#through season 9ish

[notmuchtofind]

"you're doing a sex scene?!" | d.s

word count: 1.8k

tw: mentions of manipulation and aggressive behaviour

synopsis: drew reveals his role requires a sex scene and this causes explosive disagreements | slight fluff slight aggressive

you place the bag groceries on the kitchen counter and begin a sigh of relief, the lift in your apartment block is broken and climbing 5 flights of stairs with 3 bags of groceries isn't so fun..

As you walk over to your hallway to kick off your shoes you hear a few thuds at the door, in a beat you're so familiar with. You were expecting Drew around 9ish, you quickly check your watch to see it's 8:47pm... you giggle to yourself slightly and grin with excitement "he's early" you mumble to yourself . A wave of eagerness rushes over you as you lean over to grab the door handle and twist the recently locked door. opening the door, you look up to see Drew, all sun kissed and beaming. He's been in South Carolina for a couple months shooting the latest season of obx so it doesn't surprise you to see his slight tan, you'd imagine he's topless half the time, so it explains itself...

"baby!" he exclaimed with a devilish yet blissful look on his face

"I've missed you!" you say whilst being engulfed into a hug by drew, you feel his arms wrap around you, becoming tighter with time as you stand there swaying back and forth for a while... He places his hands on you shoulders and pushes you back slightly so he can begin to look at your face.

He places a kiss on your forehead "i've missed you y/n/n" he mutters, he looks almost taken back by you, as he makes eye contact, forcing nerves into the pit of your stomach.

"trust you to come 5 minutes after I've just had to carry all the groceries up the stairs by myself!" you tease 

"work those muscles baby" he chuckles

After a few long weeks of being away from each other it's nice to be back in each other's company, Drew helps you put the groceries away and you quickly hop in the shower, you change into your trackies and settle on the couch with Drews head in-between your legs. you run your hands over his buzz cut hair, feeling the individual strands poking at your palm whilst you binge watch.

"hey y/n/n" 

"mmhm?" you murmur

"i've been meaning to mention...I think, maybe, like the next season of outer banks; rafe develops a love interest and I... um-" 

you're suddenly all ears "a love interest?" you interrupt, sitting up slightly, causing Drew to sit up so he's now facing you on the couch.

"yeh, I think so?" said with slight tension

" but I think Jonas is wanting a few urm...like, a few" he stutters and your eyes widen "some sex scenes between me and Fiona..." He paused as you gave him a slight glance

"You know Fiona, right? you met her when you came to visit me shooting last month?" he questions

Yes, of course you know Fiona, is he kidding!?? she's gorgeous, she's bubbly and she's funny she's-...

'fuck, am I jealous?' you think too yourself

"umm, yeh Fiona, she was really nice when I met her" you state through gritted teeth

drew chuckles nervously "I just thought I should let you know...I mean obviously it's all professional but you know... I-"

"No, don't be silly, I know drew. It's your job. I expect it...obviously " you say, getting up off the couch and heading over to the open plan kitchen...'did that come off slightly passive aggressive?' you think too yourself.

Drew leans back into the couch, watching you from afar, you can feel his eyes burning into your back as you grab a glass from the cupboard.

you're aware it's his job, but surely anyone in this position would feel slightly jealous, he's going to have to act intimate with someone and it's then going to be seen by the rest of the world, you're unaware of how sex scenes operate...how far will it have to go and how much skin will be seen?! uncontrollable thoughts run through your mind, you find yourself questioning the love Drew has for you. Are you good enough? Will an on screen romance become an off screen one? In all fairness, Drew and the cast spend more time together within the 6 months of filming than you and Drew do within that 6 months alone...you feel yourself snap.

by snap I don't mean scream, nor shout, nor cry. 

However, there is a slightly toxic side to you, one which is created by past relationships, people that have made you feel less than. Before you met drew, you'd been through some shit and it's always been difficult for you to trust...you're subconsciously 'triggered'

" She's pretty right?" you say, turning to Drew and catching his eyes with yours.

you stand there with an empty glass on the counter as you wait for his response.

"umm.." he stutters, taken back by your question

"she's a nice girl y/n/n...why?"

you nod slowly, pouring a drink into the glass..."yeh,she's a nice girl" you repeat, again, through gritted teeth

Drew squints his eyes over at you as he tries to figure out what your trying to do..."listen baby, its professional, you can't-"

"I can't what?" you interrupt with a slightly raised voice 

There was a silence that filled the room.

"I'm going to bed," you murmur as you grab your glass off the counter and take your first step towards your bedroom.

"y/n/n?" drew exclaimes, but you ignore him

"fuck sake" you hear drew mutters under his breath, followed by a sigh as he tilts his head back into the couch. 

Darting your head over to his direction, you interrogate.

"Am I too much for you?" you exclaim 

"what?" drew says confused whilst frowning "no y/n I-"

you interrupted "so why are you making me feel like you dealing with my emotions is a chore?!" 

"Yes, I'm slightly pissed off drew. but there's nothing I can do about it. just let me have some time, don't sigh at me like I'm so difficult for you?" you say, raising your voice slightly more. He stands up and raises his hands slightly in-front of his chest whilst he gestures "are you fucking kidding me?" he chuckles sarcastically. "I've hardly said a word this whole time, you're being manipulative y/n. stop?" he demands 

"manipulative? drew? really?" 

Drew walks over to you, and you can now see slight anger in his eyes, his energy feels cold. 

"yes!" he exclaims, he comes close to your face and continues to gesture "asking me if I think she's pretty? What kind of question is that? you're trying to catch me out y/n?!" he lashes

"I was just asking you a question drew I-"

"are you fucking kidding me!? you want me to turn around and tell you that, yeh! yanno what, I cant wait to fuck her!? is that what you want? please tell me y/n '' drew shouts.

you're taken back by his aggressive body language and his raised voice and the words he's just spoken. you can feel slight tears forming in the back of your retina, the ball in your stomach grows bigger and you can feel your heartbeat in your fingertips. You're not usto arguing with Drew so explosively, you're not used to seeing his aggressive body language and if you're honest, it scared you. you could either lash out, you could scream...but you're suddenly engulfed by a wave of upset.

"I'm going to bed" you state. turning on the balls of your feet to continue to walk down the hall. A single tear escapes your eye but you're waiting to reach the bathroom before you can let all your emotions overwhelm your being. you didn't give yourself time to see the expression on Drews face after he'd stopped shouting but you didn't have to look to tell that he instantly regretted what he said, you could feel his energy change as you walked away.

_________________

you've turned to face the wall, struggling to sleep when...A few thuds at your bedroom door, in the beat you're again, so familiar with. you haven't been able to fall asleep and to be honest you were hoping Drew would knock and come in, he knows you hate sleeping without resolving an argument. it could be the biggest argument or the smallest argument you've ever had but you always make sure to have it somewhat sorted out before either of you say goodnight, whether he's 3000 miles away or just next door.

"hey y/n/n" drew whispers as you heard the door shut quietly behind him but you didn't turn around. "hey...are you sleeping?" he questions before you feel the bed slightly dip and a creak from the headboard.

It takes you a minute  but you eventually turn around, to be greeted by the back of Drew, he looks to have his head in his hands sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm awake" you mutter.

He turns slightly, greeting you with an apologetic smile, he then goes to grab your exposed arm and rubs it with his thumb. his energy is warm and calm, much different too before. it makes the nerves form again in the pit of your stomach, like butterflies. "Listen baby" he states "I'm sorry about the shit I said and urm... the way I raised my voice. my actions were out of order and for that i'm sorry..." he sighs apologetically 

There was a slight silence whilst you thought of what to say, but before you could speak he began again "you know I love you? right? It upsets me that you worry about my opinions on anyone else because, I'm sorry but, in my mind no one compares to you y/n/n, I honestly do think you are. thé. most." drew emphasises "perfect girl in the world for me" he finishes, looking at you with a devilish grin 

he knows how to capture your heart...you roll your eyes playfully trying to shy away from the fact he's made you weak... whilst a smile creeps upon your face you push his arm and chuckle slightly.

you sigh.

