#there’s just something about medieval and period AUs that get me

[cuepickle]

“William-“

“Once more is all I ask, Steven”

(Literally obsessed with the idea of Royalty!Harringrove, wherein William the stable hand can’t help but take one last visit to Prince Steven’s chambers the night before his lover is wed to the princess of a nearby kingdom)

[cntloup]

medieval au

periods :'(

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7

as simon had promised before, he never forced himself on you. and you know he's not that kind of man.

you’ve felt forced and used your whole life. but with him, it feels like you can finally breathe. he makes you feel safe, and free.

but now, he can sense the heavy tension between you. he knows you're not that close, at least not yet. but he thought that you'd feel more comfortable as time went by. now he feels disappointed that it's not the case at all as you drift away from him more and more each day.

yes, you've been distant the past few days. and it all started suddenly, making him think he did something wrong which in return, makes you feel horrible as you beat yourself up over it.

but you have to do this. he doesn't have to deal with your issues right now. as if a curse has been cast upon you since you were born, because you're a woman.

that's what you were taught anyway which you always considered unfair, even cruel.

you're now curled up in your bed as waves of painful cramps thrash through your body, making you curse everyone and everything, the gods and all that for making you go through this every month.

you put a hand over your mouth to muffle your sobs of pain and you scream into the pillow when it gets unbearable.

that's when he enters the room with a worried expression etched on his face, eyebrows furrowed in concern since you haven't gone out of bed all day.

he finds you curled into yourself, eyes squeezed shut and you're too lost in the excruciating pain that you don't notice his presence until he puts a gentle hand on your shoulder as the bed dips with his weight on it.

"what's wrong, love?" he asks softly, "nothing! please just go!" you burst out, voice coming out whiny due to the pain coursing through your abdomen as you clench it tighter.

you almost feel ashamed. it's a curse. a shameful curse that you must endure all your life. you're being punished. but for what sin? being a woman?!

the thoughts run around your mind until you decide to cast them away. it's all stupid nonsense you've been fed since you were a child.

you lift your head to face him and his gaze softens the moment he sets eyes on your glossy eyes and pouty lips.

"tell me, love. please. i need to know." he says, gently wiping away a stray tear on your cheek.

'he's my husband for god's sake! he should know what the hell i'm going through!' you think to yourself.

"it's just my monthly bleeding." you mutter quietly, lips wobbling slightly.

"oh..." he pauses, nearly taken aback. he's heard some vague stuff about it, but of course, he doesn't know fully well what's going on.

"is there something i can do for you?" he asks, feeling helpless and deeply worried.

"i... it really hurts." you whine and he makes his way to lay behind you and takes you into his embrace, strong burly arms wrapped around your body.

"tell me where it hurts, love." he whispers in your ear, making you shiver, the low timbre of his voice sending a wave of heat right to your core.

you take his hand and guide him to your lower belly, "here." you say, pressing on the back of his hand and he starts to tenderly massage the area as his lips find your neck, softly trailing kisses on your skin and moving to your shoulder.

the delightful feeling of his large rough hand caressing your sensitive body and his light kisses on your skin make you floaty and hazy.

"better, love?" he asks after some time, lifting his head to look at you and noticing your droopy eyes which makes him chuckle.

"hmm... much better." you hum lowly in contentment since your pain has subsided and it feels so good to be in his arms, so warm and safe.

"get some rest, love. i'll be right here when you wake up." he murmurs and places one last kiss on your neck as your eyelids slowly drape over and you drift into a slumber.

[the-moon-files]

YESSSSS I BEG GET INTO THE CULTURAL DIDFERENCES BETWEEN HYLIANS AND HUMANS 🙏🙏

...now ur just sweet talking me 🥰 /lh

Not years, well maybe 1 year-

but i have wanted to ramble desperately to smone, even the tumblr void if i had to, abt humans vs. hylians so much, esp with a guide reader or male reader bc whatdya know im into niche stuff that only u and like 2 other ppl like lmao ¯\(ツ)/¯

Anyway im so shocked, since ur like the third person to be interested in this and wanna hear abt it 🥺 🤲💌 here u go!! Hope u like it <333 👉👈

Sun: Masc!Reader (he/him)

Orbit: Humans are Not Hylians/Humans are Space Orcs AU, Headcanons-ish, long overall but each section is kinda short

Stars: Mostly worldbuilding! you've been warned, don't get mad me for not talking abt the boys too much✌️

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: mild cursing, mentions of private area/joke in the clothing headcanons, & Trigger Warnings: none known.

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

☆

just some quick headcanons bc tbh i haven't given it too much thought, and i feel like I've been able to somewhat get into it in other posts? or maybe im thinking of stuff i have in my drafts idk-

Imma make another list, so buckle up for the short ride lol

Courting periods/dating/marriage

individual/small groups society-based hylians v. large personal groups/large community society-based humans

simpler foods hylians v. complex food humans

clothing modesty/style/relationships with fashion

fighting styles/strategies

entertainment complexity/differences

and language

☆

1st one, not much yet, im also making a separate post bc someone else asked me to talk abt that more 🥺

(tysm for all the enthusiastic asks guys <33)

anyway, basically hylian courting is a lot shorter, think “lesbians with the uhaul” type of energy, like sort of the classical medieval “does thee wish to pursue marriage with this one?” ← how hylians ask u out for the first time lmao

if it helps, they do tend to get to know one another well, talking about morals/kids/life goals/preferred lifestyle/house/etc. pretty clearly and quickly, then using the in between time to sort of stew on that information

id say the total time is sort of something like 6 months? maybe 3/4 if they're really compatible

(so bc i love interpreting video game logic for real world building, I actually blame this on how fast Zelda/link get together in games despite having sometimes never met before that moment lol)

like i said, ill be posting about this later

2nd one!!

pretty basic, just saying we don't really see hylians in big groups, despite the organizations they form, like kingdoms/knights or on a more personal level, towns/families/etc.

(once again, in-game appearances/video game logic translated to real life to draw these conclusions)

like not only are family units pretty small, like nuclear family setup, with like 2 parents and 2 kids, or single parent 1 kid type of situation, but the towns or collections of these families arent very big either

hylians kind of use their government the way it was intended lmao?

like the villages and towns matter more for everyday decisions than the kingdom/royalty, like Zelda would esstientally just be the mayor of Castle Town for those constant decisions,

while occasionally is called on to make decisions like for several towns or like is a natural disaster happens

meanwhile humans are, in comparison, in Way Bigger groups, both on an organization scale, and a personal scale

like u have all these specific branches of government, whereas im sure the population difference doesn't help,

and on a personal level, humans can easily have like multiple parents, lots of siblings, and once u combine that with each parent having family too, and those families like to meet up? All together??

yeah, itd look insane to any hylians (who’s smaller extended family may just make up their own village and that's it)

3. I've touched on this

like the use of spices, syrups, seasonings, etc

but also the complexity of dishes too, like chilling cream and mixing it for awhile to make ice cream, or even just getting ordering a pizza,

that's a lot of processing, like making the dough from flour and other ingredients, to letting it rise, to making the tomato paste, making cheese, then combining those things with any other toppings, all into one dish??

i like to think that hylians have only just started to touch on actual complicated cooking processes (as in BOTW, where they sell flour and salt, so people besides Link/Wild must know what to do with it)

this has the advantage of impressing any hylian with what a “creative genius” you are lol

4. look im just a fan of medieval time periods Links

so i think its funny if the hylians are used to like 4/3 layers and ur over here like, “wym, if i take off my shirt there's nothing underneath?”

one of them gets bold enough to ask, “d-do you not. do you not have undergarments??”

you “just my boxers? like just to cover my di-”

also this makes its easy to seduce people here? LMAO

clothes are def higher quality, after all there's not as many artificial processes or materials interfering,

plus u usually get some sick embroidery on it too!!

