#yes i'm currently writing the final pov :3

[burning-thistles-bt]

Wow we're really digging into morals in this new chapter, huh? Fingers-crossed I do it justice🤞

[cher-rei]

afterglow- pt 1 [ T.A.A ]

pairings: trent alexander arnold x femreader

summary: young and aspiring marketing and business major jamie carter (you) is privileged with working alongside the liverpool marketing and public relations team while also getting entangled with their star player and right back, trent alexander arnold.

[wc: 2.6k] [part 2] [part 3 ] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [part 12]

genre(s): friends?? to lovers, work romance, fluff

notes: I've had this idea on my mind for months but I had no idea how to execute it at all. also instead of using the y/n insert, I gave the character a name even though it is read from your pov. It just made it easier to write lmao

"ms carter?"

your heart dropped at the sound of your name being called by an unfamiliar voice, which was something you were going to have to get used to. nonetheless, you turned around to see an older man approaching you with a warm smile and something in his hand.

when he got close enough he put out his hand and you politely shook it as a greeting, still not sure who you were talking to. before you could speak up however, you were interrupted by something being put in your hand.

"this is your staff id," the older man said and you took a closer look at the lanyard in your hand. the picture you had taken less than a few weeks ago was set neatly inside with your name, and position.

carter, jaime

[public relations manager- social media and marketing department]

public relations manager. those three words were enough to make you feel light headed.

you liked to think that your employment on liverpool fc's marketing team was nothing but pure luck. from the moment you handed in your resume for your university final year internship out of pure whim, then to you getting accepted for whatever reason until you got the email no less than a month after graduation asking you to come in for an interview.

all that lead up to the moment you were currently in. standing in the middle of the empty anfield stadium that you had visited for nearly every home game since you were a child. it was nothing but pure luck.

you were broken out of your daze by the older man chuckling about something, which showed that you hadn't heard a single word he said during the past five minutes. you mustered up a smile regardless to play it off and proceeded to follow him for what you thought was a building tour.

"I just realised that I never properly introduced myself," he laughed dryly and gestured for you to step into the tunnel before him. "I'm billy hogan- chief executive officer and I'm ever so sorry for being in a rush right now but I'd like you to be at the training center within the next 30 minutes."

your eyes widened in shock, your feet absentmindedly picking up its pace while hogan continued to speed through the building tour, leaving no room for questions but you decided to make a mental note to ask someone else when you got the chance.

you were escorted to the black s.u.v along with hogan immediately, running through the hundreds of questions you had at the moment. you know you only had room for one though before he was on another phone call.

"uhm sir-"

"yes ms carter?" the older man addressed without trailing his gaze from his cellphone screen or the pile of documents in front of him.

oh gosh.

you managed to clear your throat. "I'm not too sure why I'll be needed at the training center. shouldn't I be in the office or..."

when he heard you start to trail off, hogan shut the folder in his lap and turned to look at you with an expression you couldn't quite read. there was a moment of awkward silence that passed between the two of you in the backseat of the s.u.v, the driver not paying any mind to the conversation.

"our last marketing manager had to be fired because we found out that he was leaking information out to reporters and news broadcasters along with four other employees."

oh shit.

you shuffled in your seat as you tried to think of a response to the news but whenever you parted your lips to say something hogan would raise his finger as a sign that he wasn't done talking. so you swallowed the bitter taste in your mouth along with any comments and listened intently.

did it sound like he was targeting you and bordelined threatening you? yes, yes it did. but you were sure he meant well and was only trying to bring his point across.

"we're low on staff and that's why you were handed two very crucial roles and are expected to make up for the losses. you'll be working alongside the team as you read in the contract," he began once again with a knowing look which made your stomach drop.

because you didn't read the contract. not fully at least. your older sister was the one who urged you to sign it the second it was sent to your house. hell, it could've stated that you were required to donate an organ and you wouldn't have known all because your were too excited and didn't spare anything a second glance.

"but why didn't you just promote people that were already in the department instead of giving me the position straight away?"

hogan let out a dry chuckle and tended to his phone once again, not looking back at you. "because nobody else wanted the position. it's dangerous up there ms carter. so you may feel important right now, but if you can't handle the workload and expectations it's going to get messy."

well this is news to me.

to sum up hogan's lecture and recital of the contract off by heart, you were in fact set up to be working alongside the team as a higher ranking media representative because there needed to be more field work done. no pun intended.

but the fact that nobody else was up for the position didn't sit right with you.

"just make sure they look good for the camera and keep everyone entertained. you're an influencer yourself, so I'm entrusting you to keep everything in order. you were hired because you are young and are in the game already. so keep yourself level-headed and do your best."

no pressure I guess??

deciding to wear sneakers instead of heels today was by the far the best decision you've made in weeks. the weather in liverpool during september was nothing short of horrid. when you stepped out of the car your face was immediately hit with the harsh and crisp air that reminded you why you spent majority of your time indoors.

"welcome to our axa training center," hogan gestured to the building in front of you, it's ceiling to floor windows having you gawking in awe. "this is where you'll be spending a good amount of your time, but it's not as bad as it seems I promise."

what's so bad about watching a bunch of professional football players train half naked?

unlike your last building tour, hogan actually took his time showing you around this time. from the lobby, breakroom, staff rooms, gym and finally to the field where the team was out practicing-- or at least that's what you thought was happening judging by all the screaming.

the second you stepped foot out onto the field, klopp turned to look at you with a welcoming smile.

did he just sense my presence??

you felt frozen in your spot, the world had practically stopped spinning the second he called you and hogan over. when you made it over he halted his conversation with the person beside him to shake your hand.

"it's lovely to finally meet you ms carter," the team's manager politely greeted and it took every single nerve in your body for you to not do something stupid.

you bashfully laughed and brushed his comment off, "if anything, the pleasure is mine. I am extremely honoured to be working in this position."

after a few moments of getting to know each other and klopp giving you a bit of an idea of what he expected media-wise, you realised that you had work cut out for you, judging by klopp saying, "think of this as your second family. the team needs something different, and you ms carter, are exactly the home improvement that we need."

you felt like the weight of the world had just been put on your shoulders again, and his tone of utter sincerity wasn't making it any less pressurising. of course you wanted to do well and give your all into this role but it was going to take a bit of time getting used to.

I should have read that damn contract.

"would you like to meet the team?" klopp asked with a smile and lightly patted your shoulder.

the gesture alone was enough to render you speechless, and you weren't quite sure if you heard him correctly. "would I like to do what?"

"boys!"

your eyes widened in shock as he called the team over. you didn't know what to do or say, your fight or flight mode had nearly been activated and you swore you were about to sprint out of the training center, all the way back home.

you anxiously fiddled with your fingers, not knowing what to do with your hands as you watched the group of soccer players head your way with little to no care to which klopp gave you a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "don't worry, they won't bite."

you mustered up an awkward laugh, muttering under your breath as you mentally prepared yourself for the moment. you obviously hadn't met any of them before, the closest you had gotten was going to the stadium to watch their matches.

the closest you had gotten to any interaction with any professional soccer player in general however, would be at the beginning of the year when jude bellingham followed you back on Instagram. which was still the best day of your life up to date.

you were awestruck, words unable to form as they all huddled up in front of you. you could see the sweat beading on their foreheads which caused a shiver to travel down your spine.

"boys this is ms jaime carter." klopp gestured to you and you managed a small wave, trying to ignore the sound of your heart beating in your ears. "she'll be working with us from now on, as manager of the pr manager for both the marketing and social media departments."

you were greeted with a choir of 'hello's' and listened to klopp give everyone the run-down and a little enlightenment into the situation regarding the last bundle of staff that had to be cut off so abruptly.

"pfft, snitches."

you head turned to look in the direction of the comment, that was immediately reprimanded.

"curtis," klopp started and the soccer player pursed his lips apologetically.

"sorry boss."

"aren't you a little too young to be the manager of two departments?"

your eyebrows raised at the question from harvey. klopp and hogan had to attend to a last minute call from the clubs directors so you were left with the team to "get to know each other", but most of them got back to training which left you with harvey, curtis and trent.

you shifted your weight to your right leg, your head tilting to the side challengingly as you eyed the boy. "well you're younger than i am and playing professional football. what does me being a pr manager make any difference?"

trent and curtis couldn't help but snicker at your counter, jokingly mocking their younger teammate until he got visibly irritated.

"you can't deny us the right to laugh at you," trent said jokingly and kicked the ball to harvey, who passed it to cutis again.

their banter went on for a few minutes as you watched the ball pass between the three of them until harvey spoke up again.

"you're straight out of university though so--"

his sentence was cut off by someone yelling, "ball!", to which you all instinctively looked up only to realise a little to late that it was headed in your direction.

shit.

you backed away just in time to get the ball before it hit the ground. the second it came into contact with your foot, you sent it back virgil's way to which he gave you a smile.

a familiar feeling stired up in your stomach after, but you pushed it aside and for back to your train of thought. "and you're straight out of high-school. so i rest my case."

a moment of silence took over, trent and curtis both shifting their gazes from you and all the way over to virgil who was over at the goal post.

harvey was taking the moment to recollect your high school comment. it was because he was short wasn't it? that's all people had to throw at him these days.

it was trent's turn to speak up, his eyebrows raised while curtis muttered to himself about the distance or something like that. "have you played before?"

before you could answer, your name was being called by hogan since it was time to get back to the office building. you huffed out a breath and sent the three boys a smile.

"looks like today's 'q and a' was cut short." you took a few steps back, stuffing your hands into the pockets of your puffer jacket. "you might as well stock them up for next time. I'll be more than happy to feed your curious minds."

[midnight-bay-if]

OMG i just have to say the way you write your characters is amazing! Often times when I read books with a large cast of characters a lot of the characters feel like the same and their characters aren't the most distinct but each and every one of the RO's feels like their own individual, with their own voice. If someone threw a random quote from one of your characters in my direction i feel like i could easily distinguish which characters said it because they are each so unique, which is amazing writing on your behalf! 👏 I'm currently working on my own IF and I was wondering if you had any tips on making unique characters or just writting in general? And I hope that your feeling better after your illness and that your writting is going smoothly <3

This is such a nice compliment! 🥺 I'm a little speechless, haha. But this is precisely why I like answering asks from each character's POV. It's great practice, and I've learned a lot about my own characters doing it that way.

Firstly, do not be afraid to start with a trope. They can be great stepping stones to get you started. For me, the beginning stepping stone for the wider story was Umbra. I was going through a really personally tough time when I created them. I needed a way to voice my desperation. Then came N, and with them came the devil on my shoulder. I played around with the character tropes I've loved for so long while figuring out the greater story after. So much of The Midnight Bay was designed alongside the characters.

Empathising with your characters will help you find their struggle and voice. It can be uncomfortable for me to write Umbra at times because so much of my own anxiety has been put into that character, but some people will connect with it, and that's important.

When it comes to finding a character's voice, it's best to start with their background. Consider how the character got to their position and how it has affected them. Their psychology will determine a lot about what they say and how they say it. But equally as important is what they choose not to say, and why.

Their personalities are going to play a large role in their speech. For example, S is a tactician, smart, to the point, but can turn on the charm when desired. All good things, right? Well, yes and no. They have a bit of a hero complex and will always put their teammates in the most advantageous position, even to their own detriment. A fatal flaw of character will always make your characters more interesting. Their best traits can also be their greatest weakness.

Sometimes, it can be fun to switch up which aspect of a character you choose to keep secret. Taj wears all their flaws out in the open, unlike the others. They stand out against the others because their softer side is what is secret.

Also, this is an old tip that gets passed around quite a bit, but it's one I think about a lot; could each of your main characters work as the story's protagonist? Are they fleshed out enough to work as a main character? Can you imagine following them through the main story and still have a compelling story to tell? If the answer is no, consider why not - what's missing?

I'm fighting my imposter syndrome right now in order to deliver these tips, but hopefully, they are helpful and don't come across as pretentious, haha.

