#this was so fun thank you nimm

[many-gay-magpies]

WIP/word game

tagged by @babyseraphim! thank you lovely ^^ i love games like this hehe <3

Rules: you will be given a word. share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word. my word was SOUL

S - From a (nearly finished!) mildly spicy and entirely self-indulgent Payneland oneshot :>

Still, it is difficult.

They’ve both gone quiet now. Charles is watching the window, eyes bouncing back and forth across the familiar scene of a London evening, and Edwin is watching Charles; taking in his pocketed hands, distant eyes, and the minuscule tightness of his jaw.

O - From a currently simmering Crystal character study I started a while back, exploring her as an artist and her friendship with Niko.

“Oh my gosh, Crystal!” [Niko] exclaims, reaching forward, pausing mid-air, then carefully taking the paper into her hands when Crystal presses it closer in offering. “This is amazing! How did you do this?”

U - From my first full-fledged casefic, originally conceived for Painlandweek until it spiraled completely out of control. Fairly recently post-canon; Crystal, Edwin, and Charles investigate a witch’s house, where several ghosts have disappeared to without a trace.

Unfortunately, that did nothing to sway Crystal.

“You didn’t have me before,” she said. “It might have been fine for you guys to risk your asses when the only asses you had to save were each others’, but I’m here now. And I’m not gonna risk losing you two to an evil witch just because your self-preservation skills are shit.”

L - I couldn’t find any sentences starting with L in my more recent WIPs (and also I ran out of DBD WIPs), so here’s one from the first draft of a Merlin fic I have yet to do my desired rewrite of. The premise is that Arthur gets cursed to see Merlin’s dreams, and basically all of the reveals ensue. It’s not outright romantic, but like, it’s not romantic in the same way that canon Merthur isn’t romantic, so. Still pretty fucking gay

"Lifting the curse should be thanks enough," Arthur answered, but he was smiling and thinking, Your joy is thanks enough. He thought he might have been able to face treason a dozen times if it kept that smile on Merlin’s face.

The word I choose is: DAWN

I tag: @blusandbirds @edwinspaynes and any other writers who see this and want to participate! consider yourselves tagged by me <3

i need to get to know more writers augh. if any of y’all out there are secretly writers and im not aware of it yet and you want me to be, please inform me

[babyseraphim]

🦉Positivity owl reporting for duty! This was sent by a friend who wants you to smile as much as your posts make them smile. Please list five things that make you unique, four things you are super passionate about and why, OR three of your favorite memories. Feel free to send the owl to those who you feel deserve to smile🦉

omg hi thank you so much! i'll go with 5 things that make me unique, i guess

i'm very well practiced in reading IPA (the international phonetic alphabet), which means I can learn to pronounce any language that uses the same alphabet as english (though I have translated the cyrillic alphabet before)

i picked my name because i dreamt it up when i was 15. i plan on legally dropping my last name at some point and just going by 'nimm elizabeth' (chosen first and legal middle name)

i own over 300 crystals, and i can tell you what every single one is called and where i got it

i like to compose orchestral music, even though i only sing and play piano. my favorite instrument to write for is cello

i'm a fucking idiot, but in like, a really really fun way. people find me very funny when i'm generally not trying to be

[harus-simp]

hii! are requests open? i wanna ask for a ma jingxiang fic (if requests are open of course) i've been reading ur fics starting an hour ago and i really love the junhyeon fic u made :D

for the xiang fic, can you make it like a university au (??? is that what it's called loll) and let's say xiang is a newly transferred student who is an introvert and the extroverted! reader is so eager to be friends with him but he keeps giving the reader a cold shoulder. not until they were partnered up for a pair school project which later on made them really close to eachother :D just that LOL

but if requests aren't open i am clearly okay with itt! have a great day author nimm!! always take a good care of yoirself and stay hydrated <3

Hey there!!! Of course you can request, I've just opened them :D

A ma jingxiang fic then it is, I love the idea!!!! I picture him as quite shy and reserved so writing for him will be fun 🤭

Thank you so much for your request, you are so sweet :((

Take care too and drink lots of water 💧

Have a good day/night!!!

[greisekinderschar]

Aaaah, thanks for this! I’m a bit obsessed with nuances in translations and german being my first language, I usually avoid the german dubbings bc theyre frankly flat and the formal adressing in The Witcher is pain, so this post was fun. Although imagining him saying “Dann nimm mich hier” sends me to hell and back. 

I do enjoy the Czech dubbings of The Witcher, though, especially Jaskier’s voice actor and his singing, so don’t mind if I add some nuances in the Czech version, in case anyone is interested!

Also disclaimer: I’m not dragging the translators because Czech, being a slavic language, is a bit more difficult to fit into the lines than French and German, which are obviously way more similar to English. As I said, I’m a fan of the Czech dubbing in general, especially the way they gave the dwarves a distinct dialect like in the original, German dubbing would never.