5. so like i get it, Link is the main fighter in games

but like, the few times there is a war/army in loz games, there's rlly not a lot of strategy, beyond just finding the enemy and fighting

tho im partial to that hylians/most inhabitants of Hyrule abide by the “lets meet up either literally by inviting each other or just between our territories to fight”

with occasional guerilla warfare (by any means necessary/stealth/ambush attacks/strategy) that's only rlly used either by Demise/Ganon, or by the wilder individuals/races in games

or maybe even the more civilized fighters in an emergency

and so that means by this logic that all of the Chain use kind of wild techniques compared to their race/kingdom lmao

id imagine its not too surprising to also see “every fight is a bar fight if its for my life” from individual travelers, so im sure they're not viewed too crazy (esp when ppl know their the hero that constantly has to deal with guerilla warfare from Ganon)

but its be hilarious to watch the reactions of both the Links realizing they’re in a bigger group that should be using “proper” fighting strategies and seeing the general publics reaction to this absolutely feral, armed to the teeth, trained hylians with their equally wild human lol

LMAO everyone thinks ur the reason they started using the more brutal fighting methods bc ur human, ur a bad influence lol

(humans would use it primarily, esp after we converted to use that method in warfare a couple hundred years ago i think?)

changing course a bit, hylians tend to use weapons (to compensate for difference in strength compared to humans, and since they don't experience/get a lesser version of adrenaline)

while humans tend to equally rely on weapons and our body as a weapon (marital arts/basic self-defense)

6. this is mostly bc the hylians only rlly seem to have the basics of music, books/stories, theater, and art

i have, surprise surprise, another post abt how i think this came to be,

mostly based on how human curiosity is indomitable and insatiable and the endless force that has not yet met its immovable object.

or at least an immovable object they haven't at least poked a little, out of curiosity lol

like we went to space for that reason, we reach the most dangerous corners of our planet (deep underwater/volcanoes) out of sheer curiousity/for the sake of simple knowledge of the thing

so needless to say, curiosity can absolutely drive any field to its limits, including the arts, which is why we can have stained glass, or movies/tv shows, hell, the marvel that is Hatsune Miku lmao

(fully for entertainment, a projection of light and sound, what is essentially magical illusions but u did it hte hard way, to the hylians)

on a different entertainment related note, i don't know if the hylians would be super into sports, or not really at all? mostly bc they have to use their fighting/training against real threats, not the sort of “fake” threats that sports are

but on the other hand i could see people like knights wanting to use their abilities for something other than violence and fighting bc their life or their villages lives depended on it

bet the Links would enjoy it for those reasons especially, what with at least sumo wrestling being a sport or activity for them at some point in history, and practically beg u for any new games to play, or to ref their games, bc whewwww

im sure they could get pretty competitive lol

7. obviously, their mostly influenced by the Japanese language

id almost like to imagine a sort of, if not outright Japanese (like with earlier heroes like Sky) then a sort of English-Japanese hybrid further along the line

sort of like how English has German/Greek/Latin roots and therefore u can see what words or structure comes from where, or even how u can understand a fair amount of basic words when other languages share the same roots (english, pants = spanish, pantalones)

would make for some funny miscommunications

or even better, most hylians liking ur unique accent or the Links love to hear u talk bc of it lol

☆

well the fever has broken, i am now free of the sickness that made me hack this up geez

i hope u got some enjoyment out of these my beloved anon!! esp since u were so nice as to ask abt it <33

hope u guys have a great weekend, look out for some more posts, bc its been great to get some more asks in lately and very motivating,

not to mention i actually have time to write now that my siblings graduated/we’ve moved several states over 💀

so i have reliable internet now too! sheesh :’)

Peace out,

🌙

[qqueenofhades]

For the history questions, what historical period has given you the most inspiration for your writing/muses?

I feel like it's a cop-out if I say "hmm, all of them," and this will end up just being a long recap of all my various projects over the years, but a) fuck it, this is my blog, I can talk about my own stuff if I want to, and b) there have indeed been Many, both fic and original. I usually pick settings for historical/historical fantasy AUs that I already know and want to write about, so:

The Lightbearers (Once Upon a Time) and Starlight & Strange Magic (Timeless) are both 19th-century Victorian England/Europe/steampunk, one in the 1850s and the other in the 1880s, with lots of magic and misadventure and so forth. You can tell that I was really into steampunk around 10 years ago (it was Formative, okay) and there were plenty of opportunities to do fun things with the historical setting and real-life personalities (the scene of Flynn breaking into Buckingham Palace to spy on Queen Victoria and William Gladstone remains a favorite). There is also my massive The Swan and Crossbones series (OUAT/Black Sails, two fics, 800k words), which is set in the 18th-century Caribbean, Golden Age of Piracy, and pre-Revolutionary America and is a retelling of Treasure Island + family saga + multi-generational/multi-character/multi-source material historical fiction, wherein I both wrote 800k words and did a shitton of extra research in the middle of getting a PhD. Don't ask me why I did this either, but I still re-read them, especially The Rose and Thorn (the second installment in the series) for my own pleasure.

My All Souls Timeless trilogy, following the source material, involved general historian/academia shenanigans and time travel to Elizabethan England, which was lots of fun to research and write about, even if I otherwise tend to think that the Tudors are often overdone. One of my most popular fics and best shorter-form (only 65k words...) historical/period pieces is deo volente (lux aeterna) for The Old Guard, which takes the crusades as its general starting point and thematic thread to explore religion, faith, immortality, power, war, violence, love, queerness, and other such things. Another popular fic of mine that spanned 600 years of history (starting in the 14th century) and explored various periods in detail is my Sandman fic and in the waking world we wait and want, with a particular emphasis on queer history. (You will find that crops up often in my stuff, regardless of the setting.) We also have why draw me to that promised land (Shadow and Bone), set in the 1980s Soviet Union (my boast for the accuracy of this fic, based on my previous studies in Russian/Soviet history, is that someone told me they learned more from this fic than an entire semester of a university class, which is not entirely good because I then had many questions about their professor, but there you have it).

When it comes to original novels, I started off also 10+ years ago with medieval England, with the The Lion and the Rose series and others. I am fond of this one because it was what got me into medieval history in the first place and because even now, it still sells fairly steadily and gives me a couple bucks in royalties every month. My newest book, The Empire of Bones, is based (loosely) on my fic The Key of Solomon and basically has everything I possibly wanted to cram into a fantasy historical setting, from anywhere and any time at all. Thus we have the Christian-era Roman Empire, an Islamic Carthage, the Byzantines, Imperial China, Russian Jews and Ukrainian Cossacks, the Mali Empire, Celtic Britain, so forth and etcetera, etcetera. So as noted, if it looks interesting, I will find a way to throw it and the kitchen sink in somewhere, and I have the issue that whenever I read a book about a new place or period, I go "hmm, I should figure out how to write something gay about this." Alas.

[amymbona]

Okay so idk when exactly what time period the royal! au takes place in, but I remembered the concept of medieval bedding ceremonies. And just thought about you and Patrick having a bedding ceremony with only Art and Tashi present...

You think it's so sweet that they want to protect your privacy while keeping the rules of the time intact...yeah...lovely...nice...not for their own pleasure...at all...yeah....

I'm imagining classicism so like 17/18th century but honestly we're so free here and whatever time period suits us the best, we will be using that 🤪🤪🤪

Hahaha ceremonies like that sound almost cult-ish to me and just thinking about it makes me nervous but they'd absolutely do something like that!

Tashi would be the one to prepare you, comb your hair neatly, kiss your forehead and help you get into your dress (not that you will be needing it, since it's gonna be taken off within the next few minutes).

When you enter the room, Patrick is sprawled out on the bed, still fully clothed, and there is that smug smirk on his face. Art is sitting in a chair, just pondering, imagining... You are so nervous and Tashi has to basically push you in. She leaves you standing in the middle of the room and takes a seat next to Art.

The two watch as Patrick stands up and begins kissing you, taking is slow because he is really going to make love to you. Properly. Like you deserve it.

You're quivering, feet glued to the spot and you're afraid you might faint when Patrick begins undoing and untying whatever keeps your dress intact and slowly slips it off. It pools down on the ground, leaving you completely bare.

