emeryhall

[emeryhall]

Stitches and Sentences

SCHOOL IS OUT FOR THE SUMMER! Now that year 18 of teaching is a wrap, I can't wait to spend some serious time sleeping, reading, stitching, and (hopefully) writing.

STITCHES In stitch news, I finished the sequin project from my last post. And it’s a smutty, sparkly Simon brooch!

What possessed me to make such a thing? A few months ago, @emeryhall and I were discussing how we wear our fandom bracelets (gifts from the lovely @rimeswithpurple) as fancy dress. So I joked about making a matching dragonboy pin for Emery to wear on all their fancy nights out on the town… and here he is, in all his naked glory!

SENTENCES The words are flowing again! I'm cautiously optimistic that this means I will be able to make some significant progress on one of my long fics this summer, but I don't want to jinx it---so no previews of those for the time being.

I also decided to jump on the 10 days to 1K bandwagon fairly late in the game, but it's been fun to challenge myself to write short, especially because all the resulting fics have been in my beloved The Boy Next Door universe.

Here's Neighbors, the 100 word ficlet that kicks off this series of shorts.

They’re in their windows again. The boys across the street. Like clockwork, the sun sets in the bronze curls of the first as he waits, mobile in hand and knee bouncing, until—finally—the other, with hair like black velvet and a face like moonlight, appears. Shy smiles and soundless laughs punctuate the feverish flight of their fingers tap, tap, tapping the night away.  I wonder: wouldn’t it be easier to open a window? to knock on a front door? Still, they repeat this strange, silent ritual. Two hearts pulsing in-sync across the distance—love blooming in modern-day Morse code.

Feel free to dive into some of the other shorts, including:

Fake (200 words): Fiona gets Baz a present for his 15th birthday.

Scars (400 words): Simon reflects on his newest scar.

Journey (500 words): Baz goes on a journey to find his favorite person.

Sweat (600 words): Baz learns how to make Simon feel good.--The only fic rated M.

Escape (700 words): Baz and Simon go on a trip.

While knowledge of the original fic isn't strictly required to enjoy the shorts in this series, almost all of the ficlets contain significant spoilers for the originating fic, so read with caution.

Hellos and high-fives from the doll factory that has expanded into felt jewelry, apparently. (If anyone else has any fun ideas for quick and creative stitch projects, I'm all ears. And you may even get a surprise in the mail!)

@alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy, @bachusekart, @best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @facewithoutheart, @harrie-leithillustration, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @mooncello, @nausikaaa, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony, @prettygoododds, @raenestee, @rbkzz, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @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

[emeryhall]

A lazy Sunday morning.

[emeryhall]

I'm so curious about your snowbaz fic recs!!

sorry i'm so late i forgot you sent this! i hope you see it anon<3

okay so! i went through my spreadsheet and grabbed a bunch of pink fics (pink means faves btw) lots of them have porn in them because i am who i am, c'est la vie. enjoy <3

(link) magic-sucking hoover was... an experience. XD i loved it (link) a little bit deadly was SO up my alley! firefighter simon/ arsonist baz! lovely

(link) this one was sooooo FUCK iirc the yearning... TwT

(link) lol... simon goes back to watford and baz is a teacher there now

(link) buttons & beans was such a sweet one. we get to see simon without baz and clearly pining about him (link) ONLY CREATURES!!! my friend sent this one i believe and it was insane and emotional and amazing. 100/10

the fic is hidden but here's the (link) anyway :( </3 i loved this whole series. it's insane and unhinged and lovely in the best snowbaz way.

(link) sidney snow!!! i read this fic as it came out, which i sadly hardly ever do- because i'm STUPID- and every new chapter had me like !!!!

you can't go wrong with any fic by these writers. they're so good! i have a lot more snowbaz fics in my spreadsheet but these are the Long Boys? if you'd like some of the shorter ones (or less horny ones?) lemme know??

[emeryhall]

Would you be delighted to have your fics recorded into podfics (aka audio versions of your words)?

You can tell us in a permission statement!

Does the idea of your words being turned into a pod churn your stomach and make you want to hide in the forest (ie you DON’T give permission)?

You can tell us in a permission statement!

Do you have boundaries, are some works a yes and some a no? Do you like the idea of art but no pods or pods but no translations?

You can tell us in a permission statement!

Who is ‘Us’?