"i'm sorry about my outburst, it was out of order" you admit "I was slightly jealous and I-"

"only slightly?!" drew says with a sarcastic shocked faces as he interrupts you, playfully teasing

"fuck off" you chuckle, pushing his arm

"Yes, it's because everyone wants you...what can I say, it's hard being me!" rolling your eyes, teasing him back

He engulfs you into a hug and plants kisses all over your face and neck, almost like he's attacking you. you giggle and say stop, but really you need him to carry on. 

"fuck! I love you drew" 

"fuck... I love you" he reiterates.

[thesleepyfable]

~ SWTD: Still Here AU Season 2 Part 7: ~

Hit the Road, Caz:

Here we go. It's time for a cross-country trip across the UK. I had to do some research for this one, including certain roads, motorways, and time it takes to get to London from Scotland, and the answer is 9ish hours.

The trucks arrived at 10 pm, and Addair wasn't happy about that. He might have said he was fine waiting until morning, but the entire night, he tossed and turned in the barn. He mindlessly picked at the hay and continued to look at the pictures. The thought of Tommy's accident polluted his mind, and Caz's. The poor man, who was a lighthouse to the infected, could somehow picture Addair's thoughts as if they were his own. He didn't blame Addair for it, but it was a good thing he didn't have a drivers licence. Sleep quickly went out the window, but hugging Suze was worth it. Her sweet smell and soft skin were perfect.

'Right-o,' Roy said as he held up a map of Scotland with Innes against one of the vans. Cadal's drivers would be joining them on this trip since no one from Beria had a licence, but they'll keep to themselves. Thankfully, they were the same duo who brought them here. 'We'll head to Aberdeen, then cross through Glasgow to drop some people off. Then we join the M6, and it's a straight drive from there.'

'Sounds easy enough,' Trots muttered.

'Aww, you're leaving me in that dump all alone?' Simon playfully groaned as he hugged Trots from behind and rested his head on his man's shoulder.

'I'll be back, I promise.'

Innes watched the couple before looking over at Muir, who was on the phone with his family. Seeing him made him feel light, and that lost happiness he craved for years return, but he didn't know what to do. He had so many plans but he didn't know where to start. Maybe, some advice?

'Hey, Simon. Can we talk in private, please?'

'Sure.' The pair wandered into the garage, away from any pair of pricked ears. 'You okay?'

'Can I ask you something?' Simon just responded with a shrug and a nod. 'How do you make Trots happy?'

'Well, I listen to him. Make him feel special when he gets home.' Simon chuckled. 'He's always grumpy when he gets back.' Innes noticed the loving look in Simon's eyes as he focused his attention back to Trots. He watched his man help Irene put her luggage away, like he was a fallen angel. That loving look in his eye. Innes was jealous of it. He knew he could never make that expression. 'So, I cook him a good meal. Pasta is his favourite.' A pause lingered. Innes looked to the floor with crossed arms. When Simon noticed the lack of a response, he turned back to the blonde deckhand. 'You're struggling with Muir, aren't you?'

'Not struggling,' Innes replied. 'I love Muir, I really do - heck, I admitted my feelings first - but, what do I do now? I haven't been in a relationship for over a decade, and on the spur of the moment, I finally tell him what he has been waiting for since he met me.'

'Find an interest he has and share it.' Simon was quick with his words but soft in tone. 'What does he like?'

'Music. He would sneak a harmonica on Beria and wake me up at all ungodly hours of the night to tease me.' But Innes never resented Muir for it. As tired as he was the following day, he couldn't be mad.

'Do you have it?'

'Yeah.'

'Then learn it. You don't have to be an expert, but he'd love to see that you care about something he's passionate about.' Now, Innes felt like an idiot for not knowing something so obvious, but he felt better knowing he was worried for nothing.

'Thanks, Simon. Now, I just have to learn how to cook.'

'Did Muir do that?'

'No, we both can't cook for shit.' The pair shared a laugh.

'Right, let's get out of here.' Caz didn't sound enthusiastic. He was so tired and was hopefully going to sleep away the entire trip. He and Addair shared a quick, knowing glance before he climbed into one of the trucks, joining Rennick and, yes, his robin Ruby too. Addair wasn't an animal lover. Always thought a pet would be too much work and too expensive to care for. But, if Tommy was able to wake up, he'll make sure to get him a dog. Maybe a staffy. Big but loyal.

'Are you sure you're okay watching the farm for me?' Muir asked O'Connor and Mary. 'Ma said Angus will be home in a few hours. We can pay you both for this.'

'Nae bother, Muir,' O'Connor replied. 'I just can't take off on another adventure again.'

'Why, will your heart explode?'

'Maybe. Just bring me a fridge magnet.'

'Fair enough. Innes left the schedule by the back door.'

'Thanks.' O'Connor got a quick glimpse of Addair. He hated the man with a burning passion, but here, he felt sorry for him. He and Mary never had children, but he could feel his heartache. Like a stone sinking into the depths of a lake. This didn't change anything. Still a cunt in his eyes. Now just wasn't the time to feel the usual hate. It will come back, eventually...

The McLeary family bundled up in the first truck whilst Roy, Simon, Jack, and Irene took the second housing, Muir, Gibbo, and Trots. A tight squeeze on the bench seats, but they'll manage. Caz, who was sat by the door, rolled the window down and gave a thumbs up. And with a roar of the engines that rattled the trucks, followed by a final wave from O'Connor, the team drove down the drive and carefully turned for the village.

'What's London like?' The idea of going somewhere knew left Cait bouncing in her seat as her mind was filled with questions.

'Big,' Addair said. He seemed happy to be on the road now. His gravelled voice that rivalled Roy's was light, which the men have heard before, but that wasn't malice to it. For once, the Londoner was genuine. He even let out a small, nostalgic chuckle to himself. 'Lots of history. Busy streets, parks for as far as the eye could see. You'd love riding a red bus. You always have to do that in London.'

'Is there a zoo?'

'Yep.'

Oh no...

Cait gasped and turned to Caz with a pleading look. Her father was always the weaker one to her puppy eyes. He tried not to look at her and kept his attention to the country road. Maybe now was a good time to pretend to be asleep? However, he couldn't resist, and his eyes glanced to his eldest daughter.

'Can we-'

'No,' Suze sternly said, saving the day as she always did. 'We're going home.'

'But, I want to go to London with dad.'

'Well, you've got school next week, and what dad's going to London for is too adult for you.'

'Edinburgh is better anyway,' Rennick boasted through the small hatch, causing Caz to laugh, which was more of a cackle. 'What?!'

'Nothihg. Nothing.' Caz snickered and wiped his eyes. 'I've never been, Davey, but why's it better?'

'Really, my flat. You could see the entire city from the window.'

'But, you don't have an Edinburgh accent.'

'Aye. I was born and raised in Fife. Moved to the Captial about fifteen years ago.'

'Fife's better..."

'Fife didn't have job opportunities.'

'What will happen to your home now?' Suze pondered.

'Who knows. I guess I could sell it, but why would I need money now?'

'Can Mr. Rennick, come and live with us, Daddy?' Maidie's innocent voice and imagination didn't consider that they lived in a 3rd story of a 10 story flat with no garden to call their own. Cait nodded in agreement. Rennick and Suze chuckled. Addair was silently amused. And Caz, as surprised as he was at the thought of his boss sitting in their front room, had to be logical.

'Maybe,' he said with a fake smile. He reached over and held Suze's hand, who tightened her grip in return. 'Let's just get you weans home first.' One day left. Caz could feel reality coming for him, and as much as he wanted to run again, his family anchored his body and cleared his mind. Suze leaned and rested her head on his shoulders. Caz kissed the crown of her head and rested his own on her. He peered to the window next to the driver, where the first buildings of the village passed by. This was it. Was Caz scared? Yes. He was terrified. But he had to be strong for his own sake of mind.

Soon, they were on the empty motorway of the A93 for Aberdeen. Then Glasgow.

[mentally-unstabler]

Disposed

Elliot Stabler x Female Reader

TWs- Canonical SVU violence/themes

AN- First SVU fic I’m actually publishing :) it’s quite angsty and Elliot being a rescuer but no romance… yet. Also set in season 7/8/9ish (timeline is kinda vague but it’s in that era). Already writing part 2 but lmk what you think. Also if you like my writing (and THG) then check out my other blog @avoxrising

— 1.6k wc—

The undercover operation that you and Elliot were on had gone south very quickly. The traffickers you were infiltrating caught wind of your true identities and now were heading somewhere to dispose of you.