Your nipples are hard with arousal, cunt wet with arousal and anticipation, but there are shivers all over your body from how incredibly nervous you are. Especially when Art and Tashi are watching the two of you.

But the two are soon pushed somewhere back in your mind as Patrick pushes you onto the bed, gently guiding you into the cushions and hovering over you. His kisses trail down your neck, onto your chest where his lips properly pay attention to each one of your pink nipples, chuckling when your back arches into him.

"You're so beautiful."

The praise leaves his lips with every single kiss, complimenting each and every square inch of your skin. His lips follow the line of your tummy all the way to your bare crotch. His fingers dig into the soft flesh of your thighs, gently pryind your legs open and letting them close around his shoulders as he positions himself there.

He's nuzzling with your pussy, making love with it, making out with your clit. His tongue slides into the tight hole of your and your moans fill the room. You takes so fucking little for you to be a complete puddle below him.

Art and Tashi relish in the sight, Tashi placing her hand on Art's thigh and squeezing it, slowly moving up towards the growing bulge in his pants. You two are truly a sight to behold. They can't wait to see Patrick fuck you.

[fr-wiwiw]

well, to indulge myself i'm writing this post to ramble and share a bit of my Gahan barbarian!au. it's going to be a bit of a long post i think, we'll see.

i saw noel's post about their gladiator!yohan & prince!gaon (check it here!) and it makes me miss writing the arranged marriage barbarian!au i have, it only has what.. 3 or 4 chapters I think. you can read it here.

i've always been fascinated by the visuals of medieval, historical, period era. even post apocalyptic future settings like Horizon Zero games franchise.

i think i started au bcs i've played too much Assassin's Creed Valhalla— i haven't finished it yet, too preoccupied with Monster Hunter World— but i have sketched my female Eivor several times in my sketchbook. this was when i'm curious and interested enough to draw human but haven't fully grasped the gesture, anatomy, shapes and all. i usually draw what i take interest on and it helps me tremendously, to keep on learning and push through my frustrations.

and of course.. my Gahan brainrot picked it up. hence the barbarian!au for TDJ born

i have sketches of Gahan in this au, i think i've shared them here too but i'll re-share here. it doesn't catch many eyes, i admit it's a bit of a bummer but I like the idea anyway. I used to imagined them before I went to sleep, now it's idol/celeb!gaon x mysterious husband!yohan that's occupying my mind. but anyways! here are the sketches.

1st sketch is me trying to see his body proportion in viking/barbarian attire. the upper left sketch was me wanting to see modern Yohan stripping off his clothes ig haha.. anyways, between Gaon/Jinyoung and Yohan/Jisung, it's VERY difficult to nail down his face. less lines doesn't resembles him at all and add some more lines he looks too realistic to my simplified version of Gaon/Jinyoung. it was hard trying to find the balance for these characters to be in the same picture and look like they belong in the same style. i want to do Yohan/Jisung's pretty face justice but i still struggled in this sketches. i think this was 2021? 2022?

2nd sketch— his long protruding neck lmao i haven't fully grasped how a person can pose naturally but it came out as if he has turtle neck syndrome going on. well done Yohan! you are a turtle apparently according to my hand. all jokes aside, this was me attempting to paint his face bcs i never really attempted to paint gahan. i doodled and sketched more than i paint/rendering and i'm on my way to learn more of rendering daily if possible, alongside with my daily sketches. you can also see i've tried to give some color to his attire and some medallion or such. do you see a braid there? i will get there, the braid is something significant in this story ;)

3rd sketch is basically me planning out his character design as a barbarian/viking chief. you can see bits of references cuts here and there, took me quite some time bcs i just started to really try my hands on concept character design properly— i love cloaks and capes and vikings has exactly just that, and the winter times are especially my favorite type of attire on them so i thought why not give Yohan polar bear fur as his official formal attire while still flaunting his wonderful body to the world be it summer or winter lmao. here's where you know it's fantasy. i'm sure people back then drink ales and what not to keep their body warm so they can go bare-chested in winter even but i'm sure the day after that they will regret it. but i make Yohan and his clan to have special abilities for living in cold places. doesn't mean i don't make them wear winter attire but this is only bcs i want him to be bare-chested xD the one I post here was before i dabble on the sketch a bit more. hopefully one day i can share it again with more updates for this au.

now.. onto Gaon's sketches.

he's a Prince in this story. his parents, the King and the Queen, arranged a marriage for him for political reasons. but they have special reasons as to why they pick Yohan, aside from political purposes, to be their son's betrothed and gave him away to Yohan's barbarian clan.

1st sketch (ignore the upper left, that's Jinyoung from his other drama). i want to see him in medium and long hair length. there's a purpose to this. he has his canon Gaon hairstyle when he was the Prince in the palace. but with time and some adjustments living with Yohan and his barbarian clan rubs off on him. perhaps it's due to that, or he's grown tired to cut it off again and again (he has no one to groom him properly now unlike in the palace), practical reason is to maintain heat around his neck while in winter, or it's his idea of adapting and blending in with the enemy. you can't blame him for being wary. he's whisked away from his comfort place and home and married off to a fearsome and famous barbarian on the land at that time, almost willingly got raped by Yohan on 1st chapter (yes, you read that right). other reasons why he grows his hair, as i mentioned the culture rubs off on him, is something to do with the hair braiding too. and personal reason is that i want to see pretty Gaon in long hair lol

2nd sketch on the left was him on early days on Yohan's fur beddings. the right was him perhaps laughing out loud by some surprising and amusing thing Yohan said after living with him for some months, you can see the different hair length there. gosh he looks unalive in here lol idk why.. my sketches were still rigid here

3rd sketch is them after establishing a genuine intimate relationship and Yohan has to be away to fend off some unexpected visitors. unfortunately it cost Yohan some of his men's lives. but he made it back to his clan and his betrothed. i make it as if Gaon was anxious waiting for him and one of the barbarian shouted for Yohan's arrival and he ran immediately. lunged at Yohan perhaps, the barbarian Chief managed to catch him but didn't quite have the strength to carry them both upright as the weariness sinks into him post battle & adrenaline wearing off of him. he's home now, in Gaon's arms.

now.. the hair braiding.

barbarians/viking has long hair and braids on their hair. styled cascading down or up into a pony tail or a mohawk and such. idk if this is historically correct but i'm winging most of this anyway but the idea of braids in this story is that it's significant to lovers. it's a mark between special intimate relationship (like lovers, spouses, soulmates). one can have a braid or braid their lover's hair should they wish to, it's very intimate and special for them. jeweleries might have certain status symbol for them and their ranks but I also prefer these barbarians have something simple to symbolize their intimacy. something that can get overlooked but enough for their significant other to know (and some people) what it means.

I like the idea of Yohan having accessories for his attire but his hair is clean from braids. clearly it's saying something if you've read this far and seeing my sketches for their different stages of relationship. over the years of them finally developing feelings and genuinely established a relationship, despite already being married an Gaon almost got raped by Yohan, they are lovers.

yet Yohan never really initiates anything about him wanting to have braid(s) or braiding Gaon's hair. he might have explained about what braids are to Gaon when the bambi was curious or off-handedly commented something about it. Gaon really finds out the real meaning from Yohan's ppl and he wonders why Yohan never asks or wants braids from him. then he realizes Yohan has always been respectful to him, even years after that night he almost raped him. always keeping healthy distance, outside of their sex and other intimate physical affections, he usually waits until Gaon ask first regarding intimate things. not that he never initiates things, he figures something as serius and committed as this is something Gaon wants to have an option to bail out from. they were arranged to have marriage for political reasons after all, Gaon has the freedom to not have feelings for him as long as he stays within the wedding pact rules Yohan make with the King & the Queen ( for Gaon's sake too). He never expects to have feelings for the Prince and he always keeps the option of Gaon falling out of love of him one day. it is only fair, he thinks.