This is going to be an anticlimactic final point, but it deserves saying. Writing often is going to be the biggest help. Even if you can only manage a couple of lines a day, it'll help. Some days I really struggle; my imposter syndrome takes over and I feel utterly hopeless. On days like that, I'll search my inbox for a new ask to inspire me, reread my favourite novels or move onto another scene entirely to unstick my brain from its patterns. The most important thing is to have fun with it.

Anyway, hopefully, this was at least slightly helpful. I fear I have just rambled nonsensically, but it's pretty accurate to what my process is like, haha.

Thank you again for such a kind message. It really helped brighten up my day since this illness has been lingering much longer than I would like. I'm getting better as the days go by now, and I'm hoping to get back to work on chapters 3 and 4 starting tomorrow :)

[mirandasidefics]

But Home is Nowhere- Chapter 3

Pairing(s): Lucien X Plus Size Reader, Azriel X Plus Size Reader, and Ruhn Danaan X Plus Size Reader

Chapter 3 Summary: Nesta confronts Rhysand and Azriel pays a visit to the Moonstone Palace.

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: Talk of nightmares, mentions of blood and violence.

A/N: Hopefully the characters aren't too OOC for this one. I'm sorry this chapter is so short! Work got a bit busy so free time for writing was reduced. But I still wanted to keep my schedule of every other week. Just means there will be more chapters in the long run. This is Azriel's POV. The story will mainly be from Reader, Lucien, and Azriel's POV moving forward.

Series Masterlist

Previous: Chapter 2

Azriel swiftly made his way to Rhysand’s office in the House of Wind for a debriefing with Cassian, Nesta, and Bryce after their return to Prythian. The group had been successful in their rescue efforts and the trio returned with Bryce’s mate and brother in tow. His shadows had told him that the two new arrivals had been beaten and bloody with healers rushing to the northern residential wing of the Moonstone Palace. He knew he should have accompanied them on their trip, especially after hearing of their losses of at least two spies as the group made their way out. If he had gone with them then he certainly wouldn’t have been forced to subject you to – He stopped short at the scene before him, at the absolute fury that radiated off the eldest Archeron sister. His shadows and siphons immediately responded to the small thrum of power emanating off of her. He smized he finally had his answer regarding the amount of power the cauldron determined she was worthy to keep after helping Feyre deliver Nyx. Nesta stood before his brother’s desk, her hands balled into fists at her sides, chest heaving. Rhysand sat in his high back chair, elbows resting against the dark wood of the desk. Only the swirling rage in his eyes giving any indication of his emotions. A large stack of books laid sprawled on the floor. Loose papers fluttered their way back down. A well of black ink had been topped over, its contents staining the already dark mahogany and the High Lord’s face. Bryce sat in one of the chairs opposite the desk, picking at her nails. Her eyes darting between the fighting in-laws.

“I don’t know what more you want me to say Nesta,” Rhys rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I have apologized to the woman and have provided for her. Lucien is keeping her company and assisting her in finding a way back to her home, but she will remain in the eastern wing for the time being.” Fuck. So, he hadn’t removed the letter Lucien left in the House before either Nesta or Cassian read it. Not that Azriel wanted to hide (Y/N)’s existence from the pair, he just wanted to explain that he agreed with the male. The human girl was of no threat, despite her highly unexpected and unsettling arrival. Given Nesta’s current disposition it appeared that she had already gone to the Moonstone Palace as Lucien requested. 

“You have her sealed inside the place just like that Spring Court bastard did to Feyre,” Nesta spat, the information hitting Azriel square in the chest. The image of (Y/N)’s terror filled (e/c) eyes flashed through his mind. Had his word not been enough to convince his brother of her innocence? Yes, she was no longer swathed in the darkness, the darkness that he was solely responsible for, but to still be a prisoner… He hadn’t wanted that for her. He wanted her to feel safe. She deserved at least that much, if not more. Azriel’s attention snapped back to the conversation before him.

“She’s just a girl Rhys,” Cassian spoke up from his position between his mate and the desk. “Nes and I spent the whole day with her. She-”

“You have dedicated an entire part of your court to the protection of traumatized females,” Nesta snarled, “You have created laws to ensure those that cause harm to innocents pay for their actions. Yet you violate everything that you’ve built by having her tortured and locked away for the past month! What does she have to do to convince you that she is not a threat?” Rhysand let out a breath, despite his efforts to exude a sense of calm, it was clear that the male was exhausted. 

“I honestly don’t know at this point,” The admission was one that Azriel didn’t expect, “But my decision stands.” Nesta clicked her tongue, arms crossing as she finally removed her gaze from the High Lord.

“I will not be keeping this from my sister,” Nesta seethed. Her steel infused eyes landed on Azriel and he tried not balk from the fury now directed at him. Her gait was steady as she approached, arms crossing over her chest. Despite him being a good 5 inches taller than her, Nesta managed to look down her nose at him.

“Not keep what from me?” The entire room went still as Feyre stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest and brows furrowed in annoyance. Her stance mirrored her sister’s, highlighting their similarities all the more. Azriel shifted in spot next to the door, glancing at his brother who slow stood up from his desk. The tension in the air thickened as Feyre looked to each individual in the room.

“What are you keeping from me now Rhysand?” Her glare at her mate would have had any other male cowering. This was perhaps the most frightening Feyre had ever appeared to Azriel outside of that battle field nearly 3 years ago.

“We will discuss the events in Midgard later. If you all will excuse us,” Rhysand swallowed, “I have something to discuss with my High Lady.”

Azriel struggled to keep his shadows in check as they buzzed around the closed doors that did little to muffle the shouting match between the rulers of the Night Court. While the group had been dismissed, Azriel still had questions for his brother. He supposed those questions would have to wait, provided the Night Court still had a High Lord in the morning. He was grateful for the distraction when Bryce asked him to return her to the Moonstone Palace to be with her mate. It also gave him a reason to check in on (Y/N). Something he hadn’t been able to do since the day he and Lucien walked her out of the catacombs. He knew that keeping his distance would be best for her, but he couldn’t help the worry that invaded him on a nightly basis. That week had not been kind to either of them. It had been a long time since he experienced nightmares as a result of his…duties as spymaster. A long time since the tang of a person’s fear embedded itself in his memory. Maybe actually seeing her in a new setting would help ease his conscious.

He winnowed Bryce directly into the suite that had been set up for her and her family. A fire roared in the large black onyx hearth of the large sitting area. The set of doors to each of the two bedrooms were wide open, allowing the healers to run back and forth between them. It appeared they were in the process of packing up their things, when one approached him.

“Both males are asleep,” the elder female whispered, “The mate is in that room. He’ll need the most care for the next few weeks as his wings begin to grow back. The other might need to have healers from the Dawn Court take a better look at him, the High Lord too. There’s a heavy barrier around his mind.” He nodded and relayed the message to Bryce.

“Thank you,” The red-head squeezed his shoulder before dipping into the room on the left. Azriel awkwardly stood in the hallow space. Now that he was here, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He had never spent any significant amount of time in the Moonstone Palace and the morning was a long way off. He had a general idea of where the unoccupied spare rooms were, but he wasn’t tired. He debated on making his way to the gardens when a wailing scream ripped through the halls. The sound caused Azriel’s heart to drop. The elder healer scurried over to the doorway of the room on the right, calling out to whomever was inside.

“Wren, the tonic, is it ready for her?” Her. (Y/N) had made that sound. Nausea whirled in his stomach. A young male appeared in the doorway with two medium sized cups in his hands.

“I’ll take it,” Azriel’s shaky voice passed over his lips before he could stop himself.

“Its for the human girl,” Wren gathered a funnel and metal flask from a corner table in the main sitting room. Slowly he poured the contents of each cup into a metal flask. “The male that’s with her says she suffers from nightmares. He asked us to mix this for her. It’s a concentrated brew, so it must be diluted with water or tea, preferably a sweetened tea as its quite bitter. No more than an ounce before bed.” The male grabbed a second smaller cup and placed it into Azriel’s covered hands. He nodded in understanding, his shadows already racing to find her. Another scream echoed, the terror laced within latching onto his bones. He had caused these nightmares. He knew he would never be able to atone for the trauma that she would now carry with her. Something in his chest snagged as yet another cry ricocheted through the palace. His shadows returned and swirled, urging him out of the room. A male groan came from the room Wren had exited and he quick scurried back inside.

“Hurry, before her screams wake them,” Azriel’s lips curled into a snarl at the insensitive remark as he was ushered out of the room. “They all deserve some rest Shadowsinger.”  The female healer amended, the entrance door to the suite clicking shut behind him. He made his way as quickly as he could to her room. His shadows frantic as muffled sobs could be heard bouncing off the stone walls of the eastern wing. He didn’t even bother to knock on the door before entering the bedroom. His breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight.

The bed was disheveled, the cream duvet pushed to the ground alongside several throw pillows in various shades of blue. Lucien was sat in the center of the bed, (Y/N) cradled in his lap. Azriel watched on as Lucien rocked her back and forth, shushing her and rubbing her bare back. The green top, clearly torn and discarded on the floor, was stained dark with sweat and…blood. Sobs and muffled apologies tumbled from her lips and into the golden skin of Lucien’s neck. Her hair, slickened with tears, plastered itself to her forehead. Her trembling hands held a vice like grip, her knuckles white from the force of her hold on him. The tips of her fingernails were stained red. Azriel’s eyes roamed over her for any signs of injuries. He wasn’t able to assess her front as she pressed against the male comforting her. It took him second to realize that the Autumn male’s shirt was also missing, and something ugly curled its way through Azriel’s thoughts. That was until he saw the upturned couch, and what was clearly spare blankets and pillows pinned underneath. Likely overturned in Lucien’s haste to get to (Y/N). It took him another second to realize that the room was sweltering. Every light in the room was on and the fire in the fireplace was twice the size it should have been, leaving no space for his shadows.

“Are you just going to lurk there?” The female started at Lucien’s words, letting out a whimper and he immediately consoled her. The male’s russet eye landed on Azriel, who cautiously approached the bed. Before he could get too close, the red-head held up his hand in warning. Close enough.

“(Y/N),” Lucien whispered against her cheek, the action far too intimate for Azriel’s liking, “I asked the healers to make you another sleeping draft. Go draw yourself a bath, and I’ll get the tonic and bed prepared for you.” He brushed her hair out of her eyes as she pulled back slightly. She nodded in understanding, and her grip on him lessened.  Azriel felt like an intruder as he watched her separate herself from Lucien, catching sight of the outline of her full breast underneath her arm before she fully faced away from him. The woman seemed to become aware of her bare chest and reached for a pillow to cover herself with. Azriel noted that Lucien’s eyes never strayed down wards and remained fixed on the headboard behind her. A better male that he was. Once she was out of the sight, Lucien rose from the bed and approached Azriel.

“How is she?” Azriel blurted. He wasn’t a fool. He could clearly see she wasn’t doing well, but the question fell from him nonetheless. He continued to stare at the spot she previously occupied on the bed. Lucien studied him, the golden eye whirring and zeroing in on whatever information he was trying to read in Azriel’s expression. The spymaster’s training set in and his features hardened. The emissary did the same. His shadows spluttered at the doorway as he took a step into the room.

“How is-”

“I heard you,” Lucien let out a heavy breath and carded his lean fingers along his scalp. “You want to know the extent of your handiwork? This is what I have come to know of her through my comforting her every night since arriving here. I have become more familiar with the sound of her screams than her laugh. I smell the fear that leeches out of her every pore. So potent and thick that even my own instincts have me searching the room to make sure there is no one here to harm her. Her body thrashes violently-desperately-to break the grip the nightmares have on her own mind. There are bruises on her ankles that won’t heal because she kicks against the bed posts everything night.” Azriel felt the color slowly drain from his face.

“She doesn’t always wake from the nightmares right away either. Tonight, was one of those nights. She was crying, pleading and begging whatever was haunting her to stop. She was clawing on her own throat and chest trying to pry what I can only assume were memories of your shadows away. You ask how she is doing? She is not well, and she is terrified of you Azriel.” A flame burned within his red iris despite the calm manner in which he spoke, and Azriel felt his body recoil in shame. He didn’t want to know any more. He knew this was his fault and didn’t need to be reminded.

