aristocratic-otter

[aristocratic-otter]

It's been forever y'all, but finally here's an update!

Chapter 13: Over the Roof

Summary:

Simon and the Bunces make a daring escape...

Penny

I’m beginning to wonder if Tarleton’s lieutenant plans to keep us in these chairs throughout the night. Even my poor father, imprisoned in the shed, is probably in better shape than mum and I right now. At least he can stretch out on the ground to sleep. But the rigidity of the furniture and the rules of propriety combine to ensure that we won’t find rest while we’re confined to this room. At least, not until we fall out of the chairs from sheer exhaustion.

Just as my eyes start to slide shut in spite of myself, there’s a faint wobble to the light in the room. At first, I think that it’s just because of the shifting of my own eyelids, it’s so faint. Then mom sits up straight and hisses “Penelope!” under her breath.

Read on AO3

[aristocratic-otter]

Thank you @blackberrysummerblog @thewholelemon and @alexalexinii for the tags today.

I heard a certain Lemon was asking where all the COBB peeps are at?

Hi! I’m here!

Since it is getting close to posting time, I thought… what if I shared some out of context, possibly unhinged, random sentences from mine?

Enjoy!

“Basil, does your posse know you’ve wandered too far away for them to save you?” I ask, pressing my forearm harder into his neck.

See father, my appetite for the armored ones is in my blood

“Traitor,” I tell her, knowing I’d eat out of his hand too if he asked me to.

“You’re right. Too many buttons undone for a tussle.”

There is zero connection between any of those and they are from several different chapters.

Hope they piqued your interest!

Tags: @ic3-que3n @dohrnaira @facewithoutheart @artsyunderstudy @imagineacoolusername @shemakesmeforget

@ivelovedhimthroughworse @wellbelesbian @rimeswithpurple @aristocratic-otter @cutestkilla

@nausikaaa @supercutedinosaurs @nightimedreamersworld @valeffelees @iamamythologicalcreature

@shrekgogurt @ileadacharmedlife @martsonmars @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @hushed-chorus

@roomwithanopenfire @youarenevertooold @noblecorgi @bookish-bogwitch @talentpiper11

[aristocratic-otter]

Thanks for the tag @orangepeony! I have more W than IP this week. Chapter 4 of Pull Yourself Together is posted and the fic is now complete (many, many thanks to the amazing @thewholelemon for a helpful beta after I was so far done that I could barely tell which words made sense anymore). I began writing this one back in February as a birthday gift to @rimeswithpurple, and then just kept adding chapters because I was having too much fun to stop. Side note: it was never originally my intent for Simon’s spell to physically pull himself and Baz together; I just meant for it to combine the two beds into one that they would have to share. Well, we all know that the best part of the Only One Bed trope is the characters waking up in the morning draped all over each other and drooling on each other’s pillows, etc, and somehow when I got to the part where Baz first climbs in with Simon, I didn’t want to wait. The idea quickly formed about what it would take to break the spell, and I just kept writing (and writing) from there. It’s over 17K now, and I really had a blast with it.

I hope everyone’s summer is off to a great start! Hellos and no-pressure tags to: @aristocratic-otter @best--dress @papierhaikuphoto @raenestee @stitchy-queerista @mooncello @alexalexinii @valeffelees @artsyunderstudy @the-beard-of-edward-teach @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @youarenevertooold @iamamythologicalcreature @monbons @letraspal @leithillustration @asocialpessimist @cows4247 @c0nsumemy5oul @j-trow-95 @forabeatofadrum @roomwithanopenfire @imagineacoolusername @ileadacharmedlife @shrekgogurt @prettygoododds @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @ivelovedhimthroughworse @brilla-brilla-estrellita @martsonmars @facewithoutheart @supercutedinosaurs @bookishbroadwayandblind @confused-bi-queer @that-disabled-princess @nausikaaa @bookish-bogwitch @cutestkilla @hushed-chorus @skeedelvee @ic3-que3n @fiend-for-culture @drowninginships @sourcherrysc0nes @bachusekart

[aristocratic-otter]

WIP Wednesday!

omg.... I have wips.... on a wip wednesday..... it's been 84 years....