Your arms and legs were tied together in an uncomfortable position; a plastic bag over your head. You could hear the rumbling of the truck as the traffickers drove you to an unknown location. It was hard to tell how long you’d been in the car but it couldn’t have been too long.

You slide across the covered bed of the truck as the vehicle makes a sharp turn, slamming into who you assume is a tied up Elliot. They hadn’t hurt either of you, which only made you more worried for what was to come when the vehicle stopped. You’d been able to loosen the bindings around your wrists a little, but not enough to wriggle free.

A few moments later, the truck comes to a screeching halt on what sounds like a gravel road. There were no city sounds, leading you to believe you were no longer in Manhattan. Even at the latest hours of the night the city was never this quiet.

You hear the men grumble as they open the bed of the truck. A hand grabs your shoulder and you attempt to kick at it, but more hands quickly hold you down. They drag you from the vehicle and carry you away.

When they set you down moments later, you can feel the world rocking underneath you. Based on the smells and sounds around you there was only one conclusion you came to.

You were on a boat.

The men quickly drop Elliot on the floor of the boat next to you and start the engine. You’d been on boats a lot as a kid in Florida, and this boat felt like a mid-sized boat used for tubing on a lake.

Your bound hands grasp for anything to hold on to as the boat takes off through the choppy night waters. Bouncing hard against the deck as the boat roars over some waves, you wince in pain, still searching for a steady hold. The only thing you find is Elliot, who is also tumbling around the deck in his bound state.

One would think you would be relieved when the boat finally came to a stop, but you were terrified. You knew what these men were capable of, and you were at a disadvantage.

“This a good spot?” You hear one of the men ask.

“Looks as good as any,” another replies. “They won’t be getting out of this one.”

Their footsteps approach and you feel hands around you once again. Squirming only earns you a slap in the face and more hands grabbing at you.

Suddenly, nothing is holding you, then you are cold, very cold.

They had thrown you overboard.

Elliot is able to quickly undo his bindings and remove the bag from his head underwater. Thankfully he learned a lot of things in the marines, including lots of knots and how to swim in harsh conditions.

Despite your lack of military training, the bag on your head had managed to free itself when you were thrown into the water. You manage to use your bound limbs to kick your way to the surface, trying to get a grasp of the situation.

Before you could even think to look for Elliot, shots were fired from the boat. Elliot quickly dove under the water, avoiding the attack. You managed to move enough to miss most of the bullets, but one lodged in your left rotator cuff as you tried to maneuver away.

‘Play dead’ is the only thing you can think in that moment, so you allow yourself to float in the water, unmoving except for the light rise and fall of your chest.

You waited what felt like hours for the boat to leave, but it must have only been a minute or two. Dozens of thoughts raced through your mind as you tried to comprehend what was happening. Where were you? Where was Elliot? Was he shot? How were you going to get out of this?

Looking around, you see the lights of Manhattan in the distance and a large port somewhat closer than the city. They must have dropped you in the middle of the bay.

It finally hits you how cold the water is. The spring brought water temperatures in the 50s, which wasn’t as bad as winter but definitely was not warm.

You return to floating on your back, coming to the conclusion that it was impossible to tread water with your limbs bound. It was also impossible to comprehend help arriving before you succumbed to your situation, so you allow yourself to float peacefully in the cold bay waters.

A hand on your leg catches you by suprise, causing you to shriek. Flipping upright, you see what you assume is Elliot, although it was hard to make out anything in the dark.

“I thought you were dead,” he says relieved.

“Not yet,” you groan as you move your feet to the surface.

Elliot quickly works to untie your bindings, whilst continuing to tread water. You let out a pained noise as he grabs at your arms and unties them, realizing the water hadn’t numbed your shoulder as much as you had hoped.

“Were you hit?” you ask him, struggling to tread water with your one good arm.

“No I’m fine,” he said. “We need to see which way the current is flowing and then…”

“Elliot,” you stop him, realizing he’s just as panicked as you are. “I’m hit. They got my shoulder. You should swim and get help. I’ll float here till they can come get me.”

Worry in his voice, Elliot quickly starts pestering you with questions about your shoulder while trying to feel the wound in the dark.

“It’s not bleeding too badly from what I can feel,” he says. “I’m not leaving you floating out here. I’ll swim us both down the bay. I think the current is taking us towards the harbor so we should hopefully be able to flag down help.”

You tried to argue with him about letting you stay, but realized quickly he wasn’t going to back down and you were getting too cold and tired to argue anymore.

Elliot wrapped one of his arms around you and began swimming with the current, the ache in your shoulder easing as the cold air numbed it. He had you positioned floating on your back so you could breathe and use your right hand to apply pressure to your wound.

Although he didn’t slow down, you worried Elliot would wear himself out trying to bring you both to shore. At least you were stuck out in the water with a former marine. Your partner Fin was not this strong of a swimmer and god knows how long you’d last with Olivia or Munch.

As Elliot powered you through the water, you found yourself growing more and more exhausted. It was hard to tell how much blood you had lost and your hand was too numb to apply any meaningful pressure to the wound. You didn’t want to ask Elliot to stop, but you knew you’d pass out sooner or later given your condition.

He judged he was roughly halfway to the nearest cargo dock when he took his first swimming break. When he asked how you were feeling, you could only muster a bleak groan in response. Sensing your condition was worsening, he had to make a decision.

Leaving you was completely out of question, so he carried on swimming you both towards help that hopefully awaited you at the port. At this hour, there wasn’t much activity there but maybe you’d be lucky and be spotted by a passing vessel.

It was another 20 minutes before Elliot spotted a fishing vessel in the bay. He yells at them and splashes his free arm but the boat either can’t hear them or can’t see them in the water. You’d passed out somewhere between the last break point and this one but Elliot was very careful to keep your head above water. He also continued to check your pulse every minute or so. It was growing faint, but it was still there.

“Hey!” Elliot hears in the distance.

“We’re in the water!” He yells back. “We need help!”

The large fishing vessel doesn’t move but he sees a small fishing boat scanning the waters nearby.

He shouts directions to the boat which eventually locates you with a dim headlight. The man on board pulls you and Elliot from the water and radios for the Coast Guard.

You were unconscious and frozen when you made it onto that boat. The cold hadn’t quite set in for Elliot yet as the adrenaline of the situation pulsed through him. He recalled his hypothermia training from his marine days and realized he was going to have to get you out of your wet clothes.

Not wanting to disturb your shoulder, he grabs a knife from the fisherman and cuts your shirt from your cold body, leaving on your undergarments. The fisherman quickly throws a dry towel over you and applies pressure to the wound per Elliot’s instructions.

Elliot quickly removes your soaked jeans and shoes before stripping himself down to his underwear and wrapping himself up in a dry towel.

“Coast Guard says they have paramedics waiting at the port. It’s faster if I take you,” the man explains and Elliot grabs hold of you and the boat before he takes off.

You’re still unconscious by the time the boat reaches the port. Paramedics quickly move you into one of the waiting ambulances.

“Wait!” Elliot states. “I have to go with her. She can’t ride alone.”

“Sir we need to treat you,” the paramedic responds. “We’re taking you to the same hospital and your captain will meet us there.”

Elliot watches as your ambulance drives off before they load him into his own, wondering if you were still breathing.

[queen-tashie]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! I'd love to hear about your earliest writing attempts! How old you were when you started writing, what you wrote about, the first story you finished, etc... feel free to ramble on :)

Happy Storyteller Saturday!

My absolute earliest writing was way back somewhere between grade 2 and 4 (ages 7-9ish). I tried writing my own episode of Pokemon as a picture book. (I thiiiink my parents still have it somewhere, I kind of want to take a look at it again).

I didn't really write much back then, I was more into drawing line art and making OCs that way. When I got to grade 4 or 5ish I stopped reading on my own almost completely, besides an occasional book or two, and I was more likely to read non-fiction to learn about animals (like sharks. I really like sharks.). I think as I stopped reading I also stopped writing, because I didn't start reading for pleasure again until I was 15. And then suddenly I started writing again.