but then Gaon asks him if he wants Gaon to braid his hair. the Prince never ceases to make him falter. it still shocks and amuses him, to have someone have this much effect on him. even with nervousness and blushing state Gaon is in now after uttering those words.. Yohan wonders what he has done to have this kind of luxury to have someone this precious in his arms.

and if his people noticed a single braid just near the back of his neck when wind swept his hair or if he pulls his hair into a ponytail on hot summer days? they will all grin smugly.. Yohan likes to keep it a bit hidden from view mainly bcs it's practical and he doesn't want ppl to accidentally graze it off when he's having friendly wrestle matches or axe practices. or even having people cut it off when he's at war. he doesn't hide it per se, it's visible when it's visible. Gaon smiles sweetly and adoringly when he finds this out bcs to him, it feels as if Yohan is unconsciously protecting it. protecting their relationship, protecting Gaon.

and if Gaon walks out of Yohan's tent, that days when he asks if he can braid Yohan's hair, with a braid or several on his hair? visible to everyone? the people cheer and roar in celebration. they throw a huge feast and toast to their relationship, congratulating the power couple. wishing the gods to give these two their blessings and to protect them. they're finally able to see their Chief have a partner that is equal to him. it's a memorable day

but if you think this story doesn't come with heavy angst, tears, pain and betrayal.. well think again ;))

i will stop here. thankyou for reading! i hope i can pick up this au again in my drawings & writings

[an-abyss-of-stars]

Fic Updates!!

(Yes, I'm back with these 😂)

Update notes for:

It's Visceral And It's Cruel

Burnt Over And Over Again

He Saw Her At Daybreak

Struck By Fire Drowned By The Sea

*Burnt Over And Over Again* (Modern Au)

So I am currently working on this MAJOR sex scene for the upcoming chapter (chapter 5). BUT I'm actually in the process of reworking it. The initial draft was like 80% finished 🤣💀

I'M SORRY, I was actually so close to being ready to edit and then post. But the further I went with that version, it just wasn't giving what it was meant to give. And to share my thoughts/struggles with this plot point/scene without spoiling the entire scene. If y'all remember, chapter 4 has Rhaena and Aemond bickering like an old married couple in a nightclub in Prague. And as their drama progresses, Aemond finds a way to get Rhaena alone so they can have a private tense conversation. Their sexual tension builds up to a point where they HAVE to do something about it.

Semantics I guess, but there's a ✨mood✨ I'm trying to convey and it's SOO hard to convey it genuinely, idk why 🤣 Like Rhaena is in denial, but she's CLEARLY still very attracted to him. And he's down so BADDD for her, but he's also really frustrated and annoyed with the current state of their relationship. Like the sex isn't going to be all that frantic, because of the way I've slowly built the tension. But at the same time, Aemond's frustration still needs to be present? At least I want it to be? Like I want him to coax her into this, because deep down she definitely wants it, she's just in denial.

Am I making any sense? I don't really know 🤣 I just don't want it to sound like coercion, and that feels like such a fine line with this scene for some reason 😩 like he's definitely not forcing her to do anything, but he is leading this whole thing. The key for me, is making it really feel like she's down for this and welcoming it all physically even if she's still trying to keep him at arm's length emotionally... UGHH it's a fine line fr.

My goal is to update this fic before I move onto any others. So fingers crossed for meeee 😭

(I'm also working out some more background lore for this modern au universe, like what everyone in the family does career wise, I'm working out who has pets and whatnot, expanding the lore of Rhaena's former relationship with Dalton since I initially made it rather vague...SOOOO get ready for this whole story to expand as it goes. Because I kinda want this story to be a bit more than short fic now 😂)

—

*It's Visceral And It's Cruel* (reg medieval time period)

Nowww this is my bread and butterrrr 🤣 I have about 13k of next chapter (chapter 9) written and ready for editing. BUT I still have about 5 scenes to go, or at least those were scenes I originally planned to include in this chapter.

I'm starting to think adding in all of those scenes will make this chapter TOO long if I include them all here 💀 like I added in two extra scenes to make the narrative flow in a more interconnected manner. But in doing that, it's definitely going to make this chapter too long. And the final scene I initially had for this chapter was going to be the Royal Hunt shenanigans. And THAT is a scene/plot point that needs a lot of time/words dedicated to it. Especially since it's going to be written from Aemond's POV, and that boy is going to be going THROUGH it watching Rhaena purposely flirt with literally every other man there EXCEPT for him 🤣🤣

So I think I'm going to move the hunt over to chapter 10 (even though I promised it would be here ��😭). Because logically...like I must 😂 I can't let this chapter be 40k in length, I'd take DAYSSS to edit it if I did🤣💀

—

*He Saw Her At Daybreak* (horny married Rhaemond Fic)

UMMMM I actually have no clue when I plan to work on the next chapter LMAO 😂 There are a few things I need to map out plot wise. Like slight spoilers:

But here are the scenes I'm planning on including in chapter 10:

• Actually showing Aemond flying over to Driftmark and interacting with Grandma Rhaenys (for the Spice Towk salt that Rhaena craves).

•Aemond and Aegon actually discussing their mother returning to court for the birth of the baby.

•I want to slip in a sex for Rhaemond, since ya know, this IS the horny fic 🤣and this is my last chance to include the lactation kink before the baby gets here, so I must do it 😂 I'm also thinking that scene could definitely start with pregnant Rhaena being a little self conscious about her body before a family event. Like I haven't had much of that insecurity mentioned for her.

•The family event being the Valyrian equivalent Yule/Christmas holiday event, that's going to be like a nice wholesome gift giving scene. Targ family shenanigans.

•ALL culminating with Rhaena's water breaking and the baby finally coming. Like this baby is COMING in this chapter, most definitely 😂😂 we are ending the chapter with Rhaemond happily holding their newborn baby.

So there's a lot to write, and I'm still only on the first scene 💀💀 but hey, now the 10 of you so still tune in, have an idea of what's to come! 😂😂

—

*Struck by Fire, Drowned By The Sea* (Pirate Fic)

LORD, I PROMISE I HAVEN'T FORGOT ABOUT THIS ONEEEE. AGHHH oddly enough, like this writing process feels like the sex scene in BO&OA, I can't seem to land on the vibe™ for the next chapter (chapter 5). And it's not even a sex scene, so Idk why I'm overthinking it all 🤣🤣

It's weird, really. I usually have a really easy time writing from Aemond's POV for my other fics, but since Pirate Captain Aemond is more of a mystery to both Rhaena and the audience. It for some reason feels a lot harder 💀🤣 like it shouldn't be, but it is 🤣🤣 I've rewritten/restarted this chapter at least 6 times trying various ways to tell the same scene, seeing how much I should give away in his inner thoughts or not. And I just haven't landed on a good ratio for him, like we all know this IS Aemond. But there's still so much of his past that hasn't been revealed, and it's all still a mysterious element for captive Rhaena, she's still trying to figure him out... especially since they've never really met until now.