I’ve been extremely busy lately! But do expect more Carry On stuff later in the year… perhaps an animatic or two… WHO SAID THAT???

I’m currently preparing for my largest convention yet and I’m very excited for it! Will probably be posting some pictures on my instagram!

I'm preping a multi image thing for Simon's birthday! Have had this idea in my mind since like March so finally happy to be starting it!

Have half of the wips! With the total being six pieces :) (should've had posted this for six sketch sunday but I need to finish these by Simon's BDay)

Tags below the cut:

@aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @best--dress

@bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @cutestkilla @drowninginships @emeryhall

@fiend-for-culture @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse

@jyae23 @katatsumuli @larkral @leithillustration @letraspal

@martsonmars @messofthejess @monbons @mooncello @nausikaaa

@noblecorgi @onepintobean @orange-peony @palimpsessed

@raenestee @roomwithanopenfire @rimeswithpurple

@shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @the-beard-of-edward-teach @theimpossibledemon @thewholelemon

@valeffelees @whatevertheweather @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @wellbelesbian

[aristocratic-otter]

WIP Wednesday

thanks for the monday tag @run-for-chamo-miles! I'm scheduling this post so if anyone else tagged me--thank you and hello.

Hey, where's all my @carry-on-big-bang participants? Fics will start posting soon, right? What are you working on? Tell us, I'm nosy!

My busy time at work is hopefully about wound down so that I could actually have a minute to think about anything else! Writing, even? or just continuing to read everyone else's stuff? I'm happy with either, to be honest.

I finally read Slow Dance and loved it. I finished a KJ Charles or two. I got to beta a few amazing fics, only two of which I can link to currently (Pull Yourself Together is finished! it's great, @blackberrysummerblog! and fittingly, since it was @rimeswithpurple's birthday fic--Arianna's Simon vs Baz photos is so funny. I love revisiting the Infinity in a Teacup universe we made). And I got the extremely loving, indulgent, Simon-love-fest Safe and Found for my birthday from @facewithoutheart! I'm so very honored that in my honor, Simon would get fed tamales. It's fitting.

How about a little bit more texting fic? (if you recall, a wip still firmly in draft mode that I'm calling hey beautiful :).) I've been debating whether to have it entirely in text, or if I should have some sections that are prose, so I experimented with writing a few both ways. I like the prose, but there's something very satisfying about having it all in text. If there's something you love about a text fic, let me know, because this is very much still a work in progress. Below the cut, tags and a little bit of that conversation--the prose version.

“Who the fuck did you give my number to?” I say, slamming down my book on Agatha’s desk.  “Oh hi Basilton,” she says with fake chipperness. “Good morning to you too. I’m fine, thank you for asking.” “Who the fuck is texting me?” She laughs, genuinely delighted. “Oh good! I was hoping he wouldn’t give up!” “This is a violation of federal privacy law,” I huff. “It’s literally illegal for you to give my number to strangers.” “Is it?” She cocks an eyebrow at me. “Well, then, it would be a violation of federal privacy law for me to tell you who I gave your number to.”

Let's ignore the problem of what country's federal privacy law is violated here. Baz isn't that clear and it's his POV, not mine. See, I think you don't gain enough with the switch to prose to make this worth it, but let me know what you think.

keep on keeping on this week, my friends, and tell me what you're up to.

@alexalexinii @alleycat0306 @aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @best--dress

@bookish-bogwitch @bachusekart @bookishbroadwayandblind @brilla-brilla-estrellita 

@confused-bi-queer @cutestkilla @drowninginships @emeryhall 

@fiend-for-culture @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @j-trow-95

@jyae23 @katatsumuli @larkral @leithillustration @letraspal

@martsonmars @messofthejess @monbons @mooncello @nausikaaa 

@noblecorgi @onepintobean @orange-peony @pato-roldnart @palimpsessed 

@prettygoododds @raenestee @roomwithanopenfire

@shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @talentpiper11  @the-beard-of-edward-teach @theimpossibledemon 

@valeffelees @whatevertheweather @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe 

[aristocratic-otter]

Stitches and Sentences

Happy Sunday all! I'm trying to hold myself accountable to making progress on my projects by doing regular updates, so here I am on this very rainy day that's perfect for snuggles with Mr. Bon and the Little Bons (which I will be getting back to after I post).