First of all, there is no formal adressing between the two of them ever, which I love.

Episode 1

English: ”If your life at court has been staid you’ve been doing it wrong.” Czech: "If your life at court has been boring, you don't know how to live it." Something about Radovid telling Jaskier he doesnt know how to live...

Episode 2

The lyrics got me. Once again gotta point out I absolutely adore Jaskier’s Czech singing voice, stan Ondřej Rychlý. Tried my best to translate it but have the Czech lines too (at least what I think them to be, my Czech is not perfect).

Ústa mít jak led když srdce plát chce žárem To have a mouth like ice when the heart wants to burn in the heat

proč měl bych spívat co chce svět a plýtvat tak svým darem why should I sing what the world wants and waste my gift like that?

proč mám se vám všem podbízet a dál důl přetékat  why do I have to pander to all of you and keep flooding the mine? (I struggled with whether he really sings důl but it makes the most sense)

vždyť nikdo z vás neví níc, to co písní chci říct to vím nejlíp jen já sám when none of you knows anything, what I want to say with the song only I myself know best

co v písních se spívá musíš mezi řádky číst what is sung in the songs, you have to read between the lines

dost slov chci dát ti víc there are many more words I want to give to you

z mých rtů čti co chci říct read from my lips what I want to say

z mých rtů teď vem si víc now take more from my lips for yourself (while “vem si” is the usual way to say “take”, the reflexive “si” refers to the taker, so I wanted to point that out with “take it for yourself”, bc ugh)

tak vem si víc come on, take more for yourself

so yeah... kinda intense

And then:

English: "You see people. For what they are, not what they pretend to be." Czech: "You see people. Who they are, not what they want to be." Gives me aching heart disease.

Episode 3

English: "You can't play a player." Czech: "You can't cheat a cheater." Cheater more as in someone who betrays. Czech Jaskier (Marigold) sure thinks less of Radovid than the English one.

English: "He's hiding something." Czech: "He's hiding something from me."

Sadly, he does not refer to him as little spoon, although he could have easily.

English: "Crushes are for children, darling." Czech: "Love is for children.” (before this line they did talk about crushes) Oof ouch ouchie

Episode 4

English: "Just saying that makes you braver than you know." Czech: "That alone makes you braver." Thats one of the instances where the correct translation just didn’t fit but I did have to laugh. Being scared makes you brave apparently.

English: “You learned my song.” Czech: "That is my song." Internet Explorer Moment

Thankfully, the word play with taking him inside and taking him here works out perfectly and I love it. Just a bit more of that sweet sweet “vem si” action.

Episode 6

(this one is rough)

English: "Because that is who you are, Radovid, at your core. I thought I had seen through your mask, turns out there was nothing behind it." Czech: "You simply are like that, Radovid. You're a crook. I saw through your mask long ago, and that there is nothing behind it." LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE THAT SOUNDED DIFFERENT LAST NIGHT MARIGOLD. He’s bitter af

Episode 7

grammatically, Radovid is still looking for his guards as he’s cowering next to their corpses, which I found great

English: "We have to get you out of here." Czech: "We have to get out of here." Not Jaskier getting Radovid’s hopes up like that.

English: "Plans change." Czech: "I am changing my plan." More false hopes

English: "I don't know what happens next." - "Just let me be there with you. Prove that im more than a mask." Czech: "It's hard to say what will happen." - "Then take me with you. Maybe I am more than a mask." NOT ONLY the “come with me” to “tell me where to meet you” to “take me with you” pipeline that is SENDING me but also the fact Radovid seems to admit he doesn’t know himself if he can be good? Had more feelings abt this than I should have had.

Episode 8

English: "I am not staying." Czech: "I cannot stay." PAIN.

And last but not least:

English: "I finally found something that suits me. Someone. And he needs my help." Czech: "I finally found a use for me. Someone who I want to help." I love that the Czech wording refers more to being useful than finding something that suits him, and that not only does Jaskier need his help, but he wants to help him. Idk man I just think that’s neat.

Radskier dialogue nuances in different languages

So I have been rewatching The Witcher in French recently and some of the changed lines stuck out to me, in the interactions between Radovid and Jaskier in particular. So i figured I'd compile my favourites from the translated versions I've seen so far here and compare their meaning to the original. I've also included some of the German lines since I'm German and I got curious!

Disclaimer: I'm just a guy who speaks a bunch of languages, don't expect overly technical linguistic wizardry here. Also this is not about the voice actors' skill or how well the lines are matched up to lip movements, strictly about the little changes in meaning when you take the translations literally! All meant to be in good fun.

Since this is about the season 3 dialogue, there are spoilers ahead.

This is going to be a long post so buckle up!

Season 3 in general: The way Jaskier and Radovid address one another

English (original): both use "you" which makes sense of course

French: Jaskier uses "vous" (the formal "you") for Radovid and Radovid uses "tu" (the casual "you") for Jaskier until they have sex in episode 4. When they talk the morning after in episode 6, they're both using "tu".