We’re like the cool weird aunts (gn) at your family reunion that few people listen to and even fewer respond to, but we continue to be cool and weird despite the radio silence because we know that there are other cool, weird aunts around that get excited about the same things we do.

We’re pocket friends who are deep in your fandoms and already enamoured with your words; and we’re internet randos who go squirrelling for food, fandom blind, so that we can record it for team challenges. We’re fans who wish our favourite fics were audiobooks so we could listen to them over and over on our daily commute, or in the bath, or when we’re hiding from the world under a weighted blanket.

We’re people who want to turn eyeball cake into earball cake, and we need to know if your bakery is open. (Not a euphemism. Unless…?)

Okay, weird aunt, so what IS a permission statement?

It’s a sentence or three in your ao3 (or other) profile that tells other creatives where you stand about related works.

Here is a great post with more detail and here is an example of mine:

I love podfics, fan art and translations, and I’d die of happy if one of my fics has moved you to create.

It’s a blanket yes from me for art and podfics - but I like to be asked on a case-by-case basis for translations (unless we know each other outside of ao3 then go forth and do your thing). Please ask in a comment on the fic! I read all my comments and will respond.

(And PLEASE, whether we know each other or not, share your creation w me so I can die of happy, as per above, and so I can share your work in kind!)

If creating your own seems too hard, and my bakery matches your bakery, feel free to copy and paste.

That’s it!

If I’ve encouraged you to make a permission statement regarding your own works please let me know in the next *checks watch* three days so I can get some extra cool weird aunty points for a cool, weird team challenge xx

[emeryhall]

Six Sentence Sunday

Hello friends!! I just got back from a few weeks in England and Norway last night and so I am absolutely exhausted. I got some writing done but I was very busy, so not much. Excited to dig back into it now that I'm home.

Here's a quick little excerpt from Monsters. Actually six sentences I think!

Simon turns to finally take the worn book from the shelf, and the lightness of it is at odds with his memory. When he’d first seen it, he’d thought it too large. Too heavy. He couldn’t yet imagine a story long enough to fill all the pages. A shiver runs down his spine as he remembers a boy with black hair telling him through a grin that he may not be strong enough to carry it. He tucks the book carefully—reverently—beneath his cloak, and continues on.

More about my trip under the cut!!

So my trip was so lovely. I met up with Dem @hushed-chorus (along with their partner and ADORABLE pup wilfy) who gave me the What Remains After the Storm tour of Cornwall, which was beautiful. The day we went to the beach in St. Ives was one of the best of the entire trip. We also met up with my very first fandom friend and beta Jess @j-trow-95 for a few days touring amazing places like Bath and Stonehenge and Salisbury. Also we (my husband and I) have adopted her mother as our English mum forever. She was wonderful.

I will say that this trip took some pieces out of me. I was joking with Jess about how Baz came to America and it beat him up and England did the same to me. On day TWO I tripped off a curb and slammed my ankle which resulted in a series of bruises that made multiple people go "UM are you sure that's not broken?"

Jury's still out. I'm going to have it looked at this week. Probably not broken, but who the fuck knows.

Anyway, some additional things I walked away with are:

London drivers are actually fucking insane.

Having an american accent in tiny little english towns automatically makes you a novelty

British pub food is actually as bland as people say

But the curry is fucking awesome.

Seriously I'm a fiend for it now.

If your taxi holds up traffic in shoreditch people will absolutely call you a cunt.

Oh yeah Someone Wicked fans - I saw the mural in shoreditch from chapter 6. It was awesome.

Norway is unreasonably fucking beautiful.

Norwegian waffles are superior.

Chocolate in england AND norway is superior to america

I need to look where I'm walking.

I have fantastic friends.

I'm so grateful for this fandom for letting me meet such amazing people all the time. Just in general. I've visited with so many of them this year, not just in England, and I love my friends so much. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH.