STITCHES When @artsyunderstudy shared her pride art last year, I stared at it all day. This year, I had to make the boys into dolls. You can find the final post here. I'm super pleased with my photography skills, and even more pleased that the sun came out for just one day in what the forecast tells me is going to be two solid weeks of rain.

Honestly though, there really is no way to convey how beautiful these dolls are if you don't see them in person, which is why I made a little video tour of them so you can see ALL the angles. Enjoy my very pleased narration.

SENTENCES I continued to make progress on my Cheer fic. I wrote just over 6k new words this week before deleting 2k because 1) I got stuck, and 2) I didn't like the direction I had taken. It always hurts a bit when you have to toss any writing, but I just keep reminding myself that this is how it goes, frustrating as it may be. I'm also approaching the hard part of drafting, where all the fun exposition is done and your characters have to start wrestling with their shit, so the writing and rewriting is becoming more frequent.

I can't share too much of what I wrote this week, so here's a little exposition for you from chapter 1, Baz POV.

I pull away from Dev and beeline towards the bleachers where the cheerleaders are beginning to pack up now that tryouts are over. When I reach them, Simon is chugging water from what appears to be a repurposed milk jug. “Why are you here?” I demand. Simon doesn’t stop drinking. Instead, he holds up a finger and tips his head back further. Water dribbles out of the sides of his mouth, down his chin, and onto his already rather revealing top. The fabric of Simon’s barely-there shirt sticks to his skin, and I realize with horror just how impressive my formerly chubby best friends’ new muscles actually are.  I close my eyes with a groan. This is torture. Utterly unbearable.

Hellos and high fives and see you later this week when I post a new doll for Simon's birthday!

@alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy, @bachusekart, @best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart, @harrie-leithillustration, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @mooncello, @nausikaaa, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony, @prettygoododds, @raenestee, @rbkzz, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @rimeswithpurple, @shrekgogurt, @skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @the-beard-of-edward-teach, @twinkle-twinkle-up-above, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @jyae23, @j-trow-95

[aristocratic-otter]

[aristocratic-otter]

Hi all, Happy Wednesday! I feel bad that I haven’t been around much the past few weeks. If I’m honest, things are pretty difficult right now, but we press on, right? Thank you so much to everyone who’s been tagging me; I have so much catching up to do!

I’ve been on and off productive in my own writing, so I’ll share a little bit of everything fandom-related I’ve written lately:

Pull Yourself Together: I can juuuust about touch the end of this one! It’s been so long since the last chapter was posted, but I really do feel like I’ll finish this week. Here’s a hurt-y snippet (Baz POV, natch):

I’ve untangled myself from Snow’s sweaty embrace (again) and we’ve performed the daily ritual of sitting up and climbing off the bed together; we’re experts now. We’re expert at not talking to each other about it, too.

Crowley, what are bodies? Even though I’m not really alive, I somehow still have to deal with the utter ridiculousness and indignity of corporeality and its attendant needs. I try to imagine a world where I don’t have to want to jump Simon Snow’s bones every time he walks into the room (with his broad shoulders and his freckled face, and that blasted soft look he keeps giving me). I try to imagine a world in which his touch doesn’t instantly soothe my soul. It’s all too much. I don’t think it exists, this imaginary place where I’m not utterly obsessed with him. It’s more than physical; it’s infinite. A sob catches in my throat as I make my way into the en suite, and I quickly close the door.

Things are going a little better for the boys in The Field Trap, which believe it or not I have been working on. Another Baz POV:

Simon rolls his hips, tipping me onto my side so that we lie face to face. “I love you, Baz,” he whispers, rubbing his thumb beneath my lower lip. “I don’t know what I’m doing, but we’ll figure it out together.”

That’s all I want. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. The only light now is from the wood stove, and rain continues to beat the tin roof and ancient glass windows. Simon finds my mouth in the dark, and his hand slides down my belly to rest on my inner thigh. “Is this OK?” he mumbles, and I answer by clutching him closer. He pulls back to look me in the eyes. “Do you trust me?”