German: both use "Ihr" and the other formal derivatives for one another throughout (Even Geralt and Jaskier address each other formally the whole time. I'm not a fan)

Episode 1: Jaskier and Radovid meet

The dialogue here is generally very close, just two little things between the original and the German version I want to point out.

English (Jaskier): Fuck, I don’t really know what I’m supposed to… Bow? Or curtsy, or… I’ve been holding your hand a long time, so sorry about that.

German (Jaskier): Shit, I don't know if I'm supposed to bow or be polite... I've been holding your hand for too long, forgive me ("bow or be polite"?? HUH?)

English (Radovid): If your time at court’s been staid, you’ve been doing it wrong

German (Radovid): If your time at court has been too calm/quiet, something went wrong ([gay silence])

Episode 2: specifically Extraordinary Things

I've put the different lyrics as rather direct translations in the pictures below. They're also written out in the alt text. The French ones are a little more pointed compared to the original imo, I like that version a lot. I'm not sure how I feel about the German version but the first line did make me giggle.

Episode 3: Jaskier talks to Vespula about Radovid

I love this scene for many reasons. I have two things to point out about this.

The first thing is that while in the English and French version, Jaskier says that he and Radovid have only met twice, in the German version he says that he and Radovid don't even know each other.

The second thing is that in the English and German version, Jaskier calls Radovid a spoon and he does in the French version as well. However, he specifies Radovid is a "little spoon" here. Need I say more?

Episode 4: the scene in the shed

Ah, the scene of all time. Before the other scene of all time in episode 6. A few things about this one. The first thing is a very small change in the French version:

English (Jaskier, after Radovid admits he's scared): Just saying that makes you braver than you know.

French (Jaskier, after Radovid admits he's scared): The fact you're admitting that proves you are brave

The second thing bothered me more because it isn't really a subtle change. Both in English and French, Jaskier says Radovid has "learned [his] song", but in German he says Radovid "knows [his] song". The German line here isn't saying that Radovid "knows" the song as in he knows how to play it (from hearing and watching Jaskier play it for him once, mind you), the way it's said makes it sound like Radovid has just heard the song before.

The third thing is what they're saying right after the kiss. Unfortunately with the slightly changed lines for Jaskier we don't get the clever connection between Jaskier talking about taking Radovid into the cabin and Radovid asking Jaskier to take him (sexually).

English (Jaskier): I can't take you inside, I'm sorry.

English (Radovid): Then take me here.

French (Jaskier): The cabin is occupied, I'm sorry.

French (Radovid): Then take me here.

German (Jaskier): We can't go inside, I'm sorry.

German (Radovid): Then take me here.

Episode 6: the morning after

The German version is the same as the original here.

English (Jaskier to Radovid): I thought I’d seen through your mask. Turns out there was nothing behind it.

French (Jaskier to Radovid): I thought I had lifted the veil from your soul. But I found nothing but darkness beneath that façade

The subtle differences in the French version on the other hand not only make the pain a little different, it also includes an allusion of sorts to that version of Extraordinary Things with Jaskier talking about Radovid's soul. At least that's how I saw it. Ouch!

Episode 7: the moment where Jaskier finds Radovid at Thanedd

All three versions here make me want to cry. That's all.

English (Radovid): Just let me be there with you. Prove that I’m more than a mask.

English (Jaskier): Maybe.

French (Radovid): Just let me stay with you and show you what is beneath this façade.

French (Jaskier): Why not.

German (Radovid): Just let me be with you and show my true self.

German (Jaskier): Maybe.

[except4bunnies]

10 songs, 10 people

tagged by @chrisoels Thanks a bunch, that was fun and a wild, eclectic ride 💛🎧

1. Wanda – Va bene

Man wird ängstlicher, man wird einsamer | Man wird grausamer, man wird kindischer | Und vergesslicher, man wird lächerlicher und verletzlicher | Und es muss trotzdem alles weitergehen | Es muss weitergehen

Dieses merkwürdige 2022 in a nutshell. Kommt gut, wenn man sich morgens zerknittert im Spiegel ansieht und nicht mehr glattziehen kann.

2. Renaud – En cloque

Elle a mis sur l'mur | Au dessus du berceau | Une photo d'Arthur Rimbaud

Meine französische Erasmusliebe war Renaud-Fan. War ein feiner Kerl und das Lied ist geblieben.

3. Don McLean – Vincent

Starry, starry night | Portraits hung in empty halls | Frameless heads on nameless walls | With eyes that watch this world and can't forget

Mal ganz wunderbar gecovert auf einem queeren Festival gehört, mit dem zugehörigen Bild als Installation.

4. Taylor Swift – Betty

Yeah, I showed up at your party | Will you have me | Will you love me? | Will you kiss me on the porch | In front of all your stupid friends?