Here's a few photos:

@stitchyqueer @rimeswithpurple @imagineacoolusername @ileadacharmedlife @aristocratic-otter @letraspal @whatevertheweather @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @raenestee @shrekgogurt @prettygoododds @brilla-brilla-estrellita @ivelovedhimthroughworse @martsonmars @c0nsumemy5oul @facewithoutheart @alexalexinii @iamamythologicalcreature @supercutedinosaurs @best--dress @messofthejess @mooncello @orange-peony @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @youarenevertooold @that-disabled-princess @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @blackberrysummerblog @nausikaaa @thewholelemon @cutestkilla @emeryhall @hushed-chorus @forabeatofadrum @roomwithanopenfire @noblecorgi @monbons @run-for-chamo-miles @skeedelvee @valeffelees @ic3que3n @drowninginships @talentpiper11 @fiend-for-culture @leithillustration @j-trow-95 @bookishbroadwayandblind @the-beard-of-edward-teach

[emeryhall]

Stitch Sunday

Thanks for the tags @leithillustration, @mooncello, @emeryhall, @j-trow-95, @thewholelemon, @whatevertheweather, @roomwithanopenfire, and @nausikaaa. It was great to see what you all are working on and to hear a bit about your lives.

In my corner of the universe, the words still aren't coming, but I have done a fair bit of stitching. Much of what I am working on is part of my top secret project with @mooncello, so it can't be shared. BUT! I am working on a silly little something that involves so many sequins (again!).

Can you guess what it's gonna be?

Anyway, keeping it short and sweet from the doll factory today. It's so late, so consider yourself tagged for Wednesday... or whenever really. What are days?

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

[emeryhall]

Six Stuff Sunday

Well, hello. Welcome to my post. (deeply offended that I can't find any Brenda Dickson gif to put here) thank you for the tags @whatevertheweather @j-trow-95 @emeryhall @mooncello @leithillustration

Six things I'm thinking/reading, for your Sunday, below the cut:

1- thank you for everyone's thoughts and feedback on the writing doldrums! I really appreciated your insights, and also just hearing from you. Thank you for the permission to follow my heart wherever it needs to be going. Some other great suggestions have been: writing whatever I feel like or am excited about, even if it's not technically what I would intend to write "next" in whatever fic I'm writing; and writing without intention to publish. These were very helpful and I did throw some words around afterwards, which may never see the light of day but at least made me feel slightly less stagnant.

2-finished Luster. Big recommend. I'm now partway through a reread of Pride & Prejudice--I love rereading books that I read when I was younger and seeing the ways they hit different. I forgot how much Elizabeth prides (ha) herself on being an observer of people, and the extra layer of challenge that gives her when she has to accept that maybe she isn't always right in her assessments of others. It also made me wonder how much of that felt true for Jane Austen, because she has so much good characterization and dialogue--she had to be someone who was always watching and studying people, right? Like a lot of writers do. Anyway, up next for me, Fish Tales by Nettie Jones, which just came off hold for me and sounds depressing and exciting, and Calling For a Blanket Dance, by Oscar Hokeah, for a book club my friend invited me to.

3-my current nonfiction book is Deep Work by Cal Newport. It's fine. It's helpful. It's not super exciting but I've been struggling with my attention span in general and thinking about how to structure my days to allow for more focused work is useful. He's also got a bit about how Jane Austen worked, actually, that we have this perception that she was constantly writing in secret in-between tea or social calls when really, she made a deliberate choice to essentially give up society and tuck herself away so she could do nothing but write. All this is really making me think I should give up and just read a biography of Jane Austen.

4-Things Invisible to See by @orange-peony. Howl's Moving Castle AU! I know I've said this before but I'm never going to get over Howl being a normal Welsh rugby dude. And while I was on Peony's page I treated myself to a reread of On Every Wall. So hot; Baz as an artist and Simon as a barista is so perfect. The way they end up in a relationship without actually acknowledging it, and the small ways they notice and take care of each other before they get explicitly romantic, never fails to hook me. Makes me happy on every reread.

5-The Tyrannus of the Sun and its sequel by iamwheretheseasleeps (are they on tumblr?). Okay, I genuinely don't really understand what Skyrim is, but I loved this fic and its sequel which is in progress but doesn't feel like it's left me on a cliffhanger. The fic uses a device that Rainbow used in Carry On--remember when Simon would casually reference something that had happened in third year, instead of making you relive the whole thing, so you understood it had happened in the background but you didn't really have to worry about the details? Instead of spending a bunch of time in Skyrim lore, they'll just mention events that have presumably happened in the background in the game, but the focus is on the relationship progression. I really, really enjoyed it and am excited to read more of it.