I do. I can’t find the strength to speak, so I nod frantically instead. Simon grabs the duvet and hurls it over us, then flashes me a cheeky grin before throwing his leg over me and disappearing under the covers. Crowley, I’m living a charmed life.

Last but definitely not least, some Dev POV from my COBB with @rimeswithpurple, in which I tried to be clever with Niall’s tattoo and was VERY late to the game discovering it worked on a much more obvious and funny level. Oops:

As though feeling my gaze, Niall looks up and removes a lollipop from his mouth. He leans over to pinch up a towel, remarking dryly, “Crumpled with intention.” He flaps it out toward me before dropping it.

“Piss off!” I snarl. He only gives me a wan smile before turning away, and what’s that about? As though I’m not worth his bloody time.

“Easy, gents,” Gareth soothes, scooting in to readjust the stacks of essentially folded towels. He quirks an eyebrow at me and nods toward Niall’s retreating figure; I don’t know why. I’m not going after him; he’s the one pointlessly nagging and haranguing me.

“Coming in hot today, Dev,” the American drawls as he swans past. At least Shepard has a passing acquaintance with a sense of style, quirky though it may be. Niall, on the other hand, is showing off yet more in his wardrobe range of ghastly earth tones today. Although, he does have a lovely blush-coloured button-down on beneath his snug-fitting khaki cardigan. He’s wearing his hair down this morning and must have nicked some of Baz’s product, because it’s curling around his face in smooth auburn waves rather than the halo of frizz he normally yanks back into an artless bun.

I’ve finally determined that the line of the tattoo I noticed is a river, although I have no idea how far it may wind down his pale torso, nor what other landscaping may be involved. I scowl as the term ‘landscaping’ lodges in my brain and refuses to leave. Fuck my life.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week! I plan to spend some time catching up on everyone’s tags and posts (please god give me time). Hellos and no-pressure tags: @youarenevertooold @thewholelemon @forabeatofadrum @monbons @j-trow-95 @nausikaaa @roomwithanopenfire @valeffelees @artsyunderstudy @cutestkilla @best--dress @c0nsumemy5oul @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists @leithillustration @aristocratic-otter @ic3-que3n @prettygoododds @fiend-for-culture @mooncello @brilla-brilla-estrellita @asocialpessimist @drowninginships @orange-peony @ileadacharmedlife @stitchy-queerista @imagineacoolusername @letraspal @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @raenestee @shrekgogurt @facewithoutheart @alexalexinii @iamamythologicalcreature @supercutedinosaurs @confused-bi-queer @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @hushed-chorus @skeedelvee @the-beard-of-edward-teach @bookishbroadwayandblind @bookish-bogwitch

[aristocratic-otter]

🍋Six Sentence Sunday🍋

"Jenny Lemon, why are you looking so fancy today?" It's thanks to @rimeswithpurple, who made me the prettiest Six Sentence Sunday banner. Thank you, Arianna! I love it. And thank you to the tag today @monbons; I'm so so excited for your cheer fic.

This was a crazy busy week at work for me and I'm still recovering, but the children at work are finally someone else's responsibility for the summer and I think the endless cold I had is finally mostly gone, so hopefully it's only looking up from here on out.

Did you see @raenestee's birthday gift from me and @facewithoutheart? If you haven't, you really should--it's got art by @pato-roldnart so you know it's going to be good. It's Tool Time!

I'm still doing a lot of fumbling around and starting without finishing. Hey, would anyone be interested in doing a Finish It Fest? Where we impose a deadline that might help you actually finish a thing you want to finish? I could do scheduled check-ins to try to help you remember to Do The Thing. It could be finishing anything. I just don't know if I'm ever going to finish something again if I don't have a deadline to get it done by. Anyway, let me know if that is appealing at all, because if it's me on my own...I won't finish it. 😂 Or tell me if this already exists and I can just glom on to someone else's thing.

Do you want some more text fic? It's a continuation from last week, so it'll make more sense if you read that one first, but you'll still keep up regardless. It's below the cut plus tags.