Dauerbegleitung aufm Alster-Tretboot im heißen Corona-Sommer 2020. Für 4:52 wieder 17 sein.

5. Karussell – Als ich fortging

Als ich fortging war die Straße steil - kehr wieder um | Nimm an ihrem Kummer teil, mach sie heil | Als ich fortging war der Asphalt heiß - kehr wieder um | Red ihr aus um jeden Preis, was sie weiß.

Bittersüßer Ostrock-Klassiker, läuft gern mal zur späten Stunde bei meiner Schwiegerfamilie. Danach hamm sich immer alle sehr lieb.

6. Blink 182 – All the small things

Late night, come home | Work sucks, I know | She left me roses by the stairs | Surprises let me know she cares

In der Juli-August-Dauerschleife wegen meiner danach benannten Julia/Ela-FF. Macht mir so, so gute Laune.

7. Anna Ternheim – Shoreline

Oh this town | Kills you when you're young

Zugabe auf ATs erstem Hamburg-Konzert. Vorher alles Gitarre, auf einmal Klavier. Magischer Moment.

8. Babybird – Goodnight

I hold you closely you push me away | I want forever you just want today | Give me your fingers wash out your mouth | Bite off my tongue on this bloody couch.

Ich mache dieses und jenes in meinem damaligen WG-Zimmer und ne Jamie-Oliver-Kochshow läuft im Hintergrund. Auf einmal der Song im Abspann. Hat mich elektrisiert, tut er noch immer.

9. Emmanuelle Béart & Marc Lavoin – Fais-moi une place

Fais-moi une place dans ton av'nir | Pour que j'ressasse moins mes souvenirs | Je s'rai jamais éteint, hautain, lointain | Pour qu'tu sois bien

EB ist ja keine ausgebildete Sängerin, aber ich mag das Cover unfassbar gern. So ein Lied, das ganz weich macht. Also mich.

10. Kite – Jonny Boy

I know myself | And thinking doesn't work | To heal myself |. And easiness, no I don’t know what that's about | So I go out

Nach “And then we danced” auf meiner ewigen Playlist gelandet und kommt da auch nicht mehr runter. Bester Pre- und After-Party-Song. Aufm Fahrrad durch die Nacht.

If you want and/or still haven’t, join in @caromitpunkt @dragodina @disappointingsalad @enbyrry @caffeinateddiscoverer @missdemeanoure @krejong @captmatti @bieblomme @frauv

[face--the--strange]

Yay, I got tagged, thanks @strangereveryday​. :D (I’m not tagging anyone else this time, though.)

1. Marvel or DC? (And why)

I honestly don’t know enough about either of them to have an opinion. (Which doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to find out more. :))

2. What are the top 3 apps you use?

Moon+ Reader and Memo. There isn’t a third one, unless games count, then Candy Crush. :D

3. What’s the weirdest dream you remember?

I’m pretty sure it’s not the weirdest dream of all time or anything, but it’s a relatively recent one and it made me laugh: The pope and Ronald Reagan made some kind of bet, and Reagan lost and had to build a church and write on it “the pope won”. OH AND ALSO THIS ONE (also recent): There was a meme on tumblr that randomized you a number and that’s how many ants you got in your watercolor paints. Like, actual real-life ants. And only if you had watercolor paints. Yep.

4. What song never fails to make you cry?

I think there’s about a hundred of those, and I don’t even think that’s an exaggeration. I cry a lot when I listen to music. :D So I’ll just go with the first song I thought of that is in English - Lose It All by Backstreet Boys. (I don’t see it as a love song - I ignore those parts.) The first song I thought of in general is Tin Pan Alley by Halina Frąckowiak. <3

5. Who is your favorite author?

Toni Morrison and Jodi Picoult, but there are a lot authors and individual books that I enjoy, so I mostly just went by the number of books I read and liked. :)

6. When you’re hurting (emotionally or physically) who is the first person you want to talk to?

@jacqueleeblebs​ - my favorite person in the universe who is sitting next to me right now (and most of the time). <3

7. Favorite ship? (What is it from?)

I don’t ship anything romantically. Now, platonically... Where do I start? :D Poussey & Taystee from Orange is the New Black, Seven & Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager, Helena & a lot of people (especially Gracie and Siobhan) from Orphan Black, Kara & Kat from Battlestar Galactica... Newest: Michael & Tilly from Star Trek: Discovery and Eleven & Kali from Stranger Things.

8. There’s a Disney battle. Are you gonna join forces with the “princesses” (or just protagonists in general) or the villains?

Definitely not the villains, but probably not the heroes either. My main question would be: what are they fighting for, and could they just drop it and do something more fun? :P I would only fight a battle to protect myself or possibly someone else from abuse, tbh.

9. Which of your birthdays is the first one you remember?

I think 4th, but kinda also 3rd? Because I got a strawberry cake with jello that I’m pretty sure I also remembered from the year before.