6-The Salisbury Boy is hot and mysterious and slowly killing me emotionally, all of which feels very on-brand for @alleycat0306. Simon is even more messed up than usual, but irresistible at the same time. Sometimes I have to wait to read a new chapter when I'm mentally and emotionally ready for Simon to be a total wreck, but it's so good (and wtf is going on???)

hope you're having a good weekend! if you have a rec for something I should read, send it my way, and feel tagged:

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

@bookish-bogwitch @bachusekart @bookishbroadwayandblind @brilla-brilla-estrellita @confused-bi-queer

@cutestkilla @drowninginships @facewithoutheart @fiend-for-culture

@iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @katatsumuli

@larkral @jyae23 @letraspal @martsonmars @messofthejess

@monbons @nausikaaa @noblecorgi @onepintobean @palimpsessed

@pato-roldnart @prettygoododds @raenestee @rimeswithpurple  @roomwithanopenfire

@run-for-chamo-miles @shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @talentpiper11  @the-beard-of-edward-teach

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

[emeryhall]

Thank you @mooncello and @emeryhall for the tags today! And everyone else who's been tagging me of late, even though I've not been able to get in and partake much.

Today I have written 618 words. This is not much. But it's magnitudes better than I've been able to manage for fic in one day for...checking my notes...well ok, I thought the answer was going to be "several weeks," but turns out it's actually "the entire year!" Break out the confetti I guess.

So here we go with a Baz snippet from chapter 4 of Bait and Switch.

“Yeah, ‘cause you're bad at it,” the Humdrum persists. “Okay. Okay, I’m so serious. Hear me out.” “No.” “We change the plan.” “No.” “This is how we get him.” “No.” “I mean, you should see what he dreams about you.” That pulls me up short. My knee-jerk reaction, such as it is at this point, is to say tell me about that in very great detail. But that’s what he wants. He wants me to be curious so that he can convince me to go along with it. (And so that he can withhold something I want, because he’s a rotten child.)  I have a limited window, here, to get him to give up the information in frustration instead.

Ah and lest I forget, please enjoy this absolutely maddening find from the brainstorming doc when I was trying to remember how I'd planned to proceed with this fic.

but then…there was something, I had figured something out. They were about to Succeed, or Do The Final Thing, OH that was just…they were about to…wait was it?

Hands down the least helpful thing I've found in one of my brainstorming docs. And that bar is really, really high.

Now some tags <3

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

@artsyunderstudy @thewholelemon @monbons @run-for-chamo-miles @raenestee

@iamamythologicalcreature @alexalexinii @rimeswithpurple @aristocratic-otter @facewithoutheart

@martsonmars @youarenevertooold @confused-bi-queer @ileadacharmedlife @forabeatofadrum

[emeryhall]

Six Sentence Sunday (but is it ever really, though?!)

Thanks for the recent tags @emeryhall @mooncello @nausikaaa @monbons @thewholelemon

Hello from the void! I've been racing along with ASR edits again the last few weeks, and recently I cracked the 70k word mark. Currently, the draft is sitting at 72,494 words ... and I'm only about 2/3 done. I still have two whole acts to write, so it's safe to say this draft is going to be hecking chonky!

Word count wise:

January: 13,736

February: 6,468

March: 4,150

April: 7,683

And so far May has been stellar for my word count (because I've hit a scene I've been DYING to rewrite since I began this process in November)

1st-4th = 3,807 words

5-11th = 9,125 words

Those last 12k written this month constitute my favourite part of this book. I've always had the bare bones of this scene, but it's really fleshed out in this draft, lots of playful banter and plenty of pining.

Lauren POV.

... suddenly we’re at an impasse. My room and the kitchen lie to our right, Mike’s room to the left, and the No Man’s Land of our communal hallway in between. I’m not ready for this night to end, even if that just means us sitting up with hot chocolates in the kitchen and talking about random things, anything, so long as we get to spend more time together. “So, um …” I start, but don’t know what else to say. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Mike asks. That I want to shove you against a wall and kiss you senseless? Yeah, definitely not thinking along the same lines here, Lauren.

So yeah, more a writing update than word sharing post this week. I'm getting to a point where I don't want to spoil everything in this book, so I might start pulling back on ASR updates, at least until I get to a point where I can actually think about publishing. Hopefully this writing bug transfers over to Trails and I can crack back on with that fic soon!

