begging her to stay silent, but it was unnecessary—Miri couldn’t even breathe as his lyrium tang pressed into her lungs, the smell of it like the scent of a lightning storm on the wind just before the rain began. There was no way she could have made a sound even if she’d wanted to. 

Miri watched as Cullen’s eyes darted back and forth, panicked as the voices drew nearer. His gloved finger was still pressed up against his lips, puckered slightly outwards as he silently hushed her. She felt her breath catch when his eyes fell to hers, seemingly realizing for the first time how closely he held her to him, and a flush crept up his neck as she watched, but it was too late—the voices of Cullen’s admirers were just outside their hiding spot now. If either of them moved, they’d be discovered for sure. 

Cullen didn’t look away from her as she had expected—he held her gaze for an impossibly long moment while they waited for the voices to leave again. Miri felt frozen there, unable to move even if he hadn’t been holding her so tightly. His finger slowly left his lips, the rest of them uncurling from against his palm as his hand fell to her face. Gently, he lifted a tiny braid that had fallen loose from the rest of her style and into her face, tucking it reverently back behind her left ear where it belonged. Miri shivered at his touch when his soft glove brushed against the sensitive skin of her pointed ear, making a chill run down her spine. The voices were gone—but Cullen’s grip didn’t loosen on her waist. She watched as his eyes fell to her mouth, licking his lips and swallowing hard—

And then he released her. She stumbled backwards out of the hedge, nearly straight into the gardenia bush, gasping for breath. “Cullen, what in the Void—”

“I’m sorry, I could hear them coming, I panicked, and—Maker’s breath,” he mumbled, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for words.

A nervous giggle tore itself from her throat as Miri tried desperately to find something to do with her hands—what did normal people do with their hands in normal situations? “I noticed,” she gasped, still giggling. “Why did you pull me in with you?”

“I… I don’t know,” he breathed, looking at her strangely. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine, Cullen, you don’t have to—”

“Would you just—” he hissed, his brow furrowing for a moment and his hands coming up to slice at the air dramatically before he softened and his voice evened back out, “—let me apologize? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I wasn’t thinking, I just…”

“You just reacted. I understand. It’s fine, Cullen, really—you didn’t make me uncomfortable.” Miri was surprised at how true the words felt as she said them. A templar had just grabbed her, pulled her into a bush, and held her flush against his body—touching her rather intimately, while he was at it—and she wasn’t uncomfortable with it? Maybe she was ill, she thought, pressing her cool hands to her flushed cheeks. 

But he isn’t a templar, something in Miri whispered, making her look back up at him again to find him watching her. Cullen’s face was still flushed pink to the tips of his ears, his lips parted as if he were about to say something. Miri didn’t know how it was always like this with him—either talking over one another, rushing to speak as words tumbled out of her before she’d even thought them through, or standing stock still, suspended in silence, staring at one another as seconds stretched stiffly between them, both waiting for the other to blink first. There was something about it that made her think of an the halla she’d accidentally killed when her magic first manifested, held motionless in a pillar of ice, though still alive, straining against the magic that held it as it slowly suffocated. 

Cullen leaned slowly towards her, and for a moment, Miri’s brain blanked out as his tall frame bent over hers, his face so close she could hear the quiet sound of his breath—and then he straightened again, twirling one of the fresh gardenia blossoms from the plant behind her in his nimble fingers. He flushed a bit deeper then, looking a little unsure of himself once more, then lifted the flower towards her stem first, a question in his one raised eyebrow. 

Miri wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, her mind still scrambling to catch up after the last few minutes, but she nodded anyway, and he gently tucked the bloom into her hair where he’d just brushed it over her ear. “These are lovely, Lavellan. It would be a shame to leave them all here where no one will truly appreciate what you’ve done with them. You should take one.” 

He grew bashful then when she didn’t reply, stunned into silence. Cullen stepped back from her, fiddling with one of his gloves with the opposite hand. “Well then, I’ll, uh. I’ll leave you to enjoy the gardens. Inquisitor,” he murmured, nodding at her and then hurrying away.

Miri reached a hand up to touch the flower tucked into her hair. “Thank you,” she whispered after him, far too late. He was already gone.