Around then I mostly read YA fantasy in my free time, so I started writing a story about dragons (two brother dragons, Valdore and Arian, their father Failias, and their mother S... something with an S at least. (I could literally check this right now but I just had a huge meal and I'm feeling sluggish haha). Ok it was bugging me not knowing and I got up to look for it (and it took like 5 minutes instead of the 10 seconds I thought it would lol) and her name was Sarhina. I attempted this story a couple times but was fully pantsing it, not really sure which direction to go in. I wrote about three or four very, very short chapters before I started writing something else. Valdore was one of the OCs I had come up with back in elementary school, I think as young as 6 years old, so I was still happy that I attempted writing a story about him.

The next story I wanted to write was a futuristic apocalypse story where the main characters fought demons as they came out at dawn. This one I progressed even less than the dragon story, the OCs were much newer. Originally I had called this story Survival of the Fittest, then I changed the premise completely to the main characters either appearing in a new world or already living there (I suppose it was a genre change to a portal fantasy). I kept some of the apocalyptic vibes the same, the world had time seasons that went through the life and death of the ecosystem and structures on the land, then back to rebirth. One season was new growth, buildings were small but structurally sound, even people felt refreshed. Another season was abundance, buildings were large and had character to them, people felt their best and were at their strongest. The third season was scarcity and death, buildings crumbled from age, people were struggling to survive. Then it would start again with the rebirth of the land. Again, didn't really know where I was going with this story but the world building was much better developed than the first.

Somewhere in between both of these stories in my teens, I wrote some more Pokemon fanfic that I had started to share on DeviantArt.

There were also a half dozen or so other WIPs that I had started and didn't get further than a paragraph or two. For some reason I deleted many of these :(

Then the first novel-length story I ever finished is (BEING RELEASED TOMORROW!!!!) The Quiet Forest. Runnicka is an old OC from my elementary school drawings (though she's changed since then, I happened to get an ask earlier today that reminded me of this). It took me 11 years to finish writing it (from drafting to giving up and redrafting to finally writing my first outline to finishing the actual first draft, then many, many edits), plus a year to query over 100 agents. It's the longest I've ever stuck to anything before, and so it's been a huge accomplishment finishing it, finishing querying, and now deciding to share it online (more about the story here).

I've had a series of smaller writing wins (ie finished stories) before The Quiet Forest was finished, though! I wrote about 10 flash fictions in 2020, some that I'd like to revisit and edit to better match my current writing skill level. One of them is already ready to read on my AO3 account! And last year I wrote over 80k words between two first drafts for two separate novels, and two finished short stories, one a Legend of Dragoon fanfic (also on my AO3), and another that I wrote as a writing sample for a contract writing position (almost got in but there were hundreds of entries and only about 5 or 6 spots), but I am working to get it published! And speaking of publishing, in 2023 I got randomly inspired to write All You Hear Is My Voice which got published early this year. It's a sci fi/speculative romance where a lonely queer man has reverse telepathy--instead of hearing everyone's thoughts, he's involuntarily projecting every thought he has into the minds of others nearby. Makes it hard for him to meet understanding people, and even harder to date. The thing that makes it sci fi is that it takes place on Mars :)

[rhaemaya-valwynn]

Dawnseekers- A World of Warcraft Fanfic

Okay, so not going to explain in detail up here, but I'm on a World of Warcraft binge again since starting Season of Discovery a few months back and doing the Tirion questline for the first time (As i had been only 9ish when WoW classic came out so i never experienced more end game stuff) and it reminded me of an ANCIENT fanfic i wrote when i was like 12/ 13? Where I shipped an OC (Scillea Rightworn at the time, now named Scillea Dawnseeker) with Arthas Menethil n stuff.

Well as you can guess, the hyperfixation hit again and in honor of my younger self I have broken down the old fic and rewritten it/ updated it to my more experienced standard. So I guess if you like AU's in the WoW universe and some very flexible takes on some characters, please read below!

So, as Warcraft has gone on, I've come to heavily dislike them turning the Light into just another 'morally bad' thing like all the other forces. Its okay (in my mind) to have pure good forces and pure bad forces (give or take some outliers) but making the light Authoritarian really sat bad in my mouth.

Now before i get into extreme detail, please be aware Ive tried to hone things down to wow's timeline somewhat but some things may not be 100% accurately placed. It is an AU for a reason! I'm working out a lot of kinks but some of them are just there. So bear with me here. In my AU there is a divide in the 'holy' / 'light' side of the cosmos. There is The Light, which is what it is now currently in WoW, and then there is The Benevolence, a force of pure good that seeks to help rather than contain or control. (Light powers = Gold while Benevolence powers = Silver (or a pure White for the family known as Dawnseekers which is explained below) The Benevolence was kicked out from the holy part of the cosmos and came to Azeroth in its own coffin to rot and finish dying (the shard of light from SoD), but instead was met by graverobbers and vandals who sought to break it down for gold.

There it destroyed those who were impure, burning them away from its gravestone. All except one. This woman (Listrainne Rightworn) was found pure of intent from the others as she had only joined them in an effort to gain gold to feed her family. The Benevolence offered a pact to her. It would aid her in caring for the sick and wounded if she offered her body to house its essence in return so that it would not die. Listrainne agreed, as she had no other option to save her family and while a follower of the Light, she could sense no true malice from the being inside the shard.

The crystal melted and infused itself within the water, and baptized Listrainne with its essence. Upon awakening from the ritual, Listrainne was renamed Dawnseeker from the being inside. "For one who sought the Dawn admist darkness." Her and the god, were as one. Its powers flowed through her and through her it saw humanity in a new light (given that it had been so weak for so long.) It came to understand their strife and as it grew in power over the years within Listrainne, it stayed instead of leaving. "To help the lost, defend the weak, and bring prosperity to you and yours." it had told her.

When Listrainne died, the Benevolence was inherited to her children, and her children's children. (The begats like in the bible.) From their inheritance they learned to make weapons and relics from the dwarves and through the god within them they infused these items with pieces of the Benevolence's essence, making what would eventually be passed down to the first generation of Paladin's (Librams, hammers and blessed armors) The Dawnseeker's were renowned for generations for their work and curing of ailments. For their mark was that of bright white holy light and from them sprung forth the worship of the Benevolence which contended with those who worshiped the Light.

Till the troll wars happened. There, when the Highelves reached out for aid, Arathor sent a Dawnseeker to aid in the war. Unbeknownst to the world, a Dawnseeker was more than just a healer, but a formidable and nigh unstoppable warrior. For any wound inflicted upon them would be healed immediately through the gods powers regardless of how fatal they would be to any mere mortal. Through fire and fury the Dawnseeker, Aliastor, aided the elves in bringing down the amani, only for their allies (the high elves) to realize the true power within this sacred Dawnseeker that the humans cherished so much was something they wanted.

In the last battle, a lesser general struck at Aliastor in attempts to take the power by force as his leaders have openly conversed about seizing it themselves. This nearly broke the newly forged peace between humans and elves. But to the generals dismay, the Benevolence did not take kindly to those who would take it by force.

Here it is merely passed down (or stated) that the god struck the ambitious down and set half the Eversong woods ablaze in its wrath. Or that the magic which the general used (his name wiped from history due to his betrayal) caused an explosion when it countered the gods. Needless to say, the destruction wrought was a bitter topic for both sides. While the humans did not agree with the elves striking against their own saint, the elves were dismayed that such a force existed and so easily destroyed a chunk of their homeland.

It is unknown why the elven king at the time relented, but it was rumored that he had sworn on the Benevolence's own name to abide and honor the alliance made between the two races.

What is known, is that the elves grew imbittered over time and believed it was their right to own the power within the Dawnseeker's. After the war, they disappeared for a while, seemingly moved into hiding till the tensions subsided.

it was 40 years later when Aliastor reappeared in the newly made city state Lordaeron. Here it is noted that he was a lunatic, raving about the new kings lineage being doomed and tried to usurp Torgran Menethil from his newly appointment throne. Though easily dealt with, it was the final lynch pin into sealing the Dawnseeker's fates. Bound by a blood oath to serve Lordaeron for the rest of their days by being the kings hidden blade, making weapons and armor for them should another war arise, but doomed to exile. Those that worshiped the Benevolence died out as their religion was tainted by what happened and their counterparts (those that worshiped the Light) took this as an opportunity to seize control over the shattered faith.

