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starlit-dreaming · 3 years ago

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[8] in the back of my mind

Fandom: WMMAP Rating: G Ship: Eventual Lucathy, Felily, Calena, and more Note: the Twin Sibling AU that i tried so hard not to write, but i DID, so naturally i have to call myself out for writing it. will be cross-posted on ao3 and wattpad under the same title

note: I’M FINALLY AT THE END OF ARC ONE AND WILL BE SMACKING INTO THE 2 YEAR TIME SKIP ARC NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!! I’M SO EXCITED I LOOK FORWARD TO EVENTUALLY DIVERGING FROM THE CANON STORYLINE

also, idk how many chapters will be in arc 2. due to firmly sticking to my 2-3k word limit per chapter, a lot of chapters in my outline have been shuffled for later down the line, since i was only expecting arc 1 to end at ch7 and for verena to be introduced in ch9, but if you read my note in the previous chapter, that aint gonna happen. im really happy with how this chapter turned out, actually

Arc 1: Beginning of the End 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | [8]

Arc 2: Of Princes and Villainesses 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

Summary:

He was pretty sure he transmigrated into a fanfic of [The Lovely Princess] — after all, he would’ve remembered if Princess Athanasia had a younger twin who died.

// A retelling of WMMAP with a vital difference — Athanasia has a younger twin brother.

——————————

8. this is the morning after

——————————

‘How annoying,’ Athanase thought as he weaved flowers into a flower crown. He glances up at Athy, who picked two big pink roses and kept her gaze down. ‘They’re still looking at you, Athy,’ he tells her, noticing her eyebrow twitching at the statement.

‘I know, Athan!’ Athy had thought to him with a cry. ‘What do I do?’

‘Well, it’s not like we can just tell them we don’t want to see our mom. They’ll think that we’re lying and trying to suppress our feelings at such a young age,’ Athan huffed, picking up a white daisy and adding it to his flower crown. ‘Well, we could always ask Claude, but in Toska, this was what caused him to stop calling for us as often as he does. I don’t think he hates her, but there’s definitely some baggage going on there, and that was the reason why he hated the twins in Toska.’

‘Then he can’t find out we want to see Diana,’ Athy thought with the utmost determination, picking up another pink rose.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to get ignored by him, though? I thought you wanted minimal contact with him,’ Athan frowned.

‘I know, but… there’s a lot of pros to this plan as long as we act like Jennette,’ Athy pouted.

‘If you say so…’

——————————

‘I’ve had enough of trying to leave like I don’t have a clue,’ Athy inwardly groaned. ‘This is so uncomfortable.’

‘I think you’ve been handling it pretty well,’ Athan hummed, flicking through his book on Siodonna, looking at photography of various sceneries. ‘Especially since Diana would’ve been the best mom if she survived during childbirth.’

‘Ugh, don’t be like that,’ Athy shot him a flat look. ‘She’s not even our real mom, anyway.’

‘I vastly prefer her more than my previous life’s mom, that’s for sure,’ he snorts. Pausing when he hears quiet footsteps leaving the room. ‘Ah. They left.’

‘I’m going to follow them,’ Athy hummed, getting off the sofa and trotting over to the door. ‘Wanna come with?’

‘No,’ he flatly thinks back. ‘Something bad always happens after you ask me that, and I want no part in it.’

‘Not true.’

‘Meeting Claude and ruining the original plan of getting ignored.’

‘That… was kind of inevitable, wasn’t it?’

‘December of last year. You wanted to sneak into the kitchen for chocolate, but since we were too short to reach the doors, you dragged me along to help. But then, since you got so scared because there was a rat that hadn’t been caught yet, you ended up screaming and accidentally whacked the table and got flour spilled all over me and further freaked out because I looked like a ghost and—’

‘You are so fucking mean to me. I’m telling Lily that you’re absolutely evil.’

‘Good luck with that. She thinks I’m an angel.’

‘Ugh, I hate you.’

‘Love you, too.’

‘Athan, I fucked up!’ Athy had soon cried, throwing herself onto the sofa and onto Athan’s lap. ‘What do I do? I made everything worse!’ she mentally screeched, hugging his midsection.

‘I’m so glad I didn’t tag along,’ Athan thought to himself, patting his sister’s head. ‘There, there. Tell me everything that happened.’

Well, something bad happened, but thankfully, it’s not Athanase’s problem.

——————————

The day following after Athy’s spectacular outburst against Felix regarding their birth mother, Athan was the only one able to sleep peacefully. Everyone had pale faces, a hint of exhaustion being the only indication of how they felt overall.

Well, for starters, Athanase remembers the way Lily had gently declared that Diana was always at their side. It was possible that she stayed there until the sun began to rise, and Athanasia herself did confirm in her mind that she couldn’t sleep.

Thus, it stood to reason that Felix also didn’t sleep much at all last night.

‘You all look like shit,’ Athan commented, rubbing his eyes as he yawned as always. He still wasn’t a morning (and he didn’t care what Athy said — 11 AM is still in the morning) person, but at least he got enough sleep.

‘And you’re looking like a gremlin as always, I see,’ Athy dryly thought back.

“We should be heading out now,” Felix stated, hesitating as he glanced at Athanasia.

‘Was I being a bit too much yesterday…?’ Athy thought.

‘Probably. They both think that you’re suppressing your feelings regarding the whole “I wanna see Diana” thing,’ he huffed as Athy tugged on Felix’s cloak, asking him to pick her up. ‘Thankfully, since we’re still little kids, they won’t think too much about it if you act like you never had a fight.’

‘I guess that’s just one of the few perks of being a small kid,’ Athy hummed as Felix picked her up in a piggyback ride. ‘Look at them, acting like newly-weds. They don’t have feelings for each other, do they?’

‘Then what does that make you who’s between them, their child?’ Athan raised a brow as he walked beside Felix with his grip on the knight’s cloak.

‘You can’t have Lily!’ Athy adamantly thought with puffed up cheeks as she stared at the back of Felix’s head.

There she was — ignoring him.

(Again.)

——————————

‘As always, Claude has crappy manners,’ Athy huffed.

‘He’s still a good Emperor,’ Athan hummed, observing the imperial family’s emblem on the banners. ‘Terrifying or not, he actually gets the work done, enough that he’s able to make time for us in his busy schedule.’

‘If he’s going to make us wait, the least he could do is let us wait in a room or something,’ Athy pouted at him.

‘True, but you don’t have room to complain,’ he raised a brow at her. ‘Considering that you’re using Felix instead of standing.’

‘That sounds like a you problem.’

‘Did you just… did you just meme at me?’

‘What’s a meme?’

‘Oh my god, my sister’s an uncultured swine.’

‘Shut up, I was broke in my previous life. I didn’t get to grow up with almost all of your internet terminology — not that it’d matter since you grew up in America and I lived in Korea,’ she glared at him. ‘And I was talking about the fact that you could have Felix pick you up, too, but you always insist on walking.’

‘I’m building up strength for when I eventually start my sword training,’ Athan rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t remember why I know this, but if I start any physically strenuous exercise now, I could possibly stunt my growth and cause my body more harm. Plus, I was only 5'2" in my last life, and Athanasios is taller than 5'4"! Every inch counts.’

‘Seriously?’ He didn’t need to look at his older sister’s face to see her incredulous expression.

‘Well… I just know he’s taller than Athanasia when the twins are 16 years old.’

Before Athy could have a chance to respond back, the doors to the throne room opened. A man with white hair and golden eyes emerged — clearly a noble, judging from the expensive materials his suit was made with. Wasn’t this Ijekiel’s father?

‘The same ducal family that raised Jennette until she was 14 years old?!’ Athy stares with wide eyes.

‘If I transmigrated as a 30-year-old dude, I’d definitely tap that,’ Athan thought, peering up at the older man.

‘Gross.’

‘Nobody asked for your opinion, Athy.’

‘Then keep a better hold on your thoughts, Athan.’

That was laughable — compared to Athy, Athan was much better at keeping his thoughts to himself, with only an occasional slip up here and there.

‘He’s your love interest’s dad, for goodness’ sake!’

‘Same goes to you!’ he shot her a look. ‘Athanasia also fell in love with him in Toska, along with Jennette, Athanasios, and even Verena, that minor villainess, fell in love with this dude!!’

“My, pardon my manners, I didn’t notice,” Duke Alpheus said upon noticing Athanasia peeking over from Felix’s back. His gaze falls, finally taking notice of Athanase at Felix’s side as well. “Roger Alpheus, at your service. Prosperity be upon the Obelian Empire.”

‘Ah… I guess he’s comparing you with Jennette,’ Athan thinks as he notices the Duke’s gaze lingering on his sister. ‘I take back what I thought. His staring’s getting kinda creepy.’

‘Me, a 5-year-old?’ Athy thought angrily as she smiled cheerfully.

Athanase looked at her.

“Hello, Mister White!” Athy brightly greeted. ‘Sup, how’s Jennette?’

‘And you always tell me off for playing jokes like this,’ Athan thought as he simply looked away.

‘It’s his fault for comparing little kids,’ Athy hummed.

——————————

Athanase gave the Duke a little wave as they walked past him and enters the throne room at Felix’s side. After Athy’s little joke on Duke Alpheus, it seemed to more or less give the Duke some rather mixed feelings. He could understand that — the twins had never been openly acknowledged until recently, and the only thing known about them is that they were the only survivors of the Ruby Palace Massacre.

Claude didn’t really come across as a doting father, and Athy’s interaction with Duke Alpheus didn’t really confirm or deny much of anything regarding the twin’s relationship with the man who sired them. After all, if Emperor Claude was a surprisingly doting father, then surely that would mean Jennette would be left in Claude’s care without too much of a worry.

‘Then again, that’s all speculation,’ Athan thought, smiling at Claude. ‘The only reason why Claude becomes fond of Jennette is because of how persistent and kind-hearted she was. Kind of like a clingy puppy.’

“You’re here?” Claude had asked in a bored tone of voice, and Athanase could tell that the question somewhat irritated Athy in the fact of how inconsiderate their father was in summoning them.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Felix answered. “We bumped into Sir Roger outside.”

“Mister White!” Athy cheerfully piped up.

“White?”

“He looks like a white doggy!”

Claude had slowly looked away, his mouth twitching as his hand seemed to shift just to cover enough of his mouth.

‘Huh? He smiled!’ Athy thought.

‘Do you think he’s trying not to laugh?’ Athan wondered, staring at their father with interest.

‘No way — that cold-hearted emperor?’ she responded, and he could practically imagine her frown deep down inside. He could imagine she was thinking back to the original Athanasia begging for her father’s love, the way his stare was described had given him shivers.

What a waste of a good novel — beautiful writing with gorgeous descriptions and writing that just spoke personality — only to end up being absolute shit. There was next to no world building, the characters felt flat, and while clichés were nice, it just didn’t make sense. Alright, prince charming Ijekiel Alpheus was a kind young man with dashing good looks, and he was caring towards Jennette and always gentle with her in their interactions, but what about Ijekiel as a character? He’s literally used as a prop to make Jennette look better.

Duke Alpheus seemed to be a bit of a scheming annoyance, but in Toska, it didn’t seem like that would be an issue for the twins. Rather, the Duke only focused on trying to make Jennette look better and didn’t even bother sparing the twins a second thought.

“A fitting nickname for a constant barker.”

‘My, my, that’s no way to talk about a future in-law.’

‘Ijekiel’s the son-in-law, though, so the Duke wouldn’t be the one with actual ties to the imperial family, although the nobles will probably see it that way,’ Athan hummed. ‘Then again, maybe it’s different in this world and Duke Alpheus would end up being considered as a brother-in-law, even though that wouldn’t have made sense in our previous lives.’

‘Ugh, that’s going to be a headache trying to figure out all the differences.’

“You’ve become quite the babysitter,” Claude comments with a… smile? as Athy gets off of Felix’s back.

Athy takes a hold of his hand, about to rush off to their father on the throne.

‘You’re still holding your candy,’ Athanase notes, causing her to blink and glance down at her other hand holding the lollipop.

“Ah,” his sister nods before handing the lollipop to Felix before dragging him over to their father.

“That reminds me,” Felix spoke as Athy noticed the throne crafted in gold. “I’ve heard that Sir Roger has a son the same age as the prince and princess. Wouldn’t he be a good friend for them?”

Athan wrinkled his nose, distinctly remembering Athy’s tease over the original Athanasios’ crush on the boy in question. Her teasing would become absolutely unbearable.

But… it would be a good idea for them to become friends. The sooner, the better, perhaps?

“Athy will have a friend?” his sister cheerfully asks.

Claude stared at his sister before finally stating, “It’s already unpleasant to have two kids running around the palace,” he comments, more so to Felix than to either Athanase and his sister. “Just thinking of three children running around the palace is a headache. I hate noise. And to think of a boy who looks like Roger Alpheus,” he seemed to scowl.

‘Too bad,’ Athy thoughtfully noted. ‘I was a bit curious about Ijekiel. He was two or three years older than Jennette…’

‘It would probably be fine to ask if we could play at his house, then,’ he raised a brow.

‘I value my life, thank you very much — huh?’

“You really are heavy,” Claude commented, picking up both of the twins. Athanase blinked as he found himself staring at the ground. He could feel his sister panicking at the strange and sudden behaviour coming from their father — after all, normally he would never even come near the twins for no more than a table’s distance.

All of his thoughts immediately halt the moment he’s placed down into a small alcove of a resting spot hidden behind the throne.

It was beautiful.

The mattress was comfortable — it was the equivalent of a thousand dollar memory foam mattress that his best friend owned in his previous life — covered with a bedsheet made of the finest and softest fabric Athanase had ever had the pleasure of sitting on. It seemed like the kind of material that he would gladly rest his cheek on and sleep, even if it’ll leave an imprint later, he would certainly have no regrets, none whatsoever!

Athan picks up a pillow with a pale green pillowcase, looking down at it with wide and starry eyes as he hugs it — the material was the same as Mr Mittens. He wasn’t allowed to bring Mr Mittens with him when they came to see their father, but he’ll gladly accept this pillow as a substitute.

‘This pillow is mine, now,’ Athanase solemnly thought to himself as he giddily flopped onto his side, hugging the pillow as he rests his head against the other pillows.

“Hearing so much barking this early in the day has made me tired,” Claude said, moving to lay down.

This man truly was his father — how could Athanase dare think otherwise, when the evidence had now been so blatantly clear? Athanase wholeheartedly agreed with his father; mornings shouldn’t be so troublesome, and if Athan had his way, he would never have to wake up at all in the mornings and could always wake in the afternoon.

Whatever budding camaraderie Athanase felt towards Claude was abruptly crushed when he requested for Athy to sing “The Lullaby Song”.

Did his sister even have a decent enough singing voice? He only remembers how useful it was when it got him and Athy out of a potentially life-threatening situation when they woke their father up. Athanase was confident in his capabilities of being a heavy sleeper, but he wasn’t sure if the same applied for when he was on the verge of falling asleep…

Well, fuck it! It’s a challenge he’ll just have to take for the sake of a nap.

‘Help me, Athan!’ Athy had screeched at him.

‘Athan whomst? I only know sleep.’

‘You asshole!’

In the end, he couldn’t fall asleep. He was in that awkward place of being sleepy-tired and wanting to sleep, but incapable of resting. His eyes were burning from exhaustion, and he shifts from where he laid, seeing Athanasia tugging on their father’s hair.

“Is His Majesty asleep?” Felix had asked, and Athan’s gaze sleepily shifts to the entrance of the alcove where the voice had come from.

He doesn’t really register the conversation, much, when Felix starts apologizing to Athanasia. It’s a personal conversation for the two of them.

But then…

“Do you have a wish, Princess Athanasia?”

“A wish?”

So, Athanase closes his eyes, realizing for the first time, a fact that’s always been there nestled in the back of his mind: Athanasia wanted to live past eighteen, she wanted to be close with Claude so much that he wouldn’t want to kill her after Jennette enters their lives.

But Athanase… he didn’t share the same ambitions and goals as she did. He’s not afraid of death, rather, he loathes the idea of painfully dying. And so, he wants to do as he pleased, to pursue his interests without financial worries.

They were very different — he already knew they were, given their personalities.

So Felix asks, and Athanasia says she isn’t lonely.

(But nobody ever asked Athanasios how he felt, did they?)