Their relationship is going to be SOMETHING wild, if I can get past this damn chapter 🤣🤣

—

This just feels like me explaining in depth, four various types of writer's block 🤣🤣

Anywaysss, if any of y'all have any suggestions or helpful ideas, for any of these fics, I'm very open to them 💖

[victorluvsalice]

So. You know all those various ask games where you can ask someone to explain a current WIP, or write three sentences on a fic they're working on and then share them, or similar? Well, we're doing something like that over here, only I am vastly expanding what is on offer. Because while I generally only ever have two WIPs, I have a whole fucking LOT of ideas. So! Here is my mostly-Valicer-AUs-themed ask game for you all:

Send 💬/[conversation bubble] for me to ramble on about any of the below AUs for a bit

Send 🌈/[rainbow] for me to write three+ sentences of either a real or hypothetical fic for the AU

Your choices:

Actual WIPs

-->Londerland Bloodlines (currently working on "Downtown Queensland," but I'm willing to discuss other installments)

-->Valicer In The Dark (currently working on "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of," though I'm extremely willing to get into the VITD universe as a whole)

Things I Have Previously Discussed On Here

-->Modern AU Valicer (aka the source of most of those Not-Incorrect Quote things I did for a while)

-->Valicer Soulmates AU

-->Ever Ever After (that Four Victorians Riding A Roller Coaster fairytales AU -- yes, I came up with a title for the damn thing)

-->The Hypothetical Valicer Forgotten Vows AU

-->The Three-Player Childhood Friends Valicer In AMA AU (or, frankly, anything related to Smiler's Otherland stuff)

-->Fallout of Darkness (yes, this is actually still around! I am still playing Fallout 4 and making notes on it! I'm up to the point in the main questline where Victor has to hunt down a Courser, which he is doing as he completes the Mechanist questline)

-->This Hypnokinky Fantasy-Medieval Valicer One-Shot From OT3 Week (heed the hypnokinky there! It's not EXPLICIT explicit but it's fairly open about what's about to happen to Victor at the end)

Deranged AUs That Only Lived In My Brain -- UNTIL NOW

-->Dinner For Three, a Valicer AU based on the horror comedy film The Menu (I actually just came up with that title, despite how obvious it is)

-->Infinite Loops-Style Valicer AU (inspired by me finding the TV Tropes page for that series and going "wow, Corpse Bride would have a really short loop if it followed the time period that we saw in the movie...")

-->Valicer Changeling: The Lost AU (I've discussed Valice versions of this waaaay in the past, but this is a new Valicer variant that would be set in the modern day)

-->Some Thoughts On A BITD Smiler In Beneath A Broken Sky (not a full AU since the fic that it's based off of isn't complete yet -- this is just me with some ideas I came up with where a Smiler from a BITD-based world without a local Victor and Alice gets yeeted into the BABS setting -- oh, and the fic itself isn't visible unless you're logged into AO3, just fair warning)

-->The New Severance (Apple TV) AU That Is Strangling My Brain (this is ALL @penny-anna's fault, go read Welcome To The Panopticon, it is FASCINATING and gives me Valicer AU ideas for a show I've never even WATCHED)

There. Choice. Enjoy.

[anamelessfool]

Belated Intro Post

Hi, I'm ANamelessFool and I do lots of seemingly unrelated things, but that is because I am an air sign. I will be 36 on February 9.

My interests boil down to the History of Things. I like getting lost in time periods (hence the current 70s hyperfixation). I'm a Roleplayer and a Medieval Reenactor. When I ran out of costumes and little things to make for myself I picked up the BJD hobby and now make lil guys like @resin-popia

I love films and went to film school. I love talking about films to literally anyone. I like action, period pieces and supernatural horror. I really enjoy when supernatural horror adds to the human drama like in The Thing or The Lighthouse or Hereditary. Something about Interlopers wandering into an alternate dimension with its own horrific unrelated logic is fascinating.

I have always liked the occult, and I study occult topics like tarot, automatic writing, meditation. I will also talk to you forever about all that.

So yeah all my writing relates to all that.

I'm writing a huge interrelated AU because that's just how my brain works. Most of my Ghost fics exist there unless it's a pseud.

So historical art, pageantry, supernatural horror, costume design, family drama, music all boils down to why Ghost grabbed me by the fucking throat in 2022. I'm sad I didn't know about them sooner.

I don't do fic or HC requests because most of the time I can't get into writing mode on demand. (Sometimes I feel up for it.) I will talk to pretty much anyone on here about anything so don't be shy to drop me a line. I'm always afraid I'm too much for people so I keep to myself (which is why I never posted an intro post at all)

Nice to meet you and happy to be here.

My Fic List | My AO3

[kaydeefalls]

65 for Carthaginians, 66 for fic of your choice, 67, and 69 (always be fishing for recs)

Here we go!

65. If you wrote a sequel to [Carthaginians], what would happen in it?

LYKON MY BELOVED. Not the obvious answer, which I guess would be the followup of Yusuf and Nicolò searching for the lost Carthaginian children, but I honestly don't know how much of a story I have to tell there. However, the later ramifications of this particular canon divergence are fascinating to me, and having essentially swapped origin eras for Joe&Nicky vs. Lykon, I would love to dive into his alternate origin story. I spent way too long trying to pinpoint where in the early medieval period Lykon could have become immortal instead (for a single throwaway line in the one flashforward to present day scene), and it would be fun to explore that further. Or how the events of the movie play out differently with Lykon still part of the team - would he be the one to lose his immortality instead of Andy, since canonically he IS the first to die (and at only around 1000 years old, which is right around movie era in this AU)?

66. What’s a fun fact about [insert fic]?

I guess I'll go with what dreams may come (TOG fusion!AU with Inception), since that's the most recent fic I've posted. IDK how we define "fun fact" here, so here's something that pleased me when it finally came together. The fic alternates between past and present day scenes, and every single one of Nicky's dreams we see in a flashback shows up again in the nightmare Quynh traps him in. I did not plan that going in. I did not have the faintest idea how the final showdown was going to play out until just before I wrote it, and then had the absolute delight of patchworking all the prior dreams together into some kind of Frankenstein's monster of a dream. I'd struggled with writing most of that fic, but that section came together SO easily in the end. Love it when I subconsciously lay my own breadcrumbs trail.

67. If a fic was titled [insert made up title], what would this story be about/how would you write it?

...I'm not sure how to answer this one without the made up title of choice! But titles rarely come first for me. When I'm very, very lucky, they come relatively early on in the writing process, and not in a desperate scramble at the last possible minute. Though I do sometimes have titles sitting in the back of my head for years, waiting for the right fandom/fic to show up for them. Always satisfying when one of those finds a home. (I do currently have one of those on the backburner - a line from my wife's favorite poem - but the WIP in question hasn't coalesced properly yet.)

69. What are your favorite fics at the moment?

Okay, so I'm currently doing a deep dive into Heartstopper fandom, which uh I'm not sure anyone else here would care about, and I'm kinda casting the net pretty wide at the moment in that sort of new(ish) fandom haze, where I'm not as picky as I normally would be, but also everything I've read is kind of starting to blur together? I wish I thought to bookmark fics more - I use author subscriptions instead of bookmarks for my own personal reference, but that's uh less helpful in a new fandom where I don't actually remember any author's username out of context. The most recent fics I've bookmarked (in ANY fandom) are:

like in the dramas by shoutowo (Heartstopper) - canon divergence where Charlie and Tao start fake dating after Charlie gets outed, and the ensuing complications once he meets Nick; it's just super charming and a fun subversion of the fake dating trope, and Charlie's repeated attempts to fake-break-up with Tao amuse me greatly.

That Was the River, This Is the Sea by @what-alchemy (TOG) - modern AU for Joe/Nicky, I fucking love the way this fic depicts them both, and how REAL they feel. I can't speak from a cis gay male experience, being a queer woman, but the depiction of Joe and Nicky's desire for each other in this fic is the closest I've ever read to the way my many queer male friends talk about sex and relationships, it just rings so unbelievably true to me. And also it's just lovely.

...apparently I've only bookmarked two new fics in 2024? Ugh. I really need to use bookmarks more often. But genuinely I'm just in a weird Heartstopper reading haze at the moment and I don't know what to rec because I'd have to track them back down again first, and my brain is not capable of that at 1am, whoops. 🤦‍♀️

[marybeatriceofmodena]

Two of the biggest problems with HOTD's costuming is that it's simultaneously *too* similar to GOT, despite being centuries ago, and all over the place. Clothing would have been similar within a time period but class and cultural differences would also influence style. Both Alicients had costumes that doesn't indicate a cohesive Hightower look beyond green. With ROP, the costumes had rhyme and reason because the designer designed for each culture and actually worked on the Hobbit movies too.

Yeah, like, one thing Michelle Clapton did very well in GoT was making the different regions in Westeros and Essos look distinctive, and stay coherent about it. I'd argue the quality went down in the later seasons, but the basic ideas and concepts were there throughout, and for the most part, they had decent wigs! And keep in mind season 1 of GoT didn't have that big of a budget and it still looked better than HotD!