After all of this, things go quiet for a long time. Weapons/armor are made and sent to Lordaeron and the Dawnseeker's are kept hidden in exile. It isn't till the first war happens that they reappear. Daldaron Dawnseeker and his son Tarkhim join the field and while most things play out the same as in canon, it is to be annotated that these wars happen sooner than they do in actual Warcraft.

Daldaron passes soon after the first war due to a wound he acquired from a warlock and his son Tarkhim goes into seclusion not venturing forth during the second war due to having a child during it. Her name is Scillea. At the same time Arthas is born to Terenas and while Varian loses his father before he could even have met him (due to the wars happening sooner) Terenas raises the young prince alongside Arthas to keep him from being made a pawn from the house of nobles (and while Stormwind is repaired)

While this is occurring, Tirion Fording is exiled for accusations of being involved with the Orcs during the second war. An aging paladin by this time, Tirion had lost his son Taelan years ago (during the first war) to red lung (pneumonia) at the age of 5 while he was gone to war. Upon returning Tirion found that his wife had left him, accusing him of abandoning them at their time of need and refusing to waste anymore of her life (as I'm aging her up and having them married longer) with him. Tirion went into a deep depression and by the time the second war occurred, he was set upon dying heroically while fighting the orcs in order to 'do something right in his life.' During such a fight he is saved by the Orc Etrigg who is abandoning his post due to his sons dying from poor leadership sending them back into a fruitless battle. Tirion is outraged by this and tries to fight the orc, only for them to be evenly matched. It is during this fight that Tirion remains honor bound as they fight one on one, not taking the quick kills he could have taken, to which the orc returns the gesture.

It is only when they are both sorely winded (being aged) that the orc speaks to him in common, stating that: "You have the eyes of one who's lost a son." to which Tirion realizes that the orc too bears such a pained look in its own eyes. Here they talk about their past and in it Tirion finds courage to keep going and promises to leave the orc alone after it explained what is going on in the horde. Unbeknownst to him, Barthilas (whom had come to save his teacher) sees them talking and reports it.

When Tirion returns to camp, he is immediately put into chains and court-marshalled. He stays in jail till the end of the war to await his trail where he barely escapes the death penalty. There, Tirion is promptly stripped of rank and excommunicated from the Silver Hand and sent into exile.

It is during his journey into exile, that Tirion is met by a young mute child no older then 4. A girl who goes by the name Scillea Dawnseeker. She and her father Tarkhim end up showing Tirion how to build a new home though Tirion doesn't feel everything is right with Tarkhim given how he is aloof to his daughters state (unkempt, unclean and covered in mud and worn clothes) or caring for her safety.

During the child's 5th year, she took her first trip to Lordaeron with her father to deliver weapons and have her first blood oath binding. It is there that she meets Arthas, the young prince eager to make friends after his step brother Varian is sent away to be openly raised by the other founding kingdoms, exchanging hands per season till his 16th birthday.

Arthas and Scillea make a strong bond immediately, both finding in the other what they needed. A friend. Someone to play tag with, or hide and go seek, to climb trees and explore with wonder the castle walls. Even after it is revealed she is a Dawnseeker, Arthas does not believe her to be ill or evil and promises to meet her every year for her visit, to 'play again.'

When Scillea returns home, she goes to Tirion and asks him (through sign language) to teach her how to talk. He agrees and Scillea begins to spend more and more time with him. Eventually one night Tirion can no longer turn a blind eye to her state and begins to take care of her as if she were his own daughter.

It is here that I plan to start the story (thought maybe some back tracking on certain things with the prologue and first couple of chapters.)

I thank you if you've stuck around this far! There's much more than this in the story but I felt getting some of the groundwork out might be a good starting point in posting more about it (if i have the courage to, ha! I really need to work on just posting my thoughts and not caring.)

Till next time folks!

[katytheinspiredworkaholic]

WIP Wednesday

Dual Correspondence

Summary/the story so far: Sequel to Correspondence, established HotchReid, (for those who don't know) an AU where Reid never joined the FBI but worked as a consultant for the LA field office, met Hotch through that and fell in love long distance. Spencer now lives with Hotch and Jack in D.C. and the two are still happily enjoying what Rossi calls "the honeymoon phase" even though there hasn't been a wedding. Yet.

(Part 1)

(Unbeta'd, first draft (kind of), season 8-9ish)

(Takes place about two months after Spencer moved to D.C. to be with Hotch, and the team is out at a restaurant doing some much needed R&R/'team-building-if-Strauss-asks' for dinner. Except they are missing a certain Unit Chief, leaving Spencer to fend for himself with the team while they wait. Unbeta'd, first draft, season 8ish)

.

“Well, I’m not the greatest with bourgeois small talk.”

“You and Hotch had two years worth of nothing but small talk.” Emily raises an eyebrow at him over her own drink and then a mischievous glint catches in the dark depths of her eyes. “What did you two even talk about all that time?”

“Our unruly subordinates, mostly,” Spencer smirks, ducking to the side to escape another mischievous reach of admonishment from Morgan.

“But no, really?” Emily encourages, and her question gives him pause.

“Everything,” Spencer says with a smile. Near wistful in his remembrance. He ducks his head to hide the expression from his audience of seasoned profilers. “Too much to list.”

“That’s saying something for you,” JJ teases him.

“Yeah.”

The memories take him then. Of late nights, an abandoned online chess game and thousands of lines of text on a screen that go on for hours and hours. Talking about everything, and nothing, and filled with joy and companionship in between. Of calls that would go on so long they would fall asleep and still be connected long after, ticking away the seconds into the morning. Of emails and video calls, longing glances and whispered promises, aching dreams of someday and soon until finally they were… here. In the same place, for the very first time; in the same time zone, the same state and town and then living in the same house. Sleeping in the same bed. Where the nothing-yet-everything talks continued in that intimately small space between them as they lay side by side; still longing glances, still whispered promises, but no more soon. No more someday. Only now. Tomorrow. In the morning. After work. On the weekend. Promises kept and fulfilled and built upon. New memories made outside the text box on a computer screen. Spoken into existence and echoing in their ears, reminders of the oceans of time and distance they both have crossed to be…

Here.

“Yeah,” Spencer sighs, again – unknowingly repeating himself, and the whole table reacts in a wave of fond eye rolling and quiet not-so-tipsy laughter.

“You two are gross,” Emily concludes.

“Sweet,” Penelope corrects her.

“Disgustingly sweet,” Emily insists, then gestures to the group at large.” – and Hotch isn’t even here!”

Spencer was only too aware of that fact, but before he could feel his wistfulness darken and drag his mood down to sit heavily in his chest, a deep voice spoke from behind him.

.

“Yes, I am.”

.

Warm arms encircle his chest and shoulders, the familiar presence so welcoming and sudden the mere touch burns hot, and when Spencer turns to make sure his vivid memory recall isn’t playing tricks on his senses – he’s met with a kiss, warm and firm and so solidly there it takes his breath away. Still sends his heart racing. Because Aaron is there, sliding into the seat next to him, dark eyes only on him when he speaks. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting.”

“Don’t worry, we entertained ourselves just fine,” Emily responds, earning a half-hearted glare from her boss.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Rude,” she scoffs, boldly. “We kept Spencer entertained, too!”

“I could hear you interrogating him from the parking lot,” Aaron scolds her...

.

(tbc...)

--

I am starting a new taglist for the sequel, as well as carrying over the people tagged from the first installment. If you would like to be added (or removed, for the veterans) please let me know via dm, ask, or comment here!

[anewstartrekfan]

So since I’m dragging my feet with actually starting TNG, I figured I’d work my way through Prodigy instead and it’s pretty good. I like the character development and tone. The showrunners ran the first 9ish seasons of Lego Ninjago so it’s nice to see them dip more into sci fi. Can’t wait for the inevitable character arc/redemption for Gwyndala’s evil dad (for those unfamiliar, the best character in ninjago imo is Garmadon who is the main character Lloyd’s evil dad) Shout out to Ella Purnell as Gwyndala, love hearing her in things. (Jinx from Arcane)

My favorite character is probably hologram Janeway.