——————————

End of Arc 1: Beginning of the End

#fic: in the back of my mind #wynter writes #wmmap #who made me a princess

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vivithefolle · 4 years ago

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I'm a bit confused. You said in one post that you thoroughly dislike Hermione and that you had no respect for her at all. Yet ... you like Romione? idk, it seems contradictory tbh. I like when Romione shippers acknowledge her flaws and messed up moments but when someone that dislike and even hate her character that much ships Romione and I see them posting about them and calling them "cute" just seems weird

I’ll share with you my whole thought process so you can understand where I’m coming from:

Itty-bitty Vivi who read Harry Potter for the first time (at 13/14, so not so itty-bitty I guess, oops): Woaaah Hermione and Ron yaay!!! They're awesome I love them! They're my OTP always and forever!! Best thing to happen in Harry Potter!! JKR is a genius!

Slightly less itty-bitty Vivi discovering the Harry Potter fandom online (thankfully years after the ship wars, else I probably wouldn't have survived): Why is there so much hate towards Ron? And why are people so opposed to Romione?? It was meant to be since the first book! Or, okay, the second book is when I realized it was gonna happen, but still! Oh well, here is a fic where Hermione berates Ron for everything and he is the only one actually working for their relationship. Cool, more Romione!

Even less itty-bitty Vivi starting her own Tumblr and going around, adding her grain of salt to debates and talking about stuff: Yeah! Ron is great! He's done bad things of course but Hermione has done her fair share of bad things too! Actually, now that I'm rereading the books, I'm reminded of this person I used to call a friend, who was quite smart and cultured but would often be very harsh to me because they claimed it was “for your own good" and “because I'm more mature than you"… I still wanted to be around them, because they were just so smart and passionate, but we often rowed and eventually they really just went too far and tried to make ME out to be the bad guy and most people believed them because they had a reputation as someone cool and logical while I was known for being emotional… wait, what the fuck, that's… that's exactly what happens in the fandom with Ron and Hermione! What the fuck, was I Ron? Admired their intelligence, praised and supported them, fell in love even but was met with scorn and open disdain?!… no, no, come on. Hermione wasn't that bad.

Vivi rereading Half-Blood Prince (and no, this wasn't about the canaries, but about what Hermione was doing after): Oh my god she was that bad.

Vivi as she ponders alternately: Wait, what about JK Rowling? What does she think about all that? What was her intention, what did she want to accomplish with the characters? I know books belong to their readers but if I want as objective an analysis as possible I must try to understand her thought process while she wrote.

Vivi learning about a staple of British literature called “literary alchemy”: The quarreling couple!! Sulfur and Mercury, the Red King and the White Queen, who must marry for the story to end happily!! And their union is represented by… a rose!! Oh my god, that is brilliant, that is so cool! Romione was ALWAYS going to happen, I knew it! Ha!

Vivi discovering the “[Ron] needed to make himself worthy of Hermione” quote: Wha… but… what? Worthy? As if Hermione was some sort of precious trophy or whatever? What the hell? Wait, Ron had to make himself worthy of her but Hermione didn't have to make herself worthy of him? Is it because Ron is the boy or some shit like that??

Vivi going through JK Rowling's interviews and finding sexism and double-standards galore: Yep, it's because he's the boy. And that bit about Hermione being based off herself when she was younger… ouch. And to top it off the scriptwriter pretty much worshipped Hermione…

Vivi rereading the books again: Is it just me, or does Ron hardly ever get any praise or acknowledgement from the adult characters? Meanwhile Harry and Hermione get stuff like “as good as Charlie Weasley" or “brightest witch of her age"! And, damn, I used to side with Hermione because I love cats, but she was completely awful in POA! She apologized but then the plot made her out to be right even then?? And I always thought her Yule Ball entrance was kinda over-the-top, but damn if that's not compensating for something! Also what the hell, I get that Harry is suffering and all but will someone PLEASE pay attention to the fact that Ron is being bullied BY A FOURTH OF THE STUDENT BODY AND NOBODY SEEMS EVEN REMOTELY CONCERNED????? Also what the hell is wrong with the sixth book, I never liked it much but it's like it's trying to make every character look bad, wtf?? And, and, holy shit I never noticed but Ron was asking legit questions during the Horcrux Hunt debate but Harry kept deflecting or mocking him but it's still Ron who had to apologize in the end??? And I've read a whole post about how Hermione punching Ron is the appropriate reaction for a very small child and not a supposedly “mature" character, and that Harry had to SHIELD RON FROM HER, oh my god?? It's… oh my god, what the fuck is wrong with JK Rowling?

Vivi, in denial: Well, Harry Potter is decidedly not a romance. It's about love, but romantic love is quite far down the priority list when it comes to it. JKR has herself confessed that she wasn't too good at writing romance, and I don't blame her because writing romance is hard. But I did enjoy Romione! When I was little I saw it coming from a mile away, granted I was already savvy in literature but that must have been because she was doing something right! And then the sixth book happened… the sixth book which… which was released after the Harry Potter movies were being filmed, wasn't it?

Vivi looking up the timelines: Oh my god. Oh my god it's even worse, the movies were being discussed before Goblet of Fire came out. Come to think of it, I always found that the Trio felt… different, after Prisoner of Azkaban. Harry and Ron especially felt like they had gotten dumber? And Hermione was suddenly explaining everything when exposition used to be split between her and Ron…

Vivi, in mourning: So that's what happened. Ron ended up being shortchanged to make Hermione look better, because Rowling was fonder of Hermione than she was of Ron, and the scriptwriter too come to think of it. Curse you, Steve Kloves!!!

Vivi, who is nothing if not what Pokémon fans call a nostalgiafag: But… but… yeah, it sucks that Ron was shortchanged, and actually yeah it's a freaking travesty and I WILL freaking spread the world about this, mark my words, but, but I still… I can't help it, when Hermione “looked up at Ron and her frostiness seemed to melt" I melt too. When Ron compliments Hermione or tries to take care of her as much as he can I… it still does something to me, I still find myself rooting for them even if I know there's the awful sixth book and the stupid post-Locket beatdown. Their kiss, for God's sake, I've just realized that Ron may have swept Hermione off her feet physically, but it's Hermione who jumped him, you could say Hermione metaphorically swept Ron off his feet!! God damn it, that's good, that's so good!

Vivi, at war with herself: No, I can't let myself be blinded by nostalgia!! The facts are that Hermione shows borderline abusive - even actually abusive - behaviour, this can't be denied! I don't want to root for an abusive relationship! I don't want to root for a relationship that relies on my favourite character being dumbed down to work!!!

Vivi, about to uncover the secrets of the universe: … wait a second. I don't have to.

Vivi, having an epiphany: Reading Solstice Muse's Romione fanfics gives me such happiness because she just gets the characters! She doesn't portray Hermione as perfect and never fucking up, and she always treats what happens to Ron with respect… Well, especially since she can't play them off as a joke since she often makes Ron the POV character. But, yeah! I can still like Romione… if it's well-written. Which, well, isn't the case in the original books… at least, isn't the case anymore after Rowling's bias got the best of her. Even though they do have their great moments.

Vivi, finding purpose in her life: I am going to spread awareness. I am going to tell the world. Fuck, just rereading the books, I've noticed how blatant the favouritism is and how unbalanced it can be. No wonder the fandom seems to collectively scoff at Ron - the books themselves do whenever it's convenient for them! The fandom plays favourites, because the author herself played favourites, and the worst part is that she didn't even realize it! Imagine you spend your life getting into traumatic situations out of love for your friends who always receive compassion and validation for their feelings about said traumas, but YOUR trauma is hardly touched upon and in the rare case it is, it's only to be mocked or used against you… Fuck! You're a piece of work, JKR! And the fandom just swallows it whole like a bunch of lobotomized snakes! Screw it! Screw it, I'm going to say it like it is, and I'm going to say it LOUDLY! People are going to hear about what Ron goes through and we'll see if Harry and Hermione look like the only ones worthy of therapy then!!

Present day Vivi, as she scrolls through the (heavily filtered) Romione tag on AO3: Ugh, another Drarry… and another… and another… oh, a Hinny-centric fic for a change, cool but I'm looking for more Romione than that, sorry. Gah, why is it that Romione appears as a secondary ship everywhere but they can't get their own stories? I've just seen a Snupin come up for God's sake! Oh, finally, a full Romione!! *clicks* … … … awww that was so sweet. Kudos! Okay back to the search… oh, another one!! *clicks* … … … it's Ron-bashing. It's Ron-bashing and it's not tagged Ron-bashing and that's why it showed up in my search AND I'M GOING TO FREAKING RIOT-

#vivi answers #ask #romione #ron weasley #hermione granger #ron weasley defense squad #ron weasley defence squad #ron x hermione #harry potter series #anti jk rowling

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aclosetfan · 3 years ago

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(ask game) thank you so much for playing the game!! you’re the best (per usual)!!

Helllll yeahhhhh 21 is the DUMBEST STUPIDEST fic I’ve ever made and I lovvveee it 💚💙❤️ it’s the “Vampire Zombie” one i mentioned in the original ask game post 😂😂

So glad someone picked the number!! Background to keep in mind: do yall remember when there was just a shit ton of Vampire fics on FFN?? Idk about ao3, but for newer fandom members this was TOTALLY a trend in the early 2000s on ffn, and I was like why the fuck are all of these here??? And like, why is it constantly a predator-prey relationship between the rrb and ppg??? So I was like wait…okay, but this could be funny and decided to write a story making fun of these super cringey stereotypes.

The story would be a multi fic and I have zero idea how to explain it concisely, so basically below the cut is just me laying it all out for you srsly I’m just bearing my soul to you:

For the girls’ birthday, the Professor tricks out the simulation room they train in to be a VR game room b/c the girls had talked about VR once (and only once), but the Professor thought it was cool and ran with it. The Girls can create a world of their choosing and explore. They admit the idea is pretty cool and eventually start arguing where they should “go” first. Blossom suggests a historical era like the Victorian era/Bubbles suggests something romantic, where she hints at vampires/Buttercup doesn't like any of those ideas, but the vampires reminded her of all of her zombie videogames she plays and she ends up suggesting something like that instead/ To prevent arguing the Professors says he’ll combine all three ideas into one!

[[how does this machine work??? IDK in the spirit of early 2000 fanfics, anything complicated and confusing is only vaguely explained—which has in story effects that drive Blossom INSANE! Idk how it would work technically, but my choices as the writer on what is/is not describe and purposeful grammar mistakes has story implications] [ill explain this more later]]

The Professor loads up the “game,” but something malfunctions. He tells the girls (Buttercup) not to touch anything. She doesn't listen and ends up plugging something into an entirely different device against Blossom & Bubbles protest. The device is that old “time machine” thing the Professor made in one of the OG cartoon (the one where the girls meet the Young Professor). It turns out that whatever she does (again still don't ask me how) fuses the basic concept of the two machines together and creates a device that transports them to a parallel universe that matches the specifications of the “game” they wanted to create.

[[Throughout the story, i want to include little video game gags, like bottomless bags for storage, or random bullets laying around, little things like that. (they've lost their powers/ but BC keeps finding all these random guns/knifes so they're good) I also give the girls the “ability” to read the dialogue I write. So, when I mess up a comma (i.e. Let’s eat Grandma! vs Let’s eat, Grandma!), Blossom will look at the “character” they’re talking to and be like, “WELL, which is IT!?”] [I know it’s stupid, but I think its so fun!]]

So, because of the video game “glitch,” the girls think for the longest time they’re actually IN a video game, but when they “go to sleep” thinking that’ll save the game and they can quit, per Professor’s instruction, they find out they can’t. Cue freak out. After the calm down, Buttercup’s like okay, listen we probably just have to beat the game! Too bad they don’t know what the game’s objective is exactly. They just know they’re dressed in Victorian Era clothes and their “Professor” is the town’s doctor? Their mother died (tragically). It’s all a bit dramatic. They start searching for clues. Eventually, they find out that the Town has a zombie problem (THANKS BUTTERCUP!), and Blossom figures if they can cure that, they beat the game. Unbeknownst to them, they are actually stuck in a stupid vampire love plot there just happens to be zombies. [Like, you can’t have one supernatural creature without another and I wasn’t going to write about werewolves.] No one in town seems to care about the undead problem. Buttercup keeps “leveling up,” Blossom’s on the verge of a breakdown, and then, finally, Bubbles meets Boomer.

Boomer swears up and down Bubbles is his fated mate. Bubbles—who is definitely interested—is like ooo so you’re a vampire, cutie? He’s broody about it. She’s like so do you sparkle in the sun?? (I absolutely love sparkles, she says). He’s like, wut?? She’s like, do you sparkle???? He’s like, uh no, the sun kind of burns my energy tho. She’s like, oh. Okay. I see. You don’t sparkle. Sooo, well, haha, okay you seem like a really really sweet guy with the whole eternal devotion thing, but I don’t think this is really going to work out between us. He’s again like WUT. Boomer gets broken up with because he doesn’t sparkle.

Vampire Butch is flat out scared of Buttercup. Like he fully admits he’s sucked infants dry of their blood; he’s why people should fear the night; he’s not a “good guy”; but BC is a force to be reckoned with. In the Victorian era, I’m guessing they had little to no experience with the modern day “bro” and BC is full on bro. This doesn’t mesh well with Butch’s broody, dark, vampire thing he’s got going on. She’s too vulgar for a Victorian lady, she wears things called “Chacos,” and she has a gun??? Multiple guns. And He. Has. No. Fucking. Idea. What. She. Is. Saying!! No! He will not “dab her up!” No, he “doesn’t lift.” This wasn’t his mysterious, tough (but still a damsel, mind you) mate he met one fateful evening, this was some heathen creature (and this is coming from a vampire), so please, please, please, can he kill her?????

Blossom’s like I don’t like to be touched and I’m a lesbian, and Brick’s like one) I think I respect you more than the old Blossom; two) the zombies just appeared, stop asking; three) you need to now help us find our mates before their eighteenth birthday or we’re all screwed.

Ready to kick ass and fight sexist stereotypes with their new “bros,” the girls set out with their new objective, hoping beyond hope that once they find the missing girls they’ll be able to go home. The girls find out that their parallel alternatives went disappearing a few days ago, so their “return” had been a relief to the whole town. [[Blossom’s like why did no one question our clothing?!?! Why are there zombies?!?!]] ugh and then, I don’t know what happens :( really. I never really ended it. They girls just constantly shit on the boys being broody vampires and kick zombie ass, like idk what else a gal could want out of a story. I feel like they end up finding the other girls. And I think that I was going to bring HIM into the mix, but it’s still just regular HIM. It turns out that HIM likes jumping dimensions to make the Girls life hell in every lifetime and has cursed the three girls living in the vampire dimension. (“I’ve got a life outside of just you, ya know.” HIM huffed, “What are you three doing here?”) It also turns out that out of all the dimensions, our Girls as Superheroes are the best at beating HIM and saving the day, so he’s extra pissy that they’re ruining his carefully crafted “historical romance vampire soap opera.” Blossom loses her shit because the historical inaccuracies are too high to now ignore, Bubbles is pissed because HIM didn’t make good enough vampires, and Buttercup’s like honestly, not a bad game, ngl. Everyone ignores her.

[[They beat HIM, free the other girls, return home, and BC obsesses over their stats sheets. Back in Vampire land, the boys are like wait a second the relationships we are now stuck in suck.] [The zombies are still not explained]]

#21 #is such a good number #my outlines #my writing #outline ask game #ppg fic outline #this is so stupid but come on I miss early 2000 fanfics #also like i said I don't know how i would even write the gaming glitches #but it would be really fun to figure out #maybe i WILL write this one someday just for the fun of it!!#lemme kno what you think #this is my last one tonight but plz keep on asking lol

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snickiebear · 3 years ago

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Hi bby! 1, 2, 3, 6, 16, 27, 29, 33, 35! 🖤

mittens!!! loml!!

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

oh goodness... um, i’d say a 4?? yeah, that sounds about right, only because i often make so many tense mistakes and even when i edit there’s always something to fix. and just,,, im still learning a lot (aren’t we all). plus, sometimes the stuff i put out needs so much more work (see: my recent shisaku fic... i want to tear it up and put it back together.. ugh.. also wt&r, just everything)

2. Why do you write fanfiction?

OH GOODIE! i just... well, i wrote a lot when i was twelve-fourteenish, then kind of on and off through the years. never really had anything to ground me and get me to take writing seriously. and then i found naruto and sakura who has so much unused potential and it just made me so angry to see her treated that way.

point being, the naruto fandom (more specifically the sakura fandom) rooted me down and allowed me be able to grow as a writer even though i’ve only been posting since january my writing style has changed so much, and i can physically feel myself becoming a better writer.

plus, i just love it. the thrill of being able to use these characters and pairings and do what i want with them?? i drink it up, i love it!!! its so freeing and such a great way to really dig deep within writing itself.