Annoyance: hey hey :)  Annoyance: glad I have the right number now. Annoyance: the bloke who i was texting sounded like he had a whole stick up his arse Annoyance: which, not trying to yuck his yum, but i like better in person ;) ;) ;) Baz: You again? Annoyance: wtf mate! Baz: Why are you stalking me? Annoyance: i’m not stalking you! why do u keep answering cute girl’s mobile Baz: I already told you. I’m not a girl, and you’re texting my phone.

Hmm, who could the cute girl be? I guess we don't technically know who Annoyance is either but, you already guessed that one, surely.

Hope you have a relaxing week and hmu about this finish it fest idea if you have a thought or interest.

@alexalexinii @alleycat0306 @aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @best--dress

@blackberrysummerblog @bookish-bogwitch @bachusekart @bookishbroadwayandblind @brilla-brilla-estrellita 

@confused-bi-queer @cutestkilla @drowninginships @emeryhall 

@fiend-for-culture @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @j-trow-95

@jyae23 @katatsumuli @larkral @leithillustration @letraspal

@martsonmars @messofthejess @mooncello @nausikaaa 

@noblecorgi @onepintobean @orange-peony @palimpsessed 

@prettygoododds @roomwithanopenfire @run-for-chamo-miles 

@shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @talentpiper11  @the-beard-of-edward-teach @theimpossibledemon 

@valeffelees @whatevertheweather @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe 

[aristocratic-otter]

[aristocratic-otter]

Stitches and Sentences

I've had a very productive week as far as fandom is concerned. I sewed. I wrote a bit. I read some fic. Goodness it's great to be on summer break!

STITCHES I'm not sure if you've noticed, but it's pride month! In honor of this special time of year, I am working on the most rainbow-tastic version of Simon and Baz possible. I finished the dolls this past week and am starting attire soon. Hopefully I will be ready to reveal the finished set by next Sunday. In the meantime, here's a sneak peek!

Is that a teeny tiny rainbow friendship bracelet? Yes. For scale, see below.

SENTENCES I am happy to report that after a significant dry spell in the writing department, I have finally produced words. I wrapped up the Boy Next Door Verse shorts early last week and then sat down to re-outline my Cheer AU after having abandoned it for months.

Part of my struggle was that this fic is, by far, the hardest story I have ever tried to tell. Not logistically--it's a high school AU with no magic or dramatic plot reveals or anything like that. Instead, it's difficult because Simon has been through some shit that is very much like my own real life shit and facing your childhood traumas is hard.

In any case, have a snippet-- Baz POV. For context, Baz and Simon were childhood best friends who've become estranged.

I’m still lost in the memory when the wind shifts and Simon stills beside me.  “I’m not that kid anymore, Baz,” he says quietly, staring at his feet. “I’m not either.” “No, I mean–” Simon sighs. “I can’t do this.” “Do what?”  “Any of this.”  “What is this?” “I don’t know. You. Me. All of it.” Simon tugs at his curls. “I can’t, okay?” I watch Simon toe at the ground in front of him. He still won’t look at me, and I try not to let it hurt. He used to get like this sometimes when we were small. Sad and distant. Even back then there were things we didn’t talk about. Things he couldn’t talk about. He didn’t have the words. Maybe he still doesn’t.

Hellos and high-fives and happy pride 🌈.

@alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy, @bachusekart, @best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart, @harrie-leithillustration, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @mooncello, @nausikaaa, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony, @prettygoododds, @raenestee, @rbkzz, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @rimeswithpurple, @shrekgogurt, @skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @the-beard-of-edward-teach, @twinkle-twinkle-up-above, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @jyae23, @j-trow-95

[aristocratic-otter]

It's Tool Time!

A Happy Birthday fic for @raenestee

an email-Snowbaz fic written by @facewithoutheart and @thewholelemon; WITH ART by the amazing @pato-roldnart

Rated: T

Words: 1219

Summary: Simon and Penny’s YouTube channel, Tool Time, centers around home improvements to make your flat feel more like home. They’re thrilled to land a sponsorship with Malcolm Grimm’s well-known brand, Watford Tool, but Penny’s having second thoughts when their (sexy?) brand rep is forced to inform her that yes, the uniform crop tops and short shorts with the Watford Tool logo on it are not a joke. How will they resolve this before the episode airs on June 5??