Like, I can see a few Tudor references here and there (Alicent has a veil that looks like a French hood from time to time, Rhaenyra has a gown that looks like an Elizabethan era dress with the white collar and all), but I don't really get why it's "Tudor-inspired", given the ASOIAF universe is basically an AU of medieval England (Aegon I is William the Conqueror, Rhaenyra is Empress Matilda, ASOIAF itself is the Wars of the Roses). The styling is just not different enough for me to really notice how it changed from one period to another - and you don't need to make it more simplistic, just give me something. Hell, they could have gotten away with a Roman-inspired look where Rhaenyra, Rhaenys and Laena wear hairstyles like this:

And if you want Alicent to be a Livia Drusilla type where she presents herself as a "traditional woman" who doesn't have time to look frivolous, you could go with something like this:

Seriously, have fun with it! You could also have the Hightowers with the traditional Roman inspired fashion, and have the Targaryens decked out like Byzantine emperors. Like, you'd THINK the fall of the Targaryen dynasty would lead to huge changes in dress, because the Targs would probably opt for Valyrian fashions that the court would have tried to emulate, and then Robert Baratheon basically throws all of that out of the window and the "fashionable" style is now pretty much dictated by Cersei, since she's the queen.

Kate Hawley meanwhile is the costume designer for RoP, and she did design for opera, AND IT SHOWS. She also did the costumes for Crimson Peak - which is probably one of the best I've ever seen in a period drama, and I'm not even kidding. Take for instance Edith and Lucille - Edith is a rich heiress, so she wears silhouettes that were in vogue at the time and has a Gibson Girl look to her:

And even then, even if the silhouette is pretty much prefectly accurate, she's still able to have fun with it! The fabrics used here weren't necesarily used in the Edwardian era, but the idea was to use some that looked similar to butterfly wings, and it works!

Lucille, meanwhile, wears gowns with a silhouette that was in vogue in the 1870s-1880s, with the bustles and all, but not anymore. It looks out of place during the evening party where she plays the piano for everyone, and her clothing is one of the things that awakens Edith's father's suspicion. It would be one thing if she was an old lady (since they tended to wear dresses that had gone of fashion 20-30 years ago, hence why in P&P 2005, you'll see Mrs. Bennet wearing a rococo dress at the Netherfield ball), but Lucille isn't that old.

And the thing is, the Sharpes are low on money, but fashion was meant to be sustainable at that time and Lucille could easily adjust her dresses to have a more fashionable silhouette, and use the removed fabric for other stuff, instead of having to buy something new. She chooses not to, and it's deliberate, probably because the dresses she wears belonged to her mother.

See? That's thought and care right there.

Meanwhile, see this dress? Alicent Hightower wishes she looked that good:

And the thing is, with all the pleating, the belt thingy she has, it would be so easy to mess up and have her dress look frumpy. The belt is perfectly adjusted and provides the watery effect it's supposed to have, the pleating is nice, and the dress actually looks like it was made specifically for her. Which makes sense, because Galadriel is a Noldo princess and she'd absolutely have her clothing tailor-made, and have it be from the best Elven seamstresses you can find. It looks so simple at first, but the more you look at it, the more you see all the little details it has. And they didn't mess up her hair, either (and anyone who's read the Silmarillon knows Galadriel's hair is important!). They used Morfydd Clark's natural hair, added extensions, made sure there were golden and silver undertones, and voilà.

And the costume department did their homework when it comes to the design - they took inspiration from pre-Raphaelite artists when it comes to the Elves, and also a little bit for Númenor as well - which makes sense given the connection they have to Elves, but they still look distinctive, with plenty of little details referring to Elros' origins here and there. Bronwyn has a dress that looks different from the other villagers, yes, but given she's a healer, she'd probably know how to dye her clothes and would dress more lightly due to spending a lot of time outside looking for herbs. The Dwarves look VERY different from the rest, and Disa has some great outfits, but you can tell their clothes became the way they were given they spend more of their time underground. The Harfoots seem to be wearing stuff they found while travelling, since they don't seem to have equipment to weave cloth and they often seem like they're wearing stuff that's too big for them. And I'm only scratching the surface here.

[breitzbachbea]

I haven't talked at all about in a comprehensible manner on here at all, but I have spent a lot of time daydreaming before I sleep about one medieval AU of mine and it is the only fucking one where I do anything interesting with the dynamic Paddy and Michele have in canon.

I would have to look up way too much rn to even get a clear picture of what time period and area I was thinking exactly, but Paddy was King there in the North West and Harry was an ex-monk, who was so good at the entire warrior shit that Paddy convinced him to give up his vows.

And now don't ask me how the hell Michele ended up in here, but he did get absorbed into the community. But it always seemed more because he was so adored by both Harry and the court bard Charlie rather than his own achievements. And baby boy soon felt he is tolerated in the ranks of the nobility as Harry's lover, not as a capable man on his own.

And that is truly the only time I have done something interesting with the fact that Michele and Paddy are just so fucked in canon. Both of them having to assume the worst intentions of each other, Paddy because Michele plays his cards too close to his chest and Michele because he doesn't trust Paddy's deck. Inherent suspicion of father figures meets father figure who is suspicious of everyone who rejects his help. Idk where I was going with this.

[gallavich-headcanon]

i have a confession to make. the gods au was actually just a little snack, a tiny distraction for in between until i got around to bother you with an au of my favourite book series. i could say i'm sorry, but we both know that ain't true. does it make a lot of sense? probably not. does it feed my needs? absolutely fucking yes. that being said, if the below sparks interest, check out the lumatere chronicles by melina marchetta. needless to mention. huge spoiler alert for the series. anyway-

i'm mostly taking ideas from the latter two books, what you need to know from the first is,

- it's set in medieval-ish times. what can i say. i'm weak.

- the whole world comes with a map of several countries, the most important ones for us are lumatere and charyn.

- the kingdom of lumatere had been cursed for ten years. nobody had been able to enter the kingdom.

- some of its people had been trapped inside the country. they could not communicate with those (of their people) outside the country.

- the curse was brought onto the country after their royal family had been slain in a nightly ambush. the ambush had been led by the king's brother or cousin (i can't quite remember), with the help of soldiers sent to aid him by the kingdom of charyn. he claimed the throne. he's called the impostor king; i don't think we ever get told his actual name.

- only the young prince was believed to survive the massacre. turned out, he sacrificed his life for his little sister.

- ten years later the protagonist of the book has a dream that tells him to pick up this young novice in a cloister. turns out, it's the princess, there's some magical soulmate thing going on between them. they free their country, lead it with justice and kindness and are beloved by their people.

- on their travels to gather their people they met a boy on the streets. some things happen, they free him from some slave traders, he's bound to them by them -mainly the queen- saving his life, he becomes the main protagonist of the next two books.

i think that covers all, now let me get to the fun part that is the canon story of book two and three!

- one of the main characters' first words are literally, “but if your mouth touches mine, i will cut it out.” which is honestly the main reason i am now here to bother you with all this.

- it's revealed that the kingdom of charyn is cursed, too. after their princess was born, no child was born to the kingdom. everybody who was pregnant lost their child, nobody could get pregnant again. i think it had something to do with someone killing their saint/oracle, but i would have to go back to read all of it to be entirely sure.

- this has been going on for eighteen years.

- the prophecy says the two last born children of charyn will break the curse by “making the first”, which they interpret as them producing a child.

- charyn is devided into provinces. year after year the last born of each province makes his way to the palace to see whether he is the one last born they need to lift the curse. It does not work.

- the queen of lumatere is still angry about her family being slain and her people being cursed in the wake of it. due to circumstance they get the chance to send an assassin into charyn to kill the king, and the princess.

- the assassin, you guessed it, is the boy the picked up on the streets. they had him be trained by the royal guard for this specific reason. so far, he had been sent after those who collaborated with the impostor king.

- long story short, he's obviously sent into charyn to execute the killings. one thing leads to another, he falls for the princess, it's revealed he's actually a charynite, surprise surprise, he's the other last born they need to lift the curse, there's a lot of running to be done, a lot of heartbreak and push and pull between the protagonist and the princess.