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

i think its just the way i word things, you and a lot of others call it poetry but meh i just call it fancy words or word vomit from my brain AHAHHAHA

also, my thing is God Killers, God Eaters, and Angry Wrathful Women at this point, so maybe thats another thing?

but honestly,,, i have no clue... you’d have to ask my lovely readers, im so thankful for them 😭

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

plot probably. this changes often though. usually when i have an idea, the rest comes to mind and i jot it down and come back and change things and stuff, so thats usually pretty easy tbh... at least for now LMAO

and inner dialogue, inner struggles, showing the entire internal thing. its fun writing that angsty part of a story, the small insights into a character’s mind, how miserable and alone they feel. or, perhaps how happy they are, overjoyed and at peace.

OH AND WORLD BUILDING. i pride myself so much on my world building. i honestly think thats one of the better things im good at! just weaving small details into the text, and subtly building a world within your mind, oh i love it so much!!!!

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

mmmm nothing really comes to mind? men simping for women who could kick their ass? tho idk if thats really a guilty pleasure....am very fond of same age aus, sometimes mafia aus too... ummm,, yeah

(probably big dick tenzo tbh... and the fact that kakashi’s face is a legal weapon AHAHAHA,,, and broken, vunreble men. also, shattered, all consuming women.)

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

oh god... i cannot chose! you, ele, al, and hika leave the kindest comments, and literally any comment on the things i write just make me so so so so so HAPPY. i just them more than kudos tbh.

but! one comment on the intimacy of being understood i always come back to. it was left by GuardianMars and they wrote that the fic was like a “love letter to the pairing.” and that well. i think about that comment all the time.

there have been so many others comments that have utterly touched my heart and that i will go to read on terrible, horrible days and i value ALL comments. especially those who say “i’m rereading this again” or “i’ll read anything you put out” that just. there is something so intimate about that, that utter faith and loyalty that i do not know what to do with.

its so touching and makes me truly believe in the good of the world.

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

yes! i am attempting to get better at writing smut because ol&w is going to have some fucking in it so i experimented in that shisaku fic and just..... yeah idk man. idk... its something i do want to get better at cause, meh why not? and i want to write some good porn for my readers damnit! HAHAHA

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

hmmm,,, probably that i stress so much and yet so little at the same time? allow me to elaborate! i stress so much about whether my writing is actually good or if people are just being nice LMAO and also posting, i get cold sweats and a thumping heart and yiKES

but also, i enjoy writing so its like “fuck you (jk ily guys) imma write what i wanna!”...do you see my issue? HAHAHA

also, im a planner. most of the time, and a lot of the details in my more serious fics (ol&w) are blink and miss details but they’re important and i LOVE foreshadowing!!!! like yes, i will vaguely mention something and itll simply come back with a vengeance!

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

aaaaaa okokok thank you for this ask LMAO i just love talking about writing and rambling (as i often do,, im a long winded person, im very sorry)!

but anyways! my summer semester just started up and i’m taking three purely online classes and the college im attending (im a dual enrollment student; meaning a high school and college kid,, taking advantage of the system!) fucked up my schedule so! im taking two TWELVE WEEK CLASSES that will end in AUGUST???? and then my fall sem starts five days later so... no summer break for nadia! yay...

writing will be very slow and updates will be too, which i am so sad and frustrated about because i’ve finally hit a paved road and now we’re driving into the forest! all bumps and bruises damnit! BUT worry not! i (as i said above, am i severe planner. every day has a plan, i am also an avid lover of lists also. i have lists for EVERYTHING) am working out a schedule so that i can get all my school shit done as soon as i can (while not failing) and write while hopefully not burning myself out.

ol&w is such an intricate fic and im truly trying to give it the justice it deserves,,, im just hoping that my dear readers can bear with me HAHAHAHA there is honestly so much going on in that fic; shikamaru’s development, the underlying plot, the hate to love build up, the world building, and then laying down the foundations for the next fic (because yes, this is supposed to be a trilogy.. question is; will i be able to write it?) (answer: maybe. hopefully. i desperately want to but it might take some time.)

BUT ASLO i have so many oneshots i want to write! kisame week! kakashi week! kibasaku long fic! and not to mention my og work that i plan on rewriting and putting up on ao3 because a few people showed some interest. there is just so much to do and write and i am itching to do it all! but. well, but school, and the exhaustion of insomnia, and the weight of stress, sigh.

shit sucks, it is what it is. but writing is like my safe haven and i just love pouring all myself into my fics and then baring my soul to you all and you take a peek and decide to keep looking. that is my favorite part of this little pocket of tumblr.

this was not really... fic related? more like a dump of issues! so sorry about that AHAHAHAH

anyways! thank you so much mittens! :)))))))))

pick my brain!

#silly things from silly friends

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clumsyclifford · 4 years ago

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hi! idk if you're still doing the prompts but if you are #47? whatever pairing you're vibing with atm 😊 -🦥

HELLO! first of all, the pairing bot gave me malum after it gave me cashton twice but i didn’t feel like doing this for cashton so i wrote it malum, hope that’s cool. ALSO. one day i am going to write a real proper epistolary fic, mark my words, but for now this is all i have to offer you. i know it’s rather different from like. a Normal fic. but i had fun writing it so :)

read on ao3

Dear Calum,

My mum suggested I write you a letter because of the whole data thing in Brazil. I don’t know what that really means but apparently calling would be extremely expensive so I’m doing this now. Maybe it’s weird. Don’t really care. Deal with it.

So how is Brazil? I don’t know the time difference. Wait, I can look it up. Google says 13 hours. That means you’re a day behind me half the time. I’m in your future! It doesn’t look good for you, Cal. Future is pretty grim. If I were you I would stay in the past. Although by the time you get this it will be way in the future for both of us…oops. Oh well. I tried.

Anyway. What was I saying. Brazil? How is it? Hot, I bet. Probably playing loads of football. Luke and I have been playing FIFA but it’s so not the same. He sucks at it and he doesn’t even cheat because he’s boring I guess or has “morals” or whatever (his words not mine). I miss playing FIFA with you. Always beating Luke is not fun. Okay it’s a little fun. But I still miss you. As soon as you’re back you’re reclaiming the player 2 controller. Did I mention that I miss you? You probably get it.

What can I update you about here? There’s not a lot to say. Nothing has really happened. At least not in my life. Oh! I can tell you a secret but don’t tell Luke I told you because he will definitely kill me. Not that you have any way to reach Luke. Don’t go behind my back and write a letter to Luke telling him I told you this. Anyway: Luke fancies Ashton! I totally got him to admit it during one of the FIFA games I mentioned. It was almost cute if I’m honest. He turned really red and got all blushy and stammery. I am now wondering if I should meddle or not. On the one hand, Ashton must like him back, right? Have you seen the two of them? I don’t want to deal with intra-band sexual tension. Unless it’s ours. We’ve already claimed the “insufferable band boyfriends” role though, so do we really want this to happen? I don’t really know what I’m arguing anymore. I don’t think I’ll do anything for now. Will keep you updated in case anything dramatic happens. Then again I have no idea how long it’ll be before you receive this. Something very dramatic might happen while this is in the post. Let me ask my mum. Okay she says it could be two weeks. That’s fucking long. You might just have to come back and get the Luke/Ashton updates in real time.

Besides from that there isn’t much to report. Everything is the same. Except I’m a lot lonelier now. This is what you’ve done to me Calum. I’m returning to my natural introvert state. I need you here, Cal!! Otherwise I’ll just have to become a turtle and by the time you’re back it might be too late.

I’m joking by the way. I hope you’re having a good time at football camp. Making new friends and learning Brazilian(?) Portuguese and kicking everyone’s arse and showing them up. I’m sure you are. I just miss you lots. :( Counting down the days!

Sending you lots of kisses and cuddles through the post,

Mikey

Dear Michael,

I don’t care either! I think writing letters is cool. We’re like lovers at war. Except neither of us are going to die. Probably. (Some of these footballers are CRAZY good. You never know!)

Actually, Brazil is pretty nice. It’s winter so the days have actually been not too hot, thankfully. It’s exhausting enough playing as it is. If it got any hotter, I might actually pass out. Forever. They’d have to ship me home in a body bag. (Are those only for dead people? Maybe not a body bag.)

It’s been almost two weeks since you sent your letter (I assume you sent it soon after I left?) which means there’s a good chance this one won’t get to you until I do, but in case it does I’m going to write and post it anyway. I hope by now you’re getting on better with Luke. If I’ve said it once or a million times, you guys have a lot in common and I really think you could be best friends if you weren’t both such stubborn shitheads. Which I say in the nicest way possible!

Of course Luke fancies Ashton, he’s liked Ashton since…honestly I don’t know when. Months and months at least. And Ashton clearly likes him back. I’ve never seen two people less capable of hiding their feelings. I’m surprised you didn’t notice before. Please tell me you decided to meddle in the end. You’re right, we can’t handle more sexual tension in the band. Don’t worry, they can’t possibly be more insufferable than we are. We are the most annoying boyfriends on the planet. We’re writing each other letters. Basically, it’s best for everyone involved if they get over themselves. Suck it up and kiss already! My friend Gustavo agrees with me. Also he says hi. (Well he says “oi” but I translated for you. See, I can do stuff like that. Kinda cool, right?)

I miss you too, you know. Very much. This might sound weird, but I keep having dreams about you? Like…I’ll be dreaming about whatever (usually football these days) and then you’ll just be there. Clearly my subconscious also knows I miss you. You know Ashton says that when you dream about someone, it’s because they’re thinking about you, so I hope that’s true. It’s kind of a cute idea. I hope you’re thinking about me. I’m thinking about you. Obviously. A lot. A lot.

There is one thing I want to tell you, though. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this, and the more I think about it the crazier it feels, but also more right. So…I think I’m gonna do the band. Not football. This is cool and all, but everyone here is so scary good, and…I don’t know. Maybe this is stupid but I don’t like the idea of a future without you when I could have a future with you. Like with the band, I mean. And I know it’s not the most practical dream, but imagine how cool it would be if it actually worked out. You know I like a challenge. So, anyway…that’s kind of where I’m at now. I’m going to keep thinking about it for the last two weeks here, but I don’t think I’ll change my mind. Don’t tell anyone, please. I just wanted to tell you as soon as I knew. My parents are going to be soooo mad. Not excited to tell them, but this feels like the right decision.

Anyway…this got weirdly deep. Sorry. Here’s something super not-deep to make up for it: one of the football coaches here has a dog whose name in English is pasta! PASTA! (It might be apple. Apparently they’re the same word just spelled differently and the Brazilians here can clearly tell the difference. I cannot. But I think it’s way funnier if the dog’s name is pasta so I’m going with that. Not that apple is much better? Imagine seeing any dog at all and thinking, “You know what this dog’s name should be? A common food item.�� LOL.)

This letter is so long and I’m running out of space on the page and I also really need to go to sleep! The boys are telling me to turn off the lights. I miss you so much. Football camp is fun, but I can’t wait to be back. Counting down the days!

Thank you for the cuddles and kisses I am sending them right back to you,

Cal

“Oh my God,” Michael mumbles into Calum’s shoulder, “you smell.”

Calum laughs, but he doesn’t loosen his grip on Michael. “Seriously? I haven’t seen you in a whole month and that’s the first thing you say?”

“Ugh, I missed you so much, but that’s boring to say, you already knew it,” Michael says, drawing back to kiss Calum for a second. Then he buries his face in Calum’s neck. “Seriously, I’m not joking, if you ever leave me alone for that long again, I will die.”

“You had Luke. And Ashton.”

Michael groans loudly and overdramatically. “Ashton is busy with family stuff all the time and don’t you dare compare yourself to Luke.”

“We’re going to talk about this,” Calum says. “You’re going to be friends with him if it kills me.”

“Then prepare to die,” Michael says. Calum laughs, pressing a kiss to the slope of Michael’s neck. “I tried, okay? I promise I did. I said in my letter we were playing FIFA! Did you get my letter? I didn’t know how to check if it ever actually arrived.”

“I got it,” Calum says, stomach lurching with nerves. Ignoring them for the moment, he squeezes Michael and then steps back to give him a full once-over. “I loved it. It made me laugh. God, I really missed you, you know?”

“Join the fucking club,” Michael says, smiling. He’s been smiling this whole time, Calum realises; he’s just good at sounding like he’s whining even when he’s smiling. That’s probably the most Michael thing Michael can do.

“Alright, boys,” Mali says from a ways away. “Come on. Let’s go. And seriously, Calum? You hug Michael but not me?”

Calum throws his arms around Mali, and Mali wraps him in a hug. “Missed you,” Calum says sweetly in her ear. “Thank you for coming to get me. And for bringing Michael.”

“You’re welcome,” Mali says drily. They separate and Mali just gives him a small smile. “And I missed you too, you punk. Come on, you both. Baggage claim awaits.”

Mali takes off and Calum lingers behind until he can throw an arm over Michael’s shoulder. Michael leans heavily into him. It’s been so long since the last time Calum had Michael in his arms, but it’s so immediately familiar that it almost knocks Calum off his feet.

“So…” Calum bites his lip. “Did you get my letter? I sent it just after yours arrived, but I don’t know if it got here before me.”

Michael shakes his head. “Nope, nothing.” Something in his voice tells Calum he’s making no mistake. He’d probably checked the mail every day, just to see. There’s a pang in Calum’s chest, all mixed up with the anxiety flitting out to his fingertips from inside his rib cage.

“Oh,” Calum says. “Well, there was something in there that I wanted to tell you, but I guess I’ll just tell you now. Um.” He drops his voice to a half-whisper, clears his throat. “I don’t want to tell Mali or anyone yet, but…I decided I’m not going to do football.”

Michael jerks. “What?”

“I want to be in the band,” Calum says quietly. His heart is racing, but at least it’s racing towards the finish line instead of away. This is the right decision. He’s…ninety-five percent sure. That’s enough to know. It has to be enough to know. “I just, you know, football is fun, but music is more fun. To me. And anyway, um.” He rubs the back of his neck. “If I have a choice between a career that has you in it or one that doesn’t, I choose you. Obviously.”

“You’re gonna be in the band?” Michael repeats lowly, looking over at Calum like he’s seeing something he’s never seen before. “Seriously? You’d give up football?”

Calum shrugs, nods. “Yeah. I know my parents are going to kill me, but I don’t care. This is what I want.”

Michael stares at him. “I love you,” he says, and then kisses Calum too fiercely to give Calum adequate time to process that.

By the time they break apart, he’s processed it. And as he inhales to catch his breath, licking his lips, he knows with one-hundred-percent certainty that this is the right choice.

“I love you too,” Calum says, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Where Michael is concerned, it usually is.

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bigskydreaming · 4 years ago

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About all the stuff you were talking about, do you know any fics that handle those things well? It is exhausting trying to go through the Dick Grayson tag to try and find ones that handle even one of those remotely well so any you can tell me would be wonderful.

I use my Bookmarks page as a go-to for people looking for that sorta thing. I haven’t added to it in awhlie which is like, a useful reminder for myself to rectify that.

I’m not sure off the top of my head what fics on there address these particular areas of canon or fanon issues, but they’re in there, and I don’t bookmark anything I wouldn’t reread since that’s....the only reason I bookmark stuff lol. Aka nothing that contains elements or fanon tropes/issues that would’ve pulled me out of the read on the first go-through.

Specific authors who I consistently like for their takes on all of that, hmmm....off the top of my head, @dustorange only deals in Quality Stuff and her Hierarchy of Needs for Dick’s characterization has similar enough rankings to my own personal one, that I’m always like, yes, this hit all the beats I was hoping for from this summary, I am full, I could not eat another bite. But maybe a dessert course later. I guess. If you insist.

In terms of specific takes and tropes I’ve been talking about tonight, @themessofthecentury has a fic that delves into all the Spyral aftermath in a really satisfying way. Y’ever been like, ugh can someone please write a lengthy beast of a multi-chapter that takes all of that and says ‘Lo, there is Gold in these hills” and has a range of POVs but that all consistently prioritize and center Dick in the areas and matters he should be the one prioritized? That’s the one, that’s Fault Lines, its a WIP but its alive and kicking and very much what you’re looking for to read something actually catharctic after the way all of that was handled in canon and most related fics.