“You want to help her?” Azriel nodded simply, not daring to speak after hearing Lucien’s tone laced with a bitterness he hadn’t heard in years. “She needs and deserves to be let out of here. Allowed to live far enough away from the Hewn City to know that she won’t be sent back down to that cell. But for now, she needs a dreamless sleep.” The Autumn male approached him slowly, his hand held out expectantly. Azriel handed over the flask and small cup.

“Mix an ounce of this with tea or water,” His own voice was barely above a whisper as Lucien continued to hold his stare. Shame and guilt clung to him. Without another word, Azriel turned on his heel and left the room, unable to bare witness to your suffering any longer.

Next: Chapter 4

Tag list: @jenniferpendragon @impossibelle @sweet-chai-amore @myheartfollower @iimichie @fightmedraco @nikkitc0703 @eerievixen @ang-taylorsversion @randomness-it-is

[burninblood]

guys, I sense a lot of tension about this whole buckynat situation XD ... there is even some hate going on on "X" saying they should have stayed broken and stuff... and, listen, I understand, this kind of reunion wasn't what we was hoping for after all these years (10 years?!?!) and of course we had better scenarios in our mind and we were hoping for more good character work (or any characters work at all!), and we want to hear Nat's version (eheh) and these writers are, let's say, uhm, not so good...

BUT

these are american superhero comics for you in 2024. No greatly written for most part, action focused all the time, little or not at all character development, aiming to reach big sales or them get cancelled, flowing with the MCU synergy and stuff. And I tell you as someone who has read comics her whole life (and I had a loooong life, ok XDDD): bad moments in comics come and go, and poor characters run through a lot of shitty writing, and this happens all the time.

Are Lanzing and Kelly good writers? No. HELL NO.

Do I think Cold War was the worst thing written in the media in the maybe last 5 years? YES with a cherry on top! 100% YES.

Is Thunderbolts a good mini series? ... Well, not really. Better than SOL and CW, but still, we're not quite there yet. It was basically random, with a stretched plot that I can't even recall, and really not a team book since it doesn't focused on any of its characters for real. 'Cause you know, I said it before: no character work, just action action and more action.

Is Bucky written by L&K good? No. He isn't. But to be honest he wasn't good in a lot of other comics too, sadly. He has been worse, he has been better. He will improve at some point, that's the cycle.

All this said, am I happy they brought buckynat back? YES. I AM SUPER HAPPY 'cause it opens for possibility!!!

If they gain some more audience as a couple there are more opportunities for them to get more exposure, to be feautured into other comics (in the current cap run written by Straczynski for example?) more and better content, not only together but on their own too! I think them both didn't have a good comic since... 2018??? Nat even earlier probalby, but it's important they somehow stay relevant in the stories 'cause this is how this whole circus works (sad): the characters who sell better get more stories, more comics, better comics from better writers (... hopefully!)! It's bad, but that's the comic market guys.

Idk, it just feels so sad to me that we have waited for so long for buckynat reunion and when it happened finally it left us with just a bittersweet aftertaste... I think this is inevitable 'cause we had so many hopes and we pushed it bigger than life into our heads, and this is reality XD...But realistically speaking, I was never expecting their reunion to be that different from what we got in the end.

It's good to be disappointed, it's right, but let's turn this into a good occasion then, let's try to stay positive and maybe try to exorcise the bad in it by taking a creative angle on the matter: let's write meta about Natasha's pov, let's write fics, let's do edits, fanarts, let's discuss it. But wishing it never happened and dragging them badly...

I know we all feel like they deserved better, and I agree, but let's consider this just THE BEGINNING. It's a starting point and we should keep our fingers crossed for something good to come!

Let's not give up!!!

I'm sorry if this is so long and a whole lot of useless blablabla bhubhubhu, but some of the stuff I'm reading around is starting to be really depressing and a bit too negative considergin the whole situation, and it's a shame 'cause I feel like we should be at least a tiny bit happier here around <3 :D

Let me know what you think of all this mess (or not, lmao) if you want! <3

[rafyki]

Goth! Nico/ Surfer! Percy AU Part 8!

Hi, sorry for the wait!! I was a little in doubt about if making this chapter in Percy's or Nico's POV, tbh, but in the end I decided that we're back to Percy! I always enjoy writing him being all smitten and in love <33