- he returns to his kingdom without having fulfilled his task (obviously), it's apparent he's heartbroken. there's also that period where he believes the princess -and their unborn child- to be dead.

- turns out that isn't true, and despite how much their hearts break over it, the king and queen of lumatere send him back to charyn. they disguise him as the son of two of their nobles so he's of proper stance to marry the princess.

- their marriage leads to peace between the kingdoms, everybody is happy. practically.

now to what i thought about for the crossover-

- it's mainly still the original storyline. terry gets to be a mixture between the charynite king and his asshole advisor kind of guy. the latter assaults the princess because he thinks he's destined to break charyn's curse. reminds me of mandy's tragedy with the pregnancy and all. obviously, it does not work like this here, but you get what i mean.

- to have this make sense, hear me out. mickey is the last born royal child. his and mandy's mother is actually from one of the other kingdoms and not a charynite by blood. mandy is the result of an affair of hers, thankfully she looks enough like mickey so it doesn't get caught. sorry to mandy, but i need you to fit my agenda.

- thankfully, ian already kind of fits the plans. (if anybody reads the actual books, yes, the original protagonist from book one is a redhead, too, leave me alone.) while he shared the same mother as his siblings, his biological father is a charynite. the main part i'll have to change about him and mickey is making them born close to each other, probably on the exact same day, because i really

- i'll have the gallaghers originally be farmers, because i can.

- while their country was cursed fiona, debbie, carl, and liam were trapped inside the country, him and lip among those who could flee in time. they're picked up by the queen (still in disguise) and her entourage. basically the substitutes for the orphan boy.

- in the meantime, fiona married the son of a lord who was close to the royal family. (jimmy-steve possibility, maybe?)

- after they reunite, ian has troubles finding his place with his family. during his and lip's time outside the country's walls, he met a ton of people and learned a lot about them. his heart is yearning for – something. someone?

- through his brother in law and the relationship built during their travels, he gets a position in the royal guard. obviously, he becomes a trusted soldier and trained as an assassin. he's sent to charyn after they hear about their curse, to basically make sure they never get another heir. jokes on. practically everonye.

- now where it gets interesting is the prophecy. i'll have it be a classical misinterpretation. “make the first” - what. nobody said anything about a baby. for all we know they could make handprints on the palace walls as the first people ever and tada, the curse is broken.

more quotes from the books i think would fit our favourite idiots,

- most days he feared that a monster of great baseness lived inside him, fighting to set itself free. killing the traitors […] made sense. but killing also fed the monster. → maybe hinting at ian's bipolar? i'm not sure how it could be properly brought into this.

- as always, the intimacy between them made [him] ache. / it wasn't magic or curses, this thing that lay between them. it was more profound than that. he couldn't even put it into words, and at times it made him want to walk away and take refuge from the ties that bound them both.

- in a kinder world, one i promise you i've seen, men and women flirt and dance and love with only the fear of what it would mean without the other in their lives.

- he was as wild as ever and full of rage at the world. at himself.

- do i have to be here to belong to you? can't i belong to you wherever i am?

- our bodies aren't strangers. our spirits aren't strangers. tell me what part of me is stranger to you, and i'll destroy that part of me.

- “i'm not worth the valley.” “you're worth a kingdom.”

this is very many words (according to my word program 1,476 words, precisely) for saying i have an unhealthy obsession with two pieces of media and desperately need them fused. i will go and bury myself now, thanksokaybye.

Good morning my darling! This is fucking amazing, let's dive the fuck in!

Listen man, you can't come up to me with a medieval kingdom soulmate AU without a warning like that, I need to sit down.

The first book sounds so good! Like is it mostly about their journey? I am a sucker for a good soulmate storyline!

“But if your mouth touches mine, I will cut it out.” -> No fucking way! this! this is exactly! It's meant to be.

the original protagonist from book one is a redhead, too, leave me alone. -> Hahaha to be honest Ian Gallagher changes me into a redhead enthusiast, so I think this is very valid. However, I will not leave you alone.

I'll have the Gallaghers originally be farmers, because I can. -> yes you can. You can also have all my money to continue telling me this story.

Ian and Lip being able to escape and being picked up together reminds me of the CPS plot in s3!

Fiona married the son of a lord who was close to the royal family. -> Jimmy-Steve !!! I love how we manage to slip him into so many AUs! Maybe his dad is the royal family doctor / advisor?

Thinking back about Lip trying to help Ian get into west point and JROTC, this make so much sense that Ian would become a solider. Maybe running away, joining the army, like in canon? not sure what would set it off... Maybe people discovering about him and Ned?

Nobody said anything about a baby. for all we know they could make handprints on the palace walls -> hahaha okay but what if it's make the first true love? Like all the royal couples in their kingdom before them were arranged marriages or something of the sort and this was they first time the prince got to chose someone he loves?

This is so fucking incredible because I am getting so much of the "I want the gun back Mickey" vibes but more in the "prepare to die" kind of way... Ian sneaking into Mickey's bedroom to kill him but getting distracted and somehow ending up fucking? (the curse only breaks when they 'make love')

Alternatively, maybe they make the first united country as Ian grew up in a different one (if I understood you Ian's dad is from charynite and his mom from lumatere, terry is the king of charynite and Mickey's mom is as well, but maybe she cheated with Mickey's real dad?) hence no one thinks they are the couple that will break the curse, but they're both mixed, and make the first mixed couple? I don't know if this makes sense at all.

quotes from the books I think would fit our favorite idiots (I am so ready for this!) - in a kinder world, one i promise you i've seen, men and women flirt and dance and love with only the fear of what it would mean without the other in their lives. -> "In what fucking world do you live in?" straight to my heart. - do i have to be here to belong to you? can't i belong to you wherever i am? -> "I want to be where you are, Mickey!"

1,476 words of pure fucking gold, Nosho. I am dying. This is too good. I feel blessed. You better come back from the dead so we can talk about it more!

[blue-jisungs]

‘kay so here’s the thing:

my new hyper fixation atm is history, more specifically the medieval/victorian era + monarchy (eww ikik)

bc of that i started writing a royalty au for enhypen’s jay. the resume is: the princess’ (a original character) dad died in war and for her to be able to actually inherit the throne she has to get married to a man (JAIL!!), but oh no! it can’t be any man, it has to be a DUKE. who’s the duke? park jongseong, wow how convenient. now the two of them are trapped in this arranged marriage while also having to deal with the consequences of war and all its political issues (blablabla BORIIIING).

now, since i can’t make decisions on my own and i need other’s people approval just like oxygen to live, here is where you enter: i just CANT decide if the time period should be like during our current time (which is convenient but kinda takes off the magic of royalty), during the idk 80s maybe the 90s (cause yk electricity and stuff), or straight up during the 18/1900s (this one sounds the rightest to me but like it’s so hard writing about that time bc how am i supposed to make a character not obsessed with taylor swift if that basically my whole personality and all my characters are self-inserts??????). maybe just use the power of creativity and fiction and make it in the 1900 + electricity + taylor???????

dunno if any of that made sense i feel like i have zero blood in my brain rn and i sound 3x more crazy than i actually am lol why is it so long????? omg

okay first of all i’m in, you got me at jay. second of all, royalty au jay? 💳💥💳💥💥💳💥

regarding your question…. it is a hard choice. i’d go for 1900s tbh! it’ll have this oh so magical vibe <3 sadly you couldn’t be able (technically) to make a character obsessed with taylor BUT who cares 😭 just turn her into a local bard or poet🤩🤩🤩 soahwoshah im kidding but tbh that’s something i’d do😭 or just sneak in some lyrics or song titles teehee

in the end it might be harder to write it but i do believe in it may be more fun! :D i hope i helped you even a bit <\\3

AND I’LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO READ IT IF YOU END UP PUBLISHING IT!!!!! 🫶

[shadowsong26fic]

Year of the OTP Fills

Just so I can have a list where they’re all together! Based on this list.