I think my biggest issue is the uncanny valley that is most of the character designs and animation. It looks like a video game from the early 2010s. I understand it’s a tv series so I’m not expecting Pixar or or Dreamworks, but at least to me, it looks like they were going for a dreamworks esk character designs, a la monsters vs aliens/megamind. And on a tv budget it’s just not the greatest. It’s the worst for the humanoid characters they import from past trek. The characters/aliens specifically created for the show look good. Special shout out to Rok-Tahk.

Anyway I’m 7 episodes deep and it’s pretty good. Fingers crossed s2 actually gets released.

Not sure I can take another Pantheon. (S2 is done but the show became a tax write off before it was released)

RIP

[jackhues]

hi, im the buttercup x Connor enthusiast!!!!

nate being 100 percent behind them is so cute (and literally has a ship name for them) and like you said, it wakes sid up. i can just see connor coming up to nova scotia for like a week or weekend during the offseason and sid understanding why nate was so gungho about them in the first place. connor truly worships the ground she walks on and always is like two steps ahead of her like knowing what shes gonna do or if shes gonna hit herself against a table or something. sid is like, "ok maybe i don't have to worry as much or at least don't have to have a heart attack every five seconds with her. connor's got her" or at least if/when she goes to chicago to be with him full time

hihii, buttercup x connor was a great idea, it's seems to be a hit with a lot of ppl !!

oh my god, nate would be their biggest supporter through thick and thin. he's been there through it all, and it makes bee all the more thankful for him. also nate definitely only refers to connor as their ship name (send ideas!!), while bee remains bee!

during the offseason, after being together for like 8/9ish months or so and still going strong, bee invites connor up to ns and is literally so excited to show him around all of her childhood spots and fav places. sid's open to seeing him and having him come over, but he doesn't realize that he was actually wrong in not 'supporting' them in the start until he actually lives with connor for that little bit. like connor's got his hand around the corner of the table so she doesn't bump her head, he's always holding her hand with fingers laced bcz bee doesn't like holding hands the other way, he's so interested in learning about the different sports she plays and about her school. that's when sid's like ok he's not bad. he actually invites connor fishing and the two get to bond over that.

bee would go to live in chicago full time/season-round after her university finishes, but like she's still visiting a lot before that.

[slickshoesareyoucrazy]

My Loneliness is Killin' Me

I must confess I've never actually been a Britney Spears fan, but I'm glad she's out of conservatorship and that's still a catchy tune.

For serious, that line has been stuck lingering in my head for about a week now thinking about where I can still go and what I can still do because of affection starvation. Buckle up if you're gonna read this, because it's probably going to be a long, rambly one. (Again).

I started rewatching Pushing Daisies a couple weeks ago with a dear friend who's never seen it (at a distance...like all of my dear friends except for J, even the ones I grew up with, she's 200+ miles away from me now). I mean, I couldn't let another moment pass without introducing my friend to Ned the Pie Maker (Lee Pace, sans elf costuming, circa 2007-9ish...I mean fucking look at him).

I told her, truthfully, that Ned the Pie Maker is probably the fictional character (other than obviously Egon Spengler) that I've had the biggest romantic-fantasy sort of crush on. I mean it's hardcore. It's worse than George Bailey. It's worse than Dwayne Wayne. It's worse than Chris Stevens from Northern Exposure. Clearly I have a thing for tall, soft-spoken, shy/awkward nerds. And I've watched Pushing Daisies all the way through about 5 times (this is time number 6; and it's short, 2 short seasons for American TV because until he started writing about a serial killer, American TV didn't appreciate Bryan Fuller at all). But I haven't watched it since I turned 35. This is my first watch since I began exploring and trying to understand my own trauma history. This watch is showing me why I like the show and Ned so much (beyond the witty writing and the bright colorful styling and cinematography and the fact that Lee Pace is smoking hot).

Not to spoil the show for people who've never seen it, but it's a romantic comedy with happy, optimistic, hopeful overtones but a really sad, complicated, dark underbelly. Ned has a superpower. He can bring dead things back to life (with obvious, serious caveats and consequences, of course...every superpower has these) by touching them. Once. If he touches them twice, dead forever (there's another rule, but I won't spoil that one because I don't need to in order to get this shit out, in case anyone else wants to give the show a try). Before he knew the rules of the game, he saved his dog, and then his mother, the beings who loved him the most (his dad was distant and kind of a neglectful asshole). But he only gets Mom back for a couple of hours, because she tucks him into bed and kisses him goodnight (second touch...dead forever). He tries to use his gift with compassion and responsibility through a childhood of basically raising himself and being unable to snuggle his own dog. And then, as a man, who just makes pies, he sees that his childhood best friend/first kiss has died. And he touches her once, ostensibly to say goodbye, but he just can't bring himself to touch her again...because he loves her so much. So it's a touchless love story; a love story full of inconvenience and longing; an ABNORMAL love story that required a lot of adaptation and patience.

(not touching ^^^)

And I love that (and I love Ned) because he decided she was WORTH that patience and adaptation. After spending a lifetime being lonely and disconnected, maintaining an important, real connection comes with sort of this 'whatever it takes' attitude. I have that. When I make a connection. And sometimes that's good. When it's reciprocated (like it is with J and A, and like Ned has). And sometimes that leads me to getting used by shitty people. Because they made me believe the connection was real with all this seeming patience and adaptation; validating me, and I believe it because even if it's a lie, I'm lonely and affection starved and I want to believe it.

And so a couple nights ago we watched an episode featuring a main supporting character, Olive. Her parents ignored her as a kid. To the point that they didn't notice she was missing for days. Olive had stowed away with two criminals, who were kind to her and paid attention to her, and she grew to love them over the two days she was away from 'home,' because they genuinely liked her and cared about her. In the show, obviously, the robbers are really the good guys, because they were kind to Olive, but in MY actual life, I've thought of how many truly shitty people I've connected to out of loneliness. I've been having nightmares about the last one I connected to lately. And I've been thinking about how I definitely could and probably will connect to some other shitty person because as awesome as J is (he's actually quite similar to Ned the Pie Maker in many ways...he just can't bake a pie...), I'm still often pretty lonely. J can't be with me all the time. Clearly. It's not his responsibility to rid me of loneliness...even if it were possible for him alone to undo 25 years of drought before we met. I hope the next connection I feel is a Ned (or an Olive or an Emerson or a Chuck), because when I feel it, I'll put my 'whatever it takes' attitude and effort into maintaining it. Even if they're a criminal. Because the criminals in real life rarely have hearts of gold like they do on Pushing Daisies.

[kayivy]

thanks for the tag, @des8pudels8kern!

Name: Kay

Sign: Libra

Time: 12:16 a.m

Last movie: rewatched Disney's Robin Hood because I've been studying animation lately

Last show: Only Murders in the Building Season 3! Loved it - it had Meryl Streep and musical theatre, of course I did.

When I created this blog: January 2020. Perfect timing, tumblr helped keep me mostly sane through the lockdowns.

Other blogs: Nope, I just throw everything in here

Do I get asks/may you ask me something: Sure, ask away

Average hours of sleep: Depends on whether I set an alarm or not. If there is no alarm, 9ish hours. If I have to get up, typically around 7-8

Instruments: Absolutely none, I don't have an ear for music sadly.

What I’m wearing: A very fluffy bathrobe and a towel in my hair - just showered.

Dream job: Eh, honestly I don't dream of work. I like my current career in general, but have been thinking about changing focus sometime next year. I do deliberately avoid mixing my hobbies with my career, because I find having to do thing tends to suck the joy out of thing, no matter how much I enjoy it otherwise!