Enjoy~

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

You can also read it on AO3!!

~~~~

Percy had been looking at his phone for what felt like hours, staring at the empty message box and the name written on top, trying to find something, anything, to write that wouldn't sound extremely lame.

He knew his friends were looking at him, probably thinking he was the most ridiculous lovesick fool they had ever seen - which was fair, honestly, because Percy did feel like he was one second away from screaming into the void and starting to roll around on the cafe’s floor. 

So, yes, he was a lovesick fool - but a lovesick fool with his crush's number now safely saved into his phone.

Crush.

It had been two days since his meeting with Nico at the beach, and for the whole time Percy had felt like the word wasn't right, wasn't nearly heavy enough to embrace the way he felt. When he had told Annabeth, she had looked at him and smiled.

“I can see that, Percy, but you do realize you barely know him, don't you?”

It was true, of course it was - yet it didn't matter.

Percy could still feel the warmth of Nico's hand in his like it was engraved on his skin. The need to hold it again was almost overwhelming, Percy could feel himself going crazy for it.

They had held hands, and it had felt like Nico hadn't wanted to let go either, that he had wanted to make the contact last as long as possible just like Percy had.

Percy wanted to text him. But what do you even write to the guy who's been haunting your mind for the past few months and who you aren't exactly friends with but at the same time it feels like you're so much more?

“Hi, it's Percy, how are you?” 

Yeah, no, that was lame. 

“Hey, would you like to go on a date with me?”

Too forward, definitely not.

Percy groaned, frustrated.

“I swear to god, Jackson, if you don't stop staring at that phone right now, I'm gonna kick you out of this place”.

Thalia's voice pulled him violently out of his thoughts.

“This is a public space, Thalia, you can't kick me out”, he replied without even looking at her.

“Oh yeah, watch me”.

Percy only looked up at her when a kick did actually hit his legs under the table.

“Ehi!”

Thalia smirked down at him. “Told ya”, she said. “I can't believe I only come here like two times a year - and when I do, you're too busy to look at your phone to actually talk to me? That's low, Jackson”.

Percy rolled his eyes, but the pull in his guts let him know that he did feel guilty. He sighed and finally put his phone down, straightening himself and going back to sip his coffee. Not that he would apologize to Thalia, but he could admit to himself that she was right; and after all, if he put aside for a moment his current concern, he really was happy to see her. It had been months since the last time they had the chance to hang out together like this.

“Don't mind him, Thalia”, Annabeth jumped in. “He just got his dream boy's number! And now he's trying to figure out what to write to him”.

She said it like it was ridiculous, but Percy remembered how happy she had been for him when he had told her about the events of two days ago, so he didn't take it to heart.

“His what!?”, Thalia almost screamed, accompanying every word with a painful slap on Percy's shoulder. “Why don't I know anything about this! How could you guys not tell me, come on!”

He swatted her hand away. “Ouch, ow, ow, okay, alright!”

“I can't believe this! I can't even remember the last time you had a crush”.

“Yeah, well”, Percy said, and lowered his eyes. “Doesn't really feel like a crush, anymore”. 

“Oh woah, then it must be serious”, she said. “Come on, tell me everything”.

And so he told her - told her about the first time he saw the pretty goth boy working at the beach kiosk, about how long he had spent just looking at him. Trying to leave out the most embarrassing parts was no use because of course Annabeth had to jump in to point out how ridiculous he had been the whole time and how much he had panicked to just go and talk to him to buy something, and obviously she couldn't leave out his plan to impress Nico with his fantastic surfing moves.

“Annabeth, stop making me look like a loser!”

“I'm not making you look like a loser, Seaweed brain, I’m just telling the truth!”.

Percy kept talking, and he kept thinking about Nico, and he knew that he had the most enamored smile painted on his lips as he spoke. He talked and he couldn't stop because, god, he did love to talk about him.

They had only seen each other the previous day and Percy missed him already. He definitely needed to find the courage to text him - perhaps he didn't need to think too much about it, maybe a simple hey how are you would do, after all.

He wondered if Nico was doing the same, looking at his phone and trying to find something to write to him, or maybe waiting and hoping for a text to arrive.

He was so focused on recounting everything that he didn't notice the way Thalia's expression went from curious to surprised, then to confused, and finally to pensive.

“Wait, what did you say this guy's name is?”

Percy stopped in his rambling. “Nico, his name’s Nico”, he said, and finally noticed how Thalia seemed to be deep in thought. “What’s that face?”

It took a moment for her to reply. “Nico as in… Nico Di Angelo?”

Percy stopped and looked at her like she had grown a second head. “What?”

Next to him, he heard Annabeth’s voice echoing the same sentiment.

“What are you talking about?”

“Goth boy, shortie, long hair and lots of piercings, doesn’t seem like he own anything but black clothes, looks like he doesn’t know how to smile-”

“Hey, I’ll let you know that he has the prettiest smile you could ever imagine!”

Thalia waved him off at the same time that Annabeth said “Yes that does sound exactly like him”.

“And he works at the beach kiosk with a blond guy?”

A long moment of silence passed during which Percy kept staring at Thalia as her words kept swarming around in his head, blinking at her trying to process what she had just said. 

It couldn’t be, could it?

“You know him!?”

Percy could feel his heart run around in his chest, pumping blood loudly in his ears.

That felt so much like fate. 

“Huh, kind of?”, Thalia said. “I saw him a couple of times when I went to visit my brother”.

“Your brother?”, Annabeth asked.

Thalia nodded, smiling. “The blond guy working at the kiosk. That’s my brother, Jason”.

Another moment of silence passed before Percy finally came to his senses. “What the hell, why didn’t you tell us!”

This time, it was his turn to swat Thalia’s arm over and over. She hit back with just as much strength.

“Ow, why would I tell you! I didn’t even know you guys went to that beach - see, your fault you don’t tell me anything!”

Percy could feel Annabeth rolling her eyes at their antics.

But he had more pressing things to think about. He couldn’t believe it- really? 

It was so stupid, feeling giddy for something like this, but Percy couldn’t help the smile that rose to his lips. They were connected.

You’re so ridiculous, Percy Jackson, so ridiculous, he told himself, as his heart danced in his chest.

“Nico Di Angelo”, he murmured to himself. 

He knew his friends were looking at him ready to laugh at him. He looked at Annabeth. “See? I told you he must be an angel!”

They did laugh at him at that, and Percy felt so light he joined them. 

“You really are so ridiculous, Seaweed Brain”.

“Hey, can’t a man be a little in love?”

They stopped in their laughter to stare at him, and it took Percy a moment to realize what he had said. He felt himself blush - he hadn’t even admitted it to himself yet, yet the words had felt way too natural on his tongue, leaving his lips without him even thinking about it.

“Percy….”

“I know”, he cut her off, looking away. For some reason, his hand felt warm. “I know, I don’t know him all that well and it’s too soon. But… that’s why I said a little”.

“So you like him for real, huh?”. Thalia asked. The look in her eyes was earnest in a way that Percy wasn’t very used to. He and Thalia had been friends for a long time now, but it wasn’t often that they ended up talking seriously to each other.

Percy nodded. He really didn’t think he had ever liked anyone like he liked Nico before.

“Now, I don’t know him too well”, Thalia said. “But Jason told me once that it took him a pretty long time to get close to him ‘cause Nico isn’t an easy person - so, from what I know and from what you told me, I can say that you are an exception to this rule”.

Percy’s heart was running miles.

He thought about Nico so easily talking to him, smiling at him, thought of him asking about him out of worry, of him taking his hand and getting in the ocean with him despite his fear of it.

“I can ask Jason about him, if you want. But”, Thalia continued, pointing a finger at him. “You better text him - today”.

~~

When he went home that evening, the phone felt heavy in his head.

He would see Nico tomorrow anyway, he didn’t have to text him, he could easily wait until he could talk to him face to face. Or he could simply wait until tomorro’s evening and see if Nico would be at the beach after his shift again. He could.

It didn’t feel like the right thing to do. It felt like the coward way out, the one that wouldn’t lead to anything more.

And so, before he could think too much about it, he pressed send.

Me: Ehi, Nico! You have the afternoon shift tomorrow, right? Let’s hang out at the beach again after it?

[margowritesthings]

update! (it's a big one!)

hello beautiful souls!

how are you all? it feels like it has been forever.

so i had to pretty much pick my life up and pull it back together again after losing my nan at the start of the year, and it's been really hard, but i think i'm finally in a place peaceful enough to sit down and find some time to do things i love again! a couple life updates:

I started my own business! I realised i wasn't happy in my old job and i wanted to do what i love: writing! so i am suuuper excited to say i am now the director and full time copywriter at Margo Writes Things! Yes, i named my business after my smut account. no, i didnt think it through properly, yes, vampire arthur morgan smut comes up when you try to google me. but hey, for all your copywriting and proofreading needs, hit me up!!

I AM WRITING A BOOK!!! In needing to fill my days and make my nan proud, I realised I had so many stories sitting here waiting to be told. So, my Arthur Morgan x reader fic Fate: A Word Meaning Destiny is currently being adapted into a dual pov romance novella! I will keep y'all updated and post some sneak peeks, and hopefully as my first supporters I have some beta readers amongst you? maybe even some reader readers?? who knows! all i know is that I am bloody excited for you to read Daisy and Daniel's story <3

I am hoping to write some fics again! Im not gonna lie, i am fully back on my Bridgerton bullshit. all the bridgerton men have me WEAK IN THE KNEES. i also noticed my old bridgerton fics popping lately, so thank you for all the recent support on those!! if there was, hypothetically, any anthony, benedict, colin or eloise x reader content you guys wanted to read, please do drop an ask in my inbox! Id love to hear y'alls ideas. and to my RDR2 fam, do not fret. our man Arthur is going nowhere, I still write for him. i still love him. the main character of my novella is based on him, he will still be in my fics <3

Basically, thank you for being so patient with me. I am still writing, I am still doing what I love, but I think Im ready to start sharing with you again. I love you guys and your support has been amazing, and seeing those notifs coming through every day on fics I wrote 2+ years ago is... its something else. it keeps me going.

im so back baby

margo x

p.s. existing bridgerton works here

[dvskf4llz]

Hello wonderful person! Could I request some bdubs x f!reader where the reader is really worried because bdubs hasn't slept in a few days because hes trying to finish a build he's making for the reader and so the reader helps him get some rest (that was so confusing to write im sorry)

I'm so sorry if this is too much I hope it's not -is 🕳 anon available? -

I was actually planning to make some bdubs fluff soon! :D

I love this idea sooo!

I can re-write this in 3rd POV if everyone prefers it that way!!! ^^

(Also yes 🕳 anon in available <3)

Go to sleep

𝓕!𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝔁 𝓑𝓭𝓾𝓫𝓼 (𝓑𝓭𝓸𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓞100)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TW: Literally just pure fluff, a bit of persuasion by the reader

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"Go to sleep." "But the build—" "Sleep."

------------------------------------------------------

Ever since you and Bdubs became a couple, he's always been finding ways to spoil you

You would always end up getting a little box/package infront of your base, obviously from Bdubs.

Bdubs would even write little love letters from time to time, sneaking it from under your door or in your bedroom. (I imagine Bdubs's love language would be giving the reader gifts)

One day, you would be talking about something you've taken a liking to and then *boom*. The next day you'll suddenly have it, either set on your desk or outside of your base.

This time, Bdubs had decided that he wanted to make you a nice little (not actually little) [a build of your choice].

Now, the problem with this is the fact that Bdubs hadn't gotten a single ounce of sleep since he was too carried away with building [build of your choice].

This worries you a lot, you had found out that he hadn't gotten any sleep by the other Hermits. You may or may not have asked them to check up on Bdubs everytime you're not able to since you're also busy with other stuff.

You loved Bdubs dearly but, you hated the fact that he'd practically destroy his health just for a build that's meant to be for you.

After watching Bdubs never taking a break from the build, you decided it was time to confront him.

You walked over to where Bdubs was currently very focused on building, you tapped his shoulder

"Bdubs, could you stop building for a second?" You asked sweetly, waiting for Bdubs to stop whatever he was doing. Bdubs stopped himself as he was about to place a block, he looked back at you curiously

"Yes what is it?" Looking up at Bdubs close, you could see the dark eyebags underneath his eyes, his disheveled hair and the same pair of his outfit that he wore yesterday.

"Listen, you need sleep Bdubs. You can't just be building without any sleep!" You said, almost scolding him

"I've been without sleep before anyways! It doesn't matter!"

"And I thought you were the one who would always be insistent to go to sleep."

"Well-" Bdubs trailed off not knowing how to argue with what you sId

"Exactly, you can't argue back." You said putting a hand on your hip

"Go to sleep." You added

"But the build—"

"Sleep." You cut Bdubs off before he could argue back

Bdubs sighed, knowing he had no choice but to sleep

"Could we atleast cuddle?" Bdubs asked, giving his best puppy-dog eyes to convince you to cuddle with him. You could not resist his puppy eyes at all unfortunately, so you gave in.

"Alright...."

------------------------------------------------------

You and Bdubs in bed together, getting comfortable so that you guys could start cuddling. You both were in your comfortable sleeping clothes. Once you two both found comfortable positions, Bdubs wrapped his arms around your waist, snuggling against you. You did the same, making sure Bdubs was still comfortable as you two cuddled.

After a good minute or so, you could hear snores coming from none other than Bdubs. You looked down to see Bdubs' sleeping form, you smiled to yourself watching him finally sleep after weeks of him not sleeping at all.

You soon felt yourself getting sleepy aswell, finding Bdubs' soft snores and the silence peaceful, your eyes soon closed, falling asleep in Bdubs' arms with a smile on your face.

------------------------------------------------------

(BONUS!)

As soon as you woke up in the morning, Bdubs was not there by your side. Your immediate thought was that he was already working on the build for you once more. You stood up and went out of the room, thinking Bdubs would be outside.