10. What is your favorite candy?

Generally just anything that is fruity and doesn’t have chocolate. :) I like Skittles, Alpenliebe, Nimm 2... I’m not very big on candy, though.

11. Playstation or Xbox?

I’ve only ever had Playstation, so I can’t really make this choice objectively, but I liked it, so, Playstation. :D (I mostly used it to watch DVDs, though, ‘cause it was my only DVD player at that time.)

[many-gay-magpies]

2024 Writing Year in Review

Tagged by @babyseraphim, thank you so much friend!! This kind of thing is so fun <3 Starting in March because I didn’t post any in 2024 before then (but WHOO BOY have I been on a role since)

March

Of Kings and Splintered Gods - BBC Merlin

When Kilgarrah had bathed Excalibur in his fire, he’d said it would enable the blade to kill anything, mortal or magical, living or dead. Later, when Merlin was able to think more deeply on the prophecies and began to have some rather disturbing realizations about himself, he came to the conclusion that being stabbed by Excalibur would just kill him. Mortal or non-mortal, after all; that was the clause. Apparently, that clause didn’t apply to Emrys. Merlin should have known. Merlin wasn’t just immortal; he couldn’t die. The Balance wouldn’t let him. So the two had compromised: Merlin had, by the cut of Excalibur’s blade, been broken into millions of tiny pieces and scattered across the entirety of the globe. — OR: an exploration into what would happen if Merlin got stabbed by Excalibur.

If You Saw My Trouble, You’d be Scared - Teen Wolf

Isaac snorts. “You’re not doomed, Scott.” Scott shrugs. “Maybe. But—that’s not the point. The point is, I guess—if you like her, and she likes you, then—“ Isaac’s shaking his head before Scott can even get the whole sentence out. “I don’t wanna hurt you,” he says quietly. The phrase is familiar in a way that makes Isaac ache, and he doesn’t know why until— Scott looks up at him, all dark eyes and boundary-breaking sincerity, and says, “I don’t wanna hurt you, either.” — From Deaton’s animal clinic to Beacon Hills Memorial, Isaac finds home in his pack—and in one Alpha and Hunter pair in particular.

Where You go, I'm Going - Teen Wolf

They shower at the same time, like they always used to when they were kids and Melissa would herd them into the tub after a day of frolicking in the sun so they didn't track dirt through the house. Those days were playful days—moments of respite in the intermittent dreariness of Stiles's mom's sickness and Scott's parents' divorce—and often devolved into bubble fights drenching an impressive area of the bathroom for two seven-year-old boys. Now it's different, but still familiar. They're almost ten years older. It's gasoline instead of mud being washed off their skin, and so much has changed, but they're still them. Still Scott and Stiles. — Missing scene of Scott and Stiles taking care of each other before leaving the Glen Capri.

April

Nothing Wrong With a Little Space (But not Right Now) - Teen Wolf

"I'm sorry," Isaac says into Scott's throat. Scott doesn't say it's okay, this time. He just crushes Isaac impossibly closer, breath trembling where it's buried in Isaac's curls, fingers digging into Isaac's shoulders through his shirt. "Just—stay," he says. "Here. For tonight." — Before Isaac leaves for France with Argent, he and Scott say their goodbyes.

All in, Palms Out - Teen Wolf

Allison takes Scott in, then. And she—well, she sees. She sees how his hand is still clenched around Isaac’s arm, thumb rubbing slowly back and forth like he’s barely even cognizant of it. She sees how his brows furrow and how he’s worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. She sees how his eyes have gone heavy, trained on Isaac’s profile, a renaissance painting even with the black burns up his neck and cheek—pain and regret mixed in with something oddly familiar Allison can’t place. Allison isn’t entirely sure why she does it. On a whim, she asks, “Do you love him?” — Allison thinks about Isaac, Scott, love, and what it means to be brave.

Pinhole - Teen Wolf

Jackson doesn’t remember much from when he was under Matt’s control, but he remembers the rave. Erica in front of him. Her blond hair, her brown eyes. Her devilish smile. Another body behind hers. Another presence, this one taller; taller than Jackson. Light eyes, but heavy, staring Jackson down, pinning him like a butterfly on a board—and in the present Jackson blames Lydia for injecting that particular metaphor into his head, but in the memory he could only feel pinned.

May

The Art of Rebuilding the Self - BBC Merlin

Merlin loved them. He’d been reborn knowing it, the feeling as ingrained in his reconstruction as his DNA. He hadn’t known it before—but it had been there, he was sure, and when he broke, it lay in the ruins waiting for him, impossible to ignore. He loved them both, his king and his queen, far more than he should have, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop it. Not when they made him feel whole in a way little else seemed to accomplish. — Sequel to Of Kings and Splintered Gods, focused on the coalescence of the polyamory the first piece hinted at.