[s0fter-sin]

idk i just need to rant

[cathedralcomic]

how much has the story changed over time? Has it changed in smaller ways but kept the overall main plot line, or did it used to be a completely different story? I like seeing how stories change as it becomes more and more developed and destinguished.

great question i love these questions.. TECHNICALLY it’s been cycling through new variations for umm 9ish years.

i created the first one when i was 12. obv it was a warrior cats fanstory but what makes me laugh about this one specifically is that i rebranded it into its own thing THEN too. time is a flat circle guys

then there was a long period where i didn’t return to it at all. but in 2018 i was like Man i want to do a warrior cats story again. and so i started building this cast in the old forest territories with the clans from the books lol. the “serial killer woman + her child main character” thing was solidified here. as the months went on i diverged from the canon territories/clans and made my own… this is when i implemented my negative experiences with christian fundamentalists into the prototype darrows. 😭 also i dropped rook completely and he was replaced by a bizarre little character who had a lot of moth+ragweed in him. imagine that combination.. i went really far with this vers and i even had a name for it (inferno) but SIGH. then i watched true detective season 1 when i was 17

Sooo the next version took place in rural louisiana and it had 1 main character who was rust cohle lite the cat. i kept the serial killer thing but no familiar face was to appear till summer 2019. this version had the mc desperately searching for his best friend who was the leader, all the while fighting his own demons and trauma. a character named “splinterpaw” was introduced here but he was actually an early version of sparrow, not splinter.

ok… finally we are at summer 2019… cathedral as we know it is taking shape. we have the church! the barn! the lake! the creepy weird abandoned northeast usa town energy. every primary character has been created. after that it remained pretty much the same till august of last year when i ditched the warrior cat framework entirely. again

[wtfwhy]

Have to rant about Teen Wolf for a bit (anti-sterek, complaining about anti-scott mccall, pro-stiles)

Why are people upset that Sterek was never canon?? Like it's already confusing that so many people ship it like it's a normal ship. Like guys, STILES IS A CHILD, DEREK IS AN ADULT. Yeah, Stiles is an adult at the end of the show, but they met when he was like 15/16, Christ at that age I couldn't even image dating someone 17 or 18, much less 25!! (His age is a little unclear but it's around that) (and yes I know about his age recon, it's irrelevant because he was originally 19ish and that's still an adult/child relationship) That's a whole decade age gap. If they had met when stiles was already 18+, sure, still kinda weird but fine. But that's not what happened.

To put it in perspective, I bet a lot of you think the Kate and Young Derek kiss scene was gross and weird (at least hopefully you do) Google says she was about 29 when that happened and Derek was turned 15. That's a 14 year difference. Now you might be complaining, 'the sterek age gap is smaller than that!' well it's about 9ish years and that's STILL GROSS

And on young Derek, he was around Stiles' age (1-2 year difference) and it's such a drastic age difference from normal Derek, right? So if young Derek is considered a child who shouldn't be kissed by an adult, why is it ok when it's Stiles? And it also just shows how large of an age gap they have when Derek is around Stiles' age and he's literally a baby if that makes any sense.

They reconned Derek's age because if he was 19 and she was like 27-28 then he would've been 13 when they got together and she would've been 22ish. Huge pedo issue there obviously. And guess what, thats the same age gap as Sterek.

And some of you might say, 'well other shows have canon adult/child relationships!' that's true, but either it's criticized in the narrative or Pretty Little Liers (I really like that show but WTF was up with all the pedo ships???? Especially AriaxEzra) and just because a lot of things do it doesn't make the thing ok, for example, shipping Sterek.

They don't even really have any romantic chemistry, like their dynamic was funny but most of it was Derek literally hating on Stiles. Like if you're going to ship a morally dubious ship, 1) at least have it be an interesting ship? They're so boring together 🙄 and 2) own up to it!!! Most of y'all act like Derek wouldn't get thrown in jail if he was into stiles like that

Personally I like to think after some nice character development, Derek comes to see both Stiles and Scott as little brothers, but unfortunately I've become so tainted by the onslaught of inescapable sterek content that even then with a very cute, platonic relationship seems wrong, which is stupid but my brain has now blacklisted any fan content with either of them in it now...

AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON SCOTT HATE, genuinely what is WRONG with you people?? He's the purest, sweetest character in the entire show! And sure, Stiles is more interesting as a character, but Scott is a really good protagonist. Good comparison I thought of is how in ALAB everyone is obsessed with Zuko even tho Aang is the main character. The only difference is that for some reason a big percentage of the fandom decided to shit on Scott for no reason.

Main 'reasons' I've seen:

Scott is a bad friend

- When???? Where? The only time I could kinda see that is in season 1, but think about it like this, he's 16 (A CHILD) and not only is in love for the first time, but has to deal with all the werewolf/alpha stuff that went down in that season. He's busy, he's going through it. And yeah Stiles was very involved and was doing his best to help, but Scott can't be in a million places at once. Guys, normal kids are worse friends than Scott ever was and are still good people, cause it happens sometimes. Are you constantly think about your bestie when you have a million other things going on? Probably not! And it wasn't even that bad because Scott did keep stiles in the loop 90% of the time!!! Y'all actually like Scott was Gon in the chimera ant arc 🙄

His argument with Stiles in season 5

- Was Stiles having a rough time? Yeah, absolutely. Was he in the right? Yeah. But was Scott also really going through it?? Definitely, boy was struggling. Not only does this kid have the weight of the world on his shoulders all the goddamn time, but there was the whole mess they were dealing with, Hayden was dying, he and Liam were arguing, he was having such bad anxiety his asthma was coming back... Man was not in a good headspace.

Coupled that with the very specific way that Theo lied to him (let's be honest, it really does sound like something Stiles would do for his dad), and the miscommunication of Stiles not denying that something did happen, Scott believing that it was more murder than self defense makes a lot of sense to me. And when they do finally talk it out, it's really wholesome and Scott is not only really understanding, but apologetic.

Also, again, real relationships have misunderstandings and lack of good communication all the goddamn time. This doesn't make someone a bad person or a bad friend. FICTIONAL CHARACTERS CAN HAVE FLAWS AND MAKE MISTAKES WITHOUT BEING BAD PEOPLE!!!

Really sorry this is so long and probably has mistakes in it but I was mad and it's late lol

[eirenical]

Hi! I hate to bother you and if you decide to delete this or not answer, no worries at all. Time is a precious commodity. From following your blog, I know you are wise in all thing DMBJ. I was looking at the translations of the novels on Amazon and am considering buying them, but they're described as being books for ages 8+. That surprised me as my only exposure thus far has been Lost Tomb Reboot, which seems aimed at an older audience. Does the 8+ rating sound accurate to you? Are they enjoyable for adults? Thank you!

Oh, nonny, you would go for the complicated question right off the bat.  No worries, though; I’m up for it!  😁  (And you are not at ALL a bother!  I love talking about DMBJ.  Especially the novels.  ^_^)

(Disclaimer: 1) These are my opinions only.  2) If you have the financial ability to support the official translations of any Chinese novel by purchasing them, you definitely should.)

OK, so first thing’s first: I HIGHLY recommend reading the novels.  They cover so much more territory than the dramas alone and will fill in a lot of the blanks that the dramas don’t cover, so if you enjoy the story and the characters, you’ll be getting much MUCH more of them in the novels.

Second thing’s second: The novels are published first online by NPSS, then cleaned up and polished and edited before being published in print.  Some stories (like some of the side stories and extras) were never published in print and probably won’t be.  The basic timeline of the novels goes like this:

Main novel series (books 1-8): takes place when Wu Xie is about 26-28 years old or so.  This is the time period when the Iron Triangle first meet and become who they are together.

Tibetan Sea Flower (Zang Hai Hua): takes place ...5ish or so years after the main novel series.   Xiaoge is absent for... (spoiler) reasons... but his presence is still VERY much felt in the novel.  This is when we get the biggest chunk of his back story to date.  It is also unfinished and ends on a TERRIBLE cliffhanger, but it’s well worth reading anyway.  (There is a drama in production right now to cover this novel and hopefully we’ll get some closure on that.)

Sand Sea (Sha Hai): the first three volumes take place 9ish years post-main novel series, the final volume is a prequel to those.  This is Wu Xie’s revenge/mob widow(er) arc and the first three volumes are told from the POV of a younger character, Li Cu.  This story is ALSO unfinished and ends on a terrible cliffhanger, but from what I understand, the drama did give us some closure (I haven’t watched it yet, so can’t confirm that myself, but it’s what I’ve heard).  There is also a second season of this that is coming down the pike probably after they do ZHH.