Umm, lessee.... @hood-ex is all about Top Notch Tropes, especially for great scenes where Dick’s with a wide range of characters, and its like, casual slice-of-life stuff, but delivered in a way that Just Says No to fanon and even when writing Dick as light-hearted and having a good day, its like...actually in character for him and he’s not Dick Grayson, The Balloon Animal That Walks Like A Man (but is actually 70% sugary cereal). You gotta follow her on tumblr though to get all the fics, cuz she’s like me in that she writes a lot of done-in-one scenes that never get moved over to Ao3 because eh, we’ll do it tomorrow but also we’ll forget about it by tonight so no actually we won’t. And thus there’s a lot of hidden gems to be found there.

@ckbookish writes a lot of stuff set in the early Nightwing days when Jason was Robin, and from what I’ve read there’s a lot of focus on Dick and Jason bonding and also exploration of Dick’s thoughts and reactions to Bruce’s “Bruce NO” behavior of that era that’s very much in character and IMO hits all the right notes in the complicated arrangement of allowing Dick his Feels there and placing the appropriate blame where appropriate but without demonizing Bruce and over-embellishing the more than enough to work with fuck-ups canon helpfully provided for that era.

In fact, in general I’m inclined to say the author sticks as closely to canon as possible while just....making it better by just adding the little ingredient that is ‘Actual Exploration of Dick’s Feelings and Choices As Viewed Through Empathy-Colored Glasses By Someone Who I Feel Actually HAS Met or Been A Teenager At Some Point in Their Life and Thus Is Aware They’re Not Actually Unreasonable Wild Animals Whose Behavior Even When Rational Is Actually Irrational Cuz Hormones Yeah I Know I Was Surprised Too’. So I’d say their work consistenly delivers the story and emotional beats I look for from Bruce, Dick and Jason in that era, actually humanizing all three of them without going overboard with adding flaws all willy-nilly just cuz.

The only reason its not on my bookmarks page is cuz unfortunately, the sticking close to canon means Dick joining the Bludhaven police force to try and clean it up from the inside, and like.....not a criticism or condemnation of the execution of that premise at all, like, Dick’s clear in his reasons and from what I read goes about it in a way that actually fits if Dick had criticisms of the institution as a whole and an earnest belief he can effect change to it from the inside, its just like, purely as a personal subjectivity thing, Dick Grayson and Being a Cop is like my ultimate NOTP, I see it and I reflexively hiss like a vampire who forgot the sun was a thing. Its just not for me in any execution, but if that’s not true for you then its got everything else I’d look for in fic and thus while I can’t vouch for his characterization or the dynamics in later stories, like, I’m pretty sure you’d still be in Primo Characterization territory.

There’s stuff on my bookmarks page from an author named discowing(amelia from a fairytale) - something like that. I can’t recall their tumblr off the top of my head but I know she says it somewhere in some of her author’s notes. Anyway, her stuff runs the gamut but consistently delivers on moments I really wish we could see in canon, so def worth a read. And I know her views on the Spyral aftermath and what’s needed for actual catharsis there are right in my wheelhouse, just in general, so if that’s the barometer you’re going by, then like.....idk whatever a barometer says or does when it gets the readings its supposed to, look its late, that’s the metaphor I’m going with, just pretend it was solid.

Those are just some of the authors where I’m familiar with more than one of their works off the top of my head and tend to like their focus and narrative/character choices across the board. I don’t know the full extent of work of every author linked on my Bookmarks page, like a lot of people write a lot of fic in a lot of fandom and I see a long list of fandoms and fics all organized by date posted so its more like one DC fic per page, and my ADHD self is like hahaha what if it was naptime tho zzzz.

But yeah, that’s not nearly enough to sate my greed and want for Good Dick Grayson Takes but it should get you started. There’s some good stuff out there, that’s never been in question, its just that like you said, it can be exhausting trying to wade through fics that you can’t tell at a glance if they’d be to your liking or not because the tags are all complimentary of Dick but two chapters in you’re like wait is this the other kids’ brother or is this their nanny, I feel like I’m reading about what if Fran Drescher wore tights and fought crime with flippity-flips. Which I mean, that’s a Premise right there, alright, its just not remotely the premise I look for out of fic where I have the weird expectation that Dick should be treated and regarded more like equal family to his siblings than like, okay what if he was actually just an au pair that was mostly hired to be eye candy.

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scandeniall · 5 years ago

Text

actually, i’m dating iwa

iwazumi x reader, but mostly (?) platonic!Oikawa x reader

i just really love college au’s and tried to combine with youtuber!au. Also this is my first time writing for a character other than Kuroo and my 3rd time ever writing hq so yeah this probably fucking sucks

-----.

“Filming a video with the bestie. Send us questions,” you put up a peace sign not even looking up from your phone as oikawa flashed his camera at you for his Instagram story. You’d done a similar post hours ago for your own followers supposed to have filmed hours ago. A head plopping itself caused you to quickly finish your text before tossing your phone on the table in front of you. “Ugh where’s Iwa with the pizza. I’m starving,” the brunette groaned from beside you after you tried pushing his head off of you to which he just continued to put more of his weight on you. “Move your big ass head Oikawa,” you cried out still trying to push the man child off of you. “No because you never spend time with me anymore now that you’re-“ he dramatically huffed “Dude I’m literally with you everyday” It was true. The two of you had been practically inseparable for the past few years. Meeting at summer orientation right before both your first year of college, he noticed you doing the same thing he was. Vlogging, and thus the start of a beautiful friendship. Now in your last year you two have practically grown your social media together, collaborating with him more than you had anyone else (same for him). Hell, you two even lived together for a year before you decided you couldn’t take anymore of the asshole both never cooking and using up all the hot water with his long ass showers. “First of all it’s more like every other day. Second of all where is your stupid boyfriend? The sun is gonna go down before he gets back here. You know i hate filming with ring lights”

You couldn’t help but laugh at him referring to his best friend as “your stupid boyfriend,” knowing if Iwa heard that Oikawa would be the first one to start running to avoid a hit. The two of you had met through Oikawa. It was midway through freshman year, Oikawa had invited you to his dorm for a study session for the gen ed class you two shared. He failed to mention that his roommate was there taking a nap, and that your loud ass drum beat knocking woke him up. You were absolutely mortified and continued to apologize, literally wanting to kill Oikawa. That was one thing you two had in common and that night not only did he have a grouchy sleep deprived roommate, but an annoyed you to deal with as well. You heard a slight struggle at the door before raining your neck to see that Iwaizumi had managed to make it in, holding pizza and other bags. “Go help Iwa put the stuff down,” you scolded your friend as he watched with amusement as the man struggled balancing the pizza boxes with one hand and the plastic store bags with the other. Once seeing Oikawa just shrug and rest back against the couch saying something about ‘being too hungry to move, before picking up his phone and typing away’ You huffed and got up yourself. Your boyfriend shot you a grateful smile as you took the pizza from him so that he was able to place the bags down safely. “Hey Haji- what's all this. Thought you were going to get pizza,” you said softly leaning against the counter as he began to empty bags. “Just a few snacks for you guys. Thought you two could make the video a mukbang. Although I’m not sure why I did, considering Shittykawa is here to eat some.” Your heart swelled as you both ignored your whiny friend across the room. You just wanted to hug your boyfriend and so you did. Before you could place your lips against his, said whiny friend had gotten his ass off the couch. “Can you two not fuck on my kitchen counter,” as he maneuvered around the tiny kitchen to start getting his food together. “Pretty sure I live here too,” your boyfriend scowled pressing a quick kiss to your temple before letting go of your waist and going to set up the camera for yours and Oikawa’s video. “Also, who’s to say we haven’t already,” you decided to tease, pushing past Oikawa lightly bumping into him. “Remind me to bleach every surface in here later on. Nasty bitches,” “Love you too Tōru” “How is it not living together anymore?” you read out. Already smiling at a chance to drag oikawa. “Fucking amazing! I get to come home to my food not eaten and I actually can get hot water when I’m trying to shower. I-“ “Oh you actually shower? Could’ve fooled me,” “Says the man who always used my expensive body wash,” you retort back looking off camera to pout at Iwaizumi laughing at the two of you. To the camera it would just look like you were refusing to look at Oikawa, not making puppy-dog eyes at your boyfriend. “Yeah because you don’t. Stinky” --- “What’s your favorite thing to do together? “Nothing because I hate this bitch-“ you deadpanned. The room going quiet before you, Oikawa and off camera Iwaizumi started laughing. “I’m kidding I promise. But I’m gonna let Oikawa answer this because he definitely knows what I’d say.” “It’s because we’re the same person. Twin-telepathy. But I’d have to say our monthly road trips with Kuroo and Bokuto. It’s the best time to unwind with my best friends and it’s always fun finding new places and we love taking you guys along with us. Special shoutout to the man, Iwa who gets all of the b-roll and actually records the chaos. Iwa! Speaking of him- he’s actually home for once and is watching us film. Aren’t we pretty,” you watched your best friend recount laughing when Iwaizumi says loud enough for the camera to hear that he isn’t. “Come say hi to the video,” Oikawa begged, deciding to record Iwaizumi on his phone to insert in later. “Oi! Get that camera off of me Shittykawa”

----

“Alright guys. We’re gonna do one last question. Tōru, take it away,” you smirked already knowing the question he was gonna pick. “Are you and (Y/N) dating?,” Oikawa read out, picking up his bottle of beer to take a swig while looking at you with a teasing smile on his lips. “Whew that’s an interesting question. You wanna take that one (Y/N)?” For years the two of you never answered that question. At one point it was genuinely because you two had a crush on one another and while you never became more than just friends, there had been a thing there. After that passed you two just always played off one another for videos, knowing people loved it. Once you and Iwaizumi started dating the more flirty actions had stopped, but that still never stopped people from assuming. You two were almost always with one another, after all. You had been sharing relationship memes on twitter and even let it slip once that you had a boyfriend on Snapchat(although the audio was a little hard to hear as you’d said something like “i can’t find my boyfriend,” in a loud bar. And, to top it off you had recently posted a video of you getting ready for a date night. To anyone that kept up with you all the signs pointed to oikawa However, no one ever paid attention to how in the background of Kuroo’s vlogs how you and Iwaizumi always walked a little slower behind everyone else. No one thought anything during the last vlog with Bokuto when he captured you and Iwaizumi in the middle of the freezer aisle joking about which ice cream was best for root beer floats. Or how you and Iwaizumi would always be standing closer than you should in Oikawa's bar night videos. Of course Iwa’s hand resting on your lower back, occasionally slipping lower had never been caught on grainy phone cameras. “Well,” you took a deep breath. The three of you knew you were going to announce your relationship today but for some reason you were still nervous. Your relationship was one of the only things about your life you didn’t plaster on the internet. Iwa was definitely not one to be all on the internet, despite all of his friends being on there in the open. Not only that, but you were concerned about comments saying you’d been using Oikawa for views or leading him on or any of the crazy shit people come up with. You were pulled out of your thoughts when Oikawa lightly punched your arm offering you a comforting smile. “First of all, no. We aren’t dating-“ you started off. “Don’t forget to add it that you had a crush on me a few years ago” “It was mutual you dumbass,” you huffed. Loosening up. Knowing this half of the video was going on your channel you spoke up again. “As I said. Me and this dumbass are not dating. We’re-“ you pretending to gag, “genuinely best friends. The love I have for Tōru is absolutely not romantic. However I am in a relationship and you can say that I met him through the idiot next to me.” “Babe you wanna come over here and officially be introduced as my boyfriend to the internet,” you called out. Oikawa mocking you “Yeah babe. Come in for a second.” Before you could even retort you notice your boyfriend signal to you and ducked as you saw a couch pillow fly towards the side of Oikawa’s head. “OW! Iwa that hurt. And stop laughing at my pain (Y/N),” Oikawa cried out. Ignoring your friend you looked up to Iwaizumi leaning over the edge of the couch in the camera's frame, lips hovering next to your ear. “You did it. Now people can stop shipping you with him.” Iwaizumi places two kisses on you for the camera. One on your cheek, the other on the side of your neck before looking up. “Hey,” and with that he was up and out of frame. “You guys see how he didn’t even acknowledge me. Just (Y/N). So rude” “Shut up Oikawa,” you and Iwaizumi said at the same time. Right before the camera cut off i stopped here bc idk what i was even doing because this turned out nothing like my initial idea. idk request if you want and i might give it a try. Also adding pt 3 to college!kuroo soon.

will be cross-posted on ao3

#haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #iwaizumi x reader #oikawa x reader #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu imagines #iwaizumi imagine #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu scenarios

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knightofameris · 4 years ago

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Hiii! I was wondering if you had any fluffy fic recs? If you use AO3 and have any recs from there that would be nice too! Thank you!!!

AHDJSJD. okay I honestly do not mind giving out fic recs. Just for starters tho I do have a fic rec blog @knightofreaders !! You can also search through my blog with the tag “ameris’ fic recs”

Otherwise for now I’ll rec some AO3 ones and tumblr ones rn!! Mostly AO3 because you can find the tumblr ones on my rec account. I’m just giving recs I can think of off the top of my head rn. I’m sure I’m missing some.

Some of them might actually be GN!reader and not fem!Reader. I may have fucked up when labeling. Hmm.

Also I curse a bit on this. a lot. LMAO also terrible spelling throughout. good luck.

Fly High, Baby! by beartea on AO3

180k+ || slowburn || series ; completed || reverse harem || fem!reader

This one is one of my favorites. I’ll probably go hunting for the post (here!) I made for it but I went so hard on my lil review. It’s a reverse harem, slow burn. But they have such a beautiful writing style and their characterizations are spot on. I don’t know if anyone else have ever understood these characters this well with how they break down the characters. Literally break them down, make them raw because they’re crying and you’re crying suddenly too. The MC is incredibly relatable IMO. She has a personality while also being written where you can relate to her. I see myself in her. But I also see my friends. And my friends are themself in her. And she’s annoying. And frustrating. And she’s human. Reverse harem includes: Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kuroo Tetsurou, Sugawara Koushi, Akaashi Keiji, Iwaizumi Hajime, Oikawa Tooru.

Times I’ve cried reading: probably like at least 5x. MC does have a given last name but that is because she’s adopted. Also, I’m not an Ushi fucker at all, but tea made me like,,, just love ushi,,, a lot

Ghosts We See by Renesis on AO3 // @renesis-jj here on tumblr

200k+ || slowburn || isekai || series ; ongoing || fem!reader || reverse harem

Another masterpiece, also a favorite. I think Ren does a great job world building, she truly makes it an experience and at this point I’m not even reading it for the haikyuu boys LOL. I absolutely love how she brings us into the story (as the MC or just as a reader) and submerses us into this world she created. she does a great job showing us the world rather than telling, keeping us in the dark like MC, and guiding us through the world like MC as well. Ren also has an incredible way of understanding the characters, even their alternate forms because at the core they’re all the same. But because the ones in the alternate world grew up in a harsher environment of sorts, they seem different. Harem includes: Ushijima Wakatoshi, Bokuto Koutarou, Kuroo Tetsurou, Miya Osamu, Miya Atsumu, Kita Shinsuke, Suna Rintarou, Oikawa Tooru

Ren has multiple side stories intertwined as well which makes it just absolutely amazing. I should ALSO mention, I was already an inarizaki fucker but Ren made me go oh shit. also the same as I said about Ushi from beartea, I was not an Ushi fucker but Ren also made me like him a lot more

Next Time by @\dorkyama (I am not tagging her I’m too shy lol)

??k+ || slowburn || exes to lovers || completed || fem!reader || Miya Osamu

UGH one of my favorite series (I keep saying that) for osamu this time. I love the way remy portrayed MC. She’s frustrating and annoying but so real. She also did a great job showing the relationship with MC and Osamu. It’s funny people were always angry at Osamu but personally I was always angry at MC. I think more so because I’d do what she’d do lol (i was going to add all the chapters word counts but lol)

Sugar Sweet series by @kuroos-babie

parent AU??? lol || ongoing || fem!reader || multiple

So this is actually connected to all of her single mom!headcanons. I haven’t read all of them but I DO know that the one’s I have read make my heart just throb. If you know me, you know how much I do Not Like Kids. Well it’s not that I don’t like them, it’s more like I would not want to be a parent lol. I’m fine with being that older figure someone looks up to, but not in a parent way,,, but like Chiqui makes me question it every so often LMAO. But I’d like to be the cool aunt or idk.

embroidered hearts by memento_amare on ao3

2.1k+ || one shot || strangers to friends to lovers || fem!reader || Sugawara Koushi

This is just insanely fluffy. And. It makes my heart cry with how cute it is. Because MC is scared of love and yet,,, Suga shows her it’s okay to be scared but to let herself love.

the comfort of your hand in mine by memento_amare on AO3

1.2k+ || one shot || childhood friends to lovers || fem!reader || Sugawara Koushi

Another fluffy one. I just loved it for the mutual pining and childhood friends to lovers and the revelation. Ugh. It’s also on tumblr now :3c

Read more because I have a lot lol.