Except, you were wrong. Bdubs was in the kitchen, making breakfast for the both of you. He had a little apron ontop of his pajamas, he hasn't heard you yet since he was focused on cooking the perfect meal for you. You looked at the scene infront of you, chuckling to yourself quietly.

You slowly approached Bdubs from behind, being quiet with your steps before wrapping your arms around Bdubs' waist which ended up startling him a bit

"GAH!- Jeez! You scared me [Name]!" Bdubs laughed, seemingly calmed down from the previous events. He took the [Insert favorite bfast food] out of the pan/pot and onto two plates/bowls, it was surprisingly not burnt.

"I made breakfast for both of us!" Bdubs exclaimed proudly and happily, you pulled away so that he could move properly. He then went over to the counter-table and set the food down before sitting down on one of the chairs, he motioned for you to sit down with him, a happy grin on his face.

You happily sat beside Bdubs, eating the breakfast he made with him. It was really just a sweet moment as you and him would talk before chewing on a spoonful of food, Bdubs would sometimes try and attempt to feed you but you would always catch him and he would always just laugh it off.

Overall, it was just really wholesome and nice to sit with your lover and eat in peace <3

------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------

aaaaaaandddd you've reached the end!! Congrats! I really hoped you enjoyed this!! I've had this request for a while- I will be actually posting PT 2 of revenge on Christmas so stay tuned!!!

Goodbye lovely! We'll meet again soon! Always take care of yourself okay? There are people that love and care for you <333

[dirtybitfic]

COMPANY pt 1

Matt Sturniolo x y/n

contains~ business meeting , fight , slight degrading , little bit of flirting.

y/n pov -

Its currently 4 am and the only reason i'm awake is because my boss called me . I try my best not to fall back asleep as he goes on and on about shit I need to do before todays big meeting. Don't get me wrong I like my job but sometimes my boss drives me insane. I didn't sleep well last night which is not helping the current situation .

*phone call*

Matt - Y/n are you even listening right now

Y/n - Sorry yes mr sturniolo I'm just trying my best to stay awake right now

Matt - Well I will let you go back to bed but you better have things ready when I get to the office am I clear

y/n- yes sir I will have it ready

Matt- Good girl ill see you at 12

Y/n - yep see you in the afternoon

*phone call ends*

I woke back up around 8 and made my way to the office .

I always make it a point to look classy and wear business attire especially when we have big meetings like today. I wear an outfit that I know I look good in but comfortable enough I can sit through 3 hours and write notes for my boss.

I finished up my last task Mr. Sturniolo had giving me on the call earlier and sat at my desk waiting for him to arrive. I've been his assistant for about a year and a half. He's a pretty good boss though he can be harsh and assertive with me at times I try not to take it offensively .I know he just likes things a specific way .

I've been sitting for about 40 minutes when I get call from my boss and I immediately pick it up even though I don't exactly want too

*phone call*

y/n-hey mr sturniolo

matt-hi y/n I just called to tell you that the meeting has been pushed back too 1:30 our clients flight got delayed

y/n- Okay sounds good sir I just finished up the final touches on the presentation and the meeting room is set up and ready

Matt- Atta girl! thank you for getting all that done . Im sorry for calling you at 4 am I know it wasn't the best time

Y/n- Its okay I know you like things done perfectly so im not upset

Matt- Good well I'm parked down stairs and was about to go grab some coffee would you like to come with me?

Y/n- Sure why not ill head down now

Matt- Okay I took the blue convertible today so I have one of the claw clips you left in it a couple weeks ago so your hair doesn't get messed up

Y/n- Oh good thank you

Matt- Of course see you in a couple

Y/n- Yep heading down now bye

*Call ends*

One thing about my boss is he notices the little things most don't for example him knowing I wouldn't want to mess up my hair and keeping the clip in the car just incase I needed it. I know its just a small gesture but it makes me feel some type of way , a way I definitely should not be feeling about my boss. We have a slight age gap given he's 27 and i'm 23 which is yet another reason I should not have the thoughts that I do about him quit often.

I Made my way down to the private parking garage and walked around until I spotted my favorite car Mr Sturniolo owns. Obviously everyone loves a convertible but his is just perfection.

"Hey!" I greet him as I open the door and slide into my seat.

"Hi Good morning " he he greets me with a small smile.

" New suit?" I ask as I look over him noticing i've never seen him wear this suit.

" Yes actually it is" he says with a sigh .

" You don't like it do you?" I ask as I can tell from the sigh and his facial expressions he doesn't seem very excited about it.

" No I hate wearing colored suits but my brother insisted I wear it for todays meeting" he says with an eye roll making me laugh.

" Well for what its worth I think it looks good ... It brings out your eyes" I say smiling over at him.

he return the smile before asking where I want to go for coffee.

I told him to go to Philz so he heads there.

One thing that we do share is music taste so riding around with him is always good. We were listening to "Everlong by the foo fighters" when my phone started to ring.

I look down to see it is my ex who had recently broken up with me . I sigh as I immediately hit decline . He cheated on me for an entire year with a woman who owns a large art gallery and I only found out because I went with matt to buy art for his new penthouse he moved into and saw my boyfriend walking out of her office with lipstick on his face and an untied tie around his neck. Safe to say my boss saw a side of me I wished he never had.

I yelled at him for an hour outside the gallery when he finally broke up with me telling me " I don't love you anymore ... I actually never really did I just liked your body and living with you in your nice ass apartment " so obviously I punched him in the face and he cried like a bitch when I ended up "accidentally" breaking it .

Matt watched the entire thing and safe to say we did not end up buying anything from HER gallery. When we had gotten back to the car Matt had praised me for the way I handled myself and said he was proud of me for breaking his nose .

I felt bad acting how I did in front of him but i'm glad he didn't judge nor fire me for it.

" Zach again" he asks as he pulls into the parking lot giving me his full attention.

" Yes hes been trying to call me all week and I have been ignoring him " I answer as I throw my head back letting out a deep breath.

" They say you never know what you had until its gone . I have known your for a while now and I don't understand why he would cheat on you " he answers in a tone that shows anger and annoyance.

Im glad I have a boss who cares about me outside of work even though some would deem a conversation like this unprofessional it's very normal in our relationship.

"Yeah I don't know either but i'm over it I just want him to leave me alone" I answer ending it with a long sigh and looking over at him.

" Im sorry he's such an ass but we should go in and get our drinks and head back to the office" he answers as turns the car off and unlocks the doors.

I nod as we get out and make our way into Philz and order our drinks Matt always makes it a point to never let me pay which I appreciate but with the amount he pays me i'm very capable of buying my own coffee. I mean shit I live in a 3 bedroom open floor apartment all by myself , Just goes to show I make more than enough money.

We get our drinks and make our way back to the office to get settled in before the meeting.

As we were getting the projector up and running my phone started ringing again . I turn the ringer off and throw it in my bag rolling my eyes. It doesn't go unnoticed by matt when I catch a small smirk runs cross his lips. He doesn't smile too much , I notice that he only really smiles around his family and sometimes me if i'm lucky . He's intimidating which is one reason I was so scared when I first got the job but the thing that kept me going was one day about a month into working for him his mom came into the office and told me that I must be special because he went through 25 interviews before me and he had met me , He was very specific about how he wanted his assistant to act and behave and shockingly I guess that was me. He may have "liked me" but for the first year and a half he was cold and standoffish with me , he would practically ignore me unless he needed me for something or when he would tell me the things that needed to be done for the week.

He finally started warming up to me sometime last year and i'm really glad he did it makes the job 10 times better and enjoyable when he acknowledges and speaks to me .

I sat in my chair by the large windows as I zoned out looking over the city but was snapped out of it when our front desk guy told us through the intercom our clients were on the way up.

This new client we have is actually very exciting . The company that matt owns is a luxury advertisement production company . We make advertisements and plans on ways to promote products and grow the businesses me work with.

Our new client who is on their way up right now is a wine company . Their vineyards are located in the south of France and they have made a new champagne that is flavored with different fruits. They created a new flavor line which is peach, passion fruit , Pear and guava. At first I was skeptical of how well these flavors would taste and if they would really sell or not but after sampling them all I knew they were going to make amazing profit from the new collection.

I sat through thirty minutes of the meeting when my phone continuously rang and vibrated with calls and texts. I knew it was my ex and I started to get fed up so I stopped taking notes so I could just power off my phone.

I grabbed it from my bag with a roll as I saw 6 missed calls and 15 text messages that he had sent in the span of 30 minuets and started powering off my phone .

" You're assistant seems to be more interested in her phone than the importance of this meeting. I must say this is very unprofessional" I hear as my head snaps up and I make eye contact with one of our clients. He glares at me as he scolds me for being on my phone.

" i'm sorry I was just powering it off beca-" I try and explain myself but he immediately cuts me off before I get the chance.

" I don't want to hear any excuses . You need to learn how to respect the people who want to work with your company " he scoffs with a rude eye roll and I cant help the tears that start to fill my eyes.

I look at matt panicking but find him staring at me with an agreed look .

" i'm sorry would you excuse us for a second" matt says as he comes over pulling me out of my chair by my arm and dragging me out o the room.

"I-im sorry I didn't mean to-" I start to say as the tears stream down my face.

" Y/n you need to understand these are very important clients and if this goes right not only I will make a lot of money but so will you . I don't like the way he spoke to you but I will not compromise this deal by saying something to him. So we will take a few minutes for you to calm down and make him think that I set you straight and we will go back in" he says as he places a soft hand on my back soothing me .

I nod " yes sir" I answer as I calm my breathing and look up at him.

We keep eye contact as his eyes seem to grow darker . Something in me stirs as his hand moves up and down slowly on my back at some points getting so low he could grab my ass if he felt inclined too . I hater to say it but his soothing actions are turning me on. Ive always felt a tension between us but I used it aside just telling myself its his cold personality that makes every situation slightly intense .

He moves his hand to my chin holding it and moving my head up to really look at him . He slightly smiles " You calm down?" he asks in a deep voice that for some reason has me clenching my legs together.

"Yes sir i'm sorry for crying I just -"

"I know you don't like being patronized infant of people i've learned that throughout the years you've worked for me . Just be glad your well behaved or you'd really hate me " he says with what sounds like a small chuckle.

" why would I hate you?" I question as I step slightly closer.

"i'm not one to tolerate people misbehaving or defying me . You should know that by now" he answers in a more gravelly voice that has me clenching around nothing .

" right well umm should we go back in " I say in a wavering voice but clear my throat to try and play it off.

He smirks at me but nods his head .

He leads me back to the conference room with a hand on my lower back .

Im moving to open the door but stop when he start whispering to me.

" make it look like I corrected you okay " he whispers before opening the door .

I walk in as I distort my face to make it look as though I am upset and I move quickly to my seat and choose not to even look up at anyone .

I grab my computer and get to typing as matt starts back on the presentation and the clients make their comments and requests .

After about an hour the meeting comes to and end and they decide to go with us for their campaign.

" Me and my wife would like for you to come down to our vineyard in say 4 weeks and shoot promo videos and get photos for the videography does that time frame work for you Mr. Sturniolo?"

the man who blatantly degraded me asks as matt looks to me.

"y/n is the calendar clear that week?" he asks and I pull up his calendar that I schedule and go over it.

" Yes looks like there is only one meeting that week but its with gloria i'm sure we can reschedule it" I answer as I smile at both of them.

"Amazing well my wife is very excited for this campaign . She can be a bit much but what woman isn't right" he says jokingly to matt .

Matt smiles and nods as he leads him out of the office and to the elevator.

I audibly sigh and roll my eyes at his misogynistic comments , safe to say i'm not exactly thrilled ill have to deal with that man on a normal bases but its worth the money so I guess i'll just have to live with it.

Matt comes back in groaning and running his hands through his hair.

" I really do not like that guy" he says making me laugh.

" Trust me neither do I" I say making him chuckle and shake his head.

" He wants us to stay at his estate but I kindly declined . I told him We have many work calls we take and we wouldn't want to be a disruption " he says with a smirk .

I smile widely nodding my head

" Thank god I wouldn't want to be stuck in a house with that man for a day let alone an entire week" I say making him laugh.

" I'll book the hotel so you won't have to worry about that and we'll take the company jet " he says as he grabs his bag and powers off the projector.

" You sure I don't mind dealing with the hotel bookings" I say as I pack up my things as well.

" Yes I have a favorite hotel i've gone too many time there and I know they will give us amazing rooms and the view is amazing" he says as he walks over to me .

" Oh okay" I say smiling up at him.

His hand goes to my jaw like earlier as he moves his thumb softly back and forth .

I lean into the touch as he looks at me deeply like he's studying my soul.

" You did good today I know you're dealing with calls from that asshole and I appreciate you were powering off your phone " he says as he steps him closer to me .

I sigh as I avert my eyes

" Im sorry for causing our client to think of our company as less then because of my actions though" I say still not looking up at him.

" You did nothing wrong you're always a very good girl he's just an asshole who clearly doesn't respect woman"