Ten Years Later: The story of Wu Xie going to pick up Xiaoge from where he’s been since the main novel series ended and the Iron Triangle deciding to settle down in a little village called Yucun (Rain Village) and retire.

Finally we have Yucun Biji (Notes in Rain Village 1 & 2), Restart 1 & 2 (the novels TLTR is based on) and then two other novels whose names I am utterly blanking on but that come after Reboot.  (Yucun Biji 2 and the two novels after Restart are current works in progress.)

And NUMEROUS SIDE STORIES AND PREQUELS AND EXTRAS INCLUDING QUIRKY LITTLE SHORT STORIES THAT WILL UTTERLY BREAK YOUR HEART INTO PIECES AND ALSO A STORY ABOUT THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE AND MANY OTHER WACKY THINGS???  (Seriously, the novels are a TRIP.  XD)

Which brings us back around to your actual question.  The official translations on Amazon (books 1-6) actually cover books 1-halfway through 5 of the Chinese novels.  That’s it.  For anything else after that, you’ll have to move to fan translations.  (If you feel comfortable sending me a message off anon, I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.)

And behind a cut for the rest, I think...

OK, so remember how I said that the books are published online first and then in print second?  The person who has done pretty much all of the fan translation had not done volumes 1-5 1/2 because they wanted to encourage everyone to support the official translations and still do.  They are, however, now going back and working on the the online versions of those volumes.  The reason I mention this is that while I absolutely agree that we should support the official translations if we can, they’re... not as good as they could be.  OTZ  They’re poorly localized, the transliterating of names is not consistent with current pinyin (i.e., Wu Sansheng instead of Wu Sanxing), and the writing itself is kind of clunky.  Now some of that is that the earlier novels were very early works of NPSS and his writing ability has grown by leaps and bounds through writing this series, so the later books are of a much higher quality.  And part of it is just... not great translating.  Which is unfortunate.

I remember enjoying the first two books but not being totally sucked in yet (and for the record, I WAS reading the official translations, so even though the fan-edited MTL is better, it isn’t like the official translations are unreadable.  They’re not.  They’re just not as good.), then slogging through book three (because that’s a Wu Xie-only book and I missed the Iron Triangle), and then I got to book four and didn’t stop reading until I’d devoured the entire rest of the series.  XD

As for the 8+ rating thing, I vaguely remember thinking that the simplicity of the writing and the adventure nature of the plot might have made it a fun read for my (then) 8 year old nephew as I was reading book 1, but the books are still very much intended for adults and that becomes quickly apparent by the time you’re in Volume 2 and beyond.  The themes get very complex and even dark in places in a way that might be hard for an 8 year old to follow (though that may depend on the 8 year old).  So I think that’s a mislabel on Amazon’s part and I wouldn’t let it worry you, if I were you.

...I realize this got very very long, but I hope I’ve managed to answer your question?  If not, please feel free to send another one and I’ll see if I can clear up what I missed.  ^_^

[stillafanofsonic]

Now that a lot of people have seen Sonic 2, we’re all wondering the same thing. How long until Sonic 3? Obviously, I don’t work at Paramount so I don’t know for sure. But... let’s use the timeline between the first and second film to make an educated guess!

Timeline

February 14th 2020- Sonic the Hedgehog is released in theaters

May 2020- Sonic the hedgehog 2 announced by Paramount

(10 months of pre-production)

March through June 2021- They film the second movie (around 4 months of filming)

(9ish month of post-production)

April 2022- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is released is theaters

By this, we can say it took 23 months from the time they announced there would be a sequel to the time it was released in theaters.

Let’s start the timeline for Sonic 3!

February 2022: They announce there will be a sequel. Of course, when they announced this, they also released a logo for the movie, something that didn’t happen with the 2nd one until they were closer to filming. But since I have no idea how far along they are in pre-production, we’re just going to assume the same timeline as the second one.

With ten months of pre-production, that puts them starting to film around the end of this year/ beginning of 2023.

They film for 3-4 months

Then another nine months for post-production.

Where does that put us? In short, if they are further along then we know, at the very best, we might get the movie in the holiday season of next year, 2023. But we’re probably looking at around February of 2024.

[funkymbtifiction]

Hello Charity, Merry Christmas :)

Enneagrammer thinks that 2s always have a forceful energy to them.

I can see why they think that, because 2s have a line to 4 and to 8. Both intense, assertive types (4 in terms of self-identity, and 8 in terms of being protective over their loved ones). But I would say that not including MBTI type in their analysis of 2s is biasing Enneagrammer toward the forceful, purpose-driven EFJ 2s, in which you will see their line to 8 far more often, out of their EFJ desire to control situations and influence them in the way they want to go. IFJ 2s or IFP 2s will not be as forceful (EFP 2s... yes... because strong Te).

In your experience, have you ever come across 2s who are 9-ish in terms of being quiet, being hesitant to give advice, wanting to listen rather than give advice, being self-doubting, self-effacing, not wanting to intrude, struggling to assert themselves or take up space, and so on? Or do you agree with Enneagrammer that being assertive and forceful is always a feature of a 2?

I know an ISFJ 296 who is like that, yes. I *assume* she is a 2, because so much of her life is centered on RELATIONSHIPS, which is different from a 9. 2s are constantly thinking about the people around them, their loved ones, strangers, everyone. This 2 can come across as 9ish (easily tired, withdrawn) except that she is very much the 'giver' in all her relationships (sometimes to her own determent); when she e-mails me, she is forever giving me a list of nice things she did for people that week, as if to gently (put in a 2ish prideful way) make sure that I know what a nice person she is to everyone -- I went here, bought this person lunch, took that person a gift basket, passed along this gift card I had, etc. She never gives me advice, she doesn't think she's capable of doing anything on her own, her family walks all over her, she won't assert herself in any way out of a fear of conflict, and she is INCREDIBLY emotional. Like, super sensitive -- as 2s, being emotional types, are. 2s are the most emotional type, and the type most likely to cry easily. No, not all of them are assertive. Like 9s, they want to maintain their relationships, but unlike 9s, relationships are the center of their world. 9s are all about being calm and unaffected, 2s are all about love and relationships.

In an article about enneagrams and professions, I read about how 9s often end up in therapeutic or other human-welfare fields, which sparked an epiphany for me. Can I ask - if a 9 wasn't particularly helpful or others-focused as a child, but then grew up and went through bad experiences and realized the extent of the world's cruelty, and then discovered that they enjoyed a service-driven job and that they cared about not letting bad things happen to other people - if their adult selves then started to be passionate about helping people, then how might their desire to help manifest differently from a 2's? How might you tell this type of 9 apart from a 2, given that both care about helping people?

They would need to examine their motives (do I want peace, or love?); from the outside, you would have to hypothesize about their motives and see what other behaviors manifest. I think James Heriott is a good example of a 2ish 9 in All Creatures Great and Small (new series) -- he goes out of his way to help people, and feels anguish if he cannot, but his main priority is avoiding conflict and removing himself from intense situations. If Tristan and Siegfried start to have a row at the table, James gets up and leaves, he can't stand it. It also takes him a lot to work up a head of steam -- and having yelled at someone (like he had to, in season one, where he told off an entire pub full of people after being harassed all day at work) he is drained and ashamed of himself, whereas a 2 moving to 8 would have more of a flare-up and not feel as shaken by it. 2s also will put themselves forward to help faster than 9s, because it's all about their self-identity; they identify as a loving, generous, caring person who needs to help that person! 9s aren't thinking about how others see them, their focus is more inward, on will this upset me or not?

I think Richard Rhor wrote about a 2 in his book, who was terrified to go to kindergarten for the first time. When she got there, she looked around the playground, saw another kid sobbing on the steps because their shoes were untied -- and she said it's like she came alive. I AM NEEDED. Even as a small child, she hurried to help them, and put her arm around them, and said it would be fine, we are in this together! Suddenly she was no longer scared, because she had a job to do. Someone needed her. A 9 would be thinking about whether they feel anxious, and how to stop that anxiety (ignore it, numb it out, go sit on the swing and move back and forth to feel calm?).