Claustrophobia by melremade on AO3

11.2k+ || two shot || friends to lovers (?) || Sugawara Koushi || a lil spicy || fem!reader

I thought this one was cute LOL. Sugas adorable in here and it’s only a lil spicy cus it had a pretty detailed make out session

Miscellaneous by Thisisforthebest on ao3

?.?k+ || multiple parts || fem!reader || has some SPICEY moments but it’s cute fluff mostly.

This ones hard to group. This one has a bunch of stories split into parts throughout different chapters of this uhhhh AO3 fic? I’ve admittedly only read Suga’s and Oikawa’s. I love both and Oikawa’s is still unfinished. suga’s is childhood friends to lovers and ugh it’s just so cute. Oikawa’s is also cute and I wanna scream. There are also other characters on here, but I haven’t read them oops. I only was interested in Suga’s and Oikawa’s lol.

Drop the Guillotine by rosequartsy on ao3

13.7k+ || one shot || friends to lovers (?) || a lil SPICEY || fem!reader || Miya Osamu

I’ve gone back to this fic once or twice. It’s well written and it’s obvious about the pining going on in both sides and. Well I like it kol. And idk how to talk about it without giving out spoilers

All I Want by declaraso on AO3

44.5k+ || series ; completed || slow burn || childhood friends to lovers || fem!reader || Miya Osamu

The slow burn in this one was so FRUSTRATINF. and yet I kept reading because I loved it so much. You really want to bonk MC AND SAMU.

Crush like WOAH by herecomestroublr on AO3

9.2k+ || one shot || established relationship || fem!reader || Sugawara Koushi

HINATA goes to his two upperclassmen for help on confessing. And MC and suga explain their relationship development lol. This one was just really cute cus it focuses on Mc and suga but at the same time not.

too easy by @\kuroopaisen

3.2k+ || one shot || friends to lovers || Sugawara Koushi

Another fic I go back to a lot. I JSUT love friends to lovers. And I can see how this relationship developed so well and realistically??? Because there were moments in there I could relate to with my former relationships lol

pillow fort rituals by @\kuroopaisen

3.9k+ || one shot || childhood friends to lovers || Kuroo Tetsurou

My one single kuroo rec on here. lol. Well not counting the reverse harems. Anyways this one I absolutely LOVED. it was just well written and it was another type of relationship I’d want, one that kinda eases into one from friendship. I love that shit. I also think about this one a lot. I also enjoy this one a whole lot because, well, I like the idea of a relationship developing naturally in a way where there are no declarations of love or likes. It just happens and you know it’s there and the other knows its there. and maybe eventually you both do talk about it but. it’s there.

Can you guys tell I have a strong preference towards gray haired characters 🤡🤡 and can you tell what my favorite tropes are ajdhajjd

Anyway I’m sure some of these you may have already seen. But these are my absolute favorite. Or maybe they are ones you’ve seen while scrolling through AO3 or tumblr but never gave a chance because I dunno. Some ARE long which is understandable. But hopefully this will convince you because hngngh

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fluff #sugawara koushi x reader #I really do have a type and a trope I love. type being gray haired characters and most of the time suga lol #I tried keeping it short #I didn’t want to do a readmore but #I had to #PLEASE I implore you guys to check these out #they’re my favorites #I definitely go back to #thinking about them #so much lok #ameris’ fic recs #anon bb!!#not using the normal ask response tag because #THIS ONE JS SI GOOD SJDSJJD #only giving it two x reader tags because LMFAO #it's mostly suga anyway oops

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writingwife-83 · 4 years ago

Text

My 2020 Sherlolly Self Interview

Thanks for organizing this fun activity @sherlollyappreciationweek! 🎉 I’ll start out with a very brief “about me” section-

I live in the northeast area of the USA, I’ve been married for seventeen years, have one teenage son, and I’m in my *gulp* late thirties now. I do volunteer ministry work and also work part time from home. Among other leisure activities, obviously I love writing! I started writing original fiction when I was a preteen, but I’ve been writing fanfic under the pen name “writingwife83” for over six years now. I discovered fanfic and the world of online fandom after becoming obsessed with BBC Sherlock in 2014 after s3 aired. I read The Full House, fell in love with the whole concept of fanfic, specifically for sherlolly, and couldn’t help but give it a go myself. And as they say, the rest is history!

Below the cut I’ll talk about some of the topics and fics suggested by followers/readers. Buckle up cuz it’s a lot lol...

Ok, first up to be kind enough to give me some feedback is @readstoomuch. You said- “what inspires you. Any story (I love them all!). Who do you love writing? Who is hardest for you? And which is that one story that you had fun doing?”

As for what inspires me, first and foremost it’s the show and characters itself. Watching those two on screen, it’s not hard to be inspired! But beyond that, I find a lot of inspiration in music and art, and just generally in other creative works and people. I think for a while I had my own internal inspiration and no lack of it, but as months dragged into years lol, I have found that the rest of the shippers are invaluable in filling the gaps when I lack inspiration and motivation. Some prompts I’ve gotten from others have taken on a life I never would have expected, and that’s pretty great. I honestly don’t think writing works best as a purely solitary activity. I know myself and although there is an aspect of my writing that will always be “for me,” that’s absolutely not all it is. It’s the fun of creating with others and it’s the fun of sharing with others.

As for who I love writing and who’s hardest, I think I’ve always felt pretty comfortable writing the main characters in Sherlock. I probably especially love writing Sherlock himself because he’s fun to break down and really dig deep into his emotions and thought processes. There have definitely been times some of the side characters have overwhelmed me and made me nervous about conveying their voices accurately. For instance, Mycroft can be tough if it involves pulling him out of his shell in a way that still feels believable and true to character.

That one story I had fun doing? Well there’s no way I can say just one. 😆 As far as reader response, there’s no other fic that can compare to the fun of I Told You So, that’s for sure. But as far as the actual plotting and creating, I think the fics I’ve had the most fun with are the multi-chapters I’ve done since becoming good friends with @thisisartbylexie. Having her as a sounding board, plotting buddy, and editor has absolutely increased my creating fun and has definitely also made me a better writer.

Thanks so much for asking @readstoomuch 🥰

Alrighty, @thisisartbylexie, you asked- if there's a fic that you ever wanted to go back to change in some way, which one would it be and why? Which one do you feel "oh wow, did I write that?" in a super positive way?

Idk how to choose just one fic. There are plenty that could use some changing lol! One I’d like to fix though, would be Pleased to Meet You. I know (because I’ve been told) that there’s inaccuracies in that one seeing as I’m not personally familiar with university settings in the UK. I did actually attempt research and I thought I got the idea, but apparently it didn’t work out terribly well. But the plotting and progression of that fic is one I’ve always been happy with, so I guess I feel like it’s a shame if it came off messy in some general ways and distracted from the rest of it. I like how I was able to weave that one into the canon of the show up to that point. And tbh it actually still fits as a uni backstory for them without any conflicts to the canon. As much as I enjoy canon divergence and AU, I also have a big soft spot for fics that simply connect seamlessly to what we’ve already been given.

As for “oh wow, did I write that?” I think one of my proudest accomplishments has been Zephyr. That fic kinda has it all lol. The tropes, the pining, the romance, the Victorian setting...ugh I love it. And there’s a climactic kiss moment in that fic that’s one of my faves I’ve written. I’m so glad I wrote it because of the Sherlolly Remix Challenge in ‘16, and at your suggestion, Lexie. But I will also be forever sad that I had to release that fic all at once on AO3 once completed. That fic would have been great fun to be writing and posting as I went along! And on top of being happy with the fic itself and how it came out, I’m awfully proud of the fact that you were excited enough about the fic to illustrate it, and that @goodshipsherlolly enjoyed it enough to record it as an audio fic. Honestly, what more could a writer ask for? 🥺

@mizjoely, you said you’d like to hear anything about The Queen’s Man. Okey doke, you got it lol!

I actually went back and read through most of that fic when I got this because it had been a long time since I’d looked at it. I gotta be honest that in hindsight...I’m a little surprised it did as well as it did.😂🙈 As some may remember, it started because I saw a magnificent manip and wanted to write something to go with it, and then because that was well received, somehow it just kept going. I did very little world building and development of characters in that fic. It was largely just one shippy, romantic, pining scene after another lol. At the end I did kinda tie it all in and wrapped the story up ok, but it was definitely one of those self indulgent fics where I didn’t feel like doing the hard parts and really just wanted to write the fun stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I loved writing it, and I’m so glad it got the positive reception that it did! But it just kinda makes me laugh because it goes to show sometimes you don’t know what’s going to do really well. You could agonize over clever plotting and world building and character development etc, and be so super proud of the finished product and all your hard work, but then you share and the response is like “meh.” And then other times you legit just throw something together with barely any careful thought, and the crowd goes wild! But aside from all that, the visuals in my head of that AU are just too drool worthy to me. Molly in Medieval royal attire? Sherlock in dark armor with a Purple Tunic of Sex™️ underneath? The two of them lingering in the dimly lit hallways and rooms of a castle and gazing endlessly in mutual pining? Yes to all.

Thanks for asking @mizjoely 😘

Ok wow, see what I mean? That was long! 🤣 If you read all the way through this whole thing, *Moriarty voice* thank you...bless you. Honestly, this ship is amazing and I don’t think I’ll ever have a writing experience anywhere else like I’ve had here. I’ve seen the other side of things in another fandom now, so I can all the more so confirm that there’s no ship quite like sherlolly. The warmth, reception, and longevity is mind blowing and I’m just awfully happy to have played a part in creating for the beauty that is Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper. 💕

#sherlolly #sherlollyselfinterview20 #I spent too much time on this lol #hope some of you enjoy reading it!#I hope I remembered to link everything #there were lots of links to be added lol

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valkyrieskwad · 5 years ago

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would love to see you do the 2019 fic writing roundup!!

Here ya go (this is longer than i thought it would be lmfao):

2019 Writing Round-up

AO3 word count: 278,552 words

where there’s desire, there’s gonna be a flame (M, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

the one where Lena’s a criminal and Kara loses every argument she tries to have.

um, this is the second fic i started for supergirl, but the first one i finished. i wrote this because basically my heart was not into crash and i wanted to do something quick and funny. i finished this in like four hours and was really happy with it.

we’re burning down the bridges this time (M, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

the au where Lena’s an investigative journalist that’s never managed to land a front page story, Kara’s a hotshot National Geographic photographer, and they make a really good team.

this is the third fic i started and second one i finished for supergirl, and i fucking struggled with this one. it wasn’t even that i didn’t like the fic, i was still just not wanting to write crash and then i lost a story i enjoyed writing and so i wrote this but i was really over writing but this kinda pulled me out of the slump. i love this story.

crash through the surface (E, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

the fic where Lena gets involved with something dangerous, Kara’s in over her head with everything, and neither one of them know how to deal with their feelings for each other.

haha i have too much to say about this fic. it’s the first big project i’d taken on in more than three years and i felt like i did a lot of things wrong in the beginning so the end was me cleaning it up and it made it way harder to write than it should have been, so i have a bad relationship with this fic. but i don’t think it’s that bad, just, akdlfkjfhfdas.

when you feel my heat, look into my eyes (E, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

Lena makes sex toys, and Kara helps her test them out.

this is the buttplug fic and my only claim to fame. i love this fic.

i’ll be your light, your match, your burning sun (E, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

Lena only joins the uni’s ultimate frisbee team because Sam keeps talking her ear off about needing more players. But then she meets the captain, Kara Danvers, and suddenly her summer gets a lot more interesting.

okay! frisbee fic! i fucking loved writing this. i think i struggled a little with the last bit bec i wanted to show like a natural progression to young love, and i’m not super happy with some parts, but i love this fic so much it’s my baby it’s made me friends it’s - it was fun, idk. i really appreciated the fandom taking a chance on frisbee, tbh. it’s a great sport.

your love is bright as ever (even in the shadows) (M, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

the one where Lena cries a lot, loses Kara, gets her back, and starts learning how to be okay again. Especially that last bit. ♥

i’d already started writing the cave fic when i posted this, but i stopped to write this bec the reveal kinda put me in a weird mood and i needed to write about it. i really wanted to work on the cave fic, though, so ugh. this could have been better and there are places i wish i could add to it and i just kinda wrapped it up instead of drawing it out, but. i like it. it also helped me get out my reveal feelings, so i love it for what it did and what it is.

sink into you like water (pray you won’t pull me under) (E, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

a [Fake Dating AU] in which Kara rescues Lena from an underwater cave, it turns into one of the biggest media frenzies of the year, and they somehow get branded America’s Sweetest Couple by the public. Except, they’re not actually a couple, they’re divorced.

um, there’s a lot to say about this. i got the idea for this one day out of nowhere and started toying with it. then i went hiking in colorado and in the middle of dying at the top of the mountain i was like holy fuck this is what i wanna write. so i wrote a bunch of it, then i didn’t post it bec i was like who the fuck wants to read a cave fic. then, i dont remember why but i posted some of it on tumblr and some people were like post it, so i did. i love this fic with my whole heart. there’s like, two places i wish i did something diff, but as a whole i’m happy this exists in the form it does and that it came from me.

we could slow dance to rock music, kiss while we do it (E, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

College AU, where Lena’s a baby goth with nipple piercings, Kara’s her roommate and completely smitten, and they get matching tattoos somewhere along the way.

um, i don’t know what to say about this. it was super fun and came from multiple tumblr prompts and i love being collaborative and playing off of other peoples’ ideas. i also think the second chapter is probably some of the best smut i’ve written tbh.

life’s a drink and love’s a drug (E, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

It’s not the first time Kara’s worn the scarf outside the bedroom. She’s been pretty obsessed with it ever since it moved from being a simple part of Lena’s wardrobe to a part of their sex life.

this was a tumblr prompt i made longer for someone. had a ton of fun writing it.

and we’ll start a fire, and we’ll shut it down (’til the love runs out) (E, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

MORE FRISBEE.

it feels like i’ll never get around to writing this, but it’ll happen.

staring in the blackness at some distant star (M, Lena Luthor/Andrea Rojas)

some college-aged rojascorp

this kinda started as a joke and then i realized i’m absolutely in love with this ship and i’m going to keep writing it even if no one wants it because it makes me happy.

time’s supposed to heal you (but i ain’t done much healing) (E, Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor)

the one where Lena loses herself in a small town, and finds Kara Danvers in the process.

um, this is my favorite thing i’ve ever written in my life. i have so many feelings about it, but i’ll save them for a giant tl;dr post i’ll make when it’s finally finished.

a falling star fell from your heart (and landed in my eyes) (E, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor/Andrea Rojas)

post college hiking au, where Lena’s hopeless, Andrea is a mess, and Kara’s just along for any ride.

this is also one of my favorite things i’ve written, i love this so much i love andrea i love lena i love kara i love them to gether. i love hiking. i will finish this soon.

reflecting in your eyes, like an endless summer (E, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor)

the vampire au.

haha, i don’t know what to say about this. i love this story and have some super elaborate shit planned and im being shameless about it bec i’ve wanted to write a vamp story since the beginning of time and have always been like im gonna get shit for it bec everyone is over vampires. but like, i’ve been like fuck it and i’m loving it.

I WROTE SO FUCKING MUCH THIS YEAR ANYONE WHO SAYS THEY’VE READ IT ALL YOU’RE AUTOMATICALLY MY FUCKING FAV. THANK YOU.