The happiest of birthdays to our darling Raen, who does so much for the fandom--this one is for you!

Read it on Ao3!

[aristocratic-otter]

(Let's pretend it's still) WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tags @nausikaaa @mooncello @monbons @thewholelemon @artsyunderstudy the last few weeks

Yes, I am back writing Trails again. I'm rewriting a sizeable chunk, not so much changing the plot, as removing certain elements and shifting them to later in the story, and it's so nice to be back in this au! again.

Enjoy a snippet (that I don't think I've shared before, but you never know!) Baz POV

He sucks in a breath as my nose brushes against his skin. Before I can think about apologising and moving back he’s gripping me tighter to him. “Christ, you’re freezing,” he grits out. “How’s your leg?” “Stiff.” Simon shifts against me, the patchy stubble on his chin dragging through my hair as he looks down the length of my body. I shiver, this time not from the cold. “Do you need to stretch it out? Your knee?” I shake my head. “I’d rather keep it as warm as I can.” Simon lays a hand over my injured knee. I swear the stiffness almost immediately abates, the creaking feeling replaced with smoother movement than I’ve had in weeks. Warmth floods my aching muscles and I relax into him. “This help?” he asks. I nod. “Thank you.” My words are little more than breath against his skin. I think he feels more than hears them.

ASR is firmly into the 75k+ word count bracket, and we still have so much ground to cover. I haven't managed any new words since around the middle of May, but we're getting into the final third (I hope at least) of the manuscript. Then it'll be a case of going back through and gutting it before it goes in for proper editing.

I'm not going to share too many words, but this sentence is one of my favourites from this recent phase of redrafting. Lauren POV

I want you, I think. But if I’m honest, want is already starting to feel too small a word.

Word count wise, we're not doing too bad:

January: 13,736

February: 6,468

March: 4,150

April: 7,683

May: 15,937

May was my best writing month I think in the entire history of this draft, and just in the first 5 months of 2025 I've added 47,974 words to this draft, which is well over half the total draft! Let's hope June keeps up this trend. Honestly, if I just keep adding words it'll be a win.

Tagging:

@artsyunderstudy @aristocratic-otter @blackberrysummerblog @bookish-bogwitch @cutestkilla

@confused-bi-queer @emeryhall @erzbethluna @hushed-chorus @iamamythologicalcreature

@ic3-que3n @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @letraspal @martsonmars

@mooncello @nausikaaa @nightimedreamersworld @orange-peony @shrekgogurt

@skeedelvee @theearlgreymage @thewholelemon @you-remind-me-of-the-babe 

[aristocratic-otter]

WIP Wednesday

thanks for the tag @forabeatofadrum! it's 1am on thursday now, but better late than never!

here's some Andromache describing Briseis:

Now it was my turn to stare. My eyes flew open, but she didn't notice, staring out at the countryside. In profile, I could see how beautiful she was.

The news in Troy when Achilles retreated from the battlefield and we began to gain the upper hand was that he had fallen out with Agamemnon over a woman, his war prize being taken from him. Was this girl the one they spoke of? Helen may have been the face to launch over a thousand ships, but this was the face to turn the tide of war. A figure carved out of alabaster, with full lips, wide set eyes, and coils of white hair.

and as usual, goat rambles and pics below the cut!

small goat update: Jude and Agatha are growing up fast, and are super friendly. Jude even comes up to me for strokes! i can't keep every goat, so i will be selling them, but as pets, so it's important that they're well socialised. i'll of course do my utmost to make sure they go to forever homes where they'll have the best lives.

Lucy is due in 20 days, and i'm pretty sure she'll only have one kid, so i'm curious if it will be a boy or girl. touch wood, i'm hoping for a boy...

tags and hellos: @cutestkilla @run-for-chamo-miles @roomwithanopenfire @prettygoododds @bookish-bogwitch @youarenevertooold @that-disabled-princess @noblecorgi @orange-peony @larkral @confused-bi-queer @aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @thewholelemon @alexalexinii @hushed-chorus @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @martsonmars @meanjeansjeans @leithillustration @j-trow-95 @blackberrysummerblog @ic3que3n @bookishbroadwayandblind and @monbons

[aristocratic-otter]

Stats Monday

I can't believe that Sunday was perfectly on the first and then I forgot to post my stats yesterday😔. Thanks for the tags yesterday @monbons @thewholelemon and @rimeswithpurple!!