I blush as I look up at him . His use of the term "good girl" today has gotten me feeling things I shouldn't.

He looks at me as I look up at him .

" If you ever need anything you call me okay . I know i'm your boss but I want you to consider me a friend too " he says as his hand slides down my neck to my shoulder.

His touch leaves goose bumps in its wake which i'm embarrassed about and I can tell he noticed my body reaction by the smirk that grows across his face.

" Yes sir I just wouldn't want to burden you with my problems you have enough to deal with as it is" I answer honestly .

He shakes his head sighing

" Sweetheart you could never be a burden no matter how hard you tried . You're the first assistant i've had for longer than 4 months which can only mean I like you very much and that is rare" he says making me smile .

" Thank you sir I like this job a lot and I hope to keep it for a very long time" I say as I step slightly closer . Our chest are almost flush against each other , im so close I can feel the heat radiating off of him.

" Trust me i'm not letting you go anytime soon " he says in a deep gravely voice that makes me feel such dirty things a literal whimper escapes me .

My eyes widen as I clear my throat and avert my eyes from his.

He grabs my face and turns it to face him again

" Did you just whimper " he asks with a smirk .

" What n-no I was clearing my throat" I say in a panic .

" Are you lying to me y/n " he asks in a teasing tone that almost has be whimpering again.

" No sir " I answer but avoid eye contact.

" Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth" he says in a demanding tone .

I feel as though i'm shrinking into myself as I look up at him .

" Im not lying to you I promise" I say as convincingly as I can.

" You better hope you're telling the truth" he says in a darker deeper voice that has me gulping .

" A-and why is that" I ask as I try and take a step back but bump into the table behind me.

" I don't like liars . Do know what bad lying little girls get y/n " he asks as he steps even closer and i'm forced to sit on the edge of the table as his body is positioned in-between my legs. If anyone where to walk in right now this would be a very compromising position to be in .

" No sir I-i don't" I say .

His entire demeanor changes his large presence now dark and cold as his hand moves to my neck pulling me closer as I gasp in shock.

"They get punished" he kind of growls more than speaks . My mouth opens but no words come out .

He lets go and steps back and goes back to his normal calm demeanor .

I sit in shock as he grabs his bag and starts walking to the door.

"Goodbye y/n see you Tuesday" he says in a kind of sing song tone that has me scoffing. He obviously finds it funny to leave me wet and speechless.

We've never had a moment like that sure we've had weird moments where a little flirting was involved but nothing like what the fuck that just was.

I hop off and grab my bag before rushing down the hall to the elevator . The second I get into my car I scream .

I don't exactly know why I did but it felt great.

I start up my car and put on my nighttime playlist and pull out of the parking garage and pull onto the bright light city roads.

The second I got home I went through all the messages and voicemails from Zach .

15 missed calls from Zach

37 missed texts

all consisting of " call me back" " Im sorry" " I love you so much please" " Fucking bitch answer me" " God your a cunt this is why I cheated on you" and a lot more .

I hate the fact that after listening to three of his voicemails i'm in full tears curled up on my floor in front of my huge floor to ceiling windows.

Im snapped out of my daze when I hear 5 loud bangs on my door . I jump up as my heart pounds . My apartment is the only one on this floor so its not like whoever it is has the wrong apartment .

I slowly make my way to the door when the bangs happen again this time harder .

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR Y/N" I hear Zach's voice from the other side .

I panic even more as I slowly go to open the door . The second I turn the lock the door barely open and a fuming Zach marches his way in.

He comes at me so fast I have no time to react . One hand is wrapped tightly around my neck as the other is grasping my hair so tightly I feel like my scalp is on fire.

" You think you're so fucking cute ignoring me huh don't you " he practically spits in my face.

" You-- cheated on me a-and broke up with me w-why are you mad" I choke on as I gasp for in in his tight hold.

" Don't you dare fucking speak to me like that . I said I was sorry but you just want to be a spoiled fucking bitch and ignore my calls" he bites out as his grip on my hair tightens and I scream out in pain.

" You think you are so perfect don't you good fucking too shoes but your just a pathetic little bitch who's unlovable " he shouts in my face as tears start to steam down my face and I cough as I try and pry his hand from my throat.

" I tried to love you I did but you are just so insufferable to be around you know that god your always so pleasant you never do anything bad you're fucking boring all you do is work and come home and sit around doing nothing like a pathetic little loser " He spits as he shoves me into the wall making me yelp.

His hand connects to my face as his fist hits my eye .

He has never acted like this before let alone hit me .

He immediately lets go and steps away also in shock of what he just did .

" I c-cant believe you actually j-just p-punch-ed m-ee" I say in a gasping panicked voiced.

"I-im sorry y/n I ... I didn't mean to I " he says as he steps further away with fear across his face.

"GET OUT GETH THE FUCK OUT " I scream as I fall to the floor and cry .

he runs out closing the door on his way.

My head is pounding my eyes isn't opening correctly and I haven't gotten off the floor in 2 hours.

My phone starts ringing making me jump but I turn it over to see "Matt Sturniolo(boss)" calling .

I don't answer because of the state i'm in and the last thing I want is my boss knowing wtf just happened .

I get a text

" y/f/m/l/n you better answer your phone this is very important" it reads. Judging by the fact he literally just used my full name I know I have to choice to answer his second call to me.

*phone call*

"H-hello" I say as I sniffle and try to make it sound like i'm not crying and my voice isn't stringed.

" Hey I know its late but the clients from today actually want us to come down Tommorrow and stay until the following Sunday and I already cancelled all the appointments this week that were a conflict so I need you up and ready at 10 am Tommorrow I will pick you up at 10 and well head to the airport" he rambles . I panic not knowing what to do I cant say i'm sick because he'll know thats a lie .

I stay silent as I continue sniffling trying to mask my situation .

" y/n are you there ? " he asks in a slightly worried tone.

"Y-yes its just that ... I can't leave Tommorrow " I say as my voice breaks with the last word.

" What why you obviously don't work Tommorrow so what is wrong?" he asks in more of an interrogational tone .

" I j-just cant okay " I bite back as tears start to stream down my face again.

" Y/n what's wrong are you crying " he asks his tone now soft.

"n-no " I try and say without giving away that i'm lying but obviously fail.

" I can hear you sniffling and your voice is choked up tell me what's wrong" he says in a sweet voice .

I sigh loudly " Zach came by earlier and he ..." I stop myself from finishing my sentence not wanting to tell my boss about the embarrassing events .

" He what y/n" his voice sounding slightly angry now.

" He yelled at me and said really hurtful things and then he ... he punched me " I answer in a squeaky raspy tone.

" HE HIT YOU" matt yells from the other side of the phone

"Y-yes" I say as more tears stream down my face .

"Thats it I'm coming to you is your door unlocked " he ask as I hear keys rattle in the background.

"Wait what n-no don't come here" I say in a panic . I do not want him seeing me like this its for one embarrassing and two he's my boss he shouldn't be coming to my apartment .

" Don't tell me no i'll be down there in 5 minutes that door better be unlocked"

I go to protest but the line goes dead.

As much as I love my apartment it doesn't help that Matt lives in the penthouse at the top floor of the building meaning he has easy access to come and see me if he really wants to hence why hell be down in 5 minutes .

I sit on my floor as I try and at least stop the crying before he gets here.

As i'm sitting calming myself my door opens and in walks matt.

I turn away from the door so he doesn't see my face.

" y/n where are y- why are you on the floor?" his voice rings as steps approach me .

I shrugged but burry my face in my arms .

I feel him sit next to me as his scent fills my nose . I sigh but still don't bring my head up .

" y/n look at me" he says in a soft sweet tone.

"No " I say as I shake my head .

"Y/n please you're safe with me you know that i'm not going to judge you" he says as his large hand soothe up and down on my back .

Im so embarrassed that at my grown age I'm crying infant of my fucking boos.

I lift my head and look at him as a look of anger and pain washes over his face.

" sweetheart" he whispers as he immediately pulls me into his chest cradling me . I feel as though i'm a little girl girl again being rocked back to sleep after a nightmare . I being sobbing in his arms as I choke out all the horrible things Zach called me and said to me.

" You are non of those things. Don't think for a second that what he says is true , You're are amazing , sweet, hard working and strong . He is a crazy ass motherfucker who didn't deserve you in the first place" he says as he rocks me slightly .

I for some reason feel inclined to crawl into his lap and bury my face in his chest . I know this entire situation should not be happening right now but I cant stop myself from doing it.

The thing is he lets me he pulls me closer as he smooths my hair and holds me to his chest tightly .

After god knows how long i've stopped crying and my breathing has become somewhat controlled.

I unbury my head from his chest and look up at him .

He smiles weakly

" My sweet girl" he says as his hand gently runs across my face wiping some tears away . I wince when his hand grazes my eye area.

" where are your pain meds ?" he asks as he runs his hand through my tossed hair .

" My bedside table" I answer in a whispered and exhausted tone.

" Alright come on lets get you upstairs " he says as he picks me up off his lap setting me on the ground and standing up then extending his hand to me , I take it as he pulls me up then follows me up the stairs to where my room is .

he tells me to get into bed as he runs down to the kitchen getting me water and rushing back up .

" which table right or left?" he asks .

I try and remember which one but cant so I just shrugged and answered that I couldn't remember so he goes to the rightsize on first .

He opens it and his mouth pops open as he looks at me .

"w-what are they in there " I ask in confusion as to why he looks shocked .

he just stares as me and slowly shakes his head .

It dawns on me after a couple seconds that that is the one I keep my "personal items in" . My body flys up in bed as I rush to close the drawer .

" Im so sorry I forgot about keeping those in that one I ... god thats so embarrassing.

" I never thought of you as the type to own things like that" he says with a laugh making me groan and hide my face in a pillow.

"Im only messing around with you , i'm not uncomfortable about seeing that its normal" he says as he walks to the other table finding the Advil and pouring out two in his hand .

" Take these to her with the swelling before it gets worse" he says as he walks over to me .

" were seriously just going to breeze over the fact that you ... my boss just say my ... "

" toys yes now take these" he says shoving his hand in my face . I sigh as I take them out of his hand and toe them into my mouth then take the water he had in his hand and swallow them down.

" Now i'm going to help you pack . Where are your suitcases " he says as he start walking around my room searching .

" You're actually joking right there is no way I can go looking like this" I say in a bratty tone . I didn't mean to use that tone its just the way it came out.

" First of all watch your tone but yes you're still coming and it will get better in a day or two and we don't have to start the campaign shooting until Tuesday so we can just stay in until then or when we go out you can just wear sunglasses. Now suitcases where are they?"

I groan but point to the door "hallway closet " I say as I yawn .

He nods and walks to the door opening it and coming back 5 seconds later with two suitcases in hand.

" Okay what do want to pack first pants, shirt ...? " he ask as he sets them out on the couch I have on the wall opposite my bed.

"Well I usually pack pants first "

" Okay where are your pants" he asks looking at me .

" Bottom three rows in the closet" I answer

" Any specific ones you want ?" he asks

" You know what how about you pick 4 pairs and i'll say yes or no " I say as I getting extra comfy in bed .

" Yes ma'am " he says jokingly as he makes his way to my large walk in closet.

He comes out 2 minutes later with 4 pairs in hand.

He holds up the first pair , I nod and he smiles " I really like these ones" he says as he happily packs them in my bag.

Second pair - I happily nod and he packs them.

Third pair - I dead pan as he laughs actually laughs . " You've gotta be kidding those were all the way at the back " I say as I give him a look. " why do you even own these " "They were part of a halloween costume like 2 years ago" he just shakes his head and sets them aside .

Fourth pair - " Matt this is a business trip" I say as a I shake my head no . " I know that sweetheart but we don't have to be in business attire the whole time" " I guess your right okay yes pack those"

"Okay next skirts pick 3 they are hung on the left side along with the dresses pick tow of those" I instruct him as I try and stay awake .

He comes back out with a big smile which i'm finding slightly unsettling given ive never seen him so cheerful before

dress one - " absolutely not"I say. He sighs and sets it aside

Dress two - I smile and nod yes . He neatly packs it

Skirt one - immediate yes

Skirt two - Yes

After 45 more minutes i'm fully packed except for underwear and socks.

"Okay last things are undergarments " he says as he looks at me waiting for to tell him where they are.

" Don't worry about those ill pack those in the morning " I say as I wave him off.

" I have a feeling if I let you do that you'll forget " he says as he tilts his head . I hate to admit but he probably right.

" fine okay top shelf of the drawers on the right wall" I say as my face flushes red. My boss definitely should not be handling my underwear and bras but at this point i'm to tired to care.

"wow these are organized so nicely" I hear him say from inside my closet.

Their's silence for a second before he comes out with a handful of my sets with a smirk on his face.

He sets them on top as well as socks .

"Okay done now shoes " I tell him where the shoes are and he picks all good options so that was easy.

He packs up my makeup and skincare bag putting them in the suitcase with the shoes .

" Okay fully packed and ready to go" he says as he pushes both cases by the door .

"Thank you Sir you really didn't have to do all of this" I say sincerely

" First of all as much as I love you calling me sir when we are outside the office call me matt you calling me sir makes me feel fucking old" he says with a smile.

I choke on air at his beginning comment with makes him chuckle.

" Im grateful I have you as a boss matt"

" Im great full to have you as my assistant y/n "

We both share smiles before he turns on my ceiling fan and comes and sits on the edge of my bed.

" I want you to know I genuinely do care about you y/n not just because you are my assistant but because your all around a great girl " he says as his pulls his hand on my comforter covered leg giving it small shake.