#supergirl #supercorp #kara danvers #lena luthor #valkyrees #my fics #writing round-up #2019 was a shit taco of a year but i grew a lot and love you all #thanks #asks #Anonymous

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marbleheavy · 4 years ago

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Who needs Tinder when you have Romantic Literature

I have decided to start posting some stuff here too, maybe it will motivate me to write more. Anyways, this is moderately fluffy I’d say. It’s a mortal and college AU. Idk how to introduce this tbh, but please enjoy!

(Also, just throwing this out there because this blog is kinda new, I’m down to write requests too!)

Pairing: Solangelo

Word Count: 3,197

Rated: Teen

You can also read this on AO3!

Will knew she was coming before he saw her, he had heard the door slam and the unmistakable rapid steps. Whenever Charlotte had a new development with the boy in her Romantic Literature class, Will was always the first to know. He sighed, already prepared for the impending word vomit he was going to endure.

"Will!" Charlotte shouted.

Will turned around to smile at her. Don't get him wrong, he and Charlotte were friends, they chatted in class all the time, they studied together, they even sometimes went to parties together, but it was all very superficial. Charlotte had never met his boyfriend or any of his truly close friends, and he hadn't met hers. However, that didn't mean he was exempt from listening to her pine.

"Hey Charlotte," Will grinned, "What's up?"

Charlotte plopped down on the stool next to him and let out an exasperated sigh, "I can't handle it anymore, Will."

Will frowned, his eyebrows furrowing, "What?"

"I can't handle him anymore. He is so fucking pretty that I am going to lose my mind!"

"Charlotte, I'm sure that you'll be okay."

"No, you don't get it. Like he's hot, we knew that, but he is also so pretty. Like, Greek God pretty. It's truly unfair. I don't know how to handle myself," she ranted.

Will chuckled, shaking his head, "You know, you could always talk to him."

Charlotte looked appalled at the suggestion, "Oh no, absolutely not. I'm way too afraid, I've been basically stalking him all semester. Plus, there is no way someone that attractive doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Hey, you never know, maybe just test the waters, you could be surprised," Will said, trying to reassure her.

"Yeah, maybe, or maybe I will be rejected and I will have to drop out to save myself from further embarrassment. I will just pine from afar."

"You know, my boyfriend is in that class, I could ask him and see if he knows anything," Will offered.

Charlotte grinned at him, "Really? That would actually be great. By the way, what's your boyf-"

Charlotte was cut off by the professor entering and starting the lesson. Will glanced at Charlotte, but she waived him off, already dropping the question.

--- Will opened the door to their apartment and let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't a particularly difficult day, but Will hadn't slept much the night before. "Sunshine, you home?" Will called out.

Will heard a response from the kitchen, so he dropped his bag on the floor and kicked off his shoes, making his way into their kitchen.

"Hey darling," Will sighed as he walked up and wrapped his arms around Nico's waist, resting his head on his shoulder.

Nico smiled, tipping his head back to Will as he continued to stir whatever he was cooking on the stove. Will pecked his lips, not wanting to distract Nico, his hunger outweighed his desire to properly kiss him, which is a rare occurrence.

Nico hummed, "How was your day?"

"It was fine, I'm just worn out. Charlotte had another development with her Romantic Lit boy, it was all I heard about during our Chem lab. How about you?"

"Good, I only had the one class today so I spent a lot of time in the studio. Got a lot done, I should be ready for my showcase a few weeks in advance," Nico said.

Will grinned, "That's great! I can't wait to see it, I'm sure it will be incredible."

Nico scoffed, "Will, you've seen my stuff before, I wouldn't call it incredible."

"I disagree, you're only saying that because it's your work. I am, as always, a totally unbiased source who just happens to believe that my boyfriend's art is the best in the world, because it is."

Nico smiled, turning the stove off and moving to face Will. He looked at him, and reached for his face, "You're too nice to me."

Will leaned down, his forehead pressing against Nico's, "Oh darling, I can be way nicer."

Okay, so maybe Will wasn't actually that hungry.

---

Fridays were Will's favorite day. His only class of the day was his Chemistry Lab and that wasn't until noon, which meant that he could lay in bed with Nico until at least eleven. Nico had seemed particularly angelic that morning, with his hair splayed across Will's chest as he used him as a pillow. Maybe he was just extra appreciative because of all the discussion about gorgeous boys.

Having to drag himself from bed this morning was harder than normal, and as he sat at the lab table stool, he was still longing for Nico. He had just settled into his spot when Will heard his name from across the classroom and saw Charlotte walking towards their table. He smiled brightly at her and moved his bag to make space.

"Hey, Will! Did you ask your boyfriend about the Romantic Lit guy?"

"What? Oh! Um, no, I'm sorry, I-" Will paused, blushing brightly, "I got distracted. But I will ask after class today and text you."

"Oh, okay. No worries, I was just wondering. The other day, we were discussing Walt Whitman's poetry, and oh my God, he's literally perfect. He is smart and well spoken, and he's so gorgeous. I seriously don't understand how he is allowed to exist on this planet," Charlotte lamented.

Will chuckled, “I understand, I genuinely cannot comprehend how my boyfriend is allowed to look the way that he does. The struggle of incomprehensible beauty is real.”

“Oh, speaking of! I really want to meet that boyfriend of yours, maybe he will tell me more about himself since you spill so little. My roommate and I are hosting a party this Saturday, you should come and bring him!” she exclaimed.

Will grinned widely at her, “Yeah! I just have to double check with him but that sounds great! I need to get him out of the apartment more anyways.”

“Perfect! Anyways, I had a question about the lab, I screwed up my balancing of the equations somewhere, was the product nitrogen oxide or nitrogen dioxide?"

Will and Charlotte worked throughout the class, working hard to finish the post-lab questions and the write-up, neither wanted to have to work on it over the weekend.

As class ended, they quickly collected any notebooks and papers and walked out of class, desperate for a break. As they stepped into the hallway, Will assured Charlotte he would check with his boyfriend about the part and the Lit boy, and Charlotte smiled brightly in response.

Will pushed open the door to the science building open and stepped into the fresh air. Spring was just starting and trees across campus were blooming, but he didn't stop to admire the beauty or appreciate the warmer weather as he walked briskly towards his apartment. He knew that Nico didn't have any classes today and wasn't planning to go to the studio, which meant it was more than likely he was still in bed and Will would be able to climb right back in and pretend he never left.

As he rushed up the stairs to their apartment and jammed his key in the door, he was already shedding off his bag, coat, and shoes. Normally, he is much more organized, but today he left his pile of things on the floor next to the door as he scurried to the bedroom. Just as he suspected, Nico was still curled up in bed, dozing lightly. Will heard a hum as he padded into the room and Nico stretched out towards him, silently reaching out to him. Will grinned and climbed into their bed, pulling Nico close to him. Nico quickly curled into Will's chest and sighed. The wave of peace that washed over Will was unexpected and he quickly fell asleep.

---

Waking up late in the afternoon, either because of a nap or some really extreme sleeping in, has never really been Will's thing but as he felt Nico tighten his grip on him and seemingly climb even more onto Will, he decided it was okay. No matter how they fell asleep, Will always woke up with Nico on top of him, not that he minded. Will stared at his boyfriend's face resting on his chest, studying the curve of his nose and the shape of his lips. It didn't really matter how long they've been together, he never got tired of looking at him. Will didn't notice Nico's eyes open so when he finally made eye contact, he jumped a little. Nico chuckled, pulling his head back slightly to look at Will.

"You're a dork," Nico said.

Will huffed, feigning offense, "I don't know what you're talking about, I'm cool. I'm a cool cat."

Nico smiled, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Will's jaw lightly and mumbling into his neck, "No actual cool person has ever referred to themselves as a 'Cool Cat'."

"Well, there is a first for everything."

Nico sat up slightly, but not really. He was lying on top of Will so he wasn't ever really able to sit, but he shifted so he was straddling Will's hips, leaning down over him.

"How was class?" He asked as he leaned down to slowly kiss up Will's throat.

Will let out a breath, "Good, by the way, my friend Charlotte, I talked about her yesterday? Well, uh, she uh-" he stuttered as Nico began to bite lightly on his throat, "She's in your Romantic Lit class, um, and has a crush on this guy and she asked me, ugh, to ask you, uh, if you knew who he was? She said that he's super hot," Will stopped talking as Nico suddenly froze his movements.

Nico moved his head up to look at Will sharply "I'm clearly trying to get in your pants right now and you want to talk about other hot guys?"

Will grinned sheepishly, "No! No, no, I just, I don't want to forget! But I'll wait, yeah, I'll just wait. It's fine, but please, get in my pants."

Nico smirked at Will's excuse, but clearly he accepted it as he leaned back down to finally kiss Will on the lips properly. Will reciprocated immediately, moving his hands from Nico's thighs to grab his face. He hummed into Nico's mouth, biting lightly at his lips and Nico sighed. Nico's hands were on Will's shoulders to stabilize himself as Will began to kiss and suck along the edge of Nico's jaw.

"Tesoro," Nico moaned, leaning into Will's touch.

Will smiled through his kisses, nipping at his ear lobe and whispering, "Yes, darling?"

Nico groaned in frustration and grabbed at the hem of Will's shirt, tugging it off. Will stopped to look at Nico, his chest rising rapidly with his erratic breathing, his face flushed. Will always thought that Nico was pretty, but this was hard to beat. Nico, annoyed by the lack of kissing, quickly moved to reconnect their lips, tangling his fingers in Will's hair. He kissed Will, the kiss surely bruising their lips as he worked Will's mouth open. Will couldn't get enough of the feeling of Nico on top of him, of the feeling of Nico kissing him, it was overwhelming. Every time they did this, it was like the first time, except this time Will knew that if he put his hands near Nico's neck he would moan and if he traced his fingers along his torso he would sigh. His favorite part though, was when he would suck hickeys into his neck and Nico would whisper his name like it was the most divine word in the world. Will pulled his lips down Nico's throat and started biting lightly at his collarbones and pulse points.

"Will," Nico sighed, and Will smiled, there it was.

Just as Nico started to work his hands towards Will's belt, Nico' phone rang. Will pulled away and sat up, keeping Nico on his lap and watching as he reached over to grab his phone from the bedside table. Nico groaned as he saw the caller, "Will, I'm so sorry, but it's Hazel."

Nico answered the phone, greeting his sister, and Will dropped his head to rest on the crook of Nico's neck, still nibbling lightly.

Nico let out a squeak, pushing Will's head away lightly, "William," he scolded, "Stop that."

Will grinned at Nico, looking at him playfully as he heard Hazel chuckle over the phone. He leaned against the headboard as Nico talked to his sister about his gallery opening. When their conversation was finally done, Nico tossed the phone to the foot of the bed and wrapped his arms behind Will's head, "Now, where were we?"

Will smiled, "Sorry darling, I'm starving."

Nico rolled his eyes but climbed off of Will's lap and stood up, "You're such a cockblock."

Will laughed as he stood up too, "I'd say your sister is, so don't get mad at me."

"I can be mad at you all I want, first you talk about other guys and now you say you're 'too hungry'" Nico joked.

Will shoved his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen and toward the fridge. Nico hopped onto the counter, watching as Will searched for food. Will pulled out some leftover pasta and decided to microwave it, "So, that possible boy in your Romantic Literature class that Charlotte loves, do you know him?"

Nico shrugged, "I mean, maybe, I don't really pay attention to the other people in that class."

"Charlotte said that he was talking during your Walt Whitman discussion the other day," Will added.

Nico frowned, "I don't know, not many people participated that day, it was mostly me."

"Well, that's okay. I mean, I'm sure she will figure it out. Also, how do you feel about going to a party tomorrow night?" Will asked.

Nico nodded, "That's fine, but can we go separately? I was hoping to be in the studio tomorrow, and I don't want to make you wait for me."

"Yeah, of course, but I don't mind waiting for you, darling," Will reassured.

Nico smiled softly as Will walked to stand between his legs against the counter, "I know, but you don't get to go out often, and I'm not sure how long I'll be."

Will bent down and kissed Nico softly, resting his forehead against Nico's, "I love you."

"I love you too, Tesoro."

-----

Will had been at the party for about 30 minutes when he finally saw Charlotte. He waived at her as he walked up, and she grinned at him.

"Will! I'm so glad you came! Where is that boy of yours?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"He's on his way, he had some work to do before he could come. Also, he has no idea who your Romantic Lit boy is, sorry," Will said, shouting slightly so she could hear him over the music.

"That's okay! I'm hoping he will come tonight, we invited a ton of people and I'm hoping word got around to him," she explained.

Will smiled and continued to chat with her, sipping at his drink every so often. He knows in the back of his mind that Nico should be there soon and he should keep an eye out, but he figured it would be fine. Charlotte suddenly grabbed his arm, and grinned wildly at him.

"Will! He's here! I'm so excited, look," she whispered excitedly.

Will turned his head around and searched the crowd, he didn't see anybody who could be her Lit boy, but he did see Nico approaching and smiled at him, their eyes meeting. Will noticed Nico's shirt, it was Will's favorite button up with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He liked seeing Nico in his clothes, it gave him a rush of pride.

"Will! He's so cute! And the rolled up dress shirt thing is so hot!" Charlotte said.

Will whipped his head toward Charlotte, confusion etched in his features. Suddenly it hit him. Oh. Oh no.

"Oh my God, Charlotte wait, no-" he started.

It was too late, Nico had already made it all the way over to them and he smiled brightly, his stupid, charming smile. Will felt Charlotte drop her grip on his arm and adjust her shirt.

"Hi! I'm so glad you could come!" Charlotte said, her tone shifting to something far more flirty.

Nico seemed a little shocked by her, "Oh, yeah. Hi. Thanks for inviting us."

Charlotte's brows furrowed, "Us?" she started.

"Hey Tesoro, how was your day?" Nico asked Will, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers.

Charlotte's head flicked between Nico and Will.

Will could feel heat rising in his neck as he looked at Charlotte, "Um, it was good. So Charlotte, this is my boyfriend, Nico. Nico, this is Charlotte."

Charlotte was frozen, staring at Will widely as he panicked, terrified that she would freak out. Instead, she finished the rest of her drink in one gulp and then laughed.

"Oh! Really? That's hilarious! We really do have the exact same type!" She said, giggling.

Will seemed a little shocked, he was unsure if this was real or if she was about to start crying.

"Um, what?" Nico asked.

Will, without taking his eyes off Charlotte who was still laughing, explained "So, you know how I was telling you how Charlotte has a giant crush on a boy in her Romantic Literature that you are also in? Well, that boy is you."

Nico looked quickly at Charlotte, "Oh, um, sorry. You're really nice and smart but I'm super gay and very much dating Will."

Charlotte shook her head, "No, really it's fine! I'm just shocked this miscommunication lasted so long! I'm happy for you! You're gorgeous by the way, like truly, ten out of ten. Will, you caught a great one."

Will was still off balance by Charlotte's reaction and her lack of anger or sadness.

"Are you," Will paused, "okay? Do you want us to leave?"

"God no! Really Will, I'm okay. It was just a crush. And I know how you talk about your boyfriend, I would never try and interfere with that," Charlotte reassured, "But, I'm gonna go get another drink. Please stay, though."

Charlotte walked away and Nico turned towards Will. Will looked down at him and smiled lightly, but he still seemed like a deer caught in headlights. Nico grabbed Will's face, "Are you okay?" Nico asked.

Will nodded, "Yeah, this is all just crazy. I've been listening to her talk about that boy for months and turns out that it's you! I'm just not really sure what to do."

"Well, start by taking a deep breath," Nico said, "And then you can start repeating all the things you said about me to Charlotte that made her just laugh about this."

Will seemed to relax even though his cheeks turned bright red, "Hmm, I don't know. Maybe I won't."

Nico grabbed Will's wrist and sorted dragging him to the nearest closet or bathroom or bedroom, "No sir, you owe me for cockblocking me earlier."

Will laughed, "I didn't cockblock, it was an IOU."

Nico smirked, "Well I'd like to cash that in now please."

#solangelo #will solace #nico di angelo #will x nico #mortal au #college au #solangelo fanfiction #solangelo au #mortal solangelo #pre-med!will solace #writer!nico di angelo #artist!nico di angelo #fluff #solangelo fluff

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common-blackbird · 4 years ago

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it’s time... for a dragon age 2 playthrough post. scroll on!

The things i loved most:

1) the frame of the game - Cassandra interrogating Varric.