Tagging (apologies if you've already done this, I've just copied and pasted my list): @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 

[emeryhall]

—it's a strange feeling to finish a wip after not touching it for five months. a strange thing to finish a fic that I started over a year ago. because my writing has changed in that time. maybe not dramatically, but it's evolved. I'd like to think my craft has developed in certain ways over the past year. I've changed, as a person and a writer, but the fic itself still takes place within a three-week period. I don't want a sudden vibe shift yfm?

in the past month, I've re-read the entirety of more than a footnote multiple times, to ensure I get into the headspace, re-familiarize myself with their voices, remember all the threads I want to tie off, the themes I want to bring home in a satisfying way.

that all being said. chapter 9 is a vibe shift. ✌️

I always knew that I wanted to give my guys some time together. to be happy after all that pining angst, sure, but to also figure out what it means to be with one another in this new way. because they've still got their issues yk?

personally, I really dislike stories that end right after the two characters get together. like. it's just about to get really good?? the relationship stuff is WHERE IT'S AT for me.

so that's chapter 9. navigating the new, getting away from Watford, new scenery (including the seaside!), new characters (say hi to Niall's mums, Bridget and Paloma). I feel like the chapter has awtwb vibes. it's long. I've panicked to a couple friends about that this past week (how long is too long? are ppl gonna hate this?), but whenever I read thru my current draft, it feels like stepping into another world. it feels like a cup of tea on a rainy day. a momentary reprieve. I think I really like it. I hope you all like it, too.

one more POV to write, then it's off to betas. omg, I can't believe this one is almost over.

for today: I'm sharing a few short snippets from the chapter. nothing too long or immersive. more like a little sampling.

peace and love y'all.

we've got some moody Baz:

Baz’s smoky eyes slide over to us, lingering on where Dev’s hand rests along my waist. A flicker of pained longing crosses his face, more a facial twitch than anything else, and then smooth neutrality once more.

we've got kissing:

"If you wanna keep staring at me, I suggest you get dressed." Then I kiss him, fast and hard and a little bit filthy. "I'm leaving for breakfast in exactly five minutes."

we've got a precious mother-son moment:

“He’s happy with you.” I shoot a startled look at mum. “He always has been.” I’m not sure what to say to that, so I swirl another piece of biscuit in my tea. It’s soggy and threatening to collapse by the time I take a bite. I press the gingery mush to the roof of my mouth and then swallow. “Did you know?” I ask quietly. “Know what, darling?” “That Dev, uh, has liked me?”

oh, and angst makes a reappearance:

My eyes burn with tears, and I stab my knuckles into them. Hard. Until colourful sparks light up behind my eyelids. No. I will not cry. If I cry, I won’t be able to stop.

and:

“This isn’t just a party.” His voice the crack of a whip, the snap of a tree branch in the middle of a storm.

and:

Dev sinks to his knees in the sand, his spine curved against the sky. I drop beside him, not really knowing what the fuck I’m supposed to do, but stroking his hair anyway because if I’ve learned one thing this past week, it’s that Dev secretly loves tender touch.

and we've got more sex:

My back hits the mattress with a soft thump, and Niall climbs on top of me, his legs straddling my waist. He drags his nose along the curve of my neck, inhaling deeply. “God, you smell so good,” he rasps, and then latches his teeth onto my skin, sucking hard with the intent to mark.  “Oh fuck,” I moan, as he bites a second kiss over my pulse point. I’m gonna carry his bruises tomorrow, and that thought wrings another moan out of me.

thank you for the tag today @leithillustration (hell yeah mermay content!!)

tags and ✌️:

@drowninginships @valeffelees @run-for-chamo-miles @blackberrysummerblog @confused-bi-queer

@youarenevertooold @shrekgogurt, @hushed-chorus @whatevertheweather, @cutestkilla

@you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @artsyunderstudy, @emeryhall, @imagineacoolusername, @leithillustration

@iamamythologicalcreature, @bookish-bogwitch @thewholelemon, @best--dress, @rimeswithpurple

@ileadacharmedlife @skeedelvee, @monbons, @alexalexinii, @j-trow-95

@theimpossibledemon, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @larkral, @messofthejess, @talentpiper11

@fiend-for-culture, @stitchyqueer, @roomwithanopenfire + anyone else who would like to join

[emeryhall]

Thank you to @mooncello for the tag! And thank you to everyone who's been tagging me in Six Sentence Sundays, WIP Wednesdays, and tag games recently. Sorry, I've been a bit AWOL from Tumblr (and Discord).