" Thank you matt really I couldn't ask for a better boss" I smile at him with half open eyes.

" I'll let you get some rest and ill take your extra key so you can sleep as long as you can and ill just come down and grab your bags and make sure your up and awake by 10" he says as he pats my leg and stands up.

" You sure I don't mind setting and alarm " I ask .

" Im sure now get some sleep and ill see you in the morning "

"Okay well see you in the morning and thank you again really "

" Of course . Good night y/n "

" Good night matt"

God what the fuck just happened ...

[ubiquitouslyme]

2024 Fic Writer End of Year Roundup

Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going! Tagging @copperfirebird @alltoowellread @alittlegirlwaitinginagarden @siobhanbooks because I don't think I saw any of you do this, but no pressure!

Thank you to @caeli0306 @alexandia03 @yanny-77 and @lizardsrunfast for the tags! I admire each and every one of you and am flattered to even be mentioned in your posts!

I'm not on Tumblr a ton, and yes, I know it's already 2025 but it's a good reflection on the last year.

How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

672,654 - I...cannot believe how much I wrote in 2024. I started writing in August 2023, and published only a single fanfic that year (Xaden's Year 3), and I clearly became addicted!

(Add another 200,000+ for my original works!)

How many fics did you complete this year?

Five! The rest are WIPs.

Xaden Year 1 - Fourth Wing fanfic of Xaden's first year at Basgiath.

The Odessey of Imrrick - Fourth Wing fanfic of Garrick and Imogen's love story for the Riders Quadrant summer fic exchange (for @alexandia03).

Amuse Bouche - Fourth Wing fanfic for the Riders Quadrant winter solstice fic exchange (for @siobhanbooks).

Here for the Video Games - a Fourth Wing modern AU short featuring Bodhi and Liam (Bodhiam).

Contract Conversations - a Game Changer hockey series fic featuring Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, AKA my book boyfriends.

How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

Nine fanfics. And if we count original stories, we're up to 13!

Xaden's Year 2 - Fourth Wing fanfic - a continuation of my Xaden year 1 story, which follows Xaden Riorson into year 2 of his time at Basgiath. I'm on the final 5-6 chapters and hope to finish before Onyx Storm (this may be optimistic, but we'll see)!

Garrick Tavis - Companion Chapters to Year 2 - Fourth Wing fanfic - a compilation of a moments from Garrick's POV / Garrick's year 2 that go with Xaden's Year 2 story.

Imogen Cardulo - Companion Chapters to Year 2 - Fourth Wing fanfic - a compilation of moments from Imogen's POV / Imogen's year 1 that go with Xaden's Year 2 story.

Bodhi Durran - Companion Chapters to Year 2 - Fourth Wing fanfic - a compilation of moments from Bodhi's POV / Bodhi's year 1 that go with Xaden's Year 2 story.

Game On - a modern AU Fourth Wing fanfic that details Bodhi Durran and Liam Mairi's falling-in-love story.

Under Cover - a modern AU Fourth Wing fanfic set in the same world as Game On. This is Xaden and Violet's story, and is a modern take on Fourth Wing / murder mystery. This overlaps with the events of Game On.

The Hollanov Story - Game Changer hockey series fic. Shane and Ilya give their first post-outing interview. Bonus chapters include social media reactions.

Centaurs Undercover - Game Changer hockey series fic. The Ottawa Centaurs go "under cover" in various ridiculous scenarios trying to trick fans, teammates, and opponents.

The Hollanovs Take On Disney - Game Changer hockey series fic. Shane and Ilya post-retirement take their kids to Disney World.

Original hockey romance series - I'm currently working on a hockey romance series featuring both M/M and F/M couples all set in the same world. I have two books completed in draft form and a third in progress, with a total of 10 books plotted (5 M/M, 5 F/M). Hoping to publish at least book one in 2025!

Original Fantasy - this is my least developed, and frankly, the world building intimidates me. I only have around 10 chapters written, but I have the first book fully plotted and the series loosely plotted. We'll see.

What was your favorite thing you wrote?

This is a tough one. I like all of my works for different reasons. I am partial to the Fourth Wing fanfics because it's where my writing journey began, particularly the Xaden POV works. But I LOVE my Bodhiam story in Game On because it's so different from anything else I've written, and I sort of adore them.

I am obsessed with the Game Changer fanfics because it's the series that made me fall in love with sports romance and inspired me to write my own. It also introduced me to Shane / Ilya, who may be the cutest couple I've ever read.

But I think my favorite thing I've written are my original hockey romance stories, because it's all mine, something I created from scratch, and I'm so incredibly proud of myself for doing it. Plus, I'm kind of obsessed with my first two couples!

What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

This is a tough one because I feel like my "style" has changed over the past year. But I think I'll mention The Odyssey of Imrrick because I wrote it as an ode to @alexandia03 and I didn't want to disappoint her. It wasn't something I ever saw myself writing, but I had just so much fun with it.

Otherwise, I'll say Game On (again) because it was really my first time writing something NOT based on canon of a fic (it's a modern AU and other than the characters themselves, it's all pretty much new material), and it was my first time really writing a M/M relationship and I loved exploring that.

Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

I've been amazed and incredibly flattered at the comments on some of my fics. I don't feel like I have a "huge" following on any of my fics, but the comments I get are so sincere and so incredibly supportive, and it constantly blows my mind that people are saying those things about MY works. It feels surreal, and knowing there are people out there that enjoy the words I've written is the best feeling in the entire world. I cannot express how grateful I've been to receive those supportive words, likes, and views.

Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

This is a tough one for me. I don't feel like I have a "right" to say that one of my fics deserved more attention than it received. People want what they want. Sometimes it surprises me which fics are "popular" and which are not, but I respect that not everyone wants to read what I wrote or what I'm interested in because I'm not writing the "popular" pairings or tropes, and many of my fics are dark and messy. I've certainly had many, many moments of self-doubt, but I write what makes me happy. All I can do is put it out there, and if people read it, I'm flattered.

If you really twist my arm, yes, there is one fic that comes to mind for this question, but I have my reasons for staying mum (IYKYK). But those that have read it gave it so much praise, and that's enough for me.

Who is an artist that inspired you?

Hmmm this is a tough one for me because I'm not sure I know a ton, but special shouts out to @essjaywrites for her Imrrick work and @copperfirebird who has given so many of the RQ authors some amazing artwork/gifts/merch for their fanfics and it's absolutely adorable.

Who is an author that inspired you?

I have met some incredible authors this year in the Fourth Wing fanfic fandom through the RQ Discord Server. I have to give a special shout out to @yanny-77 because her fic The Underpants Heist is the first M/M fic I'd ever read, and it inspired me to read more LGBTQIA+ fics and then write my own, and I can never thank her enough for that because it eventually led me to my original works.

Otherwise, I want to give a shout out to the people that have supported and inspired me on the RQ Discord server. There are too many to count, and I know I am not the most prolific poster, but I appreciate every comment, every word of support, every like I have received, even when I go into hibernation and disappear for a bit. Thank you all for welcoming me, inspiring me, and supporting me.

Who is a new author you discovered?

This is such a tough one because there are so many on the RQ server. I think I have to say @essjaywrites because I adore her Divine Fault Line so much. I also have to mention @tegantales because she shares my love of Shane/Ilya and I will devour every fic she writes about them.

Special mentions here that I have NOT mentioned elsewhere in this post (and apologies if I've forgotten anyone, some of you have different names here than in the RQ!): @overjoyedisland @lizardsrunfast @saranova @fantasywithkassidy @thoughtsaboutshows @suebswrites

Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

I have not. I'm actually really sad about this, seeing how many others have collaborated, and it looks like it's a ton of fun. It's something I would love to do one day.

What accomplishments are you proudest of?

I have three things I'm proud of this year:

I expanded what I'm comfortable reading / writing. I started reading Fourth Wing in August 2023 having never read a smut scene before, and then I WROTE my first smut scene later that year and it intimidated me so much (although it was just Xaden's POV of the FW chapters, so I pretty much had the material written for me). Since then, not only have I wrote my own scenes from scratch, but I've now expanded to writing M/M relationships as well, and I now am no longer terrified to write those scenes.

I finished fanfics that, while set in the Fourth Wing world, the plots are all of my own creation other than the characters / world building that I borrowed. My first fic was Xaden's POV of Fourth Wing, so it didn't really feel like I "added" much. Getting to create stories of my own for these characters and make up the plot was eye opening, so much fun, and really helped me grow as a writer.

Writing my own original works was something I've dreamed of doing since I was ten and fell in love with reading, but never thought I'd be able to do. But guess what? I did it, and I'm so proud of myself!

What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

It's okay to step away from a fic that isn't inspiring you. When I started writing, I kept to a rigid timeline, published at scheduled times, and continued on until I finished the fic. Yes, that worked for a while, but I was burnt out writing like that, and I think my work suffered. Stepping away and writing what inspired me in the moment made my writing better, and those fics I came back to? They turned out much better for that break.

I also learned I don't have to write things in order. Know that end scene? Write that, and build your story around where you want to go. Inspired mid-chapter by a scene that takes place in four chapters? Draft it in whatever shape it is so that you don't lose those ideas. They might change, but it's better than forgetting that really great idea that came to you in the middle of the current chapter you are writing!

What is your advice?

Write what makes you happy, and don't worry so much about what you think the fandom thinks (I know, I know, easier said than done). Likes and comments are amazing, but they aren't the only metric to measure your works by. Being proud of your work is just as important!

Have fun! If it's not fun, it's not worth it. Trust me on that.

Mental health, mental health, mental health. I've had to take breaks for weeks / months that are hard for REASONS, and yes I felt like I was disappointing people to take that break, but I learned I can't be what I need to be if I'm not taking care of myself first. People WILL understand.

What are your creative goals for 2025?

Finish my current fanfic WIPs in the following order: Xaden Year 2 (plus the three companion pieces), Game On / Under Cover, Game Changer fics.

Publish at least ONE of my original works. I need to heavily edit it, and then most likely I'll try for self-publishing because I have NO idea what I'm doing. I doubt anyone will read it, but I need to prove to myself that I can do this.

Write, write, and write. I've grown so much as an author in a year, and I know I'll continue to grow so long as I keep writing.

[brain-rot-central]

Sonnet was mentioned by @deadly-diminuendo, @bardic-inspo, and @paganwitchisis! Thank you guys so much -- stealing the game from you, if you don't mind!

words posted: 67,589 additional words written: (nothing as of yet; taking a brain break for today lol) grand total of words: 67,589

fandoms: BG3, Dragon Age

highest kudos: Sonnet of the Lone Cardinal, sitting at 510! <3 highest hit oneshot: Possession, at 7,168 new things I tried: Started a longfic (Sonnet), a new fandom, and just allowed myself to be more creative this year. fic I spent the most time on: Definitely Sonnet, and my pegging fic. I distinctly remember sitting on my couch trying to finish that one up as quickly as possible lol. fic I spent the least amount of time on: A Moment's Respite; really started as an idea tossed around with friends and I wanted to write a short, sweet scene. favorite thing I wrote: I'm still currently writing Sonnet; there was a line I wrote for Tav in chapter 10 as she's arguing with AA:

“Is that what I’m to do, Astarion? Piece everything together and just assume how you feel? Like a dog that waits patiently for scraps at the dinner table?”

Also this one:

“Should I take a page out of your book then, and lie to your face?” Tav realizes she's playing with fire the more she pushes, but she can't help herself. The smell of raw, open wounds fills her; she finally has him cornered. “Would you rather I fall to my knees and swear fealty to you, all while brandishing a dagger behind my back? Is that in more of a language you understand?”

You ever write something, read it back to yourself and go "oof yeah. that's it. that's so fucking it"? Ngl was real proud of myself after that lmao.

favorite thing(s) I read: I'm absolutely loving @cursedhaglette's new fic Requited. It's a DAI retelling from dual POVs between Solas and her oc Morinne Lavellan. It contains spoilers for Veilguard, so if you haven't played that yet or are planning on doing so, just a word of caution. It's sweet, thoughtfully, and the slow burn is killing me. The fire was just recently sparked in her latest chapter and my god is it good. Definitely something to read if you're a Solavellan fan!

Midnight at Skyhold by LadyDanya on Ao3. Where the fuck do I begin? A Cullen/Female Trevelyan fic; he's crushing on the Inquisitor but doesn't think he's enough as is to face her. Varric also decided to litter copies of his latest smut novel around Skyhold, leaving all the women in a tizzy. Cullen gets his hands on a copy after hearing Trevelyan's praise about it and decides to take a few pages out of the book to help him out. Idk the whole concept makes me insane in a good way. It's unfinished but where the author left off is more than sufficient of an ending.

You'll hate me (make love) by @astarionfreak AA x Tav post-break up fic. They're dying and their last wish is to have the rogue they fell in love with make love to them one final time. I absolutely love this fic though it also makes me want to bawl my eyes out.

writing goals for 2025: not really writing but I hope to put more energy into reading more fic. If I'm actively writing, I find it hard to simultaneously read fic because then I start comparing myself to what I'm reading and psyche myself out of writing. Absolutely no one's fault but mine, I know, and I apologize for it. But that's the truth lol. But I hopefully will finish Sonnet by the end of the year. We're about halfway done. And idk, maybe allow myself the space to think of an original work? I'm not the best with world building but I've also never allowed myself to explore the possibility of writing something entirely from my own brain. Hopefully I can unshackle it this year and come up with something. Will it ever see the light of day, who knows. But everyone should be able to dream, yes?

Opening this up to all to participate!!

[delicateartisantrash]

Hello!