What a great way to get hook the player. Like, the opening of guards dragging this poor dwarf with cuts of the title, and then Cassandra demanding answers... Whoaaa! I have no idea if that’s usually done in games or not, but it’s definitely such an amazing intro with characters introducing themselves as well as the story so perfectly, it captivates instantly. The tutorial has a charm to it bc varric is messing around. Which serves to show more of his character. Cassandra’s personality was pretty much blank here but her presence is so powerful. Something happened, something huge and they know and i was about to find out. I can’t describe how excited that intro made me feel. Each time the scene cut to the interrogation scenes, my eyes were glued more than ever. Just GREAT.

Also it makes for a very convenient scapegoat for every plothole ever with the argument “it’s just his version of the story”.

2) The story.

It’s tragic. It’s amazing! The further you play, the more you can see that no matter what you do, everything leads to a disaster. Hawke doesn’t want to take sides, tries to mediate, does not want to get involved, but just can’t stop it. For every thing gained, Hawke loses two more. Your friends come with packages that get you involved in terrible stuff. Your good intentions result in disasters. The whole game you spent time climbing the social ladder not only to reach the top hauntingly alone after losing all of your family, but also losing even that empty title and watching as the city you started to find your place in fall apart in blood. UGH! GAH! FEELS!

3) Kirkwall.

“ But, I beg you my dear readers, never forget that, no matter the subject of any story that might ever be explored between the cliffs of Kirkwall, She will find a way to steal the thunder of the protagonist. Or become the antagonist. Kirkwall is never a mere background. We could even understand it so: the challenge for you dear readers is to prevail against the smokescreens and observe to what extent our characters are players or played by the merciless black souled stone giant. Enjoy playing the dare of the ages between the lines of these humble memoirs. “

Memoirs from the Downfall - Act I. Mirage by Pfefferminze on ao3 (fic rec!)

This paragraph summs up what Kirkwall is better than I ever could. This shrouded mystery that surrounds Kirkwall keeps you on toes. From the first intro when Varric describes it (paraphrasing from memory) “Kirkwall. The city of chains. It is a free city - keeping in mind i use the the word loosely”. You already start seeing how dark Kirkwall gets. The name, that derives from its black walls (interestingly, the walls in the game aren’t black...), the history of slavery etched into every corner of that city and its surroundings - the names (The Gallows, the Bone Pit, the Wounded Coast, the pub The Hanged Man), the scenery (sculptures of slaves, the sunken ships by the Wounded Coast, slums and underground of the Lowtown and the Darktown).

I was really digging the History of Kirkwall and it loved it. Kirkwall has a history of violence, from the times of slavery of the Tevinter Imperium, to Qunari conquests and liberation from Orlais. Many revolts and uprising. And though free now, it’s suggested that, seeing that the Templars hold the most influence, Kirkwall is in the hands of the Chantry.

It’s full of cultures mixing together. I love how not one of your companions is a native to Kirkwall, and it feels like a crossroads to every character’s life. a very tragic crossroads in their life, seeing there’s nothing ever good waiting for you in Kirkwall.

Also there’s these codex entries you look for about the Enigma of Kirkwall. It was when i started digging that up that i fell in love with the city and all. Combined with the History of Kirkwall and every codex entry for every place in and out of Kirkwall, I was pulling my hair out reading about the Enigma. I..i’m still not quite sure what happened. Did the magisters use blood of thousands upon thousands slaves to unbound a forgotten one? if so, is that corypheus? And around what time did that happen?? I get that part (or all?) of Kirkwall’s mysterious violent agency is owed to corypheus slumbering relatively close to the city, but is that all? or is there something more? In either case, the Band of Tree are my heroes.

4) The characters.

I’ll talk more about them later, but in general, i just love how they oppose each other, how complex they are, and there is just not pleasing everyone. They feel genuine. They are all deeply flawed. They all have a solid background that makes their beliefs and actions convincing. The friendship/rivalry points are shaky though, and sometimes really don’t fit the character, but i guess there must be someone hating/loving your bad choices for the sake of the game regardless of characterisation. But all in all, i really appreciated each and every character, and loved how their viewpoints challenged me.

First i want a disclaimer: i love each and every character in the game, whatever i say against them doesn’t diminish my liking of them. My issues really aren’t significant. Also, i might and probably will say smth wrong bc i’ve only played it once. I’m a baby.

let’s start with Family:

Mama Hawke:

i really loved mama hawke. after reading her codex entry and an excerpt of some book on this site, i really feel for her. I mean, imagine going back to your home city where you only remember being respected and wealthy only to find out everything you remember is gone, you are forced to live in poverty, your kids are doing dangerous jobs and you can’t stop them bc you do need that money, you write letters trying to get the old connections but keep failing (at least it was implied?), it’s really been hard for her. I get why she was so obsessed with her legacy. She wanted her childhood home back. She can’t feel like Kirkwall is her home until she is home.

Also loved her antagonism towards Hawke. It seems she can no longer treat him like a child, so she criticises him instead. and honestly, hawke is doing some crazy things so he defintiely deserves some criticism. And stopping Hawke from taking carver with him is just logical to me, idk. since she knows she can’t stop Hawke from going, she will at least attempt to prevent the last kid from going into mortal danger. I’d do the same. AND AFTER HAVING CARVER DYING IN DEEP ROADS I AGREE WITH HER

All in all, i don’t think she’s a perfect mom, but there is no perfect mom, and Leandra does care a lot for her kids. The All that remains killed me too :’(

Bethany

RIP :(

Her codex is not long, but i guess she wasn’t happy with her magic :(

CARVER

My favouritest bestest bro in the game. A secondary character with an inferiority complex towards his sibling, with no sense of humour, blaming everyone else for his inability to get a life? I see a lot of myself in him. He is sooo bitter, but doesn’t even realise (or at least doesn’t admit) that he’s his biggest obstacle. He feels like it’s Hawke’s fault for Carver not getting his place in the sun, but honestly, it’s Carver’s devotion to Hawke that keeps him from getting a life. He’s just tied with that responsibility and can’t break from it unless forced to.

His interactions with other characters are so funny. Either he’s bitter or he’s awkward, i die every time ;;__;;

Anyways, he became a templar in my game and i thought it fits better thematically (throughout the game the grey wardens felt more like a fanservice material since they really aren’t connected to the story), but after reading that meta about carver and seeing the striking difference between warden!carver and templar!carver i wanna reload and redo everything ;;__;;

i mean... carver isn’t exactly a templar material. The codex entry for templars says that the wanted characteristics of templars are strong faith and utmost obedience, none of which carver really has... . But that moment when he stands up against meredith was *chefs kiss* worth it. I’m just wondering what happens after, is he still a templar? is he with hawke? is he in Kirkwall or if not, where did he go?? so many questions ;A;

Uncle Gamlen

I feel bad for him. Mostly he’s mean but i like to think it’s bc he’s so ashamed that his sister sees what he’s become. And he’s bitter about his own life. I was so happy when i realised he has a personal mission ;__; I feel bad that he didn’t come to live in the hawke estate tho, especially since Hawke is also alone there :(

COMPANIONS!

Varric

There are no words that can properly convey the amount of love for this guy. He is simply flawless. He’s a charming godfather of the dwarven mafia. I wanna have a charming godfather of the dwarven mafia in my life... He already becomes interesting with the intro, and i gotta say, out of all ~storyteller~ types of characters, he is the best. he puts a disclaimer at the beginning with that game tutorial, and during the whole interrogation he’s like “well, how do you know i’m not lying? i could be.” Also, his voice is the second best voice in the game.

As for his personal missions, oh wow, that thing with his big bro really hurt. I also gave him the red lyrium... was that a mistake? will i regret it? ;__; I know the true friend would prevent him, but i also trust that varric knows how to handle dangerous stuff...

On a side note, since i’ve read the comics (no self control whatsoever), i loved the beginning of the Until We Sleep, where varric mentions it’s easier to imagine all the people he had to kill were evil than to face the fact that those were normal people just doing their job or trying to survive. Man, it hurts TAT

*garret hawke’s voice when he looks a certain way at the family crest in the hawke estate* ISABELA!

Ok ok, so, i love Carver bc i relate, i love Varric because he’s simply perfect. But I love Isabela because she’s the most intriguing.

She just crashed in Kirkwall and really didn’t sign up for all the trouble she got. She never likes to have deep conversations, she is always downgrading herself and you just wonder, what is it that happened in her life, and you know her past mistakes haunt her, and she’s doing her best to move on. Her arc was i think my favourite. I think the comic Those Who Speak really adds a lot to her arc in DA2 and makes some of her choices more understandable. Her whole story is about her internal conflict of whether to survive or do the right thing. Her story about freeing the slaves got her ship wrecked is great and all for making her be a pirate with a golden heart, but that story about her drowning all the slaves few years previous make this freeing of slaves a big character moment for her. She finally did the right thing. And she got for it was more trouble, because she’s a pirate which means she can’t afford to just do the right thing. And throughout the game, that same story is going back and forth. She runs off with the Relic bc she’s done the right thing before and it got her nowhere, so now she decided to put her own survival as a priority, but comes back bc she’s too kind to just leave Hawke standing like that. And again, with the slaver papers, it’s the same reasoning: it’s her or the higher cause. She needs that ship. She chooses herself. It’s her biggest flaw. But hey, between pros and antis in your party, it was really refreshing to have someone who, along with varric, just gives you a break with moral high-grounds.

I only wish we actually got to see her more as a captain in power in the game or that she showed me that amazing hat she saw in lowtown. It’s cool that it’s implied that her crew doesn’t like her and she also lost most of them during the crash while the others probably left her after.

I love it when she says she goes sometimes to the docks just to watch the ships. That there is no feeling like sailing. I just want a spin-off with captain isabela’s terrible adventures (´A`)

Also, isabela’s VA is my fave, she really did an amazing job. she voices so smoothly, i wouldn’t know if i was playing a game or watching a movie. And has such a pretty way of talking...

Aveline

I’m really neutral towards Aveline. I like her personality and i like that she’s found herself a purpose and advanced in the guards, and she’s always looking out for everybody. I just wish her personal missions went in the vein of the one in act 1... i feel it would have been more interesting to see her having trouble in her position and that you can’t just waltz into Kirkwall and take command. It’s implied she’s being pressured, so i guess she’s just dealing with it herself, but i just... eh. She’s ok.

Merrill

Merrill actually has one of the if not the most tragic story-line that really challenges you both morally and emotionally.

Her cheerful and cute personality is dampened by her constant dark leitmotif of willingly practicing blood magic. And i think her story really showed well the indirect consequences of it.

Not in one instance was Merrill’s practice of blood magic an active culprit for all tragedy that surrounds her. First, it seems that blood magic is practiced in the clan, seeing there is no freeing Flemeth without it, but i’m guessing it’s seldom practiced and with great caution. So Merrill wasn’t in any danger of being prosecuted for her blood magic. It’s actually her wish to study it further with the help of the demon that makes her an outcast. That and the magic mirror that apparently is forgotten for a reason. Also, it’s made quite clear that Merrill would be welcomed back no questions asked if she at any point decided to ditch the demon and live without the study of magic mirror. She, on the other side, is driven by the higher cause, the idea that figuring out the forgotten purpose of some evil mirror might help her clan, and is willing to be an outcast if it means reaching her goal and helping her clan. Fast foward to act 3, the clan is still there when they should have moved away, and it’s only when you face the demon possessed Keeper, you realise why. She knew Merrill would sooner or later bargain with the demon again. And she sacrificed herself, trapping the demon within her, as to prevent it. And i think that is why the clan stayed so long there. She waited for Merrill because she wanted Merrill to kill her, and hopefully with her the demon. It didn’t go as planned, obviously, but i really think she had good intentions. When Merrill does manage to kill the Keeper she’s forced to face the clan and i chose the wrong option of telling the truth which resulted in a massacre. Merrill gets back and regrets everything. She, however resolves to help the alienage.

The thing is, there is no one to blame Everyone had the best intentions. Everyone is working for the safety of the clan. it’s a story of sacrifice and when sacrifice feels like the wrong choice (whether it truly is or isn’t depends on your worldview) and it’s really done well.

But here are my issues with Merrill. I love her as a character, but i don’t agree with her decisions. It’s a personal issue. Merrill is giving up everything as to help her clan by learning history of the evil mirror. And while this is a game where old things are important and significant, her mission is always explained as this duty of preserving history. And while i agree that preserving history is very important, there is a limit to it. you should never put history before the present. If your research endangers the present, you give up on that line. The other is that you need to make peace with the fact that many, many things are forgotten and will be forgotten. It’s sad, but you gotta make peace with the fact that some things are just gone.

And Merrill, who is a magic historian, fails to see that. So that kinda irks my historian moral codex. And in the end, as far as i know, Merrill doesn’t succeed in reviving the evil mirror and dedicates herself to help the alienage. It was a terrible way to learn that some things aren’t worth it.

The other, less personal issue, is that none of this had to happen. I mean, the keeper obviously didn’t think Merrill was experienced enough to actually deal with demons and therefore distrusted her and warned the clan about it. So, if Merrill was a little bit more patient she could have just studied normally under the keeper, and when she herself becomes the keeper, she could have fraternize with that demon however she wanted without much complications. So yeah... i guess youth is made of idealism.

But as i said, minor issues. Her story is really, really great.

Fenris

Fenris and Anders are my “i love you but i am soo annoyed by you but i still love you” characters. Half of the time they’re just there to make you feel guilty for being a neutral party. Which sometimes has me rolling my eyes. If Fenris and Anders actually got along with each other, slavery and mage oppression would have ended in 2 days. Which makes it all the more frustrating that they do not.

Fenris.. his voice. What a nice voice colour. So elegant, but kinda rough, sometimes he talks like he’s 80 years old, sometimes like he’s a teenager. I love it.

As for the rest, i mean, i don’t agree with his methods, but very often, the guy’s got a point. I get his experience with mages colours his view on them, so while i symphatise, it’s really hard to have him on my “free mages” missions when he’s my best tank and i want him to be on friendly terms with Hawke so this makes things... difficult. That aside, it’s interesting that fenris doesn’t see mages as evil per se, but rather victims who, in his experience, will always, always going to succumb to a demon. It’s an inevitable reality to him. And this makes me wonder if he ultimately, despite being his friend or lover, is just waiting for the day he will be forced to kill Hawke too :(

As for his missions, they were ok, it led up to culmination and i didn’t let him kill his sister bc Hawke has just lost his mom, don’t do smth you’ll regret ;__;

also, somewhere around the end of act 2 i decided to romance fenris bc i love to suffer, so i worked the whole act 3 trying to get more aproval points and also wondering why are there no romance options when i talk to him... turns out that one night stand with isabela romanced her and canceled fenris. But i never even finished the romance with her so i’m just ??? about it all.

I wish it was more explained about the tattoos fenris has? I just thought the tattoos would play a big role somewhere in the game and it just never happened. There was a banter with Merrill about how his tattoos are similar to valaslin, so i thought, hmm, interesting, maybe the two are connected. But nah they just glow in the dark and make you pass through walls. Whatevs.

also dude just goes and kills without a second thought, i’m just “mate, you gotta calm down”. But that’s his thing. He’s constantly bitter and is very bad at anger management. I can’t blame him, considering he lacks around 10- 20 years of experience due to amnesia.

He’s the only one who left me when Hawke sided with mages, and i was like, “ok i getcha, it’s been nice knowing you”, but then when i asked him to join me 5 minutes later he just went “ok changed my mind” which was so funny, like, where did all that integrity dissappear??? It would have been more impactful if the dialogue went in the line of “i want to stand by my principals but you’re a living breathing proof that not all mages are weak to succumb to demons so i’ll join you in the end” (and then side-eye “i told you so” when orsino turns into a demon)

And i wanna read the fenris comic now bc my question for every character here is what is their fate after kirkwall. I only know that isabela & varric are working for alistair and merrill wants to help the alienage. Aveline is i guess either dismissed from her job or got a pass after cullen took the command. But Carver?? Fenris?? Anders?? They never talked about long term plans...

Anders

ooh boy, here we go. there are many questions i have for him and am generally just hmmmm. First, as for his pro-mage rights - it’s like opposite fenris so i just have the same feelings: you mean well, i don’t agree with your methods, your experiences define your worldview so i let some things slide, but other things i will not agree with. Though, question: in how many circles has Anders been? He knows the kirkwall circle, he knows the fereldan circle. Seeing he has excaped 7 times, did they send him to a different circle each time or was the fereldan the last one? or the first one? Or maybe it was his boyfriend they transferred? did i miss something?