But...I wrote a Captive Prince fic (I know, I know, yet another fandom) that I want to share with y'all.

Six to Seven Hours: or; The Adventures of Arkas, a Once Famous Gladiator from Isthima

Here are more than six to seven sentences (see what I did there?) from that story:

Damen woke on the inn’s narrow bed to cool, slender limbs wrapping around him, and a hard, bare chest pressed to his back.  “Laurent,” he mumbled into a pillow, still warm and drowsy from sleep. “Is it…?” The room was dark. It wasn’t morning. He felt backwards until his fingers met curves. “Where have you been?”  “Hearing stories.” Laurent’s words were breath against Damen’s neck.  “What sort of stories?” Damen rolled from his side to his back, shaking away the cobwebs of sleep.  “One was about you.”  “Was it?”  “Yes.”  “Was it a good one?”  In answer, Laurent climbed on top of Damen and straddled his thighs. The bedding pooled at his waist. Damen could see Laurent was perfectly naked and already amorous—the inches of gold cuff on his left wrist his only concealed skin.  “Oh, that sort of story.” 

Btw, if you read C.S. Pacat, I also wrote a Dark Rise gift fic for the lovely @monbons a couple of weeks ago ❤️

Tags below the cut. I tried to throw in some of the non-Carry On crew too - hope you don't mind 😊

@artsyunderstudy @cutestkilla @thewholelemon @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @bookish-bogwitch

@whatevertheweather @run-for-chamo-miles @iamamythologicalcreature @rimeswithpurple @roomwithanopenfire

@orange-peony @raenestee @larkral @shrekgogurt @messofthejess

@best--dress @rbkzz @fiend-for-culture @bitbybitwrites @porcelainmortal

@miharaikko @caterpills @r33sespieces @secretandarling @brilla-brilla-estrellita

@ileadacharmedlife @hushed-chorus @aristocratic-otter @j-trow-95 @noblecorgi

And anyone else who wants to join!

Side note: I was inspired to participate today after being reminded of how lovely the fandom community is when a crew of you talked me through my "to lock or not lock my AO3 account" crisis because of the most recent scraping. May AI consume itself like the non-human centipede that it is. (Credit to Em for that joke.)

[emeryhall]

Mermay: Noon. Damen & Laurent.

[emeryhall]

Six to Seven Hours: or; The Adventures of Arkas, a Once Famous Gladiator from Isthima (on AO3)

rated E | 10K words | one-shot, complete!

“My cousin told me,” said Alexon, proudly, “he met a man who had once been a famous gladiator from Isthima. He lasted only minutes in the arena with Damianos. But afterwards Damianos had him in his chambers for six hours.”

“Seven hours,” said Lamen, frowning slightly.

— C.S. Pacat, The Adventures of Charls, the Veretian Cloth Merchant

This is (in part) the story of Arkas, a once famous gladiator from Isthima, and his friend, Basia, a once famous gladiator from Vask. At an inn in Patras they meet two sheep farmers: one a sizable man, the other has yellow hair and keen blue eyes. Perhaps they drink too much double-strength wine. Perhaps they tell too many tales.

It is also (in part) the story of King Laurent of Vere and King Damianos of Akielos. At an inn in Patras, at a table with two gladiators, King Laurent learns of more than just his husband’s sexual prowess.

[emeryhall]

Hey guys! Here's my one very unprofessional PSA, but I was commissioned for some special edition covers for the Simon Snow series by Dazzling Bookish Shop, and they are on sale to the general public now, April 25! I have no idea how much availability they'll have, but here's a preview and the link. ♡

[emeryhall]

“You know, the London Underground, or ‘tube,’ was originally called the Metropolitan Railway, and it was the first underground railway in the world. It opened in 1863. The Baker Street tube station is one of the first stations, and it’s still operational, of course. This here”—Sid gestures at the train—“is a steam locomotive with a condensing tank engine. It was built in Manchester.” 

my trip to London has been declared successful (by me), I finally know where Baz and Sid went to all the time

@emeryhall

[emeryhall]

“Perhaps we should return to the wedding. Also, I am not entirely sure where my father is right now.” Henry glances into the branches of the linden trees above them.

Illustration for The Trouble with Sex Waifs.

(I drew this solely so I could draw Arthur Fox. If you've read the fic, zoom in.)

[emeryhall]