I've recently found your TF fics, and they are *mwah*

Absolutely gorgeous, love what you've done with the characterisation and the plot, especially when you say when a character *cough Megs cough* just... comes in. I'm just giggling, kicking my feet, twirling my hair.

I also have a question. Or two, if you don't mind my asking.

In the tags for Leaking Spark and Why the Caged Bird Sings, it's stated as a 'Soundwave/Reader'. Does this refer to Butterfly, or Lightshow?

I'm just a little confused on that part, as Butterfly is definitely on for Knockout, and as seen in the latest chapters of Why the Caged Bird Sings, Soundwave really misses Lightshow (breaks my heart every time we see Sounders in a wreck). BUT, in the tags for Leaking Spark, there's 'Eventual Soundwave x Reader'.

So, I'd like to know, what's your plan on that? Or is that a 'lil spoilery? Would you mind giving us a 'lil peak into your plans?

Thanks for reading my questions, hope you have a great day <3

yes hello i LOVE answering questions (even if it's sometimes "teehee spoilers but i can tell u dis instead ;D" is my only non-spoilery answer I can give) about my absolute obsessions. Eeeeeeee!

Easy one to answer, first:

In the tags for Leaking Spark and Why the Caged Bird Sings, it's stated as a 'Soundwave/Reader'. Does this refer to Butterfly, or Lightshow?

In LS and WTCBS, it refers to Butterfly.

If that ever changes, I'll update tags and/or update some kind of notice at the chapter in question so it's not unexpected.

I honestly haven't decided yet if we'll have Lightshow as a total other POV like Soundwave for example has been, or if Meta Readers will get to be a Reader POV for both Butterfly and Lightshow. Do you by chance have a preference? XD

I currently lean towards keeping the "Reader POV" restricted to one character per story series (Gladiators of Kaon is technicaly a prequel to Leaking Spark, but Leaking Spark isn't neccessarily the *only* possible timeline outcome for GOK's origins ;D no i'm not planning a multiverse with my own fics what who me never i'm not THAT insane ha ha ha, I mean....)

Other question time!

SO.

I hesitate to confirm *exactly* what the final relationships will look like any time someone asks, because... I don't actually know. There are *so* many moving parts and little details and honestly even a slight interaction can have lasting ripple effects that change the story farther down the line in ways I never could have predicted or expected until I get to that point.

Case in point: Leaking Spark actually exists (and GOK, too, but for slightly different reasons than LS) purely because Knockout was *supposed* to get to be the MC's bestie ride-or-die friend in Star of the Show.... and instead he ended up scaring the ever loving SHIT out of poor Clara and yeah That's Not Happening (at least not anytime soon lmfao).

But I wanted to write a friendly(ier) version of Knockout, so we got Leaking Spark with him being our teaser pony introduction who eventually leads us to Soundwave. (and that mech is a slow burn romance with cryo-frozen molassas)

So... Rather, I know what *qualities* certain relationships will absolutely have, as it keeps me grounded and centered in writing, but that doesn't necessarily mean that character won't *also* end up with someone else before then, or in addition to (poly romance is something I have given up trying not to let creep into my TF fics They Are Very Determined I Guess??? I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE BEFORE I AM GENUINELY CONFUSED BUT I LIKE IT APPARENTLY SO????).

So, I'll tell you what I *do* know is for certain;

[mild spoilers below. Topic: relationship outcomes]

-Soundwave is going to end up in a lasting, meaningful, permanent (insofar as they decide it is :P) romantic relationship with Butterfly. He gets his squishy soft Sparked lover. He also gets a not-so-squishy but just-as-soft-Sparked Lightshow... either as a friend or as a romantic partner as well, I genuinely don't know how those two will reconnect but it's gonna be CUTE. AS. FUCK. -Knockout is going to marry/Conjux/get hitched with his gay bae Breakdown and I can pretend TFP never had budget cuts for voice actors and politics that inspired Breakdown's gruesome death and end in TFP it Never Happened Here Okay? (sobbing weeping crying i'm okay I swear). He'll remain friends with Butterfly, and his romantic fling with her is honestly going to be *so fucking good for him* as a learning experience. In short, we're his Practice Girlfriend so he finally fucking treats his husband right. Dammit KO u HAVE HIM RIGHT THERE REEEEE--

-Megatron is gonna end up with Lightshow. So hard. He never stopped agonizingly crushing on her that mech is in LOVE. Obssessive possibly unhealthy love. You know. In that way Megatron does with Literally Everything In His Life, taking things to The Extreme. Lightshow's gonna be good for him is all I'm gonna say there heehee

-Lightshow IS THE ONE I HONESTLY HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT SHE'LL DO REALLY SHE MIGHT BE SOME KINDA LOVE GODDESS OR SOMETHING IDK BUT I CAN EASILY IMAGINE HER IN A POLY RELATIONSHIP WITH LITERALLY ANYONE SHE LIKES AAAAAAH HELP????

Lightshow's unofficial job in the Decepticon Army: sex therapy

-Lightshow and Butterfly are going to get along very well and that's all I'll say about those two ;)

[galaxythedragonshifter]

Hello!! First: I think calling your asks a mail box is so cute )::

Secondly: Are.. you a nightwing? Have you ever thought about mixing TDCA with WOF?? I personally see sun and moon as a nightwing sandwing hybrid who was cursed by magic to switch forms between the light and the dark ::3 but I would love to hear your thoughts!! (If you don’t care much for WOF still would love to hear your thoughts on dragon versions of sun and moon !!) - Muffiiee

TYSM!^^ I might change it eventually, as I had it like that because I was playing around with my phone notification sounds skkdjwjeej. I'll probably keep it for a while tho!

Also, the "I wonder who it's from!" in the gif immediately made me think of Blues Clues akdbdbdbdbbb

And no, I'm not a Nightwing. Dw tho! A lot of people get her confused! She actually has a separate WoF design (Rain/Night) that's on my TH!^^ Her regular design is non-wof.

And yes, I have! AKJSJSHSHHS i finally get to talk about them! I am currently working on the WoF!DCA lore (at least for my renditions).

Base by LotusMoon

They're separate dragons in mine, and they're brothers! They're Sand/night hybrids with just a biiit of Skywing heritage (hence Sunny's tail!)

They ended up working for Thorn in the Scorpion Den during the tail end of the war as caretakers, mainly caring for injured and orphaned dragonets.

After the war, they decide to start a daycare/orphanage, considering there were still many displaced dragonets during the war. (Mind you, they're still 17 or so in human years at this time, so probably 6-7 in dragon years and still considered dragonets. Around the same age as the DoD ig idk anymore lol)

I don't have their lore figured out much beyond that though-

(However, I have thought about pulling these two into my Ninjago Multiverse AU. Galaxy, (my sona) is the MC of that au and got dragged to the Pizzaplex to stop the virus via her Portals, and now works there. Sun and Moon have accidentally ended up on two adventures with her (Hunger Games and an MLP infection world). Maybe I'll add a third at some point, and DCA Sun and Moon end up dragons for a while ajdjdhjd)

I also have a few OCs I want to involve in their lore somehow. I was actually writing in that specific Google doc when I got this ask LMAO-

I can give you a few snippets if you want! :D (Some of it not Sun and Moon related specifically, but I might tie the other character's story into theirs later! (If I make full fledged fics, I'll probably post em in a similar style to the WoF books; one in Skyfrost's pov, one in Sun's, one in Moon's, ect. Although, I'm already working on two fnaf fics and many little smaller drabbles so it might be a while before I get anything very long XD)

[amethystviolist]

I was tagged by @cactusnymph! Thank you so much for thinking of me <3

Rules: Go to your (current/main) AO3 account and find the following (which you can do by going to all your works and exploring the dropdown menus to sort by tags and ratings and such).

What is your AO3 account?

You can find me under the same username, but here's a link!

What ratings do you write most of your fics under?

I've got 28 works. A staggering 26 of those are rated T, while only one is rated G, and one is rated E.

What are your top three fandoms?

Supernatural (ugh, RIP, I had more time to write in high school and it shows) at 10, How To Train Your Dragon at 6 (I did a challenge week once), and then a tie for third between BBC Merlin and The Hobbit both at 5.

What is the top character you write about?

Well... it's Dean and Castiel tied at 10 bc they're in those ten fics. As you might logically assume, all the character tags actually correspond to the frequency of their fandoms, so this isn't a very surprising or exciting answer I'm afraid.

What are your top three pairings?

Okay, this one is actually interesting! I mean, Dean/Cas is top due to sheer numbers, whatever. BUT number two jumping up there is actually Bilbo/Thorin! I think this is because their relationship features in my single LOTR fic, even though the characters themselves don't make an appearance. Number three is Merlin/Arthur which also makes sense, because I don't think all my HTTYD fics are shipping-focused.

What are the top three additional tags?

Fluff (11), then a four-way tie with Angst, First Kiss, POV Third Person, and AU - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies (4). And finally just... KIssing (3). This cracked me up a bit.

Does any of this surprise you?

Yes, I was surprised Bagginshield snagged a surprise second-most ship spot, but very happy as that's my current writing focus!

No pressure to participate of course, but I'm tagging @shantismurf, @thatfancygirlinblack, and @lisellelascelles!

If you weren't tagged but you want to do this, you have my full permission to claim I tagged you anyway :)

[devilishlydumb]

help me choose which fic i finish, i'm begging

hello, everyone! sooooo a couple months back i said that i was gonna start posting fics on here and ao3... it never happened because i procrastinate like a professional.

BUT.

i've finally gotten a hold of myself and currently have three advanced wips. HOWEVER, i wanted to know which one would you be more interested in reading?

so.

yeah.

here's a summary, i guess.

option 1: landoscar harry potter au but make hogwarts a magical university because i cannot be bother to write teenagers. oscar pov which is turning out to be really fun to write. logan's there being adopted by half the school. dennis and arthur too. background lestappen because i can't not make them pine for each other. sue me.

option 2: agents of shield au that i cannot even begin to explain because that one is just weird and it has, like, stuff. lando as daisy johnson, tho, which is cool. again, landoscar and lestappen because why not. life's too short not to enjoy it.

option 3: see, this one is the most advanced one. and like. the strangest. SO BEAR WITH ME. it's lando x arthur. as in. arthur leclerc. and it wasn't even my idea. but. a friend threw it at me. i found it endearing. i now have +10 pages written of arthur pining and lando freaking out because he cannot have a crush on his friend's baby brother??? in the middle of his WEDDING WEEKEND in maldives. which. yes, you guessed it, it's lestappen's wedding. again. sue me. there's a lot of college times references and a little side fic about a trip to croatia years before the wedding written in arthur's pov (main fic is lando's pov) and everyone being done with them. it's really cute if i do say so myself. just a weird pairing.

so... yeah, just, tell me which one seems more compelling and i'll finish it soon. maybe not soon, actually. but i will finish it 'cause if not i'll feel bad. so. this is more of a way to give myself a purpose to keep writing.

if you would like to see a little snippet of any of them, just tell me and i'll randomly select a scene.

and that's it.

this has turned into the bible.

okay, bye.

[changelingsandothernonsense]

🥂 🎸 for josh & erra, 🏹 💌 for josh & sydari <3

Hello Salem!! Thanks for the asks <3

Josh x Erra

🥂 | what would happen if they got drunk together

Prior to getting together...there were a lot of almost slip ups where the two would almost kiss. After the two get together it's more or less the same, usually one ends up challenging the other to some stupid task that always ends up with them falling into "bed" later in the evening. This is easier when the two are away from the clans. 🎸 | the song that describes them the best

Sad songs for sad endings. (yes I'm on a 30 seconds to mars kick)

Your defences were on high Your walls built deep inside Yeah, I'm a selfish bastard But at least I'm not alone

My intentions never change What I wanted stays the same And I know what I should do It's time to set myself on fire

Sydari x Josh

🏹 | how they would fight together in a battle

Sydari is primarily an archer (funny how Josh goes for that sort aye?) where as Josh is best at melee combat with some close ranged magic thrown in for good measure. Sydari makes up for Joshi's piss poor long distance vision whereas Josh takes on larger opponents almost to the point where it's a problem. The two work best in this configuration. Also Josh just...kinda obsesses over showing off to his partners. During a dragon fight, Josh usually gets right in the beast's face whilst Sydari hits it with precise shots and the odd shout if her throat can handle it. He's still amazed by how she can devour the thing's life force. 💌 | a love note from one to the other

That's basically what You is about. Long extended love notes (POV musings) between characters. An important aspect of Sydari's character is that she gained literacy skills very late. There was a month-long period where the two officially split where Sydari dictates a letter to Josh (currently writing this You chapter) that Josh doesn't receive until the two run into each other by accident. It explains why she was upset and how she knows she overreacted by telling him to disappear. The chapter The World Eater's Eyrie is after a six-year separation. I'll post a snippet here vvv.

You were sitting on the edge of the circular pond that surrounded the structure. The waters were a strange, almost greenish black that reminded me of the oil used in Dwemeri machines. Pots of the greasy stuff that you used to have strewn across the floor of my armoury, which you had commandeered into a workshop for yourself as you messed with that old Dwemer device. You were talking about cracking their communications network or something to that effect. Getting that machine to work was an obsession of yours.

I called out to you, neglecting to consider just how quickly that would destroy my voice again. I didn’t care, all I wanted was for you to see that I was here.

You looked up from whatever it was you had been doing, I think you’d been drawing at the time. The stone and the people working on it…or I had figured that’s what you were doing when I flicked through your journals as you held me in your arms on the beach that night.

You had dropped it in the ash as I approached. The setting sun cast a golden hue onto your ashen skin. It brought an intensity to your eyes that I had missed. That rich crimson that always seemed to have a spark in it…even during your worst days.

You were dressed in the chitin and netch leather that you favoured. Similar to the armour you had worn on the beach that fateful evening when I had stumbled completely into your chaotic pull. Though you had attached a newer chitin plate to your right pauldron, its colour was a little greener than the rest. Less cracks, and a little more polished. 

You took off your helmet and goggles as I approached, finally pulling down your old silk scarf to reveal your face. It was then that I saw the reality of just what had happened in my absence. Oh, Tel why did you do that?

You had changed so much.