I’ll just whisper: awakening!Anders >>> da2!Anders. I just miss the old anders. Which says a lot bc during the awakening i was just “shut up anders”. I miss his bad jokes, his terrible attempts at flirting, his enjoyment of freedom, nagging all the time, and generally being more moderate in pro-mage rights. Like, in awakening, because it was not the only thing he talked about, it felt more personal and intense. Here mage-rights are the only thing he ever talks about + justice. I mean, please correct me if i’m wrong, this was just general impression. But to defend da2!Anders here, it makes sense that merging with mixed both of their personality, and i like that they did that. It’s also very sad.

The thing is, when i’m thinking about anders, i love his story and character. Just as it’s terrible that Fenris, having no memory from before being Fenris, Anders can never go back to being just Anders. And this, people, is why you don’t fraternize with spirits. He’s obviously afraid of how justice is affecting him and there are some bare traces of his old personality and i guess he wouldn’t be as radical if he didn’t have justice personality that can’t stand the injustice. And in combination with anders quite selfish personality (form awakening, and i say that lovingly), it makes him do things that justice wouldn’t condone. Anders is literally a walking bomb.

Again, same problem as with fenris, i really thought that the justice glow would have a incredibly significant culmination, and it didn’t, it was just to show that anders and justice are very bitter. Eh, ok.

Also, i let anders join after he blew up the chantry, bc he started it, so might as well follow it through.

Some minor characters that i remember

Senechal Bran for the next Viscount! He hated hawke so much but still put up with him.

Feynriel is the coolest mage in Kirkwall. I think his missions were my favourite. Dude goes from “oh no i’m a mage” to “i will just dreamwalk to tevinter and learn control the reality” to “i dream-killed bad people from thousands of miles away”. Does he appear in the next game? I want him on my side. He’s so cool.

I think the Maker is sending Cullen signs to quit being a templar. First job: evil mages that tortured you. Instead of “this job will kill you” h took it as a “never trusting mages again, got it”. Second job: your boss is evil possessed paranoid maniac. Man, talk about bad luck.

What is the story of the Lady Elegant?

Flemeth had that big great talk at the beginning of the game and i thought by the end of the game i’d realise what it meant, but nope, still no clue.

Ok so I defeated Corypheus, but there was this looong shot of Larius walking away. Corypheus possessed larius, didn’t he? He’s out there. In a madman’s body. I know he appears in inquisition.

Many thoughts

I gotta say, in Kirkwall, at least, it didn’t feel like much of a challenge to pick a side. Like, there was no mage who said “hey i actually really like it here in the circle, the templars aren’t so bad”, and having templars actually smuggling mages from the circle says a lot to say the least. Every time a mage talks to you, unless you go with “oh they’re 100% lying”, their stories invoke sympathy and of course you want to help them. And then in 99% cases they turn to blood magic bc there was no other way. Except that dude who always hanged out with the wrong people, he only did blood magic to save Carver. But yeah, that turning to blood magic was like having Fenris side-eye me with an unspoken “i told you so” bc every mage, whether in desperation or hunger for power, will turn sooner or later into a demon. Regardless, blood magic was always in the act of desperation and self-defense. The only times where magic was actually evil was the slavers and the serial killer, who is a madman.

When i was reading the Enigma of Kirkwall, there was a part that talks of a blood-mage conspiracy and i was all, oh shit, there is a reason why templars are mean to mages! maybe the conspirators are framing innocent mages on blood magic crimes that they actually commit, maybe Meredith is actually on trail of the conspirators, maybe there is a reason for animosity on both sides. After all, Kirkwall was known for having a bigger number of apostates, a bigger number of blood magic cases and far more ruthless templars. It added up.Thinking back now, i never even got any specific reason why meredith was so intensely anti-mage, other than going mad.

But yeah, no conspirators. Just sad mages and mean templars, and good templars that get screwed by desperate and mean mages.

While in Kirkwall it’s easy to be a pro-mage, i was thinking a lot about mage-rights in general so let me indulge myself: there are circles, but the mages aren’t oppressed. Rather, the circles would be educational centres and society in every larger city where one learns how to properly handle magic bc magic is dangerous. You can leave when you pass the final exam and also come back anytime to hang out with mages who decide to live there since the institution would support mages.

Also, when one gets possessed, i’d invest more into “walk into their head and free them of demons” specialists. It’d be cool if you could have a dreamer who does that bc no lyrium spent. Honestly, why don’t they ever do that? How did the keeper do that rite for Feynriel? Was it blood magic?

I guess, you’d still have to answer for your crimes, tho no death punishment and degradation allowed. Blood magic wouldn’t be punishable by death, but rather have specialists who study it, but practice with extreme caution and use of another person’s blood is strictly prohibited.

Templars would still exist but completely reformed. No more “mages are all potential disasters”, but i’d rather make it that mages can too be templars, since they both have abilities that prevents the others from casting magic. This way the control system would be much like the dalish: if the keeper(mage) is possessed, the clan (which means the non-mages and the first(mage)) need to kill them. You could argue that you don’t need templars as non-mages, since mages can do it too, but seeing that in general people fear magic and feel inferior to it (since there’s a collective memory of the great tevinter imperium), having non-magic specialists would make them feel like on equal ground. The extra-reformed templars would be under Circle, not under direct command of the chantry, and circle, depending of whether chantry is reformed, might or might not be under chantry.

(a side note, i was thinking about templars recently and i can’t recall an instance where it says who had the clever idea to chew lyrium first? i just wanna know)

I know that DA2 wasn’t about grey wardens and therefore not about darkspawn, but seeing as in legacy we get corypheus being... an evil version of the Architect(??), i was only wondering do we get more answers about the darkspawn? is there hope for them? is the Architect still alive?

And oh, to turn to the Anders question:

Is he a terrorist, or was that just activism? I mean, i don’t see why those two can’t go together. blasting a building with a symbolic significance killing and harming many innocent people to get a message of your radical activism across belongs into a schoolbook of terrorism. Does he have a good cause? He sure believes so, and i, too, agree that mages should not be oppressed for just being mages. But does that mean this is the right way to do it? Personally, i do not condone any act of violence in service of a political or religious cause. I know it’s sometimes inevitable, but i like to believe there are more diplomatic ways, or at least not including an attack on civilians.

That aside, the moment where anders goes in front and just announces that the church was gonna blow up in a minute was the best anders moment for me. Until that point i more or less just viewed his activism as a hobby since he just did it in his free time, but now he put his money where his mouth is and freaking went all out. Cool character moment. And incredibly heartwrenching. He was aware of how many innocents he killed, but just didn’t see other way to get the point across.

I still don’t agree with his idea of blowing up the church tho. Maybe if he told Hawke, they could have done something to empty the church previously and further people away from it and then blow it up?

But still, blowing up religious buildings isn’t the answer. If i was the radical mage activist, i would have gone for the open assassination. Seeing it worked in WW1, i don’t see why it couldn’t start a fantasy war.

Some random things i liked:

uniportant but lovable interractions in the house: it starts innocently with gamlen’s house, to see how you’re doing, and becomes really fun during act 2 when you see your friends have been here and left you things. In act 3, however, it feels melancholic. no more family to come back to, just ghosts of friends that have visited, Bodahn and Sandal being there for you, Orana still not getting some sunlight and your dog at the fireplace. The Hawke Family Suite is playing, and you feel older than you are, lonlier than you should be. just... ouch. I hope Bodahn adopted Orana and took her out of Kirkwall :(

t i named the dog “Maker” which is very funny to me bc every time i summon the dog i just imagine Hawke yelling “Maker help us”. Carver hates the name bc he needs to chase the dog often in the streets. Mama Hawke never ever calls the dog Maker, but she never has to call the dog anything: he’s super obedient towards her.

Fighting wasn’t as hard as in origins, i like that.

The haunted house mission was so cool.

When random people greet aveline in Hightown.

And that’s i think about it. There are probably plenty more things i loved, but i think this is already enough. if somebody told me i’d be playing so much this year, i’d laugh, but I already want to play the next game ;;___;;

#don't klick keep reading if you aren't ready to scroll endlessly #a very long post #in which i:#love everything #stan carver #cry over fictional characters #need a romance manual #form political opinions in a fictional game #give a random fic rec that is so worth your time #if you've read this you're a hero and i'm sorry #da2 #spoilers for those who plan to play #it took me a week to write this god

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sheewolf85 · 4 years ago

Text

Standing Up

Summary: If it had been anyone else that she was stepping all over, you would have said something. You’d been known to yell and even throw a punch once over someone pestering someone you loved, but you just couldn’t seem to get up enough courage or outrage or whatever else needed to stand up for your own wants and needs lest you come off as rude or hurt someone’s feelings.

Luckily for you, Edge had no such qualms.

Notes: Idk, guys, I guess I have a thing for writing about skelebois helping a reader with things I struggle with. Here’s another great example, one I’ve written about too many times probably, but I doubt this will be the last.

Sometimes I think my brain took a left turn at Albuquerque when I was a kid and took the lesson of “be polite” a tad too far.

Tags: Edge/Reader, female reader, established relationship, mild anxiety

Read on AO3

Or, read here!

The day started off as it usually did: half-asleep kisses followed by gloriously fresh coffee. Add in some fruity oatmeal with your sweetheart’s signature touch, and you had a verified Good Morning.

After the morning ritual of coffee and breakfast was complete, it was time to start the day. You had a few things on your list, one of which was assembling the porch swing you’d bought for the front yard. Your porch itself was a little too small, but the lawn was big enough and a few tall trees provided the perfect shady spot in the grass to lounge and swing while you enjoyed lazy afternoons with your bonefriend.

He hated it when you called him that, but honestly it was only more a reason to keep it up. You truly adored the way he’d roll his eye lights at you but that tiny smirk only people who knew Edge well could pick out told you that he enjoyed it on some level.

“Would you like help?” Edge asked as you prepared to head outside.

You tied your sneakers—you had learned a hard lesson about wearing sandals when working with screws and other hardware—and looked up at him.

“No, I’ll be fine.” You stood up and went to him, standing on your tip toes to ask for a kiss. He obliged. “I know you’ll know what I mean when I say there’s a certain satisfaction in putting something together by yourself.”

He nodded, hands on your hips to hold you steady since you were still on your toes.

“I do understand that. Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with. In the meantime, I’ll be in my office grading papers.”

You pursed your lips in request of another kiss. He gave you a deep one, enough to get your body thinking about how talented he was with that tongue of his, and then pulled away.

“Love you,” you said, a touch breathless, and dropped back to your flat feet.

“I love you, too.”

You pulled away from him then before you could change your mind about getting this done. He gave you a swift pat on the ass before walking away, not a single inch of his stoic body or purposeful walk hinting at the sweet, sensual beast you knew hid within him. You were just fine with that.

With a secret smile on your face, you grabbed a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes and went out the front door. A few of your neighbors had congregated in the common area that was the cul-de-sac where you lived, and you waved and called a hello when they noticed you. A few called out their own greetings. They were nice enough people, accepting of the variety of people and monsters in their lives. There were a few that still didn’t understand the concept of a personal bubble, but that was an issue you’d had with many people in your life.

After greeting your neighbors, you got started on your project. There were a few boxes to unpack and instructions to read before you could actually start any assembly, so you began the task of figuring out just what you were working with. You had a few paper bowls set aside for the hardware you’d need to keep separated and handy.

You were only halfway through unpacking the first box when a voice calling out to you caught your attention. You looked over to see Carol coming up with a wave and a smile. You groaned internally but plastered a smile on your face because heaven forbid you come off as rude to anyone.

Just as you’d expected, she didn’t ask if you needed or wanted any help, she didn’t even so much as pretend to be interested in your opinion on the matter, she just launched into a story about her cousin’s latest camping trip as she opened another box. It wasn’t even the next box you would have opened. It made your gut churn and your eye twitch; she was messing with your method!

And yet, you didn’t have it in you to say anything. You hated that about yourself. Even knowing that your own happiness and comfort was important, you couldn’t bring yourself to say anything that might upset someone else.

So instead of asking her to stop and leave you to it, you only nodded along with her story and watched with nausea as she systematically destroyed your carefully planned out project. You managed to ask her to please not dump all the different types of screws into the same bowl and to not start putting pieces together before you’d taken everything out of the boxes. She seemed amicable enough about your wishes. You had to wonder how she’d take it if you asked her to leave you alone. Would she still be okay with it, or would she insist she was only trying to help and take offense at not having her hospitality be accepted.

“Hello, Carol.”

Edge’s ice cold voice made the both of you freeze. You looked over at him, standing a few feet away with his arms crossed over his chest, his reading glasses held in one hand, and a look of pure murder in his eye lights. He knew how you felt about Carol. He knew that you’d wanted to do this by yourself.

She seemed to recover quickly enough, standing up with a bright smile. “Hey, Edge! How’re the kids?”

“My students are fine, as far as I’m aware. What are you doing?” He looked at you, and you could only breathe a sigh of relief. You doubted Carol would have noticed a thing, but you saw the pity he threw your way. He was adamant that he was going to teach you how to stand up for yourself, and while you were terrified of the idea, you were also a little bit hopeful that some of his confidence could rub off on you. Today was not that day, however, and he seemed to understand that.

If it had been anyone else that Carol was stepping all over, you would have said something. You’d been known to yell and even throw a punch once over someone pestering someone you loved, but you just couldn’t seem to get up enough courage or outrage or whatever else needed to stand up for your own wants and needs lest you come off as rude or hurt someone’s feelings.

Luckily for you, Edge had no such qualms.

“I’m helping,” she said brightly. “I always like to help out, you know that.”

Edge nodded gravely. “I do know that, but you know that when it comes to my significant other and myself, you are required to ask first. I told you as much the last time you attempted to touch my garden.”

You swallowed, peeking up at Carol. As you’d feared, she looked truly indignant. “You didn’t so much tell me as you demanded it. And why aren’t you out here helping then? It’s not like she can do this all by herself.”

You felt yourself puff up at that, but still whatever stupid blockage you had kept you silent.

“I’m not helping because she very much can do this by herself and she requested to do so.” He looked at you then. “Or have you changed your mind, love?”

You shook your head. “No, not really.” Your voice sounded too soft, too uncertain.

Carol sneered at you. This wasn’t the first time she had bullied her way into helping you with some chore or another, and also not the first time Edge had called her out on her assumption that everyone needed her help. She had apologized before, saying she just hated seeing anyone needing help and just standing there.

More like she couldn’t let an opportunity to gossip pass her by. She needed to have her nose in everyone’s business, and the kinds of gossip she shared the first day you met her was a warning not to talk about anything personal within earshot of her. If she blabbed the kinds of things she did about your neighbors, there was no doubt she’d turn around and blab your secrets to them.

You didn’t say anything, only looked around at the mess she’d created. It would take more time to get your process back in order than it would have been to just follow it in the first place. Ugh, you really disliked being who you were sometimes.

“And so you see, your help is not needed,” Edge said calmly enough. “I’m going to ask you nicely just once to leave. For your sake, I hope you don’t make me ask again.”

Carol rolled her eyes and huffed, but she did turn around and walk away, grumbling the whole way.

You sighed in relief and looked up when Edge crouched next to you, a hand coming to rest on your shoulder.

“Are you all right, love?”

You nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, baby.”

He nodded and kissed you. “You’re welcome. Would you like to continue this by yourself,” he gestured with a nod of his head to the bits and pieces strewn around.

You quirked your mouth. “Actually, could you help me get stuff back in order?”

With a quick nod, he got to work. He knew your thought processes almost as well as you knew his, didn’t even have to ask how you wanted the pieces arranged to best maximize work flow. Once all your parts were in order once again, Edge gave you another kiss and left you alone to your process while he went to finish grading papers.

It took a few hours to get it all done, but in the end you had a beautiful swinging bench with a comfortable cushion. You stood back to admire your work, a strong sense of accomplishment settling nicely in your chest.

With a nod, you went to ask Edge to come inspect your work. You were pretty confident you’d done it all correctly considering it was a functional piece of outdoor furniture and not a mess of metal, but it never hurt to have a second set of critical eyes check it over.

And besides, it was the perfect excuse to get him to sit in it with you for a moment. Perhaps he’d wrap an arm around your shoulders and pull you into his loving embrace. Maybe he’d even make some hot chocolate or tea that you two could enjoy as you watched the neighborhood kids play.

The possibilities were all there, and you were looking forward to seeing how the rest of your day played out with your sweetheart.

#my writing #underfell papyrus #reader

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