BSG (Baltar/Caprica-Six) January (snow); Snowglobe [PG-13] (Tumblr; AO3)      Early in their relationship, Gaius and Caprica get snowed in together. February (mermaid AU); A Question of Trust [PG-13] (Tumblr; AO3)      Gaius contemplates letting Caprica see his skin (Selkie AU) March (fresh starts); A Canopy of Stars [PG] (Tumblr; AO3)      A few weeks after settling on Earth, Gaius and Caprica have a quiet conversation. April (canon divergence); do i twist; do i fold [R] (Tumblr; AO3)      Caprica tells Gaius the truth, a few months early (Backup Plans AU) May (sunshine); Illuminated [PG-13] (Tumblr; AO3)      Gaius and Caprica see one another under the light of three different suns. June (soulmate au); Thumbprint [PG-13] (Tumblr; AO3)      After she downloads, Six notices something has changed (Soulmate AU)

Star Wars (Obi-Wan/Anakin/Padme) January (first kiss); Stay [PG] (Tumblr; AO3)      Anakin and Padme invite Obi-Wan to join them. February (established relationship/long distance); See You Soon [PG] (Tumblr; AO3)      A quick holocall in the middle of the war. March (acceptance); a layer of warm contentment [PG/PG-13] (Tumblr; AO3)      After joining the others, Obi-Wan thinks things through. April (peace); Almost [PG/PG-13] (Tumblr; AO3)      The trio imagines what the future might be, once the war is over. May (fantasy/medieval/dark knights of steel au); Consort [PG-13] (Tumblr; AO3)      Padme’s wedding night in the Jedi of Valdemar AU (Jedi of Valdemar AU) June (downpour); In the Rain [PG] (Tumblr; AO3)       On a rare trip together, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme get caught in a sudden storm.

Lux (Lux/Mariko) January (first kiss); Something About This Feeling [PG]      Lux and Mariko’s first kiss from Lux’s point of view February (Valentine’s day); A Human Tradition [PG]      On the road to reconciliation, Mariko gives Lux a flower. March (fairy tale AU); The Tower at the Edge of the World [PG]      Mariko approaches the tower where Lux is imprisoned (Fairy Tale AU) April (peace); A Partial Truth [R]      After releasing Simon, Lux contemplates how much she should tell Mariko. May (flower language); How Do I Love Thee [PG-13]      Little bits and pieces about Lux and Mariko’s feelings/relationship, based (mostly) on a symbolic meaning for each of 25 flowers. June (you’re not what I expected); Unexpected [PG-13]      On the eve of the fire, Lux reflects on how unexpected falling in love was for her.

Untitled Intrigues Story (Larien/Metanrye) January (whenever I look at you...); Still Here [PG-13]      Larien sits with Metanrye after she has a miscarriage. February (mermaid AU); Almost Entirely Human [PG-13]      Metanrye considers the way her half-human husband is different from other men (Sea Folk AU) March (’make me’); Spat [PG]      Early in their marriage, Larien and Metanrye bicker and make up. April (canon divergence); Stakes [PG-13]      In an AU where Larien is already married when Metanrye meets him, they kiss. (Royal Bastards AU) May (pet/child acquisition); Rehanye [PG-13]      Larien’s thoughts at the birth of his and Metanrye’s second daughter. June (marriage/proposal); To the Stars [G]      Metanrye celebrates in private after accepting Larien’s proposal.

Feredar (Taz/Dallu) January (snow); In the Snow [G]      Taz sees how much snow delights her partner. February (mermaid AU); A Trade [PG-13]      Taz and Dallu meet (Urban Fantasy AU) March (fresh starts); Begin and Begin and Begin [PG-13]      Three key points in Taz and Dallu’s relationship--their first meeting; going to war; retiring together. April (pranks); Passing the Time [G]      Life on a ship has long periods of relative boredom. Dallu decides to liven things up a bit. May (sunshine); Aftermath [PG-13]      After combat, Taz seeks Dallu out. June (marriage/proposal); Second Wedding Day [PG]      Taz gets dressed for her and Dallu’s second wedding ceremony.

[margridarnauds]

☔ for the WIP ask game?

Thanks!

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I'm always very much on the "Never give up on writing a fic until I'm SURE that, for some reason, usually personal, it can't be written" -- there are a lot of fics that are half written in my drafts. That being said, there are some that are almost...too ambitious. I want to write them, still, they're very dear to me, but I have to acknowledge that, by taking them on, it would take a lot out of me, usually for the amount of research I'd know I'd have to do.

One of them is the Pirate AU -- AGES AGO, @fallenidol-453 gave me a request for an Arranged Marriage Prompt Meme that went along the lines of "Character A is a pirate who is raiding a village by the sea, and, while the crew is dividing the loot out, finds a chest with Character B in it", with 1789. And I thought it would be perfect, especially with Lazare as an army officer who the townspeople got tired of for being such a pompous little prick that they left him to the pirates, with Ronan as one of the men who chose piracy because they didn't have another choice. You'd have this slowburn, the realization that, while they are offering Lazare up as a ransom, that his own family won't pay it because, in their eyes, he was a disgrace, Lazare starting to bond with the crew, to bond with Ronan, to start coming out of his shell a little, and to eventually decide to live with Ronan on the sea. Given the limited amount of space available on the ship, a "there is only one bed scenario" would be inevitable, since it isn't like there are that many hammocks around.

Brilliant, brilliant.

There's only one problem.

I don't know anything about the Golden Age of Piracy.

Okay, that's a slight over-exaggeration -- I know some basic details. I know about how individual crews were often at least semi-democratic. I know that gambling, for example, was often forbidden. I know a little about the key players -- Edward Team, Sam Bellamy, Hornigold, Charles Vane, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, Mary Read (and that, as many poor Reddit historians have reminded people, they weren't lesbians). I played the AC: Pirates mobile game when it was available. As a Floridian, I know a bit about things that happened off of our coasts; I have a lot of first hand experience around the ocean, so I can describe that aspect of things well.

But...it's the day to day stuff that trips you up. I wish there was a "Time Traveller's Guide To The Golden Age of Piracy" book like there was for Elizabethan England or Medieval England, you know? Because it's all the little intricacies of being on a ship, especially a ship from that time, that throw you off -- I once went onto El Galéon, a 16th-17th century Spanish galleon, but it isn't the same as being able to run around a ship for ages at my own leisure, with detailed descriptions of what everyone's doing day to day. I'm very much someone who needs to see everything in front of me to be able to describe it (I blame autism) -- For my 18th century stuff, I often run around various museums and take notes on any 18th century items or paintings I find, just so I can bring them in. For my Irish stuff, especially my non-fandomy Irish stuff, I try to go to the area where it's taking place as much as possible to get the feel of it, just because I need that personal experience. If I'm writing for a video game, if I have the game, I'll spend ages standing in a specific area so I can describe it better; if I don't, I'll go on multiple Let's Play videos so I can get different angles. It's a blessing and a curse. So seeing a bunch of graphs and such saying "oh this is what this thing does"...it helps me a LITTLE, but it isn't the same. And this is a time period that's wildly out of my wheelhouse so I don't feel as comfortable working with it.

And it's difficult when you're doing an AU for something like 1789 anyway, where so many of the characters are connected to real historical figures because...how many of them do you want to bring in? How do you want to adapt them? Marat as ship's surgeon feels like it's fine enough, sure, Artois as a generic aristocratic villain, fine, especially since the Takarazuka and Toho Artois are so removed from the historical figure, but do I want to make Mirabeau or Orléans the captain, you know? Will people take Pirate Ship First Mate Robespierre seriously? More importantly, will *I* take Pirate Ship First Mate Robespierre seriously? At what point do we reach Peak Silliness, even in the inherently self indulgent world of fandom? Do you not bring in the historical figures and create OCs? You know, those are things that are difficult to bring in.

So...maybe one day, when I feel comfortable and I can do more with the process of converting late 18th century France to the early 18th century Caribbean.