Below the cut is my writing stats for the month of May. Expect graphs and musing and stuff :)

Total words written for May: 13353 (this is the lowest monthly word count yet but I can geninuely say that I had a great time writing all of these words)

Days I met my writing goal (200 words): I've given up on this writing goal thing because it's not working for me anymore. It was working very well for a while, but it was time to switch it up.

Days where I wrote or edited something: 12

Day I wrote the most: May 17th with 4933 words (this is a very high number for me!!)

Number of Fics worked on: 4

Daily Average: 430 words out of all 31 days, out of the the 12 days I wrote the average is 1112. check out my graphs

I don't really have consistency anymore, but I've literally had so much fun writing this month! I think part of the reason is I'm not forcing myself to work on any WIPS that I don't feel like working.

Does that mean I'm less likely to finish things? Perhaps. Will I have to revisit this later if I want to ever finish things? Probably. But for right now it is very freeing.

Here's all the fics I have been working on:

New obsession goes hard. All of these are buddie/9-1-1 except for the tiny sliver of COBB. Yet even though my word count for COBB is really small, that represents me editing the entire first chapter, which means I am pretty much ready for posting!! hopefully i'll have some of the other chapters finished before posting, but i'm just going with the flow here for now.

(also that fic titled GET OUT OF MY HEAD will NOT get out of my head. it's a 9-1-1 long-fic idea that rapidly spiralled into basically a canon rewrite... but omegaverse. Idk man. i don't control what my brain does anymore. omega!buck fic coming.... eventually.)

Now for some Life Updates.

I have a girlfriend now!!!!!

I was worried about getting enough hours at my summer job, but I have NOT been having that problem. I've been working so much, which I am very very thankful for, but also kinda worried that it's not going to continue (since I've been filling in for other people's shifts a lot of the time, i can't control when other people are calling out and that makes me anxious).

In less than 12 hours from now I will be in an MRI machine for the umpteeth time. If you think of me at about 8am CT, just know that I am in the Machine, thinking about my omega!buck fic probably.

Summer has been so good to me, I am having a great time so far. except for the fact that i am NEVER ALONE.

In like 2 weeks my parents and my little sister are going out of the country for a week and i'll be pretty much home alone (my brother will be there but he'll stay in the basement mostly loll), which i am very excited for, because I'll finally be alone for once.

tags and hellos

@alexalexinii @aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @arthurkko @blackberrysummerblog

@best--dress @bookishbroadwayandblind @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @cutestkilla

@drowninginships @facewithoutheart @emeryhall @fiend-for-culture @hushed-chorus

@iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @theimpossibledemon @jyae23 @larkral

@lovelettersto-mars @meanjeansjeans @m1ndwinder @nausikaaa @noblecorgi

@orange-peony @mooncello @prettygoododds @raenestee @run-for-chamo-miles

@rbkzz @shrekgogurt @simonscones @nausikaaa @skeedelvee @supercutedinosaurs

@sweetronancer @talentpiper11 @valeffelees @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

and I know I say this every time, but please don't feel bad about telling me if you'd rather not be tagged in these stats things or other times when I have no snips to share :)

also i feel kinda bad because i haven't been interacting with this fandom as much, but just know that i really appreciate you guys and def feel free to reach out to me if you ever want to <333

[aristocratic-otter]

Thank you to @monbons, @thewholelemon, @whatevertheweather, & @mooncello for the tags! I'm recovering from a girl scout overnight and I'm fairly certain I caught a cold. Sleeping in a poorly ventilated room with 21 girls didn't do me any favors.

Now that I'm finally done with Beautiful Roaring Scream, I can catch up on some other projects!

I made some progress on my COBB collaborations past and present! I was excited to draw Penny and Shep. I also had so much fun creating a background.

I also love that I get to live in the Time Will Lie Down & Be Still universe for a bit longer. It's truly such a wonderful story and I find myself thinking about it at least once a week.