Like a Tidal Wave - Teen Wolf

Scott is enough for this, though. Enough to hold Isaac in the dark, and take his pain, and sooth him to sleep. Enough to love him. And—fuck, he does. It’s not just attraction, and it’s not just a crush. Scott still loves Allison, but he knows that he loves Isaac, too. He’d hold Isaac in a heartbeat; hold him close with arms and hands and heart alike, but so too would he hold him back from every violence, if only to know it would keep him safe. Scott’s heart doesn’t do things halfway. It never has before; he doesn’t know why he expected it to start now. — In the midst of grappling with the alpha pack, the Darach, and his encroaching true alpha status, Scott falls in love with Isaac—while still being just as in love with Allison. To say the least, it’s confusing.

July

To a Grave Dug for Fear - Dead Boy Detectives

Over the years, Edwin had documented two exceptions to the rule of ghosts being unable to touch or feel (cat scratches, iron, and other supernatural plights notwithstanding). One: ghosts could touch and feel each other. Two: ghosts could touch and feel in hell. Edwin had never cared much for physical contact with others while he was alive, and his distaste only worsened in hell. In hell, to touch was to be torn apart, and to feel was to feel pain. The loss of that, Edwin thought, was no loss at all. Then came Charles Rowland. — A thought piece exploring Edwin’s relationship with touch, his relationship with Charles, and how the two have intersected over the years.

August

Where Primroses Bloom - Dead Boy Detectives

“I dunno what being in love’s supposed to feel like,” Charles had confessed. “I dunno if it’s how I feel about you, or if I even can feel it. But I know I have never loved a single person in my life more than I love you. I know I’d go to hell a million times if it could keep you safe. I’d fight Lucifer themself to keep you safe. I’d do it in a heartbeat. And, I mean—that's as good a place to start as any, innit?” And Edwin, sitting below Charles in his chair, hand brushing Charles’s on the desk, had smiled and said, “I would think it is a great deal more than that.” OR: An exploration of Edwin and Charles's boundary-defying love for each other, as facilitated by reading aloud as a love language.

September

The Curious Tongue - Dead Boy Detectives

Edwin isn’t even thinking when he presses the pad of his thumb down on the soft, wet surface of Charles’s tongue. Or, well—he is thinking, but only about how he needs Charles’s tongue to stop moving so he can better examine his molars for fungal remains. What ends up happening, though, is that Charles makes the loveliest, breathiest little noise, and Edwin becomes suddenly, intimately aware of how—well, intimate this all is. — After the conclusion of a case involving a particularly insidious variety of ghost fungus, the possibility of Charles having been infected sends Edwin into an investigative frenzy—and leads to a series of rather exhilarating (if inappropriately-timed) revelations for the two detectives.

October

You've got Me in Your Pull (Please Don't Release) - Dead Boy Detectives

Charles still hasn’t quite gotten used to how good it feels, like this. He’s still a little scared of it, sometimes. But Edwin’s good at chasing off the fear. Chasing off everything, really. Somewhere between the start of the night and now, the rest of the world’s slipped out the back door, leaving this as the only solid anchor in Charles’s fuzzed-out mind. He feels strung out on it; tethered by it. Well. It, and one other thing. — Charles and Edwin take their exploration a bit deeper.

Le Chéile, Cloachlaithe - Dead Boy Detectives

Edwin knew, even before returning to the office, how the night would go. He saw it in the heavy bags beneath Charles's eyes; in the way he trembled slightly with every step, his smile pulled too tight at the edges. Sure enough, Charles’s body had flickered away in the embrace they shared in the office doorway, melting off him like candle wax beneath a flame as soon as Edwin whispered to him, ‘let go’. Then he’d slipped further, the softly-pulsing sphere of him pushing through Edwin’s facsimile of a ribcage and into his vacant chest cavity, settling right where Edwin’s heart would have been. Charles’s last words had been a gentle order for Edwin to get some rest, too, to which Edwin had responded with murmured ascent. — A harrowing case leaves both the boys worn out. Charles orbs out, but Edwin stubbornly foregoes rest to continue working. Charles is not having it.

November

Take Me Under (Take Me Home) - Dead Boy Detectives

Ghosts cannot feel cold, but Charles is shivering, so hard it would be sending ripples out through the water if he were corporeal. Ghosts cannot get wet, either, but Charles is positively drenched, glistening curls sticking to his forehead and sending rivulets down his unsettlingly grey face. His deep brown eyes are wide, but not in the lovely, doe-gazed way that so often sends Edwin’s undead heart into a tailspin. Instead, they are wide in the way of a deer in the headlights; stock still in the face of oncoming terror. Paralyzed, not in the present, but in some past memory of dread—so consuming it blots out everything else. “Charles? What’s wrong?” Edwin asks. Yet even before the question has left his mouth, he already knows. — A trap orchestrated by a deceased wizard drops the boys into the middle of the ocean, and Charles’s fear of water makes an appearance.