While I didn't get to all of the artwork I would've liked to for my fic, I did have some of an illustration for chapter five done before I ran out of time. I really liked doing a step by step diagram of Simon's makeup and it deserves to be seen.

I hope everyone has a lovely week! Hellos and high fives below

@talentpiper11 @blackberrysummerblog @valeffelees @artsyunderstudy @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @youarenevertooold @bookish-bogwitch @facewithoutheart @larkral @run-for-chamo-miles @roomwithanopenfire @fiend-for-culture @cosmicalart @that-disabled-princess @cutestkilla @noblecorgi @iamamythologicalcreature @best--dress @emeryhall @ileadacharmedlife @drowninginships @supercutedinosaurs @rbkzz @ebbpettier @cccloudsss @theimpossibledemon @katatsumuli @onepintobean @orange-peony @ic3-que3n @bazzybelle @palimpsessed @martsonmars @aristocratic-otter @shrekgogurt @alexalexinii @prettygoododds @ivelovedhimthroughworse @raenestee @skeedelvee @lovelyladzzzz @lovelettersto-mars @jyae23 @the-beard-of-edward-teach @letraspal @bachusekart

[aristocratic-otter]

I don't have a whole lot of preamble, but I do have a snippet from Bait and Switch which was actually exactly six sentences until I decided to include more of it. And then, under the cut, I have a scene I wrote 100 years ago which doesn't belong to any particular fic, so here you have it in its entirety, because why not. Happy pride month 🌈

“It’s nothing, I’m not, I just—do you think Baz hates me?” I don’t think I meant to say that. I know Penny didn’t expect me to say that, the way she’s looking at me. I can practically see her calculating where I’m at on my Baz Limit, but I haven’t talked to her about him in weeks. I’ve got to have credit at this point. Mathematically, I should be allowed to talk about him the rest of the day, probably. “Is he back?” she asks, and now I’m blinking again. Something weird happens in my stomach, like she said the words in a different order, and I almost want to go check our room.  “No,” I say, because probably not. “I’ve just been thinking—I mean—do you think he hates me?” “The evidence would indicate,” Penny says slowly.

Context for this, amorphous and unwritten as it is, would be something something churlish friends to lovers, Simon has recently been an idiot.

Baz has barely gotten the door open before something is coming at him, and he steps back on reflex. It's a bundle of half-wilted flowers, held out approximately where his chest had just been. He looks past them at Simon. “What are those for?” Simon tosses his head. “The fuck do you think? They’re for you.” “For…me.” “Yes, you prick,” Simon smacks Baz’s arm with the sad little bouquet, and Baz jerks back with a wince. There are two new, angry red lines on the back of his hand. He looks up. “You’ve just assaulted me with flowers,” he snaps. “Who’s fucking selling flowers with thorns on them? Where did you buy these?” “Didn’t buy them, you know I’m skint, I cut them myself,” Simon says, shamelessly showing off the scratches on his knuckles. Baz stares at them. “Would you bloody take them already? Here.” Simon catches his hand. “If you hold it right here,” he mumbles, ducking his head to look at the stems as he guides Baz’s fingers to replace his own, “there are no thorns there.” He brushes a thumb over Baz’s before he lets go. Baz watches his hand fall back to his side, pink and red with pokes and scrapes. Careless casualties of a fight with flora. Baz clears his throat. “You brought me…flowers.”  Simon snorts a frustrated laugh. “You catch on right fucking quick.” Baz looks down at the mismatched bundle in his hand. There’s a very confused ant turning circles on one of the petals. They’re pretty, in a scraggly way. He looks up at Simon again. Pretty, in a scraggly way. Like he hasn’t slept. “This is so embarrassing for you,” Baz murmurs.

And tags <3

@cutestkilla @fatalfangirl @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @bookish-bogwitch @mooncello

@aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @monbons @rimeswithpurple @alexalexinii

@iamamythologicalcreature @bluedahlia912 @ivelovedhimthroughworse @emeryhall @thewholelemon

@run-for-chamo-miles @raenestee @whogaveyoupermission @facewithoutheart @martsonmars

@youarenevertooold @ileadacharmedlife @forabeatofadrum @best--dress @confused-bi-queer