Reach Out and Touch - Dead Boy Detectives

Crystal’s fingers are aching. Maybe it’s from how long she’s been holding them still to let the polish dry, but they feel restless; like she wants to curl them around something, do something, make something with them— Okay, that feeling’s not new. It’s probably not the polish. It keeps cropping up in Crystal’s mind, usually when something good is happening, like she can’t just let herself live in the moment. Like it’s too much to just feel. She has to make it permanent somehow; make it immortal. “Hey, Niko?” Crystal asks, waiting until Niko pauses the show and turns towards her to continue. “Do you have any paper?”

December

Honey, it's Easier - Dead Boy Detectives

Edwin knows this is new for Charles. He understands, when Charles wants to take it slow. When they are kissing—because kissing is something they do, now—and Charles pulls back just when Edwin can feel it getting heavy, huffing something about not wanting to rush things. Edwin can give Charles time to get used to this; as much time as he needs. He can satisfy himself with daydreams and thoughts of Charles in the meantime, as long as it takes for Charles to be ready for more. Forever, if he never is. But god, Edwin does not want it to be forever. — After beginning a romantic relationship, Edwin assumes Charles is not yet ready for sex due to his unfamiliarity with same-sex relations, and Charles assumes Edwin is not yet ready for sex due to his unfamiliarity with any-sex relations. Naturally, they do exactly zero communication about this.

To Watch You as You Wake - Dead Boy Detectives

He tries to breathe through it; through the memory of frigid November lake water, bruised ribs, and rattling lungs. Laid overtop are the phantom sensations of a few lashes across his back—stone bleeding into leather—and a rough palm to his cheek. Lovely things, dreams. November. ‘Tis the season, then. — Charles gets woken up by a nightmare. Set in the universe of DontOffendTheBees's Something I Can Turn To.

Rooftop Talks - Dead Boy Detectives

This is something they have begun doing, since Port Townsend. The darkness makes it easier to speak. It makes it easier to tell the truth, when for so many years they both have grown too used to politely sidestepping each others’ most tender wounds—the wounds that, in truth, most needed tending.

Man that was a wild ride lmao. I don't think about my writing improving over the course of the year, but as I was copying down the summaries for my early 2024 fics I just kept being like "damn I can do much better than this now" XD.

For this I'll be tagging @wordsinhaled, @shadowquill17, @blusandbirds (I meant to tag you at first too oops- editing), and anyone else who wants to do it! And ofc, no pressure to participate if you don't want ^^

[many-gay-magpies]

tag game: pick stuff from your room and have people vote on which one they want to take home.

tagged by @babyseraphim! thank you lovely this is SO fun

i shall tag @blusandbirds @crushed-oranged-angered @fishy-lava @williamvapespeare and whoever else sees this and just feels like doing it! (of course no pressure ^^)

and yes like nimm if people wanted to reblog and say what they picked that would be fun!!

[many-gay-magpies]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @babyseraphim! Thank you lovely, yk i love this kind of thing <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

17!

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

94,685

3. What fandoms do you write for?

These days it’s pretty much all Dead Boy Detectives, but before this I was writing a lot of Teen Wolf stuff. I’ve also written some BBC Merlin fics, some for the Sandman (although those were both BBC Merlin crossovers), and one The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance fic!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Circular Entrapment - BBC Merlin/Sandman crossover

A Dream of Avalon - also BBCM/Sandman crossover

The Curious Tongue - DBD

Where Primroses Bloom - DBD

To a Grave Dug for Fear - DBD

5. Do you respond to comments?

As often as I can, yes! I absolutely love responding to comments and do my best to respond to every one I get, but I think some of my older fics (mostly the Sandman/Merlin crossover ones that got pretty good traction) might have comments I’ve forgotten about.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I think it would have to be that short little Teen Wolf Scisaac goodbye fic I wrote, Nothing Wrong With a Little Space (But not Right now). That one ends (and is overall) decently angsty, but I’m allergic to solid angst so it’s still somewhat open/hopeful.

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

Probably Where Primroses Bloom lmao; that is, like, THE sappiest shit I’ve ever written, the ending included. Like I said I’m allergic to solid angst so most of my fics have happy endings, but that one is definitely the most tooth-rotting level of fluff I’ve yet committed.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not as of yet; like Nimm I’m guessing I haven’t been writing for long enough/haven’t written ENOUGH yet to get a big enough audience to attract hate. I am okay with this

9. Do you write smut?

Once upon a time I would have said a solid no but I have been dabbling lately! Idk how much I’m gonna do, and I don’t think I’ll ever consider myself a smut WRITER, but it has been quite fun :>

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yes! Not any recently, but my first (and only) two fics for the Sandman were both crossover with BBC Merlin, and I have, like, an insane amount of crossovers with Merlin and other fandoms just rotting in Scrivener lmao. Doctor Who crossovers, a Tales of Arcadia crossover, more Sandman crossovers, Good Omens crossovers, Dead Boy Detectives crossovers (though those are barely written), the concept for a Teen Wolf crossover… I love to but that twink wizard in situations

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Triple nope���although I might be, maybe, at some point, soon-ish, if my and the other writer’s motivation for the fic ever returns from the war TT (mostly mine unfortunately). It’s definitely something I think could be fun!!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Right now Payneland has consumed me mind body and soul, and they seem the type to stick for years to come, even if my overall DBD interest eventually fades. Merlin and Arthur are my eternal beloveds, however, and I will never NOT be a Merthur lover at heart. Even when my BBC Merlin interest is at a low (like it is right now), Merthur remains in my heart.

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

SO MANY MERLIN WIPS DEAR GOD. As I mentioned before I haven’t had my Merlin interest surge in a while, so there are, like, five different half-written crossovers where I just yeet that wizard at other fandoms, and a lot of them are REALLY REALLY GOOD, but like. I can’t fully commit to them without reawakened interest in the fandoms involved, so. For now they shall be left to rot in my fanfiction doc. Also that one fucking 24k Merlin fic I fully wrote, like to completion, and want to rewrite now that my writing is better and I have the ideas more fleshed out, but haven’t yet due to lack of interest/motivation.

I do have a bit of hope though that one day my Merlin interest will return from the war, so in the interest of sharing some WIPs with less hope: the Triptych series for Teen Wolf. I have a fourth part of that in progress, and I think it has like 11k of it or some insane number written, and I want to finish it SO BAD because my girl Allison deserves some time to shine, plus that is the first and only time I have committed to a serial project in a fandom, believing I would follow through, but I. Very much have not. Triptych readers if any of you still follow me I am sorry, the Teen Wolf interest did not last as long as I hoped it would—but at the very least, the way the series is formatted makes it so the ending now is still a nice, solid, if slightly open ending, so if you didn’t know there’d been a fourth part planned you probably wouldn’t assume anything was missing.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I’m generally good with prose, dialogue, and emotional and atmospheric description! Which is like. Quite a bit actually. But I feel like I’m generally a pretty good writer, and I enjoy all the different processes a lot! I’ve gotten a lot of compliments in comments on my fics about how I get the characters’ voices and vibes down really accurately, which is EVERYTHING to me because that feels like one of the most challenging parts of fic—actually making the characters read LIKE THE CHARACTERS. So, that is a point of pride for sure kjshdkfjhksjh

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Run-on sentences. I am so, SO guilty of abusing the em dash (—) and semicolon (;) to hell and back, my goodness. Half my editing process is going through and shortening sentences, reordering clauses, etc etc. I also feel like I could definitely improve in the actual plot-driven area, at least when it comes to fic—pretty much all my fics are emotion and character-focused oneshots, which isn’t a bad thing and certainly has its place in fandom, but I so enormously admire the fic writers who think up whole plots for the characters and put them into so many situations… granted I did do that with Circular Entrapment, and I’m in the process of doing it with my (finally-named!) post-canon casefic, but I want to do it MORE. Also, committing!! I pretty much only post oneshots because I’m terrible at committing to longer-form stuff!! A big part of it is that I can’t exactly control the whims of my brains and its interests, but god just for ONCE I would like to commit to and actually FOLLOW THROUGH WITH a longer-form project, like a serial or a multichapter.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I mean, I’m not sure what exactly this is asking. I have one unposted ficlet where I use my very intermediate French knowledge to write Isaac Lahey speaking very rudimentary French, so I think it’s fun? I think generally if I ever used another language for dialogue I’d put a translation in the end notes, and like. I don’t see myself doing it that often? It can be fun to read though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If we’re talking first fandom I wrote fic for ever, in my life, that would have to be either My Little Pony or How To Train Your Dragon. If we’re talking first fandom I ever wrote fic and POSTED the fic for, that would be Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

20. Favorite fics you’ve written?

Aughhhhh. I think at the moment I’m super proud of The Curious Tongue, because it was just so much fun to write and I’m super proud of the results! It was my first foray into posting slightly more nsfw writing, which was a bit nerve-wracking, but I really just adore the character dynamics and emotional vulnerability in it. Exploring the same events from two separate POVs and seeing how DIFFERENT they were was so fun, and the great reception it’s received has been a big plus!

I’m also really proud of To a Grave Dug for Fear, because I really love the ideas, intrapersonal conflict, and emotional/character dynamics explored in it, and I feel like I did a good job for it being my first fic for the DBD fandom! But on a non-DBD note, Circular Entrapment. It’s still just such an entertaining concept and execution to me, and seeing how those two incredibly different characters meshed together was so much FUN.

For this I will zero-pressure tag my usual writer mutual tag, @blusandbirds, and also @edwinspaynes, @wordsinhaled, @shadowquill17, and any other writers who see this and want to participate! As usual, if you are tagged and DON’T want to, just consider it a notification that I’m thinking of you :3